Computer scientists at the University of California recently devised a way to make all those animals you see in movies and games seem more realistic by improving the look of computer-generated fur.
The post A.I. helps scientists inch closer to the ‘holy grail’ of computer graphics appeared first on Digital Trends.
A recent hands-on report reveals that HTC's Vive Focus mobile VR headset uses the same lenses and screens as the Vive Pro headset for PC. Currently, the stand-alone headset is sold only in China as a "premium" mobile VR option.
The post HTC’s Vive Focus mobile VR headset uses the same lenses, displays as Vive Pro appeared first on Digital Trends.
Through its first year and a half of life, the PSVR has amassed an absolutely stellar content library. Among excellent exclusive and timed-exclusive games like Farpoint, Moss, Resident Evil 7: biohazard, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, it’s been a good first phase of existence for Sony’s budding VR device.
In October of last year Sony detailed over 60 more PSVR games that would be hitting the headset “through early 2018” and one really stood out among its peers: Torn. At the time we knew very little about the haunting and creepy image of a decrepit, abandoned manor (shown at the top of this article) with nothing but this brief synopsis:
Torn, a mystery inspired by such classics as The Twilight Zone, is set in the Vermont forest where you discover a house full of secrets. What you find in there are numerous experiments, inventions, gear and documentation that reveal a lot about the doctor who lived there–however they’re also remnants of a man who’s been missing for 64 years.
The team at Aspyr is promising us a look at the game’s debut trailer very soon, but to tide us over in the meantime they’ve supplied a gallery of exclusive screenshots you can see above.
Jon Miller, Director of Communications for Aspyr Media, told me in an email that Torn is a “dark, science fiction mystery episode inspired by the likes of Black Mirror and the Twilight Zone,” which has certainly piqued my interest.
And that’s about all we’ve got to go on thus far. I’m getting a very Myst-like vibe from it all, mixed with the aforementioned Black Mirror and Twilight Zone, so I’m eager to learn more.
Let us know what you think so far down in the comments below!
“The course of true love never did run smooth” as the proverb, first uttered by Lysander in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, says. And if you love immersive technologies – virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and the like – it would be wrong to suggest it’s course had been particularly smooth. In fact, over the last few years whilst the road has continued onward for the technology, there’s no getting away from there having been some dirty great bumps along the way.
The legal tussle between Oculus and ZeniMax Media being the most obvious example but there have been other instances too where the law has had to step in. (Such as when one AR developer sued the city of Milwaukee over the need to get an AR permit for their location-based title.) It may well do so again in the future, because when it comes to VR a lot of the existing rules, both written and unwritten, may have to be redefined. Or fully defined in their actual creation to fill a gap.
So it may not be a surprise that one body of the legal arena is taking the matter to task very soon.
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary society of lawyers, law students and other individuals in the field of law. Originally set up in 1878 for, as they put it “the advancement of the science of jurisprudence, the promotion of the administration of justice and a uniformity of legislation throughout the country”. It’s set to begin its 23rd Annual Conference, beginning tomorrow, Thursday March 1st 2018 and which will continue on through to Saturday. With VR and AR just one of the hot topics to be discussed by guests and representatives from law enforcement organisations, television broadcasters, internet firms and news outlets.
Immersive technology is joined by other topics such as the management of online content, gender equality and the ever (un)popular spectre of ‘fake news’. VR and AR will be put under the microscope in the session Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Diminished Reality: Do You Really Know What They Are? Can You Spot the Legal Issues?
“Panellists will discuss the legal challenges of creators and users of the latest technological trends involving virtual, augmented and diminished reality. A history of the technology, key legal issues involving property rights and likely trespass issues when it comes to location-based games such as Pokémon Go will be discussed. The panel will also explore First Amendment issues, virtual advertising, biometric privacy issues involving facial recognition, trademark and patent issues.”
The hour-long event will take place this Friday from 1:15PM. You can find more details about the attendees and all the discussions taking place at the ABA website. VRFocus will bring you more updates from around the globe on VR/AR discussions very soon.
The VR market is still trying to figure out the best way to reach out and interact with the virtual world. For PC VR users the Oculus Rift has the Touch and the HTC Vive has its wands, PSVR users get the Move controllers, and Daydream or Gear VR users have their own controllers as well. Even Oculus Go is shipping with a controller of its own too.
With hardware manufacturers taking input methods into their own hands (pun intended) that cuts out a lot of the third-party solutions companies were developing back at the start of consumer VR’s boom. This seeming lack of need isn’t stopping Titanium Falcon’s Talon Smart Ring though.
As it stands, the Talon Smart Ring isn’t a VR-specific device. When I met the company in San Francisco for a hands-on (or is it finger-in?) demo for myself, they mentioned a wide variety of use-cases from controlling music on your phone, syncing up with smart home appliances, or just interfacing with pretty much any bluetooth-enabled device.
Talon is kinda perfect for #mobile #vr. pic.twitter.com/o5Nn7QeIjE
— Talon (@talon_ring) January 26, 2018
The Talon Ring supports “9-axis motion control” and has a battery life of up-to four hours of continuous use. With a reported mission of “fitting big tech into tiny spaces” the company has definitely done a remarkable job. The buttons along the side of the ring make it easy to tap and activate with the sides of my other fingers or my thumb when curling my hand.
While not quite as accurate or powerful as something like the Oculus Touch, it performed on-par with the motion controller solutions of the Gear VR and Daydream. I tried a handful of demos, one focused on shooting basketballs and the other a wave-based combat game where I had a sword to attack enemies.
During my demo the Talon was synced to a Gear VR. The basketball game, while addictive, suffered from some accuracy issues. There were two different modes, one that used your head for aiming and one that used the ring itself for aiming. The head-aimed version was a bit easier, but the ring-aimed version felt more difficult only because of inaccuracy. It seemed to have a lot of drift and required recalibration and centering for more often than I would have liked.
The wave-based combat game worked fine, but wasn’t very inspiring. Overall the demos did a fine job of showing me what the Talon could do for VR apps, but that doesn’t seem to be the ideal use-case. I’m just not sure who the Talon is for in the VR market since every headset already has a dedicated motion controller that performs better. The only real exception I can see are accessibility issues or if the sensation of “holding something” would ruin the immersion.
That being said, my impressions are based on a limited demo. If you’re curious to learn more you can check out the official Titanium Falcon Talon Smart Ring controller website.
You can also pre-order the ring for $129.
Tagged with: talon ring, titanium falcon
When you think of examples of how real-life activities, social gatherings and events of all sizes can utilise immersive technologies, be it virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (MR) one of the places you wouldn’t necessarily think of is a flower show.
Despite that, VR did turn up as a part of last year’s Chelsea Flower Show in the UK. With civil engineering contractor BAM Nuttall partnering with the Royal Horticultural Society to scan and create a virtual walkthrough of inside the Great Pavilion using Matterport cameras and software. Now another flower show over in America is set to feature not VR but AR – the Philadelphia Flower Show.
The experience is set to be a part of a ‘block party’ traveling exhibition that first appeared at the flower show last year and is set to return, revamped, to begin its tour anew for 2018. The event, which is run by the American Association of Retired Persons – better known by the abbreviation AARP – will feature a number of different interactive components. A mix of four items, some which are familiar from the Block Party last year along with what the AARP termed “a few new tricks up our sleeve”.
What the AR experience will actually be is somewhat vague, no product names being dropped or similar. Instead it is described as “unique” and “an enhanced version of reality where the attendees will use an iPad to view and interact with 3D computer images of an animated game aimed at a wall of the exhibit”. Other features at the event will include a social media powered art mosaic, whilst the AARP will also be donating $5,000 (USD) to the William Way LGBT Community Center at the event to help it continue promoting equality in ‘the city of brotherly love’.
The event will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on 12th & Arch Streets in Philadelphia, from Saturday March 10th to Sunday March 11th 2018. The 2018 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show itself runs from March 3rd until the 11th and tickets and more information can be found on the AARP website.
VRFocus will bring you news of more quirky places where immersive technology is popping up very soon.
Blizzard confirmed that Brigitte Lindholm, the daughter of Torbjörn and squire of Reinhardt, will be the 27th hero to join Overwatch. She is now live on the public test realm servers for PC.
The post Tanky-support character Brigitte confirmed as new ‘Overwatch’ hero appeared first on Digital Trends.
The stellar March PlayStation Plus lineup includes a pair of excellent PS4 titles that couldn't be more different from one another. Sony also revealed looming changes for the subscription program.
The post ‘Bloodborne’ and ‘Ratchet & Clank’ lead March’s PlayStation Plus lineup appeared first on Digital Trends.
One of the best aspects of modern consoles is how easily you can pair them with other devices. Here's our quick primer on how to connect a Bluetooth headset (or really any Bluetooth device) to your PlayStation 4.
The post Here’s how to pair a Bluetooth headset with your PlayStation 4 appeared first on Digital Trends.
The Narrator is a great option for Xbox One players who have trouble seeing or reading, but it can be a nuisance for others. Here's how to turn off Narrator on an Xbox One -- and turn it back on again.
The post Here’s how to turn off the Narrator feature on an Xbox One appeared first on Digital Trends.
The creative first-person shooter Superhot is among the free games offered through Xbox Games With Gold in March. As always, all four games are playable on Xbox One, with two also on Xbox 360.
The post March’s Xbox Games With Gold freebies arrive a day early appeared first on Digital Trends.
Game publisher Activision-Blizzard revealed that it has more remastered games in the works for 2018. Could Spyro the Dragon be one of them, or is the company referring to Warcraft III?
The post Spyro Collection or ‘Black Ops’? Activision has more remasters for 2018 appeared first on Digital Trends.
Sega has pulled the demo for Yakuza 6: The Song of Life after it was discovered that players could access the full game for free. The game is scheduled to officially launch in April.
The post Sega pulls ‘Yakuza 6’ demo after players use it to access the full game appeared first on Digital Trends.
H1Z1, the battle royale game originally known as H1Z1: King of the Kill, has left early access alongside a new Auto Royale mode. The first, survival based version of the game is titled Just Survive.
The post ‘H1Z1’ finally leaves early access alongside new ‘Auto Royale’ mode appeared first on Digital Trends.
The Blackout Club is a cooperative horror-mystery from ex-BioShock and Dishonored developers and it looks absolutely terrifying. The game is scheduled to hit consoles and PC in early 2019.
The post Ex-BioShock developers offer details about their new game, ‘The Blackout Club’ 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
Seoul, South Korea
Registration: Attendee
Los Angeles, United States
Registration: Attendee
Tokyo, Japan
Registration: Attendee
Mountain View, United States
Registration: Attendee
Beijing, China
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
Toronto, Canada
Registration: Attendee
Berlin, Germany
Registration: Attendee
San Diego, United States
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee Badges (Sold Out)
Vancouver, Canada
Registration: Attendee
Cologne, Germany
Registration: Exhibitor | Attendee
Los angeles, United States
Registration: Attendee
Life is difficult for traditional print media in the digital age. Magazines and newspapers have engaged in a variety of tactics to win and keep readers, but for BizBash Media, the secret to success may lie in augmented reality (AR).
BizBash Media is the largest media company covering the meeting and event industry. The BizBash magazine first began as a print publication, steadily shifting over until it became and entirely digital magazine in 2017. In an effort to re-launch the publication, BizBash are planning to ad AR elements.
The company plan to release two print and digital magazines along with two digital-only magazines during 2018. The new edition will be distributed to over 20,000 event planners, with thousands more receiving the digital edition. These planners are part of a huge network of organisers who create events in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami, Boston, San Francisco and Toronto.
“BizBash is taking a leadership role in getting back into publishing print magazines. By combining augmented reality with our print issues, the page becomes a portable mobile screen that is an experience without distraction,” stated Adler. “When you see what will.i.am has done with augmented reality in his graphic comic series, you can see how the technology is a game changer for the print industry. We want to start that journey with our readers to enhance what they see and what they learn from picking up a print edition of BizBash.”
The issues for Fall 2018 will focus on new venues and ideas for events for Autumn and Winter holidays. It will also feature the ‘BizBash500’, a list of the most influential players in meetings, events, festivals, conferences and consumer shows. AR will be used throughout the magazine to enhance advertising and editorial features.
Further information can be found on the official BizBash website. As always, VRFocus will bring you the latest news on new and innovative uses for immersive technology, including AR and VR.
Last week, newly formed indie developer Monad Rock – previously G2A.com’s in-house studio – launched its first virtual reality (VR) title for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, a theme park experience called Summer Funland. Filled with games and attractions, whilst reviewing the title VRFocus captured a gameplay video to showcase a small part of the experience.
Essentially a selection of mini-games all wrapped up in an amusement park wrapper, Summer Funland has 12 different piece’s of content. These range from rollercoasters where you can just sit back and enjoy the ride, or for something a little more interactive there are shooting galleries or a giant candy world to destroy.
Not wanting to spoil to much of the videogame, VRFocus’ gameplay video takes you through the basics, exploring the rich and vibrant world by teleporting around whilst checking out some of the attractions. First up is the Wild West shooting gallery. Over three rounds you have to shoot whisky bottles, vultures and dangerous outlaws with all pop up in a 2D cardboard fashion.
Then it’s on to one of the main attractions of Summer Funland, and that’s the underwater adventure. Jumping into a submersible, you head down into the watery deep, encountering all sorts of aquatic life, from fish and turtles, to sharks and something a little bigger. This is one of those short experiences that really do showcase the visual quality put into the entire videogame, with great attention to detail both inside the sub as well as the crumbling ruins you’re exploring.
And that’s your lot in terms of gameplay. Obviously there’s more to explore with Monad Rock hiding a selection of items around the park for you to find. For further details and VRFocus’ opinion, read the review which noted: “Summer Funland may not light the VR world on fire but it provides an enjoyable – if somewhat short – piece of entertainment. If you’ve got kids or want an all-in-one experience to show VR virgins then Summer Funland is an ideal starting point.”
Enjoy the video and for any updates from Monad Rock on Summer Funland or any other VR titles, keep reading VRFocus.
When it comes to zombie themed videogames developers have pretty much scrapped the barrel when it comes to ideas, with the undead featuring in virtually every genre imaginable. So when Visual Light announced its take, Throw Anything, it was difficult to imagine what the studio could do differently. Yet the team has, with a quirky wave-based experience that’s fun to play, although its longevity is something of concern.
Taking the pickup and throw comedy gameplay of titles like Job Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-aility to the extreme, the entire videogame is set inside a succession of rooms in various tower blocks. Stood at the window during a zombie apocalypse, the aim of the game is to stop waves of zombies climbing up the outside of the building and into your room. If they do so then it’s game over.
To stop the zombies in their tracks and knock them to the ground, everyday objects are located inside each room. The first level starts you off in some dudes apartment, with all sorts of items to pick and lob. Depending on the actual size of an item it’ll do different amounts of damage. If you throw a book for example it’ll do a small amount of damage but the zombie will keep climbing. It’s either a case of chucking more books or finding something a bit weightier – a bowling ball works very effectively. Should the undead get too close items such as golf clubs and baseball bats then become particularly effective.
And there’s more to just picking stuff up. Quite a lot of the furniture is destructible plus you get regular postal deliveries which can contain useful items (guns) or useless items (a shoe). Plus latter levels have extra little treasures. The second level is set in an office which has a safe you need to crack to get the heavy gold bars out of, plus there’s a 3D printer which can give you some interesting goodies (bombs anyone?).
With the cartoon graphics and frantic action the premise is fun for a while, getting more intense towards the end of each level when the boss appears and you’ve thrown all the best items away. Yet Throw Anything falls into the same trap that most wave shooters fall into, and that’s repetition, lots and lots of repetition. There may be different zombies to kill and lots of items to use, but at the end of the day you spend most of your time looking out a digital window.
The Early Access release includes five levels with a boss at the end of each. As development continues mid-level bosses are going to be added plus improved zombie AI, however it’s difficult to imagine that this will be enough to vary the gameplay. As is, Throw Anything comes across as a reasonably enjoyable time killer for those that want to spend 20-30 mins in VR.
At $199 for everything you need to get into VR, Oculus Go stands as one of best chances at pulling in the masses yet. As an all-in-one device, Go doesn’t need a PC, console or mobile phone to power it; you simply slip it over your head, grab your motion controller and you’re good to go. Never has VR been so simple.
But, as important as price and tech is, it’s content that will really sell Oculus Go. And to do that, the headset has to appeal to a broad range of people. The Rift is doing a great job of keeping gamers satisfied, but the Go can appeal to so many other people with its breadth of experiences. With this in mind, here are seven apps we think Go needs to truly shine when it launches a little later this year.
A chance for this amazing early VR title to live again is one of the most enticing prospects for the Go. Land’s End was a beautiful exploration title that arrived long before the Rift and Vive and yet holds up with many of today’s VR adventures. It’s bold and beautiful, and the chance to experience it through Go’s improved optics is hugely promising.
We’ve been told for years that VR can connect us to friends and family around the world, but the simply truth of the matter is that current headsets are too complicated and expensive to get less tech-savvy people into them. What’s exciting about the idea of social VR on the Go is that it presents the first time we might genuinely be able to convince our parents, siblings and others to pick up a headset and pull it on to catch up.
There are few games on Gear that can truly appeal to hardcore gamers, but Augmented Empire is certainly one of them. This mix of X-Com’s turn-based strategic combat and Mass Effect’s focus on characters remains one of the best games on the headset and deserves to find a bigger audience. We’re still holding out for a Rift port, of course, but we’d still welcome another playthrough on Go in the meantime. We’d also swap this spot out for Turtle Rock Games’ The Well, too.
The idea of sitting on a long flight, slipping on a VR headset and spending a few hours in your own personal viewing theatre is enticing, but screen door effect and keeping a phone’s battery charged up keep us from doing it. With Go, though, you can have a dedicated device just for that, and images on a virtual screen will be clearer than they’ve ever been thanks to Go’s improved display. Expect video viewing to be huge on Go.
There’s no faster way to make your video of your Dad playing VR go viral than to make him scream. Face Your Fears is all about doing just that and it’s become one of Gear VR’s most popular titles as a result. On Go, this is probably the best opportunity for horror junkies to get their adrenaline up and running. Or at least we guess, we’re still too scared to spend more than a minute inside it.
Minecraft’s arrival on the Rift and Gear might not have converted the tens of millions of fans the game has to VR, but Go will give Oculus another shot to do so. We’re not suggesting scores of people will rush to buy the headset but, with a fully-realized version of Minecraft VR on a $199 device, we’re betting Oculus will make a big push with the two year old release at Go launch. That said, they’ll probably have to reconfigure the gamepad support into motion controls, which could be tricky.
Keep Talking remains one of VR’s most accessible and enjoyable games and a great way to introduce scores of people to the platform. The hectic cooperative party gameplay is a perfect fit for headsets, with one players trying to defuse a bomb by working with others in the real world that read from a manual. Go’s simple form factor could make this the easiest way to play the game yet.
Tagged with: Oculus Go
Though most attention tends to be devoted towards augmented reality (AR) as it is used for entertainment purposes, such as videogames or camera filters, AR has some useful implications for more vital areas as well. One example of this is the AR technology deployed by Edgybees, which has seen use during the California wildfires and after the hurricane in Florida. The company has now announced the completion of a $5.5 million (USD) funding round.
The Edgybees AR technology was originally used to create an AR racing videogame or drones. Later, Edgybees developed an app called First Response, a drone app which would help emergency responders to get their bearings in confusing environments and keep personnel out of harms way, such as during the Northern California wildfires in October 2017.
Co-founder and CEO Adam Kaplan says, “What started as technology powering a racing game is now saving lives around the world. The overwhelming response by commercial and industrial drone users looking to leverage AR, and partner with us in the fields of fire, public safety, and search & rescue has been amazing, and we can’t wait to expand the next set of drone applications into new markets.”
The company is planning to bring its AR technology to new sectors and industries using its new funding, such as defence, smart cities, broadcast media and automotive. The funding round included contributions from Motorola Solutions Venture Capital, Verizon Ventures and other venture firms such as OurCrowd, NfX, 8VC and Aspect Ventures.
OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved says, “At OurCrowd we are particularly happy to invest in groundbreaking tech companies who believe they will change the world. What makes Edgybees so special is that they have already demonstrated that their drone software can save lives in addition to making software history by enabling Augmented Reality at high speed.”
Verizon Ventures’ Merav Rotem-Naaman says, “Edgybees’ technology aims to bring AR to much more challenging circumstances than currently possible – on fast-moving outdoor devices like drones and cars. As a leader in both fleet management for cars and drones, as well as in immersive consumer digital experiences, Verizon Ventures is excited to back this technology.”
For further news from the AR and VR industry on new trends, keep watching VRFocus.
Moss is finally out on PSVR and even though it’s short, only coming in at around 3-4 hours for a single first playthrough, it packs a lot of charm, challenge, and fun into those few hours. If you tally up all the times I died and got stuck on puzzles then Moss easily took me close to 4 hours total.
Since the game features a lot of really complex (and often difficult) puzzles we’ve put together this playlist of gameplay that walks you through the entire game from start to finish. The first two videos also doubled as livestreams that we did this week, while the last three are straight gameplay videos.
You can see all five of the walkthrough videos embedded down below right here, but if you’d rather just watch them all in a playlist on YouTube directly, then you can totally do that too. Here’s the Moss Walkthrough playlist link.
Are walkthroughs something you’d want to see more of from us? Are you playing and enjoying Moss? Let us know if so on either point down in the comments below!
Tagged with: moss, polyarc, quill, Walkthrough
Improvements in the speed of data transmission has implications for many industries, and visual effects studio and virtual reality (VR) content creators Digital Domain are hoping to tap into innovation surrounding 5G networks to improve the VR experience.
5G networks would offer higher speeds, lower latencies and better overall performance and reliability compared to existing 4G and 3G networks. This is key to the development of several technology areas, including VR, augmented reality (AR), autonomous vehicles and connected workplaces.
To explore the possibilities offered by 5G, Digital Domain has joined the ‘5G Networks Slicing Association’ along with prominent firms such as Huawei, Deutsche Telekom, Tencent, Vokwagen and China Mobile. The Association will look at what different industries require from 5G, and how technical issues and new standards will affect development.
Daniel Seah, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Digital Domain, commented, “It’s a great honor for us to be able to work with global well-known partners across industries to form the 5G Network Slicing Association. 5G brings the promise of future innovation and invention. As XR technology and content continues to flourish and evolve, consumer demand for consistency in higher data rates and lower latency will grow exponentially. This association will ensure that we are all optimizing 5G to its highest capacity to provide an enhanced mobile broadband experience for the world.”
Digital Domain are probably best known for their visual effects work on films such as Titanic and Spider-Man: homecoming, though the company has also been heavily involved in VR, developing original VR films such as Micro Giants, which was featured at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Daniel Seah added, “The 5G network’s higher data speeds and lower latency rates will bring substantial improvements to the VR experience. In addition to exploring 5G technology, Digital Domain will continue to focus on creating premium VR content to drive the evolution of technologies and the transformation of the industry.”
For the latest news from the VR and AR sectors, keep checking back with VRFocus.
The Oculus Go standalone VR headset should be with us in a matter of weeks or months, but we still haven’t been able to test the thing out for ourselves. Oculus’ John Carmack has given us a vague idea of what to expect from the device’s performance, though.
Replying to a question on Twitter, the Oculus Chief Technology Officer noted that Go should run “significantly better” than Samsung’s two year old Galaxy S7 phone running on a Gear VR. Turning to typical Carmack speak, he explained that Go “does dynamic clock scaling above the minimum fixed levels, like s8, so everything runs better than s7”.
Yes, significantly better. BTW, did someone from support get in touch with you about the video regression? There is a task open.
— John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) February 23, 2018
Earlier this year it was revealed that Go would be using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821, which is used in older handsets like the original Google Pixel. However, as a standalone headset without the various other processor-demanding functions of a smartphone, Go and direct all of its resources to the VR experience you’re running.
It sounds like Go won’t be slouching on the performance side, then, though it’s still unlikely to compete with more recent smartphones like the just-announced Galaxy S9, which includes the new Snapdragon 845 chipset.
Elsewhere, Carmack also noted that casting Go’s display to other standard screens near you was being worked on, but probably wouldn’t be ready in time for “day 0”.
Oculus Go is still pegged for an early 2018 launch at $199, though we’re running out of early.
Tagged with: Oculus Go
Board game designers are coming up with new and innovative ways of combining traditional tabletop games with modern technology. The latest comes from indie board game publisher Lucky Duck Games which launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for Chronicles of Crime featuring a virtual reality (VR) element to the detective experience.
Chronicles of Crime is a cooperative crime investigation board game with a hint of VR thrown in for good measure. Players will be assigned cases, having to search for clues and interview witnesses and suspects. The base game comes with six scenarios to play through (around 6-8 hours) but thanks to digital technology this can be expanded upon in the future.
Utilizing the ‘Scan & Play’ technology, each character, location or evidence is linked to a QR Code. This means that each character can become someone else, each district card can be linked to a different place and 3D scenes can be reinvented.
The VR element comes into play with the 3D crime scenes. At certain points in the game players will have to search a crime scene for clues. Without VR glasses or a headset the scene can be moved around like a 360 photo or video. Adding the VR glasses (which come supplied on certain funding tiers) just makes it that bit more immersive.
Having only launched yesterday, the campaign blasted past its $15,000 USD (£10,789 GBP) funding goal in 25 minutes and currently sits at $181,035 (£130,219), unlocking nine of its stretch goals in the process. There’s just one left at $200,000 which will add two characters to the Welcome to Redview expansion.
The campaign still has 20 days to go, if you’re interested there are three funding tiers available. There’s the Starter Set for $39 (£28) which includes the base game, unlocked stretch goals but no VR glasses. The Deluxe Set at $49 (£35) has the base game, unlocked stretch goals and the VR glasses which include an additional scenario. The Ultimate Set – which is Kickstarter exclusive – will set you back $89 (£64), includes everything in the previous sets plus the two expansion packs, Noir and Welcome to Redview.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Chronicles of Crime and the latest Kickstarter projects featuring VR, reporting back with any further announcements.
The 2018 Game Developers Conference is right around the corner and the VR and AR-focused talks for the year are piling up. One session that’s already caught our eye, though, is a retrospective on one of the best Star Wars VR experiences yet.
Kieran Crimmins and Mark Bridges from Burnout developer Criterion will be hosting a talk that details their work on the Star Wars Rogue One X-Wing VR Mission that launched as a free add-on to the original Star Wars: Battlefront on PSVR back in 2016. The short experience put players in the cockpit of an X-Wing and took them on an adventure that tied into the events of that spin-off Star Wars film. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s one of the best 10-minute demos you can try on your PSVR.
Crimmins and Bridges will detail what went into perfecting the experience during their talk, which is titled ‘Give Your Fans Tears of Joy: A ‘Star Wars VR’ Retrospective‘. Over the hour-long session they’ll also show you why you should “put common fantasies at the heart of your game development” and how to “embrace fun and experimentation to deliver something new in a complex AAA production”. Most promisingly, though, the pair will be using props and physical demonstrations to recount their time building the project.
It might also be tempting to sit in on the session just to hear if Criterion is doing anything new with VR right now. Star Wars: Battlefront II sadly came and went without any VR support but, given the developer’s pedigree with the Burnout and Need for Speed series we still have our fingers crossed something new is on the way.
The talk will be held on Tuesday, March 20th at 10am in the North Hall.
Tagged with: GDC
Way back in 2016, VRFocus came across a Swedish developer called Stunlock Studios at Gamescom, showcasing free-to-play arena brawler Battlerite. While Battlerite wasn’t a virtual reality (VR) title, the team were in the process of creating a VR spectator mode, allowing viewers to move around the arena and become part of the crowd. Battlerite launched into Steam Early Access that year, then in November 2017 exited Early Access. Now the studio has revealed that an upcoming patch will finally add ‘VR Observer’ mode.
The Season 1 patch will add a bunch of new features and content including regional leaderboards, pre-game lobby for League solo and team players, seasonal reward paths based on daily quests rather than the end of season placement, and of course VR Observer. Additionally, a mysterious new champion will be introduced with the upcoming update.
The studio has yet to reveal any further details about VR Observer, including compatible headsets and possible features. As it’s been 18 months since VRFocus last saw it in action a lot has likely changed. At the time there was only support for HTC Vive – this was pre-Oculus Touch and PlayStation VR remember – so its likely further headsets have been added.
One of the main functions that VR Observer mode was being built for was to do with recording gameplay footage, allowing for a much more natural, free-flowing, workflow. Thus enabling matches to be captured at any angle and from any distance, using a quick and easy ‘pinch to zoom’ operation, much like that found on smartphones.
“Season 1 focuses on the competitive side of Battlerite, yet also provides a more rewarding experience to both competitive and casual players”, said Peter Ilves, Game Director at Stunlock Studios in a statement. “From here on out, new Seasons will be regularly scheduled every 2-3 months and will average 10 weeks. All competitive players will have to consistently sharpen their skills in order to dominate the arena and keep the lead throughout the Seasons.”
Stunlock Studios says the Season 1 patch will launch on 7th of March 2018. Battlerite can be downloaded free of charge from Steam. For any further updates on the VR mode, keep reading VRFocus.
Steel Wool Studios has already made its mark on the virtual reality (VR) scene releasing two decent videogames so far, Quar: Battle for Gate 18 and Bounce. As the former is a turn-based experience it was exciting to hear that the studio would be creating a Warhammer 40K title with VR support. With impressive looking screenshots and gameplay video expectations for The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth were high, unfortunately at this early stage it wasn’t meant to be.
The standard PC version of The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth puts you in an overseeing, god like viewpoint, much the same way a lot of real-time strategy (RTS) videogames work. The same could’ve been done for VR, as titles like Brass Tactics and Moss easily do. Instead Steel Wool Studios wants to put VR players in the action, right down on the battlefield. And this is a great idea, allowing you to be part of the firefights makes the entire experience much more visceral and exciting.
Or it would if everything worked according to plan. As with any Steam Early Access title the videogame is still in development so it can be hard being too judgmental when there are still months of work still to go. However, if it’s been deemed to be ready for Early Access then it is in some way still playable to a degree, The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth – in VR at least – was far from it.
On the minimum spec PC that VRFocus uses loading times were a long drawn out affair – easily time to make tea or coffee – which can be quite frustrating when you’re standing up. Trying the title either sat or standing the latter was certainly the better option once things had loaded. Controls were formed by your basic teleportation method on the left trigger, while the right touchpad had the main controls for your team, commands like shoot, move, hold, advance, reform and more.
You play a tech-priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus who teams up with a small band of Ultramarines as they battle against their traitorous brethren, the Word Bearers. In certain scenes and at particular moments all looks well, especially at the start when you step outside and see two Titans stomping through the city. As you move through the ruined metropolis you can move your team to various tactical spots, behind cover or into a crater for example. And certainly feels like you’re in this futuristic city, happily teamed up with a bunch of Space Marines.
But then you’ll notice that some of the menus or HUD displays appear at weird angles and the sound tends to glitch out at points, just coming for one headphone. The kicker for VRFocus was after the first two missions which teach you the basic gameplay rules, how to command your team and so on. This mission is where you get to try out what you’ve learned, well that would have been the case if the frame rate didn’t suddenly drop to unusable levels and then the image flipped upside down, yeah no word of a lie upside down, it was definitely time to stop (or be sick).
Even with that being said VRFocus is still looking forward to seeing how The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth develops over the course of 2018. Being RTS fans there were certain elements that looked promising, having the potential to create a unique VR RTS experience. At the moment though The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth is difficult to recommend without better optimisation, if you have a super powerful PC then by all means give it a shot, if you don’t then stay clear for now.
For developers who work with CAD files, Detroit-based startup ONU has announced the launch of ONU 3DLite, a cloud-based 3D visual platform designed to seamlessly convert and optimize CAD files.
Using the new software, engineers, designers, and digital content creators can use CAD files to create all the visual content they need for use on 3D Web, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) or mobile-based platforms.
“Manufacturers design products in CAD, but those files don’t easily translate to visuals that can be displayed on a mobile device, let alone in a web browser, virtual reality headset, or augmented reality glasses,” said Sam Sesti, President of ONU in a statement. “ONU 3DLite changes that. Our easy to use tools automate processes that were previously manual, and significantly streamlines 3D asset creation. Native CAD files can be turned into low poly FBX files in just minutes. In addition to making asset creation really easy, it’s also very affordable. We’re excited to share ONU 3DLite with the world.”
ONU 3DLite works by creators loading native CAD data onto the cloud-based platform which is then automatically converted to a high quality polygonal mesh in minutes, with up to 100x density reduction. Working with most major CAD formats, the platform’s level of detail adjustor and defeature detector tools allow content designers to precisely reduce additional density while instantly viewing the impact on asset quality. The files can then be easily exported to FBX format for use in tools like Blender, Maya, 3DS Max, Modo, ZBrush, Keyshot, Unity and Unreal.
“The secret to creating 3D assets for real-time rendering is finding the right balance between visual quality, density and development cost,” adds Sesti. “Finding the ideal balance is precisely where ONU 3DLite excels. Whether for AR, VR, web or mobile environments, digital content creators can build the perfect asset with an incredible 99% reduction in asset creation time.”
Head to the official website to learn more about ONU 3DLite or sign up for a free trial. Once the trial has expired after 30 days pricing starts from $99 USD per month for the standard package or $499 per month for the unlimited package. For the latest updates on VR and AR development, keep reading VRFocus.
Next up on the rotating list of VR games getting a free weekend trial? The ever-excellent Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes.
This frantic party game, which can be played with or without a VR headset, has players working together to defuse a bomb. One player sits in VR with a virtual bomb sitting in front of them. The device will be comprised of various compartments, each with its own puzzle to solve.
Players must describe these compartments and then the other players in the real world must flick through a (free) printable manual to find the right guidelines to solving the puzzle. After that the two sides must work together again overcome the challenge. Get everything right before that timer hits zero and you can breathe a sigh of relief. Mess up and, well, boom.
It’s a hectic time but also still one of the best VR experiences out there. The free weekend is running on the Oculus Store from 1pm EST tomorrow until 3am EST on Monday. That’s your weekend sorted, then.
Tagged with: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Possibly the best deal yet for the new version of Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) headset just hit the UK.
Gaming retailer Game is currently selling the Starter Pack bundle for the new headset with two of its best games for £299.99. Specifically, that’s the new PSVR unit with the camera needed to track it along with a copy of time-stopping shooter, Superhot VR, and terrifying AAA horror title, Resident Evil 7, along with a digital copy of minigame collection PlayStation VR Worlds, all for that price. You also get two months of a Now TV streaming subscription, for what it’s worth.
Both Superhot and Resident Evil feature in our list of the very best PlayStation VR games out there right now and would run you around £40 if you were to pick them up as a pair outside of this bundle, so it’s definitely worth grabbing this deal. Take note, though, that it’s just the base edition of Resident Evil 7, and not the Gold Edition that includes all the premium DLC too (though none of that is especially essential).
And, yes, these are the newest versions of PSVR, which include some minor revisions of the original. It’s nothing huge; earphone placement has been redesigned and, if you have an HDR TV, you can now access HDR content on your normal screen with the PSVR still plugged in.
Earlier this month VRFocus reported on Emaar Entertainment announcing plans to open a VR Park in the prominent Dubai Mall later this year. Today, Starbreeze AB has revealed that eight of its virtual reality (VR) experiences will be playable, with four of them premiering at the location.
The Dubai Mall is home to 12.1 million sq ft of retail and entertainment opportunities, with the VR Park taking up 75,000 sq ft of space. Combining augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and experiential attractions, VR Park is designed to be a premier location for unforgettable, game-changing experiences, spanning wholly immersive rides and interactive videogames – including an indoor rollercoaster.
The eight VR experiences Starbreeze will have on offer are:
“We are thrilled to be part of launching the VR Park in Dubai and very happy to have found a partner in Emaar Entertainment that share the same vision and focus as we at Starbreeze do for location-based entertainment in VR,” said Bo Andersson Klint, Starbreeze CEO in a statement. “We have had destination-based entertainment as a focus for our VR initiatives over the past years, and now visitors from all over the world can experience our vision for premium VR content not available at home. We see our participation in the VR Park as a show case for all of our experiences and a must-visit destination for VR enthusiasts and first timers with curious minds alike”.
Damien Latham, Chief Executive Officer of Emaar Entertainment, adds: “VR Park is the latest revolutionary experience to be delivered by Emaar Entertainment, as we continue to propel the leisure and entertainment (L&E) sector into the future and reinforce Dubai’s position as a pioneering entertainment destination. Partnering with leading technology and content providers such as Starbreeze enhances our ability to deliver unprecedented entertainment experiences and push the boundaries of innovation for the industry, creating an ultimate destination for leisure and entertainment in the Middle East.”
The VR Park in Dubai Mall will open on 1st March 2018. The majority of the experiences will be available to play on StarVR. For any further updates from Starbreeze, keep reading VRFocus.
A number of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) titles have already launched to celebrate the start of a new Chinese Lunar Year. BG Bridal Gallery is taking the opportunity to launch its new line of AR characters that can mimic facial expressions.
Similar to the technology used at the demonstration of the new iPhone, the app, titled ‘Chamoji’ allows users to take a picture or capture a video, then replace their head with a selection of animated characters, in this case based on the animals of the Chinese zodiac.
Chamoji is a combination of ‘character’ and ‘emoji’ and uses the True Depth technology available on the Apple iPhone X to allow users to express themselves by grabbing a quick photo or video, then choosing one of the twelve zodiac-based animal characters available, who will mimic the user’s facial expressions and allow user’s to share their feelings with friends or on social media.
The creators of the Chamoji app say the system is sophisticated enough to allow users to capture a range of activities, allowing for such sights as a dancing dragon, singing pig or a rapping goat. He company are planning to introduce more characters to the app sppn, to allow users an even greater range of expression.
“Celebrate Chinese New Year with Chamoji! Don’t miss out or be the last to jump on the trend! BG will be continuously releasing additional unique characters soon!” enthuses Yuki Wakiyama, Business Development Manager for BG.
The Chamoji app is available for free on the Apple app store, and joins a host of other AR-capable apps that allow users to alter themselves or the world around them using AR overlays. Visual communication such as emojis are becoming increasingly popular, with some experts and analysts seeing a trend shift in the way we communicate, as noted during the recent Samsung Unpacked event.
For further news on new AR apps and services, keep watching VRFocus.