Virtual Reality mobile game ‘Have Mercy’ is breaking the VR myth

VR is often seen as something really expensive, far out of the reach from the average gamer, but that is not the case. Players can actually quality VR and they only need a phone, and most surprisingly, it really works.

Today an Oculus Rift goes for $600, the HTC Vive is even more expensive at $800 (both prices are from Amazon), and those are just peripherals to expensive computers. Now all you need is a phone and a headset for $20. But that surely can not work properly or can it?

It might sound like a gimmick used to app creators to make a quick buck and the Google Cardboard also sounds like a joke, but it actually works, like the project "Have Mercy" made by students at KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, and they have even managed to implement multiplayer to the game.

Have Mercy is a simple game, the player simulates running by either running in place, doing actual running or by bobbing his head up and down to chase a checkpoint. The running itself is based on the phone's internal sensors picking up movement. The opposing player uses his mobile to draw down walls, add fake checkpoints, or to make the real one invisible for a limited time. Have Mercy is also proof that VR is more accessible than it may seem to be today. Everyone these days has a smartphone and most people can afford a $20 peripheral. Have Mercy is a smooth and cheap VR game that anyone can afford.

There seem to be two negative opinions about VR these days, either it is too expensive or that all the cords hanging from you ruining the experience, well, seems like it doesn’t have to be either or. Have Mercy shows that VR can be fun, cheap, intuitive, and multiplayer, something which is not common in many VR games. It also manages to create a good-looking game without a $10.000+ PC and without a dreadlock of cords hanging from you giving players maximum freedom. VR might be on its baby legs but this is a step in the right direction.