Microsoft Aims to Improve VR for Users with Vision Problems
Microsoft researchers have created a tool that could make VR more accessible to users with impaired vision.
‘Firmament’ Kickstarter Boasts 10,000 Backers, But Still Needs Over $400K to Succeed
Cyan, the creators of genre-defining puzzle adventure games Myst (1993) and Riven (1997), are only a week away from the end of their latest campaign, a new VR puzzler called Firmament. With still over $400,000 to go, the company is now asking backers to tell friends about the project in an ostensible race to the finish.
Facebook is Working on a Voice Assistant for Oculus Devices, Portal & More
Facebook is currently developing a voice assistant that could function similar to Amazon Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant. Notably, it’s intended to support Oculus headsets in addition to Portal, and “future products.”
Resolution Games to Launch Multiplayer VR Party Game ‘Acron’ This Summer
With Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs (2019) fresh out the door, Resolution Games today announced Acron, a new multiplayer game that pits one VR player against a group of local mobile users.
Critically Acclaimed Rhythm Action Game ‘Thumper’ is Coming to Quest at Launch
Oculus announced that Thumper (2016), the popular rhythm-action game, is officially coming to Quest at launch.
Google’s VR Painting App ‘Tilt Brush’ is Coming to Quest at Launch, Cross-Buy with Rift
Already own a copy of Google’s VR creation tool Tilt Brush (2016) from the Oculus Store? Then you’ll be able to hop right into the company’s intuitive painting app with Oculus Quest, the upcoming standalone VR headset.
Oculus Job Posts Point to Facebook-built AR Headset on the Horizon
As first reported by PocketGamer, Facebook is advertising a few new posts at its VR subsidiary Oculus, laced with the notion that a Facebook-built AR headset is definitely on the rise.
These Developers Hacked Knuckles & Vive Controllers to Play MIDI File Music
We’re still holding our breath of the next wave of consumer VR headsets yet to come, namely Rift S, Quest, and Valve Index. None of them have official release dates yet, so some intrepid developers found a way to bide their time by making the Valve and the soon-to-launch Valve Index controllers (ex-Knuckles) hum beautiful MIDI files just for the fun of it.
‘High Fidelity’ Shifts Focus Towards Non-VR Due to Slow Growth
Philip Rosedale, CEO of High Fidelity and founder of Second Life, announced at a High Fidelity community meeting recently that the company will be scaling back their VR efforts, focusing more on improving their PC and Mac performance. The company has also shut down all first-party user spaces and associated servers except for a single orientation room, which will be used for new users only.
Next-gen PlayStation Will Support Current PSVR, Sony Confirms
In an interview with Wired, the lead system architect on the next PlayStation console, Mark Cerny, confirmed that PS5 (naming still unconfirmed) will retain support for the current PSVR headset.
‘Dreams’ Launches into Early Access on PS4, PSVR Support Still Pending
Media Molecule’s hotly awaited creator tool/game Dreams is here, albeit in Early Access on PS4. While the game is slated to include VR support at some point, it’s still unclear when users will be able to jump into their creations with PSVR.
The Surprising Brilliance of ‘Vacation Simulator’s’ VR Paintbrush Tech
Having released the ever popular Job Simulator as a launch title for the HTC Vive back in 2016, Owlchemy Labs is one of the most veteran VR game studios that exists today. Over the years the studio has built a strong foundation of VR interaction design which is seen throughout their newest title, Vacation Simulator. Interactions which might seem simple and usable to the player are often much more complex than they appear. Case in point: some surprisingly brilliant paintbrush tech that just feels right in VR. Developers from Owlchemy are here to explain how they built it.
‘ForceTube’ May Not Make Its Kickstarter Goal, But Creators Still Aim to Fulfill Orders
With only a few hours remaining in ForceTubeVR’s crowdfunding campaign, the creators behind the VR haptic gun accessory are facing the facts: either their Kickstarter gains the outstanding €16,000 (~$18,00) for their all-or-nothing campaign to succeed, or they head to ‘Plan B’.
‘Audica’ Adds Official Support for Custom Beat Maps (Using the Game’s OST)
Harmonix has officially released tools and documentation that will help users modify beat maps for Audica (2019), the studio’s recently released futuristic ‘rhythm shooter’.
‘Superhot VR’ Has Now Generated More Revenue Than The Original PC Game
Superhot VR (2016) just celebrated a big milestone. Having sold more than 800,000 units across all supported platforms, developers Superhot Team say the VR title has now generated more revenue than their original hit PC game Superhot (2016).
