Display systems suitable for virtual reality applications can prove useful for a variety of domains. The emergence of low-cost head-mounted displays reinvigorated the area of virtual reality significantly. However, there are still applications where full-scale CAVE-type display systems are better suited. Moreover, the cost of most CAVE-type display systems is typically rather high, thereby making it difficult to justify in a research setting. This article aims at providing a design of less costly display technology combined with inexpensive input devices that implements a virtual environment paradigm suitable for such full-scale visualization and simulation tasks. The focus is on cost-effective display technology that does not break a researchers budget. The software framework utilizing these displays combines different visualization and graphics packages to create an easy-to-use software environment that can run readily on this display. A user study was performed to evaluate the display technology and its usefulness for virtual reality tasks using an accepted measure: presence. It was found that the display technology is capable of delivering a virtual environment in which the user feels fully immersed. © 2017 Society for Imaging Science and Technology.
Collegiate athletics, particularly football, provide tremendous value to schools through branding, revenue, and publicity. As a result, extensive effort is put into recruiting talented students. When recruiting, home games are exceptional tools used to show a school's unique game-day atmosphere. However, this is not a viable option during the offseason or for off-site visits. This paper explores a solution to these challenges by using virtual reality (VR) to recreate the game-day experience. The Virtual Reality Application Center in conjunction with Iowa State University (ISU) athletics, created a VR application mimicking the game-day experience at ISU. This application was displayed using the world's highest resolution six-sided CAVETM, an Oculus Rift DK2 computer-driven head mounted display (HMD) and a Merge VR smart phone-driven HMD. A between-subjects user study compared presence between the different systems and a video control. In total, 82 students participated, indicating their presence using the Witmer and Singer questionnaire. Results revealed that while the CAVETM scored the highest in presence, the Oculus and Merge only experienced a slight drop compared to the CAVETM. This result suggests that the mobile ultra-low-cost Merge is a viable alternative to the CAVE TM and Oculus for delivering the game-day experience to ISU recruits.