Mastering Oculus Rift Development

Virtual reality (VR) is changing the world of gaming and entertainment as we know it. VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift immerse players in a virtual world by tracking their head movements and simulating depth, giving them the feeling that they are actually present in the environment. We will first use the Oculus SDK in the book and will then move on to the widely popular Unity Engine, showing you how you can add that extra edge to your VR games using the power of Unity.

In this book, you’ll learn how to take advantage of this new medium by designing around each of its unique features. This book will demonstrate the Unity 5 game engine, one of most widely-used engines for VR development, and will take you through a comprehensive project that covers everything necessary to create and publish a complete VR experience for the Oculus Rift. You will also be able to identify the common perils and pitfalls of VR development to ensure that your audience has the most comfortable experience possible.

By the end of the book, you will be able to create an advanced VR game for the Oculus Rift, and you’ll have everything you need to bring your ideas into a new reality.

What You Will Learn

• Increase immersion with 3D audio and intuitive interfaces
• Create group VR experiences using multi-player networking
• Design fun and engaging mechanics that utilize VR principles
• Explore the best ways to navigate and interact using the Oculus Rift
• Design intuitive ways to navigate and interact with scenes in VR
• Add stunning realism to a scene with three-dimensional audio
• Invent mechanics and features that take full advantage of VR hardware

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Exploring a New Reality with the Oculus Rift
Chapter 2. Stepping into Virtual Reality
Chapter 3. Improving Performance and Avoiding Discomfort
Chapter 4. Interacting with Virtual Worlds
Chapter 5. Establishing Presence
Chapter 6. Adding Depth and Intuition to a User Interface
Chapter 7. Hearing and Believing with 3D Audio
Chapter 8. Adding Tone and Realism with Graphics
Chapter 9. Bringing Players Together in VR
Chapter 10. Publishing on the Oculus Store