Investigating Walking Performance and Experience with Different Locomotion Technologies in VR

Locomotion is crucial for moving in virtual worlds, and a plausible but realistic implementation is an essential component of locomotion technologies. Various locomotion technologies, such as treadmills or controller locomotion approaches have been developed to simulate continuous walking behavior in VR. However, it is unknown which locomotion technique provides higher walking performance and better walking experience. Hence, we conducted a user study with 15 participants to systematically compare three walking methods (real walking, walking with VR device controllers, and walking on an omnidirectional treadmill) in VR. We found that the omnidirectional treadmill decreased walking performance and increased simulator sickness, negatively affecting locomotion compared to real walking and using VR controllers. Furthermore, visual fidelity also affects walking performance in VR. We discuss potential factors for the negative performance of the omnidirectional treadmill in virtual walking. Our work contributes to the important area of locomotion techniques for immersive technologies.