Taking stock of the VR industry in 2016: From novelty to art

In 2016, VR reshaped the gaming industry in many forms. Driven by VR, GPU hardware has become more approachable, high frame rates and OLED panels have risen, and underlying technologies have continued to emerge, and they have begun to penetrate into PC games and VR software. More importantly, VR brings new value to immersion. Through mechanical innovation, open user experience, vivid stories and characters, VR takes "illusion" to new heights.

In 2016, VR reshaped the gaming industry in many forms. Driven by VR, GPU hardware has become more approachable, high frame rates and OLED panels have risen, and underlying technologies have continued to emerge, and they have begun to penetrate into PC games and VR software.

More importantly, VR brings new value to immersion. Through mechanical innovation, open user experience, vivid stories and characters, VR takes "illusion" to new heights.

Mobile

has a huge obstacle in the development of VR: understand the mechanics of the game and re-examine its feasibility in virtual space. Even for some basic tasks, such as traveling through space and grabbing a target, that instantly jumps from simple to complex, small flaws in the processing process can cause the player to feel queasy.

In VR games, sports are one of the most annoying issues. If displayed on a standard display, the characteristics of movement have been determined, but still some people feel dizzy. The world cannot be allowed to pass by in a VR environment, and developers must find new and interesting ways to recalculate previously solved equations.

"Teleportation", also known as "position jumping", has become the most practical mobility solution in VR games. Some games have become masterpieces using this technology, such as "The Lab VR" developed by Valve and "Cloudlands: VR Minigolf", where you can point to a certain point on the ground and jump directly there without causing dizziness and nausea. Unfortunately,"mind transmission" is not the most natural way to move in games. Developers are eager to find new ways to allow users to explore the virtual world without nausea.

Lone Echo is a good example of using new motion technology to solve the problem of dizziness. In the game, players become astronauts and can only move in zero-gravity environments by grasping the armrest. At the Oculus Connect 3 conference, we once experienced Lone Echo. This operation method is more natural and is very suitable for this type of game.

Oculus Touch brought motion control mainstream

Without a motion controller, Lost Echo would not have been possible. After the launch of Oculus Touch, it changed the way users interact with VR games. Vive's motion controller works like a remote control, while the Touch controller's buttons are touchable and intuitive, making it possible to move and interact new ways.

The Climb game developed by Crytek fully leverages the potential of the Touch controller, giving hand perception a new meaning. This game has excellent visual effects. When playing, the player will suddenly fall, which is very exciting. The Touch controller allows the user to reach out and grab the rock, making the experience more complicated; if the player pulls his arm back for a period of time, there will be a sense of fatigue and urgency, a feeling that other controllers do not have.

After a few hours of playing, you'll feel like you've just actually hugged a rock, and falling off a cliff will make your stomach uncomfortable.

In the Star Trek: Bridge Crew demonstration game, we experienced another use for the Touch controller. Players are part of the interstellar warship. They can turn their palms so they face down and place them on a large tablet. Players can touch the control panel. Other players will also send directional sounds and communicate with gestures. At this time, you will forget that you did not board the warship, but are sitting in a swivel chair in the living room.

VR should not have a HUD.

When developers started developing VR products, they quickly discovered that traditional HUD and UI interactive interfaces did not work. Old standards hinder immersive experiences. Not only that, from a practical perspective, when we put on helmets, small text and symbols cannot be displayed as originally planned.

Interestingly, when Oculus Rift founder Palmer Luckey first started focusing on VR, many games were already exploring. "Space-faring Elite: Dangerous" is a good example, in which players can press buttons to view various panels in the cockpit. With a VR helmet, you can view maps in an easy way and check mission goals in another way. Do you want to check the database? No problem, just lower your head and check the ship's status panel.

Job Simulator is also a VR game that found a good way: Let the display float in the air, display tutorials and instructions on the screen, and talk to players while playing. In this way, game goals and stories can be closely integrated, and Owlchemy Labs brings players to an immersive world. In fact, this tool can also be applied to non-game VR applications.

There is also "Fantastic Contraption", a machine-building puzzle game launched along with HTCVive. Producers need to provide tools and objects for players to make. How can they provide them? They found a good way: put something on the back of a kitten and let the cat follow the player. This method is novel, completely eliminates the UI, and is very practical, allowing you to call your cat whenever you need it. Players switch between scenes and make a space hat that can transport you into virtual space.

Not only games, VR APP developers have also found new ways to put UI elements and interactive elements into software. For example, players can use Oculus Touch to control Kingspray, a paint drawing simulation software in which the creator provides users with a virtual smartphone that can control various settings and use color palettes. After the creation is completed, we can take out our mobile phones with a natural movement to take photos of the work, and then save it. The experience is very real. Not only that, the game is also integrated with a real radio station and mobile stereo speakers. We can wholeheartedly create in the software for a few hours.

It is very important to make the characters come to life

. In the VR world, reading text is very difficult, so you need a voice actor, but the voice actor's role is not just that. When you hear another voice, it really cares about you and can help. This voice can attract players to break into the virtual world.

Accounting VR is one such game. The voice of the game comes from Justin Roiland, who is the voice of the animated films Rick and Morty and Adventure Time, and William Pugh, who is the voice of the game Stanley's Fable. The dubbing of "Accounting" is quite funny. There is no script setting, and it is easy for players to immerse themselves after entering the game.

Excellent dubbing can also enhance intimacy. There is a scene in "Half-Life 2": When the hero Gordon Freeman lies down, Alyx Vance's face suddenly appears in view and their eyes contact. This moment made Alyx Vance more real and unforgettable. In a VR environment, the power of this technology is even more powerful, the VR screen is closer to the user, closer than ever before, and the proportion is more important. In just a few seconds, direct eye contact can arouse all kinds of emotions. VR is a new territory that has not yet been fully explored, and this technology can play a key role in attracting users 'attention.

In the VR world, fear and immersion are closely related. The VR helmet will keep the player in the present, and even if the player wants to look away, turn around, or escape, he cannot escape. In this way, developers will surround the player with an element of terror, as shown in the Brookhaven Experiment. In this game, the player only has flashlights and pistols. He must withstand attacks from dangerous monsters, which are becoming more and more powerful. You cannot leave until you complete the task unless you remove your helmet.

Everything has just begun.

VR is still in the early stages of development. There were many methods and practical principles that were respected by the game industry. Now VR has abandoned the old methods and continues to make progress. Everything is exploring new methods, including ways to move, modifying settings, and the VR development community is actively embracing new changes. Some developers believe that since the advent of 3D models and textures, no technology has had such a big impact on the gaming industry as VR.

We are also exploring new formats and looking for exciting and fascinating new ways to bring users into new worlds. Mastering the basics of immersive experiences and game settings is just the first step. We are moving towards a new world that is connected to VR and AR. What will happen in the future? We can only wait and see.

Editor: yvette