Skyworld, a turn-based strategy game from Arizona Sunshine (2016) developers Vertigo Games, was initially introduced to the world as a demo during HTC Vive’s first public showing back in GDC 2015. At this year’s Gamescom, we got a hands-on with the ostensibly near-finished game, which should be releasing soon if the developers want to hit their Fall 2017 launch date.
VR design is still in the very early stages, but something that we know leads to immersion in VR is interactivity. One developer is taking interactivity to the extreme with Chroma Lab, a VR experience now available on SteamVR that lets you play with hundreds of thousands of simulated particles in real-time.
Everyone agrees: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) is a maddeningly good film. It is too good to tolerate, nearly. There is no one who does not think this; it is True. But everyone knows it’s missing something, and Kevin Cornish knows what that something is: aliens. But Cornish not only knows this, he’s actually set out to do something about it with Remember: Remember, a convoluted, if not altogether unappealing VR short.
The wildly popular puzzler The Talos Principle (2014) from Croteam is soon to be making its way to VR in a separate version, playable on SteamVR-compatible headsets; i.e. HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Getting a chance to go head-first into Talos VR at this year’s Gamescom, I walked in asking myself if I actually wanted to spend the 20ish hours it takes to beat the game, in VR; and if given the choice between the two—the monitor and the VR version—that I would prefer to play in a headset instead of on a flatscreen. While my 20 minute demo didn’t exactly answer that question in full, a few things have certainly changed about how you interface with the game, making it a necessarily slower, but much more immersive experience to boot. And you know us, we like immersion.
In 2016, Bethesda announced it was working on a Doom VR project, and earlier this year at E3 the company revealed it as Doom VFR. Due to launch in Q4 2017, a Q&A video with the game’s developers shines more light on the kind of gameplay and world that players can expect.
There’s some healthy competition in the VR 3D modelling space, as Sixense brings serious enhancements to MakeVR in a new version of the product named MakeVR Pro, with precision tools to assist in detailed 3D creativity and production. Both versions are currently only available on Viveport, although there are plans to bring the software to other platforms.
Next to Oculus’ big $400 Summer of Rift sale, the $800 HTC Vive felt as if it was in another price bracket altogether. Now after a price drop to $600, the Vive feels very much back in the game compared to the Rift’s post-sale MSRP of $500. Despite the close timing, HTC says the price cut wasn’t a reaction to Oculus.
After we went hands-on with Kopin’s prototype headset featuring their 2K VR micro display last week, people are curious to know when the screens might actually hit the market. Speaking with Kopin and manufacturing partner Goertek, the companies tell us that the first products incorporating the ‘Lightning’ display are expected by the end of 2018.
IGN’s Lucy O’Brien traveled to Japan’s Shinjuku VR Zone, Bandai Namco’s newly opened VR arcade featuring bespoke VR games from top properties including Dragon Ball, Gundam, Evangelion, and yes, Mario Kart.
Hot on the heels of the $400 Summer Rift sale, HTC is doing some of its own price slashing, bringing the complete Vive system down by $200 to a new permanently lowered price of $600.
Manifest 99, a new release coming to PSVR on September 12th, is being described as an “interactive narrative VR experience” that “straddles the line between dream and nightmare.”
James Camera is one of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors, best known for Titanic, and Avatar, two of the world’s top grossing films. He’s also been an evangelist of technological innovation in cinema production. Despite past skepticism, Cameron’s latest thoughts on VR show that he’s coming around to the idea, but still taking a pragmatic look.
Whether or not you’re in the narrow band of ‘solar eclipse totality’ that’s making its way across the continental United States on Monday, August 21st, Google Earth VR has seen a recent update that will let you experience the rare event from the comfort of your own HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.
Kopin is touting a new prototype VR headset featuring their 4K OLED ‘Lightning’ microdisplay that they say is made specifically for VR. At nearly half the size of other headsets, and made from lightweight materials, the device feels featherlight compared to VR products on the market today.
