Immersion Versus Interaction Cost: The Player Experience With Game HUD Information on a Smartphone Screen

Abstract

While common Heads-Up Display (HUD) design strategies seek to enhance immersion by minimizing or dynamically hiding on-screen elements, this study investigates a distinct alternative: the complete relocation of the HUD information to a smartphone. The goal is to test the trade-off of achieving a fully unobstructed primary view—a benefit that on-screen minimization cannot fully provide—against the inherent cognitive costs of multi-display interaction. We conducted online experiments using first-person shooter and racing game prototypes, assessing player experience via questionnaires, performance metrics, and qualitative feedback. Quantitative results revealed no significant overall improvement in immersion or performance. In fact, a statistically significant decrease in Cognitive Involvement (p = 0.03) was observed in the racing game. Qualitatively, while participants noted the high interaction cost, they also expressed interest in the concept for slower-paced genres. Our findings demonstrate that the benefits of a completely clean screen are largely offset by the costs of divided attention, indicating that this strategy is not a universal immersion enhancer. Future research should therefore focus on genre-specific applications and the development of interactive features to mitigate these attentional demands.