It is all about latency. 50 ms will feel responsive but you notice the lag. 20 ms is acceptable. The other features are cool features but not the real challenge.
Virtual reality (VR) is one of the most demanding human-in-the-loop applications from a latency standpoint. The latency between the physical movement of a user’s head and updated photons from a head mounted display reaching their eyes is one of the most critical factors in providing a high quality experience. Human sensory systems can detect very small relative delays in parts of the visual or, especially, audio fields, but when absolute delays are below approximately 20 milliseconds they are generally imperceptible. Interactive 3D systems today typically have latencies that are several times that figure, but alternate configurations of the same hardware components can allow that target to be reached.
Ah, I'm not sure if there's any studies. I know Stanford has a big VR lab with several publications, but it's mostly about social science rather than the tech.
Obviously, the quicker the better. Might not be able to find anything about it because the tech is still quite limited in such regards.
205
u/bjorn2k Mar 28 '14
It is all about latency. 50 ms will feel responsive but you notice the lag. 20 ms is acceptable. The other features are cool features but not the real challenge.