Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
What the Golf? is a golf mini-game compilation that lets you flick a horse off a diving board. The indie game has entered crowdfunding on fig and is expected to launch later this year on PC.
The post ‘What the Golf?’ hilariously turns everything into your favorite sport appeared first on Digital Trends.
Breaking six months of silence since their last update, Sixense, the company behind the much-belated positionally tracked controller system STEM, recently detailed “one last issue that needs to be addressed” before the company can start shipping to Kickstarter backers.
With its Kickstarter campaign launched back in late 2013, STEM was supposed to provide one of the world’s first consumer room-scale controller and tracker systems, something made possible by a magnetic tracking technology that can accommodate several tracked objects. Now, more than 4 years since the conclusion of the Kickstarter, backers are still waiting for their STEM Systems amidst what Sixense calls in their latest update “a long and complicated mess.”
The last remaining issue? Parts are still warping, making for a critical misalignment when assembled.
“Our manufacturer has recently completed a tool mod to address gate relocation in order to eliminate warping of the controller halves. Following this, they produced 40 sets of controller halves (in 2 different runs) for us to perform an assembly build evaluation. In doing so, we found assembly level issues that were causing variability with the size of the reveal gap on the controllers. The proposed fix is to add a screw boss per the images below. It was also proposed that since we are doing a tool mod anyway, we should explore opportunities to add additional (steel safe) alignment features (bayonets, etc.).”
Sixense originally posted their first delay back in April 2014, citing the need for unspecified “hardware improvements.” Similar delays thereafter lead up to one of the greatest setbacks to the project in late March 2015: failure to pass FCC/CE testing, something that was chalked up to difficulties surrounding the basestation’s inability to both provide grounding for its radio frequency (RF) dongles without disturbing the magnetic tracking. Traversing more failed tests and manufacturing difficulties, the penultimate update, posted in July 2017, revealed a manufacturers letter to Sixense that detailed the company was still having fitting issues fixing dubious part stability.
Still, the update holds no definite answers to when backers will see the final product—something that many now consider to be surpassed by both Vive and Rift’s respective positional tracking systems. Sixense says they’re now “really close and hope to have better news regarding this matter in the near future.”
The system does provide one boon over all others: absolute positional tracking without the need for line-of-sight from basestations or tracking sensors, but as far as consumer-level headsets go, it’s a solution to a problem that no one really has. Notwithstanding the potential applications as a way to add 6DOF positional tracking to 3DOF mobile headsets like Gear VR, the system, if mass-produced after shipping to backers, aims to live on in the enterprise sector, adding positional tracking to custom VR systems.
“Please believe us when we say that we’re far more frustrated with having to tell you about our plastics difficulties than you are with hearing them,” the company writes. “All we can say is that we’re really close and hope to have better news regarding this matter in the near future. Having said that (again) we want to most emphatically assure you that while we’ve been dealing with our injection molding madness, we have continued to develop the tracking technology, both on the hardware and software sides of things.”
The post Sixense Still Struggling With Manufacturing for Years-delayed VR Controller Kickstarter appeared first on Road to VR.
Claiming to be “the world’s most compact and affordable VR motion simulator,” Yaw VR is a 3DoF motion system using a spherical dome design that allows for unlimited, 360-degree yaw movement and 50 degrees across the horizontal axes. The project just surpassed its $150,000 crowdfunding goal on Kickstarter.
Update (02/08/18): Yaw VR has just surpassed its ‘do-or-die’ crowdfunding goal. No stretch goals have been announced yet, but we’ll be following the campaign as it moves forward.
Original article (12/22/18): Designed and developed by Hungary-based startup Intellisense, the Yaw VR delivers 3DoF motion cues via a seat that fits neatly inside a spherical dome, whose smooth outer surface is ‘rolled’ around using small electric motors. This approach avoids the use of expensive linear actuators found in high-end motion systems, and results in a lightweight unit (33 lbs) that can fold neatly away for storage. Its $890 ‘early bird’ price and $1190 ‘standard’ price could hardly be considered impulse-buy territory for the average home VR user, but these appear to be competitive figures in an inherently expensive category of devices.
‘Affordable’ mechanical equipment tends to make compromises in certain aspects of durability and performance, but the claimed figures of the Yaw VR sound promising. Intellisense demonstrated a prototype at CES 2018 that was capable of handling a user “at least up to 150kg” (330 lbs) with performance of “120 degrees/sec with 40% of max power.” The system can support heights “up to 180-190cm,” (5’11” – 6’3”) and a larger ‘XXL’ version is planned. A more durable ‘Pro’ version is also expected to ship with the standard Yaw VR in August.
The team recently confirmed the development of steering wheel, pedal, and shifter mounts, as the system is compatible with SimTools software and therefore a huge library of existing driving, flight, and space simulators will be supported. For wired peripherals, users can set a limit on the vertical axis to avoid a tangled mess of cables.
“I don’t know yet if Yaw VR will be suitable for hard-core racing games,” wrote Zsolt Szigetlaki, founder and angel investor of Yaw VR, contributing to a recent Reddit discussion. “What I experienced is that the simulator has great dynamics, on half of the full power it could just throw me away easily. In the next couple of weeks we are working on to finalize the driving control and we will upload some car racing videos.”
There are obvious similarities to the Feel Three motion system first seen in 2014, which has yet to launch its Kickstarter campaign, but the Yaw VR has more emphasis on compact dimensions and portability. Perhaps 2018 is the year of the dome-shaped motion sim?
The post Compact Motion Simulator ‘Yaw VR’ Reaches Kickstarter Funding Goal appeared first on Road to VR.
AntVR, the Beijing-based company known for their 2014 VR headset Kickstarter, is launching a new crowdfunding campaign soon focusing on a hybrid AR headset called simply Mix. The makers are promising a bevy of bells and whistles, including the ability to integrate with the SteamVR platform so users can play VR games too, and all at only $500.
Update (04/17/18): According to a Venture Beat report, AntVR is launching their Mix AR headset in May via a Kickstarter campaign. With the price tag of $500, the Mix AR headset is said to boast a 96-degree field of view, two 1200 x 1200 displays with a 90Hz refresh rate. Inside-out head tracking offers six degrees of freedom.
AntVR is promising to ship to backers “by the end of 2018.” The company also published a video showing the headset ‘in action’ as it was filmed through its lenses with an iPhone X.
The original article follows below:
Original article (01/04/2018): The company, which launched their first Kickstarter back in May 2014, raked in over $260,000 to realize their wireless VR headset. While the headset actually ended up shipping to backers, the lack of manufacturing experience and a penchant for overpromising the headset’s capabilities—optimistic ambition notwithstanding—ultimately rendered AntVR’s first headset a complete flop. To soften the blow of the tumultuous launch, the company offered a 20 percent discount off the next iteration.
AntVR has since gone on to ship a number of devices including a room-scale VR headset called AntVR Cyclops, and a number of portable Cardboard viewers, with one such viewer made in collaboration with Lenovo. Not many of these headsets have hit Western shores however, as the company only sells through the China-based webshop AliExpress.
While not much is known about the new AR/VR headset for now (see update above), two photos published by the company show a single camera sensor, two reflective panels/displays, a pair of servomotors mounted on each temple (possibly to change from AR to VR mode), and what appears to be a halo-style strap.
The post ANTVR to Launch $500 ‘Mix’ AR Headset on Kickstarter in May appeared first on Road to VR.
Psychonauts 2, the sequel to the cult hit 2005 game Psychonauts, will no longer be releasing in 2018, developer Double Fine revealed. No new release window has been offered as of yet.
The post Don’t get psyched just yet — Double Fine delays ‘Psychonauts 2’ past 2018 appeared first on Digital Trends.
Jamie Hyneman of MythBuster’s fame may be retired from the show, but he’s still tinkering in the lab, this time with a new project in mind that aims to address one of the most pernicious problems to date, VR locomotion. With a few prototypes in hand, Hyneman has launched an IndieGogo campaign to fund a more consumer-ready version of his ‘shoes with tiny treadmills’.
Dubbed ‘Vortrex’, the VR shoes were first conceived when Hyneman strapped cordless drills to a pair of roller skates to see if he could speed up the normal skating pace. Using what he learned combined with a long history as a special effects supervisor, the new VR shoes are less about moving the user forward like a roller skate and more about keeping the user immobile like on a treadmill. The campaign aims to offer a VR walking experience that crucially reduces the pain points of owning an omnidirectional treadmill like Virtuix Omni or Kat VR; hefty pieces of kit that require a dedicated space.
Lead by Hyneman, the team is asking for at least $50,000 to make their seventh generation prototype of the shoes that both offer a consumer-level fit and finish while still embodying all of the technology necessary to essentially let you naturally walk in place. Unlike many IndieGogo campaigns, if the initial funding goal isn’t reached, money will refund to the would-be backers (‘fixed funding’, not ‘flex funding’).
Because the campaign is essentially asking for money with no hopes of returning a viable consumer product to backers—another funding campaign will take care of that down the line—the team is offering a few different survival kits emblazoned with ‘The Hyneman’ to sweeten the pot.
The planned prototype will supposedly contain Bluetooth antennae, an IMU, high-torque brushless motors, ‘force’ sensors, and infrared sensors for obstacle detection.
Because this is essentially still in the research and development phase, there are still a few serious issues the project will have to address down the line including safety, practicality, battery life, cost… etc. It remains to be seen if the shoes can even provide a convincing walking experience, as the added weight may interfere with a natural gait (like walking in ski boots). Although it’s stated the shoes will be adjustable, accommodating the wide range of feet sizes may also complicate manufacturing down the line, necessitating the production of several versions of the shoes.
For all his low-key on screen snark, the mustached mad scientist is dead serious when it comes to telling it how it is. As Hyneman puts it: “It might work. It might not work. We’ll know soon.”
The post MythBuster’s Jamie Hyneman Launches IndieGogo to Build VR Shoes that Act Like Mini Treadmills appeared first on Road to VR.
Pimax, the China-based company promising a few flavors of its high field of view (FOV) headset, has successfully completed its Kickstarter with $4,236,618, a good 21 times more than the initial $200,000 funding goal set at its launch back in mid-September. Now, Pimax’s road ahead will be defined by how they deliver on the plethora of ‘next gen’ add-ons promised to go along with 3 versions of their SteamVR-compatible headset.
First revealed mere days before the launch of the Kickstarter, Pimax showed off a bevy of modular accessories like a wireless transmitter, prescription glasses frame, scent-enabling module, inside-out hand tracking module, eye-tracking module, cooling fan, and headband with integrated audio—all either neatly clipped in place with magnets or attached with a simple screwdriver.
Being able to snap high-tech pieces onto an already decidedly ‘next gen’ package, which has been shown to deliver a highly immersive 200 degree FOV and a massive uptick in resolution over current consumer headsets, is a genuinely interesting prospect to say the least.
It was an interesting idea, but it wasn’t until the first set of stretch goals were announced that we learned Pimax intended on actually offering a selection of these extendable modules to backers, some of them for free of course as a hearty thank-you for being an early adopter. While it’s difficult to say if these are all feasible or not, one thing can be said: this is a herculean undertaking. If Pimax can deliver on most of what it’s set out to accomplish, it’ll make them a trusted name among the VR community. If not, well, fading into obscurity is always an option too.
We of course can’t pretend to know the company’s manufacturing capability outside of what it’s already shown with the Pimax “4K” headset, which at very least demonstrates their ability to mass manufacture and ship headsets. There’s also the prototype headsets shown all over the world that provided a reassuringly positive experience to many, including Tested.
Some of these freebies however could easily fetch the interest of their own dedicated Kickstarter campaigns (some even have already, including VR Lens Lab, VR Cover Facial Interfaces, and FOVE eye-tracking headset), so it remains to be seen exactly how Pimax intends on delivering some of their more complex add-ons. Because the “4K” headset doesn’t offer any of these things, this makes it a company-first.
The count of free items coming to all backers above the $349 Early Bird “5K” headset tier includes:
The company is also promising backers a $100 off coupon for their TPCast-style wireless transmitter.
If this weren’t already enough, with only a few dollars shy of the $4 million mark, Pimax barely had time to offer its final stretch goal—the choice of two Knuckles-style controllers—before the Kickstarter clocked well past $4 million. Now the company says it will be offering both styles of Knuckles controllers, one with a trackpad and another with a thumb-stick.
These two controllers are being offered (presumably at an additional price) on top of the company’s Vive-style controllers and its own version of Valve’s Lighthouse basestations that, thanks to open licensing, offer interoperability with HTC Vive’s accessories.
Pimax says in their latest update that producing both controllers instead of settling on one isn’t particularly difficult: “Mass production is not an issue for us. Our manufacturing partners are top tier ODM factories, e.g. BYD, with over 180,000 workers. Many of our team members have rich experiences in producing and shipping smart devices. e.g. mobile phones, tablets. Our team members have shipped totally over 100 million in their career.”
So here’s a quick re-cap of everything Pimax has to produce to fulfill their promises to Kickstarter backers (some free, some paid add-ons):
According to the campaign, headsets are slated to arrive starting January 2018 for both Early Bird “5K” and “8K” headsets, with the bulk of them coming in February 2018. The “8K” X is slated to ship sometime in May 2018.
As the top-funded VR Kickstarter campaign in existence, we’ll be following Pimax as it starts out on its journey to manufacturing and ships out its plethora of headsets and headset accessories to eager backers with the clear hopes that the company delivers on everything it’s promised.
The post Pimax Ends VR Headset Kickstarter With Over $4.2M and a Truly Massive Job Ahead appeared first on Road to VR.
Pimax’s Kickstarter has passed the $3 million mark over the weekend, bringing them to $3.2 million and unlocking free eye-tracking module for every one of their backers who chose a VR headset funding tier.
According to an update posted to the Pimax Kickstarter page, all backers will get a free eye-tracking module as a part of the $3 million stretch goal. The company says the special eye-tracking module will be shipped separately from the headset at a later date.
Pimax first unveiled its ‘next-gen’ attachable accessories at the start of their campaign, including an additional facial interface, a moisture controlling fan, prescription glasses frame, headband with integrated audio, wireless transmitter for cable-free operation, and now modular eye-tracking. All except the ‘scent module’ shown in the announcement video is accounted for in the stretch goal gifts to backers (wireless transmitter is offered at a $100 discount for backers). The company says it will make all modules, including the scent module, available on its website.
Although not a part of a stretch goal, Pimax says adding $100 to your pledge will also get an attachable hand-motion module. No further stretch goals are being offered in the campaign.
All of these accessories could be the focus of a Kickstarter campaign in their own right, so if Pimax can pull it off, it’ll be an incredible feat for a relatively unknown China-based manufacturer who still hasn’t reported additional funding from outside sources. Having recently passed Oculus’ original Kickstarter campaign, and now all VR-focused campaigns on Kickstarter, Pimax’s ability to deliver everything it’s promised will make it either one of the biggest success stories in Kickstarter history, or a cautionary tale on not overpromising and underdelivering.
The company says the “5K”/”8K”/”8K” X versions delivered to backers will indeed be the final, consumer version.
Although Pimax calls their headsets “8K” and “5K”, they actually respectively feature dual 3,840 × 2,160 LCD panels and dual 2,560 × 1,440 LCD panels. The standard “8K” headset also actually upscales a 4K signal to 8K, hence the “8K” in quotation marks. An “8K” X is also on offer that removes the upscaler, and making it capable of accept 8K input, but the headset’s effective per-eye 4K resolution remains the same. Questionable marketing aside, these display resolutions are quite a bit higher than Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, which both offer dual 1080 × 1200 OLED displays.
The earliest window of shipment is due in January 2018, with the bulk of backers slated to receive headsets in February. We’ll be following Pimax in the coming months as they finalize the headsets.
The post Pimax Kickstarter Nears $3.5M With Less Than a Week Left, Free Eye-tracking Module Unlocked appeared first on Road to VR.
Scorn – Part 1 of 2: Dasein, the crowdfunded first-person horror game, just passed the €175,000 mark with only a few remaining hours in its Kickstarter campaign, meaning the developers will be including “an immersive VR level for the ultimate experience of the world and atmosphere of Scorn.”
While we were personally hoping for more than just a VR level in what’s shaping up to be a nightmarish, Alien-inspired first-person horror adventure – with the way things are looking from the trailer, we may not need one (for the sake of dry underwear everywhere).
Currently in the works by Serbian studio Ebb Software, the full game aims to throw you into a hellish world, wandering isolated and lost as you explore different interconnected, nonlinear.
According to Ebb, “throughout the game, you will open up new areas, acquire different skill sets, weapons, and various items, while trying to comprehend the sights presented to you. We want to create a broad gameplay experience that is more than a simple blend of all the game mechanics. You will constantly be required to re-think and adapt your actions.”
Originally asking €150,000, the project reached its initial funding goal late last month. Digital copies of the game, along with a host of goodies, are set to ship sometime in October. The first funding tier, including the game, is still available for €17, but it isn’t certain if the VR level will be delivered alongside the game, or added at a later date.
Since this is a PC title, it’s safe to assume the VR level will be intended for SteamVR headsets, including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows “Mixed Reality” VR headsets. Any way you slice it, we’re just hoping we can get our hands on one of those ridiculous bone guns.
Check out the Kickstarter here.
The post ‘Scorn – Part 1 of 2: Dasein’ Kickstarter Reaches VR Stretch Goal with Few Hours Remaining appeared first on Road to VR.
Pimax, the China-based VR headset manufacturer known for their ‘4K’ headset, have hit Kickstarter with their newest devices last month, the Pimax ‘8K’ and ‘5K’ VR headsets. Surpassing their initial goal of $200,000 within the first few hours, Pimax has recently blasted past the $2 million mark in funding with 10 days remaining in the crowdfunding campaign. To that, the company has also included some interesting new goodies if they hit $2.5 million.
Update (10/24/17): The Pimax Kickstarter recently surpassed $2 million in funding, and today announced an additional set of stretch goals to go along with the previously reached goals which already include an extra facial interface, integrated audio, cooling fan, prescription eyeglasses frame, and wireless transmitter. Now, the company says the $2.5 million mark will allow them to do three specific things.
- to use the budget to create a conference for VR content developers
- to further integrate Pimax SDK so gamers can open games/apps from Steam VR/Oculus Home directly with PiHome
- to enable direct support of user-requested programs like vorpx. Favorite apps can be requested both on the Kickstarter comments area or in the Pimax forum.
Original Article (9/25/17): Despite the namesake, Pimax headsets aren’t actually 8K or 5K resolution, as they respectively feature dual 3,840 × 2,160 LCD panels and dual 2,560 × 1,440 OLED panels. These display resolutions are however higher than your standard Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, which is where some of the fanfare is coming from.
Arguably the biggest attraction is the headsets’ claimed 200 degree field of view (FOV), which proved to be both impressive and helpful for peripheral awareness in our hands-on with an early prototype.
As one of the first adopters of Valve’s SteamVR Tracking standard, both 8K and 5K headsets will also hook into existing Vive tracking basestations and Vive motion controllers—although some funding tiers provide their own Pimax-built basestations and motion controllers.
All of these factors no doubt led to the funding campaign’s overall success, which is still going strong with over three weeks to go before its conclusion.
On the less positive side, the actual input for the 8K headset is only 2,560 × 1,440 per eye, which is then upscaled to 3,840 × 2,160 per eye, so it’s not truly rendering at the display’s full resolution. The company however offers a version of the headset that does away with the integrated upscaler and renders at full display resolution, but suggests at very least a GTX 1080 Ti to power it. There’s also concerns about how games can actually render the headsets’ 200 degree FOV, with Norm from Tested saying in his hands-on that he felt that Pimax was noticeably stretching FOV to fit—something that isn’t exactly ideal for spatial awareness or immersion.
Despite its misgivings, Pimax seems to be squeezing everything out of current gen GPUs and display tech, which is why the company is using a software technique they call ‘Brainwarp’ that renders an image only on a single display at time, doing it 150/180 times per second. Pimax says users “perceive a complete 8K at 150/180 Hz with high frame rate,” and that it “boosts refresh rate, reduces latency and decreases GPU pressure for Pimax 8K.”
“We are so honored to be in the presence of such a passionate VR community,” the company said. “This makes us more than certain that we are striving for the same goals!”
With the $1.5 million milestone, the campaign hits a new stretch goal: a cooling fan for the headset and optional prescription lens add-on. Prior stretch goals unlocked at $1 million and $500,000 include an upgrade head-mount and an additional face cushion, respectively.
The post Pimax Kickstarter Blasts Past $2M Funding Mark, Revealing $2.5M Stretch Goals appeared first on Road to VR.