Bringing VR and Spatial 3D Interaction to the Masses through Video Games

Virtual reality (VR) and 3D user interface (3D UI) research has been going on for more than 20 years, with limited success in being a part of people's everyday lives.VR and 3D UIs have been useful in areas such as simulation and training, scientific visualization, medicine, and psychological rehabilitation.Our glance at video game history shows three trends that lead us to why 3D Uls and VR are starting to become so popular. First, once game consoles had better graphics and sound, had more interesting stories, and let users play much longer, arcade games had to give players something that they couldn't get on consoles: innovative interfaces that provided more natural means of expression. Second, more complicated video games and video game controllers gave users more expressive power but alienated casual gamers.Third, the technology to make 3D spatial interaction mainstream and not just a gimmick has arrived. Console games had previously incorporated advanced game interfaces (in the late '80s and early '90s) with devices such as the Nintento U-Force, Mattel PowerGlove, and Sega 3D glasses. Popularity of the Wii and games such as Guitar Hero, 3D Uls have finally hit mainstream society, and gamers appear to be thirsty for more. These issues present a great opportunity for 3D UI and VR researchers to determine how to best leverage existing research into games and to develop new interaction methodologies and strategies geared toward console and PC games and their constraints.