Normally, when you think of UI, you think of a heads-up display (HUD)—UI that is on the screen in front of all gameplay. But in VR, there is no screen in the same sense as there is in games played on a console. The player feels as if they are fully immersed in the world, and putting something on the screen they are experiencing a VR game through (the lenses) would result in a fuzzy, unviewable blur since it would be right on top of their eyes. Due to this, VR UI tends to be placed within the world the player will be immersed in.

Note

In Chapter 16, we will discuss steps around creating UI with a physical representation within the world.

While there may be some exceptions, there are three locations where a UI in a VR game is usually placed:

• Embedded within the world in a static position. The player must approach it by moving their avatar toward its virtual location.
• Embedded within the world a set distance in front of the player’...