Road to VR

Preview: ‘Carly & the Reaperman’ Plays Like a Co-op Version of ‘Moss’

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Dominic Brennan

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Apr 29, 2018

Odd Raven Studios’ first major title is the VR puzzle-platformer Carly & the Reaperman – Escape from the Underworld. While there is a single player option, it has been designed as an asymmetrical co-op experience, with one player in VR acting as the helpful ‘Reaperman’ in VR, and the other moving Carly in third-person using a standard display. The game is set to launch on June 19th, with support for the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows VR headsets via SteamVR.

Google Demonstrates Promising Low-cost, Mobile Inside-out Controller Tracking

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Apr 28, 2018

google-6dof-controller-tracking — Image courtesy Google

A number of standalone VR headsets will be hitting the market in 2018, but so far none of them offer positional (AKA 6DOF) controller input, one of the defining features of high-end tethered headsets. But we could see that change in the near future, thanks to research from Google which details a system for low-cost, mobile inside out VR controller tracking.

Oculus Affrims ‘Echo Combat’ is an ‘Echo Arena’ Expansion, Details to Come at E3

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Apr 27, 2018

echo-combat — Image courtesy Oculus, Ready at Dawn

In the Echo Arena update this week a blocked off section of the new lobby says ‘Echo Combat – Under Construction’, suggesting that the upcoming zero-G VR FPS would remain an expansion of Echo Arena rather than a separate game. Oculus has indeed affirmed this is the case, and says to expect more details at E3 in June.

Researchers Exploit Natural Quirk of Human Vision for Hidden Redirected Walking in VR

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Apr 27, 2018

Researches from Stony Brook University, NVIDIA, and Adobe have devised a system which hides so-called ‘redirected walking’ techniques using saccades, natural eye movements which act like a momentary blindspot. Redirected walking changes the direction that a user is walking to create the illusion of moving through a larger virtual space than the physical space would allow.

Report: Apple Developing AR/VR Headset with 8K Resolution Per-eye Slated for 2020

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Apr 27, 2018

Image courtesy Apple

According to a report by CNET, citing an anonymous “person familiar with Apple’s plans,” the company is working on an AR/VR headset targeting 8K resolution per-eye, scheduled for launch in 2020.

‘Beat Saber’ Developer Confirms Plans for Color Blind Mode, Soundtrack Release

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Apr 27, 2018

beat-saber-2 — Image courtesy Beat Games

Beat Saber, the hotly anticipated VR rhythm game launching May 1st, relies heavily upon colors to guide players in striking the correct notes. For those with color blindness, this could make the game more challenging. Fortunately the developer has confirmed plans for a color blind mode. Furthermore, the Beat Saber soundtrack will be released alongside the game itself.

Mozilla’s ‘Hubs’ is the One-click VR Meeting Space I’ve Been Waiting For

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Apr 26, 2018

mozilla-hubs — Image courtesy Mozilla

As part of Mozilla’s ongoing efforts to make VR a first-class citizen on the web, the company today announced Hubs, a WebVR-based social experience which makes for effortless, one-click creation of virtual spaces which anyone can join—from smartphones desktop browsers to VR headsets—directly from the browser. The approach removes a heap of barriers that traditionally stand between two people and a face-to-face conversation in VR.

VRLA’s John Root on AR, Privacy, & eSports in VR

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Apr 26, 2018

vrla-2018 — Image courtesy VRLA

John Root co-founded VRLA with Cosmo Scharf in 2014, and it has organically grown into a thriving VR event with over 10,000 attendees at the Los Angeles Convention Center. VRLA is a non-profit where funding from sponsors helps to support about half of their exhibitors within the event’s Indie Zone, which helps them feature a lot of innovative independent VR experiments and start-ups. VRLA is happening this year on May 4th and 5th. I had a chance to walk the showroom floor of VRLA 2017 with Root where he took me on a guided tour through the history of VRLA, his thoughts on AR, using VR for film production, the future of privacy in AR/VR, as well as why he is interested in seeing where eSports in VR is headed.

Virtual Builds is Offering SteamVR Tracking Development Kits & Expertise

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Apr 26, 2018

virtual-builds-steamvr-tracking-hdk — Image courtesy Virtual Builds

Virtual Builds, a company spinning out of ASIC engineering firm Noisefigure Research, is a new entrant now selling SteamVR Tracking development hardware. With a full DIY kit starting at $200, Virtual Builds aims to make SteamVR Tracking more accessible for VR hardware companies and individual developers makers alike.

‘Echo Arena’ Update Overhauls Social Lobby, Makes Way for ‘Echo Combat’

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Apr 25, 2018

Echo Arena, which ranks among our 5 favorite Rift sports games, has seen the release of patch 9.0, which totally overhauls the game’s social lobby, a place where players can socialize and participate in a number of activities while waiting for matches to begin. An incomplete section of the lobby teases forthcoming Echo Combat content.

VR World Creation Engine ‘NeosVR’ to Launch Open Beta May 4th

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Apr 25, 2018

neosvr — Image courtesy NeosVR

Developer Tomáš ‘Frooxius’ Mariančík, known for his work on the early Oculus experience SightLine, recently announced that NeosVR, the multiuser VR world creation engine, is headed into open beta starting May 4th.

Oculus Opens Applications for 2018 Launch Pad Mentorship Program

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Apr 25, 2018

launchpad2016 — Image courtesy Oculus

Oculus recently opened applications for its annual Launch Pad program, a developer mentorship that provides funding and resources to people from underrepresented backgrounds.

Leap Motion Teases Prototype ‘Collapsible’ User Interface for AR Headsets

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Apr 25, 2018

leap-motion-project-north-s — image courtesy Leap Motion

Leap Motion, the company behind the hand-tracking depth sensor, recently tweeted out another through-the-headset view of a prototype UI, this time centered on how some simple elements might work in the “augmented office” of the near future.

Pimax Unveils New Knuckles-style Controller, Supports SteamVR 2.0 Tracking

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Apr 24, 2018

Pimax, the company behind the wide field of view “8K” VR headset, today unveiled a new controller design intended to ship alongside their upcoming VR hardware. Much like Valve’s still unreleased ‘Knuckles’ controllers, the new Pimax controller is designed to strap to your hand for an ‘open-palm’ experience.

‘Paper Valley’ Review – Settling the Busy Mind by Throwing Paper Airplanes

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paper-valley — image courtesy Vitei Backroom

Paper Valley is as pretty unique experience. Although it’s decidedly a more zen-like game without any real pressure to succeed, there’s something to it that’s just engaging enough to keep you moving forward, hopefully getting you into the quiet, focused flowstate.

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