Described as the “first affordable and foldable motorcycle simulator,” LeanGP is a dedicated gaming controller and chassis for bike enthusiasts, compatible with various VR-supported gaming platforms. Valencia-based startup LeanGP reached their Kickstarter goal within the first 48 hours of the crowdfunding campaign.
Unlike the breadth of hardware available for car simulation, the selection of consumer-grade peripherals dedicated to two-wheeled motorsport is very limited. There are plenty of bike games, but most don’t offer anything close to realistic handling as the controls are optimised for gamepads; realistic bike simulation is extremely difficult to control without dedicated input devices.
Integrating hardware with realistic motorcycle dynamics is considerably more difficult than cars due to the active influence of the rider’s bodyweight and positioning. This unique interaction between human and machine is complex, and ideally requires body tracking and multiple powerful actuators to simulate the motion characteristics of an entire bike chassis through its various states of acceleration and weight transfer, as seen in this professional 6DoF Cruden simulator.
LeanGP takes a more simple approach, focused on cornering lean, which in turn (sorry) makes it compatible with the simplified controller input of most motorcycle games. The device claims to be ‘plug and play’ with a large number of titles and gaming hardware, calling out various VR headsets including PSVR, Vive, Rift, and even mobile VR headsets. But the truth is, decent VR motorcycle experiences are hard to find; there is only one serious motorcycle sim on PC with good VR support: PiBoSo’s GP Bikes beta (and the associated MX Bikes, but as a motocross sim it is less suitable for this chassis). For PSVR, only Moto Racer 4 (2016) showed some promise as a fun arcade racer, but turned out to be a disappointment with restricted VR functionality.
In order to make the most out of GP Bikes, LeanGP needs to support not just chassis lean, but also a separate steering axis to detect the subtle countersteer that initiates the lean (the prototype had fixed handlebars). In a post on the PiBoSo forum, LeanGP CEO Salvador Felip Llopis indicated that the team was investigating the possibility of separate axes for lean and steer, but the status of this is unclear.
According to the project’s ‘stretch goals’, more nuanced movement could be possible using actuators and force feedback solutions, but this is dependent on the success of the funding campaign. For now, this can be seen as a promising sign of enthusiasm in a unique area of simulation that desperately needs more support from hardware and software developers.
VR-only flight simulator VTOL VR, recently received a substantial update that includes a mission editor and a pilotable fighter jet. The sim is designed specifically around the use of VR motion controls, and is available in Early Access on Steam.
Since our early hands-on in August, VTOL VR has enjoyed several rounds of improvements and fixes, including a move to a newer version of the Unity engine, GPS targeting and guided weapons, rudder pedal support, and compatibility optimisations for Windows VR headsets and controllers. Update v0.0.7 is probably the most substantial yet, with the early makings of a mission editor, an all-new plane to fly, and further performance improvements.
The work-in-progress editor enables the creation and sharing of scenarios similar to the game’s Island campaign, with placement of units, waypoint setting, objective configurations, and more. Following an open discussion with players on the VTOL VR Discord channel, developer Paolo Encarnacion chose to design the editor with a desktop interface, for comfort and ease of use.
“Generally, people wanted to have a lot of control and options when creating a mission, and this would be cumbersome in VR especially during long editing sessions,” he explains to Road to VR. “We also considered having an in-VR editor for quickly creating a very simple mission, but so far I don’t think it will be necessary.”
Image courtesy Boundless Dynamics
Much like the game’s first plane, the AV-42C (AKA the VTOL), the new F/A-26B fighter jet is a fictional aircraft with specific considerations for VR operation, such as a slightly larger-than-life cockpit and instruments for more clarity and ease of use with motion controls. Encarnacion used feedback and experience from developing the VTOL in designing the new aircraft, bringing the main instrument cluster closer and avoiding placing buttons too low where tracking can sometimes lose accuracy. The VTOL might see these kind of improvements in a future update.
Image courtesy Boundless Dynamics
Vertical take-off and landing presents a unique set of control and simulation challenges, and the AV-42C continues to be the primary aircraft in the game, but Encarnacion wanted to offer more variety, and the fighter seemed the logical choice having worked so well in his early testing.
“The VTOL is focused on ground attack, so I wanted to add something that could take on air targets,” he says. “The fighter has a radar system which I think that will add some interesting mechanics that aren’t present in the VTOL. I actually had a prototype a fighter jet back before the early access release and it was a blast to fly.”
Overall performance has improved significantly over the past few months, and the latest optimisation is another important step. Distant objects are now less demanding, thanks to mesh LODs on all AI vehicles and improved weapon scripts, ensuring that high-count objects like missiles and rockets aren’t taxing the CPU unnecessarily. Encarnacion says it is now possible to run scenarios with more than 40 units smoothly, where previously the game struggled with 8 planes taking off from the carrier in one of the missions.
Further improvements and additions are planned for the months ahead. The mission editor will see more friendly and enemy units, and new features that will allow more variability in missions. Encarnacion also plans to convert the existing campaign missions to use the new system, allowing him to finish the rest of the campaign with the editor tools. This is also laying the groundwork for a random scenario generator. After that, Encarnacion says map upgrades are in the cards. “As soon as that’s squared away, I’d like to look into ways to improve the island map, creating new maps, and possibly allowing players to generate their own maps.”
Initially revealed back in February, Assetto Corsa Competizione, the next chapter of acclaimed sim racer Assetto Corsa, now has an official Early Access release date of September 12th. The game has been confirmed to include VR support, following after its predecessor, though initial support won’t come until an update in October.
Update (July 30th, 2018): Assetto Corsa Competizione developer Kunos Simulazioni has confirmed the game’s Early Access release date for September 12th, and also detailed a roadmap of subsequent monthly updates, as spotted by Redditor ‘wasyl00’. The second update, Build 2, is slated to bring VR support to the title on October 10th.
We haven’t seen any details yet regarding which headsets or platforms the game will support, though as with Assetto Corsa before it, we expect the game to play nice with the Vive and Rift via SteamVR, while official support for Windows VR headsets is still an unknown. As before, we don’t expect the game to find its way to the Oculus storefront.
Update (February 23rd, 2018): A statement regarding VR support (quoted later in this article) was removed from the game’s Steam page. Kunos Simulazioni Brand and Product Manager Marco Massarutto has confirmed directly with Road to VR that the title will indeed feature VR support.
Original Article (February 22nd, 2018): While Assetto Corsa Competizone’s development focus appears to be on bringing the FIA GT3 homologated championship to life, the title clearly represents a new chapter in Kunos’ simulation technology as a whole. Perhaps they took a leaf from the Polyphony Digital playbook in avoiding a numbered sequel, instead selecting a name that acknowledges a stronger leaning towards eSports.
Assetto Corsa continues to be one of the most popular racing sims on the PC, but it is reaching the end of its life cycle, and the team has been looking to move the technology forward. The time is right for a graphics engine upgrade, and the teaser trailer above highlights the benefits of moving to Unreal Engine 4, enabling rain and night scenes for the first time. The new systems will allow full 24-hour lighting transitions and dynamic weather.
Further improvements over Assetto Corsa include driver swap support, motion captured pit animations, and a “well-structured ranking system” for multiplayer. This follows a recent trend towards higher quality online racing competition, with GT Sport (2017) and Project CARS 2 (2017) taking inspiration from iRacing’s (2008) class-leading matchmaking technology.
Image courtesy Kunos Simulazioni
In the description on the game’s Steam page, VR support is also confirmed. “Designed to innovate, Assetto Corsa Competizione will be VR Ready and set to promote eSports, bringing players at the heart of the Blancpain GT Series and putting them behind the wheel of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens and many other prestigious GT racing cars, all reproduced with outstanding level of detail.”
Assetto Corsa‘s existing VR mode on PC is solid, but also limited by the current engine, with no full VR menu system and compromised rear view mirrors. Unreal Engine’s comprehensive VR support could benefit the new sim in these areas. Assetto Corsa supports Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Kunos aren’t explicitly calling Assetto Corsa Competizione a direct sequel to Assetto Corsa, but it seems that it could become exactly that, depending on the terms of the licensing agreement. “This announcement represents a dream come true for us,” says co-founder Marco Massarutto. “The Blancpain GT Series license is just the tip of the iceberg. By combining the potential of Unreal Engine 4 and the feedback received from our community, we are producing a completely new simulation aimed to redefine the racing game genre, improving the features that made Assetto Corsa so popular, and introducing those demanded by players for a high-level racing simulation game – with no compromise, and remaining loyal to our philosophy.”
The full release of Godot 3.0 is now available, bringing VR support to the engine via a lightweight, 3DoF, ‘Cardboard-like’ solution, and OpenVR support through a GDNative-based plugin. The multiplatform Godot Engine is an open source, non-profit project available to download for free via the official site or through Steam.
As described in the news article on the Godot Engine website, Godot 3.0 is the result of over 18 months of development, bringing many changes and improvements, with a “brand new rendering engine with state-of-the-art PBR workflow for 3D, an improved assets pipeline, GDNative to load native code as plugins, C# 7.0 support, and many other features.”
VR support originally appeared with the introduction of an ‘ARVR Server architecture’ in the October 2017 Alpha 2 release, which allows various AR and VR platforms to communicate with the engine. Lead developer Juan Linietsky describes the GDNative ARVR framework as “tightly knit,” allowing support for other VR platforms to be developed “independently of the core game engine.”
Further information about the team’s plans for AR and VR support can be found in an earlier post by programmer Bastiaan Olij, which details the “Native Mobile” interface for lightweight mobile VR apps which just require headset orientation and lens distortion, and the full compatibility with SteamVR headsets via their GDNative OpenVR implementation.
An “experimental” GDNative module for OpenHMD is also available, the open source project that enables cross-platform support for several headsets, including PSVR. There are further plans to bring Gear VR and Daydream support in the future. AR is now planned for the 3.1 release; support for ARKit has been in progress for several months via Olij’s ARKit branch on GitHub.
Olij recently posted the video above demonstrating how easy it is to enable OpenVR in a project now that the module has become an official asset in the library, and a few users, including tutorial makers Game From Scratch are reporting success when using a Windows Mixed Reality headset running SteamVR.
Supporting HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, Supermedium is a new, fully VR browser from the creators of VR web framework ‘A-Frame’ and part of the original Mozilla team behind the WebVR initiative. Available to download on Supermedium’s website, the browser aims to become the new home for lightweight, fast-loading, web-based VR experiences.
There are several VR-enabled browsers already available, but these are often used to access traditional 2D webpages, something that is not currently possible with Supermedium. For now, it only links to curated sites, and the team plans to expand the number of bookmarks rapidly over the coming weeks. Support for traditional URL entry is also planned, which will make sense once more sites “adhere to best practices for WebVR,” as the team explains in their opening blog post.
This VR-first approach could open the floodgates to VR experiences not found through content stores, either due to their tiny size, or their questionable ‘value’ or subject matter. Nobody wants to search the Steam or Oculus stores and install an app for the VR equivalent of a funny GIF, for example, and of course, the open web offers the least-sheltered environment for content discovery. The beauty of web-based VR is that is operates with standard web technologies such as WebGL, WebVR, and Javascript, with no installation and no publishers.
“The Web breathes freshness and diversity into the VR content ecosystem,” writes the team in their blog entry. “A VR site could be a bite-sized meme, a low fidelity game, a small store, a wedding page, an educational outing quickly thrown together for some students, or something taboo. Experiences that would otherwise not make it past the app store standards. With the Web, everything is permitted.”
Kevin Ngo, Diego Marcos, and Diego Goberna’s new San Francisco-based startup is supported by seed funding from Y Combinator, as part of the Winter 2018 batch, which also includes social augmented reality platform Hippo.
One of the current barriers to immersion for high-end VR headsets is being tethered to a powerful PC. For now, there are two options if you want to eliminate that pesky cable: a special wireless adapter, or a backpack PC to let the rendering happen directly on your person. Here we take a look at a range of VR backpack computers and what they offer.
Intro
Wireless solutions such as TPCast are already available for the Vive and Rift, and the announcement of an official Vive Wireless Adaptor from HTC at CES 2018 indicates further momentum in this area, but the backpack PC still has valid use cases. Crowded networks at events can cause problems for some wireless systems; today’s wireless solutions sometimes mean additional latency, reduction in visual quality, and range restrictions compared to being directly attached to a back-mounted PC.
In an ideal world, VR headsets would be self-contained, comfortable, and unobtrusive. Higher-quality, integrated VR hardware will take important steps this year, with the likes of Oculus’ Santa Cruz project and various other standalone mobile VR headsets on the way, but the most visually-ambitious experiences will continue to demand powerful, ‘desktop-class’ PC hardware in the foreseeable future.
VR backpack PCs feature components typically found in high-end gaming laptops, repackaged into a more practical, wearable chassis. The systems are designed to be lightweight and durable, with specific considerations for VR: such as the positions of ports, optimised airflow away from the body, and hot-swappable batteries for extended or continuous use. Since NVIDIA introduced their near-desktop performance Pascal range of ‘mobile’ GPUs in late 2016, gaming laptops (and by extension, backpack PCs) have become more viable for VR, with even the ‘mobile’ GTX 1060 GPU meeting the ‘VR-ready’ spec. As a result, every PC listed below uses a Pascal-based GPU that meets the minimum bar collectively set by major VR companies like Valve, HTC, and Oculus.
Note: Each backpack PC listed here technically supports all current consumer PC VR headsets, but they were designed primarily for the HTC Vive, as its tracking beacons have no direct connection to the PC. Every backpack PC incorporates a power outlet for the Vive next to the other ports. The Windows “Mixed Reality” headsets are also suitable, as they require no external tracking, but the Oculus Rift is not (unless an alternate tracking system is employed) as its external tracking cameras must be connected to the PC.
HP Omen X Compact Desktop – $2,300
Image courtesy HP
HP’s solution is perhaps the most elegant, with a dock that allows the unit to stand upright and operate as a standard desktop PC. The dock is included, but the backpack holster system is not, and is a $400 option. It is smartly-designed, with a brace that raises the bulk of the PC away from the user’s back to improve airflow, and its hot-swappable batteries are connected separately on the waist strap for better weight distribution. It also comes with an extra pair of batteries and a charging dock.
Unlike the designs from other manufacturers, the Omen X contains its own 55Whr battery so it can operate in desktop or backpack configuration without the two hot-swappable batteries being connected. All the other designs can be used in non-backpack configurations too, but their hot-swappable batteries are part of the main unit, and at least one needs to be connected if you’re not using mains power.
It is the only backpack PC with a mobile GTX 1080 (and overclocked for good measure), and therefore the highest performance option for VR gaming. Here’s a look at the specs on offer:
Appearing as a less gamer-focused version of the Omen X Compact Desktop, the Z VR Backpack G1 Workstation is HP’s business-orientated VR backpack solution. It incorporates essentially the same design of dock and backpack, but its specifications are aimed at the commercial sector.
In particular, it uses the HQ variant of the i7-7820 CPU, which includes Intel vPro features, and is fitted with a Quadro P5200, currently the “most powerful mobile workstation GPU.” At 10lbs, the backpack is heavier than the Omen X version, most likely due to its reinforced, ‘military grade’ construction.
At just 3.6kg, MSI says the VR One is the “thinnest and lightest” VR backpack PC, and manages to pack plenty of aggressive ‘body armour’ styling into its compact chassis. It is less of a dual-purpose design than the HP systems as its two hot-swappable batteries form part of the main body, but it could still be used as a desktop PC if needed. The ‘entry level’ version is the only model in this list using a GTX 1060, but a GTX 1070 version is also available for more graphical power.
The VR One originally launched with a Intel Skylake i7-6820HK CPU, but the latest units ship with the Kaby Lake i7-7820HK CPU, matching the HP Omen X. The Skylake version can still be found on sale, typically reduced by $100.
CPU: 2.9GHz i7-7820HK
GPU: GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5
RAM: 16GB DDR4-2400 (Max 32GB)
Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
Weight: 7.9lb (3.6kg)
Latest pricing from Amazon:
Full overview and specifications can be found via the VR One webpage.
Zotac VR Go – $1,900
Image courtesy Zotac
Zotac’s VR Go is similar to MSI’s VR One in terms of its dual hot-swappable battery design, but with more conservative styling. It was also recently updated to the newer generation Kaby Lake processor, but it appears many retailers are still stocking the Skylake i7-6700T version at reduced prices. In either case, you’re getting a GTX 1070 GPU, and therefore the VR Go may represent the best ‘bang for buck’ in this expensive niche category. It is, however, notably heavier than the other systems here.
CPU: 2.9GHz i7-7700T
GPU: GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5
RAM: 16GB DDR4-2133 (Max 32GB)
Storage: 240GB M.2 SSD
Weight: 10lb (4.5kg)
Latest pricing from Amazon:
Full overview and specifications can be found via the VR Go webpage.
XMG Walker – €2,500
Image courtesy Schenker Technologies
Only available in Europe, the XMG Walker was the first VR backpack PC to hit the market, and remains an impressively sleek, lightweight system, with a similar chassis design to the MSI and Zotac. A variant of the XMG Walker launched in the Chinese market called Vest PC II (which appears to be even lighter than the MSI at 3kg) had plans to be sold in the US, but that doesn’t appear to have come to fruition.
For EU folk, the XMG Walker’s €2,500 price point is slightly more reasonable, although it has yet to receive a Kaby Lake CPU upgrade like the MSI or Zotac.
CPU: 2.6GHz i7-6700HQ
GPU: GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5
RAM: 16GB DDR4-2400 (Max 32GB)
Storage: 250GB M.2 SSD
Weight: 8.4lb (3.8kg)
Full overview and specifications can be found via the XMG Walker webpage.
Claiming to be “the world’s most compact and affordable VR motion simulator,” Yaw VR is a 3DoF motion system using a spherical dome design that allows for unlimited, 360-degree yaw movement and 50 degrees across the horizontal axes. The project just surpassed its $150,000 crowdfunding goal on Kickstarter.
Update (02/08/18): Yaw VR has just surpassed its ‘do-or-die’ crowdfunding goal. No stretch goals have been announced yet, but we’ll be following the campaign as it moves forward.
Original article (12/22/18): Designed and developed by Hungary-based startup Intellisense, the Yaw VR delivers 3DoF motion cues via a seat that fits neatly inside a spherical dome, whose smooth outer surface is ‘rolled’ around using small electric motors. This approach avoids the use of expensive linear actuators found in high-end motion systems, and results in a lightweight unit (33 lbs) that can fold neatly away for storage. Its $890 ‘early bird’ price and $1190 ‘standard’ price could hardly be considered impulse-buy territory for the average home VR user, but these appear to be competitive figures in an inherently expensive category of devices.
‘Affordable’ mechanical equipment tends to make compromises in certain aspects of durability and performance, but the claimed figures of the Yaw VR sound promising. Intellisense demonstrated a prototype at CES 2018 that was capable of handling a user “at least up to 150kg” (330 lbs) with performance of “120 degrees/sec with 40% of max power.” The system can support heights “up to 180-190cm,” (5’11” – 6’3”) and a larger ‘XXL’ version is planned. A more durable ‘Pro’ version is also expected to ship with the standard Yaw VR in August.
Image courtesy Intellisense
The team recently confirmed the development of steering wheel, pedal, and shifter mounts, as the system is compatible with SimTools software and therefore a huge library of existing driving, flight, and space simulators will be supported. For wired peripherals, users can set a limit on the vertical axis to avoid a tangled mess of cables.
“I don’t know yet if Yaw VR will be suitable for hard-core racing games,” wrote Zsolt Szigetlaki, founder and angel investor of Yaw VR, contributing to a recent Reddit discussion. “What I experienced is that the simulator has great dynamics, on half of the full power it could just throw me away easily. In the next couple of weeks we are working on to finalize the driving control and we will upload some car racing videos.”
There are obvious similarities to the Feel Three motion system first seen in 2014, which has yet to launch its Kickstarter campaign, but the Yaw VR has more emphasis on compact dimensions and portability. Perhaps 2018 is the year of the dome-shaped motion sim?
Providing “access, support, and savings” to qualifying indie developers, the new Oculus Start program hopes to encourage and enable the development of great apps from those just getting started in VR. The program, which was introduced in a brief post on the Oculus developer blog, has begun to accept applications via this form.
Oculus is aiming to reduce the barriers to entry into VR development for small teams. “If your first app is underway, we can help you optimize for more success in this project and your next,” writes the team. “Just as we’re scaling VR through our devices, we’re scaling support to the developer ecosystem.”
The three pillars of access, support, and savings are detailed above the application page, including examples of what benefits they “may include”, such as development kits for new and existing hardware, access to beta tools and services, dedicated technical support, 1:1 meetings with Oculus’ veteran VR team, one year free Unity Plus license or a royalty free Unreal license, and Oculus wallet credits to “get to know the Oculus Store better.”
The terms page reveals some eligibility details, for instance applicants must have published an app on the Oculus Store or other VR platform by the time they apply, and must not have received previous VR funding of over $10,000 “from a platform (e.g., without limitation, Oculus, Google, Microsoft, Valve, Steam, HTC)”, venture capital, or crowdsourcing.
Gunfire Games’ most recent release, the space adventure game From Other Suns (2017), is playable for free this weekend. The game is exclusive to the Oculus platform and designed “from the ground up” for the Touch controllers, coming from the studio behind Chronos (2016) and Dead & Buried (2017).
The free weekend lasts from Jan 19th at 7:00 PM CET (local time) until Jan 22nd at 9:00 AM CET (local time). Reverting back to its normal $40 price tag after the weekend, it might just give you the opportunity you need to see if the game is right for you.
With similarities to the roguelite FTL: Faster Than Light (2012) and the Borderlands series, From Other Suns is a compelling space adventure game that works best as a co-op experience, combining action FPS gameplay and spaceship management. The procedural technology makes for randomised locations and encounters, and the vast array of weapons allow for “over 2000 possible variations”.
In our full review, we noted the challenging resource management could prove frustrating for some players. But the premise should appeal to many sci-fi fans and fans of FTL in particular, and its gameplay is backed up by rich visuals and audio.
Kite & Lightning, the studio behind some of VR’s earliest experiences, is one of 13 developers receiving a portion of over $200,000 in ‘Unreal Dev Grants’, a program set up by Epic Games to showcase and provide financial support to projects using Unreal Engine 4. Bebylon Battle Royale is the team’s first major VR game, described as a “vehicular melee party brawler,” and is due to release in 2018 on HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
Unreal Dev Grants was established in February 2015 as a $5 million development fund, offering no-strings-attached financial awards from Epic Games, and includes the upcoming PSVR title Moss as one of its previous recipients. The latest round of grants has been awarded to a diverse range of projects, including a number of non-VR indie games, a full-length animated film, and The Machines, a MOBA-inspired AR PVP game.
“Unreal Dev Grants is our way to reward and highlight the incredible talent that makes up the Unreal development community,” said Chance Ivey, Partnership Manager, Epic Games. “These projects show what is possible when you combine passion with creative technology, and stand as examples of why we do what we do.”
