November 2020

November 30, 2020 ,

The developer of the newly-released VR horror game Hinge is working on fixing performance issues right now, with the aim of getting an update out this week.

Hinge caught people’s attention — including ours — for its impressive visuals and VR-centric design. We got to try out the first episode early and found some promising hints for a great game hidden within. However, we encountered some performance issues trying the game out on two rigs, and it seems others have found the same. Check out our first gameplay video below to see what we mean.

In fact, the game currently holds a ‘Mostly Negative’ rating on Steam with many of the 20 reviews citing similar performance concerns. Based on what we’ve played, the current build of Hinge struggles to maintain a consistent framerate — an especially big problem for a VR game — and some environments don’t fully load until you’ve already taken a few steps into them.

Speaking to UploadVR, however, developer Arcadia confirmed that it’s working on those issues “right now” and aims to have a fix live this Friday.

We’d definitely recommend holding off until the patch is live to see if Arcadia can make meaningful improvements to the game, then. Hinge still has issues, like a lack of direction and explanation making it hard to really work out how best to play, but its visual style and tense atmosphere definitely suggest it could one day be a decent game.

Will you be checking out Hinge once this patch is live? Let us know in the comments below!



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 30, 2020 ,
A Rogue Escape

There are a lot of good virtual reality (VR) titles slated to arrive in 2021, from Lone Echo II and Hitman 3 to Maskmaker and Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall. Spare Parts Oasis and Armor Games Studios’ A Rogue Escape is the latest to be revealed, an escape room experience set inside a giant mech.

A Rogue Escape

A Rogue Escape is based on Spare Parts Oasis’ first title Nauticrawl, with the team enlisting the help of VR studio, Sylphe Labs, to reimagine the mechs interior as an immersive, inhabitable space.

You find themselve as a fugitive who has commandeered a giant mech to flee a hostile planet, the only problem, you’ve got no idea what all the buttons, levers and instrument panels mean or how they operate. To do so you need to discover field notes from fallen pilots as you look to master 5 distinct control centers within the colossal machine.

“With A Rogue Escape, I had the rare chance to reimagine my indie game Nauticrawl, not just as a port on another platform. A complete reinvention of something that now seems like it was always meant to be experienced in VR,” said Spare Parts Oasis’ Andrea Interguglielmi in a statement.

A Rogue Escape

As well as figuring out all the various systems to make the mech move and get you off-world you’ll have to wheel and deal with dodgy merchants along the way. Due to the cramped nature of the mech’s cockpit, A Rogue Escape is playable standing or sitting, requiring little space to move around.

Ahead of next year’s launch Spare Parts Oasis and Armor Games Studios are looking for beta testers. If you’re interested in trying A Rogue Escape to help iron out the gameplay then sign up here.

Supporting Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest 1 & 2, HTC Vive and Valve Index, A Rogue Escape arrives via the Oculus Store and SteamVR sometime in 2021. Take a look at the first trailer below and for further updates, keep reading VRFocus.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 30, 2020 ,

According to developer Vertigo Games, around one in ten VR players owns a copy of Arizona Sunshine.

Marketing Director Kimara Rouwit said as much to MCV in a recent interview. “When we launched Arizona Sunshine, back in 2016, we hoped that it would become the game that it is now,” Rouwit explained, “most recently, the numbers are around one in every ten VR players owns a copy of Arizona Sunshine.”

This is a pretty extraordinary figure, even for a game like Arizona that saw success out of the gates when it launched on PC VR headsets in 2016. It’s a first-person shooter (FPS) set in a post-apocalyptic world in which zombies have overrun humanity. Unlike most of its competitors, Arizona Sunshine offered a full single-player campaign and multiplayer options whilst making full use of 6DOF tracking. The game generated $1.4 million in revenue in its first month of sales and won our first ever Game of the Year award.

Since then, Arizona has enjoyed ports to PSVR and, much more recently, Oculus Quest, along with multiple DLC expansions and arcade iterations. That post-launch support hadn’t been planned from the start according to Rouwit: “So that was like the dream. But realistically, that wasn’t what we had expected. we didn’t expect this amount of success. So, to be honest, we didn’t really plan for a service model with Arizona Sunshine, because nobody knew how big the player base was that you might be servicing.”

Vertigo Games is no doubt hoping to see similar success with its next big VR game, After The Fall, a cooperative shooter not too far off from Arizona’s foundations. The game’s been MIA throughout 2020 and was recently delayed to 2021. Vertigo itself was recently acquired by Koch Media, and continues to work on VR projects including publishing upcoming titles like Traffic Jams.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 30, 2020 ,

As if ghost hunting wasn’t scary enough, you can now do it behind bars – a new prison level is available in beta for Phasmophobia.

Earlier in the month we found out that a new prison level would be coming to the game, and now just over two weeks later you can try it out yourself. It’s not in full release just yet – it’s still in beta, so expect a fair amount of bugs.

If you do play through the level, the developer is encouraging users to join the Phasmophobia Discord server and report any bugs in the #beta-bug-reports channel.

To switch to the beta build of Phasmophobia, make sure the game is closed and right-click on it on Steam, select Properties and then go to the Beta tab. In there, you should be able to select ‘Beta – Unstable Build’ which will give you access to the prison level in-game. Usually map selection is random, but the beta build will allow you to pick the prison map specifically.

Phasmophobia has been one of this year’s break-out success games, launching in Early Access in September. While the early access period was initially planned to be quite short, the developer has now said that it will stay there a bit longer as the unexpected popularity of the game has resulted in a shift of focus.

The game sees you and up to 3 others work together to identify types of ghosts haunting different maps, using various equipment and evidence. David and I tried the game out live on the UploadVR YouTube channel a few weeks ago and had a great time. The game has optional VR support, so David played on Quest 2 via Virtual Desktop and I just played on PC, while monitoring YouTube comments.

Phasmophobia is available in Early Access now on Steam and is 10% off until December 1 as part of the Steam Autumn Sale.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 30, 2020 ,
Pistol Whip 2089

Tomorrow, Cloudhead Games will release its biggest singular update for popular rhythm-action title Pistol Whip. Simply called Pistol Whip 2089 the free content update takes a new step with the creation of a story-driven campaign and you can see it action right now.

Pistol Whip 2089

Pistol Whip 2089 tells the tale of “a plague of killer androids has overrun an off-world colony, leaving only one hero with the mettle needed to shut it all down.” Taking on the role of John Asimov you get to gun down and pistol whip deadly robotic enemies in classic Pistol Whip style, with a thumping synth-wave inspired soundtrack.

In Pistol Whip’s other gameplay all the individual levels are called scenes, each with its own unique tune and vibrant visual style. Pistol Whip 2089 is essentially five scenes all linked together, with some awesome artwork linking each one from comic artist Fico Ossio (G.I.JOE, Transformers, TMNT, Spider-Man) alongside Asimov’s narration.

So not to spoil the entire campaign – which isn’t overly long being 5 scenes – VRFocus has recorded the gameplay from one level, the third in fact, so be aware there are spoilers. This scene was chosen as it doesn’t ruin too much of the overall campaign but it does showcase the new ‘Metal Mincer’ gun. This piece of destructive weaponry is aptly named because it fires up to four rounds in a single burst, great for multiple single hit enemies or those with more armour plating.

Pistol Whip 2089

For these new scenes, Cloudhead Games has employed tracks from Black Tiger Sex Machine, Draeden, Processor, and an exclusive remix from Magic Sword. This all helps to serve up a campaign that’s going to please a lot of Pistol Whip fans, likely leaving them wanting more.

Pistol Whip 2089 arrives for Oculus Quest/Quest 2 and PC VR headsets tomorrow, whilst the PlayStation VR version will follow in Q1, 2021. This will be Pistol Whip’s last update of the year with Cloudhead Games working on ‘our next massive, game-changing update, Concierge’ for a Spring 2021 release.

Check out the gameplay video below, and for further Pistol Whip announcements, keep reading VRFocus.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 30, 2020 ,

The 2089 update to Pistol Whip arrives December 1 with a pulse-pounding 5-act campaign added to the hit arcade shooter.

The update rounds out what we already reviewed as a 5/5 game at release a year ago. Developer Cloudhead Games regularly updates the title with new scenes and gameplay elements, with the previous update adding new modifiers that change the feel of the game in significant ways.

With 2089 — which comes to PC VR and Quest first with PSVR support in 2021 — Cloudhead is challenging players who already found their rhythm with the core arcade elements to see if they can keep their adrenaline going across several songs and scenes. At least, that’s how I saw it after beating the campaign on hard in less than an hour. Cloudhead recommends some experience with the arcade portion of the game before attempting the campaign and I certainly had that covered, so your mileage may vary of course.

2089’s story is delivered by a combination of voice acting and comic book-like immersive illustrations made by artist Fico Ossio. The illustrations string together the moments between scenes — they’re just long enough to give you time to catch your breath — and the voice acting is pretty strong as well. A couple of the scenes destroyed me repeatedly, but only in that very particular way Pistol Whip developers seem to be honing in on with each update. In other words, losing just made me angrier and move a little quicker until I beat it.

You can see the start of the 2089 story in the video below, if you don’t mind the spoilers:

One of the act focuses on a rapid-fire gun that sprays the world in bullets while another act offers you no bullets at all. Are you ready to Pistol Whip your way through that one?

The cinematic campaign is described as the game’s “first-ever”, so there’s hope that 2089 will eventually be joined by other narratives.

Cloudhead says its next major update, Concierge, will be out in Spring 2021. We don’t know what that update will entail just yet. 2089 is Cloudhead’s last update for Pistol Whip this year.

You can get Pistol Whip on the Oculus Store or Steam and look for the update arriving soon.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 30, 2020 ,
Oculus Quest 2

With all the Black Friday deals now over Cyber Monday is the last day for those after a good price. There might not be any hardware discounts from Oculus but if you own an Oculus Quest or Quest 2 then you can increase your content library with some last minute offers.

Oculus Quest - Cyber Monday

The Oculus Store has three videogame bundles at varying prices, offering a decent selection of titles. At the top of the group is the Essentials Pack for £59.99 GBP. This features Job Simulator, Trover Saves the Universe, Waltz of the Wizard: Extended Edition, Gun Club VR, Please, Don’t Touch Anything, and Death Horizon: Reloaded. Like any Oculus bundle, if you already own one or more of those videogames then the price will reduce accordingly.

Then there’s the Epic Pack for £33.99 which features Eleven Table Tennis, The Thrill of the Fight, Richie’s Plank Experience, and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. Lastly, Star Wars: Vader Immortal Series Pack which has all three episodes returns after originally popping up for Black Friday, still retailing for £14.99.

All these offers run until 11:59 pm PT which is 07:59 am GMT here in the UK, so there’s plenty of time to mull the purchase over.

Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series - PSVR

If there isn’t anything in those bundles which catches your eye then there are a few single titles discounted as well.

And let’s not forget that if you’ve bought an Oculus Quest 2 then you’re eligible for a free copy of Oculus Rift title Asgard’s Wrath until 31st January 2021. For all the latest Oculus Quest updates, keep reading VRFocus.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 30, 2020 ,

A new announcement trailer for upcoming VR title A Wake Inn sets the tone for the spooky horror game and gives us a peek at some of wheelchair-based gameplay mechanic that we learned about earlier this month.

As you can see in the trailer, it starts out with an extended narrated sequence talking about how exceptional the human species is and how they are the only species that has managed to convert energy to “go beyond their natural abilities.”

However, things quickly take a turn for a darker tone after the narrator introduces his “discovery”, called the Pneuma. It looks to be some kind of steampunk, early 19th-century electronic device, which the narrator says is “what makes living beings alive” and can “set machines in motion … and allow them to carry out their own commands.”

Here’s a description of the story provided by the developers, VR Bros:

Players will play as an abandoned mannequin that needs to find out who they are, why they ended up in the hotel, and who is the mysterious voice that’s guiding them along the way. Is it time for the player to take revenge on their maker and set themselves free, or perhaps they’re just a puppet being pulled by its strings?

The developers noted that they expect the experience to take around 5-6 hours.

If you’re looking for more gameplay-focused footage, we have an extended almost 20-minute look a few weeks ago. The unique pull of A Wake Inn is that you’ll play the entire game seated in a virtual wheelchair, which you can control and use to move around the VR world.

A Wake Inn is scheduled to release in ‘early 2021’ during Q1 for PC VR with support for all major headsets, and is available to wishlist on Steam now.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 30, 2020 ,

Oculus Cyber Monday deals are now live for Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 games, with both bundle and individual game sales including titles like Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted, Vader Immortal and In Death: Unchained.

There are 3 bundles and then a few individual sales, with savings ranging from around 15-40% off.

The “Essentials Pack” includes Job Simulator, Trover Saves the Universe, Waltz of the Wizard, Gun Club VR, Please, Don’t Touch Anything and Death Horizon: Reloaded for $79.99. That’s 26% off, down from a total of $109.94 when bought together at full price.

The “Epic Pack” is a bit smaller, including Eleven Table Tennis, Thrill of the Fight, Richie’s Plank Experience and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes for $44.99. That’s a discount of 24%, down from what would normally be a combined price of $59.96.

There’s also the Vader Immortal pack, which includes all three episodes of Vader Immortal for $19.99, a discount of 33% down from $29.97.

In terms of individual apps, the following are on sale:

– Angry Birds: 30% off, $10.49 (from $14.99)

– Arizona Sunshine: 20% off, $31.99 (from $39.99)

– Creed: Rise to Glory: 30% off, $20.99 (from $29.99)

– Espire 1: VR Operative: 15% off, $25.49 (from $29.99)

– FitXR: 25% off, $22.49 (from $29.99)

– Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted: 20% off, $23.99 (from $29.99)

– In Death: Unchained: 20% off, $23.99 (from $29.99)

– Mini Motor X Racing: 25% off, $18.47 (from $24.99)

– OrbusVR: Reborn: 25% off, $14.99 (from $19.99)

– Sports Scramble: 25% off, $22.49 (from $29.99)

– The Room VR: 20% off, $23.99 (from $29.99)

– Tokyo Chronos: 40% off, $23.99 (from $39.99)

– Trover Saves the Universe: 20% off , $23.99 (from $29.99)

– Wander: 20% off, $7.99 (from $9.99)

The sales started yesterday, right when many of the Black Friday sales ended. These Cyber Monday sales will run for just over 24 hours, until 11:59pm PST tomorrow, November 30.

If you want to check out other Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, be sure to check out our post detailing all of the major VR deals this year, some of which are still running.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 30, 2020 ,

Universal Studios Japan’s new Super Nintendo World opens in February and we’re already jealous of it and its AR Mario Kart game.

The park offered a tiny glimpse of the new attraction, which opens on February 4th, today. The world is entirely themed around the company’s beloved creations, including a Mario Kart ride that uses AR headsets. Bloomberg has an early look at the attraction in the video below.

We couldn’t tell you exactly which AR headset that is but we definitely approve of the Mario branding. A roughly translated press release explains that guests will “throw the swords they got from the item box” in the ride, so it looks like the AR element will be interactive.  The ride is on-rails and seemingly pits two karts against each other.

Super Nintendo World Mario Kart AR

Interestingly this is the third time we’ve seen Mario Kart paired with VR and AR tech. A few years back Bandai Namco brought the series to VR headsets in arcades with an incredible, short experience. And just last month Nintendo launched Mario Kart Live, a Nintendo Switch AR game that uses cameras on RC cars to turn living rooms into virtual race tracks. The potential to see the company expand its VR and AR offerings through location-based entertainment is certainly intriguing.

Will you be heading to Super Nintendo World whenever it’s safe to do so? Let us know in the comments below!



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 29, 2020 ,

Do we have a new contender for the most anticipated VR game of 2021? I think we do – Dolphin Trainer VR is coming in the new year.

Due in Q2 for PC VR headsets, Dolphin Trainer VR is the latest from Forestlight Games, and published by sim genre regulars, PlayWay (also behind the recently-released House Flipper). In the game, you start out as a wannabe dolphin trainer, yourself learning the ropes. As you progress, you’ll get to spend more time with your aquatic companion, performing new tricks together. Check out the (CG-looking) trailer below.

Dolphin Trainer VR Is A Real Game

Yes, the trailer does indeed suggest you’ll be able to brush a dolphin’s teeth. I’m sure that’s someone’s VR dream, right?

Forestlight notes that you’ll first be looking to complete a bachelor’s degree before going on to earn a scuba certification. After that, you’ll get to practice simple tasks and even get a job as a trainer.

But then the Steam description for the game takes a turn – your fifth and final step will be to lead the dolphins to freedom.

“Taking captive wild animals, especially so intelligent ones, is not a good thing,” the description reads. “You knew that from the beginning. You know how to talk to them, you know the topography of the terrain, it’s time to free the dolphins.”

Is it just me or is this starting to sound pretty epic? Currently, there’s no actual gameplay to go off, so we can’t really judge yet. We’ll be sure to bring you more as soon as we have it, though.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 29, 2020 ,
VR Job Hub

Every weekend VRFocus gathers together vacancies from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industry, in locations around the globe to help make finding that ideal job easier. Below is a selection of roles that are currently accepting applications across a number of disciplines, all within departments and companies that focus on immersive entertainment.

Location Company Role Link
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Client Implementation Art Consultant Click Here to Apply
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Senior Vehicle Artist Click Here to Apply
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Senior Software Engineer Click Here to Apply
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Associate Technical Director Click Here to Apply
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Graphics Engineer Click Here to Apply
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Tools Engineer Click Here to Apply
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Graduate Software Engineer Click Here to Apply
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Full Stack Web Engineer Click Here to Apply
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Senior Back End Developer Click Here to Apply
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Zerolight Senior Developer Click Here to Apply
St Albans, UK Rewind Lead Web Programmer Click Here to Apply
St Albans, UK Rewind Senior C++ Programmer Click Here to Apply
St Albans, UK Rewind Senior Network Programmer Click Here to Apply
St Albans, UK Rewind Senior UE4 Programmer Click Here to Apply
Vancouver, Canada Cloudhead Games General Manager Click Here to Apply
Vancouver, Canada Cloudhead Games Junior to Intermediate Engineer Click Here to Apply
Vancouver, Canada Cloudhead Games Junior to Intermediate Tools Engineer Click Here to Apply

Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hub to check as well.

If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).

We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 29, 2020 ,

Here’s one that slipped under our radar – the PC VR version of Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash is already available on Viveport, and is coming soon to SteamVR.

The VR adaptation of the cult rhythm action game launched on HTC’s Viveport Infinity subscription service on November 20th. That means you can get access to the title via the monthly subscription that allows you to play a whole heap of other VR games too. This version of the game is compatible with just about every PC VR headset – Rifts, Vives, Index and even Windows Mixed Reality should be covered.

But what if you don’t want to use Viveport? Well the game’s coming soon to SteamVR, launching on December 9th according to the official website. It’ll cost $24.99 on the platform.

Space Channel 5 VR has already done the rounds on both PSVR and Oculus Quest, having launched on the former back in February of this year. While it was great to see an obscure fan-favorite series return in VR, we thought the gameplay was far too basic and the content far too thin to warrant a hefty asking price.

“Space Channel 5 VR should have been a glorious return to form, but this cult hit series can’t keep up with the beat set by its competitors,” we said in our 2/5 review. “The surprisingly brief campaign coasts on by without ever pushing your skills and, once it’s over, there’s very little else to do. Ulala and co are long overdue a return to the main stage, but this isn’t it.”

Will you be checking our Space Channel 5 on PC VR? Let us know in the comments below!



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 28, 2020 ,

Earlier this week we reported that VR support for Microsoft Flight Simulator will be coming in December. But, not only is it coming out soon, it’s coming to all SteamVR headsets at the same time.

When VR support for Flight Simulator was first confirmed back in July, developed Asobo stated it would first arrive for Windows Mixed Reality headsets, launching alongside the new HP Reverb G2 itself. Support for other devices, the developer said, would follow along from there.

Microsoft Flight Sim VR No Longer Timed Exclusive

However, in the same livestream that confirmed a December launch window earlier this week, the developer confirmed the game is now coming to all headsets at the same time. “It will be open to all devices,” Executive Producer Martial Bossard confirmed. “Oculus family, Valve family – every family of headset is going to be supported.” It’s not clear if the game will actually be launching on the Oculus Store but, either way, we’d expect that support to be included in the SteamVR version of the game.

The ongoing private beta for Flight Simulator’s VR support did already do a phased testing approach that started with just WMR headsets, so there was at least some timed exclusivity for that platform, but not exactly the type we were expecting.

The update will be going live “towards the end of December” according to the studio, with a video outlining the VR support on December 17th. Beyond that, the game’s new World Update will give the UK a makeover in January. Will you be checking out Flight Sim VR support? Let us know in the comments below!



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 28, 2020 ,

Here VR, quite literally, hits home. An adaptation of the 2014 Richard McQuire graphic novel — which itself was first realized in a 1989 comic strip — it’s a VR experience in which the humans are the supporting cast, the starring spotlight instead placed upon the four walls that house them.

It opens to a cosy, if relatively drab living room, but quickly catapults you into a rather amazing journey.

Here VR Hits Home

Suddenly, windows into seemingly other worlds start to encroach upon the room. They give you slight cause for concern until you peer through and realize that they are in fact showing you the exact same location at a completely different point in time. Characters drop in and out of existence, perhaps just taking their first steps into their new home, preparing to leave it or pretty much anything in between.

Good news is celebrated, warm memories are shared and occasional upsets are revealed. At one point you even slingshot back to a time long before the house and surrounding neighborhood even existed. Crucially, each new time period feels authentically realized, and the power of VR truly transports you to different eras of personal history on the fly. I’ve only seen the first part of Here, but I was struck by its intimate portrayal of lives lived, revolved around this (almost) ever-present anchor. It has a texture and tangible history, making it completely unlike the VR homes and hangouts we build for ourselves.

Stitching together this multi-faceted narrative, as you might’ve guessed, was no easy task.

Here is the latest VR experience from Lysander Ashton and the team at 59 Productions, who previously released the excellent Nothing To Be Written on Oculus Go. It may have made its debut during the Venice Film Festival back in August, but it was first conceived back in the very early days of VR. “I came across the graphic novel years ago, like six, seven years ago, I think,” Ashton says of the project’s origins. “When I’d first started getting interested in VR. I remember thinking straight away, like this would make the perfect VR adaptation.”

Ashton was struck by Here’s fitting sense of place, but couldn’t quite wrap his head around how a production that would involve multiple iterations of the same environment and 50 or so characters each operating within their own timezones could possibly be tamed into a coherent structure. Then he came across Intel Studio’s volumetric capture technology.

You’ve possibly heard of that term before. Volumetric capture is the process of recording a real-life performance or environment — using many tens if not hundreds of cameras — and then using software to stitch each individual camera’s capture into a single, 3D asset. Microsoft has its own set of studios across the world, but Intel’s, seen in this Siggraph 2020 video, is the largest, allowing for multiple people to perform at once.

Here BTS (2)

“Unlike most smaller one person or two-person volumetric capture studios, you could build the entire room in that space,” Ashton explains. And so a seven-year dream quickly materialized into reality, shot in LA just before Christmas last year (luckily avoiding the complications of 2020).

Even with the benefits of a bigger stage (not to mention utilizing 59’s existing architectural expertise from other projects) though, filming Here sounds like an immensely intricate process. A heap of administrative documents planning out room sizes and storyboarding Ashton shows me confirms it.

“It’s an incredibly complicated logistics exercise because there were– I think we had over 200 different shots and it’s like a hundred characters in there as well, “Ashton says. “But we didn’t have the budget for a hundred so we have actors playing multiple roles. And working out all of the different costumes required [us to say] “Well we can’t have that person in the same scene. Because this is in 1960 and that’s happening at the same time as something in 1300.””

Here BTS (1)Here Screenshot

But logistics came together through software, and the team managed to shoot scenes with some linearity before merging worlds in post-production.  They even had to mark out every piece of furniture for every given time zone so that no characters managed to ghost their way through them during the film. It sounds like a herculean test of time-management that you might think would be better spent with an animation studio, but Ashton says it was this technology that made this particular version of the piece possible. “What’s so great about the original graphic novel is it’s just: people, people, people, people from all of these different things that happen all the time. This volumetric capture kind of gave us the opportunity to be able to do that – massive amounts of people.”

Complicated enough on its own, then, and that’s without even considering how the piece might adhere to the source material – a series of pages you’re free to flip back and forth though and pick and choose which narratives to focus on. While Ashton says Here is very close to the original in many ways, it also makes some key changes. “We’ve totally restructured the order of it and we’ve added in a central thread of a couple moving into the house,” he explains, “So unlike the graphic novel, where there is no hierarchy between the different stories, we have added that in. We felt that because, with the graphic novel, you’re encouraged to sit with it and go back and forth through all of these little mini-narratives, for something that was going to be living here that people would generally go to see once we felt it was important to have a core narrative.”

McQuire himself had a hand in the piece, joining Ashton and co during some of the production and offering some crucial guidance. “One of the key things he said was about making the big things small and the small things big,” Ashton says. “So you’re hinting at these epic sweeps of history through tiny mundane moments. It’s an epic patchwork of all of human existence, that builds out of any one of those moments that are forgettable and mundane and sort of trivial. There are no indications of war or kind of huge sweeping events that happen. They’re hinted at really.”

Here BTS (3)

Still, as impressive as the piece is in its current form, Ashton believes it will really come together in the second part as 59 starts doubling down on the character through lines. “So the world and mechanism and the idea of being in all of these places at once is thrilling, but it doesn’t quite have the emotional heart to it,” he reasons. “And it will, once we can really tell these stories and once you can really follow the lead characters through, on their journey, I think it’s going to take it to this entirely next level.”

Personally, I can’t wait to see what it brings to the table. 59 continues to work on the final part, then, with the hopes of releasing it for download next year. There were once plans to tour is across the US and UK though, when I spoke to Ashton in September those plans had been tabled. Perhaps more recent news might have an impact on the rollout (fingers crossed). Either way, I’m looking forward to welcoming it home in 2021.

We’ll have more from Here VR as soon as we hear more!



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 28, 2020 ,
XRI Globe

Just like any other industry, XR needs to be a diverse and inclusive place for everyone, but that can vary wildly based on a number of factors. So a new initiative called XR Inclusion (XRI) led by industry professionals has launched a survey to collate data from across the globe alongside a startup kit to help companies reduce discrimination and inequity.

XRI - Together

For the survey and startup kit XRI has partnered with experts like Stacey Gordon, CEO of Rework Work and Kristen Nesbit, from national labour and employment law firm Fisher Phillips. Together with XRI’s global members, the free XR Startup Kit offers checklists, templates and training focused on vital business areas such as job descriptions, hiring, unconscious bias, code of conduct, safe channels of communication and much more.

While the kit can help new businesses, the XRI wants professionals to take part in its free, anonymous survey, to help give a clearer view of the ecosystem at present. Thus helping highlight where it’s doing well and where improvements can be made.

“With startups, there is typically less structure, less awareness around inclusive processes and biases, and less red tape in general,” said Gordon in a statement. “By taking an active approach to creating diverse and inclusive company cultures from the start,  barriers to progress can be reduced and business performance can flourish, which makes the startup stage a perfect time to not only do what is right on a human level, but also to do what is best for the long term success of the business.” 

“As a founder in XR, I wish I’d learned the things in this kit sooner,” said Taylor Freeman, a founding council member of XRI. “Our goal at XRI is to provide startups with resources and systems to support the development of inclusive, professional and safe cultures for both the employees and the company. These foundations should be essential and I believe investors shouldn’t even fund companies without ensuring they have these things in place.”

Tackling diversity and inclusion is vital for any company large or small, wherever they are in the world. When details of the report are made publicly available, VRFocus will let you know.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 27, 2020 ,

Splitverse, the company behind some brilliant mixed reality trailers for games like Wraith and Tarzan, just debuted its own short film showcasing the power of the platform.

The 15-minute short is called CyberCat 2020 — no doubt a nod to a certain upcoming videogame — and follows a young gamer that hops between VR titles with a newly-adopted stray cat in an attempt to avoid an evil animal control officer. It uses Splitverse’s MR tech to make the actors (and even the cat) really appear as if they’re in the game worlds. The piece hops between some of our most anticipated titles coming in the near future. Check it out below.

Things start out in Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is getting VR support next month, before making whirlwind visits to natural locomotion platformer, Eye of the Temple, and dystopian sci-fi sim, Low-Fi. The chase comes to a dramatic conclusion atop a skyscraper in Richie’s Plank Experience. Beat Saber player Logan Theobald takes the starring role (as the human, not the cat)

It’s a fun film that pretty accurately communicates what the team at Splitverse can do. It’s notoriously difficult to market VR experiences on flat screens as the experience is entirely different to actually being inside of a headset, but by putting a player in the middle of a game world, Splitverse is able to communicate at least some idea of what VR is really like.

What did you make of this Splitverse short film? Let us know in the comments below! You can see more of the company’s work on its YouTube page.



via Mint VR
Read more »

November 26, 2020 ,

Black Friday discounts are live in the Oculus Store with short-term deals and bundles offering big discounts on some of the best Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift games.

The “Must-Haves Pack” includes Onward, Job Simulator, In Death: Unchained, Tetris Effect, Space Pirate Trainer, and I Expect You To Die for $89.99. That’s a discount of 40% off the typical price of those games individually.

The “Premium Pack” with Superhot VR, Five Nights At Freddy’s: Help Wanted, Vacation Simulator, Arizona Sunshine, The Room VR, Red Matter, Espire 1: VR Operative, Moss, Gun Club VR, and Space Pirate Trainer sells for $164.99. That’s more than $100 off the price of these games typically and, while that’s a lot of cash to drop on games all at once, this lineup should entertain you and your family for a long time.

The three episodes of Vader Immortal are also selling together for $19.99. That’s $10 off the normal price.

All the Oculus Quest store bundle discounts mentioned above end November 27th at 11:59 pm Pacific.

The Fitness Pack includes FitXR, Creed Rise To Glory, and Sports Scramble for $59.99 while the Action Pack includes Pistol Whip, Phantom: Covert Ops, and Trover Saves the Universe for $59.99. The Oculus Quest store bundle discounts mentioned in this paragraph end November 29th at 9 pm Pacific.

Individual Discounted Oculus Quest Games & Apps

  • Discount pricing for this list ends November 29th at 9 pm Pacific
  • A Fisherman’s Tale, $10.49
  • Acron: Attack of the Squirrels! $13.99
  • Apex Construct, $12.99
  • Arizona Sunshine,$27.99
  • AUDICA, $20.09
  • Audio Trip, $13.99
  • Dance Central, $20.09
  • Death Horizon: Reloaded, $13.99
  • Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, $12.99
  • Down the Rabbit Hole, $13.99
  • Drunkn Bar Fight, $11.89
  • Eleven Table Tennis, $15.99
  • Fruit Ninja, $10.04
  • HouseFlipper VR, $11.24
  • In Death: Unchained, $23.99
  • Ironlights, $13.99
  • Journey of the Gods, $20.99
  • Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, $11.99
  • Lies Beneath, $20.99
  • Mini Motor Racing X, $17.49
  • Ninja Legends, $12.99
  • OhShape, $14.99
  • OrbusVR: Reborn, $14.99
  • Pixel Ripped 1995, $13.99
  • “Please, Don’t Touch Anything”, $7.49
  • Premium Bowling, $14.99
  • Pro Putt by Topgolf, $14.99
  • Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR, $14.99
  • Racket: Nx, $13.99
  • Real VR Fishing, $13.99
  • Robo Recall: Unplugged, $20.99
  • RUSH, $12.99
  • Sairento VR : Untethered, $12.99
  • Shooty Skies Overdrive, $7.49
  • SUPERHOT VR, $17.49
  • SWORDS of GARGANTUA, $18.74
  • Synth Riders, $17.49
  • The Climb, $20.09
  • The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, $10.49
  • The Thrill of the Fight, $7.99
  • Tilt Brush, $15.99
  • Tokyo Chronos, $23.99
  • Tribe XR: DJ in VR, $20.99
  • Vacation Simulator, $23.99
  • Virtual Desktop, $15.99
  • Virtual Virtual Reality, $11.99
  • Wander, $7.99

Individual Discounted Oculus Rift Games & Apps

  • Note discounted pricing for this list ends November 29th at 11:59 pm Pacific
  • 2MD: VR Football Unleashed, $11.99
  • 51 Aliens TV, $4.99
  • A Story of Distress, $3.99
  • AIRA VR, $5.99
  • AVOlight.Space (Multiple Video Players), $19.99
  • Agent of Chernobyl, $5.00
  • Another Dawn, $4.99
  • Anti Air, $9.74
  • Apophis, $2.00
  • Arena Blood On the Sand, $1.49
  • Arrows, $6.69
  • ArtPulse, $3.99
  • BARDO, $5.00
  • BIONIC HUNTER, $1.00
  • BOX THE BEAT VR, $9.74
  • Ballooning Adventures VR, $2.99
  • Banana Invaders, $1.49
  • Bartender VR Simulator, $15.99
  • Battle for the Mountain Throne, $1.49
  • Battlewake, $7.49
  • Beats Fever, $5.99
  • Big Breezy Boat, $4.99
  • Bike Rush, $4.49
  • Bizarre Barber, $5.99
  • Bloody Zombies, $5.99
  • Boba Pop, $1.00
  • Boiling Steel, $4.49
  • Bonfire, $2.00
  • Brass Tactics, $14.99
  • Brood, $2.00
  • CLIMB FOR YOUR LIFE!!!44!, $0.49
  • CYBER SKY, $2.49
  • Carly and the Reaperman: Escape from the Underworld, $9.99
  • CastleStorm VR, $4.49
  • Cave Digger, $13.99
  • Cinderella VR Game, $3.99
  • Clash of Chefs VR, $9.99
  • Coaster, $1.49
  • Color Invader, $1.49
  • Contagion VR: Outbreak, $9.99
  • Creed: Rise to Glory™, $20.99
  • Cube Smash, $2.00
  • Dance Collider, $5.99
  • Dead Moon – Revenge on Phobos, $9.74
  • Defector, $9.99
  • Defense Grid 2: Enhanced VR Edition, $7.49
  • Descending, $5.00
  • Detached, $5.99
  • Dimensional, $1.00
  • Discontinue, $4.95
  • Doors of Silence – the prologue, $7.00
  • Down the Rabbit Hole, $13.99
  • Désert Inn, $3.34
  • ENIGMA SPHERE, $10.00
  • Eagle Flight, $4.99
  • Edge of Nowhere, $5.00
  • Electronauts, $9.99
  • End Space, $3.75
  • Escape Legacy, $3.99
  • Escape Room VR: Inner Voices, $7.49
  • Escape Room VR: Stories, $8.99
  • Escape Treasure Island, $5.59
  • Escape: The Forest, $4.95
  • Esper: The Collection, $4.99
  • Evasion, $10.00
  • FREEDIVER: Triton Down, $4.49
  • Feral Rites, $5.00
  • Fighting Clans, $4.95
  • FigureOut VR, $0.99
  • Final Goalie: Football simulator, $5.99
  • First Person Tennis – The Real Tennis Simulator, $19.99
  • Fly. Die. Repeat., $0.49
  • Flying Aces: Navy Pilot Simulator, $10.00
  • Forklift Simulator, $2.00
  • Frog & Froggie, $3.49
  • Gamelan Hit VR Rindik, $0.49
  • Ghostbusters is Hiring: Firehouse, $4.99
  • Ghostbusters is Hiring: Showdown, $4.99
  • Gloomy Eyes, $3.99
  • Gravity Lab, $10.49
  • Gravity Pro, $3.99
  • Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son, $7.49
  • Guns And Notes, $7.99
  • Guns’n’Stories: Bulletproof VR, $3.00
  • Horror Nights Story, $1.49
  • Hyposphere VR, $0.49
  • InMind, $0.49
  • Instacalm VR, $2.00
  • Jigsaw 360, $0.99
  • KOBOLD: Chapter I, $2.99
  • Keep Defending, $1.49
  • Killing Floor: Incursion, $10.00
  • Konrad the Kitten, $5.35
  • KryptCrawler, $1.00
  • Labyrinth Trap, $1.99
  • Last Labyrinth, $25.49
  • Last Line VR: A Zombie Defense Game, $6.69
  • Lone Echo, $19.99
  • Lunatic Classic Music VR, $1.00
  • LyraVR, $11.99
  • METAL MULTIBALL, $1.99
  • Magic Guardian, $3.99
  • Marble Land, $7.49
  • Master Bladesmith, $23.99
  • Mind Labyrinth VR Dreams, $8.99
  • Moon Bird, $2.49
  • Mortal Blitz, $9.99
  • Moss, $14.99
  • Mr. Lowell’s Place – Escape Room, $2.99
  • NOTES ON BLINDNESS VR, $1.00
  • Neverout, $1.00
  • OVERVIEW: a Walk Through the Universe, $5.00
  • Ocean Wonder, $1.99
  • Omega Test, $0.49
  • Onward, $18.74
  • Operation Warcade, $5.99
  • Operencia: The Stolen Sun, $17.99
  • Orbatron, $3.75
  • PAGAN PEAK VR, $2.99
  • PROZE: Enlightenment, $5.99
  • Pangman, $3.99
  • Paper Beast, $13.99
  • Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul, $5.99
  • Paranormal Detective: Escape from the 80’s, $6.99
  • Passengers: Awakening, $4.99
  • Path of the Warrior, $9.99
  • Perfect, $3.99
  • Perpetuum Mobile, $0.49
  • Phantom: Covert Ops, $20.99
  • Ping Pong Hero, $2.49
  • Pixel Ripped 1989, $7.49
  • Pixel Ripped 1995, $13.99
  • Plumber, $1.49
  • Premium Bowling, $14.99
  • Project LUX, $14.99
  • Puzzle Time, $1.99
  • Qimeng VR Video Player, $7.49
  • Raccoon Lagoon, $7.49
  • Range Day VR, $10.99
  • Raw Data, $10.00
  • Red Matter, $14.99
  • Rest In Pieces, $5.59
  • Revolver Widow, $0.99
  • SILICON RISING, $13.99
  • SUPERHOT VR, $12.49
  • SWORDS of GARGANTUA, $18.74
  • Santa’s Loot Shoot, $1.49
  • Shadow Legend VR, $12.49
  • Shadow Point, $9.99
  • Shoottris, $3.00
  • Shooty Fruity, $9.99
  • Sky Sanctuary, $6.79
  • SkydiVeR, $2.49
  • Snowman, $4.99
  • Song Beater: Quite My Tempo!, $9.74
  • Space Junkies, $4.99
  • Space Maze, $2.49
  • Space Merchants: Arena VR, $1.49
  • Space Turret Gunner, $3.00
  • Spice & Wolf VR, $14.99
  • Sprint Vector, $10.49
  • Spuds Unearthed, $3.99
  • Spunky Dungeon, $2.49
  • Stardust VR, $0.99
  • Stoire, $1.49
  • Stormland, $19.99
  • Stranded, $7.99
  • Sushi Master VR, $1.00
  • Synth Riders, $17.49
  • Syon Bolt, $1.49
  • TRACE of us, $1.00
  • Target Nook, $2.99
  • Telefrag VR, $5.00
  • TetrotronVR, $4.49
  • The American Dream, $5.99
  • The Assembly, $12.00
  • The Elevator Ritual, $1.00
  • The Fight, $2.49
  • The Hospital: Allison’s Diary, $2.99
  • The Line, $3.49
  • The Morrigan, $11.99
  • The Station VR, $4.99
  • The Steadfast VR Challenge, $3.00
  • The Unspoken, $9.99
  • The Walking Dead Onslaught, $17.99
  • There is a Thief in my House, $4.95
  • Thumper, $9.99
  • Time Travelling Navy Seal Ninja Warrior, $2.67
  • Touring Karts, $5.99
  • Transference, $4.99
  • Tranzient, $13.99
  • Tribe XR | DJ in VR, $20.99
  • TripeaksDreamland VR, $0.99
  • Trover Saves the Universe, $17.99
  • Urban Basketball VR, $3.99
  • VR Furballs – Demolition, $4.95
  • VR Regatta – The Sailing Game, $14.99
  • VR TOON Help Me (살려주세요), $2.00
  • VRobot, $3.99
  • Voronium – Locust Sols, $3.00
  • Voxel Fly, $2.99
  • Wands, $8.99
  • Warped Chapter One, $3.00
  • Werewolves Within, $4.99
  • Wilson’s Heart, $8.99
  • Witchblood, $3.99
  • Word Blaster, $2.49
  • XING: The Land Beyond, $9.99
  • Yupitergrad, $12.74
  • Zooma: Deluxe Edition, $7.49
  • pleXus, $4.99


via Mint VR
Read more »
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Theme images by Storman. Powered by Blogger.