Mint Virtual Reality

Fifteen years after its last iteration, Microsoft is relaunching the classic mouse that many gamers grew up with playing Age of Empires. The new Intellimouse maintains the ergonomic focus and simplicity of the original from 1996.

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Paramount is now collaborating with Sega to bring the iconic mascot to the big screen November 15, 2019. The adaption will include a mix of CGI and live action, meaning Sonic will hang around humans.

The post Jim Carrey may be playing Dr. Robotnik in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ appeared first on Digital Trends.

The weeks following E3 are always slow for video games and July is no exception. There are still several noteworthy games landing in the heart of summer though, including the gorgeous Switch RPG Octopath Traveler.

The post The Best New Games of July 2018 appeared first on Digital Trends.

EyeKandy, a global leader in A-Commerce solutions has announced the laugh of Point & Place, a turnkey augmented reality (AR) platform for brands and retailers. The new AR platform wil enable brands and retailer to take advantage of the ever growing consumer awareness of AR technologies and deliver a more engaging shopping experience.

Point & Place works by allowing users with a smart device the chance to take a digital recreation of a product and visualize it within their own home. A number of business already make use of the technology, such as IKEA, but with EyeKandy’s Point & Place platform more businesses with be able to leverage this solution without the need for costly overheads to developer their own AR platform.

Andy Shackleton, CEO of EyeKandy commented; “Point & Place offers an ‘Instant On’ for retailers to offer AR shopping. With a portfolio of over a thousand, high quality, AR product models, across fifteen product categories including; Home Appliances, Consumer Electronics, Furniture and more EyeKandy have democratised AR Shopping in retail for the many, not just the few.”

“Point & Place helps close the ‘Imagination Gap’ for consumers. When you’re shopping for televisions, printers, furniture and a host of other products, shoppers have to imagine how a TV is going to look on their wall, or a printer on their desk, or a coffee machine in the kitchen.” Shackleton continues: “Point and Place closes that imagination gap, reducing decision making timelines on purchases, as well as reducing product returns.”

The application is set to be available in fifteen languages and is already live across a number of countries with retailers including Vanden Borre, SaveHyperonline, Curry’s and Euronics. Users will be able to explore over a thousand products with many more continuously being added across fifteen product categories to allow for easy searching and placement within the real-world. In turn this will allow for a more streamlined shopping experience for customers which will remove a lot of guesswork with online shopping and hopefully lead to increased sales.

David Hart, Head of online at Savehyperonline added; “the process to get the AR product models added to our product pages was simple and required almost no development time. We went from zero to leading the market in terms of offering AR shopping to our customers within a week with the solution.”

The app is just the start of a dynamic AR product roadmap that EyeKandy will be working on over the next twelve months. Point & Place app is available now for supported iOS and Android devices and to stay up to date on all the latest developments for this platform, keep reading VRFocus.

Hampleton Partners, the international technology M&A advisory has said in its latest review into global market technology trends that manufacturing, healthcare and retail are at the forefront of integrating augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) into the workplace. This is being done to help overcome some of the most complex challenges within the sectors, leveraging the technology to find creative and practical solutions, to help maintain business performance and workplace efficiency.

The report, The Hampleton Partners M&A Market Report on AR/VR, details how the global market size of the VR sector is estimated to reach $17.8 billion (USD) in 2022, up from a base of $2 billion in 2016. The AR sector is also projected to growth with impressive value, reaching $161 billion in 20220 up from $4 billion in 2016. These two pieces of data show that not only is the market growing to embrace the technology more then ever, but it is forecast to continue doing so at a rapid and profitable rate.

“The new reality for many businesses will involve augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies to increase efficiency and improve customer service and employee engagement.” Said Heiko Garrelfs, sector principal, Hampleton Partners.

According to the report, AR and VR application within the healthcare sector is the leader for 2018, with wide adoption of the technologies throughout the sector. From genetic research and emergency room management to virtual nurses and drug discovery, patient experience is being improved across the board with the cost of care lowering as technology helps push the sector to new heights.

“With AR and VR’s technical roots in the gaming industry, it’s transfer to the entertainment industry was always the next likely step, but what we’re finding exciting and what we believe will fuel the major growth in this sector is its take-up by in industry and manufacturing processes.” Garrelfs continues: “Progress is slower than the optimists had hoped, yet it seems to be stronger and more sustainable than the pessimists predicted. The reality is that many businesses now need to have a full AR/VR strategy to ensure they are not left behind.”

Manufacturing and retail are other key areas that adoption and business of AR and VR solutions are growing. Companies like Amazon are pursuing AR technology to fuel a new focus on auto parts, with a number of other AR technology being used in their iOS and Android apps to allow customers to project furniture and electronics into their home. Even Walmart are on-board with the technology with the recent release of their VR apartment.

The Hampleton Partners M&A Market Report on AR/VR is available now from their website and for more updates in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

Nianitc Labs have been rather busy lately. What with the new friend features coming to Pokémon GO, Global Challenges, and Alolan Pokémon hatching for eggs. Outside of the popular augmented reality (AR) title the company recently acquired Matrix Mill to advance their AR platform which lead to the reveal of Codename: Neon and their Niantic Real World Platform. Now, continuing with all the excitement, they have shown off Codename: Tonehenge via the Niantic Engineering Twitter account.

Codename: Neon was a eight player multiplayer prototype that showcased cross-platform, low-latency AR networking. With Codename: Tonehenge, the company is continuing to demonstrate their multiplayer cross-platform AR capabilities with an AR puzzle that requires players to work together and interact with digital objects in physical ways.

This includes players needing to drag heavy statues to a specific point in a shared AR session before then turning the statues to unlock energy orbs. Feedback is provided to players via visuals within the AR scene and haptic feedback on the smart device that the player is using. Simultaneously interaction is also required in the puzzle to unlock the final stage which, one completed, sees the players finishing the demo and claim victory.

The Niantic Real World Platform has only just been revealed and showcased in these prototypes but is already looking to be a powerful tool for content creation. With Codename: Neon and Codename: Tonehenge showing that the cross-platform multiplayer with low-latency with support for up to eight players in a shared AR session. Niantic Labs are really raising the bar on what AR is capabilities of and opening to the door to new experience in the future.

Niantic Labs are planning to open up the Niantic Real World Platform to other developers to help them build innovative experiences that connect the physical and the digital world in ways that have not been imagined yet. Third party developers who are interested in working with the platform can sign up to receive more information here and have the chance to be selected for initial testing later this year.

You can see the demonstration of Codename: Tonehenge below and if you have no done so already you can learn more about Codename: Neon here. For more on these and the Niantic Real World Platform in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

Indie development studio Tigertron are hard at work on their upcoming virtual reality (VR) title Jupiter & Mars, which is set to release later this year for PlayStation VR, have now announced that they will be taking the title to not one but two events, giving players a chance to try out the title this weekend.

The first of the two events Jupiter & Mars will be attending is Games For Change Festival, New York City. The annual event was founded in 2004 and highlights videogames and gaming culture poised to initiate social change. Jupiter & Mars will attending the event and thanks to the collaboration with environment organizations like SeaLegacy and The Ocean Foundation, will be helping to raise awareness of challenges facing the ocean today. Jupiter & Mars will be included as part of Games For Change’s ‘XR For Change’.

The second event the title will be making it’s debut you is taking place in Europe, offering attendees to SeaLegacy’s ‘SeaLegacy Turning The Tide’ exhibition at Fotografiska in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 1st. SeaLegacy makes an appearance within Jupiter & Mars in the form of an unlockable video message along with the title’s narration, which is provided beautifully by SeaLegacy co-founder Cristina Mittermeier.

Both taking place this weekend, those in the New York City area will be able to see Jupiter & Mars today, Saturday, June 30th. The SeaLegacy debut will take place tomorrow, July 1st, between the hours of 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM.

Telling the tale of dolphins Jupiter and her companion Mars, along with the help of ancient whales called The Elders, players will navigate the future Earth in which mankind has disappeared, forcing the dolphins to confront and solve the after-effects of man’s industrial legacy. With a strong focus on environmentally storytelling and providing information and insight into human impact on the Earth’s oceans, the title is set to be a beautiful and thought-provoking VR experience.

Recently, Tigertron have also released a new trailer for Jupiter & Mars along with a number of new screenshots which showcase the stunning visual style of the VR title. You can see a short video below that showcases the narration of the title and for more on Jupiter & Mars in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

As the events of the World Cup continue it is time for another entry of This Week In VR Sport. Every week VRFocus brings you a number of sports and eSports related virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) stories. Keeping to the theme of the beautiful game there are two stories on the World Cup this week including download numbers for the BBC World Cup VR App and a VR penalty kick experience. Elsewhere, the Onward Invitational eSports event has been continuing and a number of matches are now available to watch including one with the developers.

Getting to the topic of the FIFA World Cup 2018 right away, it has been revealed that the BBC World Cup VR app has been downloaded over 325,000 times. The app allows views to enjoy a wide range of content from the event in immersive VR and put themselves closer to the sport then ever before. The number of downloads, though tiny in comparison to non-VR viewing of the World Cup is still an impressive number on its own. It shows that there is a growing audience for the media even if there is still a long way to go.

All of the 33 World Cup games from the BBC, including the final, are to be available via the BBC Sport VR 2018 FIFA World Cup app. According to the figures, as reported by Broadcast, non-VR viewings of the World Cup have passed more than 40 million live and on-demand request for the BBC’s coverage across BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer.

It will be interesting to see if the number of downloads for the VR app continue to grow as the World Cup continues or if we have already hit the peak. VRFocus will be sure to let you know should the BBC reveal more data.

One of the leading developers of next-generation data capture technology enabled by mobile computer vision, augmented reality (AR) and machine learning, Scandit, have released a point-of-view white paper titled Mobile Computer Vision in the Post and Parcel Industry. This paper reveals how Post and Parcel providers can scan barcodes and text with smart devices to keep up with increased parcel volume, demand and customer expectations in a busy work environment.

The white paper provides an in-depth insight into how Post and Parcel organisations can leverage mobile computer vision-enabled data capture and AR solutions running on smart devices to increase the capabilities of existing barcodes in ways dedicated scanners cannot. The benefits that comes from these solutions include reduced costs, increased efficiency and few human errors, the ability to meet growing end-user demands, and the protection of customer investments by ensuring a reliable and efficient service. The white paper includes a number of different examples as well as to how the technology can be used in distribution centres, at the point of delivery, and at pickup and dropoff (PUDO) locations.

By using mobile computer vision and AR, Post and Parcel providers can dynamically improve their workflow and business efficiency by reading multiple barcodes in a single scan and then have a specific package or packages with special real-time instructions highlighted on the screen. Traditional dedicated scanners are currently unable to provide this level of efficiency and the advancements in AR technology mean the solution will continue to offer additional benefits.

“Post and Parcel enterprises can’t expect to use the same old technology and workflows and be successful in this explosive age of e-commerce,” said Samuel Mueller, CEO of Scandit. “The powerful thing about mobile computer vision-enabled smart devices is that they empower Post and Parcel providers to take the barcode that’s already on every package and turn it into a tool that saves them money and supercharges their performance and efficiency. Our new point-of-view white paper explains how to make this happen.”

The white paper Mobile Computer Vision in the Post and Parcel Industry is available to read now and can be downloaded from Scandit’s website. You can see a video that showcases a number of the white papers topics below and for more on AR in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

Product visualization and website technology leader in the home furnishing industry, MicroD, have launched a 3D Room Planner and augmented reality (AR) application for Art Van Furniture, a Michigan-based Top 100 retailer. The program was introduced at the Spring High Point Market at the Art Van Furniture show space.

This came about thanks to Art Van Franchising searching for a new way to leverage the latest technology in their sales process to potential store owners and in turn, see an increase in sales and workplace efficiency. After MicroD had launched the 3D Visualzation and AR software in early 2017 and offered a virtual reality (VR) experience at Fall High Point Market last year as well, Art Van Furniture chose the company to customize a 3D solution for their franchise development. MicroD’s OmniVueXR 3D room planner and AR applications, along with MicroD’s capabilities for 3D model development, served as the platform for Art Van Furniture to launch their solution to a new, integrated sales process for their growing retail store owner customer base at market.

“You hear it across retail right now, ‘technology, technology, technology’ and our franchising customers are no different,” explains Drew Dolski, Director of Franchise Development, Art Van Furniture. “They want to be entertained and engaged just like a retail customer in a showroom. So, we need to show a different experience to our potential store owners than other businesses out there.”

By leveraging MicroD’s 3D room planner and 3D models to show potential retail store prospects a customized showroom filled with Art Van’s exclusive products. Thanks to the solution, the retail prospect can see the benefits of partnering with Art Van Franchising by building their showroom to include the exclusive product, in the form of high quality 3D models, from Art Van Franchising.

Thanks to the AR technology being used within the solution, Art Van Franchising retailers at market a able to provide a real-time view of their storefront with the addition of exclusive branded signage and banners made in the MicroD 3D platform.  “Every step of the sales process can be visualized and customized for the retailer using this 3D technology by MicroD,” says Keith Johns, Vice President of Operations, MicroD. “It is a very unique way to approach using 3D as part of a company’s growth strategy, and we’re excited to see it contribute to the goals of Art Van Franchising.”

Arts Van Franchising will be continuing to work with MicroD to provide their solution to customize, VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest.

Last week we played Echo Combat on our livestream, but this week it’s time for some Space Junkies action from Ubisoft instead. Both games are similar in that they are competitive zero-G shooters, but they have a lot of differences as well. For starters, Space Junkies has more weapon variety and is less objective focused.

Starting this week Space Junkies is entering a beta testing phase, but you need a key in order to gain access. During the livestream today we’ll be giving away four Oculus Home beta keys. The beta only lasts until July 2nd, so you’ll need to get your playtime in over the weekend. If you want a chance to grab a key for yourself, you’ll have to watch the livestream.

We’ll be livestreaming Space Junkies on PC using Rift with Touch starting very soon (which means we’ll start at approximately 3:00PM PT) and aim to last for about an hour or so. We’re going to use Restream to hit both YouTube and Twitch at the same time!

Embedded livestream coming soon

You can see our archived streams all in this one handy Livestream playlist over on the official UploadVR YouTube channel (which you should totally subscribe to by the way). We’re also rebooting our Twitch channel too.

Let us know which games you want us to livestream next and if you want to see more Space Junkies in the future. Comment with any feedback down below!

Tagged with: livestream, Space Junkies, ubisoft

The post Space Junkies Beta Key Giveaway Livestream: Zero-G VR FPS appeared first on UploadVR.

A number of industries and businesses have turned to immersive technology such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to aid in engaging with customers and audiences. ERA Real Estate is now joining the increasing number of real estate companies who are engaging with VR and AR.

The ARA Distinctive Properties platform allows users to view a property and virtually renovate it to their personal style, including tweaks to furnishings in order to help in the choice of home.

Users can change the flooring, swap countertops and paint colours and even change the outdoor landscaping. ERA Real Estate believe this will help buyers find a home that suits their lifestyle by immersing them fully in what a potential property will look like.

“Unlike other platforms, we have automated this process and scaled our technology across all Distinctive Propertiessm listings to enable ERA affiliated agents to provide highly personalized experiences in the luxury market with unique features like virtual staging, exterior design, and lead generation,” said Simon Chen, president and CEO of ERA Real Estate. “ERA has always been committed to showing the best properties available, but now clients can tailor those properties to their unique lifestyles with one of the most robust programs available.”

The ERA Distinctive Properties website has integrated interactive features in order to create a digital environment where buys can choose different design options by clicking on designated hot spots, with the option to ‘Click to buy’ the products and options they like most.

“When purchasing a home, it’s important that the buyer is able to visualize themselves living in the space, but sometimes a cosmetic detail can be a deal breaker,” continued Chen. “This AR and staging technology can illustrate the full potential of a property in a few easy clicks.”

For future coverage of new and innovative uses for VR and AR technology, keep checking back with VRFocus.

It’s an unusually quiet week across the three PC VR platforms. In fact we can only really find stuff to talk about on Vive this week. Sorry, Rift fans!

Esper, from Coatsink
Price: $7.99 (Vive)

One of the very first full VR games finally makes its way out of the Oculus ecosystem. In Esper you have telekinetic abilities that will be tested through a series of puzzles that will have you moving objects through pipes and more. It’s hardly essential but it’s a good bit of fun.

Nefertari: Journey to Eternity
Price: Free (Vive)

A pretty neat VR exploration app that virtually recreates an ancient Egyptian tomb with digital scanning. You’re free to roam around the remains and find highlighted paintings. Best of all? It’s completely free to download.

Tagged with: esper

The post The Biggest Rift, Vive And Windows VR Releases Of The Week 06/24/18 appeared first on UploadVR.

In it’s continued effort to use the latest technology to compete with other major retailers, Walmart have announced it will be introducing a new way for customers to shop on its site in the form of a virtual reality (VR) apartment experiences. Dubbed the 3D Virtual Shopping Tour, the experience allows customers to explore a virtual curated apartment that showcases a number of products which they can then purchase directly from the experience.

By taking a curated apartment that showcases the 70 or so different items in the best way, customers are treated to a nature and real-life shopping experience. As they move around the virtual tour a number of prompts will enable them to gain more details about the product along with finding a link to the purchase it from Walmart’s website. Including in the items are a number of private label offerings and national brands, ensuring their is a product for everyone within the virtual tour.

Because the experience is designed for use on the web, it means that users are able to explore the virtual apartment on their computer with a compatible web browser or immerse themselves in it using a mobile device and Google Cardboard or a Samsung Gear VR headset.

Walmart would be able to easily tailor the 3D Virtual Shopping Tour to fit the seasons and market trends by simply updating the experience with a newly curated apartment. Being able to showcase a large number of items at a given time as well, it makes it a value for money display which could even be installed into physical locations allowing the company to further maximise their floor and display space.

Walmart has continued to embrace the immersive technology in a number of ways including using VR to train their staff, which they announced last year. Now with the new 3D Virtual Shopping Tour, the company will be able to offer a more personal shopping experience for their customers shopping online which in turn could lead to increased sales.

Those looking to try out the new 3D Virtual Shopping Tour and see what products Walmart has curated for the experience can do so here. For more on Walmart and their uses of VR technology in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

The NES Classic will be back in stock at several online retailers on the morning of Friday, June 29 at its original launch price of $60. This won't last long, so if you want to get your paws on one, be prepared to act fast.

The post The NES Classic is finally back in stock — but it won’t last long appeared first on Digital Trends.

Nintendo's plug-and-play NES Classic system quickly sold out when it released in 2016, but the console is once again available online and in retail stores. Act quickly to avoid missing out!

The post After a scarce supply in 2016, the NES Classic is available again appeared first on Digital Trends.

The Crew 2 is an absolutely enormous game filled with several different vehicle types, including cars, boats, and planes. Here is what you need to know when you're first starting out.

The post ‘The Crew 2’ beginner’s guide appeared first on Digital Trends.

Not a big week in PSVR land, but there are two smaller titles that are worth checking out. That’s especially true if you’re a puzzle fan.

Esper, from Coatsink
Price: $7.99

One of the very first full VR games finally makes its way out of the Oculus ecosystem. In Esper you have telekinetic abilities that will be tested through a series of puzzles that will have you moving objects through pipes and more. It’s hardly essential but it’s a good bit of fun.

Salary Man Escape, from RAS
Price: $19.99

This looks like a pretty intriguing VR puzzle game. You help disgruntled salarymen escape their boring lives by manipulating blocks that open up passages. We can’t say that this is the sort of thing that definitely benefits from being in VR, but it is at least unlike anything else we’ve seen on the platform.

Tagged with: esper, Salary Man Escape

The post The Biggest PSVR Releases Of The Week 06/24/18 appeared first on UploadVR.

An observatory in Quebec, Canada is turning to immersive technology in order to give visitors a unique and enhanced view of the night sky by utilising augmented reality (AR) at its newly opened open-air AR planetarium, the ObservEtoiles.

The new planetarium can seat up to 190 guests in a mountain side amphitheatre which has been specially built for ObservEtoiles which has heated seats so that visitors can enjoy the show at any temperature while engaged with the AR-enhanced view of the sky.

Guests will be equipped with an AR headset from Aryzon, which will allow visitors to see the night sky, with a digital overlay that will show constellations along with the names of stars and other interesting information.

Aryzon launched its cardboard AR headset in 2017 with the aim of reducing the cost of entry to users who wish to enjoy AR content without the investment costs of high-end AR and mixed reality (MR) headsets like the Microsoft HoloLens.

The software for the AR experience is being provided by UK-based company Escapist Games, the creators of popular AR app Star Chart. Escapist Games have created a special version of its software for use by ObservEtoiles.

The AR experience is powered by the Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom, which uses its HD AMOLED display to provide a view of the night sky, over which guests will be able to see 17th Century illustrations of the sky, overlaid across the real stars and planets in a way that will not obstruct the view.

Further information will be provided to visitors by audio narration, with a voiceover recorded by Andrew Fazekas. The content for the app will be regularly updates so repeated visitors can get a new experience.

Further information about ObservEtoiles, including a special presentation video, can be found at the official website. For future coverage of new an innovative uses for AR technology, keep checking back with VRFocus.

In an on going move to use the latest in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technology to better prepare the capabilities of their forces, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) has announced a collaboration with industry partner Moback, Inc to research and investigate specialized AR and VR uses to enhance the U.S Navy’s fleet readiness.

The collaboration will specifically focus on the ways that AR and VR technology can be used to support naval training, maintenance, lifecycle engineering and product support. Future integration of the technology is panned to target long-distance support of shipboard technology and combat weapons systems as well as improving training efforts for the fleet.

“I’m excited for this partnership,” said NSWC PHD Commanding Officer, Capt. Ray Acevedo. “Working on AR and VR capabilities is critical to our fleet support mission and will allow us to significantly increase the lethal capabilities of our Navy.”

The partnership efforts of the NSWC PHD and Moback, Inc has been formalized through a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA). This becomes part of the on-going Naval Innovative Science and Engineering 219 AR technology research project. The research that will be carried out will not only ensure that the technology can be used to further the readiness of ships, staff and support but also allow for a chance to rework the training material as a whole.

By leveraging the immersive technology the U.S Navy will be able to provide more actuate and up-to-date training without the need for real-life models or setup. The virtual environment ensures that users are able to experience a one-to-one recreation of training materiel all while being fully engaged in the hands-on training.

“Moback’s efforts with AR and VR is a good technological fit for the work that PHD does,” said Mark Jue, science and innovation technology lead at NSWC PHD. “This CRADA will help our workforce build technical relationships with industry to develop augmented and virtual reality capabilities that meet fleet requirements.”

For all the latest on the ongoing research and development from Moback, Inc and the NSWC PHD as the collaboration continues, keep reading VRFocus.

Microsoft and Samsung have teamed up to put on a 48 hour WebXR Hackathon Challenge as part of the WebXR Week San Francisco. The event calls on those interested in developing immersive web based application for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (MR) by leveraging the web to build amazing experiences.

The event will allow developers, designers and artists to the Microsoft Reactor Studio for a full weekend of intensive WebXR fun. Offering the chance for people to expand what is possible with web technologies, the hackathon is a creative space that allows for experimenting and creation of new ideas all leveraging WebXR and immersive technologies. The event will have a number of categories for attendees to pick from and tackle including education/training, medical, social good, gaming/entertainment, and plenty more.

During the 48 hour period there will be opportunities for attendees to network with each other before getting straight into the action with team formation and playing their idea for the hackathon. Lunch and dinner is scheduled into the weekend and their will also be a round of presentations and judging to find the winning teams for each category and their creation over the 48 hour period.

Join Microsoft and Samsung for a 48 hour WebXR Hackathon Challenge on Friday, June 29, 2018 at 6:00 PM – Sunday, July 1, 2018 at 6:00 PM at the Microsoft Reactor Studio! Developers, Designers and Artists are welcome to join. https://t.co/bof7nFtWaF pic.twitter.com/8fnSgW0WKN

— Microsoft HoloLens (@HoloLens) June 28, 2018

The WebXR Hackathon Challenge is being sponsored by some big names including Microsoft, Samsung, and Mozillia. Part of the WebXR Week San Francisco, there have been a number of different events put on to offer developers, designers, entrepreneurs, companies, and community organizers to come together and put on a series of events all in celebration of WebXR and immersive technologies.

Back in May it was announced by Google that developers would be able to use the WebXR API within Chrome as the company made it a standard part of their popular web browser, enabling millions of users able to be able to enjoy immersive content.

The event will be starting today June 29th at 6:00 PM local time (PDT) and run through to Sunday, July 1st at 6:00 PM at the Microsoft Reactor Studio. For those are are interesting in attending the event you can find more details including, including the full schedule and tickets, over on the eventbrite page here.

For more on WebXR and all things immersive technology, keep reading VRFocus.

While the weeks after the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2018 tend to be a little slower when it comes to videogame news, Oculus has been fairly busy this week with several updates to its core platform, sculpting software Oculus Medium and Oculus for Business. To round the week of Oculus has unveiled its July roster of updates rolling out today, adding more social features, customisation options and more.

The updates are being pushed out through Oculus’ Public Test Channel (PTC) which means they’re not official just yet, and only available to those who’ve signed up to the channel.

First up Rift Core 2.0 – which launched in December 2017 – is getting social so users can hang out with friends inside Oculus Home. Explaining on the Oculus Blog the company states: “This initial release has basic functionality and will help us test the multiplayer infrastructure. Over the next several months, we’ll add more features and depth to make Home a great place to spend time with friends regardless of physical distance—and the perfect jumping off point to explore social VR content together.”

Other features being rolled out today that you can start testing include Group Hang-Outs where up to eight people can chill in the same Home, Broadcasting Oculus Desktop which adds experimental support for broadcasting embedded Dash panels and upgraded Oculus Avatars.

The avatar customisation has been improved with new hair, skin shading, clothing, and eyewear design options. Oculus Avatars don’t just appear in Oculus Home but in several videogames as well, including Brass Tactics, Epic Rollercoasters, REFLEX UNIT, SportsBar VR, and Drop Dead. Additionally, Oculus has added an ‘Avatar Editor’ mirror in the Special Items section of the inventory that can be placed anywhere in the Home space.

Fine tuning the platform even further beta language support has been added for Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), and Swedish. Plus, for those who don’t like teleporting new movement options like Walk Mode and Smooth Turning are now available. As Oculus continues to improve its platform, VRFocus will keep you informed.

Reports claim that Google could be planning to enter the game console space with its own streaming-based platform. The service will reportedly function similarly to GeForce Now. Here's everything we know.

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Oculus is rolling out an update to its public test channel which turns Oculus Home into a social experience. Rift owners can invite up to seven friends to share their virtual home.

The update should allow people to stream their Windows desktop to others for co-watching, much like startup Bigscreen has been doing since 2016. This sort of functionality built into the core of the Rift system and available to all users, however, could make meeting up with friends in VR both easier and more useful. (Bigscreen is useful because its service can connect people across VR headsets from different manufacturers.)

From an Oculus blog post:

Up to eight people can hang out in the same Home at the same time! For now, your Home is locked for editing when you have visitors over, but we’ll enable object interactivity for multiplayer in a future release.

Look for the update in the public test channel.

Tagged with: rift

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A new video has been released showing off closed alpha footage for Battlefield V, including a look at the building system that allows players to reinforce areas of the map. The full game is out this October.

The post Early ‘Battlefield V’ closed alpha gameplay is simply breathtaking appeared first on Digital Trends.

Virtual reality (VR) development studio MyDearest Inc are getting ready for the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for Tokyo Chronos, a title that the studio describes as being a ‘VR mystery novel’. Attendees at Anime Expo 2018 will also get the chance to learn more about the title with a playable demo and panel discussion.

Tokyo Chronos is a character-based VR visual novel that uses the immersion of VR to involve the player in the story. The creators behind the project have been involved in several well-known properties such as Sword Art Online and CLANNAD.

The creators are planning on launching the Kickstarter campaign on 10th July. It has not yet been confirmed how much the team are attempting to raise, but some of the creative team, including director Haruki Kashiwakura and producer Kazuma Miki say they will be keeping backers and fans informed on new developments during the campaign, including information on characters and voice actors, as well as insights into the development process.

Those who are lucky enough to attend Anime Expo 2018 will be able to try out an exclusive playable demo of the title by visiting the South Hall, Booth #4418. Some of the creators of the project will also be present to discuss Tokyo Chronos as part of a panel titled: New Era of Visual Novel: Dive Into the Screen with VR Technology.

Very little is currently known about Tokyo Chronos, a brief, tantalising synopsis is all that has been unveiled so far concerning the plot, reading as follows:

When, and why, have we become separated?

A group of eight childhood friends —

The time has come for the truth to be revealed.

Trapped in an empty, deserted Shibuya where time has frozen over.

A strange world where the eight disappear one by one.

— I am dead. Who killed me?

If crowdfunding is successful, Tokyo Chronos is expected to be released in early 2019 for Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, PlayStation VR and HTC Vive. VRFocus will be sure to bring you further updates as they becomes available.

Developer of the hugely popular Pokémon GO, Niantic Labs, has taken to Twitter to showcase a new prototype that the company have been working dubbed Codename: Neon. The title, showcase in a short video posted on the new Niantic Engineering Twitter account, is a multiplayer augmented reality (AR) gaming experience that allows for intense neon filled battles.

Codename: Neon leverages cross-platform AR technology that has been built using low-latency AR networking techniques to allow for eight players to run a shared session. This session then allows for multiplayer, first-person shooter battles to be played in which allow for each user to fire neon orbs at each other, earning points and competing for the highest score in real-time.

The prototype facilitates high performance shared AR experiences along with cross-platform technology. The gameplay session seen in the below video was recorded on both Apple iPhone 8’s and Google Pixel 2 smart phones, running in conjunction to each other in the same session. This functionality brings a new level of possibilities to the world of crossplatform AR gaming and is a milestone for both the company and the technology.

Writing on their blog post about their new Niantic Real World Platform, Niantic Labs mention that one of the biggest challenges to overcome in creating multiplayer, visually compelling expertness was latency. Without the correct timing their is no way to build an experience that can be enjoyed by all those taking part to the same degree. To address this, Niantic Labs have developed a proprietary, low-latency AR networking solution that enables unified, cross-platform play with a singe code base, ensuring development is fast and easy.

The develop note that the Niantic Real World Platform could be used for a wide range of different application, they are focusing their efforts on building gaming experiences to showcase its power for now.

Codename: Neon comes hot off the heels that Niantic Labs had acquired Matrix Mill to advance their AR platform. With the success of their first title Ingress and now the ever growing Pokémon GO, it is no surprise that Niantic Labs are using their position to develop new and exciting AR opportunities and build a powerful platform as a foundation for future titles.

You can see the demonstration of Codename: Neon below and for more on Niantic Labs in the future keep reading VRFocus.

With three exciting Pokémon GO events coming up just around the corner the Pokémon Company and Niantic Labs has revealed a number of new global challenges for those unable to attend the upcoming events in person. These Professor Williow’s Global Challenges will give trainers around the world a chance to work together to complete a number of different tasks and unlock a range of different rewards.

During the weekends of Pokémon GO‘s special live events, with the Pokémon GO Safari Zone, Dortmund, taking place this weekend June 30th until July 1st, players all around the world will be able to complete Field Research together. For the purpose of the challenges, the global community has been split into four different areas: the Americas; Europe, the Middle-East, and Africa; Asia-Pacific; and the main research site, which will be the location of the live event.

Each of these live events will have four different challenges that need to be completed by the global community which will each offer a different reward, with a bonus reward being unlocked if the four challenges are beaten. To make the offering a bit more sweet there is an ultra bonus reward that can be unlocked if all twelve challenges are completed and their respective bonus unlocked.

For the Pokémon GO Safari Zone, Dortmund, trainers at the event are tasked with competing 100,000 research tasks with the other three regions needing to compete 5,000,000 research tasks each. Completing these tasked with unlock their respective region-specific reward such as bonus catch experience or raid experience. During the Pokémon GO Fest 2018, Chicago, the the event site and regions are tasked with the same challenges but rewards including candies and eggs. Finally, with the upcoming Pokémon GO Safari Zone, Yokosuka, the challenges remain the same but the rewards are all stardust related.

This global challenges offer trains a great way to work together for a common goal along with allowing those unable to attend the live event a way to celebrate the popular augmented reality (AR) title locally. As mentioned, should every challenge be competed their will be a ultra bonus made available to everyone at a later date which has yet to be revealed.

Pokémon GO is available to download now for both Android and iOS devices and for more on the title in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

A number of retail brands and companies have begun to use augmented reality (AR) in various ways, from advertising to product demonstration. A number of analysts have predicted that AR will begin to change the retail landscape. Perhaps in recognition of this, PayPal have filed a patents for an AR shopping experience.

The recently approved patent is titled ‘Augmented Reality View of Product Instructions’. As reported by CNBC, the description portrays a customer using AR smartglasses linked to PayPal, which allow customers to purchase items by simply viewing a product and then selecting from a menu.

For example, a customer could be out and about and sees something like a lamp or pair of shoes, that they would like to buy. By simply looking at the item and selecting ‘Buy now’ the customer would be able to select and buy the requested product and have it delivered to their home, entirely from within the AR environment.

“In a system for presenting augmented reality views of product instructions a method may include receiving a request from a client device, the request including image data,” PayPal writes in the patent. “The method may further include identifying an object in the image data and generating an augmented reality view of the identified object. The method may further include transmitting the augmented reality view to the client device.”

Though currently entirely theoretical, the idea behind the patent is to compress the online shopping process into something that might be even simpler and easier than Amazon’s famous ‘One-click ordering’ process.

Research shows that PayPal is behind over 60% of online transactions in the world, and in 2017 reported over $13 billion (USD) in revenue. Technology such as that suggested in the patent could drive even more transactions towards PayPal.

For future coverage on AR technology is being utilised, keep checking back with VRFocus.

Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore may have multi-million-user installed bases, but so does Niantic’s Pokémon Go, the first hit augmented reality game. Now Niantic plans to offer its custom AR software to other developers as the Real World Platform, and is teasing advanced features that go beyond the capabilities of Apple’s and Google’s development kits.

Already used in Pokémon GO, Ingress, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the Real World Platform is an evolving software engine that adds digital characters and shared social experiences to real-world map data. Niantic has recently bolstered the AR platform’s development team by acquiring computer vision specialist companies Escher Reality and Matrix Mill (which also has machine learning expertise).

Matrix Mill’s machine learning will power one of the Real World Platform’s upcoming tricks — a realtime AR occlusion engine. As demonstrated, the feature enables 3D versions of Pikachu and Eevee to disappear behind real world objects and people, even as both the camera and people move. Niantic is using a machine-trained neural network to determine which objects should be considered “foreground” or “background” versus the AR characters.

On current AR platforms, AR characters are merely superimposed on top of live camera video, so they cannot hide behind real-world objects. The reason for that is the amount of processing power necessary to make occlusion work in real time may be prohibitive on at least some current devices. The demo’s frame rate is not high enough to be fully smooth, and Niantic hasn’t said when the feature will actually come to the Real World Platform.

Another AI-assisted feature will be object recognition. By training the platform to recognize certain items, objects in the environment could automatically trigger AR events. For instance, if the AI spots flowers in a video, an AR bee could appear.

Last but not least, Niantic addressed shared AR spaces, which Google and Apple have recently updated their platforms to support. Niantic says that it has developed new “proprietary, low-latency AR networking techniques” to help multiple people enjoy a shared AR experience across different platforms using a single code base.

Developers interested in applying for access to the Real World Platform can do so at this sign-up page. Niantic says it will select a handful of developers to gain access to the tools later this year.

This article by Jeremy Horwitz originally appeared on VentureBeat.

Tagged with: niantic, pokemon go

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If you have been keeping up with the many different Star Wars videogames that have been in development in recent years then you might recall the news last October of publisher Electronic Arts (EA) closing down developer Visceral Games. This news meant that the studios Star Wars project led by Uncharted creator Amy Hennig – codenamed Ragtag – was in a state of limbo along with the staff who had were now without a job. Speaking recently with Eurogamer, Amy Hennig has revealed more on the events of last October along with what she plans to do next.

Hennig reveals in the interview that she had in fact left the company back in January of this year and is in the process of starting up her own, independent studio with a strong interest in developing virtual reality (VR) content. “I’m working independently and staying independent.” Hennig explains: “I just started my own small little independent studio and am consulting with some people. I’m hoping to bring some people on board, I would love to have a little company of about six to eight people, 15 at the most, and do some more projects, do some VR stuff – I’m consulting with some VR companies and doing a ton of research because I haven’t played a lot to immerse myself in it.”

Though she has nothing to announce at the minute in regards to this new studio, it is exciting to know that Hennig is looking to explore creative possibilities within virtual space. Having a long and successful career in the videogame industry working on titles such as the Uncharted and Legacy of Kain series’s, her talent will be interesting to see within VR.

Of course, the news of Hennig leaving EA does not hold well for Ragtag which after the closure of Visceral Games show the project being moved to EA Vancouver. Many have questioned if the title will still make it to see the light of day and if so, will it be in the same style that Hennig was hoping for. Sadly, it is bad news as Hennig explains: “The Vancouver studio is working on something pretty different. It’s really not… Y’know, once you go more open world it’s such a different game to the one we were making. Everybody loved what we were doing and I’d love to see us resurrect that somehow, but it’s complicated.”

As EA continue to keep a tight lid on Ragtag, whatever state or form it is in, it seems that it won’t be the same now that Hennig has left the company altogether. As she continues to set up her own company and explore the creative reaches of VR, VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest so stay tuned for more. You can see and hear a bit more about Ragtag in the below video.

Fighting games have been a mainstay of e-sports since the very early days. The fighting videogame fan community is large and dedicated, many of them veterans from the days of the original Street Fighter 2. Some fellow travellers in that community have set out to try and create a fighting game completely built fro virtual reality (VR).

Virtual Fighting Championship is being created to be a VR PvP fighting game which lets players use jabs, hooks and crossovers to take out opponents in a virtual cage fighting experience.

The purpose of the title is to allow players to take on other real world players, meaning players would not be facing off against algorithmically-controlled AI opponents, but instead would be matched with other players.

The experience of Virtual Fighting Championship uses room-scale tracking to let players move around the arena to get into the best tactical position. In addition to the standard moves you might expect for boxing, there are also special moves that can be unleashed, functioning similarly to how the famous ‘hadoken’ in Street Fighter 2.

Each different avatar character has its own characteristics which allows for players to pick a character which matches their preferred play style. The currently revealed characters include Karl who unleashes powerful punches, Poison who uses a venomous gas to disable opponents and Fala who uses an electric chakram to take out those who stand in her way.

The developers at independent studio L&L say there will be more characters added to the roster in future.

The title is planned to appear on Steam Early Access for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on 14th July, 2018, with ambitions for a full release after roughly six months. The Early Access version will have three completed characters and special abilities with LAN local multiplayer or p2p match-making.

Further information can be found on the Steam store page. VRFocus will bring you further information as it becomes available.

Yesterday we finally found out the release date for Oculus Studios’ Marvel Powers United VR, launching on Rift on July 26th. Now we know when we’ll find out more about the game, though.

Powers United will be featured during the Marvel Games Panel on July 19th at San Diego Comic-Con this year. Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller will host the Hall H panel that will also include a look at Marvel’s mobile games and the upcoming PS4 exclusive Spider-Man game from Insomniac. Oculus is promising to bring along a new trailer for the show.

Hopefully that means some new character reveals are in store for the show. Yesterday Oculus announced that the king of Wakanda, Black Panther himself, was joining the fight alongside the likes of Thor and Deadpool, but there’s still so many other characters we want to be included in the game. Surely Iron Man and Captain America are going to get a spot, right?

We’d assume the game will actually be playable there too but that’s not confirmed yet.

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