A Self-Experimentation Report about Long-Term Use of Fully-Immersive Technology

 If eMagin has solved the ergonomic, resolution and latency issues that still leaves the last bullet point to consider i.e the participants inability to differentiate between the Virtual World and the Real World, that finding is troubling as it sounds like a technologically induced form of schizophrenia. How to make these experiences cohesive and not conflicted at their nexus? If it is just these idealized experiences Oculus and/or VR HMD users seek, escape, stimulus, novelty, that's one thing but Oculus Users, check out the Youtube Videos, are a very strange lot.  It may be a good thing that Oculus is such a mess. Sim Sickness keeps them from using it "too long." I wonder, if there are no ill effects, as eMagin claims with iHMD that other problems will emerge related to confusion as to "real" and "virtual" artifacts and experiences because the device is "too good". It could be worn by gamers for an extended period without physical side effects.
 In the PR describing their iHMD eMagin cites Big Boy Applications for the device, Medical, Architecture, 3D Design, Education, Training and Simulation. Great, all serious applications in controlled situations, these gamers though are a different kettle of fish. Keep the price point high to keep the school skippers, drug users and slackers away. They have enough going on in their lives.
 
• Simulator sickness: The participant reported serious, but
not harmful simulator sickness symptoms, in particular after
periods of moving around extensively in the VE. In contrast,
simulator sickness symptoms were soon decreased
when the participant rested on the bed or on the couch.
• Perceived accommodation: After about four hours in the
VE, the participant started to report that the accommodation
distance seemed to vary from the fix accommodation
distance (160cm) of the HMD. In particular, the participant
reported the illusion of staying in a virtual sphere with a radius
of 5 meters on which the virtual scene is projected.
• Ergonomics of HMD: The only concern of the participant
about the HMD was the latency causing simulator sickness
during exhaustive movements and the limited resolution
during working at the desk. During the first and second
VR block, the participant perceived a dry eye syndrome on
both eyes, which may result from decreased tear production
due to the sealed HMD setup.
• Place and Plausibility illusion: Several times during the
experiment the participant was confused about being in the
VE or in the real world, and mixed certain artifacts and
events between both worlds.
The self-experiment revealed some first insights into how
“living” in a virtual world with immersive technology would
impact human beings. We were surprised that the participant
did not suffer more from simulator sickness. An interesting
finding is that according to the participant’s feedback a comfortable
and stable pose has the potential to enormously reduce
simulator sickness. This may be due to the fact that in
these poses the body senses (vestibular and kinesthetic feedback)
inform the user that he is not moving. The participant’s
comments about the ergonomics of the HMD revealed that
latency is by far the most important aspect.

https://basilic.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/Publications/2014/SB14/sui14.pdf