
Chapter 5
Immersion and presence
Daniel Mestre and Jean-LouisVercher
5.1 INTRODUCTION
Virtual reality, in essence, is an ambiguous concept. It is difficult to fully distinguish
between what comes under technology (virtual reality as a set of computer, mechanical,
electronic, etc. tools) and what comes under experience (virtual reality as a subjective
construction). The concepts of immersion and presence, defined in different ways by
different authors, are a sign of this ambiguity. Here, we will try to contribute to
a clarification regarding this objective/subjective duality. We propose that immersion
should be reserved for the description of the objective ...