Context

As part of a graduate course on Virtual Environments, I explored ways to deepen immersion in VR combat games.

User Need

I noticed that in most Meta VR combat experiences, players never really feel the weight of in-game weapons. Lacking tactile feedback, objects like swords, guns, and shields feel weightless in hand, breaking immersion and realism.

Current Constraint

Meta’s SDKs, including the Oculus Integration and OVR plugin for Unity don’t natively support two-handed grabbing or realistic haptic weight simulation. I also encountered practical limitations: testers had to pause Meta Quest gameplay to swap out physical cardboard prototypes on their controllers, disrupting immersion and flow.

Design Challenge

How could I enhance the realism of weapon handling in Meta VR systems particularly through the Meta Quest ecosystem, by simulating physical weight and the dynamics of two-handed grips, all within the constraints of the OVR Unity toolkit?

1. Simulate Weight via Grip Complexity

// Only pick up heavy weapon if both hand and index triggers are pressed

if (OVRInput.Get(OVRInput.Button.PrimaryHandTrigger) &&
    OVRInput.Get(OVRInput.Button.PrimaryIndexTrigger) &&
    weaponType == WeaponType.HeavySword) {
    
    PickUpWeapon();
}

2. Add Haptic Feedback Based on Weapon Type

void TriggerHaptics(OVRInput.Controller controller, WeaponType weapon) {
    float vibrationStrength = weapon == WeaponType.MachineGun ? 1.0f : 0.3f;
    float vibrationDuration = 0.2f;

    OVRInput.SetControllerVibration(vibrationStrength, vibrationStrength, controller);
    Invoke("StopHaptics", vibrationDuration);
}

void StopHaptics() {
    OVRInput.SetControllerVibration(0, 0, OVRInput.Controller.LTouch);
    OVRInput.SetControllerVibration(0, 0, OVRInput.Controller.RTouch);
}

Impact

To test this, I built two Unity scenes for use on Meta Quest devices:

• Scene A (Complex button mapping): I mapped weight simulation to intricate trigger combinations (e.g., pressing both hand + index triggers to “lift” a sword). However, during user tests, participants on the Quest headsets found it cumbersome and unintuitive—friction increased, but perceived weight didn’t.

• Scene B (Physical prototypes): I created cardboard weapon shells—shaped like a rifle, Uzi, and heavy machine gun—which were mounted over the Quest Touch controllers. Users holding a weighted cardboard rifle reported a “significant weight difference” compared to the Uzi, saying it felt far more immersive and realistic than swiping empty controllers in VR.

These findings showed me that on current Meta VR platforms, simple software tweaks (like button combos) don’t equate to weight simulation. Physical prototyping—even low-tech cardboard shells—can meaningfully enhance immersion by introducing real-world heft.