--- key: mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t299 type: mechanic id: spatial-interfaces--t299 lang: en title: 'VR grabbing, gestures and hand manipulation' summary: >- Spatial grabbing links hand pose to a virtual object through contact start, holding and release rules. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t299/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t299.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t299.md aliases: - 'VR: grasping and hand manipulation' tags: - Spatial and alternative interfaces - Mechanics and variants sourceIds: - source-6ca85c9fb9703865 - source-4055bba1b9f6c648 - source-909400af9fbfca32 sources: - id: source-6ca85c9fb9703865 title: 'Khronos: OpenXR' url: 'https://www.khronos.org/openxr/' verifiedAt: null - id: source-4055bba1b9f6c648 title: 'MDN: WebXR Device API' url: 'https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebXR_Device_API' verifiedAt: null - id: source-909400af9fbfca32 title: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/341800/' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: spatial-interfaces id: t299 title: Spatial and alternative interfaces url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/spatial-interfaces/#t299' categoryIds: - mechanics supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: 'VR: grasping and hand manipulation' description: >- Spatial grabbing links hand pose to a virtual object through contact start, holding and release rules. image: src: images/mechanics/adventure-keep-talking-10.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/341800/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/341800/ss_abacdee611c0cabeedc8c445ef52bea600417b07.1920x1080.jpg?t=1699020889 credit: Steel Crate Games rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: Virtual hands interact with the device’s modules alt: Virtual hands interact with the device’s modules markers: - x: 90 'y': 48 label: Hand interactions in the VR version - x: 48 'y': 45 label: Modules require communication with an expert tips: - 'Define grasp start, holding, release and contact feedback explicitly.' examples: - title: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/341800/' endsAt: null provenance: >- Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/spatial-interfaces --- # VR grabbing, gestures and hand manipulation id: spatial-interfaces--t299 type: mechanic key: mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t299 lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t299/ Spatial grabbing links hand pose to a virtual object through contact start, holding and release rules. ## At a glance ![Virtual hands interact with the device’s modules](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/adventure-keep-talking-10.webp) [Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes](https://store.steampowered.com/app/341800/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. Hand interactions in the VR version 2. Modules require communication with an expert - Define grasp start, holding, release and contact feedback explicitly. - [Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes](https://store.steampowered.com/app/341800/) ## How it works Spatial grabbing links hand pose to a virtual object through contact start, holding and release rules. ## Variants ### Mechanic variants - Direct grabbing requires close contact. - Distant rays select remote objects. - Two-handed actions derive orientation from two points. - Release transfers an estimated throwing velocity. ## Design example A player holds a housing with one hand and turns an axis-constrained crank with the other. Prototype check: Test lost hand tracking and controller alternatives so objects do not launch unexpectedly when tracking returns. ## Context and limits Spatial and specialized input requires calibration, clear action confirmation and a way to continue after signal loss. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant. - [Khronos: OpenXR](https://www.khronos.org/openxr/) (id: source-6ca85c9fb9703865) - [MDN: WebXR Device API](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebXR_Device_API) (id: source-4055bba1b9f6c648) - [Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes](https://store.steampowered.com/app/341800/) (id: source-909400af9fbfca32) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors