Hey, so here’s the thing. I’m talking about this game “Electronauts,” and maybe you haven’t heard of it? No biggie if you haven’t, but somehow it’s been kicking around in my head. Must be because it’s got this wild take on VR interfaces, and who knew a game about music could teach us so much? Right? Anyway, it’s been seven — wow, time flies — seven years since it came out. And it’s still doing its thing in the VR space, telling us about how to design stuff smartly.
I stumbled on a video — or you could just, you know, read this mess I’m writing. Either way works. So, imagine you’re like me, someone who can’t play an instrument to save their life. This thing makes you feel like you can DJ without totally embarrassing yourself. It’s on all the VR headsets. I won’t lie; it’s kind of cool how they do it.
Right, back to the point — or maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s more going on with its interface than just for music nuts. It’s got these three pillars, like that stool I tried to fix once — sturdy but, you know, kind of wobbly if you get it wrong. We’re talking ease-of-use, hierarchy, and flexibility.
First off, ease-of-use. They hand you drumsticks. You’d think, “Why drumsticks?” Well, because they do double duty. They let you interact with the game, not just the instruments. It’s like, humans are kinda made to mess with sticks and stones — really, we are. I mean, some science people have looked into it.
These sticks let them make the interface big enough to use without feeling like you need a microscope. You don’t just poke buttons; you jam the stick inside the button and pull a trigger. It’s all about precision, which I guess we need in a world where there’s nothing to push back on.
Then there’s this “hierarchy” business. Isn’t life full of hierarchies? Or maybe I’m just projecting, but seriously, who needs an endless pit of folders? Here, you’ve got cubes. Sounds gimmicky, sure, but each cube is a tool. Place it on a pedestal, and bam, you access neat little functions. Maximum of three cubes at once, so you’re not drowning in choices — like when I’m choosing ice cream flavors, really. Keeps everything neat without making your brain explode.
Didn’t mean to ramble, but hey, they did something cool here with Electronauts. Keeps popping back to the surface every time we chat about VR design. File it under clever or just, kind of impressive.
