In the world of virtual reality, there are many different ways to control and interact with the direct environment. Two common types of doing so are called gaze control and gesture control. Both types act in a very different manner, although they will ultimately have very similar effects. People who want to become vr experts will need to master both types of gestures sooner rather than later.
2. Gesture Control
By far the most common way consumers will interface with the VR environment comes in the form of gesture control. As the name suggests, this type of control is all about hand movements and signals. In games, hand movements will determine player interactions and even a sense of movement, depending on the environment. Apps will allow users to interface with objects and menus in a convenient manner.
Do not be mistaken in thinking gesture control will only work with one’s hands directly, though. Most current VR headsets have their own sets of controllers, which will act as the user’s hands. To be more specific, these controls will mimic whatever the user may have in their hands or do with their hands in the VR world. Picking up items, wielding a sword, or even shooting a bow and arrow, it can all be done with this “advanced” form of gesture controls.
1. Gaze Control
This part of virtual reality interaction will be quite difficult to master and may even cause some simulator sickness for specific players. Gaze control solely relies on gamers moving their head and neck around to look in a different direction or indicate a sense of movement. Looking forward will move forward, whereas pushing your chin to your chest will result in a slightly downward – or faster – forward motion. It all depends on what environment one is engaged in.
In the future, more advanced VR headsets will effectively allow for gaze tracking at all times. These sophisticated headsets will look at the player’s eyes and determine how the user is planning to interact with the VR environment. That will be quite a leap forward when it comes to creating even more immersive VR experiences for sure.
It is important to note gaze tracking and head tracking are not the same, even though they may appear to function in a similar manner as of right now. Head tracking is designed to ensure consistency between the player’s eyeline and visuals, although that technology is still a few years away when it comes to consumer-grade VR headsets. For now, gaze tracking is mainly designed for menu selection or other minor in-game controls. The Samsung Gear VR is one of the headsets making good use of this technology, albeit in its simplest form possible.
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