I think it is quite important for the platform in which we are working on. As it stands the current viable option for mainstream is the Gear VR and currently it has two types of inputs directed at it. The bluetooth gamepad, and the touch pad on the side of the VR unit. We can change that but we must look to how it was done for the original DK1/2’s so that we may learn the best possible method to implement it in which it is enjoyable, cost effective and simple for fellow developers to implement. If it is not enjoyable then the idea outright fails. If it is not bang for your buck then you limit your playerbase even further in an already limited playerbase. Finally it needs to be easy to implement. We have enough on our plate as is… so the last thing we need is a potential game changer coming out of nowhere that requires you to rethink your entire project, most of us just don’t have time for something like that.
When I first acquired my DK1 I spent most of my time using and manipulating third party plugins to bring support in to already released games so that I could experiment with many different setups for what I call entertainment based projects. Entertainment based projects in my opinion is what is going to fuel the upcoming battle for VR headset superiority as simulation based projects require simulation based input which can get really expensive. Anyways I’m going to do a short list of how different setups worked out for me in terms of entertainment based VR:
At my desk with the keyboard and mouse I found that I had the most potential in terms of input however I was running purely off of muscle memory which can sometimes be inaccurate. I also noticed that I used my mouse significantly more then I used my head, again my muscle memory dominates my input and as such the mouse is an extension of my arm where as the Oculus feels more like a set of stereoscopic goggles.
At my desk with a gamepad I found that if it was setup properly then you can get a level of input that rivals keyboard and mouse when you use your gamepad as a keyboard and your Oculus as the mouse. To be honest I almost feel that I can be more accurate with this setup then I could with a K&M setup however with the low resolution of the headsets this is difficult to test in terms of online gaming. The benefit the gamepad has over keyboard and mouse is that it’s controlled space gives you perfect accuracy off of your muscle memory. You never need to worry about hitting the wrong keys and the lack of a mouse while using the gamepad setup forces you to use your headset which basically forces you to use your head. Ultimately what you end up with is one step further into the world of immersion.
Next I tried playing with the gamepad while standing up. Obviously the control is no different then when sitting down but the feel when standing up is different. It is almost as if you are putting your body into the perspective what you are doing within the project. This grants yet another step into the world of immersion, and that is the backbone of VR. However… in the back of my mind I couldn’t let go of the idea that the magical world around me was being manipulated by a little box held between my hands. Resting at the level my of my waist. Nothing can change that feeling unless I submit my wallet to the Ferrari’esk VR pinnacles of laser guided hand controllers and stationary treadmills running projects that were built from the ground up to support these units and/or specific heavily modified retrofitted titles. That is of course nothing that we currently know about…
Finally I took the guts out of my gamepad and slapped them onto an airsoft rifle. The outcome input wise was no different the standard controller setup, however I did notice that I no longer questioned the idea of the magical world being manipulated through the use of a little box. What I did however question is how is this rifle manipulating my feet. Overall two steps forward into the world of immersion and one step back.
In the end the VR wall is limitless, no matter how hard we try we will never break the barrier of VR. That is of course until we reach the point in which it kills us, but that is a terrible cost to go to in order to break the barrier. No… all we can do is step further and further into the world of immersion and simply enjoy the ride along the way, and I know that there are infinite ways to do this without significantly limiting our limited playerbase. From hardware to software, the two are fused together and to blindly accept any option is to limit your perspective and that of our future enthusiasts. To put it simply… designers creating content for today’s technology have been conditioned into the acceptance of boundary. These types of discussions are extremely important if we wish to add or subtract ideas from the accepted boundary pool.