Mint Virtual Reality

Bungie addressed players' complaints regarding Destiny 2's endgame content and lack of transparency and revealed plans to fix them. The game's Curse of Osiris expansion is out on December 5.

The post Bungie addresses ‘Destiny 2’ criticism, promises major changes next month appeared first on Digital Trends.

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Two days. Yes indeed it’s just two days until Bethesda releases its second virtual reality (VR) to the world and it’s a big one, DOOM VFR. The iconic firs-person shooter (FPS) that every true gamer should have played at least one version of has had a VR makeover. And it’s not exclusive to one particular headset either, supporting both PlayStation VR and HTC Vive at launch. What is exclusive however are the Trophies which PlayStation VR users can unlock – there are no Steam Achievements listed at present.

Spotted on PSNProfiles, there are 15 Trophies in total, 13 Bronze, one silver and one gold. Unfortunately there’s no platinum for those completionists out there.

DOOM VFR Trophy List:

• Welcome to the Party – Complete the First Level – Bronze
• Shot Blocked – Shoot down 30 projectiles – Bronze
• A Hop, Skip and a Jump – Teleport 1000 times – Bronze
• Gib-a-licious – Telefrag into 25 demons – Bronze
• What did you expect? – Telefrag into a Possessed Engineer and Explode – Bronze
• Hack-Man – Complete all of the hacking minigames – Bronze
• Cross the Beams – Complete the first laser minigame – Bronze
• Weapon Master – Use a weapon upgrade station – Bronze
• Overclocker – Use an Argent Cahe – Bronze
• Master of One – Fully upgrade a single combat chassis subsystem – Bronze
• Swiss Army Guy – Acquire all weapons – Bronze
• Well Done – Putout the fires in the BFG central chamber – Bronze
• Spicy – Travel to Hell – Bronze
• Dollhouse – Collect all of the DoomGuy Dolls – Silver
• Spoiler-Proof – Complete the single player campaign on any difficulty – Gold

DOOM VFR will be released on 1st December 2017, retailing for £19.99 GBP. Why not check out VRFocus’ preview from the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2017, or read up on why this launch is so important.

For any further updates on DOOM VFR, keep reading VRFocus.

via Mint VR

A number of car manufacturers and retailers have turned to immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), not only for the design and manufacturing areas, but also to improve customer engagement in the sales area. Nissan are attempting to combine AR with Star Wars to promote its latest range of cars.

The Nissan AR experience will showcase the enhanced safety features present in Nissan’s current vehicle range by using Star Wars characters. Star Wars is one of the most successfully franchises ever created, and anticipation is high with fans eagerly awaiting the upcoming new film Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Nissan are hoping to harness that excitement to bring in new customers.

Soon, Nissan dealerships across America will feature an AR experience titled ‘See the Unseen’. Customers at a dealerships will be able to put use a special AR device to select a Nissan Rogue, Maxima or TITAN to activate the experience. Various Star Wars characters will then appear to help visually demonstrate safety technologies that are usually not visible, such as Nissan’s Automatic Emergency Braking, Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Warning and the Intelligent Around View Monitor.

“In our collaboration with Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we have brought ‘Retail Theater’ to Nissan showrooms and found exciting ways to engage customers with a new world of technology,” said Jeremy Tucker, vice president of Marketing for Nissan North America. “While the competition is focused on Santa Claus and red bows this holiday season, we are filling our dealerships with stormtroopers, Virtual Reality and the new Augmented Reality Experience, making the Nissan shopping experience much more fun, engaging and educational.”

The experience will be rolled out in Nissan showrooms across the US in December, 2017.

“Driver assist technologies can seem like fantasy to consumers and can be intimidating to those who are unfamiliar. With the help of the beloved characters from Star Wars and the ‘See the Unseen’ augmented reality technology, we are able to explain Nissan Intelligent Mobility in a way that is relatable and fun,” said Tucker.

VRFocus will continue to report on new and innovative applications of AR technology.

via Mint VR

Star Wars :Droid Repair Bay is a small promotional experience for the impending release of The Last Jedi coming to Steam and Oculus Store (Gear VR) on Dec. 6. The free download will also be available on Viveport.

The project from ILMxLab and Lucasfilm came to Nissan dealerships first but its arrival on headsets at home should be a major draw, letting people join BB-8 and repair droids on General Leia’s ship ahead of one of the year’s biggest movie releases.

Check out the trailer for Star Wars: Droid Repair Bay – Astro-Mechanic for the Resistance:

Tagged with: ilmxlab, Star Wars

via Mint VR

In 2016 HTC Vive launched its $100 million USD Vive X accelerator programme with the aim to encourage advancement and innovation in the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) industry. There’s already been some notable successes, with TPCAST’s wireless module the most well known from the first batch of start-ups. Today, Vive X has announced its third batch of start-up companies to join its ranks, alongside expanding operations into a fifth location,Tel Aviv.

Twenty-six new companies across the world have been selected to participate, all with the goal of building and advancing the global VR/AR ecosystem. Through the Vive X programme they’ll get access to expertise, resources, planning and an extensive network to help nurture their projects and bring them to market.

“Our focus with Vive X is to partner with companies across the globe that will solve industry pain-points and improve user experiences across AR and VR. This third batch is filled with incredibly talented and promising teams who are focusing on foundational technologies and key verticals including enterprise, healthcare, entertainment, and education,” said Marc Metis, Vice President, HTC Vive in a statement. “We continue to invest very actively in both VR and AR, and are excited to work with the next group of innovative teams and technologies that will shape the future.”

The companies included in Vive X Batch 3 are:

San Francisco

• Apelab seeks to democratize content creation for VR/AR. Its software toolkit Spatial Stories allows developers, designers or anyone without coding knowledge to build fully interactive XR content quickly and efficiently within an immersive environment, then export it to various platforms.
• CALA offers a full-stack software solution that empowers fashion designers to turn ideas into garments faster – from first sketch to production and everything in between. Its 3D scanning technology allows consumers to easily take body measurements with smartphone photos and AR technology, then receive their orders with perfect fit.
• Cloudgate Studio is an acclaimed game development studio behind hit VR titles Brookhaven Experiment and Island 359. A brilliant team of industry veterans, Cloudgate is on a strategic path to build game tech modules that will culminate in the first hit title for VR eSports. Virtual Self as an example allows users to see their body in VR and stream their gameplay without expensive setups.
• eLoupes provides a real-time surgical imaging system for the operating room. Combining light field rendering and head mounted displays, hospitals can bring surgeons a solution that is superior to traditional imaging systems like microscopes while saving costs and improving patient outcomes.
• Nanome seeks to democratize science and engineering using VR and Blockchain technology. Today’s legacy systems are outdated and create enormous inefficiency in the innovation process. With an intuitive and distributed platform to interact with scientific data, Nanome will help accelerate scientific innovation like never before.
• Neurable develops brain-computer interface for VR control. The result of innovations in neuroscience and machine learning, Neurable interprets electroencephalography (EEG) signals for real-time interaction input. Think, “mind-controlled” experiences.
• Quantum Capture is building the behavioral engine that will power the world’s AI-assisted virtual agents. Combining photo-real 3D characters, procedural animation systems and support for cognitive AI, Quantum Capture aims to equip developers with the necessary tools to create amazing, virtual human- based applications, while substantially reducing costs and compressing production timelines.
• QuarkVR is the next-generation compression and streaming technology for untethered VR and AR experiences. It is a hardware agnostic software solution that supports 4K per eye resolution and is capable of streaming to a dozen simultaneous users in the same environment with minimal latency.

Beijing

• Future Tech is a Chengdu, China- based studio that creates quality games and VR content for users around the world. The team is founded by industry veterans with deep experience from global content powerhouses like Ubisoft, Gameloft, PDE, and Virtuos. Their current project “Mars Alive” has won numerous industry awards globally.
• Genhaosan (GHS) is the first-ever available VR entertainment solution for karaoke. The GHS VRK systems installed in karaoke rooms allow users to enjoy immersive experiences like singing like a rock star on stage, interacting with their audience and sharing their performance on social media.
• JuDaoEdu is dedicated to the research and development of VR labs for K-12 students. The product is applicable for Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Science education and the company’s vision is to provide students with authentic and safe VR lab environment.
• Lenqiy is a leading VR content developer providing innovation and creativity education to teenagers. Their current product portfolio includes science, engineering, technology, art and mathematics VR tools. By bringing creativity into product design, Lenqiy wants to make learning an enjoyable journey of exploration for teenagers.
• PanguVR is an AI-driven VR technology company with a focus on advanced computer vision. Its core engine, powered and refined by deep learning and processing thousands of terabytes of data, allows users to create 6DoF VR environments in minutes simply by uploading 3D assets or even 2D pictures. The process is fast and produces stunning quality output at only a fraction of the cost associated with manual process.
• Pillow’s Willow VR Studios creates fairytale games for both 3DoF and 6DoF VR, excelling with its high-quality visuals while maintaining maximum performance. Their non-violent casual VR games featuring curious, likeable characters, are fun, easy to play and suitable for all ages.
• Yue Cheng Tech aims to become the Netflix in VR. The company has selected more than 300 top-quality VR contents from 50+ partners in 15 countries, introduced them to China, and created world’s first professional VR cinema. YCT also produce world-class contents with the world’s top talents in visual effects and movie industry.

Shenzhen

• Antilatency specializes in positional tracking solutions for VR/AR that enable multiplayer VR experiences within the tracking area without scale limits, using mobile or tethered VR headsets.
• Configreality understands deeply how human spatial perception works across physical and virtual space simultaneously. With its proprietary spatial compression algorithm, users can feel as if they are walking in an infinitely large space even when the physical space is limited.
• Super Node is a visual intelligence company with full-stack solutions that enables machines to learn its surrounding environments. The solution brings low-cost, high-accuracy obstacle avoidance, 6DoF tracking and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) capabilities to VR, AR and robotics.
• VRWaibao offers a multiplayer collaboration platform in VR, while also creating a wide range of enterprise VR applications for customers in banking, manufacturing, real estate, healthcare, military and more.
• Wewod is focused on delivering high-quality, location-based entertainment and educational VR content. The team has deep experience delivering 3D production work for renowned clients like Disney, Bandai Namco, and Nintendo.

Taipei

• COVER provides a virtual livestreaming platform which users can perform with their avatars for audience to watch via mobile devices. It also offers live shows featuring their own virtual celebrities.
• Looxid Labs has developed an emotional analytics platform optimized for VR using bio-sensors that measure users’ eyes and brain activities. Its machine learning algorithm is capable of accurately analyzing users’ emotional state, providing valuable data that can be leveraged to make a real impact in users’ VR experiences.
• Red Pill Lab applies deep learning algorithms to optimize the workflow of real- time character animation. Its voice-to-facial engine and full body IK-solver work together to add a new level of realism to virtual characters in VR games.
• VRCollab takes BIM (Building Information Modelling) to the next level, enabling architects, engineers, planners and consultants to collaborate seamlessly on construction projects. It is a software solution that instantly converts BIM models for use in design reviews, building requirement approval and construction coordination, as well as automated document generation.

Tel Aviv

• Astral Vision turns existing amusement park rides into VR attractions, offering a compelling and refreshing customer experience without engaging in capital-intensive upgrades.
• REMMERSIVE is founded by award-winning technologists and race driving champions, and creates a new breed of fully immersive driving simulators with technology, providing a far more engaging and true-to-life experience.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Vive X, reporting back with the latest updates.

via Mint VR

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is a landmark release for the VR industry. It brings one of the most elaborate and detailed RPGs ever made into VR with full hand-presence and incredibly immersive gameplay so that players can experience it like never before. Typically, you’d think building a game from the ground up for VR is required to have success, but Skyrim VR is proving that ports can be just as wonderful.

In the wake of Skyrim VR (as well as DOOM VFR later this week and Fallout 4 VR later next month — all from Bethesda) we already ran through a quick list of other Bethesda titles we want in VR. I won’t repeat those choices since they’re already top-notch and fully endorsed by us here at UploadVR. But what about outside of those games? What are some of the other picks we’d have for our favorite non-VR games that would fit well in a VR headset?

Titanfall 2

The first time I played Titanfall 2’s campaign it took me a little while to get into it. At first it comes off as “just another” military-themed shooter, but it’s really so much more. In the opening moments your character even undergoes VR training to learn the ways of piloting a mech, which made me immediately wish for a VR version of the game. Hell, we already know the developer, Respawn Entertainment, is working on a VR title so this is actually not that far-fetched.

Sitting in the mech would feel great in VR, since the HUD elements and cockpit are already established, and then running on walls and boosting a jetpack all over the place while aiming with motion controllers would feel fantastic.

Sid Meier’s Civilization

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we need more VR strategy games. Most of the ones we’ve gotten have been made-for-VR and the reality of the fact is that they’re often just too watered down to really have any staying power. So, why not take one of the most prolific and celebrated strategy games of all-time, Civilization, and port it to VR? Let me zoom around the world with a God-mode style view and command my denizens as their rightful ruler.

Sitting back and watching Ghandi nuke me back to the Stone Age in VR would be pretty special.

WipeOut

The fact that Sony hasn’t produced a WipeOut game for PSVR yet is one of life’s greatest mysteries. The high-octane racing game is a perfect fit for the futuristic headset and games like RedOut are already proving the gameplay style works great for VR devices.

With Skyrim VR moving more systems than expected, WipeOut would be an excellent addition to the PSVR’s growing catalog.

Cities: Skylines

The SimCity brand was ran into the ground a bit with the most recent title’s rocky launch, so instead of bringing that classic franchise to VR, let’s adapt the new king of city-planning simulator hill. Gameplay could be functionally identical, but let us maneuver and manipulate buildings using hand-tracked motion controllers.

Kingdoms and Castles looks like it could be a nice holdover until we get Cities: Skylines VR though.

 

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare

Developers are still trying to find a way to perfect first-person melee combat in VR. Games like Skyrim VR are proving that it can feel satisfying even if there is a lack of real, tactile feedback when you hit someone, so maybe there is hope yet for a game like Chivalry: Medieval Warfare to get a VR port.

Even just a VR dueling mode would be a great addition — particularly with multiplayer.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Skyrim VR is a great game, but now we just want more. Since adapting Morrowind, Oblivion, and other Elder Scrolls games would involve too much work, why not just add head tracking to The Elder Scrolls Online? It’s already out on both PS4 and PC — with millions of hedset owners on each platform — so I’d wager that people jump at the opportunity to feel even more immersed while exploring Tamriel with others.

Look, I just really want to visit the realm of Morrowind in VR, okay?

Far Cry

Ubisoft’s chief open world exploration game series is just begging for VR support. The game’s are some of the best and most action-packed on the market. It’d be like taking the world of Skyrim VR, but modernizing it, and adding vehicles. Who doesn’t want to fly an airplane, dive out and raid an enemy base, then climb a watchtower to gaze out at the rest of the game world?

Incorporating motion-sickness-free movement would be quite the struggle, though.

Killzone

What was originally billed as PlayStation’s Halo-killer has fallen off a bit as of late, but Killzone 2 is still one of the best shooters around on PS3. After the excellence of Horizon: Zero Dawn and the unceremonious closure of Guerilla’s Cambridge studio, which was responsible for RIGS, we can’t wait to see what the developer tries to do in VR next.

It’s such a pretty world it’d be a shame not to experience it first-hand with a VR headset.

Overwatch

Blizzard needs to get involved in VR ASAP. They’ve got tons of great IP between Star Craft, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and tons more in their backlog and I would love to embody some of the great cast of characters they’ve built for themselves with Overwatch. It’s still one of the most-played shooters on the market over a year after launch and continues to gain popularity.

The bright, colorful visuals would port over to lower-resolution headsets quite nicely as well.

Bioshock

There’s no way around the fact that BioShock is one of the most influential and groundbreaking video games of all-time. When the first game released 10 years ago it redefined what it meant to play a first-person shooter, especially on consoles, with a gripping narrative, densely detailed world, and riveting story with more twists and turns than a Christopher Nolan film. The ending will forever go down as one of the best in gaming history and the foreboding sense of tension that permeates throughout every scene is palpable. I would absolutely love to play this game again in VR and although I’m of the mind that the original is still the best, getting BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite in VR as well would be perfectly dandy.

So 2K Games, would you kindly port the BioShock series to VR, pretty please?

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What are some non-VR games you’d love to see in VR? Let us know down in the comments below!

Tagged with: Bioshock, doom, fallout 4, Skyrim VR, Titanfall, wipeout

via Mint VR