Accuracy and precision of stimulus timing and reaction times with Unreal Engine and SteamVR.

ABSTRACT: The increasing interest in Virtual Reality (VR) as a tool for neuroscientific research contrasts with the current lack of established toolboxes and standards. In several recent studies, game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine were used. It remains to be tested whether these software packages provide sufficiently precise and accurate stimulus timing and time measurements that allow inferring ongoing mental and neural processes. We here investigated the precision and accuracy of the timing mechanisms of Unreal Engine 4 and SteamVR in combination with the HTC Vive VR system. In a first experiment, objective external measures revealed that stimulus durations were highly accurate. In contrast, in a second experiment, the assessment of the precision of built-in timing procedures revealed highly

SUBMITTER: Wiesing M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7141612 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature