Are Existing Head-Mounted Displays ‘Good Enough'? A summary of a worldwide HMD survey on past experience and future expectations from HMDs.

Yuval Boger, CEO, Sensics, Inc.
Copyright © Sensics, Inc. 2007

Executive Summary

During the spring of 2007, Sensics conducted a broad worldwide survey amongst academic, commercial, and government users of virtual reality systems. The survey was designed to understand user perceptions of current head-mounted display (HMD) technology as well as desired performance characteristics of what was termed a "goodenough" HMD. A summary of these results is presented below.

Key survey findings include:

1. Most existing HMDs are not ‘good enough' according to survey participants. Commonplace horizontal field of view (50 degrees or lower) and commonplace vertical field of view (30 degrees or lower) are considered ‘good enough' by fewer than 10% of surveyed population.

2. The lack of ‘good enough' performance is cited in practically all the cases where buyers with appropriate budgets considered purchasing head-mounted displays yet ultimately did not do so.

3. Users consider the most important HMD attributes to be: panoramic field of view (over 100 degrees horizontal), large vertical field of view (over 50 degrees), very fast dynamic response (no smear or fade effects), high contrast display, high resolution display and a lightweight design We believe the HMD market is primed for innovation that will deliver HMD with acceptable characteristics. Products such as the Sensics piSight HMD (panoramic, highresolution, upgradeable) already deliver many of the desired attributes and will continue to improve towards fully satisfying the needs of most professional users.

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