Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Ubisoft will take the Far Cry series to Hope County, Montana in Far Cry 5. The game will be the first entry since last year's spinoff, Far Cry Primal. Here's everything we know about the game so far.
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Mario is going to be the star of Nintendo's E3 2017 presentation, and the company will also show off additional upcoming Switch games. Tournaments for Splatoon 2 and Arms are also planned.
The post ‘Do the Mario’ with Nintendo at this year’s E3 event appeared first on Digital Trends.
Pico, the Chinese company that specialises in stand alone all-in-one virtual reality (VR) headsets, has today unveiled its latest model called the Goblin.
The head-mounted display (HMD) uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor – like those found in the US Smasung Galaxy S7, HTC 10, OnePlus 3, LG G5 and many more – to deliver an immersive experience on the two 70Hz displays which give a combined resolution of 2.5K. The headset also comes equipped with three-degrees-of-freedom (3DoF) head-tracking and a 3DoF tracking controller.
“We created the Pico Goblin to liberate people from clunky VR technology,” said Ennin Huang, vice president of design, Pico Interactive Inc. “There’s no complex technical set-ups, attached wires or need for a Phone. As a consumer first company, we want to make the barriers to entry for completely stand alone VR headsets as low as possible, while offering flexible options for users. The Pico Goblin will do just that, and at an affordable price.”
The company has’t released any other details at present, mainly due to it debuting the HMD at next months Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event in Los Angeles. E3 attendees will get the first-look opportunity with the Pico Goblin hardware along with a selection of gaming and entertainment apps. The flagship Pico Neo CV will also be available for demonstrations with a selection of games.
The Pico Neo CV was showcased at CES 2017 in January. It also features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor alongside 6DoF tracking, two 1.5K at 90Hz displays and built in Hi-Fi speakers.
E3 takes place from 13th – 15th June, and VRFocus will be there to bring you all the latest news and announcements.
Last week we broke news that, for the first time in a while, Oculus isn’t set to attend E3, at least not on an official basis. It’s a particularly somber thought at first; the multi-story booth that the company hauls along to various shows is usually one of the shining stars of the LA Convention Center. The alien logo ringing out across the various other stalls and rows is arguably now as identifiable as the designs sported by Microsoft for its Xbox and Sony for its PlayStation.
For the staff working the event though, its absence is likely something of a relief given the Rift always attracts the biggest queues, especially now that the public will be let onto to show floor for the first time ever this year.
The move is perhaps coincidentally part of an increasing trend of a lack of support for the official E3 event. Last year EA followed in Activision’s footsteps and moved its showcase off-site, for example, fueling the ongoing discussion about E3’s decreasing relevance in its wake. Maybe Nintendo’s age of digital press conferences and general playing by its own rules is the way to go. It’s certainly a safe bet that Oculus owner Facebook has little interest in E3; it’s never had a notable presence there itself in any capacity other than VR and the self-made apps like Spaces seem ill-suited to the show.
E3 is an expensive event for publishers to attend and, while they’d never talk about it openly, their hesitation to attend is growing increasingly clearer. Why spend maybe half a million dollars or more on three days of expo space where you fight for attention when, in the age of the ever-connected internet, you can go right to your audience. It’s probably more beneficial to get this year’s Call of Duty in the hands of Pew Die Pie than it is to splash out on a huge booth for it.
But, as disappointing as this news must sound for VR enthusiasts, Oculus doesn’t need a booth on the showfloor to have a great E3.
It’s safe to say that, for the most past, we know what’s coming to Rift on the Studios front for the rest of 2017. A bunch of new games were revealed just a few months ago at GDC, and Oculus is promising to release one exclusive game every month this year. We’ve already seen titles like Robo Recall, Rock Band VR and, most recently, Wilson’s Heart, but there are still plenty of others to come. Lone Echo, The Mage’s Tale, From Other Suns, and Brass Tactics are just a few of the Rift games to look forward to over the next eight months.
Oculus isn’t in much of a rush to reveal new content, then (although, as a precaution, I’ll say there’s always a chance we’ll see some). But the Rift is obviously about much more than Studios’ games, and I expect to see the headset littered about the showfloor, as it has been in previous years.
Indie support, for example, is an increasingly important part of E3, and it’s where the VR scene thrives. As other publishers continue to invest in this growing movement — which itself has replaced a tier of gaming we once thought would dissolve into thin air — we’ll continue to see multiplatform VR games spread over the halls of the LA convention center. In fact this is one of the things that excites me most each and every year: not the big budget shooters and lavish visuals but the small teams coming up with strange new ideas that we haven’t seen before.
When it comes to larger third-party publishers, don’t forget that last year’s show saw Oculus make an appearance at Ubisoft’s press conference, with Palmer Luckey playing a round of Eagle Flight. As the Rift install base continues to grow and Facebook continues to sink more money into content development, it’s very possible that we see the headset spring up onstage elsewhere. Don’t be surprised either if someone from Oculus is on-stage at the PC Gamer Show this year to talk about new content as well.
Ubisoft may have new VR games to show, or perhaps Zuckerberg and co. will have convinced Bethesda to bring its VR port of Fallout 4 to the Rift. Personally, I’m hoping EA is prepping something a little more substantial for VR support in Star Wars: Battlefront 2, though it may align itself more closely with PSVR there.
And let’s not forget that the lack of an official Oculus booth does not mean no VR at E3. With Sony set to showcase PSVR, Microsoft readying to launch the VR-ready Project Scorpio, and the promise of more from HTC and Vive, as well as possible reveals from others, it’s very likely Rift will be able to piggyback off of other’s announcements and generate its own solid set of headlines without much help from Oculus itself.
E3 is always an exciting event for the wider gaming industry, but announcements like this can feel like the wind has been knocked out of its sails a little. But between support from indies, publishers, and multiplatform content, I’m confident those in camp Rift will still have plenty to look forward to in June. Bring it on.
Call of Duty: WWII takes the series back to when and where it began. Here is everything we know about the game so far, including its setting, story, and competitive multiplayer modes.
The post ‘Call of Duty: WWII’: Everything we know so far appeared first on Digital Trends.
Bethesda’s Vice President of PR, Pete Hines has announced that the virtual reality (VR) version of the post-apocalyptic RPG series, Fallout 4 VR, will make an appearance at the company’s E3 Press Conference.
Fallout 4 VR did get a demo at E3 2016, which VRFocus managed to get hold of for a preview. There a 5-minute demo of some gameplay from early in the story was available. Since Fallout 4 VR is due to launch at some point in 2017, it seems likely that the version that will be available at E3 2017 will be a fuller version that will show more of the game experience.
Bethesda have previously confirmed that teleportation-style movement will be used to reduce motion sickness symptoms. The developer has also claimed that the entirely of the original Fallout 4 game will be available within Fallout 4 VR, which adds up to a vast amount of content and many hours of gameplay.
Hines, in an interview recorded by Hip Hop Gamer at PAX East 2017 (and subsequently reported by GameRant) claimed he had been told by the lead designer that “Fallout 4 VR is the most incredible thing you’ve ever seen in your life. You can’t even imagine what it’s like playing in VR and how realistic it looks with everywhere you turn your head.”
It’s not yet clear what else will be shown at E3 by Bethesda, but most analysts are expecting a new Wolfenstein game, and the announcement of The Evil Within 2. It’s not known of the developer will announce any new VR projects.
A release date has not yet been confirmed, but Bethesda say that Fallout 4 VR will be available sometime in 2017, exclusive to the HTC Vive.
VRFocus will keep brining you the latest news on E3 and Fallout 4 VR
As usual, Microsoft is firing first with its press conference this E3, but it’s doing so even earlier than anticipated. While the company usually rules the headlines on the Monday morning of the biggest week in gaming, this year it’s putting itself even further ahead of Sony’s traditional Monday evening conference (assuming it takes place at that time again), airing on Sunday, June 11th, at 2:00 PM PDT. It’s surprisingly early announcement of a press conference date indicates that this is going to be a significant showing for the company.
The picture of project Scorpio is a pretty good indicator, too.
Brace for big news.#XboxE3 briefing will air Sunday, June 11 at 2 PM PT. pic.twitter.com/EWilMOb47s
— Xbox (@Xbox) February 15, 2017
This E3 is shaping up to be the biggest batle between Sony and Microsoft since 2013, the year where each had to convince gamers to buy a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One respectively. Microsoft’s more powerful, 4K-focused Xbox One is looming threateningly over Sony’s comfortable first-place position in this generation’s console war. PS4 Pro may already be offering enthusiasts enhanced performance and visuals, but Microsoft is positioning its device as a far more powerful iteration. It’s going to be a hugely interesting battle, and VR is going to play a big part in that.
Project Scorpio is reportedly capapble of “high fidelity VR”. Nearly a year on from its reveal and we still don’t know what that really means. What headset or headsets might Microsoft support on its console? How will experiences differ to those on PlayStation VR (PSVR)? Microsoft has a lot of questions to answer, especially with the reveal of its Windows 10 VR headsets.
Just how it tackles them, and Sony’s response, is likely going to be VR’s biggest story at this year’s show. Microsoft has a unique opportunity on the hardware front; if it utilizes PC-based headsets then there’s a good chance it will support devices with higher specs and better tracking that PlayStation VR, a device that allows you to lean into your virtual worlds, but doesn’t accomodate room scale and struggles with occlusion.
The added power of Scorpio could also give it a leg up. Last E3 Bethesda strongly hinted that Fallout 4 would support VR on Microsoft’s console, but there’s no such word on PSVR support. It’s a massive game to say the least, and it’s possible the PS4 (and original Xbox One) couldn’t handle it running in VR. A possible power gap could mean Scorpio is treated to many of the Rift and Vive games that haven’t seen PSVR ports yet.
In other words, Microsoft could be about to put Sony’s PSVR in a corner.
But Sony isn’t defenseless, however. With hardware out of the way, it only has to show us one thing at this year’s show: games. That’s an area that the company has handled very, very well on its wider console over the past few years. It’s past two press conferences have made the dreams of many a gamer come true; The Last Guardian, Shenmue 3, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, a new God of War, an exclusive game with Hideo Kojima, Resident Evil 7’s surprise reveal. This is a company that understands how to get the hardcore fanbase into a frenzy of excitement, and it needs to apply that to PSVR at this year’s show if it’s to drown out Scorpio.
While the rivalry between HTC and Oculus is currently VR’s biggest, I get the feeling that’s going to change this E3, as both major console makers welcome the technology into the fold. That might sound like an attempt to stoke the flames of fanboyism, but it’s really a statement of anticipation; rivalry eradicates complacency, and there’s no room for that in the VR industry right now.
So grab the popcorn and get comfy; it’s going to be one hell of a show.
Tagged with: E3 2017, microsoft, PlayStation VR, project scorpio, sony
Following Microsoft's announcement that its Xbox briefing at E3 2017 will take place on June 11, State of Decay 2 developer Undead Labs has confirmed that its zombie-slaying sequel will be among the games shown.
The post Undead Labs confirms ‘State of Decay 2’ for Microsoft’s E3 conference appeared first on Digital Trends.
Microsoft has told Xbox fans to "brace for big news" at this year's E3 event in Los Angeles. It appears that the company is planning a full reveal for its upcoming 4K-capable Xbox console, code-named "Project Scorpio."
The post ‘Project Scorpio, the 4K-capable Xbox console, likely to be unveiled at E3 in June appeared first on Digital Trends.
The Entertainment Software Association announced that it will sell tickets for the public to attend E3 2017. In the past, the event has been restricted to game developers, retailers, media, and other gaming industry analysts.
The post E3 2017 will be open to the public, and tickets go on sale soon appeared first on Digital Trends.