Road to VR

The Yang and the Yin of Immersive Storytelling with Oculus’ Yelena Rachitsky

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Apr 7, 2018

The future of VR storytelling will be immersive and interactive. Yelena Rachitsky is an executive producer of experiences at Oculus, and she’s been inspired by how interactive narratives have allowed her to feel like a participant who is more engaged, more present, and more alive. The fundamental challenge of interactive narratives is how to balance the giving and receiving of making choices and taking action vs. receiving a narrative and being emotionally engaged and having an embodied experience of immersion and presence. Balancing the active and passive dimensions is the underlying tension of the yang and yin of any experience.

‘VRChat’ is the Closest VR Experience Available Today to ‘Ready Player One’s’ OASIS

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Apr 6, 2018

vrchat — Image courtesy VRChat

Ready Player One was released on March 29th, and the current VR experience that comes the closest to realizing the vision of the OASIS depicted in the movie is the social VR experience of VRChat. By 2045, I predict that we’ll have a decentralized open metaverse that’s built on WebXR, and that it’ll be the open web that realizes the educational potential of OASIS that’s depicted within the novel version of Ready Player One. But I think we’ll continue to have open and closed systems just as we do today, and it’s likely that there will a closed, walled garden metaverse of interconnected worlds that is more akin to the vision of the OASIS that’s built by Gregarious Simulation Systems. But if you want to experience the OASIS today, then VRChat is the experience to check out.

‘Bravo Team’ Devs Explain Overwhelmingly Negative Reception, Studio Promises Patch

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Apr 6, 2018

bravo team (1) — Image courtesy Supermassive Games

Ahead of its launch last month, PSVR exclusive Bravo Team looked like a promising VR FPS, bringing PS Aim support and a fully cooperative campaign to the table. But critic and player reactions turned out to be overwhelmingly negative. Speaking with Eurogamer, anonymous sources from the studio behind the game explained how the ambitious title turned into a flop.

‘Beat Saber’ to Launch in Early Access on May 1st, Developers Tease New Track

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Apr 6, 2018

After getting our hands on VR rhythm lightsaber game Beat Saber at GDC 2018 last month, we’ve been looking forward to more information on the game’s release date, which is now confirmed for May 1st. Last week developer Hyperbolic Magnetism revealed a new track, which will launch with the game’s Early Access version.

‘Plex VR’ App Comes to Gear VR, Social VR Viewing to Arrive ‘in a few weeks’

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Apr 6, 2018

plex-vr — Image courtesy Plex

Plex, the media server software that lets you stream your own video, music, and photos to a bevy of devices, has landed on Gear VR with its latest app Plex VR. The app, which includes support for 360180-degree and 3D videos, first made its way to the Daydream platform earlier this year.

Play VR Racer ‘Sprint Vector’ for Free on Rift This Weekend, Win Prizes April 7th

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Apr 6, 2018

sprint-vector — Image courtesy Survios

Sprint Vector (2018), the VR racing game that uses a unique locomotion system to send you speeding through the world’s Mario Kart-style tracks on your own two feet, is finally getting a free access weekend on Rift. Oh, and you might have the chance to win big at Oculus’ ongoing two-year Rift anniversary giveaway too.

Oculus Now Lets Gear VR Devs Post Notifications to Better Communicate With Players

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Apr 5, 2018

gear-vr-notifications — image courtesy Oculus

For developers, it’s not easy grabbing a player’s attention when their game is getting a big update, or an important in-game event is about to happen. In effort to remedy this, Oculus is opening up Notifications on Gear VR to developers looking to draw wayward eyeballs back to their apps.

British Series ‘Kiss Me First’ Set in a Futuristic VR Metaverse, Coming to Netflix

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Apr 5, 2018

In the wake of Steven Spielberg’s latest film Ready Player One (2018) comes a new Netflix series set in the backdrop of a virtual universe. Called Kiss Me First, the psychological thriller takes place in a dark, ominous world where fully-immersive virtual reality is the norm.

Kat VR Details Upcoming VR Treadmill KAT Walk Mini in New Video

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Apr 5, 2018

In response to curiosity from the community, Kat VR, the China-based VR treadmill company, released a new video showing their upcoming small form-factor KAT Walk Mini in action.

Facebook is Using Target Tracking to Unlock AR Experiences From Movie Posters and More

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Apr 5, 2018

ar-tracker — Image courtesy Facebook

Facebook is expanding its augmented reality platform to make it possible for developers to create AR content tied to physical objects such as logos, signs and posters.

HTC Vive Pro Headset Review: Welcomed Improvements Overshadowed By a Steep Price

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Apr 4, 2018

htc vive pro review (1) — Photo by Road to VR

Set to launch this week, on the two year anniversary of the original Vive, HTC’s Vive Pro shows the progress the company has been able to make on their VR headset in the same span, though it isn’t being positioned as a ‘Vive 2’. Bringing a number of welcomed improvements, but also a steep increase in price, the headset is only likely to make sense to enterprise and commercial users, and a tiny fraction of the VR enthusiasts that have already bought into HTC’s VR ecosystem. Even then, with SteamVR Tracking 2.0 base stations and controllers still not available to take advantage of new sensors on the headset, the value proposition isn’t yet entirely apparent.

Dev Behind ‘Mario AR’ Brings ‘Street Fighter II’ to Life with ARKit

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Apr 4, 2018

streetrighter2-ar — image courtesy Abhishek Singh

You might know developer Abhishek Singh from his HoloLens version of Super Mario Bros. (1985) that went viral back in June 2017, or maybe his more recent AR recreation of the iconic scene from The Ring (2002) where the horrifying ghost girl emerges from the TV screen. Now, Singh has delved back into classic gaming with his latest project, a full AR recreation of Street Fighter II (1995).

Arcade Football Game ‘2MD: VR Football’ to Hit PSVR This Spring

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Apr 4, 2018

2MD VR Football (2017), a room-scale quarterback game that first landed on SteamVR-compatible headsets last September, is making its way to PSVR this spring.

Apple Shows VR Could Help Fight Motion Sickness & Boredom in Self-driving Cars

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Apr 4, 2018

apple-vr-self-driving-car — image courtesy US Patent and Trademark Office

When you’re driving a car, you’re invested with a sense of purpose: stay alert, don’t crash, optimize your route for the fastest and most comfortable experience. But what about when self-driving cars become the norm, and we’re no longer involved in those tasks? You’ll probably want to catch up on work, or play a game to fight the inevitable boredom—two things Apple thinks will be done in VR in the near future.

‘Planet of the Apes VR’ Launches Today on PSVR, Rift & Vive, Launch Trailer Here

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Apr 3, 2018

20th Century Fox’s VR game division FoxNext VR Studio today launched their Planet of the Apes-themed game for PSVR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Called Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR, the first-person action-adventure game takes place between the events in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), where you play as an intelligent ape imprisoned in a heavily guarded scientific facility.

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