Impact of Stereoscopic Technologies on Heart Rate Variability in Extreme VR Gaming Conditions

This study examines the effects of different stereoscopic technologies on physiological responses in immersive virtual reality (VR) environments. Five participant groups were evaluated: a control group (no stereoscopy) and four groups using anaglyph, passive, active glasses, or VR helmets. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured in both time (MeanRR, SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50) and frequency (LF, HF, LF/HF) domains to assess autonomic nervous system activity. Active, polarized glasses and VR helmets significantly reduced SDNN and RMSSD compared to the control group (p < 0.01), with VR helmets causing the largest decrease (MeanRR −70%, RMSSD −51%). Anaglyph glasses showed milder effects. Nonlinear analysis revealed reduced entropies and Hurst parameter in highly immersive conditions, indicating impaired fractal heart rate structure and increased physiological load. These results demonstrate a clear relationship between immersion level and cardiovascular response, emphasising that higher immersion increases physiological stress. The scientific contribution lies in the combined application of linear and nonlinear HRV analysis to systematically compare different stereoscopic display types under controlled gaming immersion. The study proposes a practical methodology for assessing HRV in VR settings, which can inform the ergonomic design of VR systems and ensure users’ physiological safety. By highlighting the differential impacts of stereoscopic technologies on HRV, the findings offer guidance for optimising VR visualisation to balance immersive experience with user comfort and health.