XR For Unity — 1 — Virtual Reality

3 min read1 day ago

I am Samuel Asher Rivello, a professional game developer with 25 years of game development experience including 10+ years with the Unity game engine. Unity is a powerful and popular suite of tools (Project IDE, Code IDE, and run-time).

Unity

Unity has long been a cornerstone of the game development industry, providing developers with a versatile and powerful engine capable of delivering experiences across multiple platforms.

Unity For Gaming

With a user-friendly interface, a massive asset store, and a thriving community, Unity has enabled indie developers and large studios alike to create stunning games without the need for massive budgets or teams.

Unity For XR

Unity 6 builds upon the strengths of its predecessors while introducing groundbreaking features that elevate the game development process. Unity 6 also offers deeper integration with modern hardware, making it easier to optimize games for cutting-edge platforms like AR, VR, and XR.

Extended reality (XR) is the umbrella under which we find AR, VR, and MR technologies. These are the new realities.

Augmented Reality (AR) — Layers computer generated imagery on top of the users view of the real world. Typically the user looks through a mobile phone’s live camera feed or the user wears Ar glasses. The included software may rely on SLAM.
Virtual Reality (VR) — Replaces (blocks) the users real world view with a completely digital surroundings. The input can vary, but generally includes at least 6 degrees of head tracking (positions & rotations). Typically the user wears goggles.
Mixed Reality (MR) — Blends AR and VR concepts into the user’s environment. Think of a 3D tooltips hovering over real world objects that respect the position, scale, and movement of the objects.

Virtual Reality For Unity

Setting up Virtual Reality (VR) in Unity has become a streamlined process, especially with the built-in support for VR platforms like Oculus, HTC Vive, and others. Unity’s XR Plugin Management system simplifies the integration of various VR platforms, allowing developers to switch between them without needing to overhaul the entire project.

To begin, developers should install the XR Plugin Management package through the Unity Package Manager. This package enables Unity to support different VR devices and headsets. Afterward, developers can select the specific VR platform they wish to target, such as Oculus or OpenXR, and configure the necessary settings. Unity provides built-in prefabs for VR interactions like hand tracking and basic movement, saving time on manual implementation.

Tips For VR Development

When developing VR applications in Unity, it’s essential to follow specific best practices to ensure a comfortable and immersive experience for users. One key consideration is maintaining a consistent and high frame rate (ideally 90 FPS or higher) to prevent motion sickness. Unity provides various optimization tools, such as the Profiler and Frame Debugger, to help developers identify performance bottlenecks.

Moreover, user comfort should be prioritized by avoiding rapid, jerky camera movements or sudden changes in perspective, as this can cause disorientation. Smooth locomotion systems and teleportation are commonly used in VR to allow users to explore the virtual world without discomfort.

Resources

🦜 Contact

Samuel Asher Rivello has over 20 years of game dev XP. He is available for remote, contract hire as a game developer and game dev educator.
Contact Sam today to say hi and discuss your projects!