Category: frame interactive

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Robot Invaders Horror Mystery Dead Secret Confirmed for PlayStation VR

One of the earliest and best virtual reality (VR) horror puzzle titles was Robot Invaders Dead Secret for Samsung Gear VR back in 2015. In the following years the studio has expanded support for the title, bringing it to HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in 2016 whilst announcing a sequel last year. Today, Frame Interactive has revealed Dead Secret will now be coming to PlayStation VR. 

Dead Secret PSVR

Dead Secret is a mystery thriller set in rural Kansas in 1965 where you play as an ambitious journalist on a mission to make headlines. You arrive at the house of Harris Bullard, a reclusive man with a mysterious past who was found dead in his study five days previous. No foul play is suspected, least of all the police. But as a journalist looking for the next big story you know better: this is murder, and it’s up to you to prove it.

As you find items, solve puzzles, and collect evidence to name the murderer and make headlines the murderer is hot on your trail, so you must avoid getting cornered. Depending on the choices that you make along the way you’ll encounter one of five different endings.

There doesn’t appear to be any PlayStation VR specific improvements or additions to Dead Secret other than the ability to play the title in VR and non-VR modes.

Dead Secret PSVR_1

VRFocus reviewed Dead Secret when it originally arrived for Gear VR giving it five-stars at the time: “Dead Secret is a wholly enjoyable experience for the handful of hours which it lasts. An easy recommendation for both experienced VR enthusiasts and newcomers to the Gear VR, Dead Secret is one of the best launch titles available for the consumer edition of the device.” How well it holds up almost three years later remains to be scene, as there are plenty of puzzle experiences available for PlayStation VR.

Dead Secret will be available for PlayStation VR on 24th April 2018. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Robot Invader, reporting back with any further updates.

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VR Horror Mystery ‘Dead Secret’ to Arrive on PSVR April 24th

Studios Frame Interactive and Robot Invader today announced Dead Secret (2015), the Gear VR title that later landed on PC VR headsets, is finally making its way to PSVR.

Coming to PSVR April 24th, the horror-mystery adventure puts you in the shoes of a 1960’s era reporter looking for your next big story. You’ll unravel the threads of multiple suspects while riffling through drawers in the house to put together clues—all in effort to understand who murdered Harris Bullard, a scholar of Japanese mythology and resident dead guy.

As in a classic whodunit, it’s your job to find items, solve puzzles, and collect evidence to name the murderer. There are five different endings to unlock, but watch out for the masked murder hot on your heels.

image courtesy Robot Invader

According to the PlayStation blog post announcing the game’s availability, the game will feature both VR and non-VR modes, although if Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) was any indication, it’ll be much scarier (and immersive) from within the headset. No pricing is available yet, although it currently costs $15 on Steam.

Robot Invader is also bringing its sequel, Dead Secret Circle, to VR and non-VR platforms later this year. Although they haven’t announced specific target platforms, the release of the original Dead Secret on PSVR makes a strong case for future support. Dead Secret Circle puts you in the place of a 1971 Chicago gumshoe reporter, tossing you into a new adventure of catching a killer haunting both your dreams and the people of the city.

The post VR Horror Mystery ‘Dead Secret’ to Arrive on PSVR April 24th appeared first on Road to VR.

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Headmaster Gets A Surprise Launch On Oculus Rift and HTC Vive

Headmaster Gets A Surprise Launch On Oculus Rift and HTC Vive

Headmaster was an entertaining technical showcase for the PlayStation VR (PSVR) at launch. However, it reminded us a bit too much of similar games for the Wii built around nothing more than demonstrating how to use the technology.

Developer Frame Interactive announced this week that Headmaster is now out on Oculus Home for Rift and Steam for Rift and Vive. The new version features a few improvements over the PSVR original. Chief among them is the addition of 10 new ‘party mode’ levels. The original release included only a single map for the pass-and-play multiplayer mode. While the new stages were introduced into the PSVR version in March, they’re there from the jump for PC VR players. The new version even allows a single user to play multiplayer by his or herself in what the developers have dubbed, “Lonely Party Mode.”

Another improvement is the inclusion of a beta version of “No Hands Support.” While Headmaster doesn’t allow players to use their hands in-game, players reported that the complete absence of hand tracking felt distracting. Now players can see their upper limbs rendered as dirty oven mitts covered in duct tape, called Handball Avoidance Mitts. Striking the ball with these will result in a call of a handball, so it’s best to avoid doing so. The in-game gloves were digitized from actual dirty oven mitts via photogrammetry, meaning they are just as lovingly detailed and rendered as the shiny stormtrooper armor in Star Wars: Battlefront.

PC Headmasters also get access to a practice mode to hone their skills without fear of failure, a new vacant stadium level previously shown at PAX West, and difficulty adjustments for the trickier parts of the game. Achievements for both Steam and Oculus find their way into the new version, too, along with Steam trading cards to round out the updated package.

The improvements are welcome, but not so revolutionary that we feel the original PSVR review needs to be updated. Check it out to see if Headmaster is for you and let us know what you think of the game in the comments below!

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Review: Headmaster

Sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that can be the most effective, doing away with complicated and convoluted plans, getting right to the bare bone essentials. That theory can be applied to all walks of life, videogames included, giving players a core gameplay mechanic that everything else revolves around. And that’s certainly true of Frame Interactive’s Headmaster, a sort of football – or soccer, depending on where you are in the world – arcade simulator that solely wants you to use your head.

Originally released as an exclusive PlayStation VR launch title in 2016 that exclusivity has ended so that the studio can bring its heading master class to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive (reviewed).

headmaster-pc-gif-D

Set in a ‘Football Improvement Centre’ you have to head balls back at targets to score points, the greater the tally the more stars you’ll earn to unlock further levels, increasing in size and complexity. To start off with you’ll find yourself on a pitch in front of a goal mouth, with targets either on the floor or suspended via the frame. Then it’s just a case of directing the balls with enough accuracy, which is easier said than done.

What Headmaster does right straight away is the physics. If heading the ball felt inaccurate or a bit flimsy then then entire experience would just collapse, you’d be frustratingly trying to get those points, getting bored along the way. Luckily that’s not the case, as with a bit of practice – and going through the tutorial – it’s easy to find what part of your head/face you need to use for certain shots. Need the ball to go high then it’s the top of the headset, while the bottom is for those low shots. There’s no curling of the ball but on certain levels you’ll need to arch over obstacles.

It’s when Headmaster starts mixing things up that things start to get really fun. Boxes will appear that have to be smashed through, or a goalie will be introduced to make those high scores harder to achieve. Thankfully, to aid you are several ball variants that can be used tactically. How about a giant beach ball to knock over several close knit targets, a multiball option, or a ball packed with explosives that only detonates on impact – great for removing items in the way.

headmaster-pc-gif-B

Such is the mixture of challenges that there’s plenty to keep you entertained for a few hours without even looking at the other modes. Additionally, there’s a practice arena filled with most of the ball options and obstacles found in the main campaign, plus the balls have motion trails to aid in the fine tuning of shots.

And let’s not forget Party Mode. This is Headmaster’s final feather in its cap, ensuring that once the campaign is complete there’s still content to come back to. This mode is all about local multiplayer allowing friends and family to compete against one another for bragging rights on the best score. It’s in Party Mode that the developer has added some of the best levels – particular favourites include darts and the beer cups – giving a different twist on the heading mechanics.

All in all Headmaster is a well put together title that the majority of VR gamers will find enjoyable. It does feel a bit 2016 in its gameplay offerings, with VR having moved on leaps and bounds in terms of the depth of content available. Headmaster is a tongue in cheek experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously, supplying light hearted fun mixed with good physics, and that’s no bad thing.

80%

Awesome

  • Verdict
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Practice Those Football Skills as Headmaster Flies Onto Oculus Rift and HTC Vive

For the launch of PlayStation VR Frame Interactive released its football inspired virtual reality (VR) title Headmaster. Today the studio has announced the surprise launch of Headmaster for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

As the videogames title implies, Headmaster is all about using your head to return balls, aiming for targets to attain the highest score. Rather than just a straight port, Frame Interactive has been working on several new features for the PC version.

headmaster-pc-gif-B

Firstly, there’s a new practice zone for you to try your skills at before heading into the main campaign. The area has unlimited chances and no pressure to win, with added motion trails to the balls to help hone in on targets. A massive, vacant stadium level has been included to offer more variety.

The Party Mode – of which there was one level for PlayStation VR’s launch and then expanded upon in March – now has single-player support. So there’s Pass and Play local multiplayer score competition with 11 levels or Lonely Party Mode if no ones about.

Lastly there’s No Hands Support which is currently in beta. After running tests with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive the studio received feedback that the videogame felt weird without hands – even though it’s all about using your head – so the team created Handball Avoidance Mitts for those that want them. The feature isn’t automatically enabled, you just have to activate it in the options menu.

Headmaster goes live on the Oculus store and Steam today. For any further updates keep reading VRFocus.

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The VR Job Hub: Facebook, Jaunt VR and The Third Floor

The virtual reality (VR) sector is growing all the time. As a result, many companies are on the lookout for those interested in VR technologies. If you happen to be an artist, programmer, engineer or designer who has been inspired by reading VRFocus, perhaps there will be a job here that is perfect for you.

Location Company Role Link
Menlo Park, California Facebook Art Director, Social VR Click here to apply
Dallas, Texas Facebook VR Application Engineer Click here to apply
Menlo Park, California Facebook Engineering Manager, Social VR Click here to apply
Menlo Park, California Facebook Technical Designer, Social VR Click here to apply
Menlo Park, California Facebook Software Engineer, Social VR Click here to apply
Redmond, Washington Facebook Oculus Research VR/AR software Engineer Click here to apply
Redmond, Washington Facebook Postdoctoral Research Scientist, VR and AR Audio Click here to apply
Redmond, Washington Facebook Research VR/AR Software Engineer, PhD University Grad Click here to apply
Menlo Park, California Facebook HR Business Partner – Applied Machine Learning, Social VR and AI Research Teams Click here to apply
London, England The Third Floor VR Technical Artist & Designer Click here to apply
London, England FRAME 3D Generalist Visualiser (VR) Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR Executive Assistant Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR Camera Firmware Engineer Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR Freelance 3D Art Generalist Click here to apply
Santa Monica, CA Jaunt VR Research Manager Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR FP&A Manager Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR PR & Social Media Manager Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR Senior Program Manager, Mandarin Speaking Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR Sr. Software Engineer: Video Streaming and Playback Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR Creative Services Production Designer Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR Sr. Imaging Systems Engineer Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR Software Engineer: Android Click here to apply
New York Jaunt VR Regional Sales Manager Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA Jaunt VR Senior Software Engineer, Applications Click here to apply

As always, you can check last week’s edition for further job listings. If you are an employer looking for someone to fill a role in an AR or VR area and want the postion to be in next week’s VR Job Hub, please send the information to either pgraham@vrfocus.com or keva@vrfocus.com

There will be more job listing next Sunday here on VRFocus.

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PlayStation VR’s Headmaster updated with new levels and PS4 Pro enhancements

Today Frame Interactive has announced a major update for its PlayStation VR videogame Headmaster. Titled ‘Party Mode Update’, it adds enhancements to multiplayer, PlayStation 4 Pro support and more.

As the name suggests, the big inclusion for the update is a beefed up local multiplayer. Renamed ‘Party Mode’, nine levels have been added, some are remixes of existing elements, while some are completely new. They are:

  • Big Monkey – A giant, inflatable, used car sale gorilla that acts out a low-rent King Kong circus performance. I should just stop there.
  • Robert’s Room – Actually play in a room with mini balls and targets. See if you can dislodge Robert from the toilet.
  • Rock and Bowl – Bowling redone with blacklights and splatter paint
  • Basketcase – A newly done up basketball challenge.
  • Speed Round 2 – A new speed round with special surprises
  • Facility Tour – Several classic levels all in one, quickly moving between them in a single level.
  • Non-Alcoholic Pong – Classic Headmaster non-beer pong rearranged
  • Darts – It’s still darts taped to soccer balls like you’d expect
  • Carnival – The classic carnival exam remixed for Party Mode

Headmaster Party Mode

For PlayStation 4 Pro owners, Frame Interactive has increased the resolution to help make those distance shots more legible. “We were able to turn the final rendered image up to 2x supersampling with MSAA,” said Frame Interactive’s founder, Ben Throop on PlayStation blog. “It runs at 90 frames per second on PS4 and PS4 Pro, but on the PS4 Pro it is now noticeably sharper.”

An initials feature has now been added, so that players can add theirs when competing locally if they achieve a high score.

Lastly, some of the tougher levels have been reworked to make them a little easier, with lesson 31 of particular annoyance Throop notes.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Frame Interactive, reporting back with the latest VR updates.