Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Steam Spy reports that more than 7,500 games published to Steam during 2017, up from 4,207 games added during the previous year. On average, 20 new games appeared on Steam each day in 2017. Nope, the PC isn't going anywhere.
The post Steam saw more than 7,500 titles added to its library throughout 2017 appeared first on Digital Trends.
The year that is about to end was very important for the further affirmation of Augmented Reality in many sectors, from enterprise to consumer, also thanks to a series of innovations that were announced during 2017, which provided a relevant contribution to the market growth and to increase the expectations for future developments.
It is estimated that in 2016 the global Augmented Reality market has reached a value of 2.1 billion dollars, an important increase compared to the previous year, while the growth estimates for the period 2016-2024 foresee a compound annual growth rate equal to 60.9%. We are talking about very interesting figures, but that should not surprise us because practically all the giant techs are on the front lines in the development of AR solutions.
The most important innovations in 2017 in the field of Augmented Reality cover various fields, from software to hardware, to acquisitions, passing through interesting rumors.
We have made a summary of what we believe have been the most representative innovations of 2017.
Augmented Reality software has seen in 2017 the arrival of some novelties destined to encourage the mass diffusion of mobile AR. We are talking about ARkit released by Apple and ARCore released by Google, two free development kits that allow the creation of mobile applications that use Augmented Reality, allowing you to place three-dimensional objects in space and keep them anchored to it in a very accurate way, only using the smartphone/tablet camera, without the need to resort to depth cameras as it was mandatory until recently with Google’s Project Tango.
Last autumn Microsoft made available the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which includes native support for reading and editing 3D content and the Mixed Reality Portal, a space dedicated to the use of applications made for headsets.
After a rather long period of apparent oblivion, another trend that could have an interesting future in the coming years is the reappearance of the AR within browsers. This was possible mainly due to the removal of restrictions on the accessibility of the camera on iOS devices. Some of the key players in this area include Google, Mozilla and Apple.
The AR mobile and wearable devices’ landscape has evolved and matured during 2017, but has not been subject to upheavals that have led to a change of pace.
However, an important innovation was introduced once again by Apple with the presentation of the new iPhone X. It is not a device designed for Augmented Reality, but a smartphone that introduces, albeit in a limited way, the new hardware that enable a series of new AR features not previously possible on mobile devices.
In particular, Apple has equipped the new iPhone X with a front depth camera able to reconstruct a very accurate map of the users’ faces and to recognize a very wide range of facial expressions.
Although the real revolution will happen with the introduction of a rear depth camera, Apple’s innovation lets imagine a whole series of new immersive features that will be possible to implement in the future.
Tech Giant’s acquisition of technology startups is a phenomenon that needs to be constantly monitored because, from this type of business move, it is often possible to understand the direction of a company with respect to a technology.
And 2017 was a year full of acquisitions of AR startups and other companies in related fields.
Apple has acquired Vrvana, a manufacturer of Mixed Reality headsets, for 30 million dollars. In recent weeks, it has also completed a 400 million dollar acquisition of Shazam. Although the latter is not a AR / VR company, it is believed that Apple intends to use its core technology for its upcoming devices, including an Augmented Reality headset, whose details have not been disclosed yet.
Last September Google acquired HTC’s smartphone team for a value of 1.1 billion dollars, a clear sign that makes us understand how the Californian company intends to intensify its efforts in the world of mobile with the Google Pixel product line and further spreading of ARCore.
In 2017, Facebook, owner of Oculus, scored a series of acquisitions all in the face recognition field. We are talking about Face.com, Realface, AIMatter, MSQRD and Faciometrics.
Amazon for its part has only acquired Orbeus, specialized in Face Recognition. However, the launch of the Sumerian AR / VR development platform should not be overlooked.
Let’s finish with a series of official and leaked announcements made in 2017 that will however produce effects for the consumers in the next few years.
Qualcomm has announced a couple of weeks ago the new Snapdragon 845 processor, counting among the news also a coprocessor for artificial intelligence and targeted optimization for AR / VR applications.
Magic Leap has finally unveiled its Magic Leap One headset, without releasing full technical specifications, or pricing details. We will know more in 2018, when the device will actually be launched on the market.
Missed the announcements from Paris Games Week (PGW)? A huge fan of virtual reality (VR)? PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR owners likely already know that there are now over 100 titles on the platform. But that’s just now. There’s plenty of videogames on the way to add to that collection, and luckily VRFocus has got your back. Below you can find a list of all the PlayStation VR videogames that were announced or mentioned at PGW – and we have also created a little video recap which you can find below.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – 2018
Bandai Namco bring you Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, taking their popular fighter pilot series to VR for the first time. With spectacular views, a dynamic weather system and various maps, this videogame demands the highest possible aerial combat skills.
Resident Evil VII biohazard DLC – Not A Hero – December 12th 2017
Chris Redfield comes up against new and terrifying enemies in his pursuit of deadly psychopath Lucas in Resident Evil VII thanks to the Not A Hero free DLC. There are plenty of gory situations to confront on the path ahead as Redfield seeks an end to the bloody reign of the murderous Baker family.
Rec Room – Coming Soon
Developers Against Gravity have created a social platform where players can engage in multiplayer games with one another. As with all the products mentioned here, check out the link for more information.
Moss – 2018
Announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), VRFocus thought Moss was perhaps the cutest VR game to date. Sadly, that date has shifted, with the title now delayed until 2018. Developed by Polyarc, Moss asks players to solve puzzles in a larger-than-life world. The protagonist Quill also recognises who you are and tries to point out tips when you’re stuck. Quill’s intricate hand movements actually promotes sign language as she uses her body, hands and squeaks to communicate with you.
Apex Construct – Coming Soon
Announced at PGW today, this first-person shooter (FPS) takes adventure to a futuristic, robot-filled sci-fi world. You play as the last human on a world where synthetic creatures seek to dominate their new hunting grounds. Created by Fast Travel Games, this Swedish studio is formed of Ex-Rovio, EA and DICE staff.
Bow to Blood – 2018
Another newly announced title, Bow to Blood is a multiplayer videogame where players pilot airships into combat with other players. PlayStation VR owners can go solo or team up to battle rivals. Stand and fight or reposition on your foe? It’s your call.
League of War: VR Arena – November 7th 2017
Announced back in August this real-time tabletop warfare simulator should be something strategy fans will enjoy. Players will have access to 12 different units, four of which can be deployed at one time. This includes tanks, soldiers, flamethrowers, artillery and helicopters. Each unit costs energy to put on the battlefield – so don’t start spamming out loads of troops without thinking careful first.
Stifled – October 31st 2017
Showcased at E3 this year, this videogame asks players to see the world through sound; similar to how echolocation would work underwater. The noise you make highlight the surroundings around you in a creepy white line drawing style. Unfortunately, whilst using sound shows your path it also draws the attention of enemies. You will need to balance your need to see versus your need to keep safe. A slow and steady process that really gets under your skin.
Sprint Vector – Coming Soon
A fast-paced obstacle course racing title that asks players to swing their arms back and forth in order to increase the speed at which they travel. Climb, jump, leap across various obstacles and compete against friends or A.I.
Star Child – Coming Soon
Developers Playful Corp have created a dark, cyberpunk world where strange creatures roam in a bizarre neon-lit world. A side-scrolling platform experience, the protagonist has to solve puzzles and take an elevator deeper into an alien world.
Transference – Coming Soon
Announced at E3, Elijah Wood’s videogame company Spectrevision and Ubisoft have created a psychological thriller videogame where players delve into the destructive tale of a man’s obsession as they explore his digitally recreated memories. Think Inception, but as a videogame where you have to solve puzzles in the man’s memories. VRFocus did an interview with Kyle McCullough from SpectreVision if you want more information.
Ultrawings VR – Coming Soon
Available on the Samsung Gear VR and now coming to PlayStation VR, this flying simulator allows you to try three different aircrafts, has several missions which in turn allows the player to purchase airports across three separate islands. Shoot balloons, take photos, fly through rings, race against players or practice that perfect landing.
Dead Hungry – October 31st 2017
This tongue-in-cheek action videogame allows you to cook up a storm as a chef feeding some very hungry zombies. That’s right, you’re not killing zombies on mass but feeding them some very well-cooked hamburgers instead. Perfect for Halloween.
Eden Tomorrow – Coming Soon
Set in sci-fi world on what seems another planet, PGW is the first time anything of this videogame was showcased and very little is known about it for sure. However, it appears to be the evolution of previously announced VR title Eden. And features some very strange and bizarre looking creatures that resemble a Brachiosaurus. The teaser also features three-armed robotic drones and enormous monsters.
Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV – November 21st 2017
Showcasing the first hands-on previews at PGW, the gameplay features customisable costumes, a various array of fish (and other creatures) and various ways of catching fish from travel to sonar detection.
Megalith – 2018
A first-person videogame where you play as a titan on a quest to become a powerful god. With destructible environment and a range of weapons in a stylised world.
Smash Hit Plunder – 2018
Set in a medieval castle with ghostly inhabitants, you play a young mage recently returned from magic school on a quest to delve into their family’s fraught past. You have to rebuild your family’s wealth and use your wand to uncover treasure, coins and crowns. As the name of the title suggests, you’ll have to do a lot of smashing and hitting things to do that. Venture into multiple dungeons, secret rooms and set things on fire, smash everything you see or sneak up on ghosts to find hidden gold.
Blood and Truth – 2018
Another new title to add to the growing list of PlayStation VR games available for players, you play a brutal gangster in London. On a quest to avenge his murdered family, you have to break into enemy hideouts, casinos and gun down your enemies. You need to be prepared for both stealth gameplay as well as ready to throw yourself into the action. The teaser showcase lock picking and a bomb detonating as you shoot down enemies.
Those are the latest videogames that have been announced or will be coming soon to the PlayStation VR. Watch the video below to get a glimpse of all the videogames and follow VRFocus for any further announcements on the videogames.
On July, 5th and 6th the Digility Conference on AR and VR will open it’s doors in Cologne, Germany, for the second time. augmented.org is media partner again and today I’d like to give you the heads-up on this conference, my recommendation where to go – and you will even get the chance to win your free ticket for the show! So, let’s dive into it!
Digility Conference on AR/VR
The conference lays focus on all about augmented and virtual reality, including 360° imaging and video, wearable and things about the bigger picture and connection like society impacts and latest research on AI for instance. Last year I’ve been on location and was very pleased with the mixture of business-related and developer-friendly discussions that were encapsuled by more philosophical discussions on technology and where this could lead. (You can find my posts from 2016 here.)
This year the show will offer two day panels and presentations plus the show floor where exhibitors, live demos and partners can be checked out. In 2017 a new spin has been added to the event, being a HACKATHON for the developers and hackers interested in AR/VR speed programming in a team. Everybody (up to a hundred people) can join, there will be tutors to help you out and results will be shown at the very end of the conference. So, if you are more interested in actively coding and showing off your results on stage in the end – you might want to check out their info here. But if you prefer to hear talks, panel discussions and see more, you should read on below. (Also to win your ticket.) Before we jump into it, a quick 2016 recap from Digility to give you the idea:
Things you cannot miss
During the two days, two tracks will lay different focuses. The “big” track on day 1 goes for brands and enterprise-related business developments, track 2 aims at designers and developers. Day 2 will be more philosophically, envision the future of AR/VR and where the bigger impacts might happen. It will be rounded up by track 2 giving start-ups a chance and to discuss investments.
On day 1 I highly recommend the opening talk about “Making Superhumans” (no, it’s not AWE), that will be hold by Jody Medich (Singularity University), discussing the future of human machine interaction. Nvidia will also be on stage to show off with their latest R&D-activities and name “initiatives like near-eye holographic displays, foveated rendering, 16Khz panels, varifocal displays like lightfield displays”. So, hopefully we can get some updated insights here, too. The Captury will show their markerless body capture for VR. I’m sure they made some good progress since last presentation I’ve seen (2 years ago at FMX). Sticking with hardware and body captures: Manus VR will also be there to show their VR gloves and discuss human interaction for MR.
On day 2 you need to pick again. So, take a close look at their program. I’d say it’s definitely worth to check out the German research institute Fraunhofer HHI from Berlin. They are very dedicated to AR/VR, video capture and 3D reconstruction tech, as you can also check out before on their pages to get inspired. Patrick Ehlen (Loop AI Labs) will talk about the future of AI and how this could – or should – impact our lives and influence the technology. What should we do with all of this? The philosophical part continues with Jelle van Dijk (University of Twente) giving his talk “Out of your mind, into the body? From theory to inspiration”, seems like we dive into some transcendence discussions here including thoughts on first-person phenomenology for VR and it’s impacts. The following panel discussions will continue these human-computer-connections and also addresses the more down-to-earth question “What Happens When Apple Goes AR?”. Well, now Apple did go AR. So, let’s learn about their updated thoughts on this one during the panel.
If you want to be part of this, you need to you need to get 539 € from your ATM for a 2 day-ticket… or…
Win your ticket with augmented.org!
I’m happy that I can give away 7 two-day tickets to my dearest readers for free again! This year I don’t have a riddle, but one as-simple-as-a-click task for you to spread the word to help augmented reality awareness (even more so). :-) So, checklist for you:
1. follow & like augmented.org on facebook and share the page or the latest post
2. follow augmented.org on twitter and retweet / comment my Digility post
3. send me an email with your real name and facebook/twitter handles to win at augmented.org
When you spread the word I’m obviously very happy if you include your own thoughts or give me feedback on augmented.org! Deadline for the lottery draw will be Monday, 26.06.2017 at 23:59:59 CET. Winners will be informed by June, 28th. So, after that day you have one week left to plan your trip to Cologne!
So, fire up your twitter and facebook pages, I’d love to hear from you! See you on the other side at Digility if all goes well and you are one of the lucky winners. :-)
The post Digility Conference July, 5-6 – Win your ticket! appeared first on augmented.org.
E3 2017 is here, and Sony’s conference is kicking off tonight at 6PM PST (local time here) where VR announcements are sure to await. Enjoy our predictions and watch the livestream here linked below.
We’ve long suspected Star Wars: Battlefront II., a game that took the spotlight at EA Play yesterday, would officially support PSVR in some capacity. Last month we reported on tweets by Alex Mole, CTO of EA’s Criterion, the studio which developed the well regarded Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission for PSVR which was released as a piece of DLC for the original game. The tweets seemed to suggest—but didn’t confirm—that Criterion is building additional PSVR content to accompany Battlefront II.
Watch live video from PlayStation on www.twitch.tv
At a special pre-GDC 2016 event, Sony announced PSVR’s official launch date and showcased many games at a hands-on sessions after the event. That’s the last we saw of Highwire Games’ Golem, a first-person action adventure game that puts you in control of a stone creature called … well … a golem. Highwire Games is a new development studio formed from ex-Bungie staffers, including Halo composer Marty O’Donnell, and we suspect some news will come out about the game that’s since gone MIA.
E3 2016 saw the unveiling of PlayStation Aim, a PSVR-compatible gun peripheral. While breakout success Farpoint (2017) makes use of the gun, Sony maintains more first-party games using the controller are sure to follow.
The post Watch Sony’s E3 Livestream Here @6PM PST, ‘Battlefront 2’ for VR, Golem, and Aim-compatible Games appeared first on Road to VR.
GOG has discounted more than 1,500 games by up to 90 percent as part of its Summer Sale 2017. Prices have been dropped on games like The Witcher III, Wasteland 2, Dead Space, Flatout, Titans Souls, and many more.
The post GOG Summer Sale slashes prices on hundreds of games by up to 90 percent appeared first on Digital Trends.
In an official statement, HTC is addressing today’s news that Oculus is dropping the price of its Rift VR headset and Touch VR controllers. In an email to UploadVR, a representative for the company explained that:
We don’t feel the need to cut the price of Vive, as we’ve had incredible success, and continue to see great momentum in market. We’ve built a strong ecosystem made up of Viveport, Vive X, Vive Tracker and Vive Studios, and remain laser focused and are not changing our strategy of delivering the best and most comprehensive VR product to both developers and consumers.
The Vive currently costs $800 for a system that includes a headset and a pair of tracked controllers. Until today, the Rift headset was $600 and the Touch controllers were $200. Now, consumers can get Rift and Touch together for $600 which is a significant undercut to HTC.
From what third party analysts have indicated, the Vive does seem to be outselling the Rift by thousands of units. Those reports remain unconfirmed officially by either company.
Time will tell if the Rift’s new price will help them close this reported gap.
On Monday I found myself in a familiar place: a well furnished, well carpeted room full of amazing new VR games. The orchestrator of all this comfortable setting was Oculus — the Facebook-owned VR company.
Within Oculus itself is Oculus Studios, a dedicated VR content producer and publisher committed to facilitating high-quality VR experiences through creativity, studio relationships, and the seemingly endless wealth of its parent company.
Rubin (right) on stage at DICE Summit
The former Head of Oculus Studios, and current Head of Content at Oculus is Jason Rubin. Rubin founded the now world-renown Naught Dog game studio. Now he’s bringing that passion and decades of industry experience to bear in service of Oculus’ VR vision. We had the chance to speak with Rubin on the floor at the Oculus showcase and he provided us with several illuminating tidbits concerning the state of Oculus gaming as we move deeper into 2017.
Concerning the pace of Oculus Studios releases this year, Rubin gave us our best look yet at the roadmap of titles for 2017. When asked how many games Oculus Studios would be releasing in 2017 and when, Rubin shared that there would be “at least one Oculus Studios game releasing every month.” We asked again to double check that this would indeed be the cadence and he confirmed it again with a simple “yes.”
Rubin also confirmed that the slate of 2017 games remains unchanged even with the new additions being shown off at this particular show.
“Everything we have announced is still on track to release this year,” Rubin explained. “This includes games like Wilson’s Heart and Lone Echo. They’re not here at the show but those teams are still working incredibly hard to finish those games.”
Finally, Rubin repeated what has become something of a mantra for him since joining the Oculus team, indicating that, “This is not everything. 2017 will have more games from us than even what we’re showing you here today. There are still unannounced titles on the way this year.”
It sounds like they’re on track to deliver on the promise of “months of high profile rollouts” from before if it holds true. Stay tuned to UploadVR for all the latest on upcoming Oculus Studios titles and more from GDC 2017.
Tagged with: 2017, GDC, jason rubin, new games, oculus, Oculus Studios
At GDC 2017, Unity held a keynote discussing their impact on the gaming industry, future updates to the engine, and much more. The Unity engine and titular company have been very accommodating when it comes to VR development, having added a feature that even allows developers to work within VR and provided the framework that makes it easier to develop for VR in general. Thus, it’s no surprise that the new 5.6 update to the engine included a couple announcements that benefit VR platforms. The update itself also now has a release date.
The focuses on stage were the fixes for the NavMesh and the progressive lightmapper that adds improved lighting workflow with path tracing solutions & flexible ways to merge shadows. In between details on features, they brought up surprise guests to demo the new Power Ranger Legacy Wars mobile game. The original Green Ranger himself, Jason David Frank, and the Black Ranger in the new film, Ludi Lin. The two played a match against each other, which was won by the Green Ranger of course, and then they shared another announcement for Unity 5.6. For Android and iOS, 5.6 adds support for Google Daydream and Google Cardboard and the full launch of the update will happen on March 31st.
Unity 5.6 also will ship with support for the Vulkan API, a GPU standard from Khronos Group who announced updates to the API and the new VR/AR standard OpenXR at GDC this year. The demo shown on stage was for a mobile game which showed 10%-15% reduction in power consumption when using the Vulkan API over OpenGL|ES. Hopefully, with the added VR extension for the API, immersive experiences will see a rise in efficient computing for the highly demanding virtual experiences.
If you’d like to get early access to Unity engine features, you can join the beta via their website with 5.6 as part of the beta as of today. Stay tuned to UploadVR for more news from GDC 2017.
Tagged with: 2017, cardboard, GDC, Google Dardream, OpenXR, unity, Vulkan API