Abstract Most software-based cybersickness mitigation techniques, such as field-of-view (FOV) restrictors and rest frames, alter visual content and peripheral optical flow, often negatively affecting various locomotion quality factors. Path integration, a critical component of spatial updating, relies on optical flow during virtual locomotion and may therefore be particularly affected by these techniques. Despite a substantial body of work evaluating cybersickness mitigation methods, relatively few studies have examined their effects on spatial updating or path integration. Moreover, prior studies on spatial updating have not yielded conclusive results, despite theoretical predictions from the perception literature. In this work, we conducted a preregistered experiment with 48 participants to compare the effects of two mitigation techniques, the dynamic FOV restrictor and peripheral teleportation, on path integration, relative to an unrestricted control condition. By minimizing potential confounding factors identified in previous work, we found that participants made significantly larger homing errors with the FOV restrictor than in the control condition, whereas performance with peripheral teleportation did not differ significantly from either of the other conditions. These findings provide direct evidence that FOV restriction impairs path integration, while the impact of peripheral teleportation remains inconclusive. Our results further highlight the trade-off between mitigation effectiveness and spatial updating, providing VR designers with deeper context for selecting mitigation techniques.
Jul 22, 2026
Abstract Cybersickness remains a major barrier to the widespread adoption of virtual reality (VR) technologies, motivating researchers to investigate its causes and mitigation strategies through comparative human-subjects studies. These experiments may employ either within- or between-subjects designs. Although within-subjects designs require fewer participants and potentially offer higher statistical power, researchers need to wash out carryover effects of cybersickness symptoms before each session to avoid confounding the results. Prior studies have employed washout periods of varying lengths; some required testing conditions on different days, while others allowed only short breaks of less than 15 minutes. Although shorter washout periods are more convenient for experimenters, their impact on study outcomes has not been systematically investigated. In this work, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of study design and washout period length on cybersickness self-reports measured with the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ). We found that short washout periods reduce statistical power compared to long washout periods or between-subjects designs. Based on these findings, we provide guidelines to help researchers design more reliable cybersickness studies and improve the generalizability of their results.
Jun 17, 2026
Abstract Mitigating cybersickness can improve the usability of virtual reality (VR) and increase its adoption. The most widely used technique, dynamic field-of-view (FOV) restriction, mitigates cybersickness by blacking out the peripheral region of the user’s FOV. However, this approach reduces the visibility of the virtual environment. We propose peripheral teleportation, a novel technique that creates a rest frame (RF) in the user’s peripheral vision using content rendered from the current virtual environment. Specifically, the peripheral region is rendered by a pair of RF cameras whose transforms are updated by the user’s physical motion. We apply alternating teleportations during translations, or snap turns during rotations, to the RF cameras to keep them close to the current viewpoint transformation. Consequently, the optical flow generated by RF cameras matches the user’s physical motion, creating a stable peripheral view. In a between-subjects study (N=90), we compared peripheral teleportation with a traditional black FOV restrictor and an unrestricted control condition. The results showed that peripheral teleportation significantly reduced discomfort and enabled participants to stay immersed in the virtual environment for a longer duration of time. Overall, these findings suggest that peripheral teleportation is a promising technique that VR practitioners may consider adding to their cybersickness mitigation toolset.
Jan 29, 2025