Virtual reality (VR) motion controls already do a very good job of immersing players inside virtual worlds, but more can still be done. These controls can only track a persons hands, for true immersion the whole body needs to feature. Solutions to this problem are already appearing, like the Vive Tracker or actual suits like E-Skin for example. These aren’t necessarily cheap or available on the market yet so Grzegorz Bednarski – the developer behind WalkinVR – has come up with a different solution, using Microsoft Kinect to offer full-body VR tracking.
The developer has created Driver4VR, a piece of software VR players can use with either Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or Nolo VR. Designed as a basic and cost effective way of implementing full-body tracking in SteamVR, Driver4VR emulates three Vive Trackers that would normally be placed on the feet and waist.
There is one small cravat when using Driver4VR and Kinect depending on which headset players own. HTC Vive owners will need to use a Kinect 360 with the software, while Oculus Rift owners can use either version of the Kinect sensor. The reason being is to do with IR interference Bednarski told VRFocus.
Bednarski isn’t aiming to directly compete with costlier solutions like the Vive Tracker – which offers greater precision – instead, Driver4VR is a simple cost effective solution for any players interested in trying it out. The actual software can be downloaded from the Driver4VR website for €10.40 EUR – although the dev may increase that to €15 in the future.
Checkout the demo video below to see Driver4VR in action, and for any further updates keep reading VRFocus.
via Mint VR