FIBRUM – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

January 13, 2021

Bullet Roulette VR Hits PlayStation VR on 21st Jan

Next week sees the launch of Hitman 3 which is likely high up on most PlayStation VR owners wanted lists for 2021. If stepping into the shoes of the infamous assassin isn’t quite your thing then the day after Fibrum will release a very different gun-based videogame, Bullet Roulette VR.

Originally released as a SteamVR Early Access title in 2019 followed by the official launch last September, Bullet Roulette VR takes Russian Roulette and gives it a gamified twist. Offering both solo and online multiplayer modes for up to four people the goal is simple, be the last to survive.

Set in a gloomy bar sat around a table with three other characters, with which you can shoot both yourself and the other players. The trick is to utilise the cards in front of you as well as the coins you collect to turn the game to your advantage. Rounds start as you’d expect, with each player pulling the trigger. If they survive they gain a coin which can be used to shoot another player on the next turn. Kill them and you take their cash.

The strategy is deepened by the three cards which will provide you with a variety of options such as re-spinning the guns drum, gaining extra lives; adding a second bullet in the drum or reversing the direction of play.

When playing the solo mode the AI will select from one of six characters to play against, each with their own particular behaviour. Over on the multiplayer side you’ll be able to create open or private rooms for friends to join or step into someone else’s game.

Bullet Roulette VR is scheduled to arrive for PlayStation VR on 21st January for $8.99 USD/€8.99 EUR. For more updates on the latest PlayStation VR titles coming in 2021, keep reading VRFocus.

June 17, 2020

Get that Friday Feelin’ With Party Pumper on PlayStation VR Next Week

Fibrum released its club-style music-mixing experience Party Pumper late last year for PC VR headsets and soon it’ll be the turn of PlayStation VR. The studio has announced that the title is set for launch next week.

Party Pumper is all about keeping the crowd happy by mixing up beats as a DJ, having a dance and playing with fun gadgets like foam cannons. Rather than the usual set of turntables you’re presented with an electronic panel littered with items to pickup and move around. It’s with these that you can mix music samples, providing an arsenal of bass, melodies, drums, chords, and other beats to play with.

Unlike Electronauts for example which is purely about mixing and creating new tracks in Party Pumper, you have a crowd to entertain. That means they can react to your DJ set, cheering when things go well, booing and throwing shoes when they don’t.

As mentioned Party Pumper isn’t solely about DJing. Work the audience with some dancing, get rid of stage invaders by throwing them back, fill up the dance floor with foam or let off some fireworks, keep that party vibe going to rack up as big a score as possible.

The PlayStation VR version of Party Pumper is due for release next Thursday 25th June. “After a long way of bringing this bold concept to life, we are extremely excited to deliver VR players this truly one-of-a-kind experience. Party Pumper is our vision of today’s true VR-gaming – vibrant, groovy, and fun!,” said Alexey Glebov, Party Pumper’s Game Director in a statement.

As for the PC version, Fibrum hasn’t yet confirmed whether it’ll be leaving Early Access at the same time or soon after. For further updates on Party Pumper, keep reading VRFocus.

June 26, 2019

Review: Space Ops VR

Everyone tends to have a guilty pleasure of some sort. A bizarre food concoction for example, or a film that’s so bad it’s good. That can happen with videogames as well, where they might not tick all the normal approval boxes yet still somehow manage to put a smile on your face whilst eating up hours of your time. That’s kind of the case with Space Ops VR, it doesn’t necessarily wow with new ideas but still has something going for it.

Space Ops VR isn’t some rich story-driven sci-fi shooter where you’re trying to save the planet or survive in hostile terrain like Seeking Dawn. Yes it’s set in the future with some cool weaponry, and you do play a rookie training to be part of an elite special ops team, however, that’s about it. Because what Space Ops VR has been designed for is a training simulator, pitting you and other players against lots of nasty bug-like aliens.

If you’re thinking Starship Troopers in virtual reality (VR) you wouldn’t be far wrong. You’re a grunt with a gun who needs to complete various training exercises. These, in turn, increase your XP unlocking bigger and better guns. Weapons are your standard designs, you start with a pistol and automatic rifle and can eventually work your way up to massive two-handed death machines.

The title seems to have a positive and negative duality with all aspects of its design, from the weapons handling to movement and overall gameplay. The guns for example. Great to hold and shoot, feel nice and accurate at distance and have a rather cool HUD aiming reticule. They can all be held with both hands which then unlocks a secondary mode for a much more powerful, but slower, shot. Yet their body placement is just entirely weird and unnatural. The pistol is next to your head for some reason rather than next to your hip, while the automatic rifle is more hip level. After playing so many VR titles it takes a bit of getting used to, and it’s nowhere near as fluid as FPS titles such as Robo Recall.

Space Ops VR Then there are the grenades. Chest placement is completely understandable, it makes sense to grab a grenade off your chest and throw it out. Well it would be if grabbing the grenade worked most of the time, but it doesn’t. The placement seems just a little too set back so you end up pawing at your chest getting shot to smithereens. Succeed in this simple task and POW, an awesome looking blast which is really destructive – so long as you’ve not dropped it at your feet.

As a first-person shooter (FPS) movement is important and Space Ops VR covers this side fairly well. At your disposal are both smooth locomotion and teleportation systems at the same time, with the right Oculus Touch stick handling the latter, and left controller handling the former. All the training scenarios have a multilevel design so there’s no way to solely use smooth locomotion. Because of this – as well as the fact that smooth locomotion tends to be slower – teleporting becomes the defacto movement system. Which is fine for comfort but not so great for immersion, flitting about the battlefield killing bugs.

When it comes to gameplay and enemies, Space Ops VR is a rinse and repeat style experience – it is a training sim after all. The Sandbox mode will be where most players will want to start after quickly getting through training offering several scenarios to run through where you can compete against a ghost. The only trouble with this is the fact that you can’t earn any XP, which can be a little annoying after a 50-minute session. The other mode is Skirmish, and the one most players should stick to. Played solo (probably most of the time) or in multiplayer – 1v1 or 2v2 – ranking up will also unlock customisation options for your character.

Space Ops VR

Basic enemies tend to charge straight at you as cannon fodder, while thankfully some of the more advanced classes do actually put up more of a fight, flying around making half decent evasive manoeuvres. It doesn’t really matter if you do get a bit overwhelmed at points as you have infinite lives by the looks of it. Space Ops VR will keep respawning you as many times as you need to complete a section, or just get fed up and stop. The fed-up issue comes from the fact that you respawn exactly where you died, which more often than not is where a group of enemies have huddled around your previous location, thus making reappearing particularly difficult – or worse instantly dead.

As mentioned at the start Space Ops VR is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Sure it’s rather generic and it has its faults – some more head-scratching than others – and the multiplayer needs some more people, yet it’s hard not to like just a little bit. If it was overpriced then Space Ops VR wouldn’t be worth it. Luckily it’s not, get a good sale price and Space Ops VR is worth a cheeky purchase.

60%

Awesome

Verdict

June 7, 2019

Competition: Space Ops VR

It’s Friday, and what better way to celebrate than by announcing a competition. Last week developer DevCubeStudio and publisher Fibrum released sci-fi, bug-stomping shooter Space Ops VR. And to celebrate the launch VRFocus has been supplied with a bunch of Steam codes to give to our lucky readers.

Space Ops VR

Featuring both single-player and multiplayer modes, Space Ops VR is a futuristic training simulator for rookie soldiers looking to become highly skilled special operatives. It’s all about squashing bug-like alien foes which can grow a little bit bigger than the average house spider.

There are Basic Training and Sandbox modes for beginners played solo or co-operatively, with varied missions to test those skills. Or for a tougher challenge, there are always the PvE and PvP modes inside the Arena. Here you can engage in all-out war with players around the world, completing various challenges.

To aid in this endeavour you’re supplied with an assortment of destructive weaponry. Kinetic, Beam and Plasma guns can cut down hostiles while grenades and other explosives will send them flying.

Space Ops VR

For this competition, VRFocus is giving away 10 Steam codes for Space Ops VR, which supports Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. There are multiple ways to enter the giveaway with standard prize draw entry rules applying: Follow us (or already be following us) on Twitter or alternatively, visit our Facebook to get an entry for each. The competition will be open a week. Beginning today and ending at midnight UK time on 14th June 2019. The draw will be made shortly thereafter. Best of luck.

Space Ops VR – Steam Code Competition

May 9, 2019

Team-based Multiplayer Space Ops VR Arrives 30th May

Virtual reality (VR) developer DevCubeStudio only announced its latest project Space Ops VR a couple of weeks ago and today the team has revealed when it’ll be available, arriving on Steam, Thursday 30th May.

Space Ops VR

Being published by Fibrum – the company behind Desirium – Space Ops VR is a co-op first-person shooter putting you in the shoes of a rookie Space Ops recruit. Friends can band together in this Starship Troopers looking experience to complete various training objectives against some rather larger and monstrous alien enemies.

First-time players will be able to hone their skills in solo basic training and sandbox modes, playing around with an assortment of destructive weaponry. Kinetic, Beam and Plasma guns can cut down hostiles while grenades and other explosives will send them flying, Check out the new trailer at the bottom of the page to see some of these in action.

And there’s the PvE and PvP gameplay inside the Arena Mode. Whether it’s all out carnage against other players or completing objectives to move the mission on, Space Ops VR aims to feature a wide variety of gameplay types including a score-based mode that features leaderboards and a skill-based matchmaking system.

Space Ops VR

DevCubeStudio claims to have designed a unique teleportation system, stating: “Unique to the game is a special tactical teleportation system that combines teleportation and a dodge manoeuvre to help you get a leg up on your foes, but misuse can also put you at a disadvantage.”

At launch on 30th May Space Ops VR will support Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. In the coming weeks, VRFocus will let you know when we get our hands on the title.

April 27, 2019

Multiplayer Sci-fi Shooter Space Ops VR Scheduled for May

Last year Russian developer DevCubeStudio released the rather impressive looking Farhome onto Steam Early Access, a first-person shooter (FPS) with co-op options to battle big alien creatures. This week, in collaboration with publisher Fibrum, the pair have announced another futuristic shooter called Space Ops VR, scheduled for release in May.

Space Ops VR

Space Ops VR is a sort of sci-fi training programme for new recruits, pitting them against various hostile forces either solo, cooperatively or head-to-head. While there will be a basic training and sandbox modes for beginners – likely played solo – the core gameplay in Space Ops VR revolves around its multiplayer features.

“In Space Ops VR the year is 2301 and humanity has taken to deep space in the search for valuable resources to solve Earth’s energy crises. To that end, the Space Ops were formed as an elite cadre of first-responders ready to take on any task the galaxy can throw at them,” the synopsis explains.

Players will be able to team up into pairs to complete team battles, having to fight through various aliens to complete the map ahead of the opposing team. Or players can go one-on-one, duelling it out across harsh environments in various modes such as Skirmish and Trials.

Like any good sci-fi FPS, Space Ops VR comes with an assortment of weapons and gadgets to send foes flying, like the Kinetic, Beam and Plasma guns as well as grenades and other toys. There are also customization options if you really want to stand out on the battlefield.

Space Ops VR image

“We are very proud to present Space Ops VR to the virtual reality gaming community. We want players to experience a new kind of intense combat on VR platforms that can be enjoyed as a multiplayer cooperative challenge and a hardcore competitive game, complete with ranked matchmaking,” says Pidlisnyy Yevgeniy, CEO at DevCubeStudio in a statement.

With some clear overlap of design between Space Ops VR and Farhome it remains to be seen how the pair will properly differentiate themselves. You’ll be able to find out next month when the title arrives for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets.

Check out the first teaser trailer below, and for further updates on Space Ops VR, keep reading VRFocus.

March 15, 2019

Preview: JetX – Hold on to Your Hats (and Stomach)

Speed in virtual reality (VR) can be both a blessing and a curse. One the one hand whizzing around a virtual world at breakneck speeds can be super exhilarating and only experienced with a VR headset. On the flip side, it can be a direct one-way journey to sick central, with way too much going on it can get a little nauseating. So it’s always interesting to see how a developer tackles this conundrum when speed is at the core of their experience. And that’s certainly the case with JetX, the latest title being developed by Singularity Lab.

JetX is going to be a competitive multiplayer experience with oodles of gameplay options and modes to play with. In this early demo publisher FIBRUM sent VRFocus it was all about the single-player side, showcasing what are likely to be the two main modes, Race and Arena. While these are your standard affair, the presentation and quality of the gameplay make JetX instantly stand out.

If you’ve ever played Survios’ Sprint Vector and much smaller indie title Jet Island, then you’ll be at home on JetX. The videogame seems to have combined the intensely colourful visuals and environment style of the first, with the latter’s hand-mounted jet propulsion technology.

Mounted on either hand is a gun, with this unique weapon you can shoot opponents, and fly all at the same time. The main firing ability can be changed depending on whether you prefer a more rapid-fire style approach, charging up for a powerful blast, or the more up close and personal shotgun method. And of course, no multiplayer focused experience would be complete without a few powerups to collect, such as rockets, shields, slow down, overpower and even a black hole.

JetX But none of this matters if you’re going to instantly feel ill after five minutes. Which is why the Arena was the first port of call. Looking as though Picasso had created a Tron themed enclosure, with a dizzying array of nooks and crannies to fly through or hide in, on offer was a deathmatch with bots. While the bots tended to perform as simple automatons, flying head on all guns blazing for easy kills, the actual flying was nice and smooth even when performing tight turns or other usual jarring effects – the things VRFocus does to test out a videogame!

Even though the Arena was reasonably entertaining with bots it soon becomes a bit boring. The Racing mode, on the other hand, wasn’t, in fact, this is the centrepiece of JetX. Again only one level to test, the track was a beautiful mixture of high-speed sections, sweeping corners and viciously tight segments. With plenty of routes to choose from it would take a while to find a preferred path, as the course gives you complete freedom to fly anywhere. The only problem, there’s a central translucent tunnel which keeps your speed up, leave it and it’s like flying through custard. So while there’s the encouragement to stay in this slip steam so you can win the race, just on the outside are where all the powerups generally lay. So JetX has this great twist in strategy between going fast or getting tooled up.

At the moment from what VRFocus has seen so far, JetX is coming along very nicely. It looks like Battlezone with wings – which is no bad thing – big monoliths of colour that create vivid landscapes to fly around in. Most important is the movement which by first impressions Singularity Lab has nailed already. Now it’s just the matter of delivering sufficient content, to provide players as much variety as possible so that JetX can stand out from the growing list of multiplayer VR titles.

February 22, 2019

Frantic Sci-fi Racer JetX Coming to Steam, Demo to be Released Soon

Russian virtual reality (VR) company Fibrum may be well known for its Desirium content platform and creating in-house VR titles, but today the studio has announced it’ll be publishing a new immersive experience by Singularity Lab. The indie developer is in the process of making a rather extreme looking arcade racer called JetX, which is due for release via Steam soon.

JetX

Featuring both single-player and multiplayer options with cross-platform gameplay between VR headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, as well as normal PC gamers, JetX is a visceral, no-holds-barred shooter.

There are a multitude of modes available, from traditional track-based races where winning isn’t just about placing first, to arena battles that are a fight to the death. Online you can fight against mates or other opponents from around the world, while single-player features bots for you to practice against. There are also Boss Battles to be had, missions to collect energy cores, missions to defend cores and endless race modes to keep you entertained.

Of course, for this style of racing experience weapons are a must, with Singularity Lab garnishing your craft with a selection of offensive armaments, all of which can be swapped on the fly depending on your preference. You’ll also be able to make use of several powerup options during each mode.

JetX

“This is one of our first complete game projects and we are extremely excited to hear any feedback you may have!” says the team in a statement. “The whole team at Singularity Lab has carefully crafted and polished each aspect of the game, in order to bring you the best possible experience.”

Currently, Singularity Labs is aiming for a March launch, on PC and VR headsets. Prior to that taking place, a demo will be released. When dates for the demo and full launch are made available VRFocus will let you know.

February 16, 2019

Fibrum Hosts Children’s Charity VR Event for World Cancer Day

The 4th February is World Cancer Day and to honour international awareness of the disease virtual reality (VR) company Fibrum held a special charity event for the children’s oncological ward in Balashikha Central District Hospital, Russia.

Fibrum - World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day sees cancer communities and organizations globally unite, helping spread the word as one voice across a wider audience, hopefully motivating people around the world to take action in reducing the growing impact of cancer.

Fibrum decided to hold an event at the children’s hospital as a way of introducing the kids to virtual reality (VR), letting them experience some of the company’s content from its Desirium platform via several of its mobile compatible headsets. It was a day where the children could forget about surgeries, chemotherapies and various other procedures, and escape into virtual worlds.

It wasn’t all just about VR though, with Fibrum bringing along face-painting and balloon making activities to also keep the kids entertained.

Regarding the day the company said in a statement: “Fibrum wanted to send a bigger message of encouraging ordinary people and companies in Russia to create change and be more active in the civic engagement movement which is highly popular in Western cultures.”

Fibrum - World Cancer Day

Fibrum was founded in April 2014 by entrepreneur Ilya Flax, initially starting out by making robust plastic headsets similar to Google Cardboard where a phone could be quickly mounted for a simple VR experience. The company then diversified into software before focusing on its own content platform Desirium VR, which was released in the Oculus Store on 19th September 2018.

The DESIRIUM VR platform was made possible thanks to the investment of $1 million (USD), led by The FunCubator and NP Capital Funds. Currently compatible with Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR, Desirium currently includes 15+ titles covering three intensity levels, with videogames and headset support to come. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Fibrum, reporting back with the latest updates.

November 23, 2018

Desirium VR Expands Support to Viveport

FIBRUM launched its DESIRIUM VR platform back in September on Oculus Store with support for Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR. Today, the company has announced that support has expanded to Viveport and HTC Vive.

FIBRUM is a virtual reality (VR) developer, publisher, and distributor of both of its own and third-party VR content from the world’s leading studios, using DESIRIUM VR to share the content. Currently, the platform has 15 experiences to choose from, including recently released sci-fi horror Moon: The Dark Side.

As FIBRUM continues to support and expand the platform it’ll add further content from its own studio as well as other developers wishing to use its distribution network.

“It seems to me that entering the mass market segment is the future of VR technology. I believe it can be used the same way as Instagram or Facebook are. The market has been developing spontaneously, not the way it had been predicted to. Many companies have not coped with it which is very sad. But we want the VR market to stay positive. We believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. And not from the train that you’re about to hit, but from the tunnel exit,” says Founder and CEO of FIBRUM Ilya Flaks in a statement.

Moon: The Dark Side

The platform also offers a “Descoin” in-app currency, a savings system with bonuses. Users earn extra Descoins for taking and completing achievements within the experiences. But in case they can’t afford an experience, Descoins can be accrued by watching short commercials within DESIRIUM VR.

The original launch of DESIRIUM VR was made possible thanks to a $1 million USD investment secured earlier this year, led by The FunCubator and NP Capital Funds. As further announcements regarding DESIRIUM VR are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.