Normal VR’s first game receives big upgrades to facilitate better social experiences.
Cuteness is a hard thing to capture. Max Weisel, Normal VR’s founder, understands this better than most. During his fireside chat at OC6, Max discussed the long design process that resulted in Half + Half’s iconic avatar, “Wanda.” Realistic avatars, they knew, often creep too close to uncanny valley and can sometimes result in an unsettling experience for players.
They also found that this rule applied to realistic facial expressions, not just realistic likenesses. Over many iterations, they abstracted the avatar’s design until they were left with