Effect of Render Resolution on Gameplay Experience, Performance, and Simulator Sickness in Virtual Reality Games

TL;DR

This study investigates how different VR headset resolutions impact gameplay experience, performance, and simulator sickness in VR FPS games, finding 2K resolution as a key threshold for improved experience without drawbacks.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the effects of various VR resolutions on user experience, performance, and sickness, guiding optimal resolution choices for VR gaming.

Findings

2K resolution enhances gameplay experience without performance loss.

No significant performance difference from 1K to 4K resolutions.

Higher resolutions do not increase simulator sickness.

Abstract

Higher resolution is one of the main directions and drivers in the development of virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs). However, given its associated higher cost, it is important to determine the benefits of having higher resolution on user experience. For non-VR games, higher resolution is often thought to lead to a better experience, but it is unexplored in VR games. This research aims to investigate the resolution tradeoff in gameplay experience, performance, and simulator sickness (SS) for VR games, particularly first-person shooter (FPS) games. To this end, we designed an experiment to collect gameplay experience, SS, and player performance data with a popular VR FPS game, Half-Life: Alyx. Our results indicate that 2K resolution is an important threshold for an enhanced gameplay experience without affecting performance and increasing SS levels. Moreover, the resolution from 1K to 4K has no significant difference in player performance. Our results can inform game developers and players in determining the type of HMD they want to use to balance the tradeoff between costs and benefits and achieve a more optimal experience.