Mint Virtual Reality

If you read mainstream news coverage of PC VR, you might get the impression that the ecosystem is “dying”- or even “dead”. But that’s not what the data tells us at all.

PC VR headset companies do not currently release sales figures. But that doesn’t mean we have no data to work with. Valve’s Steam store, the most popular store on PC, conducts a monthly ‘Hardware Survey’.

This survey is offered to a random sample of Steam users each month, who must accept to opt in. It scans the components of the users PC, as well as any connected peripherals. Helpfully, this includes connected PC VR headsets.

At UploadVR we keep a log of the VR headset data on the survey for each month. Here is how the data changed throughout 2018:

(‘Other’ includes Oculus Rift DK2 and HTC Vive Pro)

The data here is clear- PC VR has almost doubled on Steam in 2018!

All three major PC VR platforms have contributed to this growth. The Oculus Rift grew by 85% growth, the HTC Vive grew by 65%, and Windows MR headsets started the year with too few headsets to even register but is now at 0.07%.

The HTC Vive’s growth is likely due to the $100 price cut to $499 back in March. Windows MR’s growth is also probably due to price. Microsoft and other retailers across the US discounted these headsets aggressively this year, with prices reaching as low as $149 at times.

The Oculus Rift’s growth is more difficult to explain. While the headset had seasonal sales to $349, the regular price has stayed at $399 since 2017. The explanation here may be down to high budget exclusives such as Marvel Powers VR and Echo Combat. Another possibility is that Facebook ramped up marketing as they did wit Go.

If the TechCrunch report of a cheaper ‘Rift S’ with higher resolution & inside-out tracking and leaks of a 135° Valve headset with ‘Knuckles’ controllers are true, we expect PC VR to grow even further in 2018. Improvements in quality and reductions in price should convince many PC gamers to pull the trigger, and the constant increase in quality of content should make their purchases more than worth it.

Tagged with: htc vive, oculus rift, pc vr, steam

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Well here’s a trailer that’s immediately caught our attention. Rotu Entertainment’s Rhythm of the Universe looks unlike anything else we’ve yet seen in VR.

This Boston-based developer recently announced that it had secured an undisclosed amount of funding from investors in America and Europe. Now the team is sharing the first trailer for the game. It boasts stunning visuals that capture fantastical beasts and landscapes not yet seen in VR. Most importantly, though, it introduces you to the game’s arresting audio work, which seems to play a central role. Rotu says the game will use real music theory as a key mechanic.

While the developer is yet to share more details, there is a brief gameplay video on an official website. It shows players interacting with creatures and creating music in the same environments from the trailer. Rotu says that the game will unfold over seven episodes expected to release around once every six months. Each will stand alone in the experience they offer but contribute to the story of the overall series too.

Rotu expects to start rolling the series out this year on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Facebook’s upcoming standalone headset, Oculus Quest. That makes Rhythm of the Universe one of the first games confirmed for Quest following the headset’s reveal at Oculus Connect 5 in September 2018. In a prepared statement, studio CEO Jason Parks said he expects the device to be a “big step toward” VR mass adoption.

Anyone interested in the game can sign up to a mailing list here.

Tagged with: htc vive, music, Oculus Quest, oculus rift, Rhythm of the Universe, Rotu Entertiainment, VR

The post Rhythm of the Universe Is A Breathtaking Musical Adventure For Quest, Rift And Vive appeared first on UploadVR.

Remember Soulpix’s Eden Tomorrow? No? Well, you’ll be able to play it soon all the same.

The developer’s official website confirms that a demo for the PSVR game is coming this month. There’s no final date or details of what the demo will entail, but we’re intrigued. Eden Tomorrow is a game that wowed me when I first saw it at Gamescom nearly four years ago now. Back in 2017, it was confirmed that the game would be coming to PSVR but we haven’t heard from it since. A trailer (seen below) did say it was coming in spring 2018 but obviously that didn’t happen. It looks like 2019 is finally the year we’ll get our hands on it, then.

Soulpix describes Eden Tomorrow as an adventure puzzle game in which players crash land on a strange alien planet. The world is inhabited by giant dinosaurs, some friendly, some less so. You’ll explore the landscape, solving brain teasers and marveling at your new friends. When we played it on an Oculus Rift DK2 we fell in love with the visuals and the experience of meeting some of these beasts up close. You could control three characters, including a human, drone and I think a dog (it may have been an alien dog, it was four years ago).

But we’ve got a lot of questions. How much of the game we played in 2015 is still intact? Why has it taken this long to come out? What controllers will we use – Move or DualShock 4? There’s a lot for us to learn, so we’ve reached out to Soulpix to find out more about the demo. We’ll let you know if we hear back.

Tagged with: adventure, Eden Tomorrow, PSVR, puzzle, Soulpix

The post PSVR Adventure Eden Tomorrow Getting Free Demo This Month appeared first on UploadVR.

inXile Entertainment is being true to its word. Back in November 2018 we reported that the developer was still working on a PSVR port of its excellent VR RPG, The Mage’s Tale, despite being bought by Xbox maker Microsoft earlier in the month. This week, the studio shared the first trailer for that port, seen below.

The video is comprised of a 45-second gameplay montage that popped up somewhat randomly. We could be wrong but it seems to be taken from the PSVR version of the game; the quality of textures seems to be just a touch blurrier than they were on PC. If it is the console version, though, it looks like a competent port. Most PC VR ports, including games like Arizona Sunshine and Superhot, take a hit in the visuals department in order to squeeze onto PS4.

The Mage’s Tale has you raiding dungeons, fighting mythical monsters and brewing your own potions. We loved it on Rift and Vive and can’t wait to see PSVR players get their hands on it.

Sadly the video doesn’t include a release date. Hopefully its arrival isn’t too far off; the first Rift version came out all the way back in 2017.

This isn’t the only thing inXile is working on in VR right now. We also know that the studio is developing a second, bigger VR project that’s set in an open world. Just like the PSVR version of The Mage’s Tale, we know that the game wasn’t canceled in the Microsoft deal. It also looks like it could be a Wasteland VR game. Here’s hoping we find out plenty more about it as the year rolls on.

Tagged with: Dungeon Crawler, inxile entertainment, PSVR, the mage's tale, VR

The post The Mage’s Tale’s New PSVR Trailer Pops Up Online appeared first on UploadVR.

Boston-based virtual reality (VR) developer ROTU Entertainment is currently in the process of building its first immersive title, a family friendly episodic series called Rhythm of the Universe. The studio recently announced the successful completion of a financing round alongside the first official teaser video for the experience.

Rhythm of the Universe will be a seven-episode series that will intertwine a rich-story narrative with music-based gameplay.

Explaining a little more about the videogame ROTU Entertainment notes: “Each episode can stand alone and collectively build a long unique story allowing gamers to experience VR coupled with Music Mythology. The concept comes from a unique perspective of three factors: Music, History/Mythology, Music Symbols, Instruments, and the Theory transformed into characters, ecosystems, and game mechanics. We create a giant new universe utilizing real music theory!”

Currently, ROTU Entertainment forecasts that each episode will be released every six months, with the first being sometime this year. Rhythm of the Universe has been confirmed for three headsets, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Oculus Quest.

“Extended reality has a big future in entertainment and gaming. The new VR headsets including the wireless Oculus Quest will be a big step toward mass adoption. High-quality content like Rhythm of the Universe is key to its success. We have already presented to crowds at CES, PAX, AWE, and many more showcasing our unique proprietary VR preview,” said ROTU Entertainment & Media, Ltd. CEO Jason Parks in a statement. “The story is based around today’s problems which tackles these issues through storytelling. Top VR devices need superb story-driven content.”

Alongside the new video – seen below – ROTU Entertainment has confirmed the closure of additional financing during Q3 2018, simply stating it involved ‘leading American and European investors.’

For those that want even more details regarding Rhythm of the Universe, you can subscribe to ROTU Entertainment’s newsletter. You’ll gain access to exclusive content such as giveaways, early release material, and exclusive “Road to ROTU” content highlighting character storylines. There’s even a chance to win a limited edition ROTU T-Shirt.

As further details are released VRFocus will, of course, keep you updated on the latest announcements.

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The post What do you need to power 4K games and movies? appeared first on Digital Trends.

For the full list of all of our livestreams scheduled for this week, as well as archived footage after the stream has happened, check out the schedule right here.

When we first heard about Vengeful Rites the GIFs and footage made it look like a true spiritual successor to Vanishing Realms and the longer it’s in development the more accurate that appears to be. With an immersive combat system, richly detailed world, and great VR-focused mechanics, this is definitely one of the most promising VR RPGs we’ve seen in quite some time.

We’ll be playing Vengeful Rites on Rift using a two Touch controllers. We’re starting right around 1:00 PM PT and we’ll aim to last for about an hour and a half or more. We’ll be livestreaming to the UploadVR Twitch page where you can interact with us directly and chat among yourselves. Streaming is something we’re going to double down on doing more often very soon so you should get in on the ground floor of our Twitch community early!  You can see the full stream once it’s live right here:

Watch live video from UploadVR on www.twitch.tv

You can see our most recent past archived streams over on the UploadVR Twitch archive right here. There’s lots of good stuff there! And don’t forget to check out our coverage of other VR RPGs like Orbus VR, the first true VR MMO, Skyrim VR on PC with mods, and Vanishing Realms.

Let us know which games or discussions you want us to livestream next and don’t forget to follow the Twitch channel and sign up for notifications.

Tagged with: livestream, rpg, Vengeful Rites

The post Vengeful Rites Livestream: Adventuring Through A Mystical VR RPG appeared first on UploadVR.