From: Andreas Dieberger Subject: SCI: Where does immersive VR start? Date: 8 Jul 1993 14:11:59 GMT Organization: Technical University of Vienna In the VR literature there are mainly two types of VR-systems: immersive and non-immersive systems. On the first glance the distinction seems rather clear but it probably isn!t. For instance you could call a MUD a text-based Virtual Reality. As it is only text on an ordninary screen (like a text-adventure) it is non-immersive. But I once saw a definition of immersion that goes approximately like that: "You are immersed when the world is everywhere you look" Ok, but in a MUD you HAVE a person IN the world and the world IS everywhere this person can look. I admit it!s only a placeholder for a real person (call it avatar, alias, placeholder, dummy or whatever you like) So you could claim that a MUD is an immersive VR system. Another thought: let!s say that immersion is when "you FEEL you are IN a place". (with whatever method you try to prove that). Then cinema (especially IMAX and the like), TV, and even a good book can be immersive VR, whereas many so called immersive VR systems are not, because you get simulator-sick. What does nethood think about that? Where does immersive VR start? Andreas -------------------------------------------------------------- Andreas Dieberger Institute for Design and Assessment of Technology Technical Univ. of Vienna A-1040 Vienna - Moellwaldplatz 5/187 Tel. (+43-1) 504-11-86/12, Fax. (+43-1) 504-11-88 email: andreas@iguwnext.tuwien.ac.at --------------------------------------------------------------