Channel 4 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 21, 2024

Madcap UK Comedy Show ‘Taskmaster’ is Getting a VR Game Next Month, Coming to Quest & PC VR

Image courtesy Scallywag Arcade. Draw & Code

Beloved UK comedy show Taskmaster is getting its own VR game next month featuring the Taskmaster tyrant himself, Greg Davies (and of course Little Alex Horne).

Update (May 21st, 2024): Developed by Scallywag Arcade, a Draw & Code studio, Taskmaster VR is now set to launch on June 13th. You can wishlist it on Steam and the Meta Quest Store.

“Genuinely, this is extraordinary, brilliant and very fun,” said how creator Alex Horne. “Also, I’ve always wanted to be a contestant on Taskmaster so this is great for me as a VR user, except that I will also have my virtual self watching my attempts and undermining my confidence so I may well regret the whole venture after I’ve had a go.”

The original article announcing Taskmaster VR follows below, also including a new trailer showing off more of the game’s madcap fun:

Original Article (November 30th, 2023): Targeting a 2024 launch on Quest 2/3/Pro and SteamVR headsets, the single-player game puts you in the hotseat of your very own series of Taskmaster.

And as you’d expect, Taskmaster VR takes you to the titular Taskmaster House, the show’s humble abode that regularly plays host to the game’s plethora of madcap missions. That means the full suite of unassuming locales: the house, the lab, the kitchen, the caravan, the garden, everything.

Here’s how developer Scallywag Arcade describes the action:

“Mastering tasks requires skill, patience, precision and grace. And if all that fails, maybe just throwing things around and hoping for the best will work out! Just get it done within the time limit and use the plethora of ordinary and not-so-ordinary items at your disposal. Grab, smash, balance, throw, magnetise, fry, pierce – do whatever you need to do to complete the task.”

Voiced by the Taskmaster himself, Greg Davies, and his long-suffering assistant Alex Horne, the ultimate goal is to complete all the tasks, thereby winning the show’s iconic bronze bust. And don’t punch a wall, or anything else you don’t want sufficiently punched.

There’s no exact release date yet (see update), however you can now wishlist it on Steam and the Meta Quest Store.

The post Madcap UK Comedy Show ‘Taskmaster’ is Getting a VR Game Next Month, Coming to Quest & PC VR appeared first on Road to VR.

October 19, 2018

Stand Up To Cancer Launches VR Films Starring UK Celebrities

It is very difficult to find anyone whose life has not been affected by cancer in some way, and even with advances in technology and treatment, it continues to affect millions of people. As a result, funding is still needed in order to research new ways to fight the disease in its many forms. Stand Up To Cancer has launched three virtual reality (VR) films staring well-known UK celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Olivia Colman, Danny Dyer, Jo Brand and Jason Manford, among others to give viewers insight into elements of the campaign.

Stand Up To Cancer is a joint fund-raising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, which seeks to raise money to accelerate cancer research aimed developing new treatments that will help save lives.

In the first film of the series, Olivia Colman takes viewers on a trip through the human body, shrinking to the size of a cell and demonstrating the use of ‘nano-tech rug parcels’ for cancer treatment. Another film sees Stephen Fry exploring the history of cancer, from its earliest known instances in dinosaurs to recent scientific breakthroughs.

Olivia Colman said: “I’m so proud to be a part of these exciting films and dearly hope it will spur more people on to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer’s research. With the extraordinary advances being achieved by this country’s most exceptional minds, it’s an important story to share. Such amazing things are happening in labs right here in the UK.”

Stephen Fry, who was treated for prostate cancer earlier this year, said: “I’ve always believed that history matters greatly. The past illuminates the present. The history of cancer is a pivotal and fascinating story. These wonderful films for Stand Up To Cancer lay that past bare, taboos and all, and stand testimony to the huge strides humans have made in beating this horrible disease.”

Special headsets for the experience are available at WHSmith stores all across the UK. For future coverage of new and upcoming VR experiences, keep checking back with VRFocus.

July 10, 2018

VR vs. Fiction – Vol III: Current Creativity

It has been a good couple of months since the last time I dipped into how immersive technology keeps popping up in fiction, but then again there’s been quite a lot going on. What with Facebook’s F8 event, Google I/O being a bit crap, Mother Nature trying to take immersion in films a little too far, and this year’s E3 expo… well, also being a bit crap to be honest. Since things are a little bit on the quiet side at the moment in terms of topics to discuss let’s turn our attention back to something we last looked at during the beginning of May.

Virtual Reality - Play Labs So, in this series I’m looking at how immersive technologies are represented in film and television, in books, comics, videogames, even manga and Japanese anime. In this we’re counting virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and we’re throwing in uses of very obvious head-mounted displays (HMDs) in there as well. Simulated reality, which is technically different to VR we’re throwing in too because hey, why not. It’s still immersive technology – and I don’t want to spend an eternity explaining to people why The Matrix somehow doesn’t count in this series.

So far we’ve looked at a lot of items that featured the idea of VR but from its first commercial period in the nineties. Things like the films Arcade and Hackers. There’s still plenty from that era to touch on, and even more so in between. For today though we’re looking at a couple of works of fiction from more recent times, including one that isn’t actually out yet.

Kiss Me First

If Ready Player One tickled your fancy when it came to the idea of virtual worlds where you can do anything or be anyone you like – but not, perhaps without consequence – a drama that debuted this year could very well be right up your street. Kiss Me First is a cross-reality drama with very dark overtones created by Bryan Elsley who had previously worked on the drama series Skins and Dates. As with those two Kiss Me First was created for the UK’s Channel 4 but also Netflix so you can check it out there too.

Kiss Me First - Screenshot The series, based on the debut novel of Lottie Moggach, takes place both in reality and a VR and follows the viewpoint of Leila Evans played by Tallulah Haddon. Like many she just wants to escape from a reality she doesn’t quite feel she fits in and find some happiness away from it. The answer lies in the online gaming world operated by Azana. Go to via a VR HMD, haptics and the “AzanaBand” – a sensory collar the company has produced that in the words of its own promotional website “was created to turn in-game experiences into real-word experiences with 3 distinctly unique sensory connections”. That those three connections are happiness, fear and pain is probably not the best of design decisions.

The fine print on the site also states that “73% of users reported no long-term side effects”. Uh-oh.

For Leila, Azana is the escape she needs as she takes on the virtual identity of ‘Shadowfax’. Things take a dramatic turn when she finds a digital paradise called Red Pill, hidden away past the edge of her favourite experience. It’s here she discovers a group of individuals that also includes Tess, a.k.a ‘Mania’ who is very much the opposite of Leila’s shy and lonely personality, but troubled in a different way. Then Tess turns up, without invite, in Leila’s real life too and the line between the worlds of reality and Azana begin to blur. Especially when part of the group mysteriously vanishes.

Johnny English Strikes Again

It is strange to think that this will be the third film in the Johnny English franchise. Yes, somehow this is now a franchise.

The spy spoof action comedy starring Rowan Atkinson is set to have its next instalment in October. A whole seven years after its last cinematic appearance and a good two decades removed from the bumbling character’s origins in a series of adverts created to promote Barclays Bank’s credit card, the Barclaycard. Back then the character wasn’t expressly named, although Atkinson’s ‘helpful’ subordinate Boff was a part of the adverts. Only referring to him as ‘Sir’ throughout the series.

Johnny English 3 sees the accident-prone spy enjoying (sort of) his retirement from being an agent of the UK’s ‘MI7’ intelligence agency.

The most important thing about being a secret agent is the secret part, and unfortunately for MI7 their entire database of spies has just been hacked and everyone’s identity exposed. So, if the agency is going to find out who is behind it all they need someone who a) is a spy, b) wasn’t on that list and c) is ultimately no big loss if they get killed. So, English is spirited away from his teaching job back into a world of mystery, intrigue and convoluted gadgets.

As seen in the initial trailer, part of getting English back up to speed is training with VR and what looks suspiciously like a modified Oculus Rift CV1. Of course, things don’t go well and English being English he manages to leave the building while still being ‘in VR’ (or at least he appears to still think this) and proceeds to cause rather a lot of disruption in London. Let’s be honest if you’re going to do a joke about VR this isn’t the most original one. But then again, Johnny English never claimed to not be re-treading old ground.

Much like a certain other spy, VR vs. will return…

July 4, 2018

Channel 4 Launches 4VR On Oculus Rift

For many years, UK broadcaster Channel 4 has been cultivating a reputation as the type of broadcaster willing to try different things and go beyond the mainstream. Channel 4 is seeking to cement that reputation with the launch of an Oculus Rift app specifically for its virtual reality (VR) content.

The 4VR app is available for free through the Oculus Store, and will act as the distribution platform for Channel 4 VR content, which speaks to an intention on the part of the company to produce much more immersive content in future.

Regarding what sort of content viewers can expect, Channel 4 were responsible for the commissioning of a VR documentary on the Grenfell Tower fire, a topic which is still very much in the public consciousness and still affecting many lives.

The documentary combines interviews filmed in 360-degrees along with computer animation that explored the daily lives of those who lives in the Grenfell Tower, providing a vivid look at what the survivors of the disaster have lost.

Siobhan Sinnerton, Commissioning Editor added: “Innovation lies at the core of Channel 4’s remit so we are delighted to be exploring new and interesting ways to deliver the very best storytelling, and journalism. We hope this piece will give our audience a truly unique perspective on what the Grenfell community was like before the fire.”

Channel 4 were also involved with the creation of drama Kiss Me First, which explored the use of VR to create entirely new worlds and how the attempt to escape from the harsh realities of the world can lead people down dark paths.

Other shows that viewers can expect to see on the app include a 360-degree version of The Great British Bake Off. VRFocus will be sure to keep you updated on other content coming to the 4VR app.

April 5, 2018

British Series ‘Kiss Me First’ Set in a Futuristic VR Metaverse, Coming to Netflix

In the wake of Steven Spielberg’s latest film Ready Player One (2018) comes a new Netflix series set in the backdrop of a virtual universe. Called Kiss Me First, the psychological thriller takes place in a dark, ominous world where fully-immersive virtual reality is the norm.

Mashed-up with live action and computer-generated virtual world sequences, Kiss Me First tells the story of Leila, a VR addict who stumbles across a hidden area in her favorite game. There she meets Tess, a chaotic person who suddenly injects herself into Leila’s physical world too.

You might remember the series’ viral ad campaign from a few weeks ago, which publicly commercialized the ‘AzanaBand’ haptic device, even going so far as to ship a working prototype to YouTubers Hat Films. Yeah, it was just a wireless shock collar, but it certainly got the Internet’s attention.

The first episode, entitled ‘She Did Something’, aired April 2nd on the UK’s Channel 4, and is soon to premier on Netflix internationally. Kiss Me First was created by Bryan Elsley, co-creator of hit UK teen drama series Skins.

Here’s a brief description from the Channel 4 listing:

Bryan Elsley’s (Skins, Dates) Kiss Me First is an innovative thriller which combines live action with stunning state-of-the-art computer-generated virtual world sequences in a TV drama first.

Based on Lottie Moggach’s debut novel, Kiss Me First moves between the real and virtual animated worlds. When Leila (Tallulah Haddon, Taboo, The Living and the Dead) stumbles across Red Pill, a secret paradise, hidden on the edges of her favourite game, she meets Tess (Simona Brown, The Night Manager). Tess is everything that Leila is not: hedonistic, impulsive and insatiable. So when Tess turns up in Leila’s real life uninvited, Leila’s world is forever changed. But then a member of the group mysteriously disappears and Leila begins to suspect that maybe the hidden sanctuary isn’t the digital Eden its creator Adrian claims it to be. Now, Leila’s real journey begins.

Kiss Me First is produced by Kindle Entertainment and Balloon Entertainment.

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June 19, 2017

Games Commissioner for Channel 4 Speaks About VR

The Games Commissioner for UK broadcaster Channel 4, Colin MacDonald has spoken about how Channel 4 sees virtual reality (VR) and how the amount of investment in the VR sphere is disproportionately tilted towards ‘Hardcore Gamers’.

The remarks follow Channel 4’s launch of VR title Soar, a casual flying experience published by All 4 Games, Channel 4’s videogaming division that was designed to relieve stress. Speaking to GamesIndustry.Biz, MacDonalds indicated that he considered the focus on high-end VR devices such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift to be a misstep, saying: “There’s a massively disproportionate amount of money and effort going into development of ‘core’ games for VR at the moment,” MacDonald said, “The market is simply not big enough yet to sustain that many, and won’t be for years to come. Virtually all of our TV audience has a smartphone capable of VR now, whereas PSVR and Rift still have niche ownership, so our hope is that by bringing a relatively simple and accessible game to the VR platform with the most mainstream adoption we’ll be able to get traction where others have struggled.”

Speaking on the subject of Soar and other potential VR titles, MacDonalds said that Soar would currently remain ‘a one-off’, though Soar is planning to be made compatible with Samsung Gear VR later on this year. MacDonalds indicated that Channel 4 would look at other mobile titles that had VR potential, however, saying: “I’ve been a fan of the tech ever since getting to test one of the first Virtuality VR kits back in the early ’90s in the ECTS/Earls Court days,” he says. “So whilst I’m not actively looking for more VR titles, I’ll happily take a look at any on mobile and if it feels like they’re similarly different enough with appeal to a broad TV audience, then we’d always consider it at least.”

VRFocus will continue to bring you news on developments within the VR industry.