Top 5 VR Games We Wished Had FBT
Ever since its introduction to the mainstream gaming market, VR has been an experiential game changer – immersing players deeper than ever before. This is often literal, with gamers able to actively perceive depth and interact within the gaming worlds with motion-sensitive controllers. This has led to massive growth in the popularity of VR experiences, with entire entertainment centres built around them and increasingly affordable VR options available for consumers at home.
This accessibility and immersiveness have made VR users hungry for more experiences with deeper gameplay and immersion. Many conventional games have been remastered to include VR gameplay options to satiate the appetite of the rapidly growing VR user base.
While the ongoing adoption of VR is fantastic, wouldn’t it be great if games took the next step and integrated full body tracking (FBT) into their VR experiences? Immersing oneself physically with FBT would be yet another game changer. That said, we invite you to dive into our wishlist of the top 5 VR games in which we would want to see our entire bodies tracked.
It would be a crime not to start our list with Half-Life: Alyx, Valve’s premier VR experience. The Half-Life series has been known for its unique and realised world setting, deeply immersive even before adding virtual reality during its initial outing in 1998. With Alyx, the series reached new heights in immersion, thrusting players back into the series’ iconically oppressive cityscapes and using highly interactive means to engage with the world – whether manually reloading a gun or rummaging through shelves for ammunition.
With Valve’s laser focus on interactivity and immersion, it would be a dream come true if they incorporated FBT into Alyx. Being able to naturally dodge out of the way of incoming fire from Combine soldiers or kick Headcrabs away just before they land on you is precisely why we want our bodies tracked in this VR masterpiece.
The premier assassination simulator game, Hitman 3 is an excellent example of the fun of player interactivity and choice – with players being able to take out targets in almost endless ways. Continuing this appreciation for fun player choices, the game has also integrated VR gameplay as an optional play medium. This puts players firmly into the classy dress shoes of protagonist Agent 47, empowering them to physically garrote, stab, shoot, bludgeon – the list goes on.
In a game that already promotes silliness, creativity and immersion, it seems natural that FBT should be included down the line. Having players show off Agent 47’s moves by confusing guards by kicking the trademark rubber duck everywhere and immediately following it up by knocking them out with a kick would surely be a sight to behold.
3. Subnautica
When it comes to experiences that encourage players to dive in (in this case, literally), not many can come close to Subnautica. It casts players as a lone survivor of a spaceship crash on an alien ocean planet and, just like our ocean, this one is teeming with life – from adorable little fish to terrifying leviathans. Naturally, the game supports VR, allowing players to interface directly with their increasing arsenal of items. This also increases the game’s terror factor as it puts them face-to-face with the horrors of the deep.
In a game that finds your protagonist actively swimming half the time, we’ve made the risky choice of adding this to our wishlist. Being able to mimic swimming motions in FBT to power locomotion in the alien ocean would be a tiring experience, but that would ultimately place players much deeper into the experience of surviving as a doomed castaway.
While we’re on the topic of doomed castaways, Green Hell places us in a much more familiar yet just as deadly locale – The Amazon rainforest. It tasks players with carving out a living amidst real dangers, such as wildlife and tropical diseases. The survival game also includes a VR port, letting players feel the jungle firsthand, allowing them to use their survival gear with increased interactivity.
Bringing FBT into the mix would truly elevate gameplay, allowing players to fully embody the lost survivor. Imagine being able to dress wounds on your legs or having to manually act when confronted with events such as having leeches attach to your entire body when in water. We understand that might drastically increase the “hell” part of Green Hell, but much like Subnautica before it – that’s kind of the point.
5. Minecraft
As beloved and well-known as Minecraft is in the global mainstream, not many are familiar with its current VR offering. The whole game can be played in VR, with a VR headset replacing mouse-based aiming. Aside from this, Minecraft has over a decade of refinement and updates, making it a profoundly compelling package of a gaming experience.
Minecraft lets you use the iconic pickaxe in one hand and torch in the other. With that said, the question naturally arises – in what ways could the game be more immersive with the addition of FBT? This is easily answered when we consider how many experiences Minecraft already offers, from swimming and boat rowing to mount riding and even parachuting. It’s okay – we were surprised too when we first realised the sheer latent potential here for full-motion fun.
Making VR FBT Gaming Accessible and User-Friendly with AXIS
With all the immersive benefits of FBT in VR games, interest in it among gamers has risen considerably. However, its setup is relatively inaccessible to a majority of VR gamers. Some FBT systems are extremely costly, while others have a complex setup process or cumbersome tracking methods – making it challenging for more players to explore this increasingly popular gaming niche. Fortunately, that is no longer the case with the advancement of motion tracker technology such as the AXIS – a feature-rich and user-friendly full-body tracking system for VR.
AXIS is built for convenience, allowing you to focus on gaming instead of configuring a complicated setup. It is a plug-and-play system that makes VR-FBT gaming accessible to more gamers – especially those lacking the technical expertise required for complex gaming setups. Players can suit up easily and start gaming in no time. In addition, it allows hands-free management with wireless charging, while also being rugged by having dust and water resistance.
Despite being an accessible user-friendly FBT system, AXIS doesn’t compromise on the depth of features. It has up to 16 interchangeable nodes and 9 degrees of freedom to deliver accurate full-body motion tracking. This allows you to work with a realistic and nuanced avatar that accurately tracks your movements in the real world.
Additionally, it is compatible with a variety of VR headsets and software, including OpenVR, SteamVR and OpenXR, empowering users to enjoy VR experiences on their preferred platforms. Integrating a motion tracking system like the AXIS with a VR gaming setup is a great way to unlock the full potential of what VR gaming experiences have to offer.
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