A Unified Rating System for a Qualitative Comparison of Haptic and Pseudo-Haptic Weight Simulation in Virtual Reality

One key challenge in VR technologies lies in enabling realistic interaction between users and virtual objects, with a particular emphasis on providing haptic weight feedback to enhance realism and user engagement. Specifically, two main categories have emerged for simulating weight in VR: haptic and pseudo-haptic solutions. Although several surveys cover approaches within each category, comparative research examining these two types of weight simulation methods is still lacking. This article introduces a novel unified rating system that allows to compare the effectiveness of haptic versus pseudo-haptic weight simulation in virtual reality using a unified rating system. Applying this rating system to existing solutions, we were able to calculate a score that reflects the strengths and weaknesses of both haptic and pseudo-haptic weight simulation techniques. As a result, the rating system facilitates the evaluation of individual devices as well as a comparative analysis of the two categories as a whole.