Author: Thelap Vuong

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Post-Apocalyptic Horror Into the Radius Creeps Onto Steam Early Access

CM Games has now released its Steam Early Access version of Into The Radius, giving players access to several hours’ worth of content while helping support the videogame as it continues to expand its storyline, include more weapons and add new features, ahead of its full release in Q1 2020. 

Into The Radius squareInto the Radius is a single-player virtual reality (VR) title blending eldritch horror in a post-apocalyptic ex-soviet setting. It complements story-driven, open-world hardcore gameplay with realistic gun interaction systems, featuring classics like the Pistolet Makarova, double-barrel shotgun and the AKM Kalashnikov. Unravel the mystery of the Radius as you explore, collect artefacts and survive inside a zone filled with dangerous anomalies. 

For Early Access Into the Radius will have all its core mechanics working, offering players a big open terrain map to explore, a hub to pick missions, as well as buying and selling of basic firearms and other useful items. Players will also be introduced to the world’s lore during the early missions.

CM Games expects the final version of Into the Radius to have over 15 hours of content, with all those aforementioned features being added in due course as well as several iconic locations. Like most developers, the studio will be slightly increasing the price when the fully finished version is ready.

Into The Radius

“Into the Radius may not be a VR game for everyone, but we think it brings something new to the VR game space,” said  Aleksei Shulga, Director of Into the Radius, in a statement to VRFocus. “We appreciate all the feedback and support from our Beta community, they’ve really been great! We hope that they will like all the improvements we’ve made in the latest version. We’re really looking forward to going deeper into the game’s plot and fleshing out some of the interesting features we have left to implement over the next few months leading up to the full release.”

For Early Access launch week, Creative Mobile is offering a 30% discount which ends on 13th November, dropping the price from £23.49 GBP down to £16.65. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Into the Radius, reporting back with the latest development updates.

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Enter Dark and Twisted VR Experience Into The Radius With Some Free Beta Keys

Known for titles such as Nitro Nation and Drag Racing, reaching in total over 400 million players to date, Creative Mobile (CM Games), a leading mobile game studio based in Tallinn, Estonia, will soon be taking its first step into virtual reality (VR) with Into The Radius.

Into The Radius

Designed as a hardcore, single-player VR videogame where you explore a strange place called ‘the Radius’ filled with dangerous anomalies, Into the Radius offers dark and atmospheric experience inspired by the Strugatsky Brothers’ Roadside Picnic, mixed with Stalker and Stephen King. 

The title’s environment is a unique blend of post-apocalyptic and eldritch horror in a gloomy, surreal setting. Focused on open-world exploration, players scavenge through the desolate locations, searching for artefacts. Most of the gameplay happens in multi-kilometre sized outdoor locations with many points of interest to explore. As players try to survive they will be tested for their use of stealth, cunning, and firearms skills to uncover the mystery of the Radius. 

“When the first room-scale VR came out, we were very hyped by the opportunities of the technology, but soon started to feel disappointed by the domination of arcade games or “experiences”,” said the team in a statement to VRFocus. “Being hardcore PC gamers ourselves, our team felt strongly that the hardcore VR audience is vastly underserved right now. There are exciting new ways players can experience VR worlds compared to flat arcade games, we decided to focus on making a single-player, non -linear story-driven shooter in a surreal setting, thus ‘Into the Radius’ was born.”

Into The Radius

Featuring realistic firearms mechanics; from loading different ammo types into mags, guns jamming and a variety of attachments, time is also a gameplay element with a day-night cycle having consequences for the player to account for. “Into the Radius is a superb blend of everything we like about hardcore VR games, mixed with a surprising amount of depth and immersiveness that will keep you exploring this strange land for hours and hours,” notes CM Games’ Aleksei Shulga.

In collaboration with VRFocus, CM Games is giving away 500 Steam keys by joining its Discord channel so you can access the beta version of Into the Radius which will include:

  • Big open map with randomly placed anomalies, artefacts and enemies
  • Realistic gun interaction system, 6 weapons + attachment system
  • Mission Hub with 4 missions + onboarding

Into the Radius is scheduled for a Q1 2020 launch, supporting HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. 

The global release will include:

  • Double-digit gameplay hours with a full story mode
  • Free roam mode
  • Rich skills system
  • Replayability via generated side missions

Learn more about Into the Radius’ mid-’90s back story by reading the Perchorsk Radius News. For further updates from CM Games, keep reading VRFocus.

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3 VR Concepts I Wish Existed Growing up

With VR starting to really take off, I’ve spent the past week looking at different VR concepts and thought it would be cool to share my personal top three.

Practice Your Public Speaking in VR 

I’m sure many of us have had an issue with public speaking at some point in our lives. Personally, growing up I certainly had. I remember vividly, on one occasion during my study in university, I was asked to do a spontaneous presentation in front of the class. It must have been 2 minutes in, where my mind just went completely blank! I remember clicking my fingers hoping my mind would snap back but all I could muster at that point were umms and ahhs. Looking back, my class probably thought I was about to release a hot R&B track. 

Anyway, I learned that the only way I can get over this fear was practice, which I did eventually get years later. That being said, one VR concept that really stood out to me was Cerevrum’s Speech Centre VR, a training app that enables users to improve their communication skills (public speaking, interviews, sales pitches etc.) by simulating similar high-pressure scenarios. 

First Aid Training in VR

This is something that I think would be beneficial for everyone. Even just a little knowledge of first aid can help save someone’s life. I’ve seen many videos online, where someone would be in need of immediate medical attention, only to have passersby do nothing because they don’t know how to help. In a situation where no health professional is within the vicinity, the situation can get really bad. Luckily, I have not been in such a situation, but you never know when you will and if it ever does happen, and someone close to me, I wouldn’t want to be the one to stand there helplessly. 

The video below is by Dual Good Health, who have created VR experiences for first aid emergencies and basic life support training. 

Driving Lessons in VR

Admittedly, I passed my driving test on my third try. I’ve had plenty of lessons prior but in the two previous tests I was faced with two new situations that I could have handled much better (if you’re curious, both were on the dual carriageway). The video below is of City Car Driving by Forward, a VR driving simulator that will teach you how to drive a car in a big city with traffic and pedestrians. If this existed before, not only would I have been saving money on lessons, but I would have put in a lot more time into practice. 

So those are my personal top three VR concepts. Please let us know in the comment section below, what VR concepts you find interesting and what concepts would you like to see in the future. 

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Smart Phone to Smart Contact Lenses? Samsung Wins Patent

Published by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office, Samsung has won the patents for smart augmented reality (AR) contact lenses. These lenses, very much like your smart-phone, will be able to take photos, record videos and display images into the user’s eye through a built-in hidden camera.

Samsung AR Contact Lens Patent

The lense will be controlled through motion sensors that detect and register eye movement. Each movement would activate a different function, so blinking, for example, would snap a picture. 

“Wearable’s are the next stage in the evolution of AR and will replace the handheld devices we currently use. Lenses and glasses are the future of AR, we’re at a time now where the software is available and we are waiting for the hardware to catch up,” said Dmitry Ogievich, CEO at Banuba – a pioneering artificial intelligence lab specialising in computer vision and AR, in a statement. 

“Samsung achieving a patent for augmented reality contact lenses is a significant milestone in the technology’s development, paving the way for mass consumer adoption in the future, which is incredibly exciting,” Ogievich continues. “This development will create incredible opportunities in computing, maps and entertainment, all of which will have a transformative effect on our everyday lives.

“When wearable AR devices become the standard, our lives will change dramatically. Many mobile AR apps of the future are able to be run on mobile phones today – like Snapchat, Pokemon GO and others – but as devices become far more intuitive, they will integrate more smoothly into our lives. There is zero doubt that exciting and transformative change is afoot and, eventually, physical devices as we know them will disappear altogether.”

Samsung AR Contact Lens Patent

I definitely agree that technology is shifting towards wearables. We’re already seeing smart glasses and watches. A news piece by Ubergizmo, says analysts estimate 46 Million Apple watches have been sold to date, and that was posted more than a year ago. 

Samsung achieving a patent for AR lenses is for sure a significant milestone. Samsung is known for its advanced technology and premium products. I believe it takes a reputable brand to truly influence the adoption of new technology. I do, however, think we still have a very long way to go. I say this because, with every new technology, there are a lot of health risks and dangers that need to be taken into account. For example, the eye is a very sensitive area, is it possible for the lens to not overheat? 

Either way, this is a very exciting step and I think it’ll be very interesting to see what Samsung can produce and how they tackle these issues. We’ll be keeping an eye out on its development (no pun intended) and as always, be sure to keep you updated at VRFocus.