---
id: hand-driven-vr-locomotion-and-mounts/02-seventeen-mechanics-fall-into-two-families-anchored
title: 'Hand-driven VR locomotion leaves vehicles and mounts open: 2. Seventeen mechanics
  fall into two families: anchored and open-air'
report: https://ai.hiina.space/reports/hand-driven-vr-locomotion-and-mounts.md
section: 2
version: 1
updated: '2026-10-27'
author: Hiina
---

Index of everything on this site: https://ai.hiina.space/index.md

# Hand-driven VR locomotion leaves vehicles and mounts open: 2. Seventeen mechanics fall into two families: anchored and open-air

- Section 2 of 9 of the report "Hand-driven VR locomotion leaves vehicles and mounts open" by Hiina (v1, updated 2026-10-27)
- Report overview and contents: https://ai.hiina.space/reports/hand-driven-vr-locomotion-and-mounts.md
- Previous: https://ai.hiina.space/reports/hand-driven-vr-locomotion-and-mounts/01-summary.md
- Next: https://ai.hiina.space/reports/hand-driven-vr-locomotion-and-mounts/03-gorilla-tag-s-core-is-a-contact.md

## 2. Seventeen mechanics fall into two families: anchored and open-air

The table is the catalogue. "Anchored" means a world-fixed contact point drives the body; "open-air" means a gesture or pose produces force without a surface. Dates are release dates unless noted. Sources marked (secondary) are press, wiki or summary pages.

| Mechanic | Input | Examples (dates) | Comfort notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact-anchored hand walking (anchored) | Hand spheres hit surfaces, no buttons | Gorilla Tag (early access Feb 2021, Quest Store 15 Dec 2022, PSVR2 8 Nov 2024) ([Wikipedia, secondary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla_Tag)); Yeeps adds glide/grapple (Quest Store 18 Jul 2024) ([Road to VR, secondary](https://roadtovr.com/yeeps-hide-and-seek-gorilla-tag-evolution/)); Nock 2022, Space Ball 2023, Outta Hand 2023, Underdogs (mech) 2024, Stilt (spring arms) 2024 ([Road to VR, secondary](https://www.roadtovr.com/new-category-of-vr-game-arm-based-locomotion/)) | We found no comfort study. The developer stresses a "connection with the world" ([Meta dev blog](https://developers.meta.com/horizon/blog/gorilla-tag/)) |
| Climbing (anchored) | Grip near a hold; body moves opposite hand | The Climb (Crytek; Touch hands-on) ([Road to VR, secondary](https://roadtovr.com/hands-on-the-climb-with-oculus-touch-reaches-new-heights/)); Godot XR Tools climb provider | Drops and launches may sicken some; arms tire (same hands-on) |
| Zero-G grab-and-push plus thrusters (anchored) | Grab surfaces, push off; aimed thrusters | Lone Echo (Ready At Dawn; demo hands-on 7 Oct 2016) ([Road to VR, secondary](https://roadtovr.com/hands-on-lone-echo-nails-zero-gravity-in-vr-with-oculus-touch/)) | Velocity ramps "almost instantaneously"; no artificial rotation |
| World-drag (anchored) | Two hands drag/rotate the world | PushPull study, 2023 ([arXiv](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2306.14484)); Google Earth VR, Tilt Brush | Fewer symptoms than smooth joystick, but SUS 66 vs about 75 for joystick |
| Pole / walking stick (anchored) | Stick tip pushed against floor plane | Meta Interaction SDK WalkingStick ([Meta docs](https://developers.meta.com/vr/documentation/unity/unity-isdk-locomotion-walkingstick/)); The Slopes, 19 May 2017 ([Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/620790/The_Slopes/)) | Momentum decays after release; no comfort data |
| Paddling (anchored in a fluid) | Stroke per side; uneven strokes turn | Phantom: Covert Ops (25 Jun 2020) ([Road to VR preview](https://roadtovr.com/phantom-covert-ops-preview-compelling-vr-stealth-comfort-smooth-turning/), [review](https://roadtovr.com/phantom-covert-ops-review-quest-rift/), secondary); Kayak VR: Mirage ([UploadVR, secondary](https://uploadvr.com/kayak-vr-mirage-playstation-vr2-review/)) | Smooth stroke-turning caused discomfort after about an hour; snap-turn option fixed it |
| Push-rim wheelchair (anchored on rim) | Grab each wheel, push, brake | Drag x Drive (non-VR, Switch 2, 14 Aug 2025) ([Nintendo](https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-20-drag-x-drive-part-1/)); Wheelchair Basketball VR (itch.io, last devlog Jan 2020) ([itch.io](https://dagliadubi.itch.io/wheelchair-basketball-vr)) | Direct mode sickened some players, so a teleport hybrid was added ([devlog](https://itch.io/devlog/120819/indirect-wheelchair-locomotion.amp)); Drag x Drive reviews report arm strain ([Wikipedia, secondary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_x_Drive)) |
| Office/swivel chair lean (body) | Backrest lean, body yaw | VRChairRacer, TU Darmstadt 2019 ([nweon, secondary](https://paper.nweon.com/?p=1897)); NaviChair, swivel chair ([Kitson 2017 via nweon, secondary](https://paper.nweon.com/6902)) | Joystick beat all leaning seats on comfort and precision in Kitson 2017 |
| Arm-swing impulse (open-air) | Trigger, swing arm back, release | Sprint Vector (Survios; hands-on 3 Mar 2017) ([Road to VR, secondary](https://roadtovr.com/hands-on-survios-sprint-vector-fluid-locomotion-system/)); XR Tools jog/sprint | Reviewer raced "with no nausea" but warned that tolerance varies |
| Flapping / gliding (open-air) | Arm flaps, arm roll to turn | Aquila Bird Flight Simulator (early access 18 Aug 2017, release 27 Dec 2020; flapping is an optional workout) ([Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/583530)); Flappy Arms ([VR Grid, secondary](https://www.thevrgrid.com/flappy-arms)); XR Tools glide | Flappy Arms: tiring, 15 to 20 minute sessions, flap mapping unclear |
| Palm thrusters (open-air) | Palm direction = thrust, trigger fires | Marvel's Iron Man VR (PSVR, 3 Jul 2020) ([Road to VR, secondary](https://www.roadtovr.com/iron-man-vr-psvr-review-first-great-superhero-game/)) | Snap turn and blinders on by default; invisible "bumpers" ([PlayStation Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/?p=213674)); Road to VR comfort score 8/10 |
| Grapple / web tether (open-air) | Aim hand, fire line, pull/swing | Swarm (Greensky; 8 April 2020, year not re-verified) ([Intel](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/greensky-gaming-hits-vr-sweet-spot.html)); Spider-Man: Far From Home VR ([UploadVR, secondary](https://www.uploadvr.com/spider-man-far-from-home-vr-review/)); Windlands | Swarm avoids forced hard stops and uses distant scenery and a horizon |
| Lean vehicles (body) | Torso lean or balance board | MonoRaceVR (store page says no longer available; not re-verified) ([Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1722290)); LeanOn, ISMAR 2023 ([XJTLU](https://scholar.xjtlu.edu.cn:443/en/publications/leanon-simulating-balance-vehicle-locomotion-in-virtual-reality)) | LeanOn: better feedback experience than joystick, similar sickness (N=24) |
| Reined mounts (anchored to reins) | Grips hold reins, pull to turn, pump arms for speed | Rival Stars Horse Racing: VR Edition (Pikpok; released 17 Apr 2025 on Quest 2/3 and SteamVR per Pikpok's launch post; Vision Pro announced, not verified) ([Pikpok FAQ](https://faq.pikpok.com/hc/en-nz/articles/46118431075609-Rival-Stars-Horse-Racing-VR-Edition-FAQ-Controls-Help)); DovaVR Skyrim mod ([Nexus](https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/154803)) | Reviewer reported "small bouts of nausea" in races ([UploadVR, secondary](https://uploadvr.com/rival-stars-horse-racing-vr-edition-impressions)) |
| Flight mounts (mixed) | Arms as wings, wand, or physical saddle | Dragons Flight VR ([itch.io](https://morderkaine.itch.io/dragonsflightvr)); DragonRideVR (2020) ([Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1197620/DragonRideVR/)); Dreamscape Dragons Flight Academy, location-based ([Time Out, secondary](https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/things-to-do/dreamworks-dragons-flight-academy)); Birdly ([Road to VR, secondary](https://roadtovr.com/?p=162571)) (none of these was re-verified) | Indie page warns of sickness; a commenter said a view-tilt mode helped |
| Foot and pedal trackers (body) | Step, slide, pedal, foot pressure | OpenVR-WalkInPlace ([GitHub](https://github.com/flypigy/openvr-walkinplace)); Cybershoes (shut down about Apr 2025) ([Road to VR, secondary](https://www.roadtovr.com/vrs-quirkiest-locomotion-device-cybershoes-shuts-down/)); VirZOOM bike (own hardware retired 23 Jun 2020) ([VR Fitness Insider, secondary](https://www.vrfitnessinsider.com/virzoom-retires-vzfit-hardware-to-focus-exclusively-on-software-development-why-this-is-testament-to-the-growth-of-vr/)); Glide-in-Place insoles (preprint Apr 2026) ([arXiv](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2604.10237)) | Cycling: handlebar steering least sickening, airflow the best countermeasure ([nweon, secondary](https://paper.nweon.com/12237)) |
| Co-op carry and group travel (social) | Seats on avatars, leader moves group | VRChat avatar stations and pickup prefabs ([VRChat docs](https://creators.vrchat.com/worlds/components/vrc_station)); group navigation, IEEE TVCG May 2020 ([Uni Weimar](https://www.uni-weimar.de/de/medien/professuren/medieninformatik/vr/research/multi-user-virtual-reality/getting-there-together/)); non-VR PEAK (2025), Chained Together | Group navigation lowered task load; we found no VR postmortem on physically coupled players |

---

Text licensed CC BY 4.0 (attribution: Hiina, ai.hiina.space). Source: https://github.com/hiinaspace/ai-hiina-space