Tal

I build & design XR experiences.

[Tal @tmzip_]

naive recreation of reality is often misleading
trying to achieve realism often emphasizes the gap
VR is an over-promising name for a creative medium
yet it is still so easy to forget it

a short story about the realism trap.
full post in the vr presence newsletter: link in bio

[Tal @tmzip_]

Now I think of how could it go deeper..
Would love to get your thoughts on this one!

[Tal @tmzip_]

I feel immersion is breaking when seeing the VR boundaries.

The blue grid says watch out, while the game still behaves completely normal. Players need to think outside of the game, about the real world.

I thought I need to make boundaries an in-game mechanic...
#VR #gamedev

[Tal @tmzip_]

The video shows a very basic solution, and it’s mostly about sound. Game audio is shifted towards a unique boundaries sound.
The visuals also adapts: the view becomes white, telling you to go back. People like it, even spend some time playing with it, going in and out of it.

[Tal @tmzip_]

@tovanbo @RtoVR @LaserDanceGame well deserved! I wish more games put natural locomotion at the center like you did.
Obviously there’s a price to pay since you can't rely on regular VR conventions, but that’s probably why it’s such a rare find, and what makes those game so fresh & unique.

[Tal @tmzip_]

XR is not about directly recreating reality- it can never compete with it.

Our job as XR designers is to embrace the medium, work with its constraints, and craft experiences that feel natural inside VR- experiences that couldn’t exist anywhere else.

5/5

[Tal @tmzip_]

I’m always excited about re-designing real-world actions into VR interfaces, because VR ≠ Real life.

The key is understanding limitations- knowing what to let go of, and what to add.

An example: Marker Map.

1/5

#vr #madewithunity #xr

[Tal @tmzip_]

The solution:

* Pinch to pick up a virtual pin
* Drop it on the map and name with a virtual keyboard that pops in on placement
* Move pins around like objects on a desk
* Toss away to delete or tap to rename
* Subtle hints, smooth animations, and sound feedback

4/5

[Tal @tmzip_]

@tovanbo @CubismVR Cubism will always be a true classic. Thanks for making it

[Tal @tmzip_]

@OuttaHandVR What is it doing there in the end of the video?

[Tal @tmzip_]

@KnollYaniv I think i need a more personalized solution to track very specific player behaviors, not the ready-made tables.. but I admit i haven't looked deep enough :)

[Tal @tmzip_]

Who would have guessed that there is no simple out of the box solution for saving game analytics in a table that can be queried to display my own custom dashboards for free

Anyone with a better idea than unity—>supabase—>metabase self hosted with docker?

#indiegamedev #gamedev

[Tal @tmzip_]

Im thinking on how to incorporate boundaries, or play-area limits, as an inherent component of my game. Boundaries as a game mechanic.

[Tal @tmzip_]

@MattPfeiffer Looks good!

[Tal @tmzip_]

I had a ton of fun building this.
Let me know if you want to implement it in your projects or if you want to try the demo apk!

[Tal @tmzip_]

Am I the only one who is always afraid of throwing my controller when throwing objects in #VR?

Every time I let go of the trigger, I’m reminded that - I’m holding a controller. It's a tiny but stubborn immersion breaker.

So I re-designed grabbing - works without buttons.

[Tal @tmzip_]

Just touch + grab → objects stick and release smoothly.

I found out its surprisingly fun.
There’s something deeply satisfying about objects simply attaching and detaching from your hand. Only after you try it you realize how much of extra friction the trigger adds.

[Tal @tmzip_]

@Volorf Love your work and also those toggles!
I agree with the take on 3d ui but I also like 2d ui that is made of shapes aligned in a 3d space. It can feel nice and minimalist, keeping the cues with smart animation and composition. I guess both might good, it depends on the usecase.