Will VR ever get to the point that it can fully capture a human body and its movements for gaming?
Will VR actually be able to advance to the point that controllers aren't necessary and there can be more points picked up for better recognition of bodily movements?
Answers ( 1 )
On a very general level, most VR tracking is done in one of two ways: either by placing trackers on the player or by using visual/movement sensors.
In terms of trackers on the player, they can take many forms, including held controllers, and motion sensing components (accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer) that can be attached to the player. If these are small enough, they can be incorporated into clothing or attached in other ways. So while there would technically be the equivalent of a controller, the player wouldn't have to hold it, and it would be small/light enough or attached closely enough to the body that it would seem like there was no controller. The ability to do this isn't very far off, and could happen if there's a demand for it. One limitation is that unless there is a controller in the hand, the player will be limited in terms of the kinds of control that can be executed unless the body is covered with many sensors. But a glove could accomplish a lot of this.
In terms of visual or movement sensors, there are also quite a few options. Essentially, the technology is cameras, infrared projectors and detectors, time-of-flight sensors, and/or microphones, with sophisticated software technology that recognizes and decodes what it is seeing. This type of technology has already been demonstrated in the past to some extent with Microsoft's Kinect technology. And while Kinect is no longer part of their Xbox gaming platform, it definitely showed that this can be done. With more sophisticated iterations, this type of tecnology could allow VR to be done without hand-held controllers.
So while VR could easily advance to the point that hand-held controllers aren't necessary, when and whether we see it happen will be more a function of demand and marketing than of technological limitations. The ability to do it essentially already exists.