Every PS VR Headset Will Come With an 8-Game Demo Disc
Celebrities in VR: Videogames, Movies & Investment
Virtual reality (VR) is a pervasive new medium. While it’s currently being lead by videogames – as was expected by many over the past three years of gestation – there are plenty of other areas in which VR will in time become a dominating presence. Hollywood is one of these, and many celebrities have already begun vocalising their support. Some have in fact gone even further however, lending their talents or finance to videogames and short movie productions.
Katee Sackhoff in EVE Valkyrie
Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Riddick actor Katee Sackhoff is famed for her science-fiction adventures, so who better to star in VR’s first sci-fi blockbuster? EVE Valkyrie casts Sackhoff as Rán Kavik, stalwart leader of the Valkyrie pilots. Sackhoff is presented as your comrade during story-driven moments and a commentator on the action during multiplayer gameplay. She is suspiciously aware of your successes and failures, and is quick to condemn a poor performance.
Elijah Wood in Henry
Henry is a short film from Oculus Story Studio, currently available for free to all Oculus Rift early adopters. It depicts a loveable cartoon hedgehog that’s having a bit of a rough time. See, Henry loves hugs, but his spiky exterior is not all too welcoming for his friends. As such, he finds himself in a very lonely situation at his birthday party.
In a rather odd turn of events, Oculus Story Studio decided not to make a big deal out of the fact that Elijah Wood, who shot to fame in his role of Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is the sole voice viewers will hear throughout the film. Wood acts as the narrator, guiding the player through Henry’s misery and into an unsurprisingly smile-inducing resolution.
Nick Frost, Lara Pulver & Sean Pertwee in Esper 2
The first Esper videogame, originally developed for Samsung Gear VR, featured some rather humorous voice-acting courtesy of Norm MacDonald (My Name is Earl, Mike Tyson Mysteries, Family Guy), but it was the sequel that really upped-the-ante. Coatsink rallied the talents of Nick Frost (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead), Lara Pulver (True Blood, Sherlock) and regular videogame voice talent Sean Pertwee (Event Horizon, Gotham) to lend their voices to Esper 2, offering the biggest celebrity cast of any VR videogame to date.
John Rhys-Davies in Firebird: La Peri
The recent Steam Early Access release of Firebird: La Peri saw John Rhys-Davies, actor famed for playing the character of Sallah in two Indiana Jones movies and Gimli in the big screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, deliver a narrative for Innerspace VR’s recreation of the classical piece, La Peri.
“When working on the Firebird franchise, it was evident that we wanted a strong voice and John Rhys-Davies was the obvious choice. His legacy in gaming and entertainment is unparalleled,” said Balthazar Auxietre, CCO and co-founder of Innerspace VR.
Kevin Spacey Investing in VR
Although Kevin Spacey is yet to appear in any VR productions himself, the actor made a bold early move investing in the technology. Woofbert VR, a content production company specialising in short film, is the benefactor of Spacey’s enthusiasm. Having stated that it was the Oculus Rift that ‘opened his eyes’ to the possibilities of VR in theatre, Spacey recognises that: “A lot of the early problems with the technology have been solved, it’s time for the content creators to produce.”
Celebrities in VR: Videogames, Movies & Investment
Virtual reality (VR) is a pervasive new medium. While it’s currently being lead by videogames – as was expected by many over the past three years of gestation – there are plenty of other areas in which VR will in time become a dominating presence. Hollywood is one of these, and many celebrities have already begun vocalising their support. Some have in fact gone even further however, lending their talents or finance to videogames and short movie productions.
Katee Sackhoff in EVE Valkyrie
Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Riddick actor Katee Sackhoff is famed for her science-fiction adventures, so who better to star in VR’s first sci-fi blockbuster? EVE Valkyrie casts Sackhoff as Rán Kavik, stalwart leader of the Valkyrie pilots. Sackhoff is presented as your comrade during story-driven moments and a commentator on the action during multiplayer gameplay. She is suspiciously aware of your successes and failures, and is quick to condemn a poor performance.
Elijah Wood in Henry
Henry is a short film from Oculus Story Studio, currently available for free to all Oculus Rift early adopters. It depicts a loveable cartoon hedgehog that’s having a bit of a rough time. See, Henry loves hugs, but his spiky exterior is not all too welcoming for his friends. As such, he finds himself in a very lonely situation at his birthday party.
In a rather odd turn of events, Oculus Story Studio decided not to make a big deal out of the fact that Elijah Wood, who shot to fame in his role of Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is the sole voice viewers will hear throughout the film. Wood acts as the narrator, guiding the player through Henry’s misery and into an unsurprisingly smile-inducing resolution.
Nick Frost, Lara Pulver & Sean Pertwee in Esper 2
The first Esper videogame, originally developed for Samsung Gear VR, featured some rather humorous voice-acting courtesy of Norm MacDonald (My Name is Earl, Mike Tyson Mysteries, Family Guy), but it was the sequel that really upped-the-ante. Coatsink rallied the talents of Nick Frost (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead), Lara Pulver (True Blood, Sherlock) and regular videogame voice talent Sean Pertwee (Event Horizon, Gotham) to lend their voices to Esper 2, offering the biggest celebrity cast of any VR videogame to date.
John Rhys-Davies in Firebird: La Peri
The recent Steam Early Access release of Firebird: La Peri saw John Rhys-Davies, actor famed for playing the character of Sallah in two Indiana Jones movies and Gimli in the big screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, deliver a narrative for Innerspace VR’s recreation of the classical piece, La Peri.
“When working on the Firebird franchise, it was evident that we wanted a strong voice and John Rhys-Davies was the obvious choice. His legacy in gaming and entertainment is unparalleled,” said Balthazar Auxietre, CCO and co-founder of Innerspace VR.
Kevin Spacey Investing in VR
Although Kevin Spacey is yet to appear in any VR productions himself, the actor made a bold early move investing in the technology. Woofbert VR, a content production company specialising in short film, is the benefactor of Spacey’s enthusiasm. Having stated that it was the Oculus Rift that ‘opened his eyes’ to the possibilities of VR in theatre, Spacey recognises that: “A lot of the early problems with the technology have been solved, it’s time for the content creators to produce.”
A Guide to Cross-Platform Gaming in VR: PlayStation 4, Xbox One & Windows PC
Cross-platform gameplay has always been a heated debate amongst videogame fans. Since the early ‘90s Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Mega-Drive (aka Genesis) from Nintendo and Sega, respectively, gamers have always wondered what it would be like for the rival systems to work co-operatively and allow everyone to play together. In virtual reality (VR), there are a number of opportunities for this, with some developers already pursuing their own paths.
Last year Microsoft began a debate concerning online gameplay between Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and suggested that they would be open to such an agreement. Indeed, it’s the Redmond based team that has been most conscientious of cross-platform gameplay for over a decade, with Windows Vista promoted as a synced platform with Xbox 360 through Halo 2 and Shadowrun, Windows Phone promised (but rarely delivered upon) instant resume for videogames released on both Xbox 360 and the mobile format and now Windows 10 gamers able to join with Xbox One through the upcoming ‘Play Anywhere’ programme.
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) also has their Remote Play system, in which PlayStation 4 videogames can be streamed to the PlayStation Vita through a local network, but aside from recent murmurings concerning PlayStation Now coming to PC it’s been largely reserved to SIE (or other Sony division) hardware. However, it now seems that SIE could lead the way for cross-platform gameplay when it comes to VR.
Below are a few titles which highlight the potential of cross-platform gameplay, blazing a trail for others to follow:
EVE Valkyrie on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive & PlayStation VR
CCP Games are an aggressor in the VR space. Their development strategy expands into new territories backed by a hugely popular franchise – EVE Online – and the company isn’t afraid to show their wares long before release. EVE Valkyrie originally made its debut back in 2013, yet didn’t launch until March 2016, alongside the Oculus Rift itself. CCP Games has already confirmed that EVE Valkyrie will also see release on HTC Vive and has long been showing-off the PlayStation VR version. However, the company has also confirmed that all three editions of the videogame will allow for cross-platform gameplay, with teams in a single match set to be comprised of Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR players.
War Thunder on Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR
Though technically not officially released for Oculus Rift, War Thunder is already compatible with the head-mounted display (HMD) through Gaijin Entertainment’s own execution. Additionally, War Thunder is already available for PlayStation 4 and will be compatible with PlayStation 4 sometime around the launch of the HMD. Gaijin Entertainment already allow PlayStation 4 and PC gamers to play together and make no exceptions of those playing in VR. A launch on PlayStation VR is not likely to change this openness of gameplay one bit. For this one however, you’re likely to need a flight control stick: check out VRFocus‘ guide to the best flight control sticks for PlayStation 4 here.
World War Toons in VR & Non-VR
Reload Studios has spoken about cross-platform gameplay for the forthcoming World War Toons previously, though there’s been no confirmation of whether PlayStation 4 players will be able to go head-to-head with PC gamers. However, the studio has confirmed that a non-VR version is in development and, in fact, VRFocus has experienced this already. A fine balancing act, given World War Toons’ fast-paced first-person shooter (FPS) action.
Xbox One VR
The Xbox One’s VR compatibility looks set to appear later than that of PlayStation 4, with the recently revealed Project Scorpio console designated a VR compatible platform. So what does this mean for cross-platform gameplay? Given that Microsoft has been making moves to bring PC and Xbox closer together – and more recently open to the idea of co-operating with SIE for PlayStation cross-platform gameplay also – it’s likely that this will already be part of Microsoft’s strategy. Exactly what form it will take however, we’re unlikely to see until next year.