Back in 2016, director Jon Favreau, in association with immersive studio Wevr, released the Gnomes & Goblins preview, a demo of an (at the time) ambitious VR film project. While it was well received, it lay nearly forgotten as the years passed with no sign of a full release. Hope has been reignited thanks to a recently revamped website teasing that project is “coming soon.”
Star Wars: Vader Immortal is a three part VR “narrative adventure” and Oculus exclusive. Episode I launched on Quest and Rift earlier this year. Little is known about Episode II, including its release date, but this week the creators shared a glimpse of what’s to come.
HTC and the American Museum of Natural History announced early this year that the Manhattan-based institution’s ‘T. rex: The Ultimate Predator’ exhibit was getting a VR experience that would let museum-goers collaborate to build a Tyrannosaurus rex bone-by-bone in virtual reality. Starting today, you can now jump into the app with your VR headset at home.
The Knight Foundation, focused on journalism and the arts, is opening a call-for-ideas from creatives and organizations using immersive technology to bring art to their audiences. Selected projects will be awarded a share of a $750,000 grant pool, as well as mentorship and “technology support” from Microsoft.
From the very first time we previewed an early build of ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission, it was clear that there was much care and craft behind the work. At its October 2018 launch, the finished game not only didn’t disappoint, it saw critical praise, quickly becoming PSVR’s top rated title and even one of PS4’s top titles overall for 2018. The reception was a testament to the undeniable art and skill of the creators at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s JAPAN Studio. But how did they succeed where so many others struggled? For the latest in our Insights & Artwork series, we spoke with Astro Bot’s Creative Director and Producer, Nicolas Doucet, who gave us a glimpse into the game’s design process and a look at some of the artwork which guided the way.
Tyler Hurd, the creator behind patently ridiculous VR experiences Butts (2016) and Old Friend (2017), has just joined the Oculus Medium team. Now, Hurd says, he’s developing a new VR project called Beach Body Bros using Medium.
Elon Musk unveiled Neuralink earlier this week, a startup that aims to not only revolutionize the growing field of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), but eventually wants to make neural implants as common as LASIK outpatient procedures are today—that’s the long-term goal at least. And while virtual reality and BMIs are still relatively segregated fields at this point, Oculus CTO and legendary programmer John Carmack got a chance to visit Neuralink’s offices, calling it “very bold work.”
I have to say, when I first saw the announce trailer for Marvel’s Iron Man VR, I wasn’t exactly blown away. Now that I’ve actually had a chance to try the game for myself, my tune has totally changed—there’s huge potential for this to be an excellent VR game, thanks to innovative flying mechanics which really channels the feeling of unrestricted flight in the suit of the iconic hero.
Indie VR gem Racket: NX (2018) launches today on Oculus Quest with cross-platform multiplayer with the Rift version of the game. Playing out as a techno-future infused mashup between Breakout and racquetball, Racket: Nx feels right at home on Quest thanks to its 360 degree tracking and lack of tether.
Echo VR, the hub for both ‘Echo Arena’ and ‘Echo Combat’, got a sizeable update today with a revamped lobby which turns zero-G into under-the-sea. A new Skirmish zone lets players hop into pick-up battles for practice before diving into matches.
If you were skeptical about the $40 price tag on Sony’s latest PSVR exclusive, Blood & Truth (2019), the company has some good news: you can now play a healthy slice of the game for free starting today.
In all the time I’ve spent mucking around in Oculus Home and Rec Room—both physics-based sandbox environments that promise to let me do as I please in VR—I always felt like there was a significant time gap involved with creating anything of mechanical or creative depth. Now that Rube Goldberg machine sim Gadgeteer is available, I find myself enthralled both by its extreme simplicity and the perpetual bounty of possibilities laden within its endless supply of stackable knick-knacks and useful doodads.
Survios, the studio behind Raw Data (2017) and Creed: Rise to Glory (2018), is getting their upcoming nautical battler Battlewake into ship-shape for this weekend, which marks the beginning of the game’s closed beta.
Schell Games announced their hit VR spy puzzle game I Expect You To Die (2017) just got a new bit of free DLC that brings with it a brand new level.
