#touch controllers

It’s been only two days and I’ve found time to expand on my personal project a little more. I’ve had to make a few compromises already like making the camera work as orthographic rather than 2D. I ended up having waaaay less trouble getting touch screen controls to work with orthographic rather than 2D sprites. I hope it doesn’t kick me in the arse later down the line, but for now, I can see it working completely fine.

(+5 Rhyming)

Oculus First Contact

Oculus First Contact is a great "first VR experience." This is Oculus’s tutorial that exposes you to some of the Touch controllers unique features. The design feels thought out and delightful. It reminded me of Job Simulator mixed with some of Valve's character and charm. Definitely a pleasant surprise.

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Oculus Touch | First Impressions

When the HTC VIVE controllers and Oculus Touch controllers were announced I came away with Oculus as the long term winner given their dedication to building a motion controller with hand presence as the key feature. I then waited, painfully, for Oculus to perfect the hardware while the VIVE was launching amazing VR experiences and games.

Now that the Touch controllers are out I have been diving into a huge list of content. Overall impressions are really high. I noticed that I was craving increased room scale tracking for a few titles but it was not a deal breaker.

My overall list of games and experiences to try: Google Earth VR, Robo Recall, SUPERHOT VR, Quill, Oculus Toy Box, Fantastic Contraption, Job Simulator, Budget Cuts, Rec Room, The Lab by Valve, Accounting, Onward, Hotdogs Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades, Space Pirate Trainer, Raw Data, Sound Stage

Top Picks:

1. SUPERHOT VR Hands down the best game I have played in VR to date. SUPERHOT VR makes you feel like a superhero by putting you into amazing action sequences. Once you figure out its puzzle-like mechanics you enter into a flow state that is quite thrilling. BUY IT!

2. Quill This is a revolutionary tool and a leap forward for how artists can create. Quill brought me back to my first experience using a Cintiq and Photoshop to digitally paint. It was mind blowing and I wish every artist can use this as a tool.

3. The Lab by Valve This is currently one the best examples of what's possible with VR. The Lab is a collection of interaction concepts, wrapped with the Valve charm. The photogrammetry experiences are the best examples of the "teleportation" feeling. I also spent a lot of time flying a drone around in The Lab. It's a simple but fun interaction.

4. Rec Room In my opinion, Rec Room is the best social VR experience at the moment. It feels like a small group of friendly people just hanging out and having fun. The game I keep going back to is paintball. After a few matches, and getting comfortable with moving around, you can get quite skilled at attacking the other team. And when you die, just wave to your attacker to say gg. It’s great.

5. Oculus Touch First Contact First Contact is another great "first VR experience" title. This is the tutorial you launch into when you first set up the Touch Controllers. It reminded me of Job Simulator mixed with some of Valve's charm. It was a pleasant surprise.

Have yet to try: These are the experiences that I'm waiting for Oculus to support, release, or go on sale.

Robo Recall

Google Earth VR

Job Simulator

Raw Data

Hotdogs, Horse Shoes, and Hand Grenades

Oculus Medium | Content Sharing

Making content sharing easy is a great way to keep users hooked. There are a lot of creative outlets and if creations can’t escape said platform then people will spend time making stuff elsewhere. Facebook will hopefully help make social a priority for Medium and other Oculus experiences.

“Export high-res meshes for 3D modeling and printing, or use them your favorite game engine. Teach others how to master Medium and learn new techniques with in-VR recordings. Share your creation and come build the VR art community at Medium (www.oculus.com/medium).”

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Quill | Infinite Canvas | Oculus Story Studios

This piece by Goro Fujita Is amazing and demonstrates a new way for artists to think about scale when creating worlds. 

I can see this being really useful for spatial designers. The transition from exterior to interior is really critical in the user’s journey. Can’t wait to start sketching and exploring ideas with Quill.