Making a VR experience as realistic as possible will be a big challenge. In the real world, objects tend to change shape or emit a certain sound when one interacts with it. Translating this experience to virtual reality can be done through Object Technology. It is unclear how many developers will implement this technology moving forward, though.
Object Technology Creates Realistic Virtual Items
It is rather strange to squeeze something in virtual reality and not see the object take the appropriate shape. For example, squeezing something soft in virtual reality should leave temporary marks on the sides of the item. Right now, that is not the case, which can cause a severe disconnect between the user and their virtual environment. Solving this problem is a matter of using object technology.
More specifically, object technology creates virtual objects which bend and deform depending on how the user interacts with them. In doing so, manufacturers and developers will establish a more realistic object. Convincing the player they are effectively immersed in virtual reality is of the utmost importance.
Achieving the realistic experience requires the virtual objects to register the strength with which the user interacts with them. A firm squeeze will result in deeper marks on the objects, whereas a gentle stroke should have nearly no visible effect whatsoever. By making liberal use of shading, color, and other visual characteristics, virtual reality experiences will become a lot more realistic over the coming years.
Do keep in mind implementing this technology may not be as easy as one might think. A lot of VR headsets struggle to record all of the necessary information to determine how these objects should deform based on a user’s touch. It will take some years until this technology comes to market in a convenient and affordable manner.
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