This 360 Video Shows ‘EVE Online’ at its Most Magnificent
Immerse yourself in the vast, beautiful world of EVE Online via this new 360 video which aims to illustrate the hugely popular MMO from CCP Games at its grandest.
We Want to Play these HoloLens Concept Games Right Now
Stress Level Zero, the developers behind forthcoming HTC Vive / Steam VR title Hover Junkers, have come up with a series of concept titles for the Microsoft Hololens which we’d love to see become a reality.
‘The Peterson Case’ Looks Terrifying and Beautiful in Equal Measure
The Peterson Case is a title from developers Quarter Circle Games which places you in the shoes of detective Franklin Reinhardt as he tries to unravel the mystery behind 2 missing families. Built in Unity 5 with VR support, it looks both wonderfully atmospheric and frankly terrifying.
Create Your Own Solar System with the HTC Vive and ‘Planets’
This short trailer for upcoming title ‘Planets’ demonstrates how the HTC Vive can let you create a ‘room scale’ solar system of your very own.
SHVR Vive Jam Dev Log #2: Prototyping and Debugging
The SHVR Vive Jam in Shanghai enters its second day. Developers have put pen to paper fingers to keyboard to begin executing their ideas. The 14 teams have access to three HTC Vive development kits for testing in 30 minute blocks. They’d better use their time wisely as submissions are due at 4pm tomorrow.
The 3 Most Common Arguments Against VR and Why They’re Wrong
Since beginning my journey learning and writing about VR in 2011, I’ve talked with hordes of believers and critics alike. Through it all, I’ve found three common arguments touted by skeptics of the adoption of VR in the consumer market. Having immersed myself in this new era of VR for years now, I feel confident in responding to these concerns.
Hands On: ‘Gunjack’ from CCP Speaks the Same Design Language as ‘Valkyrie’
CCP Games, makers of Eve: Online and the upcoming multi-headset title Eve: Valkyrie, are expanding the Eve universe to Samsung Gear VR with their new mobile release Gunjack. The game isn’t only jaw-droppingly beautiful, (and despite my penchant for gaze-shooter hate) it’s actually really fun.
‘Adventure Time’ Creator Becomes ‘VR Informer’ on Twitter, Posts Wild VR Concepts
Pendleton Ward, aka @buenothebear on Twitter, the creator of the hit surreal fantasy animation Adventure Time, seems to have ‘gone full VR’, what’s more – judging by the content, he looks to be a fan.
If you haven’t head of Adventure Time, leave now and check it out immediately. It’s one of the most original, surreal, scary and warmly funny series to hit TV in years. It follows best friends Finn (the human) and Jake (the dog) on their adventures in a bizarre fantasy land – which is about as effective a synopsis as I can give … just go and watch it.
Anyway, Adventure Time‘s creator Pendleton Ward has a habit of elaborate and length twitter personality switches. His latest account switch comes in the form of ‘`+! VR INFORMER ¡+`’, a faux VR news channel seemingly dedicated to posting at once outlandish and strangely practical musings on virtual reality, with a touch of lampoonery thrown in. Interestingly though, the drawings do show that either Ward is pretty keen on researching his spoofs or he actually is an informed, closet VR geek.
Seen those videos of a oculus rift rigged up onto a 10 ft pole on some kids back.. i wanna try that man.. real bad.. pic.twitter.com/STG1Qdvesg
— `+! VR INFORMER ¡+` (@buenothebear) August 12, 2015
Seemingly the above initial illustration sparked the continuing series of images. Perhaps Ward spotted this project from a little while ago.
y'all.. the sixense stem system will still be relevant.. virtual cocktails.. gonna need 'em to stick on yer cups man! pic.twitter.com/cqYFrgPqj0
— `+! VR INFORMER ¡+` (@buenothebear) August 12, 2015
Here’s where Ward has either really done his homework or has patently been soaking up VR news from the last 12 months or so. The comment on and depiction of Sixense STEM is entirely topical, especially as he’s juxtaposed it with an HTC Vive controller and has himself holding the latest Oculus Touch controllers.
I wanna tilt my oculus down off my nose and look cool.. y'know? pic.twitter.com/rKYyCuPvv9
— `+! VR INFORMER ¡+` (@buenothebear) August 13, 2015
Whether intentional or not, the above image is a neat and amusing microcosm of comments from outside the VR enthusiast community, mainly centring around how much of a dork VR tends to make you look to those outside your virtual world.
— `+! VR INFORMER ¡+` (@buenothebear) August 13, 2015
The above is actually a fairly perceptive echo of a classic fear attached to the eventual prevalence of virtual reality – that of the temptation to entirely retreat to a virtual world of your choosing and eschewing the physical. I particularly like the continuing STEM theme with the tracked Coke bottle. Reminds me strongly of this rather famous and chilling vision of the future, ‘Reality’ by Eran Fowler:
How long Pendleton Ward will continue on his flights of VR fantasy and fancy via Twitter is unclear, but it’s encouraging to see that virtual reality is exposed to mainstream culture sufficiently now that those outside the VR community feel the technology is worthy of commenting on, even if it is to gently take the piss. Progress, truly.
SHVR Vive Jam Dev Log: Opening Day
To keep you connected to the action at this weekend’s SHVR Vive Jam in Shanghai we’re reporting directly from the event. On day one we take a look at the setup and structure of this weekend long dev session.
Oculus CEO “We’ll have a new demo or prototype or dev kit to show every year”
In an interview with the Wired UK, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe alluded to the kind of lifecycle we can expect with the consumer Oculus Rift.
Carmack on Gear VR: “Hold Off” on Buying New Phone Until Connect 2
John Carmack, CTO at Oculus, has tweeted advice to those considering a new phone for VR that they should wait until after Oculus’ 2nd Connect conference next month.
SHVR Vive Jam Kicks off With 40 of China’s Top VR Developers
Today marks the start of the SHVR Vive Jam, a weekend-long event giving Chinese developers a chance to prototype room-scale experiences on the HTC Vive. Hosted at the Transist office in Shanghai, the jam has drawn developers from across China and beyond.
WEARVR Weekly Top Ten VR Downloads – August #2
Looking for something fun to play in VR? We’ve got the top 10 downloads from the last week on the WEARVR app marketplace, a cross-platform repository of virtual reality experiences.
10. REPSOL Offshore VR
Did you ever fly on a helicopter to an offshore oil platform? You will start the journey aboard on a helicopter flying to an oil platform in the middle of the sea. Once landed, you will have the chance to explore the whole platform.
There are 10 key projects hidden, can you find all of them?
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK1/DK2 (Windows / MAC)
9. EXPERIENCE BALI – Island of the Gods
Bali, the famed Island of the Gods, with its varied landscape of hills and mountains, rugged coastlines and sandy beaches, lush rice terraces and barren volcanic hillsides all providing a picturesque backdrop to its colourful, deeply spiritual and unique culture, stakes a serious claim to be paradise on earth. Join INTREPID360 on a journey through this incredible island, from Sunrise to Sunset. Relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy your trip.
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK1/DK2 (Windows / MAC)
EXPERIENCE BALI – Island of the Gods
8. Boursin Sensorium Virtual Reality Experience
Enjoy the Boursin Sensorium virtual reality experience as you journey through a decadent fridge packed full of delicious foods and Boursin ingredients. Sweep through the herb forest, duck beneath the towering vegetables, wind around giant bottles of bubbly, and dive into the cheese – we promise this is a journey like no other!
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK1/DK2 (Windows)
Boursin Sensorium Virtual Reality Experience
7. RC Playground
Experience the thrill of driving an RC Truck in the comfort of your home, without the expense!
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK1/DK2 (Windows)
6. TELEPORTALED – A VR Sci-Fi Comedy
The First Virtual Reality Comedy about Teleportation…we think.
Watch in 4K!
The download is an MP4 video file that will need to be run with a VR media player. We recommend Whirligig if using with the Oculus Rift.
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK1/DK2 (Windows/Mac), Android
TELEPORTALED – A VR Sci-Fi Comedy
5. Yana Virtual Relaxation
Take a deep breath and relax as the sun begins to set. Enjoy the star-filled night sky as the moon rises and a catamaran glides across the water. Is that a shooting star in the sky? Welcome the new day as the sun begins to rise over the tranquil waters.
Yana is a virtual reality relaxation experience that takes you to your own personal beach. The perfect getaway from a busy day at the office, or a great way to relax and clear your mind.
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK2 (Windows), Gear VR, Android
4. Dinotrek VR Experience
DinoTrek is a Virtual Reality immersive experience showing what it might have been like to live during the time of the dinosaurs! It is designed for Google Cardboard, by Geomedia, Inc. and HIVE VR.
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK2 (Windows), iOS
3. Unreal Villa Demo
This is Leeco Studio’s impressive first project on UE4 using 3ds Max, Marvelous Designer, Photoshop and Speedtree.
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK2 (Windows)
2. The Hum: Abductions
“The Hum:Abductions – VR Proof of Concept” is a VR experience created – by Totwise Studios – to share with you a first insight of their efforts creating The Hum:Abductions – the alien abduction horror game in which they are working. You will take the role of a man who will discover the terrible situation of his family, while beginning a journey to the unknown.
This Proof of Concept is not intended to show actual gameplay features from the final game.
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK2 (Windows)
1. Ziran: Passage to Nature
Inspired by Taroko Gorge in Taiwan. Take a relaxing boat ride on calm waters through nature with this short VR tech demo.
Platforms: Oculus Rift DK2 (Windows)
Unity Announces New Virtual and Augmented Reality Conference, ‘Vision Summit’
Unity have been present during and indeed a key component of VR’s current renaissance. The earliest major 3D game engine to support the Oculus Rift DK1, Unity 3D rendered VR games still number in the majority.
Now, Unity Technologies have announced that they’re reaffirming their commitment to the space with a dedicated virtual and augmented reality conference – the annual Vision Virtual and Augmented Reality Summit – aimed at supporting and tracking these rapidly evolving industries.
A press release issued by the company states:
The rapid advancement of virtual and augmented reality technologies is opening incredible new pathways for people to interact with digital creations. New commercial, entertainment, and educational experiences using VR and AR will be as transformative as the jump from television to the Internet. The Vision Conference will be a developer driven event focused on exploring the new opportunities, thought provoking challenges, and extraordinary potential presented by current and future VR and AR technology.
The new conference is resolutely developer focussed, with talks and panels “…aimed to extend knowledge and create discussion on a wide range of topics including conceptual and practical design, technology deep dives, and new challenges facing developers”.
The conference will also integrate a new awards ceremony – the Vision Awards, designed to celebrate achievements in the VR and AR space over the previous 12 months.
Unity are requesting submissions from those interested in presenting and talking at the new summit – due to be held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel February 10-11 next year.
Meanwhile, if you’d like to attend – you can sign up for the Vision Conference newsletter to get notified as soon as tickets go on sale.
NVIDIA ‘Gameworks VR’ Beta and New ‘VR SLI’ Enabled Drivers Now Available
NVIDIA’s VR specific driver and API enhancements took a step towards VR enthusiast reality today as the GPU giant launched the first beta release of Gameworks VR and a set of publicly available ‘Game Ready’ drivers are now available to take advantage of the new API’s features.
