New World Gaming: With Osmos for the iPhone, the Future of Virtual Immersion is Touching

When we talk about "immersion" in gaming and virtual worlds, we're usually referring to the 3D graphics and sometimes the sound, and how they bring your perception "into" the experience that's on the screen. But with a game like Osmos, from Hemisphere Games, an award-winning title recently ported to the iPhone, immersion comes through touching. The basic gameplay premise has been done many times before (you control an amoeba-like sphere, and use it to absorb other spheres around you), but never has it been this sensual an experience. Here's the trailer, which should give you a sense of the visual, ambient, physics-enabled dreamscape the game is:

But the sound and 2D visuals are just a part of what makes this game so seductive. The amazing thing to me is that Osmos was originally developed for the PC, because it seems so perfectly suited for the iPhone/iPad. The tactile experience of using your fingertips to move through a galaxy of beautiful lifeforms transports you into that place. And the fact that you're peering at such a small display doesn't take you out of the immersion, because you're literally linked to it physically. Watch this gameplay walkthrough after the break:

With touchpad interfaces becoming so common, and desktop/laptop computers losing their centrality, I think it's likely we'll come to see games like Osmos as the future of immersion -- not 3D graphics, but virtual experiences you can literally touch.

Comments

[Kirstenlee Cinquetti]

One of my vast collection of distractions, my personal favourite level is to collapse the system by feeding the attractor in F2-3. ( PC version not sure on other platforms )
It's also a great example of indie game development.

YAY!

[Hamlet Au]

But can you complete the level where you have to swallow three spheres that are circling three "suns"? That one is BUSTING MY BALLS.

[Tom Bagshaw]

Great post and I agree, we are use to rich 3D environments, but we are nothing by a passive viewer. The rise of the iPhone platform has give way to experiences in which users can interact with content in a new way- touching. The allure of touch is that it is almost visceral- the user is almost feeling their way around the App.

I think part of the immersive quality of Osmos is also down to the superb accompanying soundtrack, that when listened to with headphones, really helps drag the user into the experience.