Virtual reality has a lot to offer gamers looking for a truly immersive experience. However, one issue can cause many players to stop in their tracks and return to the real world: motion sickness. However, the researchers behind HyperJump believe they have found a solution.
At Siggraph 2022, a tech conference in Canada that celebrates some of the latest advances in VR, I had the chance to try out HyperJump for myself, and I can comfortably say I wish this motion system made it to my Oculus Quest 2 sooner rather than later. possible. as possible.
Go boldly...
If you want to move around in a virtual reality world, you generally have three options to choose from. The first is to literally walk through the actual space in which you find yourself. This method is the most immersive, doesn't require a driver, and, as long as there is very little latency, is the least annoying. However, an obvious disadvantage is that you need a lot of physical space, or you will only be able to play a game that takes place in a very restricted playing area.
As a result, most games also rely on one of two other methods: teleportation or fluid movement. As you can probably tell from the names, the teleport motion has you jumping through space in a jerky fashion, while the fluid motion allows you to use the control sticks to move fluidly, like many other video games.
(*two*)
The Omni One VR treadmill could let people run in virtual reality without needing a lot of space, but they don't come cheap (Image credit: Virtuix)Teleporting is my favorite option, because even after a year in VR, one fluid motion can force me out of a game in seconds. However, fluid motion is generally more immersive and much less easy to get disoriented and lost than with teleportation.
HyperJump seeks to combine the best of teleportation and fluid movement, creating a new form of VR movement that is greater than the sum of its parts.
...as if no one had been there before
Motion sickness is usually caused by competing signals between the eyes and the inner ear and the brain. Let's say you're reading in a moving car. Your eyes will focus on the stationery book and other fixed points around you, telling your brain that you are not moving. During this time, fluid in your inner ear is pushed around, signaling to your brain that you're on the move. Your brain doesn't know which organ to believe, with the end result that you will start to feel nauseous.
With virtual reality, the opposite of the previous example occurs; your eyes perceive that you are moving, while your ears believe that you are standing still. The result is the same: conflicting information makes you want to throw up.
To help get around this problem, HyperJump forces players to tilt their body in the direction they want to travel. Lean forward to move forward; lean back to back up; floor sink couch; or on tiptoe to fly. If you want to change the direction you are heading, you have to physically turn your body. It tricks your brain into thinking you're moving, but you don't need a lot of physical space to move around.
HyperJump's second trick is to automatically switch between smooth motion and teleportation when players reach motion sickness-inducing speeds. This helps keep your momentum going while keeping you from feeling sick.
Finally, to combat the disorientation that can come with teleportation, HyperJump shows you the path you're currently on, playing a light beat in the background that matches your jumps, so you know when the next one is coming.
When I first walked into the HyperJump booth, I was more than a little worried about what I was getting myself into. In the past, the VR move made me feel awful, and jet lag after traveling to Canada from the UK the day before didn't help. However, I soon realized that my fears were unfounded; I flew each of the test flight paths through the virtual streets of Vancouver, and even spent some time afterward freely venturing without feeling bad at all.
When the tester took me back to typical VR movement, I found myself flying much slower, and within 30 seconds I was asking to complete the test.
The HyperJump configuration is still being tested and refined; but hopefully it won't be long before it's ready to be adopted by top VR games. It's easily one of the best forms of VR movement I've ever used, and while it may not work for every game, there are some, like Lone Echo 2, that would definitely benefit from its inclusion.