Impact of full-body haptic feedback on the sense of presence, affective experience, and game engagement in a VR game

Virtual reality (VR) has opened new possibilities in the realm of gaming, giving players new opportunities to reconceptualise the understanding around presence and engagement within the game world. Sense of presence (SoP) is a widely assessed aspect of game experience. Through growing VR implementations, SoP gained prominence due to VR’s ability to simulate life-like interactive environments and eventually become the crucial aspect for VR effectiveness and quality (De Paolis and De Luca, 2022). However, it is not always straightforward to achieve a strong SoP due to the complex nature of human experiences. Largely, SoP depends on a careful interplay of contextual factors, sensory fidelity, technical adaptability (Witmer and Singer, 1998).

One potential way to develop SoP and overall game engagement in VR is to incorporate haptic feedback (Caroux, 2023). The integration of haptic feedback in VR is becoming popular as it enhances VR experiences, and this is particularly effective in narrative-driven games, where haptics can physically convey tension, impact, and the ambiance of the story, enriching the overall experience. For example, the DualSense controllers on the PlayStation 5s have been taking advantage of haptics through the controller using trigger effects and audio driven vibrations (Kuhail et al., 2024).

Although haptic perception is a fundamental aspect of the human experience and is influential in the SoP in VR game environments (Caroux, 2023), it is historically less prioritised compared to visual and audio modalities, and, thus, still remains understudied. The ability of haptics to contribute towards SoP and game engagement has been explored in VR previously. Most of these studies rely on focused haptic devices such as controllers, gloves (Li et al., 2024), vests (Bourachot et al., 2023), and similar devices which lack full-body immersive haptic feedback experience. In contrast, full-body haptic suits, such as the Teslasuit, offer a more holistic haptic experience, and are still in the early stages of adoption in VR gameplay, hence there is the need for further research.

The aim of this study is to understand the effect of full-body haptic feedback, delivered through a haptic suit, on the player's SoP, affective experience, and game engagement in a narrative-based VR game environment.