Beyond the Lab: Large-Scale Remote Cybersickness Research in Virtual Reality Using the VERA Platform

Abstract

Cybersickness remains a major barrier for the adoption of virtual reality (VR), yet most existing knowledge is derived from laboratory-based studies with relatively small and homogeneous participant samples. In this paper, we investigate whether remote VR studies can produce cybersickness findings comparable to traditional in-lab experiments while enabling larger and more diverse participant populations. Using the Virtual Experience Research Accelerator (VERA), we deployed a remote adaptation of the standardized Cybersicker testbed for cybersickness research and collected data from N=263 participants using their own consumer VR headsets. We compared these results against a previously published in-lab dataset and a demographically matched subset of the remote sample. Across cohorts, cybersickness outcomes were consistent in direction and temporal pattern, including symptom onset trajectories, Fast Motion Sickness Scale (FMS) ratings, and Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) responses, supporting the validity of remote cybersickness human-subjects research. Leveraging the larger remote dataset, we additionally examined demographic and individual-difference factors associated with cybersickness. These analyses confirm at scale the effects of sex, sickness susceptibility, and sickness expectation reported in smaller laboratory samples, and they add well-powered evidence on the contested relationship between age and cybersickness. These findings demonstrate that the VERA platform provides a viable means of remotely replicating laboratory-based studies and highlight its ability to support large, demographically diverse participant samples. This work establishes a validated methodological foundation for future large-scale remote studies of cybersickness and other VR research topics.