|
How much does haptic feedback and full body immersion contribute to VR presence?
|
I've been testing various haptic feedback systems and full body tracking setups, and I'm curious about how much these actually contribute to that feeling of presence in VR games.
From my experience, good haptic feedback can make a huge difference. Feeling the vibration when you touch a surface, or getting resistance feedback when you grab something... it adds a whole other layer to the immersion. But I've also played games with amazing haptics that still didn't feel "real" because other elements were lacking.
What's everyone's take on this? Do you think haptic feedback and full body immersion are essential for the most convincing VR experiences, or are they just nice extras? What games have you played that really leveraged these technologies well to enhance the sense of presence?
I've tried various haptic vests, gloves, and full body tracking setups, and my take is that they can significantly enhance presence when done well, but they're not essential for it.
The best haptic feedback I've experienced was in a custom flight simulator setup with force feedback controls. When you're pulling back on a stick and you feel resistance increasing as you approach stall speed, that's incredibly convincing. But that's specialized hardware.
For consumer VR, I think good controller haptics are more important than full body suits. The subtle vibrations in the controllers when you're doing things like shooting, hitting, or touching surfaces add a lot to immersion without being intrusive.
Full body tracking is interesting, but I find it often breaks immersion when it doesn't track perfectly. Seeing your virtual legs glitch through the floor is more immersion breaking than not having legs at all.
Haptic feedback is crucial for creating believable physics interactions. When you pick up an object and the controller doesn't provide any feedback about its weight or texture, your brain notices the disconnect.
The problem with current haptic systems is that they're mostly just vibration motors. They can simulate some sensations reasonably well impact, rumble, texture but they can't simulate weight, temperature, or fine detail.
Full body immersion is even more limited. Current systems can track your body position, but they can't provide force feedback or resistance. You can wave your arms around, but you can't feel when you touch a virtual surface.
I think we're still in the early stages of haptic technology for VR. The systems that will really enhance presence are ones that can simulate force and resistance, not just vibration.
From a presence research perspective, haptic feedback is interesting because it engages the proprioceptive system. When you feel vibrations in your hands that match what you're seeing, it helps convince your brain that what you're seeing is real.
But I think the most important aspect of haptics is consistency. The feedback needs to match the visual and audio cues. If you see a heavy metal door and the haptics feel weak and tinny, it breaks immersion. If you see a delicate glass object and the haptics feel like concrete, it also breaks immersion.
Full body immersion is a different challenge. Seeing your body in VR can enhance presence, but only if it tracks accurately and behaves naturally. Poor tracking or unnatural movement can actually reduce presence compared to not having a body at all.
Haptic feedback works best when it's paired with good audio design. The combination of feeling a vibration and hearing the corresponding sound creates a much more convincing experience than either alone.
For example, when you're shooting a gun in VR, the controller vibration tells you about the recoil, but the sound tells you about the report, the echo, the cartridge ejection. Together, they create a believable experience.
I think haptic feedback is most effective when it's subtle and contextual. Overused or generic haptics can feel gimmicky. The best implementations use haptics to reinforce specific interactions rather than vibrating for everything.
As for full body immersion, I think audio plays a role there too. Hearing your footsteps match your movement, hearing fabric rustle as you move... these audio cues can enhance the sense of having a body even without perfect visual representation.
In professional simulations, haptic feedback and full body immersion are often essential. Medical simulations need force feedback for procedures like suturing or injections. Industrial training needs proper resistance for tool use.
But for entertainment VR, I think these technologies are still finding their place. The cost versus benefit ratio isn't always there for consumers. A $300 haptic vest that adds 10% to immersion might not be worth it for most people.
What's interesting is that some of the most immersive VR experiences I've had used very simple haptics. A well designed game with good controller vibration can be more immersive than a mediocre game with full body tracking and haptic suits.
The technology needs to serve the experience, not the other way around.
|
