Minimizing cybersickness in head-mounted display systems: causes and strategies review

Abstract

Virtual reality has become popular in games and training applications because of the mass use of head-mounted displays for audiences in various segments such as education, military, entertainment, and games. Despite such devices producing a high sense of immersion and presence, they also cause discomfort to users in uncomfortable sensations called cybersickness (CS). We reviewed the literature on theories of discomfort manifestations usually attributed to virtual reality environments in this work. Additionally, we reviewed existing strategies aimed at minimizing CS problems by dividing them into 10 groups of causes: locomotion, acceleration, a field of view, depth of field, rotational movements, exposure time, static rest frames, postural instability, latency lag, and degree of control. Additionally, we discuss how the CS measurement has been conducted based on subjective, objective, and users profile data. Our review facilitates researchers to identify the leading causes for most discomfort situations in virtual reality environments and associate the most recommended strategies to minimize such discomfort.