360° versus 3D Environments in VR Headsets for an Exploration Task

Abstract

For entertainment, pedagogical or cultural purposes, there is a need for fast and easy setup of virtual environments that represent real ones. The use of 360° video in Virtual Reality Headsets seems like a powerful tool for producing fun and engaging content in a fast manner. This applies even more when we need to set up realistic views of actual environments. However, in terms of user experience in virtual reality headsets, can 360° shots of a real environment be an interesting alternative to a full 3D model? In this work, we have conducted a user study during a film festival comparing the reaction of a wide public to two versions of a Virtual Reality cultural heritage visit of a Paleolithic cave, the "Grotte de Commarque" located in the south of France. The first version is a full 3D textured model of the cave, the second is a series of 360° pictures, presented in a VR Headset. We have set up a scenario of observation and exploration. The users were able to navigate with the same teleportation metaphor in both conditions. We focused on evaluating the sense of presence during the visit. We have also sought for trends in perceived fun, sickness and easiness of navigation. Our results suggest that the full 3D environment is where the participants feel more present. However, the difference in rating the measures between the two conditions were not strongly marked. Moreover, a relevant result that we retain is that this rating is correlated to the degree of familiarity of the user with virtual reality.