Immersive Augmented Reality (AR) Gaming in Vehicles: The Impact of Visuo-Vestibular Congruency on Motion Discomfort

This study investigated rear-seat passengers’ motion discomfort when displaying (in)congruent visual motion while playing an immersive Augmented Reality (AR) racing game on a headrest-mounted screen. 29 players participated in two, 30-minute drives involving urban and highway roads. In the Synchronized Game (SG), the gameplay elements and video background were live-streamed from the vehicle’s cameras and sensors, creating a congruent sensory environment. In the Desynchronized Game (DG), the gameplay was pre-recorded, resulting in incongruent visuo-vestibular motion where the visual motion in the game did not always align with that of the vehicle. Motion discomfort was measured at 2-min intervals using the MIsery SCale (MISC) and a thermal camera measuring participants’ forehead temperature. The results showed that the SG condition led to significantly lower motion discomfort compared to the DG condition. These findings suggest that immersive games that incorporate real-time vehicle motion can help to mitigate motion discomfort by providing congruent visual-vestibular input.