AltspaceVR Introduces VR Capture for Distribution and Playback of Live VR Performances

Social virtual reality (VR) platform AltspaceVR is continually looking to improve its immersive events through initiatives such as FrontRow, and today its announced another. The company has launched VR Capture an integrated solution for the capture, distribution and playback of live VR performances and events.

VR Capture works by recording performers in totally in VR, from their avatar and movements, to their voice and music. While audience reactions can be captured in the form of emojis, so that viewers watching a recording get a better feel of the original experience.

AltspaceVR-VRCapture-Reggie-emojis

Another benefit of capturing performances in full VR is that unlike 360-degree video – which has a fixed camera location – VR Capture enables viewers to watch a show from wherever they like.

“VR Capture is an important breakthrough for the development and growth of VR as a medium,” said Eric Romo, CEO, AltspaceVR. “Being able to capture and playback anything that happens in AltspaceVR will encourage artists, creators and performers to leverage their talents and better satisfy a growing VR market that is hungry for content.”

The system has several benefits over a normal recording of a VR event which is usually captured then shown as a normal video. VR Capture doesn’t require special equipment, editing software or high-end computers; there’s is no intermediate processing, so playback is available immediately; as playback is streamed from the cloud, it removes concerns about time, storage space or security of downloads; and it can also be used with AltspaceVR FrontRow allowing an unlimited number of people to join.

AltspaceVR supports  Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Samsung Gear VR, as well as PC and Mac on standard monitors. VR Capture will be debuting tonight 10th, November at 8:00 pm PT (4am GMT – 11th, November) with a live demonstration hosted by Romo.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of AltspaceVR, reporting back with any further announcements.

You Can Now Rewatch Live Performances in AltspaceVR Again and Again and Again

AltspaceVR, the social VR platform, today announced a new feature that will let you rewatch live VR performances. Called ‘VR Capture’, the solution is particularly handy if you live in a far-off time zone but still want to experience the comedy stylings of AltspaceVR regulars like Reggie Watts.

AltspaceVR is rolling out VR Capture so that performers and “select others”—for the time being—will be recorded in their digital entirety, including their avatar, body movements, voice and music. While audience members aren’t captured (live performances are simulcast to a theoretically infinite number of rooms), they do however capture the crowd’s emojis, so watching a playback is a little more like attending the real thing.

AltspaceVR will be hosting an all-day marathon of VR shows using VR Capture on November 11th, and says they’re currently developing “a regular schedule of content designed for its users in all time zones.”

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A live demonstration of the technology will take place November 10th at 11:00 am PST (local time) and again at 7:00 pm PST (local time) with a live demonstration in AltspaceVR hosted by CEO Eric Romo and Head of Experience Bruce Wooden. Check out AltspaceVR’s events page for more information.

“VR Capture is an important breakthrough for the development and growth of VR as a medium,” said Eric Romo, CEO, AltspaceVR. “Being able to capture and playback anything that happens in AltspaceVR will encourage artists, creators and performers to leverage their talents and better satisfy a growing VR market that is hungry for content.”

altspacevr-vrcapture-1

AltspaceVR maintains that VR Capture doesn’t require special equipment, editing software or high-end computers outside of the regular bits and bobs, including their full-body tracking setup seen in many performances since its initial roll-out with Reggie Watts back in May. Because VR Capture is now an integrated feature, playback of live performances should be available to watch immediately after they’ve ended.

AltspaceVR supports the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Samsung Gear VR, and traditional monitors for both PC and Mac.

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‘AltSpaceVR’ Adds Performance Capture And Playback With VR Capture

‘AltSpaceVR’ Adds Performance Capture And Playback With VR Capture

Bruce Wooden is debuting a new feature for social VR platform, AltSpaceVR. To introduce it, he needs help from a guest. He motions to a set of doors that open, and in walks none other than Bruce Wooden.

The AltSpace developer was showcasing VR Capture, a means of recording performances within the app and then playing them back. The first Wooden was really a recording he had taken earlier, and the second was the real man in the virtual flesh. VR Capture recorded his avatar’s movements and voice, making the recording indistinguishable from a live avatar, unless of course you were to try and interrupt them.

For AltSpace as a platform, this means that regular live shows like the stand up comedy sessions hosted by Reggie Watts can now be recorded so that you won’t have to attend live, you can watch them back at another scheduled time. VR Capture will first be available to content creation partners like Watts and for special events; the team isn’t talking about availability for everyone just yet.

We hope that support does arrive soon though; imagine making a one-man play, for example, or recording your virtual reactions to video content. There are no limits to how many people can watch a recording, and users can move about the space during playback, just like they could if it was happening live.

The feature doesn’t require an additional hardware or software, and offers immediate playback. Recordings are streamed from the cloud.

To celebrate the launch, AltSpace is hosting an all-day marathon of ‘VR shows’ using the content. CEO Eric Romo will also be hosting live demonstrations of  VR Capture at  11:00 am PST and again at 7:00 pm.

It’s a feature we haven’t yet seen from other social VR applications, but could become an important piece of the puzzle as we move more of ourselves into virtual spaces.

Justin Roiland (‘Rick and Morty’) To Host Live VR Talk Show With Reggie Watts

Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty) To Host Live VR Talk Show With Reggie Watts

Today is a good day to be a fan of both comedy and virtual reality. Tonight, Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty) and Reggie Watts (Comedy Bang Bang, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert) will be joining forces inside AltspaceVR to host a live talk show and all of you are invited.

The talk show will be taking place tonight at 8 pm PT (11pm ET) and will feature both stars sharing their irreverent views on life, love and all things digital. According to the event’s official blurb, “Join Reggie and Justin as they host their first talk show in VR. Get ready for the absurd and the irreverent, as they join forces to blow up AltspaceVR. Let them try…”

AltpsaceVR is a popular immersive, social application available for multiple VR headsets. Inside AltspaceVR, you assume the form of one of several basic avatars and move around many virtual environments while interacting with other digital avatars to play games, watch videos or just shoot the electronic breeze.

Watts is becoming something of an unofficial spokesmen for the app and for virtual reality in general. His first VR film Waves premiered at last years Sundance Film Festival to great acclaim. Tonight’s event will be the latest in a series of performances and activations that Watts has hosted for AltpsaceVR.

Tonight will mark Roiland’s first appearance as a virtual talk show host, but he too is no stranger to the digital world. Roiland has started his own VR gaming studio dubbed appropriately as Squanchtendo. The young company recently put out its first ever product in the form of Accounting: a hilarious meta-commentary on VR that was co-produced by Crows Crows Crows (The Stanley Parable).

Tonights performance will be free and open to anyone with either an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or Samsung Gear VR headset. There is also a 2D mode that allows the experience to be viewed on a standard laptop or PC.

To download AltspaceVR and get started visit their official website.

Meet Justin Roiland, Janeane Garofalo, Reggie Watts and Many More This Week in AltspaceVR

Getting into a live show with your favorite celebrity isn’t that tough if you live in the entertainment epicenters of L.A. or New York, but this week AltspaceVRthe social VR platform, is bringing the entertainers to you. Like all AltspaceVR performances and meetups, you’ll be able to join with Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and traditional monitors using PC or Mac.

On Tuesday, October 25th at 8PM PDT (local timeAltspaceVR is hosting a live showing of the Duncan Trussell Family Hour, a popular podcast presented by stand-up comedian Duncan Trussell. Host of The Price is Right Drew Carey will be there for the hour-long talk, which considering Trussell’s verbose style and affinity for all things weird, is sure to be a wild evening. RSVP here.

Reggie Watts Avatar PRSinger, beat boxer and comedian Reggie Watts will be hitting the stage again on Wednesday, October 26th at 8PM PDT (local time), but this time he’ll be joining Justin Roiland, creator of Rick and Morty, for their first talk show in VR. Watts has so far done a few live performances in AltspaceVR using a full-body tracking setup that gave his avatar the ability to gesture, dance and transmit all manner of physical gag across multiple instances of the same VR nightclub setting. RSVP here.

‘AltspaceVR’ for Gear VR, Rift and Vive

Comedian Janeane Garofalo is hitting the virtual stage on Thursday, October 27th at 4PM PDT (local time) for a screening of Seeso’s Debate Wars, a new comedy show where comedians go head to head (moderated by Michael Ian Black) on important topics like cats vs. dogs, pie vs. cake, babies vs. old people. Garofalo will take questions from the virtual audience at the end of the screening. RSVP here.

Mr. Robot (2015) writer and technology producer Kor Adana will be talking cybersecurity and democracy live in VR with The Verge on Sunday, October 30th at 6PM PDT (local time). Adana will be discussing the importance of cybersecurity and how the series has brought attention to this important topic. The talk will be taking place in the Virtual Democracy Plaza, a room modeled after Rockefeller Plaza in New York. RSVP here.

AltspaceVR has a number of other weekly occurring events running throughout the week, so make sure to check out their featured events page for more info.

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AltspaceVR’s Content Line-Up For This Week Includes Reggie Watts & Rick and Morty Creator Justin Roiland

There’s always an event going on in AltspaceVR, the social virtual reality (VR) portal, and this coming week is no different. In fact over the next 7 days AltspaceVR’s schedule is quite packed with lots of immersive events taking place, featuring musical comedian Reggie Watts, Drew Carey and Mr. Robot writer Kor Adana to name a few.

Starting on Monday 24th, October, at 8pm PT (25th at 4am UK time) is Pot, Guns, & Death: CA Propositions. The synopsis from Reddit details: “California will be voting to repeal the death penalty, legalize marijuana, raise the cigarette tax, mandate condom usage in pornographic films, and ban big ammo and plastic bags. NBC4 Southern California anchors Conan Nolan and Mekahlo Medina will be poring over the ballot. Propositions approved in California are often approved elsewhere. How would you vote?”

Reggie Watts Avatar AltspaceVR

Then on the 25th at 8pm PT will be the Duncan Trussell Family Podcast Hour. For the podcast Trussell will have Drew Carey – Price is Right and The Drew Carey Show – as a guest. On Wednesday 26th both Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland and Reggie Watts will be hosting their own talk show.

Veteran comedian Janeane Garofalo will be presenting a screening of Seeso’s new comedy show, Debate Wars, on Thursday 27th at 4pm PT. This will see comedians go head to head on important topics like cats vs. dogs.

And to round the week off, on Sunday 30th at 6pm PT, writer Kor Adana, the technical brain behind the smash hit TV shoe Mr.Robot, will be talking with The Verge about cyber security.

To watch any of these shows you’ll need to download the AltspaceVR app through Google Play for Google Cardboard, Oculus Store for Samsung’s Gear VR, Oculus Home for Oculus Rift or Steam for HTC Vive. After which you’ll need to RSVP.

For all the latest AltspaceVR news, keep reading VRFocus.

Reggie Watts Returns to AltspaceVR Next Week

Regular readers of VRFocus may remember back in May when we reported on acclaimed comedian, beatboxer and DJ, Reggie Watts holding a live performance via social virtual reality (VR) app, AltspaceVR. The show was to celebrate the launch of FrontRow, AltspaceVR’s new tech that gives everyone a front row seat to events. Today Watts has revealed on Twitter that he’ll be returning for another performance next week.

Reggie’s tweet doesn’t reveal any details about the show, other than it’ll be taking place on Wednesday 14th September at 8pm PST (4am GMT). Viewers can expect to see an eclectic mix of comedy and music as his improvised musical sets are created using only his voice, a keyboard, and a looping machine.

Reggie Watts New AltspaceVR Show

AltspaceVR’s FrontRow has the ability to bring thousands of people to an event from across the world. Instead of live-streaming a show in 180 or 360-degrees like NextVR, FrontRow mirrors performers’ avatars to all audience locations. The performer’s gestures, movements and voice are instantly shared in all the performance spaces.

“FrontRow allows everyone who attends to have a front row seat. Do you want to have a private party and attend the show with just your friends? You can do that. Do you want to enjoy the show just by yourself? You can do that. Do you want to have the traditional public event experience with 50 new friends? You can do that, too, Eric Romo, CEO of AltspaceVR has previously commented.

To watch Reggie Watts’ next show you’ll need to download the AltspaceVR app through Google Play for Google Cardboard, Oculus Store for Samsung’s Gear VR, Oculus Home for Oculus Rift or Steam for HTC Vive, and register here.

As AltspaceVR holds more performances, VRFocus will keep you updated.