Throwing in Virtual Reality: Performance and Preferences Across Input Device Configurations

Amirpouya Ghasemaghaei, Yahya Hmaiti, Mykola Maslych, Esteban Segarra Martinez, Joseph J. LaViola

Abstract: An underexplored interaction metaphor in virtual reality (VR) is throwing, with a considerable challenge in achieving accurate and natural results. We conducted a preliminary investigation of participants' VR throwing performance, measuring their accuracy and preferences across various input device configurations and throwable object types. Participants were tasked with throwing different objects toward targets using five input device configurations we developed. Our work is relevant to researchers and developers aiming to improve throwing interactions in VR. We demonstrate that onbody tracking leads to the highest throwing accuracy, whereas most participants preferred a controller-derived configuration.