According to a new report by analyst firm ThinkBalm, immersiveness is not an all-or-nothing proposition but a continuum.
On the low-immersion extreme are virtual worlds with cartoony graphics, static camera angles, no spacial voice, and limited gestures.
High-immersive worlds, by comparison, have realistic graphics, customizable avatars, spacial audio and a full range of gestures and animations.
An immersive environment can run either in a separate application, or inside a Web browser.
The richness of the environment is determined “by the degree to which the user’s senses are engaged, and the desirability and meaningfulness of the activity in which the user is participating,” said Sam Driver and Erica Driver, the authors of the report.

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