VR Design Unpacked: The Secret to Beat Saber's Fun Isn't What You Think

Summary

Our series Inside XR Design highlights and unpacks examples of great XR design. Today we’re looking at Beat Saber (2019) and why its most essential design element can be used to make great VR games that have nothing to do with music or rhythm. Editor’s Note: It’s hard to believe Beat Saber was first released in Early Access seven years ago today. From day one, it was clear the game was something special, but even so we couldn’t have predicted it would become one of VR’s best-selling games of all time—a title it still holds all these years later. In celebration of the game’s lasting legacy we’re re-publishing our episode of Inside XR Design which explores the secret to Beat Saber’s fun, and how it can be applied to VR games which have nothing to do with music. You can find the complete video below, or continue reading for an adapted text version. VIDEO More Than Music Welcome back to another episode of Inside XR Design. Now listen, I’m going to say something that doesn’t seem to make any sense at all. But by the end of this article, I guarantee you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about. Beat Saber… is not a rhythm game. Now just wait a second before you call me insane. Beat Saber has music, and it has rhythm, yes. But the defining characteristic of a rhythm game is not just music, but also a scoring system that’s based on timing. The better your timing, the higher your score. Now here’s the part most people don’t actually realize. Beat Saber doesn’t have any timing component to its scoring system. That’s right. You could reach forward and chop a block right as it comes into range. Or you could hit it at the last second before it goes completely behind you, and in both cases you could earn the same number of points. So if Beat Saber scoring isn’t about timing, then how does it work? The scoring system is actually based on motion. In fact, it’s actually designed to make you move in specific ways if you want the highest score. The key scoring factors are how broa...