Inside XR Design: The Immersive Brilliance of Red Matter 2’s Grabber Tools
What You See is What You Get
In today’s edition of Inside XR Design, we delve into the world of great VR design with a focus on the ingenious grabber tools in Red Matter 2. These tools do more than just add a futuristic aesthetic to the game; they contribute significantly to the immersion of the player.
Matching Hand Poses
The grabber tools in Red Matter 2 are designed to mimic the shape of the user’s controller. Whether you’re playing on Quest, Index, or PSVR 2, the custom grabber tool matches the shape of your specific controller. This ensures that the in-game hand pose closely resembles the actual hand pose, enhancing the feeling of holding something in your hands. This is in contrast to many other VR games that default to an open hand pose, leading to a disconnect between what you see in VR and what you actually feel.
Diegetic Interface
The grabber tools also act as a diegetic interface in the game, allowing players to look down and see all the buttons and their corresponding functions. This eliminates the need to open a game menu or remove the headset to familiarize oneself with the controller buttons. The grabber tools provide an intuitive and contextualized way for players to navigate the controls without breaking immersion.
Coarse Hand Input
Unlike most VR games that depict human hands, Red Matter 2 accurately represents the limited interaction fidelity available in VR. The grabber tools serve as a visual representation of the single point of input for grabbing objects in VR, reflecting the coarse hand input experienced by players. This contextualization helps players adapt to the unique mechanics of the game and enhances the sense of operating futuristic tools.
Immersion Insulation Gap
Physics interactions play a significant role in Red Matter 2, and the grabber tools play a crucial role in maintaining immersion during object manipulation. The tools create a mechanical pivot point between the player’s hand and the virtual object, visually demonstrating why the forces exerted by the objects are not felt. This gap between the object and the hand, with the grabber tool acting as an insulator, preserves immersion by alleviating the expectation of real-life forces.
Unassuming Inventory
The grabber tools serve a dual purpose as the player’s inventory. They store all the essential tools within the game and allow players to temporarily stow objects. This design choice prevents accidental dropping or losing of tools and provides a seamless and immersive inventory management system.
Inhuman Hands
The grabber tools in Red Matter 2 enable actions that are not possible with human hands alone. For example, the rotating grabber simplifies tasks like turning wheels, showcasing the unique capabilities of these futuristic tools.
Visually Engaging World
Red Matter 2 presents a visually rich world with a wide variety of interactive objects. Players can pick up and interact with almost anything that appears interactable, adding to the immersive experience. The developers have also paid attention to non-interactable objects, employing subtle visual cues such as removed handles to indicate their lack of interactivity.
Conclusion
Red Matter 2’s grabber tool design exemplifies the brilliance of immersive VR game design. From matching hand poses to diegetic interfaces, coarse hand input recognition, immersion insulation gaps, seamless inventory integration, and empowering inhuman abilities, these grabber tools enhance the player’s immersive experience in numerous ways. To fully appreciate the design, give Red Matter 2 a try on Quest, PSVR 2, or PC VR. Stay tuned for more insights and recommendations in our Inside XR Design series!