Dragon Ball FighterZ is a fast and frenetic fighting game. Here's how to get started on your path to becoming a Super Elite warrior, with tips on special attacks and more advanced strategies.
The post ‘Dragon Ball FighterZ’ beginner’s guide appeared first on Digital Trends.
Microsoft boasts that its Xbox One X will be the most powerful console ever released, with increased framerates, quicker load times, and 4K resolution. These are the games that can take advantage.
The post Here’s every Xbox One X Enhanced game that supports 4K resolution appeared first on Digital Trends.
About a week ago on VRFocus we brought you news regarding the Multiverse Entertainment’s first virtual reality (VR) title. The sci-fi role-playing game (RPG) called Seeking Dawn. At the time the studio revealed that it was announcing the roll out of Closed Beta and pre-order applications for the end of this month. Now being at the end of January, Multiverse Entertainment have contacted VRFocus to update you with the latest regarding this Closed Beta.
An action survival videogame, Seeking Dawn is set in a future where humanity has colonised the stars; players though find themselves in the middle of a war for independence between the warring factions of the corrupt United Federation of Sol (UFS) and the military might of the Republic of Alpha Centauri (RAC).
Junior Ferreira, Digital Media Manager of Multiverse Entertainment’s North American branch has confirmed to VRFocus that further to that previously discussed the developers are now guaranteeing entrance to the Closed Beta for anyone that pre-orders Seeking Dawn.
Seeking Dawn looks set to be one of the bigger VR videogames – at least in terms of length. With a minimum of 10 hours to complete the main campaign it will take up to 100 hours to finish the game, factoring in all the various crafting, cooking, treasure hunting, exploring and other quests that need completing. The title will be coming out on the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and possibly other headsets in the future.
VRFocus tried out the title at last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event, and even at an early stage there was definite promise. As Peter Graham explained in his preview: “The design and proposition of Seeking Dawn is certainly impressive, there’s a lot going on and the short demo barely even scratched the surface of what Multiverse Entertainment are trying to do. If the title wants to be a great experience for VR users then it does need some polish – and hopefully more movement options – but it does seem to be going in the right direction.”
We’ll give you more information regarding Seeking Dawn as we hear it. Stay tuned to VRFocus for the latest.
February's PlayStation Plus lineup includes the 2017 puzzle-adventure title Rime along with everyone's favorite pile of junk, Knack. Meanwhile, the Vita and PS3 freebies are largely forgettable.
The post ‘Rime’ leads the charge for February’s PlayStation Plus offerings appeared first on Digital Trends.
David Brevik, the creator of Diablo, revealed a new indie game dubbed It Lurks Below, a rogue-like action RPG developed entirely by himself. The game is scheduled to launch later this year on PC.
The post The creator of ‘Diablo’ is developing an indie dungeon crawler by himself appeared first on Digital Trends.
In an earnings call, EA revealed that Respawn's Star Wars game will likely launch between April 2019 and March 2020. The studio also suggested that the project will take the next Battlefront's spot on the calendar.
The post Respawn’s Star Wars game will likely arrive in EA’s 2020 fiscal year appeared first on Digital Trends.
There is one factor that holds PlayStation VR back from achieving more: The Move controllers. If two patents filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment are anything to go by, a new motion controller could be on its way.
The post Playstation VR could improve with new motion controller patents from Sony appeared first on Digital Trends.
The Nintendo Switch has managed to sell more than 14 million units -- a feat the Wii U never did in its nearly five years on the market. Super Mario Odyssey has sold more than 9 million units since its October launch.
The post Nintendo Switch passes lifetime sales of Wii U in less than one year appeared first on Digital Trends.
Destiny 2's new Masterwork gear offers a number of special bonuses. Here is what you need to know about it, including how to find the gear in the game and even create it yourself.
The post Everything you need to know about Masterwork gear in ‘Destiny 2’ appeared first on Digital Trends.
Electronic Arts has revealed that controversial microtransactions will be returning to Star Wars Battlefront II in the next few months. It's not clear if they will take the same form as they did previously.
The post Microtransactions are coming back to ‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ appeared first on Digital Trends.
Electronic Arts has delayed the BioWare online action game Anthem to 2019, citing scheduling conflicts with the next Battlefield game. Anthem was originally scheduled for a fall 2018 release.
The post EA delays ‘Anthem’ to 2019, cites scheduling conflict with next Battlefield game appeared first on Digital Trends.
Over the last few years a busy conference circuit has emerged for creators and enthusiasts interested in VR and AR technology, and 2018 is already full of events throughout the year.
We’ll update this list of VR and AR-related events from time to time as more dates are announced. If we’ve missed a big one, please email tips@uploadvr.com with information about the conference or event and we’ll periodically update this post.
Barcelona, Spain
Registration: Attendee
Austin, United States
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
Reutlingen, Germany
Registration: Attendee
San Francisco, United States
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
Laval, France
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
Las Vegas, United States
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
New York, United States
Registration: Attendee
San Jose, United States
Registration: Attendee
Los Angeles, United States
Registration: Attendee
Las Vegas, United States
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
London, England
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
Santa Clara, United States
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
Los Angeles, United States
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
San Diego, United States
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee Badges (Sold Out)
Vancouver, Canada
Registration: Attendee
Cologne, Germany
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
Waiting for a medical procedure, even a minor one, can be nerve-wracking. Research has shown that virtual reality (VR) can help educate patients on medical issues, and can also help ease anxiety symptoms. Access Sports are utilising this technology to help its patients stay relaxed without using anti-anxiety medications.
Access is trialling the use of VR headsets to ease anxiety in patients who are awaiting medical procedures. Patients will be offered the option of donning a VR headset while waiting for a procedure to begin, or while in post-operative recovery. The option does not cost extra and is available to surgical patients or those undergoing simple office procedures.
The VR equipment has been specially designed for clinical settings, and allows patients to be virtually transported to a variety of locations and experiences, with patients able to choose from options such as games, travel, sports, music or nature. According to research conducted by AppliedVR, pre-clinical results showed a 63% reduction in anxiety for patients using the VR technology, as well as a 24% decrease in pain.
A video demonstration provided by Access shows how a six-year-old boy was able to benefit from the VR anti-anxiety option. Children stand to benefit significantly from this option being available, and children are often likely to be anxious or upset about medical procedures, as it is often more difficult for them to understand the often complicated medical terminology. In addition doctors are often understandably reluctant to prescribe anxiety medication to people under 16, so the VR alternative will likely be welcomed by many parents and young people.
Other medical facilities have also been experimenting with using VR for patient applications. A care centre in Australia has been using VR to help elderly people escape the clinical environment, while a children’s hospital has been using VR as an education tool to help patients and relatives understand the often complex medical conditions being treated. There is also ongoing programs involved in using VR to treat addictions and reduce pain.
For further news on medical uses of VR technology, VRFocus will be sure to bring you the latest.
NOLO Inc is hoping to combine the portability and convenience of mobile virtual reality (VR) with the precision control of motion tracking with the launch of its new platform dedicated to presenting mobile VR content with six degrees-of-freedom capability called NOLO Home.
NOLO have previously launched its own brand of VR tracking system, the NOLO CV1. The company is now expanding its reach with the launch of its new platform, which allows users of the NOLO CV1 to explore 6DoF-capable content. The platform also supports other devices, such as Google Cardboard and Google Daydream, with plans for Samsung Gear VR support to be added soon.
The NOLO CV1 comes with three components; a base station, headset marker and two controllers. The device is designed to work out-of-the-box with all major Android phones. The device is designed to be simple to set up and use. The base station should be placed on a flat surface such as a table. The headset marker is then attached to a Google Cardboard or similar headset, and the controller plugged in to the smartphone vis USB cable. The rotation of the controllers will then need to be calibrated.
The NOLO CV1 base station has a 100° field-of-view and is capable of supporting a roaming area of up to 17fx 17 ft. The 6DoF controllers take advantage of PolarTraq technology to create a more immersive experience. The base station has a 4-hour battery life on a full charge, while the controllers can go for up to seven hours on a full charge.
Software development kits of Android, Unity, Unreal Engine 4 and Windows are all available from the NOLO official website along with the relevant supporting documentation. This has been provided with the aim of allowing developers to easily port software to the NOLO platform.
NOLO was originally launched as part of a Kickstarter campaign, but NOLO CV1 units are now available from Amazon as a pricew of $199 (USD).
Further news on NOLO Home or other new VR platforms and services will be here on VRFocus.
The Creating Reality Hackathon, sponsored by USC, will inspire participants from USC and around the world to build original AR and VR applications. Over the course of four days (March 12-15), attendees will form interdisciplinary teams to design and create new experiences. The hackathon is sponsored by the USC School of Cinematic Arts, the Viterbi School of Engineering Game Pipe Lab and the Iovine and Young Academy.
The Creating Reality Hackathon is a one-time, purpose-built, diverse, international and large-scale community. 400 participants, selected from over 2,000 applications from students and working practitioners will compete for cash and other prizes. This community’s core purpose is to learn and to deepen our understanding of how immersive technologies can be applied.
In the new and cutting-edge fields of AR and VR, the only way to gain a deeper understanding is using the iterative prototyping fostered by hackathons. Scaling the hackathon to 60 – 100 submissions parallelizes the investigation of how we can use immersive technology and produces more insightful apps and experiences. In addition, forming teams comprised of individuals from different background and expertise increases the creativity and originality of the work.
The hackathon is non-profit and non-commercial. Judges are looking for submissions that demonstrate an impactful and important idea.
The Reality Virtually Hackathon sponsored by the MIT Media Lab served as a learning experience that inspired this year’s Creating Reality Hackathon at USC, and the format was adapted for the USC and LA communities. The areas of interest and project submission categories are expected to vary for the two hackathons, because of differences in the two universities’ curriculum and research, as well as the geographical representation of industries.
The hackathon begins with a day of enabling workshops for developers, designers, and artists followed by two days of building. Learning in workshops transcends into learning by designing and building for two full days. The last day is dedicated to judging the 80 project submissions.
This is a promotional post not produced by the UploadVR staff. No compensation was exchanged for the creation of this content.
Fan of the dog show Crufts? Like watching dogs running around performing all manner of tricks? Well Studio Roqovan, the team behind first-person shooter (FPS) World War Toons has got your back with its second virtual reality (VR) release Stunt Corgi. Naturally VRFocus has taken an interest in the new release and created another gameplay video for our readers to enjoy.
Announced in December and released for HTC Vive a couple of week’s ago via Steam, Stunt Corgi is a sandbox title where you can build all sorts of obstacle courses for your pet corgi in a roomscale sized garden. With an assortment of over 25 items with which to build some impressive stunts VRFocus had its corgi jumping through fire rings and performing action barrel rolls in no time.
Building courses are one thing, but what’s a good course without some style and bravado. So there’s an extensive closet full of items to accessorize the pooch. Over 100 combinations of skins and clothes are available, a veritable cornucopia of hats, jackets and boots can be worn, giving your corgi that much desired look of a stunt dog. All of these are free, there’s no need to unlock anything, or pay a micro transaction.
Additionally, there’s also the option to share levels through screenshots and video on social media channels like Facebook in an upcoming update.
The gameplay video will showcase all of this and more – at one point the desire to fling the corgi out the garden does occur – as VRFocus demonstrates how not to build an obstacle course.
I’ve always wanted to visit the Mushroom Kingdom. Ever since I was a kid watching the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, despite how terrible that show is nowadays in hindsight, the world just seemed like such a magical place. VR artists are making my childhood dreams come true because not only can I visit Zelda’s Hyrule already, but now the Mushroom Kingdom is getting the VR treatment as well.
A VR Art Director on Twitter by the name of Vladimir Ilic (otherwise referred to as VRHuman) recently published a video of a sculpture he did that completely recreates Super Mario World’s map in VR using Google’s Blocks 3D modeling app. It’s truly impressive.
Over the past several months we’ve seen a lot of creative uses for Google’s Blocks, such as this developer that built a small game in just a matter of weeks. Ilic’s rendition of Super Mario World’s map is remarkably accurate, as he built it by referencing screenshots every step of the way. You can see the whole process in the YouTube video up above.
Although Nintendo is far from interested in VR at this time, it’s still great to see their properties getting re-imagined in fun and inventive ways by dedicated artists.
Let us know what you think of this project down in the comments below!
Tagged with: blocks, Super Mario World
Still one of the biggest barriers for many existing virtual reality (VR) owners happens to be wires. Wires and cables dragging behind the user and potentially causing a mishap, since they’re often far out of view. As a result, there’s naturally a lot of demand for untethered VR that will allow users to experience, and TPCast are one of the few companies offering a comprehensive kit that allows for untethered VR experiences.
TPCast are striving to offer users the best possible wireless VR experience, which is why we’ve already seen a TPCast 2.0, which lowers latency and overall offers an even better untethered VR experience.
We also have a full TPCast set up guide ready for you to use, if you’re interested in getting started with untethered VR experiences.
Untethered VR is definitely going to be a focus for a lot of companies going forward, as demonstrated by HTC announced their HTC Vive Wireless Adapter, which we tried, and found to be promising, though a show floor wasn’t the best place to test it. TPCast have the advantage of already having a working product on the market that it is constantly improving on.
In our showcase we talk to Udi Yuhjtman, TPCast’s General Manager for Americas, and he talks to us about TPCast’s vision, the product, and what’s in store for the future of the company. Yuhjtman reaffirms that PC is always going to be the place to experience the highest quality, premier VR experiences, and therefore isn’t too concerned about mobile and all in one head-mounted displays (HMDs) taking up the market share of untethered VR.
Regardless of which HTC Vive HMD you’re using, either the Vive or the Vive Pro, you’ll be able to use the TPCast wireless kit in order to get an untethered experience running. Sure to be a relief to any VR fans out there who have already put their preorders down for the new HTC Vive Pro.
Watch the full video interview and showcase below for more insight from Udi Yuhjtman, and stay on VRFocus for all of the latest VR news, technology and more.
One of the biggest festivals dedicated to the creative aspects of business,SXSW, also known as South by Southwest is due to be help on 9th-18th March, 2018 in Austin, Texas. Sony have announced that they will be there showcasing some of its new immersive technology projects for attendees.
Sony will be displaying some new projects and products during the interactive festival on Saturday 10th March. Sony is hoping that the new immersive projects will appeal to the creativity of the audience as well as offering excitement.
Several prototypes and early versions will be showcased, including:
AR Air Hockey – An air hockey experience that combines the classic fast-paces arcade game with modern augmented reality (AR) technology. By using Sony’s high-speed vision sensor, the IMX 382 along with a proprietary prediction algorithm and haptic feedback technology it is possible to track the action within a 1/1000 of a second. The exhibition will be showing off how it is possible to play air hockey without needing a physical table.
Hero Generator – Visitors can create their own personalised virtual reality (VR) avatar, view it from everyy angle and even experience a short film with their own ovatar as the main character. Visitors will even be able to save the video to their smartphone and take it home to share it with friends and family.
Interactive Cube – By utilising haptic feedback technology and prjections, visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of interactive mixed reality (MR) games.
Soccer VR – A soccer, or football, goal-scoring experience created as a collaboration between Sony Music Communications and Hassilas Co.
Acoustic Corridor – Combining music with Sony’s spatial acoustic technology, visitors to the exhibition will be able to travel down a corridor that uses 576 speakers to create an immersive sound experience that transports visitors from the city to the forest and even to outer space.
Further information and tickets for SXSW can be found on the official SXSW website. For further news of new immersive technology, keep watching VRFocus.
In the past few months I’ve seen some really impressive stuff in VR. From standing atop the mountains of Skyrim, gazing down at a seemingly endless landscape, to the subtle nuances of the little girl in Wolves in the Walls, VR is really starting to hit its stride lately, especially with character interactions. Now with light field company Lytro’s acquisition of VR animation studio Limitless, we’re inching closer to a world where the virtual is nearly indistinguishable from reality.
And in a way, it all started with a little cartoon seagull.
Gary the Gull was one of the first really impressive VR demos I tried that made me feel like the virtual character in front of me was actually aware of my presence. And then once the company released its animation toolset, the democratization of VR innovation was underway.
It’s been a long road for Limitless already in our young industry, but teaming up with Lytro marks a new beginning, even if the partnership doesn’t seem to immediately make a ton of sense.
“I know Tim [Milliron], who runs Engineering at Lytro, very, very well. We’ve known each other for a long time and both worked at Pixar on projects like Cars and Brave. In fact, we were college roommates,” explained Tom Sanocki, CEO and Founder of Limitless, during an interview with UploadVR. “When Lytro was getting into VR we had already been talking so when we had an opportunity to think about being acquired, we started asking a lot of other people in the space and of course Tim was on that list. There was a lot of strategic alignment and seemed like a good fit.”
They released the above teaser video as a glimpse into the types of things this partnership might be capable of. Imagine being able to capture the real world using light fields at super high resolution with crystal clear fidelity and then marry that with Limitless’ artificial intelligence characters and you can achieve something shockingly realistic.
“We released a video with Hallelujah integrated with CG objects to toss beach balls around, or take other pieces from CG and add on real-time effects like fog or smoke, pulling lightfields into game engines,” said Sanocki. “We also believe that interactivity is important so we are looking to do future projects that have interactivity and game engine support at the core. Game engines are a good vehicle for that, but it’s new territory. I appreciate that the customers that Lytro works with are excited about the future of interactivity in game engines.”
We still don’t know exactly which projects Limitless and Lytro are working on together, but hopefully more details will be revealed in March at 2018’s GDC in San Francisco, CA. Until then, let us know what you think down in the comments below!
Tickets are now on sale to one of the largest conferences in the world focused on virtual reality, VRLA.
The event will be held May 4 and 5, 2018 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. As of this writing there’s an early bird offer that lowers the price to $20 for a pass to Saturday, May 5 only. There’s also an early bird two-day pass for $249 geared toward professionals, adding access for Friday, May 4. There’s also a one-day student pass starting at $15. Prices go up significantly starting Feb. 10.
While VRLA draws visitors and exhibitors from around the world, its location in the heart of Los Angeles draws a lot of professionals and enthusiasts from both Southern California and Silicon Valley. With a number of VR arcades expanding or opening in 2018 and lower prices being achieved by headset manufacturers, it’ll be interesting to see how that impacts the type of exhibitors and turnout at VRLA.
“With this year’s theme, ‘A New Reality,’ we’re expanding the expo’s scope beyond VR and AR to explore new ways emergent technology improves our lives in and out of the headset,” Cosmo Scharf, Co-Founder of VRLA, said in a prepared statement. “New verticals include AI, internet of things, robotics, blockchain, 3D printing, alternative energy, cryptocurrency, biotech, and more.”
Something about the immersiveness and immediacy of virtual reality (VR) means it lends itself particularly well to horror. One of the most successful early titles on the PlayStation VR was Resident Evil 7 biohazard, which continues to scare the pants of players in VR a year after release. Hoping to capture some of that terrifying magic is developer Firesprite and its upcoming horror/roguelike titled The Persistence.
The Persistence draws on the beloved traditions of a roguelike, such as procedurally-generated levels to explore, skills to unlock and, of course, a high degree of difficulty. Dying is not the end of a journey, however, it is just the start. Players have a multitude of clones to deploy. The clones form a core part of the horror aspect – a nearby black hole is causing havoc on the spaceship you are travelling on, damaging the clone machine and causing it to spit out horrific mutated copies of the ship’s crew. The player is the last uncorrupted survivor, struggling to stay alive.
The ship’s decks are procedurally generated, so each run can contain entirely unexpected surprises. That could mean an advantages placement of a weapons manufacturing facility to allow you to go guns blazing against your foes, or it could be a nest of mutants ready to pounce. As the developers admit, you are going to die – a lot.
The player character has some tricks up her sleeve, however. Which each new clone is the chance to re-sequence her DNA to unlock new powers and skills and become more powerful, allowing her to reach new, more distant areas of the stricken ship.
A multiplayer option is also available, with local play allowing a player’s friends to use a smartphone or tablet to manipulate the ship’s systems and help out the player. There’s a catch, however, as your smartphone-wielding friend could potentially get a big reward when you die, presenting a question of trust.
The Persistence is due to launch on 24th July, 2018. Pre-orders are available now, with a discount for PlayStation Plus members.
Further news on The Persistence and other upcoming PlayStation VR titles will be here on VRFocus.
Have you ever dreamed of living out your favourite movie scene? Want to be right in the middle of a squadron of X-Wings during the Death Star run, or dodging Orcs and Goblins in Lord of the Rings? A new augmented reality (AR) tool called Volume may soon allow you to do just that.
The developer behind Volume has utilised machine learning to create a tool that allows 2D videos and images to be converted into 3D spaces. The tool is still in relatively early stages of development, but the team has already successfully produced some proof-of-concept videos.
The team behind Volume hope that the tool will eventually become a tool for access for storytelling, archiving and cultural reconstruction. The app is able to predict and reconstruct 2D footage in 3D and place the character’s within the user’s space in AR, enabling the user to see the movie in an entirely new way.
The developers, Or Fleisher and Shirin Anlen, have already released a brief demo showing a scene from hit Quentin Tarantino movie Pulp Fiction converted into an AR experience. A video of the demo can be viewed below.
Volume was inspired by recent research into immersive digital platforms and methods of 3D depth predictions. Volume uses a state-of-the-art machine learning algorithm. A Convolutional Neural Network allows the software to ‘observe’ RGBD images and build a model of how to reconstruct those 2D images into a 3D space.
The intention is for Volume to become an end-to-end web app, able to be easily accessible from any compatible web browser and capable of taking any input from 2D still images to video sequences or GIFs and convert it into an immersive 3D experience. The aim is for Volume to support content for AR, virtual reality (VR) and web platforms, with its models being flexible enough to support a variety of uses, from academic research to media and entertainment.
Further information can be found on the official Volume website. VRFocus will bring you further news on this project once it becomes available.
Games don’t often get delayed a whole year, but it’s usually for the best if they do. Originally slated for the second half of 2017, The Persistence was pushed into summer 2018 and now finally has a firm release date of July 24, 2018.
In The Persistence you play as a member of a crew on a spaceship that’s traveling through deep space. It’s a brutally difficult game that mixes stealth with survival horror and tense, first-person shooter combat. There are also heavy roguelike elements as well since each and every death results in you restarting from the very beginning — although you do get to keep a bit of your skill progressions. And each time you restart the ship has a totally different layout.
We’ve gone hands-on with the game on two separate instances and our most recent demo at last year’s PSX down in Anaheim showed a game that’s received significant polish and updates over the past several months.
Footage from a hands-on event in March 2017
What makes The Persistence especially unique is that it will also include a second screen experience so that other people in the room can play along using their phone or tablet while your face is crammed into the PSVR headset. Using a free app other players can manipulate the world by opening or closing doors, highlighting items, or even hindering your progress.
PSVR doesn’t have a game quite like The Persistence and it should hopefully deliver a lot of replayability with the procedural, roguelike elements. Let us know what you think of The Persistence so far ahead of its July 24 release down in the comments below!
Tagged with: The Persistence
For fans of virtual reality (VR) technology there are plenty of ways to get your hands on the latest tech. One of the best ways tends to be at events and if you happen to reside in California – or don’t mind travelling there – then one of the biggest dedicated shows is Virtual Reality Los Angeles (VRLA). Announcing that it would return in May 2018 back in September, the VRLA has now made passes available to buy.
Passes for the two day event start from $30 USD for students, giving access to the event on the Saturday, or $40 for standard visitors on the same day. The two-day pro pass is a little more expensive, setting you back $299. It does however give you an extra day to wander the show floor, making it less of a rush; access to professional and developer focused programmes and sessions. Plus, demo lines will be shorter which is always a bonus.
This year’s expo is set to feature hundreds of tech demos, educational sessions, presentations, and groundbreaking product launches from some of the most innovative technology companies. Currently, the VRLA has yet to reveal the lineup of exhibitors but there’s still several months to go.
“Excitement for VR and AR has never been solely about immersive headsets. It’s rooted in a deeper desire to better understand ourselves and reality itself, aligned with a new generation of technologies capable of raising the collective consciousness,” said Cosmo Scharf, Co-Founder of VRLA in a statement. “With this year’s theme, ‘A New Reality,’ we’re expanding the expo’s scope beyond VR and AR to explore new ways emergent technology improves our lives in and out of the headset. New verticals include AI, internet of things, robotics, blockchain, 3D printing, alternative energy, cryptocurrency, biotech, and more.”
“We’re thrilled to offer attendees even more ways to taste the future and open a conversation about how technology can help us manifest the reality we deserve,” adds Scharf.
After nearly four years, VRLA has grown from a 100-person meetup group in 2014 into a two-day expo attracting 12,000 plus tech fans from around the world. As further details about the event are rel;eased, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Bethesda is rolling out updates for its VR games this week, and Fallout 4 VR is the last to get one.
A beta version of update 1.1.24.0 is now live and you’ll have to opt into the update via Steam itself (right click on Fallout 4, click properties, betas, and then select it from a drop-down menu). But what does it actually add?
For the most part, the patch consists of some key fixes for the game, even when it comes to new features. Bethesda has added new performance and quality options, for example, to help players get the most out of the experience. You can now adjust world scale to fix height issues, and there’s the option to invert Pip-Boy map scrolling.
In terms of straight-up fixes, the game now has scope support and improved V.A.T.S. targeting. You can see the full changelog right here, as a lot of these changes are very specific.
Bethesda’s other two VR games, Doom VFR and Skyrim VR, also saw big updates this week. Doom even received Windows VR support on PC, though there’s no sign of that support in Fallout 4 right now, sadly. There’s no word on official Oculus Rift support, either, though the game can at least be played unofficially with the headset.
Tagged with: Fallout 4 VR
Videogame development can be expensive. With cryptocurrency and blockchain featuring more and more frequently in the news, some developers are turning to alternative currencies such as Ethereum as a new way to raise funding for new videogame projects. The latest to attempt this is Reality Reflection, who have successfully raised over $5 million (USD) during a pre-ICO for augmented reality (AR) title Mossland.
Mossland is an AR mobile title that draws on similar location-based ‘check-in’ technology to social apps such as Fourquare to create a game involving buying and selling virtual real estate. Users will be able to identify nearby virtual properties and then buy, sell or trade them, using various methods to try and increase the value. This is incentivised by the integration of Cryptocurrency, whereby the virtual properties can be liquidated into cryptocurrency.
After the successful pre-ICO sale, developer Reality Reflection will be embarking on its main ICO (Initial Coin Offering) using Ethereum blockchain technology to fund continued development of the title. The Main ICO for Mossland will begin on 19th February, with an exclusive bonus of up to 15%.
In addition to buying, selling and upgrading virtual property, users can also take advantage of the P2P advertising platform integrated into Mossland. All Mossland users will be able to run an advertising campaign on the platform by setting a budget and using the intuitive interface.
Wooram Son, CEO of Reality Reflection, said: “Thanks to the overwhelming interest of users in Mossland, the Pre Sale could be closed successfully in just 38 minutes. As many people are excited as we are to create a mobile game that you can own famous landmarks, we will put all of our effort in developing Mossland to give unique experience to our users.”
Further news on Mossland and other new and upcoming AR titles will be right here on VRFocus.
Playing big budget virtual reality (VR) videogames on a beefy PC is a dream come true for many VR fans, but for others, it’s still just a bit too far out of the ideal price range. Zeiss VR have seized this opportunity, and with their new Zeiss VR One Connect head-mounted display (HMD), they intend to bring the wealth of content Steam VR has to offer to those without expensive HMDs, and instead will allow users to experience everything with just the HMD shell and your mobile phone. The device was displayed at CES 2018, Las Vegas, and the company is excited to launch the product soon.
Nina got the low down on the new HMD directly from Zeiss Team Leader Dave Hodgson, and in the interview video below he reveals to us Zeiss VR’s logic behind their new product and their future plans.
After the release of the Zeiss VR One Plus the company quickly learned that although people love the HMD, they needed more and more content to be able to view, use and experience. That’s where the new Zeiss VR One Connect comes in, a very similar product that will essentially become a Steam VR compatible VR HMD. It’ll come with two VR controllers, which will give users access to hundreds of Steam VR videogames and experiences, completely solving the issue of not enough content.
By Hodgson’s own admission, the experience isn’t quite up to the standard of other HMDs on the market, such as the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, but user impressions are incredibly favourable, with higher latency than the other HMDs, but overall a much better performance than many would expect from a mobile phone acting as a display.
The best part is that users of both Android and iOS devices will be able to use the Zeiss VR One Connect, going back as far as the iPhone 6. It’s a great piece of kit which offers an interesting entry point to VR for budget conscious consumers.
You can see the full interview and Nina trying out the device in the video below, for all of the latest information on Zeiss VR, make sure to keep reading VRFocus.
Welcome to the fourth of our ‘Developer Diaries’ – for this update we wanted to focus on the User Experience and User Interface, moving from a Game Design Document, through to an interactive prototype.
Before we begin, what do we mean by UX and UI? At the most basic level, User Experience (UX) is how a player experiences every aspect of a videogame. User Interface (UI), on the other hand, is a series of screens, pages, and visual elements – like buttons and icons – that they will interact with. UI is about visual and information design around screens. UX is about the complete experience.
The Game Design Document (GDD) is a document that captures all of the features and mechanics of the videogame. Before any coding begins, we extract the key information from the GDD that the design team has put together and create a visual flow of the entire project using www.draw.io.
For example, a key of symbols was defined to aid user navigation through each screen; with each navigation, decision and interaction point being clearly defined.
The next step was to share, discuss and refine each flow diagram with all the project stakeholders. We iterated each flow diagram approximately four times over the course of a month. Flexibility and iteration is a key factor at this point, as you move from words on a page, to a more meaningful user experience.
Our next step was to rapidly move beyond these flow diagrams to an interactive demo. For this part of the process we chose to use Adobe Xd.
Xd allowed us to rapidly prototype and test the UX at an artist/designer level without additional code support. It was also at this point that the wireframing of each screen began.
These wireframes will be the starting point for all future UI tasks, including the placement, consistency, scale and priority of visual information across each screen.
At this wire framing stage we look only at functional design rather than the look and feel. Again, this allows us to share and iterate a functional prototype to ensure all behaviours met design expectations, but with minimal visual distraction.
Functionally we now know and understand how the videogame will behave, having completed the first important steps of defining the user experience.
In future diary updates we will cover what comes next; the refinement of each screen’s wireframe, the UI design and the application of the title’s art direction. This will bring the experience to life and – if everything comes together as we hope – make Reality Clash look beautiful!
In related news: accessory stripping has been completed whilst the clean-up and optimisation of the base set of in-game weaponry has begun. We’re delighted to be able to start playing with some of these weapons in our prototype and can’t wait to let you all get your hands on them.
We continue to expand our weapon designs and will announce details of the upcoming Armoury launch very soon. For updates between these diaries, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/reality_clash.
Lenovo’s new Mirage Solo standalone VR headset is headed to the classroom.
The company this month introduced the Lenovo Virtual Reality Classroom, offering VR field trips across the world to students without having to leave the room. The package, sold directly to schools, will include the Mirage Solo as well as the software needed to take students anytime, any place, anywhere.
Teachers will be able to use a Lenovo Tab 4 PLUS tablet, included in the package, to navigate students through experiences. The content, meanwhile, comes from Google Expeditions, the company’s own educational initiative that originally used Cardboard VR viewers to the same effect. That means more than 700 VR field trips are already available on Lenovo’s platform. It’s a logical move; the Mirage Solo is based on a reference design established by Google and uses the company’s Daydream mobile VR platform.
On top of that, the VR Classroom will have exclusive content from famed primatologist, Jane Goodall. The package also contains a tested lesson plan from Scholastic, access to monthly webinars for best practice sharing and consultation as well as an 18-month warranty.
The initiative is coming to the US first in April (perhaps hinting at when the commercial Mirage Solo itself will be released) and will arrive in Canada this fall. Packages start at $2899 for a three-student package and go up to 24 students, with a headset included for every student respectively. You can also add the new Mirage VR180 camera to the bundle.
There are several virtual reality (VR) mini-game compilations out there, Loco Dojo, Nvidia’s VR Funhouse and Sports Bar VR are just some of them. One of the earliest to see release was Mechabit’s Pierhead Arcade, which original supported HTC Vive before coming to Oculus Rift. Now the studio has teamed up with publisher Archiact to bring Pierhead Arcade to PlayStation VR.
Pierhead Arcade is a casual arcade experience that uses physics-based gameplay to bring the nostalgic arcades of the past to vivid life. Inside the huge virtual arcade, players will be able to test themselves against such familiar fair games. Once they’ve collected enough tickets, they can head to the prize booth for a smorgasbord of nostalgic carnival props and prizes.
There are 15 fair games to play through: Rocket Ball, Basketball, Bowling, Comet Drop, Arctic Shuffle, Super Punch, Binary Dash, Honey Rush, Shooting Gallery, Scarab Toss, Dino Whack, Cannonball Bounce, Rapid Fire, and the Claw Machine.
So whether you prefer a coin operated classic or something a bit more hands-on there’s going to be a game for you. Pierhead Arcade maybe a single-player experience but it does feature online leaderboards to compete with other players around the world or just a few friends.
You can buy Pierhead Arcade now for PlayStation VR, with the title retailing for $19.99 USD/£11.99 GBP. For PlayStation Plus members there’s a 10 percent discount for regular members in North America, or 15 percent off for PS+ Members in Europe, dropping the cost to $17.99 and £10.19 respectively.
This isn’t the first time Archiact has helped an indie studio bring its videogame to more platforms, especially PlayStation VR. The company teamed up with E McNeill to bring Darknet to the headset, and most recently announced a collaboration with Secret Location and its bullet hell experience Blasters of the Universe.
Archiact doesn’t just publish videogames it makes a few of it own. Under its belt is hidden object puzzle title Hidden Fortune, cute puzzler Waddle Home, and upcoming first-person shooter (FPS) Evasion. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Archiact and Mechabit, reporting back with the latest updates.
There have already been multiple demonstrations how ways in which virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) can be used for various functions in industries such as construction, but the advantages of MR technology have occasionally come into conflict with safety concerns. Microsoft partner Trimble are addressing those issues by integrating the Microsoft HoloLens into a hard hat.
Hard hats are one of the most ubiquitous protective items worn for construction areas, engineering works, mining facilities and more, often combined with protective eyewear. In many places, wearing a hard hat and eye wear is mandated by law. Trimble have integrated a solution which integrates an industry-standard hard hat with a HoloLens mixed reality device, receiving ANSI approval but not compromising on the MR function of the device.
“With the rise in acceptance for mixed-reality solutions in business today, the need for 3D visualization outside the office is driving this next wave of Trimble innovation,” said Aviad Almagor, director of Trimble’s Mixed-Reality Program. “We are expanding the opportunities for implementation of mixed reality in a broad range of industries.”
Trimble have also released Trimble Connect for HoloLens on to the Microsoft app store. This software was created after extensive collaboration with stakeholders in structural, mechanical and electrical engineering. The software is designed to improve co-ordination by combining various models, allowing for precise alignment of holographic data on a job site using a 1:1 scale.
The Trimble Connect software can also be used for training purposes, with easy access to immersive 3D visualisation, or for comparing plans against completed projects. Integrated measurement tools can also enable users to capture useful data whilst on-site.
“Trimble Connect for HoloLens enables us to go beyond the constraints of a 2D screen,” said Olivier Pellegrin, BIM manager, GA Smart Building, a beta user of Trimble Connect for HoloLens. “Superimposing the digital model on the physical environment provides a clear understanding of the relations between the 3D design model and the actual work on a jobsite.”
For further news on HoloLens and mixed reality products, keep checking VRFocus.
They say, do they not, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That getting some food inside you at the beginning of your activities is good for fuelling not only your physical activity but kickstarting your brain into action – and without so much as a monetary pledge.
It was while answering a friend’s question on the subject of food I was suddenly reminded of Tastemade. It’s been over a year since we last featured them on Life In 360° and I figured now would be a good time to check back in with them. Sadly, it seems they’re no longer producing 360 degree videos, which is a shame because their little kitchen adventures were actually quite a neat way of using the technology with what they were doing in post production.
If you’re not familiar with Tastemade they are “a global community of food and travel lovers” and their videos often feature both, taking in the sights and culture not just with their eyes but with their stomachs too. To give an example of their content in the last few weeks we’ve had videos on meals from everything from a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, Filipino pancit miki guisado, asparagus egg drop soup and Korean candied fried chicken wings. Okay, maybe only one of those is actually ‘suitable’ for breakfast, but that’s not the point.
Besides today’s video is hardly typical breakfast fayre either. We’re back into the Tastemade kitchen, complete with its farmhouse style motif that I grow increasingly jealous of. What’s being made though is anything but farmhouse-like either as contributor Julie Nolke whips up some tex-mex food to make your taste buds pop with some root beer fajitas.
If you’d like to see more from Tastemade we’ve previously featured them making some delicious looking cheesy breakfast tacos with bacon and avocado relish and Guy Turland showcased his take on some classic surf and turf with a lobster roll. Maybe we’ll visit them again somewhere down the line? Life In 360° is back in a couple of days at the same time to delve once again into all things 360 degrees.
Ever fancied being in a one on one shootout like those found in classic western movies, just without the risk of death? Well today indie developer Catch & Release has launched a videogame that’ll let you do just that, in Cold Iron for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Just like any duel Cold Iron is about speed and accuracy when going up against the range of opponents available. You’ll have to make split-second decisions when fighting against notorious outlaws, sorcerers, and unstoppable killing machines.
This is easier said than done so the studio has added in some visual cues to let you know how successful (or unsuccessful) each shot is. Miss and lose the round and you’ll see a white ‘X’ appear indicating where you missed so you can correct your aim. Likewise, a perfect shot will make a green circle appear on the results screen, with headshots usually winning unless the character isn’t human. For those proper sharpshooters out there a bullseye will score you the most points, ensuring dominance on those leaderboards.
Cold Iron is purely single-player so it’s all about learning the enemies unique mechanics to beat them. Early opponents will be easy to dispatch with a well place bullet, but later on you’ll need to keep an eye for unusual colours, sounds, and patterns to win the challenge.
Catch & Release has also seen fit to and a somewhat magical storyline to the title, with you playing a gunslinger whose looking for the outlaws that rode into town and killed your father. It just so happens that your dad owned a demonic pistol and with it you can take revenge on the criminals and possibly learn at little more about this mysterious weapon.
Cold Iron can be purchased from the Oculus Store for £13.49 GBP instead of £14.99, via Steam for £13.94 (down from £15.49) or on PlayStation Store for £15.99. For any further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
Last October, Google entered into an agreement with HTC to acquire a significant proportion of HTC’s smartphone design department, in a deal worth $1.1 billion (USD). Google has now completed the deal, bringing the Pixel smartphone design team in-house.
The deal means that over 2,000 HTC engineers and designers will be moving under the Google umbrella. All the employees involved will remain in Taiwan. The deal does not affect HTC’s virtual reality (VR) or contract manufacturing teams, but the majority of the smartphone R&D team will now be part of Google.
Google Hardware SVP Rick Osterloh said in a Blog post that the deal means the arrival of: “incredibly talented team to work on even better and more innovative products in the years to come.” Osterioh also noted that Taipei is fast becoming one of Google’s largest engineering hubs for the Asia Pacific region.
The move is expected to have the most significant impact on Google’s line of Pixel smartphones. Google previously worked with HTC to hire some of its smartphone division on a contract basis to produce the Pixel and Pixel 2. The Pixel smartphones are aimed towards the high-end smartphone market, being the main compatible devices with the Google Daydream, and capable of handling the improved ARCore augmented reality (AR) toolkit.
With its smartphone research department moved in-house, it is conceivable that Google have further plans for its line of Pixel phones, and considering that the company has expression dedication towards VR and AR, it seems likely that any new devices will incorporate those features.
As Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO of HTC said when the deal was initially announced: “This agreement is a brilliant next step in our longstanding partnership, enabling Google to supercharge their hardware business while ensuring continued innovation within our HTC smartphone and VIVE virtual reality businesses. We believe HTC is well positioned to maintain our rich legacy of innovation and realize the potential of a new generation of connected products and services.”
For any further news on Google’s VR and AR projects and products, keep watching VRFocus.
Check out the best laptop cooling pad models (equipped with fans and USB ports) for keeping your on-the-go gaming or work laptop cooled down -- especially if it tends to overheat at the worst moments.
The post The best laptop cooling pad to save your overheated computer appeared first on Digital Trends.