There have already been several applications for virtual reality (VR) in medicine, ranging from training, to entertaining or reassuring patients. For the most part, however, this VR medical technology has not made it into people’s homes. Sharecare is changing that with the launch of YOU it’s Virtual Human Body on the HTC Vive.
Newly launched on HTC Vive’s Viveport platform, YOU by Sharecare shows an accurate model of the human body, showing realistic simulations of how organs work, animated in real-time. Users will be able to personalise certain functions of the model such as heart rate. The aim of the app is to allows people a better understanding of health and the human body.
“At Sharecare, our mission is rooted in empowering everyone, no matter where they are on their health journey, to live their best lives, and we believe that technologies like virtual reality can move that idea forward exponentially,” said Arnold, who also serves as Sharecare’s chairman and CEO. “Over the last year, HTC Vive has been an incredible partner as we have realized our vision to set the standard for visual health by creating the Google Maps of the human body. We’re excited to put the power of our YOU platform into people’s hands through Vive, and foster education, excitement and empathy as we help people truly understand what’s happening inside their own bodies.”
Over time, Sharecare are hoping to add new functions and features to better facilitate health education among its users and better understand how disease and therapy can affect the body.
“VR has a tremendous potential to reframe how patients learn about both their body and medical conditions,” said Daniel O’Brien, GM US, VIVE. “With YOU, Sharecare has paired both health and education to deliver an entirely new way to learn about the human body – from within. At Vive, we couldn’t be more excited to see how this begins to reshape medical education.”
You can watch a launch trailer for YOU by Sharecare below.
VRFocus will continue to report on new VR apps and software.
There’s something wonderful about the ability to make music. Like so many, at least in the UK, the only real dalliance I personally had with learning to play music was to have a cheap plastic recorder forcibly shoved into my mouth at Primary School when I was about six or seven. Unfortunately, there’s only so many times you can botch playing Three Blind Mice and mangle Frère Jacques at that age before your enthusiasm for the whole thing somewhat wanes.
There is though no age barrier to begin learning anything new, and earlier in the week VRFocus brought you news of just one way you could learn how to play a musical instrument (or at least enjoy putting music together) courtesy of a new product direct from Beamz Interactive and Vive Studios – Jam Studio VR.
Supporting, naturally, the HTC Vive, Jam Studio VR is an interactive music app which allows anyone at any level of ability find out just what is needed to make music – even perform a set as a DJ. Composition, playing, learning, it’s all wrapped up in the app which contains a library of 20 plus tracks to try out. Out on Steam, the app is also available via Viveport which recently uploaded a launch trailer to its that you can see below.
Beyond that however, the developers also wanted to showcase how it operates, so as part of an “in action” video they turned to Megadeth bassist David Ellefson to talk about how you could be creating your own symphony of destruction via virtual reality (VR). You can see that too below.
VRFocus will be bringing you more release news from Vive and Viveport throughout the coming week.
Missed out on all the week’s biggest VR news? Where have you been, Mars? Oh, actually I guess that’s quite possible. Well, either way, we’ve got you covered with our round up of the biggest stories in VR over the past five days.
We’re now just a few months away from the launch of Fallout 4 in VR. This is undoubtedly one of if not the most anticipated VR games on the horizon — only really contested by Bethesda’s other VR ports — but our latest hands-on with the game suggests that it still has some ways to go. We’re rooting for the developers to pull it together in time, because this really needs to be a great showcase of the power of VR.
Having left Oculus, the company he founded, earlier in the year, it had seemed like Palmer Luckey was out of the VR industry. That didn’t last long; despite starting up a new company working in military tech, the Oculus Rift inventor revealed that he’s still working in VR at Tokyo Game Show this year. Specifically, Luckey is experimenting with tech that plugs into your nervous system. That doesn’t sound worrying at all.
A lot of the big VR games that launched a year ago in Early Access are finally coming out of their pre-release phases. For many, Space Pirate Trainer is one of the definitive wave shooters available on PC-based VR headsets. After a year and a half in Early Access, the game is set to finally launch in full later this month with new features that make it a complete experience. If you haven’t jumped in yet, now’s the time.
It’s generally assumed that Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) is somewhat comfortably in the lead when it comes to high-end VR headset sales. But the company says it’s not entirely happy with being the market leader but its current margin, suggesting it would be better if the company had more stiff competition. Those are bold words, and we’ll be interested to see what the company does to maintain its lead in the months to come.
Surprisingly, climbing has proved to be one of the most immersive and convincing locomotion methods in VR gaming thus far. That’s why heads turn when a new climbing-based adventure game is released. Cloudborn looks like a mix of Windlands and The Climb; an epic journey that will see you scaling ruins and making epic leaps. We’ll be very interested to see how this one develops over the coming months.
Contrary to popular belief the grass is not always greener on the other side. Sometimes things are just better where you are, though you may not fully understand that there are advantages to your present role. Even in this situation however that doesn’t mean you should ignore the other side because there is always potential. Potential for you to advance, potential for you to be happier, potential for you to be a part of something bigger and better for you. One way or the other.
As always when it comes to Sundays on VRFocus we are here with a selection of various different roles in, around or otherwise connected to the world of immersive technology. We’ve picked a selection of different types of roles that went up over the last seven days from all over the world. Check out the list below to see if there’s something that sparks your interest.
For further roles don’t forget to check out last week’s edition of The VR Job Hub for further job listings. With last week’s selection focused primarily around the West Coast of America. Don’t forget that if you are an employer looking for someone to fill a VR or AR related role regardless of the industry and you want that position to be featured on next week’s VR Job Hub, please send details to myself via keva@vrfocus.com and pgraham@vrfocus.com.
Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at 3PM BST and every Sunday for the latest roles in the VR industry.
Nintendo has announced a new policy regarding its Creators Program and live-streams. Members of the program will no longer be allowed to live-stream from accounts linked to the Nintendo Creators Program.
Many years ago, virtual reality (VR) was simply a fantasy. One of the first times it was ever described was back in 1936 by a science fiction writer. But now, many people use VR headsets tethered to smartphones, gaming consoles, and PCs. In fact, research firm KZero estimates that there could be over 171 million people who will use VR software and hardware next year.
When it comes to playing games, nothing can beat the experience of virtual reality gaming. With VR headsets and other gear, you are not just playing a game, but it feels like you are IN the game. There are a lot of games you can play with your VR and among them are indie games created by independent developers or sometimes, a small team of developers. Here are the best indie games you should definitely play on PC with your VR:
Holopoint
Developed by Alzan Studios, Holopoint is for gamers who are into archery. Real life archery can be expensive or perhaps your schedule does not permit you to play the sport. Instead of going to an archery range, you can just play Holopoint. This indie VR game gives you the chance to fire away one arrow after another whenever you want.
Holopoint is an action-packed game where you play the hero. Your task is to fight several waves of enemies with your bow and arrow. The waves get harder as you complete each of the levels. This indie VR game is for you if you want some archery madness coming your way.
Raw Data
Raw Data is an indie game that is actually quite successful. It was the first VR best-selling game on Steam. It is a hit sci-fi game that quickly got the attention of VR gamers. Raw Data by Survios is a strategy or shooter game set in a futuristic world.
As the player of the game, you will be given two choices on which hero to play, whether it is Saija the Cyber Ninja or Bishop the Gun Cleric. Once you have selected the hero you will play as; you will have to infiltrate the evil Eden Corp. Your mission, which is to steal data to destroy the company, is not easy because you have to be prepared for the many enemies waiting for you.
Vanishing Realms
Here is another great indie game that you can play with your VR headset on PC. Vanishing Realms is a fun RPG game that is developed by Indimo Labs. The game has good motion controls that allow players to explore a different kind of world where they can also test their battling skills. The enemies include life-sized monsters, which you will have to beat while you continue with your given tasks.
You do not have to be an RPG fan to like this game. It is a single-player game where you get to travel various locales in the virtual world and fight monsters as you go along. It is like a mash-up of Skyrim and The Legend of Zelda with highly responsive controls for your adventure.
The Brookhaven Experiment
The Brookhaven Experiment is from the developer Phosphor Games. If you are a fan of horror games or you are brave enough to face any horrific scene on VR, this game is recommended for you. In The Brookhaven Experiment, your goal is to survive the game. Some weapons and tools will help you live through the whole game, but it is up to you how you use them against the monsters.
The game also gives the players a chance to discover how the unfortunate event happened where zombies have started appearing in town. Aside from that, you could even stop the strange events from happening if you figure out some important things in the game. Just like Vanishing Realms, The Brookhaven Experiment is a single player game. It is certainly not for the faint-hearted because of the graphics and the realistic sound. If you are a horror-junkie though, you should definitely add this game to your collection.
Hover Junkers
If you are looking for a first-person shooter game, Hover Junkers may be what you want to play what your VR today. Developed by Stress Level Zero, Hover Junkers is set in a futuristic time and place where everything on earth has degraded. In the game, you will play as one of the junk hunters where you will find as many scraps as you can.
There are almost 20 ships that you can choose from. They range in size from small to really huge ships. You will use these ships when you go to the multiplayer arena of the game where you will need to fight against enemy players. Your chosen ship can be fortified using the scraps that you have found, which is why it is important that you keep looking for them.
Redefine your way of playing indie games with the help of your VR equipment. Connect your VR to your PC and start playing the games above.
Anyone who has been following the coverage of the latest PlayStation VR title from Chinese publisher Oasis Games, Light Tracer, will be aware that the title was launched in September, 2017. Light Tracer is now available on the PlayStation Store, but it also has a new launch trailer.
Developed by Void Dimension, Light Tracer tells the story of a Princess who journeys through various worlds, solving puzzles guided by the benevolent hands of the player, trying to find a cure for a disease that has made many of her people deathly ill.
The player takes the role of a powerful entity who overlooks everything from a lofty perspective, guiding the princess with a beam of light, telling her when to run or jump with the trigger button, failure will mean restarting after the princess falls. You can also move the entire level; if a puzzle stumps you, perhaps moving the level to a different angle will reveal a solution. Virtual reality (VR) capabilities means the player can lean in or move around to get the best view.
There are eight different worlds to explore, from the Gravity World to the Mechanica World through to the final world of Angelic City. Gameplay combines puzzle-solving with traditional platforming, though with a VR-twist. There are also enemies to deal with, the princess must avoid enemies early on, but later gains the ability to fight back.
Light Tracer is available on the PlayStation Store for £9.99 (GBP). It requires the PlayStation Move controllers to play.
You can watch the launch trailer below.
VRFocus will bring you further news on Light Tracer as it becomes available.
