Piloting vehicles, taking down infamous foes, and wielding lightsabers in one of sci-fi’s most iconic franchises? The Star Wars universe offers an array of memorable and heroic experiences that we only wish we could live ourselves. VR technology could make that a reality and the folks from Hammerhead VR have whipped up a proof-of-concept of what it might look like.
Hammerhead VR is a VR production house that’s worked with VR game development, real-time visualization, and 360 degree video. The company tells us that it took just two artists two weeks to whip up the above first-person prototype Star Wars VR experiences which are built in Unreal Engine 4.
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Beyond the sheer awesomeness of the idea of being able to wield a lightsaber in VR with a motion controller—it’s been known for some time that cockpit-based VR experiences work well for both comfort and gameplay, given that the enclosed cockpit space helps prevent nausea, while the context of being in a vehicle means players can still move great distances. As Hammerhead’s concept reminds us, the Star Wars universe is full of memorable cockpit vehicles, from the T-47 snowspeeders that took down AT-ATs in the Battle of Hoth to the T-65 X-wing starfighter that destroyed the Death Star. Even without true gameplay… what we wouldn’t give to feel like we were flying any one of these iconic vessels.
While the prototype created by Hammerhead is a tantalizing glimpse at what a Star Wars VR game might look like, an unlikely official endorsement from rights holders means that we probably won’t see this become a reality any time soon. The company hasn’t announced any plans to release their prototype to the public.
However, Hammerhead is not our only hope; Industrial Light & Magic, the VFX house responsible for Star Wars, recently revealed what they’re calling the ‘ILMxLab’, an arm of the studio dedicated to exploring immersive experiences, including virtual reality. So there’s a chance yet that we’ll see official Star Wars VR experiences down the road.
Though not as polished as Hammerhead’s prototype, there’s been a number of other fan-made VR demo experiences which can give you a taste of Star Wars in VR today like Tatooine, Among Giants. Star Wars ATAT, Star Wars: The Battle Of Endor, and Star Wars ScenePlay.