The ‘Birdly’ Experience: Earning My Wings in Virtual Reality
“The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn’t it be? —it is the same the angels breathe.”
– Mark Twain, Roughing It, Chapter XXII, 1886
News Bits: John Carmack Apparently Offers to Port Minecraft to VR for Notch
Following the recent news that Minecraft (2011) creator Markus “Notch” Persson was “officially over” the Facebook/Oculus acquisition, Oculus VR CTO John Carmack appears to have offered to port the game to VR.
Oculus: “We Have [VR] Experiences Running Even on Cellphone Devices Right Now…”
Despite announcing that the Oculus Rift would support Android all the way back during the company’s 2012 Kickstarter, Oculus VR has been quite secretive about their forthcoming Android SDK. In an interview at Gamescom 2014 last week, the company alluded that work is still underway on bringing virtual reality to mobile.
Download 13 Beautiful Unreal Engine 4 Examples for the Oculus Rift DK2
While Unity was arguably the engine of choice for indie Rift developers early on, Unreal Engine 4’s recent change to crazy-reasonable pricing and impressive new graphical capabilities has it catching on like wild fire. A VR enthusiast as taken 13 beautiful Unreal Engine 4 demos and compiled them with the latest version of the engine with support for the Oculus Rift DK2. Low-end PCs need not apply!
Minecraft Creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson “Officially Over Being Upset About Facebook Buying Oculus”
After initially speaking out against Facebook’s purchase of Oculus VR back in March, Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson is ready to move on.
One of the Best Early Examples of Educational VR Experiences Now Updated for Oculus Rift DK2
Titans of Space is one of the classic Oculus Rift DK1 experiences. It takes users on a tour through the solar system, with a particularly amazing star size comparison at the end which is unlike anything you’ve ever seen in an astronomy book. It was also one of the first Rift experiences to support positional tracking, thanks to a clever use of the Razer Hydra controller. Now, this go-to Rift experience has been updated for the DK2.
DK2 Shipping Update: 60,000 Orders, More than 20,000 Units Shipped, New Orders Ship in October
The much lauded Oculus Rift DK2 is in high demand. Shipping began at the end of July and Oculus says they’ve already shipped more than 20,000 of their 60,000 orders. The company recently updated their order page to indicate that new units are expected to ship starting in October.
Rev VR Podcast (Ep.76): Aaron Lemke Talks Eden River HD and the Importance of Sound Design in VR
After a stressful day at work, I needed to unwind. I popped on my DK2 and loaded up Eden River HD. It helped so much that I had to talk to the creator, Aaron Lemke, on this episode of the Rev VR Podcast.
Gamescom 2014 – Oculus Talk Connect, War Thunder on Morpheus and Great New VR Games
“Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so,” Douglas Adams once wrote, and it’s a fitting way to summarize how fast the last 12 months have felt since I was at Gamescom in 2013. Visiting the biggest games show in Europe again this year illustrates how far the VR industry has come in that year. VR hardware is still front and centre of course, but this year it’s all about the VR games.
Half-Life 2 and Steam Get Oculus Rift DK2 Support, Here’s How to Make it Work
Today Valve has released an update for SteamVR, the virtual reality mode for the popular game distribution service. The update enables Oculus Rift DK2 support for Half-Life 2 and the Steam Big Picture mode. Here’s a detailed guide to get it working.
Q.U.B.E 2 Heading to PS4 with Support for Project Morpheus
Toxic Games, the makers of Q.U.B.E, a first-person puzzle game for the PC with Oculus Rift support, have announced today that a sequel for their game is in the works for the PS4. Q.U.B.E 2 will also support Project Morpheus, Sony’s VR headset.
Three New STEM VR Controller Videos Show Incredible Lightsaber and Gun Interactions
I am incredibly excited about the near-future of VR after seeing these three new videos from Sixense, makers of the forthcoming STEM VR controller. The new videos demonstrate the exciting user experiences that become possible when players move from abstracted controllers to natural motion input.
9 Oculus Rift DK2 Demos Added to ‘DK2 Compatible’ Section of Oculus Share
New users are eager to test out the Oculus Rift DK2 have been bugging Oculus to add a DK2 compatible section to the official Oculus Share database since the headset was released at the end of July. The section has been added and starts with 9 demos with support for the Oculus Rift DK2.
Gamescom 2014: Sony Shows War Thunder Running with Project Morpheus and HOTAS Support
At a Sony press event today during Gamescom 2014, the company showed the flight combat game War Thunder running on Sony’s VR headset, Project Morpheus, and with a ‘HOTAS’ joystick accessory.
Nvidia Sponsored ‘Proto Awards’ to Honor VR Luminaries in Venue of First Academy Awards
Today the Virtual Reality Foundation has announced the The Proto Awards, a virtual reality award show that will be hosted at the Blossom Ballroom, the site of the first Academy Award ceremony in 1929.
