One of the biggest obstacles to VR adoption is motion sickness, prompting the industry to adopt teleportation as a locomotion mechanic. But this solution is not without its detractors, citing loss of immersion as an objection.
Los Angeles based VR software solutions company, Fantom Fathom, believes it has the answer in Hyper Dash – a software solution based on an algorithm that solves VR-induced nausea.
CEO and Founder, Douglas Liang explained that, “After deriving that the core problem of VR sickness is caused by visual and sensory dissonance, we started brainstorming on every angle, speed, input, output, designs, and mechanics. We reiterated this process with over hundreds of concept solutions before honing in on what we finally have today.”
Hyper Dash
Hyper Dash works by matching player’s actual movements to their character’s virtual movements, based on the way they shift their centre of gravity in the real world. Fantom Fathom found that matching the user’s sense of balance with their in-game motion means that players can make quick movements or big jumps without the risk of motion sickness.
Hitting The Apex
Debuted at PAX West, APEX Tournament is the first game to utilise Hyper Dash technology. The 6v6 multiplayer team-based shooter has been designed by Fantom Fathom specifically to demonstrate the kind of movements that would otherwise cause issues for user’s susceptible to motion sickness.
The technology is platform agnostic and will work on any VR platform, including Vive, Oculus, PS VR, and smartphone VR. Fantom Fathom will be licensing their technology via SDK and patent royalty to other gaming companies and VR industries, including healthcare, engineering and real estate.
Increased Player Participation
CMO Cynthia Salarizadeh told us that, “Considering motion sickness represents the largest obstacle in Virtual Reality, the launch of this technology is one of the greatest advancements for the VR gaming space. We hope to see the VR industry open up to increased investment and player participation after the industry gets its hands on this algorithm.”
APEX Tournament will be available via Steam Store from early November.
