Turning a Gaussian Splat into a videogame
Games
browser game demo
SHOW HN2026
Turning a Gaussian Splat into a videogame
Turning a Gaussian Splat into a videogame
blog.playcanvas.com#gaussian splatting#3d scanning#browser game#real-time rendering
How HN took it
9 positive, 13 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 8 critical, out of 32 comments about the project. Thread score +0.12.
Idea: 5 for, 1 againstExecution: 0 for, 4 againstDesign: 1 for, 2 againstPerformance: 1 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Runs smoothly in browser, even on phones and older hardware
From 3 comments
Plays decently smooth on my M4 Max. It's probably still a long way from being a production-ready replacement for meshed environments, but I could imagine a hybrid mode where…
sev_verso on HNCool idea, runs decently enough even on a mobile device too which I found surprising. One thing I'd like to point out is that the view model looks very uncanny relative to…
invades on HNIt runs kinda well on the best computer in the world, yeah? :) I have another data point: my ten year old ThinkPad. I get about 10 FPS. Lowering the quality doesn't seem to…
andai on HN
Impressive demo of splats as a bridge to playable worlds
From 3 comments
This is a really neat bridge between “looks cool” and “feels like you’re there”. Inferring real life properties like lighting is a cool trick and just the beginning I’m sure. I’m…
timfsu on HNReally cool looking stuff.
zer0tonin on HNthat is pretty cool
stuckkeys on HN
Objections
Gaussian splats are hard to edit and animate, limiting game use
From 2 comments
Editing Gaussian Splats is still a pain in the ass in the artist's perspective. Even if you can create a good-enough first try using scanned data or generative AI, you just end…
cyber_kinetist on HN> but I could imagine a hybrid mode where certain elements like grass and shrubbery are drawn with gaussians Those tend to move in the wind. Animations don't work well with…
cubefox on HN
Lacks dynamic lighting and reflections, looks dated
From 2 comments
I’m trying to understand from the video why this is better, it looks like a normal high resolution textures with precooked shadow maps. It has no dynamic lighting or effects,…
halflife on HNThis is better, but I think that a demo with more reflections and radiosity would be much more impressive
halflife on HN
Performance poor on some devices, e.g. low fps on older laptop and phone crashes
From 2 comments
It runs kinda well on the best computer in the world, yeah? :) I have another data point: my ten year old ThinkPad. I get about 10 FPS. Lowering the quality doesn't seem to…
andai on HNPlaying in brave on my Moto g power 2024 was low fps, but as soon as i pressed the shoot button my whole screen went purple pixel distortion lines and I had to restart my phone.
tnelsond4 on HN
Character models clash visually with splat environment
From 2 comments
Sort of unfortunate that one ends up putting normal meshed characters that clash with the photorealistic splat environment
swiftcoder on HNCool idea, runs decently enough even on a mobile device too which I found surprising. One thing I'd like to point out is that the view model looks very uncanny relative to…
invades on HN
Requests
Hybrid mode mixing splats with meshes for elements like grass
From 1 comment
Plays decently smooth on my M4 Max. It's probably still a long way from being a production-ready replacement for meshed environments, but I could imagine a hybrid mode where…
sev_verso on HN
More reflections and radiosity in the demo
From 1 comment
This is better, but I think that a demo with more reflections and radiosity would be much more impressive
halflife on HN
Questions
How to capture large environments without running out of memory
From 1 comment
Question for those making Splats...how do you get such large environments? I've been playing around with them a bit and I'm finding I'm running out of memory with surprisingly…
bane on HN
Whether open source software can create splats from a consumer 360 camera
From 1 comment
This is so cool. I have a Insta360 camera lying around. Is it possible to use it to create a Gaussian Splat map with open source software?
buibuibui on HN
Whether it works on mobile browsers
From 1 comment
Does this work on mobile browsers? Or is it desktop/GPU only?
medivhX on HN
Alternatives named
Unrecord game
From 1 comment
Strikingly similar to the never completed Unrecord from 3 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK76q13Aqt0
xnx on HN
Bodycam
From 1 comment
there another game, Bodycam, released on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2406770/Bodycam/ - but it's Unreal engine 5. This demo runs on my old 2020 iPhone, in browser
yak32 on HN
Dreams (PS4)
From 1 comment
> Animations don't work well with splats Dreams managed to animate splats on the PS4. Admittedly, not quite the same type of splats, but there is probably a middle ground here…
swiftcoder on HN