Developer Grzegorz Bednarski has been working on his solution to help remove any gameplay barriers people with physical disabilities may find with virtual reality (VR) for several years now. Called WalkinVR, the SteamVR compatible software has been available in beta form since 2017, next week it’ll officially launch on Steam.
As VR technology has evolved and matured so has the gameplay, moving away from gamepad or 3DoF controls to far more physical, roomscale interactions. While this has allowed for more creative and immersive worlds to be built, not all players have the range of motion needed to play these titles.
WalkinVR is designed to offer an all-in-one solution to aid those who love or want to enjoy VR gaming but don’t have the necessary physical movement to play a lot of the experiences available.
The software offers a wealth of options to cover various disabilities such as those who have suffered a stroke, are in a wheelchair or have spinal muscular atropy for example. These can cause a range of issues when playing a VR videogame, from turning to holding motion controllers at the required height to interact with the environment.
So WalkinVR‘s features include enhancing movement range of the hands, virtual movement for turning, leaning and crouching. If a player has weak hands or spastics then hands can be tracked with the help of a Kinect or Azure device. Should pressing buttons pose an issue then a third-party can assist through a gamepad, pressing the required button where required.
WalkinVR is scheduled to launch via Steam on 29th June 2020, supporting Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. There will be free and premium versions, working with all videogames and applications available on SteamVR. VRFocus will continue its coverage of WalkinVR, reporting back with further updates.