Mobile is the path of least resistance when it comes to introducing the masses to virtual and augmented reality and many eyes are on this particular branch of technology as breakthroughs are made in pursuit of delivering a powerful experience.
It pays to have some big names innovating with VR/AR and two huge tech entities are aiming to do just that with network specialist Nokia partnering with smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi for a cross-licensing patent deal.
The new deal, reported by CNBC, explains that the two companies will be seeking out mutually beneficial innovations specifically focused on VR, AR, artificial intelligence, and more. The patents will be of the “standard essential” classification, which involves the technology that brings their products to industry standards.
Xiaomi alone has applied for over 16,000 patents in 7 years with 4,000 of them granted. Nokia has established itself by setting many current mobile standards and their position in the industry could help to expand Xiaomi’s business, which is something CNBC discussed with a Xiaomi rep:
A spokesperson for Xiaomi told CNBC on Wednesday that the Nokia deal will help with global expansion, but it doesn’t mean the company is focusing on one particular market.
“Our collaboration with Nokia will enable us to tap on its leadership in building large, high-performance networks and formidable strength in software and services, as we seek to create even more remarkable products and services that deliver the best user experience to our (product brand) Mi fans worldwide,” says Lei Jun, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi, in the press release for the new announcement.
It may be quite a while before this partnership bears significant fruit, but it is an example of major companies embracing the long-term potential of VR and AR among their various businesses.
In virtual reality and traditional gaming, zombie experiences are all the rage. Post-apocalyptic survival is a fantasy of many and VR gives them the opportunity to be thrust into dangerous worlds riddled with the shambling undead.
A select handful of games give players a lot of control as they navigate and survive these worlds, even incorporating gameplay mechanics where you’re responsible for the well-being of other survivors. It’s this element, the power of choice, that is going to be the main pillar of a new Walking Dead experience coming to VR as a result of a partnership between Skybound and Skydance Interactive. At E3 2017 earlier this month we got the chance to discuss the announcement with Skybound’s president, Dan Murray.
The Walking Dead’s lead characters make tough decisions regularly.
While there are some high-profile, critically acclaimed zombie titles in VR, such as Arizona Sunshine for example, there are none as high-profile as one based in the world of The Walking Dead would be. The Walking Dead series features thousands upon thousands of zombies but the focus is actually on how humanity survives and turns out to be even more of a threat that any zombie could be. Very few zombie games highlight this type of turmoil and it’s something that could thrive on a VR platform.
“Everything that we do, we tend to try to focus on story, narrative, and character,” says Murray. “So when you think of virtual reality and the potential that affords, it’s an interesting marriage between gameplay and really coming into narrative storytelling.
“I think games and linear narrative have always sort of coexisted. In a way, it’s been sort of a dysfunctional relationship over time. So, this is a great opportunity for the next evolution of what might be possible.”
Skybound has other Walking Dead related games in the works (a shooter from Starbreeze and a free-to-play mobile title) but the focus here is something fresh in the narrative space.
The partnership itself is very fresh and the game is still in a conceptual stage, so there’s not much to say about the finer workings of the game other than it will be running in Unreal. Murray did say that Skydance approached Skybound with an exciting way they wanted to explore the story, but that will all be revealed in the future. All we have to go by right now is that Skybound and Skydance are challenging themselves to deliver “this idea of contextual choice and letting the environment react to you as a player so that you really do feel like you’re immersed in that world”. It sounds similar to what Supermassive aims to accomplish with its Until Dawn prequel adventure, The Inpatient.
TellTale’s The Walking Dead is possibly the closest we’ve come to what Skydance wants to create.
With such a focus on narrative, one wonders if the game will be about original characters, some from the comics, or a blend of both, but that’s another thing we’ll have to wait for the development team to share in the future.
There’s no tentative release date, but Murray says they’re aiming to come out “relatively soon” and targeting high-end VR devices like Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR,) HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift.
“Timing felt right for us to announce something and really dive in in a big way,” Murray says. “Because we are going after this as a full-fledged VR game. This isn’t going to be a marketing experience. We want to deliver a full commercial product.”
The teams at the table intend for this to be a series of games, but we’ll have to wait to see how things unfold.
There’s a lot of physical exertion in a great deal of virtual experiences, some designed specifically with this in mind and others reaching such heightened levels simply as a byproduct of gameplay design. Boxing, otherwise known as the sweet science, is known to have one of the most grueling training regiments of all sports and a handful of VR games try to whip you into fighting shape with varying results.
Currently there are decent boxing experiences to be found but none with a major recognized name or fighter supporting them. That’s going to change in the near future as former champion Manny Pacquiao is teaming up with Korean game developer Appnori for a new game.
Social media and boxing publications are abuzz after Pacquiao’s questionable loss to Jeff Horn a few days ago, a decision that seems to have completely shocked the boxing community. While this VR partnership may seem like poor timing, Pacquiao’s spot in boxing history is forever solidified. Pacquiao shared in the press release that connecting boxing to the technology is one of his dreams and with rising VR tech, “I [am] one step forward to my dream.”
There’s not much known about the game just yet other than the fact that Pacquiao would be your trainer in the game. Once you’ve reached a certain point, you can take your skills online and face other fighters. In a unique twist, if you perform well online, you’ll apparently be invited to a real-life tournament where Pacquiao may referee. The Appnori team is viewing this as a unique spin on VR Esports. We’ll keep you updated on this game as more information becomes available.
Let us know what you think down in the comments below!
When trying to sell someone on the wonder that is virtual reality, it’s better to show than to tell. Explaining the incredible immersion that a solid virtual reality experience provides is difficult to put into words, but showing someone playing or allowing a person to play themselves is the quickest path to amazement.
Mixed reality is a way to give spectators a window into virtual experiences, showing how the player inhabits a virtual world. MR is becoming a crucial element for those wanting to share their adventures in VR. Recently Oculus announced via their blog that they’ve added native MR support to their flagship PC VR headset, the Oculus Rift.
Though the new integrated support is only available for specific Rift applications MR gives content creators, advertisers, and more a chance to share VR in-person or online. There are a couple things the Oculus team recommends you keep in mind if you want to take advantage:
You’ll need a way to mount the Touch controller for dynamic camera tracking. They’ve provided a CAD model for just this purpose and you can see the guide here,
For best possible setup, try to follow documentation as precisely as possible, and pay special attention to the directions regarding Oculus sensor setup, USB ports, and chipsets.
If you have the time and space to produce such a setup, it behooves you to get it together and add another layer to the VR experience for your patrons, viewers, or whomever else it is that you intend to serve. Oculus is fairly receptive to feedback as well, so it could serve you to get a foot in the door early and help to shape this new feature.
Mixed reality support is still in its early stages and can be a bit difficult to setup, which is why Oculus has published an MR capture setup guide for all those interested. There are also additional guides for those wanting to integrate mixed reality support into Unity, Unreal, and native. If you are an HTC Vive user, you can read more about mixed reality setup in our previously published guide here.
Parks like Universal Studios and the Islands of Adventure are wonderful and exciting experiences, serving as gateways to a collection of fantasies. Various other parks are experimenting with immersive technology to bring more fun to their patrons and it looks like Universal is at least considering some changes.
Bizjournals spotted a new patent that shows Universal is looking at new ways to bring their theme parks to life. The images are labeled “systems and methods for generating augmented and virtual reality images” and there are a few specifics in the document to take note of:
Present embodiments relate to systems and methods of providing an augmented reality (AR) experience, a virtual reality (VR) experience, a mixed reality (e.g., a combination of AR and VR) experience, or a combination thereof, as part of an attraction, such as a thrill ride, in an amusement park or theme park. In certain embodiments, each ride passenger may be provided a pair of electronic goggles or eyeglasses to be worn during a cycle of the thrill ride. The electronic goggles may facilitate an AR experience, a VR experience, or a combination of both experiences. Thus, the electronic goggles may be referred to as AR/VR goggles.
Disney also recently spoke on adopting AR for their attractions as well, specifically going into detail on why augmented experiences are better for parks than VR. The Disney CEO’s logic centered on VR hiding the park from visitors while AR enhanced these carefully crafted attractions. Universal looks to be adopting both, though the existence of this patent doesn’t guarantee that they’ll move forward with one of these technologies.
Universal is on the brink of a massive expansion of their brand, recently breaking ground on their new Super Nintendo World in Universal Japan. If they decide to expand their experiences with VR/AR, their massive reach could be a powerful force in introducing average consumers to immersive technology. Let us know what you think down in the comments below!
We’ve watched massive robots in various films and controlled them in some games, wondering when we’d get a realistic experience that really makes us feel like the pilot of a massive machine. Arcades have been destinations for large rigs that emulate the type of experience we desire but VR, as a platform, is the perfect way to bring this into homes.
Skydance Interactive’s Archangel is an attempt at this mech dream in the form of a story-driven shooter that will debut on PlayStation VR (PSVR) and we got a chance to try out an updated demo at E3 2017 last month.
Before the mission started there was a brief tutorial in which I was taught the controls. Piloting a giant robot from its cockpit is something VR should excel at and this experience was a hint at things to come. There’s no delay between your movements and the movement of your virtual arms in the mech’s cockpit, but there’s a subtle delay between that and the movement of the mech’s arms. This feels intentional though as it really makes you feel like you’re manipulating a large and heavy weapon of mass destruction.
The feeling was so thorough that I realized I was mimicking the slow movement with the controllers, a testament to how VR can really trick your senses. Beyond that, the controls for the mech were fairly intuitive. You have a shield on each arm that you can activate with a button press along with weapons for each arm. You alternate between shooting and guarding with each and there’s a degree of strategy needed to survive your encounters.
With all these things said, it’s disappointing that the game is just an on-rails shooter. It allows for more cinematic situations that come across well, but the engaging movement of the mech will have you longing for more freedom. While controllers like Valve’s Knuckles are working to create a level of heightened immersion for moments where you merely inhabit virtual spaces and interact as you would normally without the barrier of holding a controller, experiences where you pilot ships or mechs are enhanced by the VR controllers we use.
Skydance looks to be shaping a fun experience with Archangel that may end up telling a compelling story as well and, hopefully, it sets the bar for these types of games. Archangel will be available this month in July for PSVR and for Vive and Rift the following month in August.
This week is extremely light on new Vive releases, most developers and publishers likely making the smart decision to stay out of the way of Steam’s infamous Summer Sale. The big highlight from this week is Zombie Hobby, a zombie shooter with a unique art style that only equips you with household items.
We also have a top list of the absolute best HTC Vive games — which is updated every few months with the latest and greatest options.
New HTC Vive Releases on Steam
Puttyface, from the3dCrew
Price: Free
Puttyface gives you platform for creative freedom, giving you molds of putty to smash, morph, push, and pull in VR.
Recommendation: It’s a free creative platform so definitely check it out.
Spider-Man: Homecoming VR Experience
Price: Free
It’s finally time to put on the webs and become Spider-Man for the first time in VR. This tie-in experience to the upcoming Homecoming movie gives you just a taste of what it’s like to be Peter Parker, letting you fire off different types of webs and have a close encounter with the villainous Vulture.
Recommendation: Sadly, the Spider-Man experience isn’t really worth checking out even though it’s free. It’s short and uninspired.
Lost Legends: The Pharaoh’s Tomb, from Escape VR LLC
Price: $2.99 (Currently Discounted)
In Lost Legends, you’re trapped in a tomb with an ancient Pharaoh and must figure out how to escape. There are a collection of puzzles you must solve as you seek out the hidden passage out of your predicament.
Recommendation: This is another escape experience worth your consideration, especially at that price.
Block Rocking Beats, from Sander Sneek, Jochem de Klerk
Price: $10.04 (Currently Discounted)
Block Rocking Beats is your virtual sound studio where up to three players can play in a virtual band. You can play, record, and share your creations.
Recommendation: This is a cool and fun social music experience. Grab it if you have interested buddies.
Distant Nightmare, from Field Of Vision
Price: $1.59 (Currently Discounted)
Distant Nightmare pulls you into a dark world of a child’s nightmare. You must ride your bike through the mysterious world to survive the night and wake up.
Recommendation: It’s not expensive and has a solid, creepy atmosphere. Worth a look if you like this genre!
Zombie Hobby VR, from Pointlight Games
Price: $17.99 (Currently Discounted)
There are plenty zombie shooters in the VR ecosystem, but this one has a different flavor. Zombie Hobby forces you to use affordable objects in your daily life as weapons to take down zombies with a unique design style. It looks a little like zombies invaded Superhot VR.
Recommendation: This zombie shooter brings a unique style worth checking out.
TublerVR, from Reto Kolly
Price: $13.19 (Currently Discounted)
TublerVR is an environmental puzzle game where you must help tublers grow, activate bridges to allow passage and collect the rare blue mushrooms.
Recommendation: Don’t grab it just yet but keep an eye on it throughout Early Access.
End of the Road VR, from Barracuda Disaster
Price: $5.99
End of the Road takes you to a dark, misty forest for an atmospheric adventure. Explore your surroundings, unravel its secrets, and survive your circumstance.
Recommendation: Solid atmosphere that’s worth a look if you don’t mind getting spooked.
High clear VR, from FiveStarGames
Price: $13.99 (Currently Discounted)
High clear VR is a badminton experience with realistic physics and a collection of mini-games. There’s a match mode featuring four characters and a funny mode with different styles of play including football and fishing.
Recommendation: If you’re looking to play some badminton this isn’t a bad option.
Trainscape, from Bit Toys
Price: $14.99 (Currently Discounted)
Fancy a few model trains? Trainscape is for you. In this game, you can build a track, decorate with props and buildings, place your trains, and watch them go.
Recommendation: If you’re running out of room for your model trains, here’s a solid replacement.
Gunball, from REDspace
Price: $9.74 (Currently Discounted)
Gunball is an absurd and exciting new sport where you serve up balls and shoot at them to propel them through goals for points. Tap your hand-eye coordination and chase the high-score.
Recommendation: Good arcade fun. Check it out as a party game the next time friends are over.
Recommendation: It’s a short, 2-minute experience, but hey nothing to lose!
VRTGO, from VRLive
Price: Free
VRTGO is a platform for artists to share their stories and experiences directly with their fans around the world. Here you’ll find 360-degree concerts and other interactive music experiences.
Recommendation: Add this to your collection of VR content aggregates.
New HTC Vive Releases on Viveport
Front Defense, from Fantahorn Studio
Price: $19.99
Front Defense is an arcade-style shooter that takes place in the final days of World War II’s European theater. Duck, dive, shoot, throw grenades, and man-mounted guns as you fight against enemy advances.
The importance of live events to VR continues to grow as more apps and headsets become more accessible. Providing people with the perspectives that VR can afford gives the impression of a premium experience and more groups continue to embrace the technology for their shows, concerts, and sporting events.
The bigger the name, the better when it comes to new partnerships involving VR and we’re getting some of the biggest in music coming to an immersive platform near you. On the backs of Universal Music, Queen and Adam Lambert are teaming up for a VR concert called “VR The Champions.”
In the report from Variety, Queen’s guitarist Brian May is interestingly named as the “project instigator” in the credits for the event. Via a statement he gave the publication, it seems he took on the role of a VR evangelist to make this all come together.
“This is the fulfillment of a dream,” May says. “Through this unique Virtual Reality creation, fans around the world will for the first time be able to experience the excitement and energy of a Queen show in their own homes.”
It’s one thing to have a show with a supplementary VR experience, but VR The Champions puts the technology out in front as the main event. You can watch some legendary songs performed with 4k stereoscopic sound and 360-degree footage recorded from a performance in Barcelona last year.
You can get a taste of the VR concert on the VRTGO website and get a 360-degree look at the show. If you want the full experience, it’s available on that same website as part of a $9.99 bundle. It can be watched via the web, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Owl, Gear VR, and on mobile for iOS and Android.
The GPU Technology Conference is bringing the event series to Washington, DC so that attendees can witness the future of AI, deep learning, and more. The conference topics, including VR and high-performance computing, will be presented in a way that shows how all of these types of technologies can influence healthcare, security, and other industries.
GTC DC takes place on November 1st – 2nd at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Speaking at such an event gives you a platform that puts you in front of major influencers and enthusiasts across these industries and now you have a chance to participate. Event organizers are putting out a call for submissions (opened on May 30th) and you have until September 1st at 11:59 PT to get involved.
If you’re interested in running a talk or instructor-led lab at GTC DC, here are the topics the organizers are calling for submissions for:
AI for Analytics and Security
AI In Healthcare
AI for Smart Cities and IoT
Developer Tools
High-Performance Computing
VR and Simulation
Those submitting for instructor-led labs will be welcome to a presenter lounge and presenter gift on site, while those submitting for talks receive the same and also have their talks recorded. For the talks, you have format options to choose. For the labs, there are designated platform requirements.
Talk Formats
50-minute Talk (maximum 2 presenters)
50-minute Panel (maximum 5 presenters)
80-minute Tutorial (maximum 3 presenters)
80-minute Hands-on Labs (maximum 3 presenters)
Instructor-Led Lab Platform Requirements
GPU Instances
cg1.4xlarge
g2.2xlarge
g2.8xlarge
GPU Cluster (access with SSH only, job submission-based)
Tegra TX1 DevKit
All submissions require an enticing session title of no longer than 12 words, format and duration, topics, and a few additional details listed on the GTC DC website (talks/labs). You’ll also have to consider the audience level when submitting for both styles as well, with three specific levels listed (along with any specific knowledge required when it comes to the lab):
Introductory: Session helps attendees learn the fundamentals of a given subject area.
Intermediate: Some knowledge of the subject area is required. Session helps attendees enhance their knowledge of a subject area.
Advanced: Greatly developed knowledge of the subject area is required. Session helps attendees seeking to heighten their already advanced knowledge of a subject area.
If you’re interested in being one of the speakers or presenters and you’re accepted, you’ll receive complimentary all-access to GTC and promotion prior to and during the event along with the previously mentioned onsite benefits. The links to the criteria for both formats include examples of good submissions, so be sure to read before submitting. Again, the deadline for submissions is September 1st, 2017.
This is sponsored content which has been produced by UploadVR and brought to you by NVIDIA. NVIDIA did not have any input into the creation of this content.
The adult entertainment industry is influential, and it’s safe to say that if there’s a new media device, chances are people will find a way to watch porn on it. Erotic content was an early part of the conversation when VR headsets really took off and curators of that type of content have even had booths at tech events so that patrons can see what erotic VR is like.
Adult entertainment is growing at a steady pace in the general VR ecosystem, but Hologram LTD and BaDOINKVR are partnering up to give users a headset specifically geared toward erotic videos. The headset is cleverly called VRotica, is $220, and focuses on ease-of-use and accessibility for users.
Hologram LTD is an innovation company specializing in all things VR from including 360-degree media, advertising, and games. Understanding that, it’s no surprise that they’re leaping at the potential afforded an erotic-centered VR headset. It’s standalone, so it doesn’t need to be connecting to anything or have a phone inserted and it also has all needed controls on the headset itself.
“Our goal is to bring immersive virtual reality entertainment to anybody that wants to experience it, with no technical knowledge required,” says Deniz Opal, CTO of Hologram, in a press release for the new piece of hardware. “VRotica streamlines the entire process for adult entertainment, and BaDoinkVR’s A-List content really completes the platform. The combination of easy to use hardware, and top quality content, makes VRotica a compelling consumer VR product available today, not in a few years time as the industry has been speculating.”
“The simplicity of the platform and lower price point lowers the barrier to entry so more people will be able to enjoy the exciting and immersive nature of it,” added Xavi Clos, BaDoink’s Head of Production.
In addition to BaDoinkVR content, VRotica’s platform is also open for producers to publish their own work so it may inspire some innovation in the erotic fields.
