The XR project - part 1

 Our newest project also concerns virtual reality, just like our previous project. We have written about the advantages and disadvantages of VR before, so now, we will merely detail what our project will entail.

We have chosen to create a barcade game compilation. By barcade, we do not merely mean classic coin-op games – but also games traditionally anchored in the physical arcade, such as air hockey, darts or bowling. 

 

VR offers the unique opportunity of setting up many of these games that would otherwise be difficult to get outside of a normal arcade. Bowling, for example, needs a large lane, bowling balls, pins, and many other things that in and of themselves occupy a large space. Therefore, with VR, the size requirements would be minimized (to not mention costs and other relevant things), allowing anyone to play bowling – from the comfort of their own home.

Granted, there are difficulties with this as well. For example, would, let’s say, playing pool not potentially cause issues? If someone would try to lean on the table, as usual in pool, it would probably only lead to a fall due to the table not actually being there in the physical world.

However, this project offers many technical challenges that can be solved relatively easily, but are still interesting. Chief among these is, of course, interaction – both between the player and objects, and among objects themselves.

Between the player and objects, the sheer variety of games offers a unique experience. Bowling, for example, could use fine motor control – as in real life. Air hockey, a less precise game, would show less fine, but still relatively precise control. And games such as traditional arcade game cabinets would show up providing a unique challenge – by providing unique interfaces for the “games within a game”. An example would be a racing game – where the steering wheel, pedals, and other controls would be an interesting challenge to simulate in VR.

As for object-object interaction, there are a few unique things to consider. Bowling pins, for example, would need to simulate realistic physics. Arcade game machines would all have their own unique interactions depending on the game. The Unity game engine offers built-in physics – but this project would stretch that to its limits.

Of course, another issue would be locomotion. How to move around such an arcade? How to play some of the larger games? What sort of motions would a person go through – and how to best approach these in the limited area of a VR zone?

As you can see, there are many interesting questions posed by such a game – and we look forward to sharing more about this as we progress.