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3 Body Problem’s VR tech got a big glow-up from the books
03.04.2024 - 19:25 / polygon.com
Netflix’s TV adaptation of the novel The Three-Body Problem makes some important changes to its source material. Characters in Cixin Liu’s original book are reimagined and split into others. Threads from later books in Liu’s trilogy, known as Remembrance of Earth’s Past, are brought forward into the narrative. And thankfully, the virtual reality video game that’s played in 3 Body Problem is noticeably different to how it’s described in the book version.
The game, known as Three-Body in Liu’s text, serves the same purpose as it does in the TV series: It’s a recruitment tool for the world’s brightest and most inquisitive scientists. In the Netflix show, the device on which Three-Body is played is a sleek, almost magical machine. Its players in the TV show are both exhilarated by and alarmed at how advanced the VR headset is.
“This is not normal,” says John Bradley’s character, Jack Rooney, after trying out the game (and being virtually decapitated by Sea Shimooka’s Sophon). “Do you understand how far beyond the current state of the art this is? I mean, we’re talking about 50 years? 150?”
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Liu’s description of the Three-Body VR experience is much more matter-of-fact than what we see in the show. In his book, he describes the game as running on a “panoramic viewing helmet” and, quaintly, running on a web browser. The sensation of playing the game in Liu’s version was not powered by the direct neural interface of the chrome helmet, but through a full-body suit that was described as being widely commercially available.
Here’s how Liu, clearly optimistic about VR technology at the time, describes that suit:
The V-suit was a very popular piece of equipment among gamers, made up of a panoramic viewing helmet and a haptic feedback suit. The suit allowed the player to experience the sensations of the game: being struck by a fist, being stabbed by a knife, being burned by flames, and so on. It was also capable of generating feelings of extreme heat and cold, even simulating the sensation of being exposed in a snow storm.
The TV show has no such suit. Having one would not only conflict with storytelling — imagine having to watch characters dress and undress before entering the virtual world — but the fact that the chrome headset can do so much to simulate multiple senses conveys just how alien it feels.
The Three-Body Problem was written years before the commercial revolution that brought VR technology to the masses. It was until the creation of the Oculus Rift in 2011 that mainstream affordable VR headsets started to feel real, promising industry-changing possibilities. More than a decade later, the hard reality of virtual reality has started to set in. It has obvious limitations and simply cannot
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