Author: Peter Graham

Posted on

High Octane Racer Redout Arrives for Rift, Vive and OSVR

If fast futuristic racing videogames such as F-Zero and Wipeout where always your favourite titles, then a new release from 34BigThings, Redout has just launched on Steam.

Featuring support for virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR, Redout is an anti-gravity racer which includes both single-player and multiplayer modes.

Redout image 1

The single-player career mode has over 75 events to complete, with 20 tracks set around 4 locations on a post-apocalyptic Earth. There are even boss circuits included. Players will be able to create their own racing story, choosing between six teams, each requiring a different driving approach, with four racing classes to test those cornering skills in, each increasingly faster than the other.

As for multiplayer, racers will be able to match up with 12 players for a proper challenge, racing the tracks they’ve learnt in career mode and using them to full advantage to win races.

To help player compete in the higher stages Redout has an upgrade system so that when players gain experience and level up they’ll be able to add new features to their ships. To add to this over ten power ups are available to give racers the edge, such as additional turbo, shields, self-repair drone, advanced grip system, slipstream enhancers, and more. These power ups are also upgradeable for even more customisation options.

At the moment developer 34BigThings is currently offering a limited time discount for Redout. Until 9th September 2016 Steam users can get 10 percent off Redout, dropping the price down to £24.29 GBP from £26.99.

As more VR supporting titles are released on Steam, VRFocus will bring you the latest releases.

Posted on

Music Visualiser Dimensional Intersection Arriving on Rift and Vive This Month

Back in March VRFocus reported on Swedish studio DNV and publisher Nicalis Inc. revealing upcoming virtual reality (VR) project called Dimensional Intersection. The psychedelic experience, a music visualiser, has now been given a confirmed release date on 20th September 2016 on Steam.

Dimensional Intersection isn’t just a music visualiser, it’s also interactive with real-time fractals, infinite tunnels and morphing 3D models. Featuring music from artists such as Soulacybin, Land Switcher and MONS, Dimensional Intersection aims to take users on a unique journey in a physics-driven world

Tyrone Rodriguez, founder of Nicalis previously commented about the title: “Dimensional Intersection is a crazy experience that distils music into the purest form. It’s being developed in a place very close to the origin of psytrance and that influence is evident in the game.”

Supporting the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive head-mounted displays (HMDs) at launch, Dimensional Intersection will also arrive for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s PlayStation VR headset, although no release date has been announced. On Steam Dimensional Intersection will be retailing for $4.99 USD.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Dimensional Intersection, reporting back on any further announcements by DNV and Nicalis Inc. in the run up to launch.

Posted on

Space Channel 5 VR: Ukiuki Viewing Show to Feature at TGS 2016

Next week the annual Tokyo Game Show (TGS) will take place in Japan, set to feature eclectic mix of virtual reality (VR) experiences. The latest has been revealed by Sega and developer Grounding Inc with a VR project based on the popular Space Channel 5 videogame series, called Space Channel 5 VR: Ukiuki Viewing Show.

If you’ve not heard of Space Channel 5 before its a rhythm action title that players dance to. Details on the VR experience are a little light on detail currently, but it seems as if players won’t be doing any dancing. Instead visitors to the Linked Door booth at TGS 2016 will watch TV channel reporter Urara and her Ukiuki Viewing Show. The demo looks to support the HTC Vive head-mounted display (HMD) and should last approximately six minutes. There’s been no indication yet if Space Channel 5 VR: Ukiuki Viewing Show is likely to see a western release, or if its just a tech demo at this stage.

spacechannel5_160905_thumb

For those going to TGS 2016 there’s going to be plenty of VR technology to see. HMD manufacturer FOVE Inc. announced last week that it would be in attendance. For the show the company would be demoing its latest headset alongside three new videogames which showcase the devices eye tracking technology. They are Judgement, Functions and Project Falcon. The HTC Vive will be popping again thanks to a collaboration with Square Enix on Kai-ri-Sei Million Arthur VR, card-based brawler scheduled for release in Spring 2017.

D3 Publisher will also be taking its love simulation/adventure title Happy Manager to the event, supporting the PlayStation VR.

As VRFocus learns more about Space Channel 5 VR: Ukiuki Viewing Show at TGS 2016 we’ll let you know.

Posted on

Go Behind the Scenes at Smashbox Cosmetics with a 360-Degree Tour

Smashbox Cosmetics an award-winning make-up brand created back in the 90’s by professional photographic studio Smashbox Studios, has partnered with Los Angeles-based creative agency Omelet on a 360-degree tour.

The immersive video (seen below) takes viewers on a trip around Smashbox’s photo studios, giving fans a premiere glimpse into the cosmetic brand’s origins, products, and technology. The video can also be found YouTube and Facebook, and controlled with the WASD keys or a mouse. As with any 360-degree video, team it up with a smartphone and virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD) such as Google Cardboard or the best experience.

“From a world renowned photo studio to a best-selling cosmetics brand, Smashbox clearly isn’t a company that’s interested in staying inside the box. Fortunately, neither is Omelet,” says Ricardo Diaz, Omelet’s Executive Digital Director. “The brand and the people within it are truly a creative force and our goal with this 360° VR tour was to invite fans into the famous Smashbox Studios for the chance to see how multifaceted the company is. We’re proud to be part of that process and look forward to what the future holds for our partnership.”

Shot on location at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, the video was designed to showcase the brand’s history, location, staff and the products. Three photo shoots are shown, revealing some of the processes that go into the photographic sessions at Smashbox.

“It was a pleasure working with the Omelet team on this project,” said Davis Factor, Founder of Smashbox. “They truly captured the energy of the studio while creatively telling our brand story.”

For all the latest VR news from around the world, keep reading VRFocus.

Posted on

Ninja Theory Releases Full SIGGRAPH Hellblade Presentation

At several leading events this year British developer Ninja Theory in collaboration with Epic Games, Cubic Motion, 3Lateral, House of Moves, Ikinema, Technoprops and NVIDIA, has been demonstrating real-time motion capture (mo-cap) for its upcoming title Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. First shown at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2016 in March, the demonstration was then tweaked for the SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques Conference and Exhibition 2016 in July. Ninja Theory has now released the full presentation for viewers to see their technology at work.

Parts of the Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice demo have previously been unveiled, with a 360-degree video released in May and last month Epic Games and Ninja Theory released a short behind-the-scenes documentary on the ‘making-of’ of the SIGGRAPH demo. This new video is the full presentation given to SIGGRAPH attendees.

Titled From Previs to Final in Five Minutes: A Breakthrough in Live Performance Capture, Dominic Matthews, Product Development Ninja, Ninja Theory, introduces the video for the real-time cinematography presentation. The experimental technology allows content creators to motion capture actors in real-time then process and render the data in Unreal Engine 4 using the Sequencer Tool. The whole process impressed those at SIGGRAPH that the Ninja Theory team won the Best Real-Time Graphics & Interactivity Award SIGGRAPH 2016.

For all the latest VR related Ninja Theory news, keep reading VRFocus.

Posted on

Call of Duty Jackal Assault VR Experience Coming to PlayStation VR

Taking place this weekend is the Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles, California. It was a couple of months ago that VRFocus reported that Activision would be showcasing a virtual reality (VR) experience at the event and now further details have emerged that its not just a one off.

Called Jackal Assault, the first Call of Duty VR experience puts players in the cockpit of a Jackel, the personal fighter jet in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Fans attending the event will be able to play Jackal Assault but those unable to visit won’t miss out. Activision has revealed the VR experience will be available as a free bonus for all Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare players on PlayStation 4. So anyone who’s ordered a PlayStation VR head-mounted display (HMD) will be able to dive into Call of Duty in VR.

PlayStation VR headset

Rob Kostich, EVP and GM, Call of Duty, Activision commented: “The Jackal Assault is a cool, fun extension that’s inspired by Infinite Warfare. We’re excited to not only share this experience with Call of Duty XP fans this weekend, but give it for free to all Infinite Warfare PS4 players later this year.”

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare launches on 4th November 2016, but prior to that a beta starts on 14th October for PlayStation 4 owners, head here for further details.

For all the latest VR news from Activision, keep reading VRFocus.

Posted on

Test Your Tree Limbing Skills in Husqvarna’s Limberjack

If you’re a fan of chopping down trees and chainsaws Husqvarna’s new virtual reality (VR) experience for HTC Vive might be worth a look. The chainsaw manufacturer has launched Limberjack on Steam for the head-mounted display (HMD), completely for free.

Limberjack takes its name from the action of ‘limbing’, the process professional loggers use to remove the branches from a felled tree. Set on a beautiful mountainside overlooking a lake, a player has to use a Husqvarna 359 chainsaw to remove 24 branches from a 2.7 meter long log. The player needs to pick up the chainsaw and remove the branches quickly and accurately. Just like a professional logger, the player needs to limb fast, and with precision. If branches are not removed properly, the player will need to go back and re-do, losing time.

HusqvarnaLimberjack-game

“VR limbing combines two extremes, one of the oldest professions in the world together with the newest technology available,” says Lars Strandell, multiple medallist from the bi-annual World Logging Championship. “Husqvarna Limberjack is fun and educational and just like limbing in the real world, technique, precision and speed is crucial for productivity and a good result.”

The title includes local and global highscore leaderboards for VR limberjacks around the world to compete against each other. As an added bonus for players at the end of each month, Husqvarna will announce the best Limberjack player in the world for the month. Then in August 2017, the twelve best Limberjack players will be invited to the world championships final in Sweden.

For all the latest VR releases on Steam, keep reading VRFocus.

Posted on

Bloxiq VR: Achievements, Cheats, Tips & Tricks

Developed by Blot Interactive and published by Red Meat Games, Bloxiq VR is a puzzle title in which players manipulate coloured blocks to match and clear. Launched this week for the HTC Vive head-mounted display (HMD), Bloxiq VR includes 24 Steam Achievements which VRFocus has fully listed below. Bloxiq VR features 100 levels to work through, requires a minimum play area of 2m x 1.5m and only supports Room Scale gameplay. Players can pick up Bloxiq VR for £10.99 GBP through Steam.

Bloxiq VR screenshot 2

Full Achievement List:   Baby Steps Make you first move!   Tesseract Pop in and out of the two layers of the cube 10+ times.   Pieces of the Puzzle Pop in and out of the two layers of the cube 100+ times.   The Beginning Complete the tutorial world.   Desist and Defuse Complete a level with the number of bombs and moves remaining being 0.   Colourful Create a multimatch with 3+ different colours of cubes.   Succession Complete World 2.   Broken Locks Complete World 3.   Hole-in-one Complete a level in exactly one move.   Arithmetic Complete World 6.   Multiplex Complete World 5.   Frustration Complete World 6 Level 8.   The Beginning of the End Complete World 7 Level 1.   Explosive Complete World 4.   Plentiful Make 2,000 moves.   Octuple Matcher Match 8 cubes of the same colour in one move.   Close Call (Time <10) Completing a level with at most 10 seconds remaining.   Close Call (Move) Completing a level with the exact number of moves needed to complete it.   Nonuple Matching God Match 9 cubes of the same colour in one move and ascend to the matching pantheon.   Time Sink Awarded to those who have played at least 10 hours.   Perfectionist 2 Complete World 7 Level 10 in less than 999 moves.   Victorious Beat the game.   Perfectionist Complete World 7 Level 1 in less than 100 moves.   Cube King Achieve all other achievements.

Posted on

Bitmovin Raises $10.3m to Accelerate 360 Video Playback Technologies

Bitmovin has today announced a $10.3 million (USD) Series A round led by Atomico, presenting funds intended to accelerate the development of video playback technologies for existing and new platforms, including 360-degree video for virtual reality (VR). Angel investors include David Helgason, founder of Unity, Chris Kaiser, former VP of Engineering at Netflix and YouTube, and Edward Kozel, former CTO of Cisco, have all participated in the round, together with the existing investors Dawn Capital, Speedinvest, and Y Combinator. 

Founded by the co-creators of the MPEG-DASH video streaming standard, which is used by industry leaders like Netflix and YouTube and currently accounts for 50% of US peak internet traffic, Bitmovin aims to pave the way for emerging video technologies, estimating that by 2020 80% of internet traffic will be given over to video in all its forms, including VR and 360-degree video.

Bitmovin Founders

Bitmovin currently provides a cloud-based video encoding service that is reportedly 100 times faster than real-time. It also offers the Bitmovin HTML5 player that plays video using the MPEG-DASH and HLS format on a range of platforms, including desktop, mobile, Smart TVs and VR headsets, counteracting the devaluation of Flash in modern web browsers.

Stefan Lederer, CEO of Bitmovin, said: “Bitmovin allows content providers to stream high-quality videos on any platform, with the lowest buffering times and highest quality performance, while making it as easy as possible for developers to build services using our API. We are not just solving today’s problems. We also offer the best infrastructure for virtual reality streaming and 360 degree video, which means we are helping developers and entrepreneurs offer the latest in video technology to increasingly tech-savvy consumers.

“This latest round of investment will help us to continue improving our product. At a time when net neutrality has risen up the political agenda, we are determined to increase the speed and quality of video playback on any platform whilst also reducing the bandwidth needed to power the technology. That is why we have been able to secure investment from one of the best SaaS VCs in the market and from some of the most impressive video and VR experts and Angels.”

Bitmovin, Inc. is currently based in Palo Alto, CA, and Klagenfurt, Austria. Given the company’s concentration on web based technologies – a rapidly growing area of video technology development – more is expected from Bitmovin in near future. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details.

Posted on

Ex Bungie Devs Polyarc Secure $3.5m Funding for VR Content Creation

Seattle, Washington-based studio Polyarc Inc. has recently announced the raising of $3.5 million USD in investment through a Series A funding round.

Led by UCCVR with participation from Colopl VR Fund and Vulcan Capital, Polyarc plans to use the funding to develop leading virtual reality (VR) games. “From the moment we first saw VR prototypes our minds have been racing with the possibilities for intuitive interaction in games,” said Polyarc co-founder and CEO Tam Armstrong. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to be working with investors and partners that bring such a wealth of enthusiasm, industry experience and business acumen.”

Polyarc_Team_Founders3

Founded in 2015 by videogame veterans Tam Armstrong, Danny Bulla, and Chris Alderson, the team bring many years of AAA development knowledge to VR with previous titles including Destiny: The Taken King, Destiny, Red Dead Redemption, Halo: Reach, and Halo 3: ODST in their resumes.

Armstrong was an Engineering Lead at Bungie where he and his team created a full stack of character animation technology for Destiny. Bulla was a Senior Gameplay Designer at Bungie working on Destiny and previously as a Senior Designer at Rockstar. Finally Alderson rounds out the trio with his background as a Lead Character Artist at Bungie directing a team of artists for the characters in Destiny.

“Polyarc’s core team background speaks for itself. They are a group of gaming industry veterans with a proven track record and a deep understanding of VR technology. We are excited for the opportunity to be able to invest in and partner with Polyarc and like-minded creators building breakthrough content for the VR/AR market. Through this partnership, we are hoping to leverage UCCVR’s extensive Asia and China network in bringing Polyarc and their games to a truly global audience,” said Allen Foo, Founder and CEO of UCCVR.

In March 2016 Polyarc received an Unreal Developer Grant from Epic Games for an unannounced project codenamed Moss. The team plans to release their first VR title across multiple platforms in Q4 2017.

For all the latest news from Polyarc, keep reading VRFocus.