There’s no question that the main theme of the 2016 Game Developers Conference is virtual reality; it seemed at times that every vendor who wanted a crowd needed some level of virtual reality to demonstrate. Yet saying “virtual reality” alone does little to encompass the wide variety of capabilities and options on display, so it’s time to look at the many kinds of virtual reality and VR gaming that GDC had to show.

Video Games

First off, we have the obvious and most in-demand choice: video games. The Oculus Rift and Sony’s PlayStation VR were some of the biggest draws, with lines that left people waiting for hours to try out a few amazing minutes of complete virtual immersion gaming, and left many more wishing they’d signed up earlier to try.

For a more in-depth look at the VR games I tried throughout the week, you can see my coverage of Ubisoft’s “Eagle Flight” and “EVE: Valkyrie” on the Oculus Rift.

Mobile Gaming

However, the gaming applications didn’t stop at just consoles. Using the same Oculus technology, Samsung has created the Gear VR, which uses Samsung devices to load and display the games.

Controls were accessed through vision, as well as a little panel on the side that responded to touch. With the phone’s motion sensors, it tracked my head’s movements and displayed parts of the screen accordingly. I tried a sample game called “Whatever You Do, Don’t Touch Anything,” which put me in a small cabinet room with instructions to not touch anything… and a big red button that was just begging to be touched.

(I touched the button. Everything exploded.)

Additionally, it had the option to watch videos on Netflix. Technology is not yet at the point to put people right in the middle of the show, of course, but it is at the point to put us on a nice comfy couch in a well-lit room and play the Netflix show on a large screen.

The controls still have a ways to go, but with the addition of augmented reality (AR), the possibilities extend to amazing degrees. You can see my experience with VR/AR gaming made with Intel RealSense here.

Augmented reality itself is already used in several games, to varying degrees. Niantic is arguably the best at it so far, although its GDC session regarding the upcoming “Pokemon GO” mobile AR game was cancelled before the event.

Virtual Rides

Are you familiar with those little video rides, often seen around malls for children to ride in and get jostled around in time to the motions on the video? Now imagine that, but bigger, and with full immersion.

That is what GDC attendees could experience, using the Oculus headsets and a stationary ride from nexperience. The demo had a few different videos to select from, including a roller coaster ride in a land of faeries, or chance to go running with dinosaurs.

Once the video started, the seats moved in time to the video, gently but effectively following the movements on the video. Small fans added just the right amount of wind, adding a feeling of acceleration when flying alongside a pterodactyl, or running from a tyrannosaurus. At one point, the ride passed under a stegosaurus’s tail, and the riders ducked to avoid it. The video encompassed a full 360-degree view, so riders could look any which way and see another part of the video.

Even though there were no elements in the video that the viewers could interact with, it still offered limited AR, at least to the degree that one of the riders could hold their arms up in front of them and see the game’s equivalent appear on the screen.

Motion Capture

VR can bring people into a virtual world, at least visually, but capturing their movement is another story. Augmented reality is useful for that, but for the full range of interaction and movement, additional technology is required.

Thus, OptiTrack demonstrated how motion capture can be used to enhance the virtual reality experience. A camera viewed two people, one in a full motion capture suit, and the other an audience volunteer, as they passed a basketball back and forth. The audience volunteer wore a VR headset and motion tracking gloves, so the camera captured his movements, the ball, and the staff member in a motion capture suit.

As they played, dribbling the ball and passing it back and forth, the screen showed us a virtual version of what the volunteer saw. Everything was rendered in real-time through motion capture, putting him in a digital world with a fully interactive ball and partner… since they really did exist, just not as he saw them.

Full Range of Movement

For a fully immersive virtual reality experience, the gamer must feel like they’re completely in the game; controllers can work when the game character is also using a controller, but what people are waiting for is the ability to move around completely.

Currently, the technology for that comes in the form of a treadmill harness. The player stands in the middle, puts on the VR gear, and the treadmill follows their movements. This allows players to run, jump, and otherwise move in all directions with their game character. The Virtuix Omni was on display at GDC, giving players a chance to try that level of VR gaming, although the setup alone takes a good amount of time.

Unreal is attempting something similar, using motion controllers and a wide space for movement. The headset follows the player’s movement, allowing them to duck and move normally, while the remotes they hold track the items in their hands, such as weapons in a shooter game. This, however, requires a bit more open space then the harness, and runs the risk of running into a wall or anything else in the way.

Future Applications

So far, all the applications we’ve seen are related to gaming, which is exactly what consumers want, and exactly what the show is for. But given all the applications we’ve seen so far, it makes one wonder what comes next.

Virtual worlds and fully immersive entertainment is the goal, of course. Being able to enter a game or show and move through it as though it were reality is still a dream, but a dream we’re closer to seeing realized.

Even businesses may eventually benefit from VR. I predict that we will eventually see VR used for telepresence purposes, allowing people to meet face-to-face over long distances in virtual environments, with new levels of interactivity and complete, practically real presence.

Virtual reality is quickly becoming a reality. Gaming is just the first step for it, and I cannot wait to see all its potential realized and perfected.

Photos by SiliconANGLE