“but as of the writing of this article, most research that can inform VR design is focused on visual and vestibular inputs”
Only because developers are lazy when it comes to sound design and do not prioritise it despite Steam VR, Nvidia and Google putting a lot of money into developing free auralisation SDK’s.
Our hearing is one of our most important inputs, for someone who is blind, it becomes the most important sense, when orienting oneself in outside environments.
Seems like a lot of startups go for the accepted level of sound design to be “Nick the web-designer is also in a rock-band, maybe he can do the sound effects?”
Like with it was with VR before, sound design is a low priority aspect of game design still, but hopefully members of the game development community, specifically managers and producers, will realise the value in 3D-sound…
