Sound localization is crucial for interacting with the
surrounding world. This ability can be learned across time
and improved by multisensory and motor cues. In the last
decade, studying the contributions of multisensory and
motor cues has been facilitated by the increased adoption of
virtual reality (VR). In a recent study, sound localization
had been trained through a task where the visual stimuli
were rendered through a VR headset, and the auditory ones
through a loudspeaker moved around by the experimenter.
Physically reaching to sound sources reduced sound
localization errors faster and to a greater extent if compared
to naming sources’ positions. Interestingly, training efficacy
extended also to hearing-impaired people. Yet, this
approach is unfeasible for rehabilitation at home. Fullyvirtual approaches have been used to study spatial hearing
learning processes, performing headphones-rendered
acoustic simulations. In the present study, we investigate
whether the effects of our reaching-based training can be
observed when taking advantage of such simulations,
showing that the improvement is comparable between the
full-VR and blended VR conditions. This validates the use
of training paradigms that are completely based on portable
equipment and don’t require an external operator, opening
new perspectives in the field of remote rehabilitation.