Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Fallout 4 brings the storied franchise latest chapter into virtual reality. In our Fallout 4 VR Review, we delve into the port and examine what sacrifices have been made for immersion.
The post ‘Fallout 4 VR’ hands-on review appeared first on Digital Trends.
Die Gamescom 2017 in Köln hat ihre Tore geschlossen. Chris und Yigal haben sich ihre VR-Nerds-T-Shirts übergestreift und präsentieren euch in unserem VR-Weekly-Spezial die Highlights von der Spielemesse. Die reichen von der taktilen Weste, die einem Schauer über den Rücken schickt, bis hin zum Mückenstich für Anime-Fans. Auch dabei: AAA-Titel für PSVR, Simulatoren, Wildschweine und eine besondere Maus.
Chris und Yigal waren wieder unterwegs und stellen ihre persönlichen VR-Highlights von der diesjährigen Gamescom in Bewegtvideo und Ton vor. Dabei erklärt Yigal zum Beispiel, warum der AAA-Titel Fallout 4 VR zwar seine Erwartungen nicht erfüllen kann, aber trotzdem ein echtes Highlight ist. Chris ist hingegen auf die Maus gekommen und fragt sich, warum zum Geier das Spiel mit Zelda verglichen wird. Bei der Hardware wird es dann nicht mehr niedlich, sondern schaurig: So fühlt es sich an, wenn einen Zombies rücklings überfallen.
Angetan hat es Chris und Yigal auch der schwedische Stand, der sich allerdings vor der Öffentlichkeit im Business-Bereich abschottete. Dort durfte man bei Fischhäppchen und Wodka mit einer echten Flinte auf virtuelle Wildschweinjagd gehen. Etwas friedlicher geht es im Auto-Simulator zu. Zum halben Preis eines Neuwagens stellen wir euch ein Zubehör vor, das bei Rennspielfanatikern für feuchte Augen sorgen dürfte. In Bewegung wirkt das Ungetüm etwas skurril, aber wenn niemand zuschaut …
Das wahrscheinlich schrägste Highlight geht aber auf das Konto asiatischer Entwickler: Als Stechinsekt greift man Anime-Mädchen an ihren empfindlichsten Stellen an und betätigt sich als erotisierter Blutsauger. Bis einen die Hand der Gerechtigkeit abwatscht. Wir freuen uns jedenfalls schon auf de nächste Gamescom. Und brechen schon bald wieder auf, denn nach der Messe ist vor der Messe: Auf der IFA 2017 in Berlin sehen wir uns wieder. Die öffnet am 1. September ihre Tore.
Der Beitrag VR-Weekly-Spezial: Unsere Highlights auf der Gamescom 2017 im Video zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!
The singer of 'The Wanderer,' the song that plays under the live-action Fallout 4 trailer, is suing Zenimax over its use, claiming that he wasn't given his agreed right to veto any use of the song he wasn't happy with.
The post ‘The Wanderer’ songwriter sues Zenimax over ‘Fallout 4’ trailers appeared first on Digital Trends.
Entering the Wasteland, sneaking up on a group of raiders and shooting them down with guns in your own two hands, tossing back a Nuka-Cola, hanging out with Dogmeat; these are some the things that get fans excited about playing Fallout 4 VR. And in case you’ve been cryogenically frozen in a nuclear bunker this past year, you should know Fallout 4 (2015) is coming to HTC Vive―that and Bethesda demoed an updated build at this year’s E3, showing off an improved UI that should address some worries about porting the flatscreen game to VR headsets.
I love blowing stuff up, especially lobbing a tactical nuke onto a nearby town full of feral ghouls, but I already got a good chance to do all of that at last year’s E3 when VR support for the game was first revealed. What was critically missing in last year’s demo was Vaul-tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.)—the game’s iconic slow-mo targeting system—inventory, interacting with companions, and more definitive locomotion style.
Activating V.A.T.S. with the select button on the right Vive controller, I enter into the familiar slow-mo mode, automatically highlighting an enemy’s bodypart by pointing at it—all the while my action points (AP) slowly dwindle. Sound pretty normal, right?
The VR version of V.A.T.S. is a bit different though, letting you teleport around and potentially flank an enemy at the same time, or giving you the ability to get up nice and close for a more accurate, but decidedly more visceral kill. It’s a different feel to the non-VR version of V.A.T.S., and I can see it being used to get out of sticky situations where normal locomotion just wouldn’t cut it (read: Death Claw).
Last year’s demo featured Dogmeat, and I more than ever wanted to hang out with him this year and interact naturally, fully expecting something like the robot dog from Valve’s The Lab. This year’s demo revealed that interacting with Dogmeat (or any other companion for that matter) would be a pretty straight forward affair just like the PC version, i.e. choose your order through a 2D quick menu, or point where you want them to go with a tool secondary to the weapon in your hand.
If only Fallout 4 VR had voice controls like Star Trek: Bridge Crew.
Predictably, inventory is managed directly from your wrist-mounted Pipboy, letting you look at the map, manage supplies, etc. While providing a 2D system UI seems kind of lazy on the surface, being able to see and use the Pipboy in real life really adds to the immersion factor in a way a plain 2D UI just can’t.
There was also a quick menu bound to the Vive controllers touchpad that lets you get to weapons and health buffs for a quick transition that won’t leave you fiddling with the Pipboy during a battle. Not only that, when you loot someone or something (missing last year), a description automatically pops up of whatever treasure trove the baddy is carrying around. While none of this is what I’d consider incredible design for a VR game, all of this worked fairly well, which oftentimes counts more than unique inventories built from the ground-up for VR games.
Playing on the HTC Vive, I was shown that normal in-game movement offers smooth forward motion by clicking the top of the Vive controller’s touchpad. Since you’re tackling the open world of the Wasteland on foot, Instead of forward motion dictated solely by the position of your gaze, you can point to the direction you want to go with your controllers and look left and right while moving so you can keep a better eye out for raiders while on the move. I felt only a slight ‘heady’ feeling after popping out of the 10 minute demo—something that you’ll probably have to get used to, but not approaching anywhere near game-stopping nausea, personally speaking.
Last year’s demo was limited to teleportation-only, which felt less immersive, so all of this is a welcome sight. Can you imagine having to teleport 10 feet at a time across a map that takes at least 40 minutes to walk from end to end?
Fallout 4 VR is headed to HTC Vive users on Steam sometime in Q4 2017, and is currently available for pre-order for $59.99. Bethesda says they’re planning on bringing their VR games to “as many platforms as [they] can.”
Fallout 4 VR looks to be one of the most capable monitor-to-VR port since, well, ever. I own both the HTC Vive and the PC version of Fallout 4, and after experiencing the latest E3 demo, I’m not sure I’m thrilled about having to re-purchase a game at full price that I beat nearly 2 years ago just to play it in VR. I can’t say for sure though since I only experienced two 10-minute demos with a full year between them, so you’ll have to wait for the full review sometime later this year to know for sure.
I can confidently say this though: If you’ve never played Fallout 4 and own an HTC Vive though, this promises to be one of the longest and arguably best VR adventures coming to VR outside of Skyrim VR.
The post Hands-on: ‘Fallout 4 VR’ Shows Improvements, but I’m Still Not Sold appeared first on Road to VR.
Last year’s announcement of Fallout 4 VR was met with a fantastic response. The hands-on demo offered? Less so. This year however, Bethesda Softworks has ironed-out the kinks, and Fallout 4 VR is now exactly the experience it should be; including more natural locomotion, an immersive Power Armor HUD and impressive V.A.T.S. incorporation.
To begin at the start, the setting for Fallout 4 VR’s 2017 demo takes place in the same area of the world map as 2016’s demo did: outside the Red Rocket truck stop. A small variety of weapons are equipped to the player’s favourites wheel, accessible on the right circle pad on the HTC Vive’s motion controllers (VRFocus received confirmation today that Fallout 4 VR would also be compatible with an Xbox One controller), including a pistol, laser weapon and a baseball bat. The player aims by manually moving the controller, as would be expected, as can also swing the baseball bat naturally.
Unlike The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR’s demo, playable at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) for the first time, Fallout 4 VR feels like a fairly complete rendition of the original videogame. Bodies can be searched, items collected and the all-important V.A.T.S. system finally makes an appearance. It’s different to the original versions of Fallout 4, that’s for sure. But boy, is it fun.
In Fallout 4 VR, V.A.T.S. still slows time and allows you to aim at a specific body part. However, shots are now fired in real-time upon a pull of the trigger opposed to once the final commands have been issued. Furthermore, the player is able to teleport around the enemy by holding the trigger on the left controller, positioning the location icon where they wish to land and releasing. This allows for a clearer line-of-sight, or even a rushing melee attack: at one point VRFocus charged an enemy and with a single blow managed to separate their head from their body, watching the resulting damage dealt in slow motion.
Teleportation is available as standard, however Fallout 4 VR now also incorporates snap-based movement. Rotation is handled by physically moving your body (when using HTC Vive motion-controllers) and tapping up on the left circle pad will move you forward in small increments. This makes for a much more natural movement, allowing for precision through teleportation or speed through rapid clicks. It’s still not perfect of course – no developer has yet nailed the problems surrounding locomotion in VR – but it’s a huge step forward over last year’s Fallout 4 VR demo.
The Pip-Boy integration is still odd; cleverly placed on the wrist but asking the player to consider the new angle of their arm when inputting commands, effectively altering the input system by 90 degrees. However, familiarising yourself with the use of this and the popup menus that appear for items such as the skill tree (effectively acting as a monitor in the world, moveable with the right motion controller) will surely only be a matter of time.
And time is something that many will likely invest in Fallout 4 VR. Despite taking issue with the price of the videogame and the lack of any downloadable content (DLC), many early adopters of virtual reality (VR) hardware will likely jump on Fallout 4 VR. Judging by this latest demo offered by Bethesda Softworks, they’d be right to do so.
Virtual reality will be big for Bethesda this year with two new VR titles, Fallout VR and DOOM VFR, coming in 2017. Both trailers provided a brief glimpse into gameplay, though Bethesda didn't follow-up with details.
The post Bethesda is taking Fallout and Doom into VR, both set for release this year appeared first on Digital Trends.
E3 is here, and Bethesda, the makers of the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series, may be announcing updates to their first ever public VR offerings at tonight’s E3 keynote. Watch the livestream right here.
Since VR versions of both Fallout 4 (2015) and Doom (2016) were revealed at last year’s E3, we haven’t seen or heard much about specifics surrounding the ‘Bethesda VR’ initiatives. Bethesda has however said that Fallout 4 VR for the HTC Vive will be the entire game and not just a demo or vertical slice, and put the speculative release date “within 12 months” from last year’s E3. That mean’s this month, folks.
No such info was given for Doom VR, although the developers have been collaborating to make the games possible in VR.
I had my hands on both Fallout 4 and Doom VR adaptations at last year’s E3, and while a little rough around the edges at the time (Doom was little more than a tech demo with no actual gameplay), the ability to see the familiar worlds in VR seemed to breathe life into the games not only by making a Wasteland Raider or a Cacodemon that much more intimidating, but by showing you the true scale of the worlds set before you.
The livestream starts at 9PM PST (click here for local time). What do you think Bethesda will show at this year’s E3? Comment below!
The post Watch Bethesda’s E3 Livestream Here @9PM PST, Expecting ‘Fallout 4’ VR and ‘Doom VR’ appeared first on Road to VR.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles, always has a lot of demos, trailers and new exciting information about the latest videogames. From Microsoft’s Project Scorpio , Bethsda’s Fallout 4 to Lenovo’s new Head-mounted displays (HMDs) and exciting new virtual reality (VR) videogames – you will find it all on VRFocus.
This year, the team has compiled various news pieces, updates and articles to put into a video. The video will showcase what VRFocus think might be shown at E3 this year. As VR becomes more popular and consumers start to become more aware of VR videogames, expect to be hear some exciting news. Watch the video to find out more.
Find more videos and news related to VR on the VRFocus YouTube channel, as well as the latest edition of our weekly show VRTV.
Modiphius Entertainment, the company behind popular board game adaptations like Pandemic and Thunderbirds, has announced a new game coming this summer: Fallout Wasteland Warfare, based on the popular franchise.
The post ‘Fallout: Wasteland Warfare’ brings the apocalypse to the tabletop appeared first on Digital Trends.
Sometimes you don’t realise quite how big of a week it’s been until you sit back and take a look. We got updates on a lot of major VR projects this week, and there were some big releases and surprising new reveals too. Dig in.
Sony revealed a handful of new PSVR titles this week, all of which look pretty promising. Over on the news side, we got a fresh look at The Gallery’s anticipated second episode, and we heard that Fallout 4 VR will be at E3 again with a demo that will apparently blow your mind. Say your goodbyes. Obduction is one on Vive, too, but there’s some issues.
After a long wait, we finally know when Other Ocean’s hugely anticipated VR debut, Giant Cop, will be releasing: March 30th on Rift. Look for Vive and PSVR versions to follow on after. Sticking with PSVR, we got a date for Jeff Minter’s first VR game, Polybius, which hits on April 28th. The PSVR version of Fated: The Silent Oath will be here next week too.
The week kicked off with a deeper look at what Gunfire Games had brought from its previous VR titles into its newest Rift exclusive, From Other Suns. We also got a glimpse at the surprising new release of a Ghostbusters VR game, the next entry in the Viral series, and Blade & Soul. You definitely shouldn’t miss our hands-on with Downward Spiral, though, this is a surprisingly compelling adventure.
Rock Band VR is the big review of the week, while we also went in-depth on a beautiful new adventure in Waking the Glares, and updated our review on Drop Dead now that it’s on Touch.
PlayStation VR got a Ghostbusters game out of the blue this week, but we knew the Rock Band VR was coming for a long time. Over on Vive, there’s the usually flood of new apps to check out but don’t miss Obduction.
As always, for all releases you can check out our full Rift, Vive and PSVR lists.
Tagged with: fallout 4, Ghostbusters VR Now Hiring, htc vive, oculus rift, PlayStation VR, Rock Band VR