VRChat

VRChat is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online virtual reality social platform created by Graham Gaylor and Jesse Joudrey. It allows players to interact with others as 3D character models. The game was released for Microsoft Windows as a standalone application compatible with the Oculus DK1 development kit on January 16, 2014, and via Steam's early access program on February 1, 2017. It supports the Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S and the Oculus Quest via the Oculus Store, the HTC Vive series, Windows Mixed Reality headsets and the Valve Index through SteamVR. Notably, it also supports full-body humanoid avatar tracking via Vive Trackers, though none of these accessories are mandatory to play. The game later launched on the Oculus Quest on May 20, 2019, supporting limited cross-play with the Microsoft Windows version.

VRChat
Developer(s)VRChat Inc.
Publisher(s)VRChat Inc.
Designer(s)
  • Graham Gaylor
  • Jesse Joudrey
EngineUnity 
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Oculus Quest
Release
  • Microsoft Windows, Oculus
  • Jan 16, 2014
  • Steam
  • February 1, 2017
  • Oculus Quest
  • May 20, 2019
Genre(s)Massively multiplayer online
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Gameplay
Players in VR chat

VRChat's gameplay is similar to that of games such as Second Life and Habbo Hotel.[1] Players can create their own instanced worlds in which they can interact with each other through virtual avatars. A software development kit released alongside the game gives players the ability to create or import character models from various franchises and adopt them as their personas.[1] Player models are capable of supporting "audio lip sync, eye tracking and blinking, and complete range of motion.[2] It also includes several minigames in which players can "Capture the Flag, rob a bank in Steel 'n' Gold, and lob digital discs at each other in a match of Battle Discs."[1]

Although the game is named "VRChat", it is not necessary to have VR equipment to play the game. The game also offers a desktop version for those who don't have VR headsets, but it has limitations such as the inability to freely move an avatar's limbs,[3] as well as certain content which require the user make use of both hands, such as a shooting game where the player must use their other hand to reload a weapon while holding it with their primary hand. Desktop Mode users are restricted to a single hand for interaction, but can make use of a windows compatible game-pad for further interaction. As the majority of content in VR chat is user driven, making "accessible" content cross platform is up to the designer.

Hardware support

VRChat has extensive support for a large number of VR headsets and accessories, such as the Oculus Rift DK1, DK2, CV1 and S headset variants running on Microsoft Windows with or without the Oculus Home launcher, as well as the Android-based Oculus Quest standalone VR platform. Uniquely to VRChat, users on the Android platform can fully interact with users on the PC platform, provided the player-created avatar is uploaded and optimized for the Quest. Quest users can view PC user's avatars in their "full body" configurations, and physical movement is accurately synced between clients.

Additionally, all VR hardware that is compatible with the SteamVR/OpenVR platform are supported to various degrees. This includes (but is not limited to) the HTC Vive and Vive Pro, as well as the more recent Valve Index as of June 5, 2019.[4] Depending on the headset used, models for the respective controllers will appear while the player is navigating the in-game menu. Controllers which support finger positional tracking such as the Valve Index Controllers and the more limited "cap-sense" of the Oculus Controllers allow users to make natural hand gestures such as "fist" or "victory", which can then be further customized to trigger linked animations, such as a corresponding facial expression.[5]

The game allows additional add-on support for hip and feet tracking, among its user base commonly referred to as "full-body" tracking. Humanoid movement is calculated through unity inverse kinematics. Officially, only the HTC Virtual Reality System Tracker, better known as the "Vive Tracker Puck" by many, allows this support. Users must purchase one or three tracking "pucks" (one placed in front of the hips, one on each foot). Users can have "hips only" for additional tracking fidelity without the need for left and right foot tracking. Unofficially, players have made "frankenstein" VR setups such as using a PlayStation VR headset to track the head, Xbox's Kinect for the hips and feet and Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons for the hands (alternatively, PlayStation Move controllers) to simulate the full-body tracking the HTC Vive supports, with SteamVR facilitating the combination through custom OpenVR drivers.[6]

Community

The game's popularity has been attributed to use by YouTubers and Twitch streamers.[1] VRChat has spawned media such as a weekly newspaper in its forums, and talk shows and podcasts dedicated to a discussion of the game.[1]

Controversy

VRChat has come under fire several times due to NSFW activities within the game.[7] With large communities built around the idea of an 18+ atmosphere, VRChat has often been criticized for a lack of age protection for and against younger users of the game. As well, online child predators have become a problem within many of the communities, and continue to be an ever-present danger that is shared with much of the Internet.[8]

Ugandan Knuckles

VRChat gave rise to a meme known as "Ugandan Knuckles", in which players use in-game models of Knuckles the Echidna from the Sonic the Hedgehog series while repeating the catchphrase "Do you know the way?" in a mock African accent.[9] The players' model and mannerisms originated in a review by YouTuber Gregzilla and Forsen's Twitch stream respectively, in addition to lines from the Ugandan movie Who Killed Captain Alex?[10] This has generated controversy from many sources; Polygon's Julia Alexander labelled it "blatantly racist" and a "problematic meme", comparing it to Habbo Hotel raids,[11] and Jay Hathaway of The Daily Dot called it a "racist caricature".[10] The creator of the 3D model used in the meme expressed regret for having made it, and urged players that they "do not use this to bug the users of VRChat."[12] In response, the developers of the game published an open letter on Medium, stating that they were developing "new systems to allow the community to better self moderate" and asking users to use the built-in muting features.[13]

See also

References
  1. Alexander, Julia (December 22, 2017). "VRChat is a bizarre phenomenon that has Twitch, YouTube obsessed". Polygon. Vox Media, Inc. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  2. Forrest, Derek (February 1, 2017). "'VRChat' Is A Social Platform, A Dev Sandbox, And A Step In The Right Direction". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  3. Jecks, Chris (January 8, 2018). "VRChat: Do You Need a VR Headset to Play?". Twinfinite. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  4. "VRChat Valve Index Support and the Gesture Toggle System". Medium. VRChat Inc. May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  5. "Controls". VRChat Inc.
  6. https://github.com/sharkyh20/KinectToVR
  7. https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/twitch-streamer-walks-into-incredibly-nsfw-vrchat-scene-696861
  8. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/07/us/video-games-child-sex-abuse.html
  9. MacGregor, Collin (January 9, 2018). "Controversial 'Ugandan Knuckles' Meme Has Infested VRChat". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  10. Hathaway, Jay (January 10, 2018). "How Ugandan Knuckles turned VRChat into a total trollfest". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  11. Alexander, Julia (January 8, 2018). "'Ugandan Knuckles' is overtaking VRChat". Polygon. Vox Media, Inc. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  12. Tamburro, Paul (January 8, 2018). "Creator of VRChat's 'Ugandan Knuckles' Meme Regrets His Decision". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  13. Alexander, Julia (January 10, 2018). "VRChat team speaks up on player harassment in open letter". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  14. Wilde, Tyler (January 10, 2018). "VRChat's surge in popularity has created a bizarre scene". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018. Second Life developer Linden Lab has been working on a similar concept, called Sansar, Microsoft now has the reins of Altspace, and there are surely many other sandbox-y VR social experiences in the works.
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