Wenn ihr aktuell 3D-Modelle in VR erschaffen wollt, dann könnt ihr beispielsweise zu SculptrVR oder Medium greifen und wenn ihr malen wollt, dann sind Tilt Brush und Quill die erste Wahl. Leider begrenzen sich die meisten kreativen Tools aber entweder auf das Malen oder das Modellieren oder sie können nur mit einer Virtual Reality Brille verwendet werden. Dieses Problem möchte MasterpieceVR lösen, denn das Programm lässt euch 3D Modelle erstellen und malen und bietet außerdem die Möglichkeit, dass Nutzer der Oculus Rift auch mit Nutzern der HTC Vive gemeinsam an Projekten arbeiten können.
MasterpieceVR mit Oculus Rift und HTC Vive Support
Wer jetzt noch zögert, den sollte vielleicht der aufgerufene Preis überzeugen. MasterpieceVR steht kostenlos auf Steam bereit und lädt somit alle VR Nerds zum Ausprobieren ein. Das Tool ist aktuell als Early Access Version gestartet und bietet euch 12 verschiedene Werkzeuge zum Modellieren und 12 verschiedene Pinsel zum Malen. Die Steuerung unterscheidet sich nicht wesentlich von Oculus Medium oder Tilt Brush und somit solltet ihr schnell die ersten Kunstwerke erschaffen können. Im Moment dürfen nur zwei Personen gleichzeitig an einem Projekt arbeiten, aber die Entwickler wollen später einen Support für vier Künstler nachreichen. Vermutlich müssen wir auch nicht lange auf dieses Feature warten, denn die Early Access Phase soll bereits in zwei Monaten abgeschlossen werden.
Wenn ihr Interesse an der Anwendung habt, dann solltet ihr diese auch innerhalb der nächsten zwei Monate herunterladen. Aktuell steht noch nicht fest, ob das Programm nach der Early Access Phase Geld kosten wird.
There are a ton of educational Vive apps and Early Access games that released this week, but we also have a couple of bigger releases as well. Creative tools have been some of the shining examples of VR interaction since solidifying its place in early 2016 and now we have a new entry that wants to take things to the next level: MasterpieceVR. This program offers all the robust tools you expect but adds in cross-play and multiplayer creativity. You’ll find more info in our write-up from earlier today.
We also have a top list of the absolute best HTC Vive games — which is updated every few months with the latest and greatest options.
SteamHammerVR – The Rogue Apprentice – London 1892, from GamestormVR
Price: $15.99 (Currently Discounted)
This steampunk shooter equips you with steam-powered weapons so that you can take down the clockwork automatons of an oppressive army in Victorian London.
Recommendation: Another wave shooter, but with a unique steampunk flair. Pick it up if you’re not suffocating in wave shooters yet.
Destination: Pluto The VR Experience, from SkyWorks Digital, Home Run Pictures
Price: Free
Take a walk on Pluto in this new Destination experience. The program pulls from NASA’s New Horizons mission and takes you through the Krun Macula canyon lands, a glacier spill, and the high plains of Sputnik Planum.
Recommendation: A free trip to the stars. What’s not to like?
MasterpieceVR, from Brinx Software
Price: Free To play
MasterpieceVR raises the bar for creative VR experiences by adding in cross-play and multiplayer gameplay that will grow over the life of the program. Choose your realistic or fantasy venue and start sculpting your art with friends.
Recommendation: Free for a limited and a must have nonetheless.
Home Tech VR, from 360 Evolve VR Pty Ltd
Price: $14.99
Home Tech VR is more of an educational experience than a game, showing how near future homes will utilize solar and storage batteries. Users will get a snapshot into how electric appliances pull from the solar energy and the costs a realistic home accrues.
Recommendation: Not really something for gamers but, to a professional that wants to be able to demonstrate the benefits of solar energy, there’s plenty here.
The Physiology of the Eye, from Intervoke
Price: $8.99 (Currently Discounted)
This program is another on a more educational slant. The Physiology of the Eye‘s title is pretty self explanatory and users will be quizzed as they work through different educational chapters.
Recommendation: A visually appealing (pun intended) and informative program that could be a boon for educators that have taken the leap into VR.
VRemin (A Virtual Theremin), from Heiko Ihde
Price: $0.89 (Currently Discounted)
VRemin adds to a steadily growing collection of instruments being recreated for virtual spaces. The app is currently in Early Access, but there are 4 oscillators and a virtual concert hall in place with more features to be planned to be added in the future.
Recommendation: A little spare change to add another VR skill to your repertoire.
HVRGUN, from Jonathan Bartram, Thomas Bartram
Price: $5.99 (Currently Discounted)
HVRGUN employs players as assault pilots participating in a grueling training program. Dodge, return fire, and destroy endless enemies while moving around various environments with a collection of weapons.
Recommendation: Since Battlezone is a PS VR exclusive, this could scratch a similar itch for PC VR gamers.
RunVR, from Smoketree Studios
Price: $5.39 (Currently Discounted)
RunVR is described as the ultimate locomotion tech demo that gets users, running, jumping, and climbing around an obstacle course in VR.
Recommendation: Not much to see here for now. Keep an eye on it while in Early Access to see if modes are added. This is a tech demo.
VR Amazing Files: Horror Hospital, from Joygo.Stuido
Price: $19.99
This adventure/shooter tasks players with investigating an abandoned hospital, finding missing research notes, and trying to find the zero patient so a serum can be created to combat the shambling inhabitants. There’s realistic shooting and reloading mechanics and physics to supplement the gameplay.
Recommendation: Solid ideas here, but poor execution. Pass on it at this price.
Starship Disco, from Solus Games, Inc.
Price: $8.99 (Currently Discounted)
Starship Disco brings some space shooting to the rhythm genre with the option to play with 1 or 2 hands and import your own music.
Recommendation: Solid experience with functional imports. If you don’t already have a solid rhythm game, this could be your ticket.
Diesel Power, from Irmas Ibric
Price: $9.99
Diesel Power is a game inspired by classic isometric track racers but it utilizes the unique VR space to hit players with a barrage of gameplay elements while attempting to keep your car on the right path.
Recommendation: A very challenging treat, but lacks some production values. Check out the trailer on the Steam page to see if it interests you.
Puzzle Island VR, from Interaction Ideas GmbH
Price: $8.99 (Currently Discounted)
Puzzle Island VR offers challenging physics puzzles but drops you on a peaceful island retreat. As you play, other players will appear to help complete the different challenges.
Recommendation: A solid list of features make this a bit different than most escape room VR experiences.
GridVR, from iPOL
Price: $9.99
GridVR is a collection of gaming experiences that all play out on the tiles of a virtual room. You can play classic match games, Simon Says, Snake, and more.
Recommendation: A cool retro arcade experience, but nothing new. Wait for a sale.
Dunk It (VR Basketball), from Shashitha Kularatna
Price: $4.49 (Currently Discounted)
With Dunk It, developers have put together a dynamic basketball sandbox with realistic physics and not-so-realistic rockets on your hands. In this outer space court, play to your heart’s content and multiplayer will be added later.
Recommendation: Currently a motion sickness hazard. Keep an eye on it to see if the developers add any comfort options.
Siegecraft Commander, from Blowfish Studios
Price: $13.99
In Siegecraft Commander, players create sprawling fortresses by placing towers, units, and walls strategically in this strategy game that offers real-time or turn-based gameplay. Strengthen your own defenses while slowly moving to take down your enemy’s fortress and keep.
Recommendation: The VR RTS genre is growing up with another solid entry at an affordable price. VR not required.
Henry The Hamster Handler, from Pocket Money Games
Price: $5.99
You’re one-handed Henry and you must save the mass-produced hamsters from being destroyed by helping them traverse series of dangerous obstacles or whack them with a mallet. Your call.
Recommendation: Very fun collection of levels and mini-games. Here’s our review.
Wacky Wings, from Pocket Money Games
Price: $5.99
Another game from Pocket Money Games sadly lacking fluffy hamsters is Wacky Wings, an arcade flying game where you use a touch controller to guide your device around collecting coins and fuel in order to stay in the air with one of 11 vehicles. The game also includes two unlockable game modes: Blitz where you shoot down enemy pilots in a black and white world and Endless mode.
Recommendation: Really unique game worth checking out.
Recommendation: Neat local multiplayer experience. Early Access could evolve well over time.
The table at war VR, from KudaiGame
Price: $14.99
This game gives players access to a vibrant tabletop game that can be manipulated with various trading cards that bring magic, monsters, and more to life. The game includes PvP as well.
Recommendation: Too many technical and glaring design issues to be a viable purchase for now.
Of all the games I’ve longed to see brought into the virtual realm, I have to admit Lemmings isn’t one of them. The series may be a classic staple in gaming history, but it always seemed best suited to the Orwellian monitoring of critters through a computer screen rather than the god-like empowerment that VR bestows.
Games like Fly to KUMA last year and now Henry The Hamster Handler more recently, however, showed me how wrong I was to think that.
To be fair to developer Pocket Money Games, this isn’t a straight up clone. Rather than assigning jobs to green-haired minions, you’re frantically clearing the path for oversized hamsters as they move from the start zone to the finish. You have to make sure they’re not burned, electrocuted, impaled, or squashed along the way. It’s kind of like a mouse maze, if it was designed by Jigsaw from the Saw films.
Henry targets a very hectic sort of fun that has your mind racing back and forth as you multi-task between pulling levers, pushing buttons and winding wheels. Forget about one task for even a split second and you’ll hear the high-pitched squeals of your furry friends perishing. If your as forgetful as me, then these fast-firing levels quickly turn from a well oiled machine into a war zone. You’re always one step behind the devices of death.
Fortunately, Henry scales its difficulty based on player preference. There’s only one mode, but each level works on a three star system. You’ll only need a small amount of hamsters to progress to the next challenge, but reaching to get more stars will require careful study of each levels’ layout and likely multiple attempts to find the right flow. And with 150 levels in total, there’s plenty of content on offer here for completionists.
For the most part, levels are intricately designed, though I did notice a few instances of hamsters narrowly missing death pits that they were meant to fall into and landing safely to one side, a bug that I’m weary to highlight considering it provides a crutch. When the layout does click, however, there’s a satisfying blend of elements to micromanage. You have to time when you turn off the fire, or open a gate, as they’ll reset after a few seconds and stragglers will meet their end. They’ll even squish each other in falls if you don’t time it right.
The result is a game that can quite frankly become overwhelming at times, though the constant progression staves off frustration. Pocket Money has made the somewhat strange decision to only allow you to use one hand, though, which feels limiting. Perhaps using two hands would break the game’s difficulty but the sheer panic it can easily work you into has me doubting that.
It’s the polish that makes Henry really shine, though. This feels like the rare VR game that isn’t simply a tech demo for its base concept. On top of the meaty puzzle campaign, Pocket Money inserts mini-games every five levels in that have you playing Whack-A-Hamster, memorizing button inputs, and shooting giant critters that pop out of pipes (because no Vive game can come and go without letting you hold a gun). It’s not the absolute epitome for what VR can do for the human race, but it’s a textbook example of making a rock solid game with the kind of features and presentation you’d expect of a fully-fledged release. Unless you’ve got the backing of a big publisher, that’s something we rarely see right now.
Final Score:8/10 – Great
Henry the Hamster Handler isn’t the absolute best Vive game I’ve played, but it does achieve what it sets out to do better than anything I’ve seen on the system in a while. It’s clearly made by people that understand the importance of giving value to premium products, with plenty of content, extra modes and polish in its presentation, and that alone makes it stand out. More importantly, though, its core mechanics easily generate a frantic flurry of panic and micromanaging that’s a genuine joy to try and contain. If you don’t think this is the sort of game for you I implore you to still give it a try; you might end up having more fun than you’d think.
Read our Game Review Guidelines for more information on how we arrived at this score. Henry the Hamster Handler is available now on Steam with official HTC Vive support for $5.99.
Today’s the day when the eyes of the world are on the US as it inaugurates the 45th President, Donald Trump into office. While the actual ceremony takes place at 5pm GMT today, for those wanting to get a closer look at the new president in the Oval Office, Viveport has released Wide Awake for HTC Vive owners.
Created by developers MacInnes Scott, Wide Awake features a photo-realistic recreation of the next POTUS, allowing you to see him in his new surroundings. Not only have MacInnes Scott created a life-like copy using its proprietary digital human ‘maximum resolution’ replication system, the studio also used Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to render the character and recreate the Oval Office down to the very last detail.
Users can explore the space where America’s destiny has been shaped for the past 78 years, and where the new President will be based for the next four. They’ll be able to walk around and with a torch, discover all the President’s hidden secrets by shining a light on them.
“VR is a new medium with the potential of being a movie or video game, a combination of both or something completely new,” says John MacInnes on Viveport. “We see Trump In VR as art – a tableau vivant, in the American tradition of artists like Edward Hooper in painting, Gregory Crewdson and Cindy Sherman in photography. Unlike a painting and photography, you can interact with the art in virtual reality.”
Wide Awake is free to download and for any further Viveport additions, keep reading VRFocus.
A few days ago VRFocusreported on Rank17 unveiling its lineup of virtual reality (VR) video games for this year. It confirmed at least three titles for 2017, one of them being Super Pixel Smash. Now the studio has specified a release date for HTC Vive, along with a limited time discount.
Super Pixel Smash is a fast paced sports title where players have to hit a Digital Energy Orb into a destructible wall whilst chaining combos together. To do this they’ll have two pieces of equipment, a Pixel Paddle to whack the orb and a Gravity Gauntlet. For the best combos players will need to maintain the orb’s momentum, if they don’t the gauntlet can then be used to retrieve the orb.
A purely single-player experience, Super Pixel Smash has a variety of bonus panels built into the destructible wall, aiding players trying to achieve highscores. These include point multipliers, orb multipliers, and speed boosts. Charged shots are also available, enabling multiple sections of the wall to be destroyed in one hit. There’s also ‘death panels’ which need to be avoided at all costs.
With a retro 80’s style Super Pixel Smash will launch on 25th January. For the first week of sale it’ll have a 40 percent discount available, dropping the price from $7.99 USD down to $4.79.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Rank17, reporting back with further VR updates.
While current virtual reality (VR) can put users inside virtual worlds, making them feel incredibly immersive through motion controllers, picking up items or walking around objects there are still limitations. And these limitations generally refer to the rest of a users body. While hands and head can be tracked, hips, feet, legs and other body parts aren’t – if you’ve ever wanted to kick something in VR that’s exactly the point – but developers are testing solutions. One team that’s revealed its experiments is CloudGate Studio, who’ve just released a new video.
In the short video CloudGate Studio’s President, Steve Bowler showcases some of the early experiments in trying to create full body interaction within a virtual environment. To achieve this, Bowler uses two HTC Vive headsets and four controllers, two naturally in his hands, while the other two are attached to his feet. This then allows him to lift his legs and twist his feet, thus enabling him to kick various virtual objects.
With the software knowing where Bowlers feet are the entire body can now be represented much more accurately. This enables him to touch his chest, knees, even his toes in VR, as well as creating a realistic shadow of the players avatar. Bowler goes on to talk about crouching – quite common in shooting titles – and how the studio can procedurally mimic the action, but with a hip marker it would be far more accurate.
Another benefit of full body tracking Bowler notes would be for social VR, as people interact with each other in virtual worlds their avatars would be far more realistic, adding to a greater sense of presence and immersion.
Labeled as the first video on its full body awareness experiments, expect more from CloudGate in the future. For the latest news from CloudGate Studio, keep reading VRFocus.
Auf der CES 2017 kündigte Nvidia bereits an, dass man zukünftig mit der hauseigenen Software GeForce Experience auch Inhalte auf Facebook streamen können wird. Das neuste Update der Software ermöglicht jetzt dieses Feature. Es lässt sich sowohl normales Gameplay, als auch Virtual Reality Inhalte direkt auf Facebook live übertragen. So könnt Ihr unter anderem auch 360 Grad Screenshots teilen.
GeForce Experience ermöglicht VR Streaming
Mit Hilfe der GeForce Experience konnten zuvor schon Gameplay-Inhalte ohne große Performance-Einbußen aufgezeichnet werden. Bislang war allerdings lediglich das Streamen auf YouTube und Twitch möglich. Die wachsende Popularität des Facebook Live-Streaming Features veranlasste Nvidia nun dazu, auch das Streaming über Facebook zu ermöglichen.
Die Funktion um VR zu streamen ist aber derzeit noch mit Einschränkungen verbunden. Während ihr euch in der virtuellen Realität befindet, habt ihr keine Möglichkeit mit den Zuschauern zu interagieren, denn derzeit könnt ihr noch nicht den Chat oder die Live-Kommentare in VR einblenden. Da Nvidia die GeForce Experience in der Vergangenheit stetig verbessert hat und Virtual Reality allmählich an Fahrt aufnimmt, ist damit zu rechnen, dass dieses Feature noch nachträglich hinzugefügt wird. Die Einstellungsmöglichkeiten der GeForce Experience sind derzeit noch recht überschaubar. Es kann die Framerate, die Auflösung und die Bitrate eingestellt werden. Optionen für das Einstellen der Webcam fehlen.
Um GeForce Experience nutzen zu können, benötigt ihr eine Nvidia Grafikkarte. Die Software kann kostenlos auf der Website des Grafikkartenherstellers heruntergeladen werden. Auch Oculus hatte bereits angekündigt , dass das Streamen von VR auf Facebook ermöglicht werden soll, jedoch war lediglich von der Gear VR die Rede. Ein Support für die Oculus Rift wurde bislang nicht angekündigt.
Das Marktforschungsinstitut AP Lellwitz hat, gemeinsam mit dem Panel-Anbieter Toluna Quicksurveys und der Agentur Visibility, eine Studie zur Akzeptanz von Virtual Reality Inhalten in Deutschland veröffentlicht. Für die Studie wurden 500 Männer und Frauen ab 18 Jahren online nach ihren Interessen, Wünschen, Hoffnungen und Kaufabsichten gefragt. Die Ergebnisse sind durchaus interessant.
Akzeptanz von Virtual Reality in Deutschland
Laut der Studie wollen 52% der Befragten in absehbarer Zukunft ein Virtual Reality Headset erwerben, falls ein erschwingliches Produkt auf den Markt kommt. Doch die potentiellen Käufer in Deutschland sind nicht nur an Spielen interessiert, sondern 49% wollen VR nutzen, um fremde Länder zu bereisen und Sehenswürdigkeiten anzuschauen. Außerdem stehen Erfahrungen hoch im Kurs, die uns in vergangene Epochen entführen. Die Unterhaltung durch die neue Technologie ist den Befragten somit besonders wichtig und 87% würden das Headset für diesen Zweck kaufen.
Quelle: AP Lellwitz
Die Studie zeigt außerdem, dass Männer und Frauen das Thema VR unterschiedlich auffassen. Während Männer einen starken Fokus auf das Spielen legen (49%), sind Frauen eher an Reisen (54%) und an Weiterbildungsangeboten (26%) interessiert. Doch warum hat sich Virtual Reality noch nicht in allen Haushalten durchgesetzt?
Quelle: AP Lellwitz
Laut der Studie ist der Preis für die Produkte aktuell viel zu hoch. 68% der Befragten wollen sich erst ein Virtual Reality Headset kaufen, wenn der Preis unter 200 Euro fällt. Bei einem Preis von 400 Euro würden nur noch 42% einsteigen und bei 500 Euro sogar nur noch 32%. Leider wird aber nur nach einem Preis für das Headset gefragt und somit bleiben die Anschaffungskosten für einen PC, eine Konsole oder ein Smartphone unberücksichtigt. Würden die Befragten auch ein VR Headset für 200 Euro kaufen, wenn zusätzlich der Kauf eines PCs für 800 Euro getätigt werden muss?
Außerdem ist VR Headset oder VR Brille mittlerweile ein weiter Begriff. Würden die Menschen mehr Geld für eine Room Scale Erfahrung ausgeben oder reicht ein herkömmliches Gamepad und eine VR Darstellung aus? Wir haben die komplette Studie angefordert und hoffen, dass es noch differenzierte Ergebnisse gibt.
„Together we can make a difference“ – Unter diesem Motto hat HTC gestern auf dem World Economic Forum in der Schweiz bekannt gegeben, dass die enorme Summe an Geldern für das hauseigene Charity-Programm unter dem Titel VR for Impact zur Verfügung gestellt werden soll. Der Konzern will mit dieser Maßnahme einerseits die VR-Entwicklung vorantreiben, andererseits ein Zeichen setzen und die Welt nachhaltig positiv beeinflussen.
Mit Virtual Reality die Welt verändern – HTC fördert innovative Projekte
Ab sofort ruft HTC Vive dazu auf, Ideen einzubringen, die aus dem Pool der 10 Millionen US-Dollar finanziert werden sollen. Technologische Neuheiten, Erfindungen oder schlicht innovative Konzepte werden gesucht, die im Rahmen der 17 Sustainable Development Goals der Vereinten Nationen für einen Wandel in der Welt sorgen sollen. Wer der Initiative etwas beisteuern möchte, kann dies über die offizielle Seite von VR for Impact tun, indem er angibt, welches der 17 Ziele, unter anderem bestehend aus „No Poverty“, „Zero Hunger“, „Healthy Lives“ oder „Gender Equality“, mit der eigenen Technologie angegangen werden soll.
Die Vorsitzende und CEO von HTC, Cher Wang, ließ in einem Statement diesbezüglich verlauten:
“HTC Vive will fund the best ideas using Virtual Reality that truly drive awareness and positive change in our world. We encourage all players in the VR eco-system to join as only together we can drive real impact.”
Neben dem Konkurrenten Oculus, der bereits vor einigen Monaten mit einem ähnlichen Programm unter dem Namen VR for Good an die Öffentlichkeit trat, kann man auch HTC als Vorreiter in der Verbindung aus VR-Technologie und Charity betrachten. HTC steht in den Bestrebungen, eine bessere Welt zu schaffen allerdings keinesfalls allein da, denn das renommierte World Food Programm hat HTC bereits zur VR for Impact-Kampagne beglückwünscht und könnte sich als potenzieller Partner im Kampf gegen Hunger und andere Krisen auf der Welt herausstellen.
Positives Feedback erhält die neue VR-Technologie vor allem dafür, dass sie die Möglichkeit besitzt, Informationen und Erfahrungen auf eine Art zu präsentieren, die bisher unmöglich schien – Empathie ist hier das Stichwort. In einer Aufstellung möglicher Innovations-Beispiele gibt HTC unter der Prämisse Understand everyone an:
“Literally walk a mile in another person’s shoes. Experience war zones, celebrations, life, death and everything in between. Creating empathy for every human experience is a new frontier in VR”
Wer Ideen oder fertige Konzepte einbringen will, kann diese ab sofort bei HTC einreichen, vom Finanzvolumen des Konzerns profitieren und gleichzeitig die Welt verändern.
Last year Carbon Studio released its first virtual reality (VR) videogame ALICE VRfor Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR. Today the studio announced its next VR project, this time with a magical theme, The Wizards.
In The Wizards players take on the role of a young wizard traveling through time, fighting hordes of enemy forces along the way with magic. A single-player experience created using Unreal Engine 4, The Wizards allows players to weave elemental spells with their hands using motion controllers, unleashing lightning, fireballs and more.
Alongside spells to learn that can also be upgraded, the video game adds game-modifying Fate Cards. These can increase replayability and accessibility, changing the titles difficulty and rewards.
Due for release in 2017, The Wizards will support Oculus Rift and HTC Vive head-mounted displays (HMDs). Checkout the first teaser trailer below and for further coverage of The Wizards, keep reading VRFocus.
