Steering Versus Teleporting in Mobile Virtual Reality

2026-09-24

AI Summary

This study addresses the difficulty of decoupled head turning and speed control in mobile VR caused by limited input modalities. We propose a continuous head-independent steering scheme tailored for low-cost, narrow-field-of-view hardware. The research compares gaze tracking and controller pointing during steering and teleportation tasks, while introducing a pitch-angle-based speed control technique integrated with audio buttons to enable multimodal interaction. Experimental results indicate that gaze-based interaction is well-suited for teleportation, whereas controller pointing facilitates target search more effectively. This work demonstrates that low-cost devices can adequately support diverse navigation techniques, offering an optimized pathway for designing interactions in low-fidelity extended reality (XR) environments.

Abstract

Mobile virtual reality (MVR) provides low-cost access to extended reality (XR), but its limited input restricts use of common locomotion techniques such as head-decoupled and velocity-controlled steering. Using a low-cost controller with an audio-based button, we compared gaze- and controller-directed steering and teleportation in MVR. We included a controller pitch-based speed-control technique enabling continuous head-decoupled steering. Performance and participant feedback indicate that gaze was better suited to teleportation, whereas controller pointing better supports steering in primed search. We compare with similar techniques in standard VR and derive design considerations for low-cost, narrow-FOV hardware, demonstrating the potential to support varied travel techniques and velocity control in low-fidelity XR.

Problem

• Mobile Virtual Reality
• Locomotion
• Steering
• Teleportation
• Extended Reality

Innovation

• Mobile Virtual Reality
• Locomotion Techniques
• Head-Decoupled Steering
• Teleportation
• Pitch-Based Speed Control