The final weekend of April is here and the skies are grey. Why not beat the weather and have a look at some of the new opportunities awaiting within the immersive media industries and find yourself a new, exciting job. As always, VRFocus are here to help you out with another entry of The VR Job Hub.

via Mint VR

The last weekend of April and VRFocus has put together some of the best virtual reality (VR) deals available from the Oculus store to help you find your next favourite. As always be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

The Exorcist: Legion VR

The Exorcist: Legion VR is an episodic VR adventure set in the world created by horror maestro William Peter Blatty. Explore five unique chapters each filled with rich supernatural storytelling as you learn the trade of demonic exorcism and reveal the path leading towards the final confrontation. Do you have what it takes to bring down your darkest, most hidden fears?

The Exorcist: Legion VR is available now on Oculus Rift for £2.99 (GBP) down from £3.99 and includes chapter one, which approximately 30 minutes of playtime. Further chapters are available via an purchase within the title.

Pinatas Rockets

Are you looking for a party? How about one with pinatas that have fireworks attached to them? Well, in Pinatas Rockets you can fire rockets at pinatas to set off the fireworks and fill the nights sky with stunning displays of colour and explosions. Pinatas Rockets is a festive, family arcade title that will be sure to put a smile on your face.

Pinatas Rockets is currently available for £3.99 (GBP) down from the usual £7.99 now on Oculus Rift.

City Defender

“Have you ever wanted to be a real superhero? In VR game City Defender everything is possible! Protect the city from enemies. Immerse yourself in virtual reality without leaving your room. In City Defender virtual reality game you float in the air wearing a robot costume. A great city with millions of people is behind you. Protect it with your life blocking attacks from enemy forces, stay strong, stay focused, try not to miss any shots. A real robot fight! Virtual Reality have never been so real. City Defender is one of those VR games that will bring new emotions and experience in your life.”

City Defender is now on Oculus Rift available for £3.99 (GBP) down from £7.99.

Forklift Simulator

Have you ever wanted to learn how to drive a forklift? If the answer is yes, and even no for that matter, then Forklift Simulator might be a title for you. Jump into the drivers sea and learn how to drive, park and operate a forklift all while completing a number of different tests and challenges. The title even includes multiplayer so you can race against other players from around the world.

Forklift Simulator is available now for £4.99 (GBP) on sale from the usual £8.99 for Oculus Rift.

Guns And Notes

“Choose one of three music genres or upload your favourite track. Shoot at the notes coming out of the loudspeakers to score points. When you shoot notes on the same colour one after the other you will score extra combo points. Aim at violin keys and various instruments to score even more points! If you really want to score high, here is a tip – don’t miss!”

Guns And Notes is now only £3.99 (GBP) down from £7.99 on Oculus Rift.

Cube Puzzle

In this first-person VR puzzle title, players will need to control a group of cubes and rotate them to make them fit through a hole in the hole. Every successful hole you pass through will add more blocks to your cluster making it harder and harder to succeed. Keep the chain going for as long as possible to earn more points and unlock more levels and see how far you can take your cube cluster.

Cube Puzzle is available now on Gear VR for £0.79 (GBP) down from £1.49.

HAPPY WORLD LAND

In this title players escape to the biggest amusement park in VR and experience over 12 different rides. Choose a character and jump online with players from around the world and experience the excitement of HAPPY WORLD LAND.

HAPPY WORLD LAND is currently £0.79 (GBP) down from £2.29 for Gear VR.

Wizard TD

“Players will play the role of wizard. Through perspective shifts and clicks, players can travel through magical towers. Through clicks, players can cast different types of spells. The stars obtained by completing the tasks can upgrade the skills to make them stronger. Players can also set various types of turrets to prevent the invasions of demons and monsters army! Wizard guild will fight together with players until all the demons and monsters are eliminated.”

Wizard TD is currently on sale for £0.79 (GBP) down from £1.49 for Gear VR.

Time Machine VR: Monsters of the Sea

Take a time back in time in this exciting VR experience where you will get to witness some of the most stunning creatures from the Jurassic era. Using scanning projectiles, you will need to learn as much as you can about these creatures before unlocking further levels each offering an immersive experience.

Time Machine VR: Monsters of the Sea is currently available for £1.11 (GBP) down from £2.29 for Gear VR.

Ninjutsu Warrior

“You’re a young ninja training under the legendary master Osamu, on a quest to sharpen your skills with the sword. Slice fresh fruits, avoid rotten ones and complete objectives in each level as you progress through your training to become a legendary Ninjutsu warrior.”

Ninjutsu warrior is available for only £0.79 (GBP) right now on sale from £2.29 for Gear VR.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

via Mint VR

Six Hundred Four is a new sneaker brand that creates shoes based off commissioned art pieces and recently they launched the world’s first virtual reality (VR) sneaker store. This store is a harmoniously merge of VR and e-commerce that can be explored without the need for a head-mounted display (HMD).

The experience allows virtual visitors to explore the store at their own pace, viewing the original art pieces while effortlessly adding shoes to their shopping cart. As it does not require a HMD to be viewed, users can explore the Six Hundred Four’s flagship store in their web browser or on a mobile device within a standalone headset.

As the Six Hundred Four retail space is both an art gallery and a shoe store, coined as a “Sneaker Gallery”, this produced a minimalist aesthetic that made it ideal for being brought over to VR. There are even little “Easter Eggs” within the virtual store that allow visitors to claim an exclusive discount.

James Lepp, the founder of Six Hundred Four, explains, “Typical VR experiences are limiting because they require a headset. You can’t type with a headset, and frankly, most people don’t even have one. We didn’t want to have those constraints. Instead, our experience can be used anywhere, any time, on any device.”

Leep continuances by state that communicating Six Hundred Four’s business model to in-store visitors is easy while online visitors prove to be a challenge. “You won’t find a brand like ours anywhere else in the world, so the concept is new to all of our visitors. In the store, we can enlighten you as we guide you around. Online, however, it hasn’t been so easy. With this virtual store, online visitors will gain much more insight into what we do. At least that’s the hope.”

To create the virtual store Six Hundred Four partners with Method Visual, a leader in 360 photography and VR. Tim Enos, owner of Method Visual, asserts that, “What’s most exciting is that nearly everybody can experience it right now, with practically no learning curve. It’s intuitive, clean, user-friendly, and this is just the start.” Both Enos and Lepp plan on improving the technology as more people continue to adopt VR in the future. “Our plan is to open up real galleries all over the world,” explains Lepp, “but depending on where VR goes, maybe it will be more virtual galleries instead of physical ones.”

You can visit the Six Hundred Four virtual store here and VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on this in the future.

via Mint VR

Earlier this year VRFocus reported on the release of a new augmented reality (AR) app called HoloModels, released by Japanese company Gugenka from CS-REPORTERS.INC. The app allows user to build a collection of anime figures within virtual space and decorate their surrounding with them. Now, HoloModels has announced a new figure is coming to the app as part of a collaboration with the popular anime series Re:Zero.

The collaboration sees the character Rem having been released as an additional figure who can be purchased within the app. Rem comes in her iconic maid outfit complete with a number of items to allow users to pose her however they want. From action scenes to having her prepare breakfast, HoloModels allows users to place, pose and capture their virtual figure collection however they wish.

Rem also comes with a few extras including a cutout of one of the enemies from Re:Zero which can be used to set up fight scenes. With the included posable morning star weapon, Rem can deliver justice to anyone or anything that the user so wishes. A number of posable hands and stickers also come with the purchase of the Rem pack offering new options for users to build scenes. Of course, these can be mixed with the other characters and items meaning the limit is only the users imagination and available items.

When placed in the world, Rem and the other characters with HoloModels, can be posed and adjusted up to a life-size scale allowing users to then walk around them in full 360. Users are able to adjust Rem’s facial expression as well to help set the tone of the scene. Once everything is set up and in place users are able to take photos and then share them over social media to share off their collection.

Later this year there will be another new character coming to HoloModels in the form of a life-size Yui model from the One Room VR app, which is being demonstrated at an upcoming event in Tokyo on 3rd May. HoloModels is currently available to download for free on iOS devices running iOS 11 and up with an Android release planned.

VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on HoloModels and its future collaborations so stay tuned for more.

via Mint VR

The cinematic virtual reality (VR) episodic experience Speed Kills VR, following its win for the Best Feature Film VR 2018 at Cinequest Film Festival in Silicon Valley, have now released.

Staring John Travolta, Kathleen Winnick, Kellan Lutz, and many other stars, Speed Kills VR Experience is a 360-degree experience that was shot alongside the filming of the upcoming feature film of the same name. The title offers a unique perspective inside the life of a notorious speed boat builder, who at one time made the fastest boasts around which were used by both the US Coast Guard and drug smugglers in the late 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s. Speed Kills VR Experience is inspired by a true story that covers the rise and fall of the world champion and multi-millionaire whose life can be witnessed in fully immersive VR.

Created by TopDogVR, the groundbreaking drama is split across eight episodes each running for around seven to nine minutes in length. Each episode explores a different part of the tale include boat racing, mobster beatings, drug running and DEA chasing in full 360-degrees. The action packed experience will give viewers a truly immersive feeling of being a part of the events as they sit right in the heart of the drama.

The award winning VR film is designed to deliver a stunning viewing experience for the rapidly growing audience of VR and 360-degree content. With standalone head-mounted displays (HMDs) continuing to become more widely adopted, TopDogVR hopes to bring more content like Speed Kills VR Experience to viewers in the future and take full advantage of the technology and its limitless possibilities.

Producer and director of the project Travis Cloyd, who also was awarded the VR Visionary of the year award by Cinequest, discussed Speed Kills VR Experience saying: “There are many challenges we face in the world of VR when story telling within this new medium especially when it involves top talent, real events, extreme shots and industry leaders. Luckily we had an amazing team, incredible cast, supportive community and a lot of great people which is what it takes to provide the audience with a new way to absorb impactful stories, but yet not effecting the bottom line.”

Speed Kills VR Experience is available to download today on the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Oculus Store. The project’s roll out will culminate with the series being available on platforms including Google DayDream, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Viveport. Speed Kills VR Experience will also be premiering at Marché Du Film Festival Du Cannes May 8-17 in France.

For more on Speed Kills VR Experience in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

 

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Food poisoning is a real problem and can strike at anytime and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 600 million people suffer some form of illnesses after eating contaminated food. The subject of food poisoning impacts not just public health and safety but can also national economies. Though improving hygiene training is the fundamental root cause of helping to tackle this problem, virtual reality (VR) might also be the way forward.

This is the answer according to a group of academics who are creating a VR experience which is design to help train individuals in kitchen hygiene. Thanks to the advancements in technology, reduced development costs and wider adoption of the products, turning to VR to help train people and raise awareness of food poisoning is a logical decision.

The project is titled the The Corrupt Kitchen VR and is being made at the University of Nottingham by the Digital Research Team as a means to educate and train users on food hygiene and food poisoning. Dr Paul Tennent outlines The Corrupt Kitchen VR writing on the projects blog saying: “The Corrupt Kitchen VR is a game where players must balance the task of cooking meals as requests come in with adhering to health and safety rules: keeping themselves and the kitchen clean and free of infestation; ensuring the quality of their ingredients; and ensuring that their employees have all the correct paperwork. The more meals they produce, the more money the restaurant makes and the higher their score. Neglecting the other tasks will certainly make them more money, but there’s an associated risk.”

As the users will need to deal with an endless queue of customers they must ensure they preform all the needed tasks while maintaining a high level of hygiene within their kitchen. Washing their hands, mopping the floors and keep rats out of the kitchen will ensure a good result if a bit less income. The Corrupt Kitchen VR also allows for a second player to join the experience and act as a health inspector. They will be able to assess the chefs work and issue fines as they see fit. “But inspectors are people too – they’ve got families at home and bills to pay – maybe a healthy bribe will make them forget seeing that rat in the meat grinder?” Tennent notes on the blog post.

The experience is being built within the Unity 3D engine and taking advantage of the HTC Vive in order to give players the freedom they need to tackle the challenges. Every detail of the title is being built with detail in mind from the movements required to flip burgers to the options available when it comes to hiring staff for your kitchen. The goal of The Corrupt Kitchen VR is to ensure people are aware of the issues surrounding food hygiene, besides other kitchen responsibilities, and educate them ready for the workplace.

The Corrupt Kitchen VR is still in development and the team at Nottingham University continue to document their process on their blog. VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on this title in the future so stay tuned for more.

via Mint VR

Earlier this month Leap Motion, the company behind the hand-tracking depth senor, revealed they have been working on an augmented reality (AR) head-mounted display (HMD) dubbed Project North Star. This project is aiming to bring the expertise of Leap Motion’s hand-and-finger tracking and integrate it with AR technology and build a seamless HMD that utilizes the latest technology to offer the best hands-free AR experience.

Since the reveal of the Project North Star, the company have continued to share a number of images and videos that explore what they are hoping to achieve with this product. Leap Motion is push the notion that “it’s time to shift the conversation from what an AR system should look like, to what an AR experience should feel like” and with these demonstrations, it is clear that Leap Motion has a clear goal in mind.

In a series of Tweets the company revealed some new work-in-progress demos of possible user interact solutions that could be used with Project North Star and hand-tracking. This includes a number of clips that showcase the hand tracking in motion, with the high response time being impressive to see. Other clips include 3D objects being held, transformed and interacted with within virtual space all thanks to the HMD and the hand tracking technology. The most impressive of which was shown off in a recent Tweet where Leap Motion demonstrated user interfaces that are collapsible.

Another day at the augmented office. Our latest foray into #AR design with #ProjectNorthStar makes your entire world interactive. pic.twitter.com/SB8SNidbCG

— LeapMotion (@LeapMotion) April 24, 2018

By interacting with a small white bar that acts as a spawn location for the interface, it reacts when the user moves their hand towards the interface. This can then be picked up, pulled around, placed both on the surface and in the air and even be interacted with while it is being held. The interfaces appears to have a sense of weight to it as well and still allows for users to pass through them without disturbing there placement.

These prototypes of possible user interface applications for Project North Star are as exciting as they are interesting. As Leap Motion continue to work on the AR HMD and document their journey, VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest, so stay tuned for more.

via Mint VR