The Interplay Between Delay and Device in a Moving Target Selection Game

Computer games have evolved alongside technologies such as personal computers, touchscreens, and virtual reality (VR). The devices have different interaction modes with distinct affordances, including direct physical control with tablets and immersive experiences in VR. Moreover, games are now easily accessible across devices due to cloud-based streaming. Despite this benefit, the challenge of delay persists and continues to affect both performance and quality of experience in games. The negative impact of delay is well-documented, but less is known about how its effect may interplay with a device’s interaction mode. This study applies a cross-platform game with controlled levels of delay, where players use different interaction modes to select moving targets. The findings highlight how the detrimental effect of delay on player performance degradation varies across devices (worst on a PC compared to VR and a tablet, and best on the tablet) even while the interaction mode mediates the effects of delay (quality of experience is fairly stable across all conditions and devices, with VR the most immersive).