Author: Scott Hayden

Posted on

Social VR Platform ‘VRChat’ Raises $1.2M Seed Funding

VRChat, a social VR platform that allows users to create, publish, and explore VR worlds, have announced a $1.2 million seed investment round. Investors include HTC, Rothenberg Ventures, GREE VR Capital, and Brightstone Venture Capital.

Supporting Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, VRChat currently offers over 200 user-created worlds, everything from simple environments to some of the most complex creations currently in social VR. Unlike ready-made social platforms though that feature limited avatar selections and only a few virtual spaces, VRChat maintains a DIY vibe that tends to attract more of a Maker crowd. In fact, if you know your way around the Unity game engine, you can even design your own custom avatar and virtual environment from the ground up and share it with everyone.

VRChat most notably features a weekly round table discussion called Gunter’s Universe—something of a live podcast which regularly hosts devs, industry professionals, and fellow VR enthusiasts.

gunters universe vr chat
Gunter’s Universe

“We offer users one application with infinite social VR experiences. We empower users to create their own social VR experience, where users have the freedom to easily create their own avatars, worlds, hangouts and games, and then explore that content with their friends. We’re working hard to build that platform, and this capital helps us get there faster,” said Graham Gaylor, Founder/CEO of VRChat. “We’re excited to have a syndicate of partners on board that provide us with not only capital, but also vast strategic experience in the VR ecosystem.”

VRChat says financing will be used to fund the platform’s continued expansion and for further investment in product development, with more hardware integrations planned throughout 2017.

The post Social VR Platform ‘VRChat’ Raises $1.2M Seed Funding appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

3 Ways to Watch Oculus Connect Keynote Presentations in VR

Connect, Oculus’s annual developer conference, is already in full swing, but if you didn’t manage to book the flight and hotel to San Jose, CA, you can still pop your head in to see what this year’s hubbub is about.

Oculus Touch, the company’s unreleased natural input controller, still doesn’t have an official release date, and we’re expecting a data dump of games, features, and everything else Touch-related at this year’s opening keynote. While you can technically watch it live on the Oculus Twitch Channel, there’s no better way to feel like you’re in the future than by watching a presentation about new VR tech while in VR. Below the steaming schedule are a few ways you can go about it:

oculus connect 3

Opening Keynote
Thursday, October 6th 10am PT (your local time)

Closing Keynote with John Carmack
Friday, October 7th from 1:30pm PT (your local time)

NextVR – Immersive Video

NextVR, the immersive video creation and streaming platform, have been covering live events including NBA basketball, boxing, NASCAR, and even the Democratic Primaries—all in 3D 180-degree video.

The company has exclusively partnered with Oculus to bring both opening and closing keynotes (attention Carmack fans) to their livestreaming Gear VR 360 video app. Make sure to download the free app first and you can get the front row seat your wallet never seems to let you afford.

AltspaceVR – Social Viewing

altspacevr meetup

Watching a video on one of the many virtual monitors in AltspaceVR may seem silly, but really it’s no more silly than watching a giant TV with a group of people, except your new buddies are from Timbuktu, Transnistria, or Tasmania (low latency Internet speeds permitting). Because AltspaceVR supports a host of devices including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Gear VR, and traditional monitors, you’re bound to bump into someone worth chatting to.

AltspaceVR will be hosting their own viewing party of everything you can watch through the Oculus Twitch channel, except, you know, not alone.

Bigscreen – Cosy Multitasking

bigscreen

Maybe you’re not into the bigger social scenes like AltspaceVR, but prefer to vegetate on a virtual couch with people you know. Bigscreen lets you play your favorite games, browse the Internet, and watch anything you can watch on a standard monitor; all on a sizeable, shareable virtual monitor that lets you and all your friends see what you’re watching.

Private or Public rooms are available for multiplayer, supporting 1-4 people, so you could technically have 4 different monitors in play, one with the Twitch livestream, and the other three playing Rocket League or whatever else you while away the hours with.

Bigscreen supports both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, including each system’s respective controllers, and can be found on Steam or Oculus Home.

So there you have it. You can watch alone, in a crowd, or with your trusted friends—and on almost any headset. And if you don’t believe me on the benefit of watching keynote speeches in social VR spaces, I’d like to submit the following as evidence:

 

The post 3 Ways to Watch Oculus Connect Keynote Presentations in VR appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Amazon UK Lists Oculus Touch Pre-Orders with Price and Release Date

Amazon’s UK retailer seems to have already jumped the gun on today’s supposed announcement taking place at Oculus Connect opening keynote, where we’ll likely hear official word on price, release date, and everything else surrounding the long awaited Touch controllers.

While Amazon’s Touch listing is currently missing images and is erroneously listed as an Android-compatible device, the UK-based retailer is already taking pre-orders for Touch at £189.99.

Dispatched from and sold by Amazon, the controllers are set to release on November 23rd, 2016.

oculus-touch-amazon

The pricing here is consistent with what other official Oculus retailers in the UK have published, including a pre-order advertisement put out last month by GAME, a store similar to Game Stop.

If you don’t live in the UK however, and are looking to convert that into your local currency, you’d be better off waiting for official Oculus retailers to offer it directly in your geographic market. Britain’s value added tax (VAT) is not only higher than the US and many countries in Europe, but you also have the pound sterling to contend with, so there’s no telling exactly what that will cost you in USD or EUR.

SEE ALSO
Oculus Touch Price Revealed in London GAME Store

In the course of a week, two German electronic stores—MediaMarkt and Saturn—posted online listings of Touch, citing a €199 price with a November 21st delivery date. Price and shipping information has since been stripped from the online retailers’ respective listings. EU-based Amazon retailers including Amazon Germany, Italy, France, and Spain still haven’t published pricing or release information.

mediamarkt

Any way you slice it, we’re sure to learn more today at Oculus’s Connect opening keynote.

The post Amazon UK Lists Oculus Touch Pre-Orders with Price and Release Date appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

PlayStation VR Launching with 30+ Games, Another 20+ to Follow in Q4

PlayStation VR is almost here, with its October 13th launch creeping ever closer. Although we’ve already had our paws all over the headset in our comprehensive review—a deep dive into the platform that any prospective buyer should read before forking over the $400 for the PS VR—we’re just as excited as you to play what PlayStation today revealed in a blogpost to be over 30 launch titles including another 20+ to follow in Q4 2016.

Famously missing from the list below is Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Farpoint and Ace Combat 7, all of which are expected sometime in 2017, but no exact idea as to when.

PS VR exclusive (and visually stunning) Robinson: The Journey will be coming at an unspecified date in Q4, and no longer considered a launch title.

Official news on non-game experiences and apps are still pretty thin on the ground, as Sony has only listed a grand total of 7 to the launch line-up. The company’s EU blog maintains the list below “is not 100% final,” and that more will be added in the coming days.

Here’s the most complete list of PS VR games we’ve seen thus far:

Available at PS VR launch

SEE ALSO
'Driveclub VR' Gets Day 1 PSVR Release Date, Price, and Season Pass Upgrade Option
SEE ALSO
The Ambitious 'Loading Human' is a PlayStation VR Launch Title
SEE ALSO
Hands-on: VR Needs More Great Party Games like PSVR's 'Playroom VR'
SEE ALSO
Hands-on: Capcom’s Resident Evil “Kitchen” Demo is Terrifying on PSVR

Available after Launch with Release Date

Available Q4 2016

Available Q1 2017

  • Golem
  • GNOG
  • Statik
  • XING: The Land Beyond
  • Megaton Rainfall
  • Korix
SEE ALSO
Halo Composer Marty O'Donnell on the Music and Design of Golem for PSVR

Non-Game Experiences and Apps (at launch)

  • Allumette
  • Hulu
  • Invasion
  • Kismet
  • Littlestar VR Cinema
  • Vrideo
  • Within
SEE ALSO
PlayStation VR Review – Console VR Has Arrived

The post PlayStation VR Launching with 30+ Games, Another 20+ to Follow in Q4 appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Google Announces Daydream ‘View’ VR Headset for $79

Google today unveiled its first Daydream headset called ‘View’, a high-quality mobile VR headset that works exclusively with Android’s integrated VR support.

Google announced several big hardware bits this morning at its ‘Made By Google’ hardware event including the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, a 4K Chromecast, and the VR belle of the ball, the company’s first Daydream VR headset.

daydream-view-3 daydream-view-2 daydream-view-1

The headset is called View and aims to being a touch of comfort to the VR experience. The device works with Daydream certified phones, connects and syncs with your phone wirelessly (no connectors) and uses auto alignment to allow quick and seamless entry and exit from VR.

google-pixel-event

Clay Bavor, lead of Google’s VR team, stated that the team took a look at other VR headsets that were out there and decided that for their entry, the look and feel should not only be comfortable, but “simple, friendlier, and more accessible.” This lead to the headset’s unconventional, fabric covered design that Clay said looks more like something you’d wear in every day life.

Glasses wearers can also rejoice, as Bavor announced the View “fits nicely over eyeglasses.”

The headset will arrive in three colors; slate, snow, and crimson.

google-daydream-view

SEE ALSO
Google Announces First Daydream-Ready VR Phone - Breaking

The headset was announced alongside’s Google’s new flagship phone Pixel, which was pushed as the perfect partner for VR. Pixel represents the company’s first Daydream ‘certified’ phone.

The headset ships with the Daydream controller in November for $79.

This story is breaking – we’ll add more information as we find it.

The post Google Announces Daydream ‘View’ VR Headset for $79 appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Google Announces First Daydream-Ready VR Phone – Breaking

Google today announced the first Daydream-ready smartphone(s), Pixel and Pixel XL.

Already widely leaked across the Internet, the new Pixel line is replacing the company’s Nexus handsets, now incorporating more graphical horsepower, sleeker styling, and a price tag to match—all rumored well in advance.

pixel-google-phone

Brian Rakowski, VP Product Management at Google, showed off Pixel’s hardware on stage boasting a Snapdragon 821, AMOLED capacitive touchscreen on both phones, 5-inch for Pixel and 5.5-inch for Pixel XL.

Clay Bavor, head of Google’s VR team, maintains the company has “tuned everything from their sensors to their displays” for the VR-capable Pixel.

pixel-daydream-google

Built by HTC, Google Pixel smartphones are available for pre-order today across USA, Australia, Canada, Germany, UK starting at $649. Google is bringing Pixel to market exclusively in partnership with Verizon in the US.

Unlike its little brother Cardboard, which allows almost any smartphone with an IMU to join in the VR fun, Daydream VR (like Samsung Gear VR) is considered a high-quality VR experience that uses a variety of flagship-level smartphones as a display.

Google previously mentioned the following manufacturers would be producing Daydream-compatible phones: Hauwei, Samsung, HTC, LG, Mi, ZTE, Asus and Alcatel. No specific phones besides Pixel were announced for the Daydream platform at this point.

This story is breaking. We’ll be updating as more information comes in. 

The post Google Announces First Daydream-Ready VR Phone – Breaking appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Watch: Google’s Live Event Here – Daydream VR Hardware Unveiling Expected

Daydream VR, Google’s high-end VR platform for select Android smartphones, may be seeing its time in the spotlight at the company’s hardware-focused event today. Although Google hasn’t said specifically whether Daydream will be making an appearance, you’d better watch to find out.

Note: Live stream video is embedded at the top of the page and will start at 9am PST / 5pm GMT.

Poised to become the second most widespread VR device on the planet—after the humble Google Cardboard, that is—specifics around Daydream are still thin.

daydream-headset
image courtesy of Google

From Google I/O 2016 we know that older Android devices aren’t likely to qualify for Daydream, and that manufacturers including Hauwei, Samsung, HTC, LG, Mi, ZTE, Asus and Alcatel have been tapped to produce Daydream-compatible phones.

With the SDK already out of beta, there’s no foreseeable time better than today to announce Daydream, even if rumors are already bubbling around the price and manufacturer of the first headset. According to Variety’s sources, both Pixel and Pixel XL phones will work with the new headset possibly manufactured by HTC, and it could go for as little as $79.

Google’s Daydream microsite only says thus far that the high quality VR platform is coming in fall 2016.

The post Watch: Google’s Live Event Here – Daydream VR Hardware Unveiling Expected appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Owlchemy Labs Teases New In-Engine Mixed Reality Tech

Owlchemy Labs, the studio known for the genre-defying game Job Simulator, have cooked up a new way of doing mixed reality that not only promises to be more realistic, but is sure to grab the attention of VR streamers and content creators alike. They’re calling it ‘Depth-based Realtime In-app Mixed Reality Compositing’. It sounds complex, but it seems to simplify the entire production pipeline.

Green screen VR setups have littered expos ever since Northway Games teased mixed reality integration in Fantastic Contraption earlier this year. Requiring little more than a green sheet, an external camera and a few other bits and bobs (Northway published a step-by-step guide), the results are easy to see:

The video above however is the result of extensive polishing and after effects like rotoscoping to correctly occlude items, making it appear that the player is in 3D space instead of flatly sandwiched between the foreground; the contraption, and the background; the virtual environment.

owlchemy-labs-mixed-reality
image courtesy Owlchemy Labs

Owlchemy Labs recently teased a new in-engine method of putting you in the middle of the action, correctly occluded, that promises to eliminate extra software like Adobe After Effects or composition software like OBS from the equation.

They do it by using a stereo depth camera, recording video and depth data simultaneously. They then feed the stereo data in real-time into Unity using a custom plugin and a custom shader to cutout and depth sort the user directly in the engine renderer. This method requires you to replace your simple webcam with a 3D camera like the ZED 2K stereo cam—a $500 dual RGB camera setup that importantly doesn’t use infrared sensors (like Kinect) which can screw with VR positional tracking. But if you’re pumping out mixed reality VR footage on the daily, then the time savings (and admittedly awesome-looking results) may be worth the initial investment.

Owlchemy says you’ll be able to capture footage with either static or full-motion, tracked cameras, and do it from a single computer. Because the method doesn’t actually require a VR headset or controllers, you can technically capture a VR scene with multiple, non-tracked users.

“Developing this pipeline was a large technical challenge as we encountered many potentially show-stopping problems, such as wrangling the process of getting 1080p video with depth data into Unity at 30fps without impacting performance such that the user in VR can still hit 90FPS in their HMD,” writes Owlchemy. “Additionally, calibrating the camera/video was a deeply complicated issue, as was syncing the depth feed and the engine renderer such that they align properly for the final result. After significant research and engineering we were able to solve these problems and the result is definitely worth the deep dive.”

The studio says it still needs more time to complete the project, but they “have plans in the works to be able to eventually share some of our tech outside the walls of Owlchemy Labs.” We’ll be following their progress to see just how far reaching it becomes.

The post Owlchemy Labs Teases New In-Engine Mixed Reality Tech appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Google Daydream VR Headset Rumored to Unveil Today for $79

Google is set to unveil a number of new devices and services at today’s big event, mainly focusing on the Pixel and Pixel XL phones (which have already been widely leaked). According to a report by Variety though, Google’s new mobile VR headset platform Daydream is going to hit the spotlight as well, and at a price low enough to fit under almost any Christmas tree.

Variety’s report maintains that both Pixel and Pixel XL phones will work with the new Daydream headset—no big surprise here—but citing a source familiar with the announcement “could be sold for as little as $79.”

Variety further reports that the first Daydream headset may also be built by HTC, the manufacturer of the Pixel and Pixel XL.

Revealed at Google’s I/O 2016 event, Brahim Elbouchikhi, Senior Product Manager on the Google VR team, said the company intends on pushing out Daydream “at Android scale, meaning hundreds of millions of users…”

Daydream headset Daydream controller

Daydream, unlike Samsung’s Gear VR which uses a headset-mounted touchpad, will come with a small Wii-style remote for gestural input and work across a number of Daydream-compatible phones from multiple manufacturers including Hauwei, Samsung, HTC, LG, Mi, ZTE, Asus and Alcatel. Gear VR only works with select flagship Samsung phones.

While we can’t read too deeply into the report, Google has provided their Daydream headsets reference design to multiple manufacturers, and it would make sense that a company already familiar with headset ergonomics (via the HTC Vive) would be one of the first to take a stab at building Google’s Daydream headset set to unveil today.

You can check out the livestream (below) at 9am PDT/12pm EDT today, Tuesday, October 4th. We’ll be reporting on all things Daydream as they develop.

The post Google Daydream VR Headset Rumored to Unveil Today for $79 appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Send HTC Your Idea for a Vive Accessory and Win a Free HTC Vive

The Vive’s Lighthouse tracking system is an impressive piece of tech, considering it boasts sub-millimeter, 3D room-scale positional tracking for a VR headset and hand controllers using lasers. But haven’t you ever wished the Vive controllers could be used for more than just hand tracking? Maybe you want a Lighthouse-compatible harness for your dog, a cool gun accessory, or maybe you just want to keep track of your beer while in VR? Now’s your chance to pitch your crazy accessory idea to HTC.

HTC will be running the accessory contest through its Viveport community forum, and letting members vote on their favorite entries. The top three ideas—whether they’re created for the Vive headset, controllers, base stations, or all three—get a free HTC Vive system. The grand prize? The lucky winner could have their idea 3D printed into reality.

Potential designers may want to get out their reading glasses however. HTC maintains in their lengthy contest rules that the winner’s design is to exceed no more than $1,600 USD in cost when it comes time to 3D print—but doesn’t clearly say whether you’re allowed to slap on Lighthouse sensors to everyday objects or not. Considering the rules explicitly state that all aspects of the design “must be solely owned by or licensed to [you] or in the public domain,” it’s safe to say most people won’t be able to just pop on individual sensors to everyday items like a beer koozie. After all, Valve’s Lighthouse sensor technology is protected under a royalty-free license, but you can only obtain it after going through a $3,000 course.

See Also: New Images for 2nd HTC Vive Developer Kit Supposedly LeakedSo you’re probably better off designing around the hardware than making your own from the ground up.

SEE ALSO
HTC Vive Accessory Store Now Stocks Things You Actually Need

Design submissions must be uploaded to the Viveport Community by October 30th with the contest officially ending on November 7th.

HTC Vive Accessory Contest

Note: Only legal residents (18+) of the following countries can enter to win: United States, Canada (excluding Quebec), United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Switzerland, Norway, Poland, Austria, Belgium, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, India, Mexico and Japan.

The post Send HTC Your Idea for a Vive Accessory and Win a Free HTC Vive appeared first on Road to VR.