Hey Rifters!
UPDATE: Stream Recording with recap! This week, we investigated the best from the first crop of demos for the DK2, including PolyWorld, Technolust, and Elite: Dangerous. A few technical issues hampered the beginning of the stream, but after a reboot and some camera adjustments it was smooth sailing. Catch the video recording and written recap here.
As one of the best VR gaming experiences currently available, it was no surprise that Technolust, a dystopian cyber thriller from developers IRIS VR, was one of the most requested experiences you wanted to see us try on the new Oculus Rift DK2. The game waltzed to reach double it’s original target on it’s recent Kickstarter campaign and as a reward, backers received access to an early beta.
Recently IRIS VR developer ‘anticleric’ (aka Blair Renaud) released an early DK2 enabled version of the demo featuring positional tracking. So, as requested, we bring you a full-length play-test by Reverend Kyle using his newly acquired DK2.
For instructions and tips on how to get this demo to work with your DK2, check out Rev. Kyle’s earlier videos which explains all here.
For more information on Technolust, check out their Kickstarter page here.
It’s been a hectic couple of weeks here at Road to VR. The DK2 finally shipped and as each member of the Road to VR Collective has received their long awaited Oculus Rift DK2 VR Headsets, we’ve tried to share our own thoughts and experiences with you with a view to give you the roundest and best DK2 coverage possible.
Continuing this trend, Reverend Kyle shares his initial thoughts on his new VR plaything and shares tips he’s accumulated to get games that proceeded the 0.4.0 SDK release to work on the DK2 and dealing with multiple displays.
Billago’s Oculus Service Manager: download here
Oceans’s Rift for DK2: download here
VR Chat: download here
War Thunder (2012), the popular WWII-era multiplayer flight combat game, has had support for the Oculus Rift DK1 since 2013. A patch yesterday updated the game to work with the Oculus Rift DK2. And while there is great potential for the DK2’s features within the game, there’s still much to be done to make this a comfortable VR experience.
One year ago today, I started a quest to become a voice in the VR community. I sat down in front of my sad little laptop and recorded my very first podcast. It was awful. It took me several episodes before I found the right tone and momentum. Now, for this very special anniversary episode, I decided it was time to have a guest host.
So we’re coming up on the close of my first week with the Oculus Rift DK2 and more and more people are receiving their units, hungry for stuff to play on the thing. Early adopters have had to be patient as developers adapt their application to DK2’s launch SDK, version 0.4.0 beta – the component which held back delivery of the DK2 recently.
Last week we asked you what you’d like to see us try on Oculus’ new VR headset. It’s fair to say that Elite: Dangerous featured pretty heavily in the responses, you can find my video playtest of that here. I also tried to answer as many questions as I could in this in-depth review. But there’s no doubt that Senza Peso featured pretty heavily in the requests we received. With that in mind, we got in touch with Kite & Lightning, Senza Peso’s developers – and they were kind enough to send us a very early version built with DK2 support, including positional tracking.
So what’s it like? Check out the video above for my thoughts in motion. In short it’s Senza Peso, but even better. The majority of the enhancements to this on-rails mini-epic are subtle but hugely important 
overall. Positional tracking is implemented, so motion cues made by your head are captured and rendered almost completely transparently. And SP’s deft use of particle effects in particular sell the virtual world’s depth to your brain much more effectively. And I can honestly say I’ve never been so distracted by dust motes in my life. But it’s the overall upgrade in experience that makes you feel as if the artistry on show here is being done justice.
As of now, DK2 support has not been released officially by Kite & Lightning, but the team say they’re planning a finalised version with DK2 support this month. If you’d like access to the new version, sign up here.
I’ve been lucky enough to have tried the Oculus Rift DK2 on numerous occasions prior to its release this week, but never for a long enough that I felt like I really knew the device. After receiving the DK2 this week, and finally able to spend as much time as I want investigating its performance, I’ve come away beyond impressed with its capabilities, particularly its positional tracking prowess.
Guest contributor Kevin Williams brings us a detailed guide on the many considerations to be made when giving a mass demonstration of virtual reality hardware to the public.
Adding a heaping load of fuel to the rumors that Samsung and Oculus VR are working closely together, it turns out that every Oculus Rift DK2 contains a significant part of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 smartphone.
Today Unello Design is taking wraps off of a cool experimental Oculus Rift demo that continues the studio’s trend of blissful experiences. Opera Nova is a short but sweet demo which combines music and visuals in an experience that’s compatible with the Oculus Rift DK2.
Proton Pulse was one of the Rift’s earliest demos, and also one of its best. After a successful Kickstarter, backers were refunded as the game mysteriously ceased production. After a long absence, Proton Pulse has returned with a new demo for the Oculus Rift DK1 and DK2.
Minecrift is the impressive Oculus Rift mod for the ever-popular Minecraft (2011). The mod has supported the Oculus Rift DK1 on Minecraft version 1.6.4 for some time. Now, developer StellaArtois has received the DK2 and is working to update Minecrift to support both the Oculus Rift DK2 and the latest version of Minecraft.
The Trinity Magnum is the latest VR motion controller to enter the arena. Following devices like STEM and PrioVR, the Magnum aims to bring an optically tracked solution to the market and one that’s significantly less expensive. Recently I got to try the Magnum for myself and sat down with TrinityVR’s Chief of Product, Julian Volyn to learn more.
Tonight, Monday the 28th of July at 8pm PDT (11pm EDT), I will be live streaming my first moments with the Oculus Rift DK2. You can catch the livestream and live chat here:
