Who Controls VR?
A Thematic Synthesis of Studies That Directly Investigated Input Modality with Older Adults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54337/aau.icdvrat26.33Abstract
Input modality, how users physically control and navigate virtual reality (VR), is largely treated as a secondary consideration in VR research involving older adults. In a broader scoping review of 349 studies, only six (fewer than 2%) were identified as explicitly investigating input modalities. This thematic synthesis of those studies indicates that embodied and familiar interaction techniques are consistently preferred and better tolerated by older adults. The findings further suggest that limited adoption is driven more by issues of acceptance than by inherent incapacity. Conventional handheld controllers appear poorly suited to this population, whereas alternatives such as cycling-based input, hand tracking, and augmented gaze demonstrate greater accessibility. These results highlight the need to position input modality as a central research focus in the accessibility, design and evaluation of VR interventions for older adults.
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