With the improvements to VR technology and the decrease in the cost of the hardware associated with it, it's about time we have a serious discussion about what the ideal Matrix game in such a space might look like.

When the news of a fourth Matrix movie broke, many wondered if another game would follow soon after its release. This is understandable given that The Matrix: Path of Neo, the last game title, was released nearly fourteen years ago. A lot has happened during that time and technology and hardware have both advanced in leaps and bounds. Today, we see realistic lifelike textures and environments that seem as if they were transplanted right out of the real world. The level of immersion that people felt as a result of this was only enhanced by the introduction of improved VR technology which used both sensory and auditory cues to make the player feel as if they were a part of a new world.

Additionally, the clunkiness of prior motion controls is a thing of the past thanks to new sensor technology first devised by Oculus and then improved upon by its competitors. Consumers would ultimately benefit from this competition as they would finally get full standalone VR systems courtesy of Oculus in the form of the Oculus Go and Quest headsets. Before this, there were some limitations in terms of space and cost, but now a greater amount of consumers have the chance to enjoy VR to its fullest extent without the space restrictions. Consumers aren't the only winners here, though, as game designers now can create an engine which takes advantage of all human movements, making creating lifelike games much easier.

How VR Technology Can Bring the Matrix to Life

The fact that Neo and others enter the Matrix using a similar device makes it almost inevitable that the next game will take place in VR. Sure, improved textures and environments certainly help with immersion, but nothing beats making the player feel as if they are Neo attempting to navigate their way through the Matrix while battling its agents. Prior to current technology, full immersion wouldn't really be possible as players would still feel the limitations placed onto them by the wires that were hooked to their headsets and elsewhere. Now, if players were to enter the Matrix, they would be able to kick, punch and run without feeling as if their own abilities were being hampered by the system's hardware. Additionally, improvements in VR headset resolution also makes it possible to incorporate things like bullet slowdown and texture distortion in a way that is very lifelike. Players would be able to leave and enter the Matrix just as the characters did within the films, watching as their world was slowly built around them.

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What a Great VR Game Needs

Apart from great visuals and interactions, the next game needs to be built in a way that allows players to use their own abilities and not preset attacks to defeat their enemies. Granted, this would be much more difficult to code, but if game designers create a sort of hitbox around all enemies within the universe it isn't out of the realm of possibility. Additionally, the next game needs to be built like a sandbox, allowing players to pick up all sorts of objects within the universe and use them as they see fit, within the limitations of the Matrix of course. After all, in the films, Neo can alter the trajectory of things like bullets. If players can't do the same or must work within the confines of some sort of preset action, then the game will lose an element of immersion. Allowing players to determine the force of an action or its direction through their own movements would ensure that each individual's experience within the game is truly unique.

Necessary Accessories

While VR headsets will help bring the Matrix universe to life, there need to be some additions to the hardware in order to take things to the next level. While the subject of pain and impacts has been brought up with prior VR titles, major VR manufacturers have yet to release hardware which allows the user to feel impacts or slight pain when engaging in certain tasks. The technology is already there in the form of tens units, but companies will have to do extensive testing before bringing it to the VR universe to ensure complete safety. To be clear, we aren't talking about extreme pain or discomfort here, we are simply talking about using such units to give the illusion of an impact or painful action. With this sort of technology, actions within the Matrix would feel as lifelike as they did for Neo in the films and it would give users the impression that they are actually battling an adversary. Without such sensory accessories, the player would fall to the ground or be thrown while not feeling any sort of sensory feedback at all, creating a very unrealistic environment. Sure, this sort of accessory addition wouldn't be for everyone, but it would be nice to have the option of adding it to your gaming experience if you wish.

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Ever-Changing Environment

Within the Matrix, things can be altered in an instant. If the next game is to capture the interest of the masses, it needs to have this ability right out of the gate. Ideally, game designers would create an environment that changes around you at random times during gameplay, placing you into situations that you didn't face before. This would not only ensure that the game never gets boring or predictable, but it would also add to the tension that the player feels during gameplay. The usage of random events would also make the game unpredictable, forcing the player to adapt over the course of playing in order to succeed.

While it isn't likely that we will get a game like this, the technology is there to make it happen. If the price of standalone VR continues to drop and hardware improvements are made, it will be hard for game designers to ignore the possibility of The Matrix inside of the VR universe. In reality, anything outside of VR would be an extreme disappointment and wouldn't allow the game to fully come to life.

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