Dev makes VR more immersive by sticking Vive wand down pants

Developer Ryan Sullivan has prototyped a RIPMotion mechanic in Unity that allows HTC Vive owners to move through VR environments by jogging in place.

This "running in place" (RIP) mechanic can reportedly help increase feelings of immersion and decrease nausea, though it does (currently) involve mounting a Vive controller to the front of your hips. 

"Either stick the left controller in your belt or down the front of your pants with the donut facing outward," writes Sullivan. "Yes, I know. Hopefully once Valve gets some sort of tracking pucks out they will clip on."

It's a goofy trick, but one worth taking seriously because many VR devs are currently wrestling with how to allow players to move through large virtual spaces without either making them sick or reminding them they're inside a VR experience.

According to Sullivan, his experimental mechanic allows players to signal their intent to move with one controller while jogging (in place) with the other one on their waist, causing their in-game avatar to move with a cadence that matches their real movements.

Devs curious to try it out for themselves can head over to Sullivan's VR devblog to download a Unity scene featuring an early version of the mechanic.