Ambiance In and Around the Virtual Reality Headset

Paul Roquet (1)

1 MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ambient perception in virtual reality is split between perceiving the virtual space inside the headset and perceiving the surrounding physical environment. While promises of VR “immersion” frequently ignore the surrounding space, an ambient perspective reveals how immersion in VR is always at least double: any immersion in virtual space comes nested within an immersion in the atmospheres already surrounding VR use. This essay seeks to understand how these two layers cohere both spatially and temporally across the interface of the VR headset. An ambient perspective on VR demonstrates how even the most immersive media must be understood as shaped by the spaces surrounding the interface itself.

Mots clés: Ambiance; Atmosphere; Immersion; Spatial Mediation; Virtual Reality (VR)

Domaines: Architecture, aménagement de l'espace

Paul Roquet. Ambiance In and Around the Virtual Reality Headset. Proceedings of the 4th International Congress on Ambiances, Alloaesthesia: Senses, Inventions, Worlds, Réseau International Ambiances, Dec 2020, e-conference, France. pp. 14-19, ⟨10.48537/hal-03220355⟩. ⟨hal-03220355⟩