EZCursorVR: 2D Selection with Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays

We present an evaluation of a new selection technique for virtual reality (VR) systems presented on head-mounted displays. The technique, dubbed EZCursorVR, presents a 2D cursor that moves in a head-fixed plane, simulating 2D desktop-like cursor control for VR. The cursor can be controlled by any 2DOF input device, but also works with 3/6DOF devices using appropriate mappings. We conducted an experiment based on ISO 9241-9, comparing the effectiveness of EZCursorVR using a mouse, a joystick in both velocity-control and position-control mappings, a 2D-constrained ray-based technique, a standard 3D ray, and finally selection via head motion. Results indicate that the mouse offered the highest performance in terms of throughput, movement time, and error rate, while the position-control joystick was worst. The 2D-constrained ray-casting technique proved an effective alternative to the mouse when performing selections using EZCursorVR, offering better performance than standard ray-based selection.