Matrix Effect Survey: Over 1 in 3 VR Users Experience Temporary Confusion Between What's Virtual & What's Real

Here's the results of our fairly non-scientific but still pretty interesting survey on the Matrix/Cartesian effect. After extensive VR use, over a third of the users who took the survey report experiencing "light to medium" confusion between what's virtual and what's real, at least for a few minutes. 3% report experiencing that level of confusion for a few hours, the same amount experiencing "medium to heavy" confusion for a few hours, while notably, another 3% report medium to heavy confusion for over 12 hours.

Of course, we could slice these results in the other direction and also note that 45% of those surveyed (the plurality) report no confusion at all. However, like I said before, from a company liability perspective, it's notable if a significant minority experience this kind of confusion after using your product. Take longtime NWN reader Adeon Writer:

"After using a VR headset for about 2 hours, after taking off the headset off, I'll find myself moving about my apartment somewhat cautiously, for fear that I'll bump into the 'real' walls of my apartment, under the assumption that I'm still in VR. The feeling fades quickly."

But what if before it fades, he walks into his fish tank, deeply cuts his hands, and damn near electrocutes himself? Nuisance or not, you know that's the kind of lawsuits that are coming for Oculus and the other VR giants soon.

All that to one side, this is still a juicy anecdote at this point, and I'd love to see this effect studied more rigorously with the current VR hardware devices on the market.

Please share this post:

Tweet

 

Comments

[Ezra]

You really should get a Vive or Rift so you can blog about all the new games and apps coming out that thousands of VR users are actually experiencing on a daily basis instead of this made up and sensationalist stuff.

The Vive ships in 2-3 business days now. If this is your career, take it serious, own the hardware and blog about it properly.

[lol]

I'm with Ezra on this

[Tesla Miles]

I also agree with Ezra.

VR is here to stay like it or not. An executive at 20th Century Fox famously said that he did not think that television would ever catch on, how wrong he was.

Instead of looking foolish in a few years time, why not be brave and experience VR for yourself, and present an informed subjective opinion, rather than 'made up and sensationalist stuff'.

[Todd]

Although I do agree with the above comments, I'm torn.

I find this blog kinda fun in its "fox news" reporting on VR, and I do find myself coming back to see how VR won't work or how it will ultimately kill me.

Accurate. no, but still entertaining....and in the end, that's pretty much the purpose of any blog, regardless of how important you think it is.

So Wagner keep it up. VR needs a Rush Limbaugh to keep it honest :D

[Summer Haas]

I have to scratch my head on how you make the jump in reasoning that a person who stated they are extra cautious after using VR somehow becomes less cautious and injures themselves.

What if, more true to Adeon's testament, people become more aware of their surroundings and home accidents go down because of VR usage?

[sirhc deSantis]

To Ezra et al, I don't know Au and rather like the unhype slightly snarky take, but personally I will think of getting one of these toys when a) something sparks my interest enough (probably would need to build something I expect as nothing except possibly SL has even piqued me a teeny bit) or b) one comes free in a box of Wheeties - so never, as I stopped buying prepack brekkie rubbish 20 years ago,
But feel free to send me one gratis so I too can feel the Ber.... oops wrong context. Maybe.

[Adeon Writer]

"But what if before it fades, he walks into his fish tank, deeply cuts his hands, and damn near electrocutes himself? Nuisance or not, you know that's the kind of lawsuits that are coming for Oculus and the other VR giants soon."

Because that's impossible. Why?

Because the effect as I described it causes you to be MORE CAUTIOUS about your envionment, until the effect wears off, not LESS. This should have been very clear.

[Adeon Writer]

(And if you were talking about hurting yourself while wearing an Oculus is a seated experience. You shouldn't be out of your chair while wearing the headset.)

(And if you were talking about hurting yourself while wearing a Vive, the vive has a pass-though camera specifically for not being build to real-world objects.)