Category: DayDream

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Digital Domain Launches VR App for Original Content and Livestreamed 360 Events

Visual effects and immersive experience creator Digital Domain has announced the launch of its first virtual reality (VR) app, Digital Domain VR, allowing users to VR fans to checkout its library of work as well as offering livestream 360-degree events.

The new Digital Domain app includes a wide array immersive content created in-house by the company, covering a mixture of genres, styles and formats. Alongside Digital Domain’s own content the app will also feature original works from its entertainment industry partners.

Digital Domain VR App_1

Whether you enjoy animation, short films, and documentaries or livestreamed and VOD content from musical, political and entertainment events, there’s something to suit most tastes. There will be trailers for original immersive content developed by Digital Domain’s Content Studio team—including its new Monkey King series, Storm and Micro Giants. Or visit new destinations with Digital Domain’s Teleport series, heading to Africa, Dubai, Hong Kong, Iceland, Istanbul, New Zealand and more.

“In 2016 we saw significant advances in devices for virtual reality experiences,” said Amit Chopra, Executive Director and CEO of North America, Digital Domain. “From mobile phones to room-scale VR systems, there are more ways than ever to explore virtual reality. However, there’s now a tremendous demand for new and engaging VR content for the audiences using those devices. At Digital Domain, we’re leveraging our visual effects artistry and technology to produce VR storytelling experiences that inspire audiences. Our new app is our platform for sharing our livestreamed and curated VR experiences with the world.”

Digital Domain’s app is freely available for Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream, and for iOS and Android smartphones using Google Cardboard.

Back in March Digital Domain announced the purchase of Sprawly, a company that specialises in helping those with no coding experience build VR content.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Digital Domain, reporting back with the latest updates.

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Field in View: How Daydream Made A Home For VR’s Most Obscure Gems

Field in View: How Daydream Made A Home For VR’s Most Obscure Gems

I’ve shown Google Daydream a lot of tough love over the past six months. The search engine giant’s promise of a vast, expansive mobile VR ecosystem where plenty of phones could be paired with an exciting new headset and intuitive new way to interact with virtual worlds, seemed too good to be true.

And, initially, it was.

Daydream’s launch was decidedly lackluster. Google’s Daydream View is an awkward headset, letting in light from either side of most people’s heads and needing constant readjustment to get it to fit just right. The controller takes a lot of getting used to, much more in line with a Wii remote than a Vive wand, and requires you to regularly recalibrate with a long press of its app button.

It’s games and apps, meanwhile, failed to excite unless they were from Google itself. Even then, Street View’s VR compatibility is poor man’s Google Earth VR, which is only available on Rift and Vive. Around Christmas, we’d found that some of the platform’s biggest apps had been installed a surprisingly small number of times. It looked like Google had killed pretty much all the momentum it had built for Daydream in the year leading up to its launch.

But, fours months into 2017, things are looking up.

Daydream’s hardware situation might not have changed (though Huawei’s upcoming Gear VR-like headset looks promising), but its software has certainly taken a turn for the better. Just this week we reviewed Eclipse: Edge of Light, which easily takes the throne as Daydream’s best game with its sprawling sci-fi adventure and excellent productions values that push the boundaries of the platform.

But Daydream has become about more than just blockbuster games. It’s home to some of VR’s most fascinating experiential pieces that I’d classify as essential view for anyone, no matter what headset they own.

Take the BBC’s The Turning Forest, a wonderful children’s storybook come to life with a brilliantly vibrant world that will have you longing to reach out and touch it. Its whimsical style and charm is more than enough to melt the heart of the coldest VR enthusiast, and it breaks barriers in audiences that many apps long to do.

Then there’s the enthralling strangeness of Untethered, a new episodic mystery from Numinous Games. I remember being dropped into the empty recording studio and wondering what on earth I was meant to be doing, but finding fascination in exploring its various elements and discovering what I was meant to be doing by myself.

Currently, I’m playing Virtual Virtual Reality, a game I’ve long taken interest in but am only just getting around to. It strikes me as an Accounting-like look into the surreal future we have ahead of us. I’m looking forward to diving further into it and hopefully finding a vision I haven’t seen on any other headset so far.

The trouble is these games shouldn’t be as obscure as they are; Google needs to do a better job of telling us they’re there. Just looking through the app store today I found new experiences from big developers like Minority Media that I had no idea existed. On one hand I appreciate the sense of discovery there is to it; finding exciting new experiences that I didn’t know were out there. Still, I doubt developers are quite as happy with that situation.

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Moto Z: Daydream Ready Smartphone für 249 Euro

Aktuell ist das Moto Z von Lenovo bei Saturn für nur 249 Euro im Angebot! Damit ist das Smartphone 40% günstiger als üblich und sogar günstiger als das schwächere Moto Z Play. Online ist das schwarze Modell bereits ausverkauft. Teilweise ist aber eine Abholung im Markt möglich.

–>Moto Z in schwarz bei Saturn<–

–>Moto Z in weiß bei Starun<–

Daydream Ready Smartphone für 249 Euro

Das Moto Z ist bereit für das Daydream System von Google, doch ihr benötigt natürlich noch die Brille und den Controller. Beides bekommt ihr bei Google für 69 Euro.

Der Beitrag Moto Z: Daydream Ready Smartphone für 249 Euro zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Killswitch Engage’s House of Blues Concert to be Broadcast in VR

Fans of American metalcore band Killswitch Engage will want to grab a virtual reality (VR) headset next Monday 17th April as NextVR and Live Nation will be livestreaming the band’s concert from the House of Blues.

Providing a front row seat to experience the free exclusive, NextVR and Live Nation will allow fans to get up close to the renowned band which has forged a musical foundation steeped in classic heavy metal, melodic death metal, and early punk/hardcore.

Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage has headlined on celebrated tours like Ozzfest, Vans Warped Tour, Taste of Chaos and Rockstar Mayhem, as well as countless international festivals.

The concert will be broadcast from multiple vantage points including the front row and on-stage to provide viewers the best access for the event.

The live immersive broadcast will be globally available for free through the NextVR app. All you’ll need is a Google Daydream View or Samsung Gear VR headset, along with a compatible smartphone.

It’ll be a late one for fans with the Killswitch Engage concert at the Houston, Texas-based House of Blues taking place on Monday 17th April starting at 11pm EST (4am GMT).

This continues NextVR and Live Nation’s collaborative efforts to bring live immersive music to viewers around the world. Last month saw the companies broadcast Galactic and Robert Randolph & The Family Band from the same venue, and last week NextVR revealed it would be filming the L.A. Zoo’s 50th Anniversary Beastly Ball featuring Slash.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of NextVR and Live Nation, reporting back with the latest concert announcements.

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LA Zoo’s 50th Beastly Ball featuring Slash Will be Broadcast in VR

NextVR is synonymous with immersive sports broadcasting, regularly streaming NBA matches and other sports. But it also does other live events having partnered with Live Nation in 2016. Next month the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) will hold its annual Beastly Ball at the L.A. Zoo, and to celebrate its 50th anniversary, legendary guitarist and wildlife advocate Slash will be performing in an exclusive live concert backed by Jimmy Vivino and The Basic Cable Band, all filmed in 360-degrees.

Slash will perform a mix of blues and R&B, joined by special guests Jack Black, Grace Potter and Bernard Fowler.  The Ball will honour Wallis Annenberg and The Annenberg Foundation and bestow the Tom Mankiewicz Leadership Award on the National Geographic Society, represented by Gary E. Knell, President and CEO.

NextVR-Live Nation header_SLASH

As part of NextVR and Live Nation’s partnership with Citi, you’ll be able to watch the entire concert using either a Google Daydream or Samsung Gear VR virtual reality (VR) headset. In addition to the show, you will also have access to “Backstage with Citi” – getting behind the scenes footage as Slash prepares to take the stage – simply download the NextVR app for the appropriate device.

“I’m honoured and proud to be a part of the L.A. Zoo’s 50th Anniversary Beastly Ball,” said Slash in a statement  “It’s going to be the biggest yet, and I’m really looking forward to jamming live with some good friends.”

“As the Zoo celebrates 50 years of leadership in exceptional animal welfare and its role as a key player in major conservation projects that protect animal species from extinction, GLAZA’s Board of Trustees looks ahead to the next 50 by building upon five decades of major support for the Zoo,” added GLAZA President Connie Morga. “Our goal to raise $3 million at the Beastly Ball to establish SCAN’s Curator of Conservation position and fund it for the future will, we believe, profoundly impact animal conservation, which is essential to the future of the Zoo and to the planet.”

LA Zoo’s 50th Beastly Ball will take place on Saturday, 20th May, 2017, at 6 pm PT (2am GMT).

For the latest NextVR news and updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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Google Adds Daydream Newsletter and Controller Battery Indicator in Latest Update

This week Google has released several new updates for its Daydream View head-mounted display (HMD). The free additions will help to streamline the device’s use for owners whilst keeping them informed of the latest offers.

The major feature added in the update is for the Daydream controller. A battery indicator is now available so users will be able to quickly see if it needs changing prior to starting any content. The indicator will be viewable whilst in Daydream Home, Quick settings or Play Store in virtual reality (VR). All you need to do is look at the controller to bring up the information.

Daydream View and Controller

Google has now added a Daydream newsletter option, allowing owners to stay up to date with the latest news, offers and more. This is entirely optional, simply go into settings and signup.

Additionally, users can now choose whether to show notifications in VR by toggling the option in Quick settings. Small changes have also been made improving the performance and reliability of Daydream.

When Google launched Daydream last year the only smartphone compatible with the headset was the company’s own Pixel. Now there’s a lot more options available to consumers with the Huawei Mate Pro, Porsche Design Mate 9, XTE’s Axon 7 and the Motorola Moto Z, Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid available.

Daydream has seen growing support during 2017 with Unity now natively supporting the platform. Experiences such as Unimersiv, Vendetta Online and The Other Room have all recently launched, making the headset a more enticing prospect for those with compatible smartphones.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Daydream, reporting back with the latest updates.

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Cyber FPS EMULATED: Pylons Hits Google Cardboard and Daydream

Indie developers have been the life blood of the virtual reality (VR) industry, willing to take risks on the fledgling industry to help it grow. This week sees Southpac, a New Zealand-based studio launch its first VR title arriving for Google Cardboard a Daydream View, EMULATED: Pylons.

The videogame is a cyber infused first-person shooter (FPS) which: ‘is set in future when all humanity exists in a cyberspace. As an operative you are assigned a mission to capture communication pylons in a city infested by Vektorbots,’ the official description reads.

Emulated Pylons Screenshot 2

Southpac has created its own in-house game engine for the project rather than using middleware like Unity or Unreal Engine. This has allowed it to create a system where players can walk about in VR without feeling any nausea it claims.

Whether gamers choose to play on Cardboard or Daydream, EMULATED: Pylons will need a Bluetooth controller. The Daydream controller that comes supplied with the headset isn’t supported.

Daydream has seen growing support during 2017 with Unity now natively supporting the platform. Experiences such as Unimersiv, Vendetta Online and The Other Room have all recently launched, making the headset a more enticing prospect for those with compatible smartphones.

EMULATED: Pylons is free to download form the Google Play store now. For the latest Google Daydream updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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Unity 5.6 Launches Bringing Native Google VR Support for Cardboard and Daydream

Today Unity Technologies launched Unity 5.6, bringing to a close the Unity 5 cycle. The new version brings lots of new features, for virtual reality (VR) there’s now native support for Google VR.

With Google VR support on Unity 5.6, developers will find it easier to publish to Google Cardboard and Google Daydream.

Daydream View Headset

In its blog posting Unity said: “To get optimal performance and latency from the Daydream platform, we integrated with the Google VR NDK to leverage the platform’s asynchronous reprojection and VR performance modes.
“Compared to the Daydream support in the Google VR SDK for Unity released at Google I/O, we now provide a more streamlined workflow, significant optimizations and reduced latency. No prefabs, scripts or manual manifest modifications are required to get started–simply enable VR and add Daydream as a targeted platform to begin making your own virtual worlds.

“We have also made it easy to switch in and out of VR mode so that your applications can easily expand to the full Google VR audience and target Google Cardboard with full native support. Applications which target Cardboard will work on older devices so you can reach as many users as possible. At this time, Cardboard support is exclusive to Android with iOS Cardboard support coming soon.”

Earlier this month Unity also teased details of Unity 2017 beta, saying it would be geared towards non-programmers, with a range of features designed for artists and designers. The beta is due for release next month.

Unity is one of the most popular middleware development engines, utilised by developer for VR and non-VR work the world over. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Unity, reporting back with the latest announcements.

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It’s time to go Raving as Google Collaborates with Boiler Room on ‘VR dancefloors: Techno in Berlin’

In October 2016 a new virtual reality (VR) content platform called Inception was announced with the aim to become a leading destination for consumers. As part of the unveiling Inception partnered with Boiler Room to create a dedicated channel for live music events. Today Google Pixel has announced ‘VR Dancefloors: Techno in Berlin’ which is available through Inception.

The experience, designed to be enjoyed on Google Pixel, or any other Daydream-ready smartphone, will bring Berlin’s club culture to those at home.

GoogleDaydream-Snow_Slate_Crimson

Viewers will be transported into the middle of a cast of 150 dedicated ravers where they can ‘choose your own adventure’. They’ll be able to hang out with artists, crash the dancefloor, uncover the dark room, wander between audio-visual installations, and explore hidden spaces of Berlin’s underground club culture.

‘VR Dancefloors: Techno in Berlin’ is 15 minutes long and features a live-electronics set by Berliners FJAAK, who played from a range of analogue hardware.

The experience is available for free on Daydream through the Inception app. The app is also available to download for Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift.

Checkout the preview video below, and for the latest Google news, keep reading VRFocus.