Want to take on the Death Star trench run in VR and also help fight sim sickness? Then check this fan-made app out.
University of Utah computer science student Dylan Stout recently shared this project with us. It’s a research study designed to explore “the correlation between VR sickness and reference points in a 3D space”. It’s no secret that intense VR experiences can make users sick. By finding ways to combat that issue, we can make VR more accessible to everyone.
But, positive research aside; Star Wars! Check out a gameplay video of the experience above. You jump into the cockpit of an X-Wing and find yourself is the climactic battle of A New Hope. It begins with a brief duel with TIE Fighters before you head to the surface of the space station. Finally, you dive down into the trenches and race to the end.
This being a fan-made app, it’s not the most graphically rich take on the trench run you’ll see. We do like how the film’s audio is mapped to the experience to give it a bit more authenticity, though. There is, of course, already an official X-Wing VR experience, though it ties into Rogue One, not A New Hope.
If it looks a little intense for you, that’s because it’s designed to be. Basically Stout is hoping you try the app out (you can download it here) and then answer a survey found here. It’s entirely possible that Disney decides to take action against the project in the near future, so if you want to try it out best act fast.
Meanwhile, in more official Star Wars VR news, we just reviewed Vader Immortal. It’s a completely original story that doesn’t let you fly an X-Wing but does hand you a lightsaber. We kind of love it.