Category: GDC 2019

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Beat Saber Adds the Game Developers Choice Awards to its Trophy Shelf

The Game Developer Choice Awards 2019 held its annual event at the end of GDC 2019’s first day, honouring the best videogames across the industry, whether they were AAA, mobile, indie or virtual reality (VR) in nature. Up for the VR/AR category were some of the best-known titles, but it was the all-dominating Beat Saber that won out.

Beat Saber POP/Stars

Beat Games’ Beat Saber was up against Budget Cuts, Tetris Effect, Moss, and Astro Bot Rescue Mission, adding another award to its collection. Additionally, Beat Saber was the only videogame out of the entire awards selection to win a second time, with the Audience Award.

It seems that there’s an awful lot of love for the saber swinging rhythm action title, which is still listed as an Early Access title on Steam. Currently supporting PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, it was confirmed this week that Beat Saber would be a launch title for standalone headset Oculus Quest.

“The Game Developers Choice Awards represent the most refined games of the year, and the sheer variety of games honored tonight showed that games can still represent wholly new and unique creative visions,” said Katie Stern, General Manager of the Game Developers Conference in a statement. “A number of independently developed titles like Celeste, Gris and Florence helped prove how internal or deeply personal turmoil can make for massively appealing games for millions of fans. While games like God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 capture our imagination with poignant moments juxtaposed against epic tales of staggering scale and technical prowess. We embrace and accept all these amazingly creative works, and we’re proud to recognize these nominees and winners alike for the imagination and hard work that brought them here.”

The full list of Game Developers Choice Awards winners are:

  • Best Audio – Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
  • Best Debut – Mountains (Florence)
  • Best Design – Into the Breach (Subset Games)
  • Best Mobile Game – Florence (Mountains)
  • Innovation Award – Nintendo Labo (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
  • Best Narrative – Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)
  • Best Technology – Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
  • Best Visual Art – Gris (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
  • Best VR/AR Game – Beat Saber (Beat Games)
  • Audience Award – Beat Saber (Beat Games)
  • Game of the Year – God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Pioneer Award – Rieko Kodama
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Amy Hennig

For all the latest updates from GDC 2019, keep reading VRFocus.

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Journey of the Gods: VR-Adventure von Turtle Rock Studios für Oculus Rift S und Oculus Quest enthüllt

Nate Mitchell kündigte bereits im Vorfeld zur GDC 2019 einen neuen VR-Titel von Entwicklerstudio Turtle Rock Studios an und zog dabei Paralellen zu den Kindheitserinnerungen der ersten Zelda-Teile. Nun ist die Katze aus dem Sack, das VR-Action-Adventure Journey of the Gods für Oculus Rift S und Oculus Quest wurde auf der GDC 2019 enthüllt und verspricht RPG- sowie Puzzle-Elemente in einer offenen Spielwelt.

Journey of the Gods – VR-Action-Adventure für Oculus Rift S und Oculus Quest

Entwicklerstudio Turtle Rock Studios (unter anderem bekannt für Face Your Fears) enthüllt sein neues VR-Action-Adventure Journey of the Gods für Oculus Rift S und Oculus Quest. Der VR-Titel versetzt die Spieler in die Rolle eines menschlichen Wesens mit göttlichen Fähigkeiten innerhalb einer fantastischen Welt, um gegen bösartige Mondbiester anzutreten und eine anstehende Apokalypse ausgelöst durch den schwarzen Mond zu verhindern.

Dabei kombiniert der VR-Titel das Gameplay eines Action-Adventures mit RPG- und Rätselelementen. So tretet ihr in den Nah- und Fernkampf gegen eine Vielzahl an Kreaturen, indem ihr auf Schwert und Schild oder eine einhändige Armbrust zurückgreift. Weitere Waffen sollen natürlich ebenso bereitstehen.

Journey-of-the-Gods-Oculus-Rift-S-Oculus-Quest-Turtle-Rock-Studios-GDC-2019

Während eurer Reise durch das weitläufige Land findet ihr zudem zahlreiche Gegenstände, die ihr zur Verbesserung eures Charakters nutzen könnt. So könnt ihr neue Fähigkeiten freischalten oder bestehende Skills erweitern. Dazu zählen neben Kampffähigkeiten auch Magie. Außerdem könnt ihr mit einem eulenartigen Begleiter interagieren, der euch auf eurem Weg zur Seite steht.

Journey-of-the-Gods-Oculus-Rift-S-Oculus-Quest-Turtle-Rock-Studios-GDC-2019

Neben Kampfsituationen ist außerdem eure Problemlösefähigkeit gefragt, denn in verschiedenen Dungeons und Orten rund um die Welt gilt es, diverse Rätsel zu lösen, um voranzuschreiten.

Ein genauer Veröffentlichungstermin wurde allerdings noch nicht bekannt gegeben. Journey of the Gods soll für Oculus Rift S (und ebenso Oculus Rift) sowie für Oculus Quest erscheinen.

(Quelle: VR Focus | Upload VR | Video: Oculus YouTube)

Der Beitrag Journey of the Gods: VR-Adventure von Turtle Rock Studios für Oculus Rift S und Oculus Quest enthüllt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Dead and Buried 2 für Oculus Quest und Rift S angekündigt

Oculus veröffentlichte neben der Oculus Rift S auf der GDC 2019 den Nachfolger des kultigen Western-Shooters Dead and Buried 2, der für Oculus Quest und Oculus Rift S erscheinen soll.

Dead and Buried 2 – Nachfolger des Western-Shooters für Oculus Quest und Oculus Rift S angekündigt

Dead and Buried wurde erstmals 2016 von Oculus und Gunfire Games für Oculus Rift veröffentlicht, um den Spielern einen Multiplayer-Western-Shooter mit diversen Spielmodi zu präsentieren. Nun folgt drei Jahre später passend zur Veröffentlichung der nächsten Rift-Brille der zweite Teil der Shooter-Reihe.

Ebenso wie der Vorgänger versetzt auch Dead and Buried 2 seine schießfreudigen VR-Spieler in das gewohnte Western-Setting und lässt sie in verschiedenen Karten gegeneinander antreten. So feuert ihr euch durch Westernstädte und Salons und beweist, wer der beste Schütze in der Stadt ist.

Dabei stehen diverse Spielmodi, wie ein Free-for-All-Deathmatch oder ein Horde-Modus gegen NPCs mit unterschiedlichen Waffen zur Auswahl. Neben den bekannten Spielvarianten sollen jedoch auch neue Auswahlmöglichkeiten hinzukommen. Außerdem ermöglicht der Nachfolger absolute Bewegungsfreiheit in den virtuellen Duellen.

Außerdem sorgt ein Social Hub zukünftig für Interaktionsmöglichkeiten mit der Community. Entsprechend kann man vor den Runden mit anderen Spielern in Kontakt treten und sich unterhalten bzw. auf verschiedene Gimmicks zum Zeitvertreib zurückgreifen.

Eines der wichtigsten Features dürfte jedoch der Cross-Plattform-Support zwischen den Vertretern der PC-VR-Brillen und der kommenden Oculus Quest sein. Unabhängig vom gewählten VR-Endgerät können die Nutzer somit miteinander spielen. Das Cross-Buy-Feature erlaubt zudem den VR-Titel nach dem Kauf auf beiden Geräten zu verwenden. Letzteres wurde allerdings noch nicht offiziell für den neuen VR-Titel bestätigt.

Dead and Buried 2 soll im Frühjahr 2019 für Oculus Rift S und Oculus Quest erscheinen. Sämtliche Spiele für die Oculus Rift S sind natürlich auch mit der Standard-Version der Oculus Rift spielbar.

(Quelle: Upload VR | VR Scout | Video: Oculus YouTube)

Der Beitrag Dead and Buried 2 für Oculus Quest und Rift S angekündigt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Oculus is Considering an Over-ear Headphone Accessory for Rift S

Oculus announced its next iteration of Rift this week at GDC, Rift S. While there’s a few key differences about the upcoming hardware specs-wise, it seems the company has also taken a page out of Go’s playbook by including an open-ear integrated audio solution in the headstrap of Rift S. To that end, Oculus says they might bring out a bespoke audio accessory in the future.

Facebook’s head of VR product Nate Mitchell told Road to VR at the headset’s special GDC unveiling that the company was currently exploring the possibility of producing an aftermarket audio solution, something we suppose might work similarly to PSVR’s clip-on Mantis headphones from Bionik.

The company is decidedly taking a step back in terms of high-quality integrated audio with the entrance of Rift S. While we’re not entirely sure why at this point, it’s possible it’s a move to standardize the casual listening experience across their current line of products, which will soon include Oculus Quest this spring in addition to Oculus Go.

Photo by Road to VR

As with Quest and Go, you’ll find a pair of integrated speakers on the underside of Rift S’s headstrap. There’s also a 3.5mm audio jack on the left side of the headset itself for users who want to bring their own headphones or earbuds.

SEE ALSO
Hands-on: Oculus Rift S is a Better, Easier to Use Rift (with a Few Tradeoffs)

In the end, plugging in a pair of headphone or earbuds may be somewhat inelegant for people who’ve used the original Rift though, as having a built-in over-ear headphone that partially blocks out noise (and at an acceptably high volume) is something of a convenience factor.

In that token, third-party manufacturers would be able to make their own aftermarket audio add-ons too; it all just depends on how much demand there is from new Rift S owners, something Oculus (or the market) will probably figure out when the headset launches this spring.

The post Oculus is Considering an Over-ear Headphone Accessory for Rift S appeared first on Road to VR.

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Hands-on: ‘Shadow Point’ is a Clever Room-scale Puzzler Narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart

Coatsink, the studio known for VR games Augmented Empire (2018) and the Esper series, unveiled a new puzzle game at GDC 2019 this week that’s slated to be a day-one launch title for Oculus Quest. We got a chance to go hands-on with the room-scale puzzler, and it’s poised to be another clever and well-realized entry from the studio.

In some ways Shadow Point is a step in a new direction for Coatsink, which previously created purely seated VR titles for Oculus 3DOF mobile headsets as well as PC VR headsets. Slated to launch simultaneously on Oculus Quest and Rift sometime this spring, Shadows Point appears to be just as smart as the studio’s previous titles, although it now boasts room-scale interactions and locomotion that ought to get you up and scratching your head in all its 6DOF glory.

First starting with a movement tutorial, which includes free locomotion, snap-turn, and teleportation, I was quickly thrust into the thick of the game, which included some not-so-simple puzzles. Oh, and it’s entirely narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart (aka Captain Picard), which for me is admittedly more than just icing on the cake.

Image courtesy Coatsink

The game is decidedly low-poly to fit snugly inside Quest’s modest compute overhead, but charmingly textured and lit nonetheless; it fits in visually with titles like the Windlands series for example.

The demo took me through several indoor and outdoor spaces, which were linked by portals that would emanate from a wall once a key puzzle was solved, giving me short glimpses of a girl as I followed her through what I can only assume to be a world independent from time and space.

Image courtesy Coatsink

I can’t say much about the mysterious world of Shadow Point just yet considering my short time with Shadow Point, although to my eye it seems borrow some of the fantastical and cozy design language of Studio Ghibli. As I neared the end of the demo, it appeared my ethereal glimpses of the girl were more like a fractured memory. Stepping into a portal into a workshop, I found the girl again, although this time she was slightly older and was talking about how she had figured out the equation of how we could intersect in time and space again to meet back up.

SEE ALSO
Every Oculus Quest Launch Title Confirmed So Far

As for the puzzles, Shadow Point’s main puzzle mechanic is built on a pretty basic starting principle: you find items lying around that you then hold up in front of projectors to unlock doors to move forward. The idea is to line up the shadow of the object perfectly so it matches with its corresponding profile, be it on the wall, a picture frame, or doorway. For example: I came across a lantern casting a spotlight on a doorway. The doorway’s decorative pattern contains an empty circle. Taking a ball out of my inventory, I hold it up just right, matching it to the door’s decorative pattern and thereby unlocking the door. Items get more complex, but I don’t suspect the game will be entirely dedicated to what you might pessimistically call a glorified ’round peg in a round hole’ game.

Image courtesy Coatsink

The world of Shadow Point is mysterious, and it only gets more and more so the further I progressed. While I only spent a good 20-ish minutes playing through the demo, I got quick taste of the sort of difficulty that would eventually lay before me in what’s promised to be a multi-hour game. As the girl disappeared, I walked into the adjoining room to find a mirror. There, the lofty baritone voice of Captain Picard told me that the mirror wasn’t all that it seemed, as it reflected a different shape all together from the astrolabe currently in my hand.

SEE ALSO
Oculus Rift S Revealed with Inside-out Tracking, Resolution Bump, & New Ergonomics

There’s plenty more puzzle mechanics I didn’t get to experience first-hand too, as I got a sneak peek of the game’s trailer before I started the demo proper. Shadow Point also seems to give the player a sort of magical hand held looking-glass that changes the appearance of objects. The trailer is due to launch sometime soon, although the studio also provided a quick clip to demonstrate just what I mean.

Personally speaking, Shadow Point’s demo was intriguing in all the right ways. Even though I had a limited time to dive in, I felt like it was quick to tutorialize the basics while essentially giving me the space to figure out the puzzles for myself. If Coatsink is confident enough to leave me to my own devices without the constant chirping of a companion telling me what to do (Stewart only explained basic bits of the story and puzzles as I went along), then we may have truly something interesting on our hands.

Again, it’s due out sometime this Spring when Quest launches. When that will be, we just don’t know yet, but Facebook’s next big opportunity to take the stage will be at their F8 developer conference, which is going on April 30th – May 1st in San Jose, California. That’s just some healthy speculation for you.

The post Hands-on: ‘Shadow Point’ is a Clever Room-scale Puzzler Narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart appeared first on Road to VR.

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Turtle Rock Studios Working on Journey of the Gods for Oculus Quest

Today Oculus stole the show at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 showcasing the new Oculus Rift S head-mounted display (HMD). In amongst all that excitement, there were several videogame reveals for upcoming standalone Oculus Quest, one of which was Shadow Point, while the other was Journey of the Gods.

Journey of the Gods

Journey of the Gods is the latest virtual reality (VR) title from the developer behind the Face Your Fear series, Turtle Rock Studios. A stylized action-adventure with role-playing game elements, Journey of the Gods pits players against enemies big and small, from attacking waves of Moonbeasts to the giant Kraken boss with its deadly tentacles, they’ll have to utilise all manner of weapons to the fullest to survive.

Mixing up both melee and ranged combat, players can choose a trusty sword and shield or rely on their aim and the ever dependable crossbow. As with any RPG journey players will need to collect useful items on route, earning upgrades the more they fight and survive.

But it’s not all just highly stylish combat and violence, there’s some thinking to do as well, with environment puzzles littered around the worlds that’ll also slow and impede progress.

Turtle Rock Studios has released a trailer showcasing some of the gameplay elements involved, but the team hasn’t yet revealed the story and why players are fighting these fantastical beasts.

Journey of the Gods

Supporting both Oculus Quest and Rift, no release window has been confirmed for Journey of the Gods, and whether it’ll be available for Quest’s launch this Spring.

The wireless standalone device is expected to launch very soon, retailing for £399 USD. Offering wireless gaming thanks to a built-in battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC and the inside-out tracking technology called Oculus Insight, the headset comes supplied with new Oculus Touch controllers and built-in speakers like Oculus Go.

As GDC 2019 continues through the week, VRFocus will continue bringing you the latest VR news.

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Epic Games to Award $100 Million to Devs with New ‘MegaGrants’

Epic Games today announced at GDC that the company is set to turbo-charge their long-running developer grant initiative with ‘MegaGrants’ and the largest pool of funds yet, $100,000,000.

Epic have been running developer-focused funding initiatives for many years now, with the original ‘Unreal Dev Grants’ fund announced back in 2015. Since then, VR developers have featured prominently among the fund recipients awarded—many of which we’ve covered on this very site. In many ways, those grants have reflected Epic and Unreal Engine’s early and consistently prominent support of VR since the early days of VR’s latest resurgence.

Now, possibly reflecting the company’s bulging coffers, swelled by the ultra-successful battle royale shooter Fortnite, the company has now announced its first ‘MegaGrants’ initiative. The program now boasts a vast loot pool totaling $100,000,000—all of it potentially up for grabs for budding developers who make the grade, VR devs among them—should you choose to use Unreal Engine to power your project.

Interested? As a guideline, Epic Games have release key submission categories for the Epic MegaGrants which include:

Game Developers: UE4 dev teams of all sizes can apply for an Epic MegaGrant to help make their projects succeed. Developers can also apply for a grant to help transition existing or in-development games to UE4.

Media & Entertainment: Individuals or teams applying UE4 to film, television and other visual media, location-based entertainment, and live events are eligible to apply for an Epic MegaGrant.

Enterprise: Innovative teams and individuals leveraging UE4 in other non-gaming verticals, including architecture, automotive, manufacturing, simulation, product design, advertising and other areas, may apply for an Epic MegaGrant.

Education: Students and educators can earn funding for Unreal Engine research, curriculum, student projects and university programs. Grants will also be given to schools implementing Unreal Engine into classrooms and programs.

Grants to developers range between $5,000 and $500,000 for each award and “cover a variety of endeavors to further ignite creativity and technological advancement within the 3D graphics community.”

Importantly for those developers wary of inadvertently losing control over their precious gaming concepts, Epic Games clarifies that “All grant recipients will continue to own their IP and will be free to publish however they wish.” Also, Epic Games is giving itself leeway for the time frame that these funds will be doled out stating “Submissions will be evaluated, and grants awarded, on a continual rolling basis as funds allow, with no firm deadlines to submit.”

Developers who bravely decide to step into the still budding VR industry fray still face uphill challenges making their projects profitable, or even getting funds to make them happen in the first place. Epic’s MegaGrants could offer small startups and indie developers wanting to build their VR project the cash-fuel required to start, or to keep going. And if there’s one thing the entire VR community can agree on, it’s that influx of original, quality VR content that’s sorely needed to accelerate interest in VR gaming and entertainment, and see the industry grow.

Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney said of the announcement “At Epic we succeed when developers succeed. With Epic MegaGrants we’re reinvesting in all areas of the Unreal Engine development community and also committing to accelerate the open sourcing of content, tools, and knowledge.”

To read more on the MegaGrants initiative, head to the Epic Games website here.

The post Epic Games to Award $100 Million to Devs with New ‘MegaGrants’ appeared first on Road to VR.

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Epic MegaGrants is a new $100,000,000 Initiative by Epic Games

Epic Games has just held its annual State of Unreal showcase at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 and the company has a few things to shout about. A couple of days ago the company awarded its final round of grants for its Unreal Dev Grants programme. Today, Epic Games has taken that idea to the next step, announcing Epic MegaGrants. a new $100,000,000 USD initiative.

Epic Games

Just as before, Epic MegaGrants aim to assist videogame developers, media and entertainment creators, enterprise professionals, students, educators, and tools developers who are working with Unreal Engine 4. Epic Games will award creators with grants that range from $5,000 all the way up to $500,000, plus they will continue to own their IP and will be free to publish however they wish.

“At Epic we succeed when developers succeed,” said Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games in a statement. “With Epic MegaGrants we’re reinvesting in all areas of the Unreal Engine development community and also committing to accelerate the open sourcing of content, tools, and knowledge.”

Grants will be awarded on a continuous rolling basis as funds allow, with no firm deadlines to submit. Simply head to the Epic MegaGrants website for additional details on eligibility and how to apply.

Epic Online Services

In addition to helping developers with financial grants, Epic Games has now launched Epic Online Services, a set of free tools and services. Designed to work with any engine – not just Unreal Engine 4 – Epic Online Services was originally built for Fortnite. It can offer developers easy access to key services such as game analytics and customer support tools all through a single SDK and developer portal.

“Building a game is only the beginning for developers. We know from experience that successfully managing and scaling your game requires a robust infrastructure, with numerous back-end services. With Fortnite we are now operating these services at an enormous scale, and we are glad to start opening them up to the game development community at large in order to make it easier for teams of all sizes to succeed,” Sweeney adds.

There’s going to be plenty more news coming from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 this week, so keep reading VRFocus for the latest updates.

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‘Space Junkies’ Open Beta to Land on All Major VR Headsets Tomorrow with Cross-play

Ubisoft is getting ready to launch its next big foray into VR with the multiplayer shooter Space Junkies, which is set to launch on March 26th. But first, users on PSVR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows VR will have a free crack at it leading up to launch.

The open beta is slated to start on March 21st and go through March 25th, offering what developers Ubisoft Montpellier say will be the same experience as the full game.

The full game is set to launch with four different PvP modes playable across six maps and a number of character classes and weapons.

Additionally, Ubisoft today revealed that all platforms will support cross-play, with Ubisoft’s UPlay essentially acting as a communal friend’s list, similar to the studio’s other multiplayer titles Star Trek: Bridge Crew, Werewolves Within, and Eagle Flight.

Image captured by Road to VR

One of the big hurdles to overcome for any multiplayer VR game is undoubtedly driving continued user engagement post-launch. Ubisoft Montpellier’s Adrian Lacey told Road to VR that all supported platforms will be getting regular new content, including new modes, maps, weapons, and customization items—something Lacey maintains will continue well after launch.

SEE ALSO
Breakout VR Hit 'Beat Saber' Confirmed as Oculus Quest Launch Title

We’ve had a pretty fair shake at Space Junkies over the past year or so; it’s proven to be a highly-polished and comfortable experience despite the game’s unique zero-G dimensionality and relatively high speeds.

At GDC this week we got another chance to go hands-on, this time getting a whack at the game’s PSVR version using the only supported input device, the DualShock 4 gamepad. It decidedly wasn’t as intuitive as the bonafide motion controllers on other platforms, as PSVR users are expected to shoot using the gamepad’s 6DOF. This, I was told, was to keep PSVR players competitive, as PS Move simply doesn’t fit the bill when it comes to the game’s fast-paced shooting and maneuvering due to the lack of thumb sticks.

Keeping gameplay fair across all supported platforms is also somewhat of a balancing act, Lacey told me. While gamepad shooting isn’t something I’d call particularly immersive, drilling other players with dual weapons seemed to be an easier experience, and reloading is a quicker action too—a single button press as opposed to physically flicking the gun with motion controls.

Whatever he case may be, the ‘try it before you buy it’ open beta is sure to be revealing to anyone who plans on jumping head first into what we called ‘VR’s spiritual successor to Unreal Tournament’.

The post ‘Space Junkies’ Open Beta to Land on All Major VR Headsets Tomorrow with Cross-play appeared first on Road to VR.