A Visual-Inertial Hybrid Controller Approach to Improving Immersion in 3D Video Games

Advances in various areas such as graphics, sound, physics and artificial intelligence have improved the level of player immersion into the gaming environment significantly over the years. However, current game controller systems do not fully facilitate natural bodily motions in an accurate and responsive manner, which may affect player immersion within a gaming environment. This paper presents a novel visual-inertial approach that can potentially improve immersion in 3D video games. The proposed game controller system utilizes visual sensors (i.e. cameras) and inertial sensors (i.e. accelerometers and gyro-sensors) in a synergistic fashion to provide better 3D spatial positioning information than either of the individual technologies can provide. As a result, the proposed game controller system facilitates highly accurate, responsive, and natural control over 3D environments. This makes it well suited for potentially improving player immersion in future 3D video games. Furthermore, several applications of the proposed game controller system are presented to illustrate its potential for improving immersion in 3D video games.