We zijn erg gewend aan bepaalde gestures op onze telefoons. Met onze vingers inzoomen en swipen voelt heel natuurlijk aan. Tot nu toe worden alle games nog gespeeld met buttons. Hoe lang zal het duren voordat we in VR alles met onze handen kunnen bedienen?
Since 2013, the first prototypes for VR gloves have been made. With VR gloves, the movements of your hands and fingers are measured. These movements are accurately translated into in-game actions, allowing you to grab, touch, pick up, throw, and do much more with in-game objects. Over the past 9 years, there have been significant developments, and the first gloves are even ready for use.
Buttons a thing of the past?
Not having to control VR with classic buttons anymore? It still seems very far away but the first interactive gloves are already on the market.
The buttons on our trusty controllers allow us to perform very direct actions in a game. Want to shoot? Press a button. Reload? Press a button. Grab another weapon? You guessed it; press a button.
Being able to touch and pick things up offers many possibilities for virtual reality. It creates a new layer of interaction.
First step to immersion
When one thinks of VR, one quickly refers to a scenario like the one outlined in the movie Ready Player One. In the movie, Parzival jumps into a virtual world (oasis) by donning a haptic body suit. This suit measures all of his movements and allows him to control the game with real movements.
At the moment, the technology is not yet at the level of complete immersion. But the first step is getting very close: VR gloves.
With VR gloves, the movements of your fingers are tracked. This allows you to interact with in-game objects. Performing actions with buttons might become a thing of the past when we can do everything with real movements.
Some current VR gloves even provide resistance when grasping an object, making it feel to you like you're really grasping it
Current Gloves
VR gloves can take several forms. One measures the force you put with your fingers and the other measures your nerves. Your nerves? Yes, your nerves. An armband (EMG wristbands) that can measure the force and movement of your fingers and hands based on your nerves and muscle contraction. In fact, the prototypes are already so accurate that you can type without a keyboard.
The prices of VR gloves vary enormously. The cheapest gloves start around 250 euros and can go up considerably in cost to 5,000.
Although first VR gloves were developed in 2013, most gloves are still in their infancy. Games have already been developed for VR gloves but most games are tuned to the current VR controllers.
With the introduction of the metaverse, a full body suit doesn't seem so far away. There are quite a few developments around VR but it will be some time before you can smoothly control a game with your whole body. Until then, we are still enjoying ourselves with our controllers and buttons!
Do you want to be amazed by the current level of VR immersion? Book the VR Experience now at the VRcafe in Haarlem.
