Up Close With Oculus Quest
Oculus Quest (formerly Santa Cruz) has been officially revealed, launching Spring 2019 for $400. We’ve got our first up close look at the newly refined headset.
Facebook & RED Unveil ‘Manifold’ Volumetric VR Camera
Last May, Facebook and RED Digital Cinema announced they were working on a volumetric video camera based on Facebook’s Surround360 technology. At Oculus Connect 5 today, the company’s annual developer conference, Facebook and RED revealed a first-look at the camera, dubbed Manifold.
‘Vox Machinae’ Early Access Review: VR’s Latest & Greatest Mech Sim
Having grown up with FromSoftware’s mech arcade series Armored Core and the more simulator-style multiplayer Chromehounds, I have a special place in my heart for the lurching mech goliaths. And now Vox Machinae is here, promising to bring an immersive twist on the classic genre that aims to not only stuff the servers with VR players, but also players on traditional monitors as well.
Oculus Quest Supports “Arena-scale” Tracking and Multi-room Guardian
Oculus today offered up some details on the ‘Insight’ tracking system of their new Quest headset. The inside-out tracking goes “beyond roomscale,” according to Oculus, enabling large-scale experiences that let players physically move around large spaces. Additionally, Oculus Quest is equipped with the familiar Guardian system to keep you from bumping into your surroundings, now upgraded to support multiple rooms.
New VR ‘Star Wars’ Series Slated to Launch on Oculus Quest Next Year, Trailer Here
ILMxLAB, the immersive media wing of Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), today revealed at Oculus Connect 5 that they’re producing a series of Star Wars VR experiences for Oculus Quest, the company’s upcoming high-end standalone VR headset. The first in the series, dubbed Vader Immortal: Episode I, is said to come exclusively as a Quest launch title, and follow the exploits of Darth Vader.
Google’s ‘YouTube VR’ App is Coming to Oculus Go Soon
Oculus and Google are finally bringing the official YouTube VR app to the Oculus Store for Oculus Go soon. Announced previously for Gear VR back at Google’s developer conference, the YouTube VR app has only been available for a select few flagship Samsung phones.
‘Robo Recall’, ‘The Climb’, ‘Moss’, and More Coming to Oculus Quest
Oculus today announced ‘Quest’, their new high-end standalone VR headset. The company is promising that some of the top Rift titles will be ported to the headset, including Robo Recall, Moss, The Climb, and Dead and Buried.
‘Lone Echo 2’ Announced, Immersive Trailer Available on Rift, Go, & Gear VR
Oculus today announced Lone Echo 2, a sequel to the highly praised Lone Echo which was developed by Ready at Dawn and published by Oculus Studios in 2017. While the game, like the original, is expected only to launch on the Rift, the announcement comes with an immersive trailer available on the Rift, Go, and Gear VR.
Mech Simulator ‘Vox Machinae’ Available Now After Surprise Launch at Oculus Connect
Vox Machinae, a long running indie VR project, is available right now on the Oculus Rift, SteamVR, and PC. The game received a surprise launch into Early Access today at Oculus Connect 5, bringing a new beginning to a title that’s been in the works for nearly four years.
Oculus Announces Quest, The High-end Standalone Headset Starting at $400
Oculus today introduced Quest, the consumer version of the ‘Project Santa Cruz’ headset that the company first revealed way back in 2016. The headset is high-end standalone, meaning it doesn’t rely on a PC, but still manages to include the positional head and hand tracking that makes high-end headsets so immersive.
Watch Oculus Connect 5 Opening Keynote Livestream Here
Oculus Connect, the company’s annual developer conference, is returning for its fifth year today. While we’re not entirely sure what the company has to announce in its all-important opening keynote, you can watch along with us here, starting today at 10 AM PT (local time here).
Valve Reveals Knuckles EV3 Dev Kit, Planning Production of “Much greater quantities”
Having revealed the ‘Knuckles’ EV2 controller development kit just a few months ago, Valve has rapidly incorporated improvements based on feedback from developers and today revealed the updated EV3. The company says will be “produced in much greater quantities than EV2,” of which Valve said “hundreds” were shipped. Improvements from EV2 to EV3 are less significant compared to the big changes from the previous update, but suggest the company is very near to a finished product.
New Video Reveals More Giant Bosses of ‘Astro Bot Rescue Mission‘
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is nearing release on PSVR next month, and to help charge up the Astro Bot hypetrain, Sony Japan Studio released a new video detailing some of the absolutely huge bosses that you and little Astro will take on.
Pimax “5K” Plus Breeds Confusion as Previewers Recommend it Over “8K” Headset
Just a month before the company expected to begin shipping the first “5K” and “8K” headsets to backers of its Kickstarter campaign, Pimax introduced a new model, the “5K” Plus. Though it has a lower resolution than the higher-end “8K,” those who have previewed the headsets largely agree that the “5K” Plus offers the sharpest image, creating confusion for backers who put their money toward the “8K” with the hopes of getting the headset with the best visual fidelity.
‘CREED: Rise to Glory’ Review: An Arcade Boxer That Packs a Real Punch
CREED: Rise to Glory is a boxing game that aims to get you up and sweating with what promises to deliver the Rocky-style underdog victory that couch jockies like me have always dreamed about. While the campaign is both shorter and lighter on story than it probably could have been, it delivers some heavy-hitting game mechanics that do pretty well considering you’re effectively punching at air.
