Hyperbolic Magnetism – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

July 10, 2019

Beat Games CEO Steps Down to Focus on ‘Beat Saber’ Music

Beat Games, the studio behind Beat Saber (2018), announced that company CEO Jaroslav Beck will be stepping down from his position to further pursue music deals for the studio’s block-slashing rhythm game.

Beat Games says in a multi-part tweet that Vladimir Hrincar, the co-creator behind Beat Saber (along with Jan Ilavsky), is taking over the role of the CEO.

Beck, known for creating much of the game’s original tracks, initially made a name for himself in the games industry by producing music compositions for several franchises, including music for Overwatch short films, an introduction trailer to StarCraft: Legacy of the Void, and trailers for EA Games’ Battlefield.

In 2016, Beck founded Epic Music Productions, a studio focusing on soundtrack music composition for both the games and movie industry.

In May 2018, Beck took over as CEO of the newly formed studio Beat Games, which was previously named Hyperbolic Magnetism.

‘Beat Saber’ Developers Working “full-time” on PSVR Version, Slated for Late 2018

Beat Games announced that PlayStation VR users should expect the PSVR version of the hit indie VR rhythm game Beat Saber (2018) to arrive sometime later this year.

While it’s still uncertain exactly when PSVR users should expect to start slicing blocks to the beat, Jaroslav Beck, the game’s principal composer and studio co-founder, tweeted recently that the team is working full-time to finish the PSVR version.

Team is working on it fulltime. It’ll be done by end of this year;)

— Jaroslav Beck (@Sqeepo) September 3, 2018

We previously played a working prototype of the PSVR version at this year’s E3, and it was definitely a promising adaptation that generally worked well, although it bucked up against the headset’s tracking limitations. Here’s a quick blurb from our full hands-on:

At the game’s first showing on PSVR, here at E3 2018, Beat Saber made a promising impression. While the Move controllers don’t feel quite as responsive as the controllers on the major PC VR headsets, but tracking on PSVR was solid enough that I could handle the game’s tracks on the highest level of difficulty without much frustration. The only major issues came when my controllers exited the camera’s narrow field of view, which happened at one point in a song when I had to duck under one of the obstacles and hit notes while ducking, which ended up leaving my hands outside of the tracking cone, and unable to hit the notes.

[…]

Beyond the tracking limitations, the Move controllers physically feel quite nice for Beat Saber, considering that the shape of the handle is very hilt-like and easy to hold without accidentally squeezing the trigger during play. The haptics in the Move controller is also well suited to the game, offering a strong and satisfying vibration when hitting each note.

Beat Saber has taken PC VR headset users by storm, as it quickly hit the 100K milestone despite still being in Early Access. While you wait, check out our Beat Saber Early Access review here for the skinny on what makes Beat Saber tick.

The post ‘Beat Saber’ Developers Working “full-time” on PSVR Version, Slated for Late 2018 appeared first on Road to VR.

July 16, 2018

Beat Saber to Feature PlayStation VR Exclusive Features

If there’s one virtual reality (VR) videogame that has caught the imagination of HTC Vive and Oculus Rift players at the moment then it’s Beat Games (previously Hyberbolic Magnetism) Beat Saber. Having launched in Early Access on Steam and Oculus Store, the studio confirmed last month that PlayStation VR would be getting its own version. Now it appears that PlayStation VR owners will be getting exclusives as well.

Beat Saber Screenshot

In an interview with GamesBeat, Beat Games CEO Jaroslav Beck revealed that PlayStation VR owners would be getting unique gameplay features, whilst adding: “There will be quite a lot of things we would like to deliver to PS VR exclusively, but it’s a little too soon to talk about it. Stay tuned!”

As for those fans worried that the PlayStation VR version will be a downgraded copy then don’t be, with Beck saying: “We were very surprised that we don’t have to make many changes. PlayStation is capable to deliver almost 1-to-1 experience as we have on PC right now.”

Additionally, for those that do happen to own a PlayStation 4 Pro, it “will render the game in higher resolution, and some of the effects will have higher details,” Beck confirms.

Beat Saber Screenshot

Currently though there’s no confirmed release date for the PlayStation VR version, simply ‘later this year.’ This is likely due to the team working on several other aspects of the videogame as well.

First of all there’s going to be an official level editor for fans to create their own tracks. After which Beat Games plan of launching a multiplayer component so players can compete side-by-side on the same level for the best score. And lastly, announced last week is the Beat Saber Arcade, an official licensing initiative by the studio so location-based entertainment (LBE) venues can purchase and use the title.

So there’s masses going on. As soon as further details are released by Beat Games, VRFocus will let you know.

July 12, 2018

Beat Saber Arcade to be Officially Rolled Out for Location-Based Entertainment

Simple yet ludicrously addictive, Myperbolic Magnetism’s Beat Saber is still in Early Access yet enjoying phenomenal success on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. While players are still awaiting a level editor which the studio has previously mentioned, the team has made an unexpected announcement, that Beat Saber will be available for commercial licensing later this month.

Beat Saber Screenshot

Location-based entertainment (LBE) venues have been growing in number and popularity over the past year, with studios working in virtual reality (VR) using that growth to license their videogames and make some money – something which is harder to do via the consumer market.

This is obviously an avenue Hyperbolic Magnetism is keen to capitalise on due to Beat Saber’s easy to pickup gameplay style. In a statement the studio said: “It has always been our intention to provide Beat Saber for audiences both at home and in arcades, yet our small team has been so excitedly heads down adding new features like the soon to be released level editor and a build for PSVR, that it took us longer than expected to create the version most playable in arcades.

“It is so important to us that you have the very best experience with our game wherever you play it. We couldn’t be more grateful for the positive response from the Beat Saber community and hope you find our delay to make earlier arcade announcements more a reflection of our commitment to quality than anything else.”

Beat Saber Screenshot

The plan is to make the arcade version and the legal commercial license available in the next few weeks, with the studio still to specify how commercial venues go about gaining said license.

Another feature still to be released is multiplayer. With the first version expected to be a competitive realtime multiplayer, where players compete against each other to get the best score on a specific level, this would ideally suit an arcade setup with multiple devices. So maybe this will all happen at the same time? As further details are released, VRFocus will keep you informed.

July 5, 2018

Become a High Score Master Thanks to New Beat Saber Video

It was only released in May as an Early Access title yet Hyperbolic Magnetism’s Beat Saber has caught the imagination of virtual reality (VR) fans across the world, becoming an instant hit whilst garnering a big modding community to add further songs. Whether you’re new to the wonders of Beat Saber or a light saber expert, you may have wondered exactly how the scoring system works in the videogame. Well question no more as the studio has released a handy video to explain.

Beat Saber Screenshot

Of course the main challenge of Beat Saber is to hit each block in the correct direction in time with the song’s beat. But doing that will only net you so many points. The trick to achieving maximum points, getting and ‘S’ ranking and getting on those leaderboards is the quality of the swing.

The video posted on the Beat Saber twitter goes into more detail but essentially each swing needs to be as long as possible to achieve 100 points, and it doesn’t even need to be straight. For a further ten points get the cut as close to the centre of the cube as possible. So there’s a maximum of 110 points for each block.

Still wondering how our scoring system works? Check the video ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vzY50JRPB7

— Beat Saber (@BeatSaber) July 5, 2018

This is all makes sense and sounds easy enough, although trying to ensure such lengthy swings in the higher difficulty modes is easier said than done, but at least you now now how to beat your mates highscore.

Beat Saber arrived on Steam Early Access for the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality devices on 1st May 2018. PlayStation VR compatibility then arrived in the run up to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2018. Hyperbolic Magnetism has been working on Beat Saber since 2016 and plan to exit Early Access by the end of this year. As further details about the videogame are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.

July 5, 2018June 18, 2019

‘Beat Saber’ Scoring Explained – It’s All in the Technique

With the release of Oculus Quest, more and more players are jumping into Beat Saber. And while it’s easy enough to cut cubes to the beat, there’s a trick to achieving the highest score. Here’s how scoring works in Beat Saber.

Beat Saber requires decent timing to slice directional blocks on the beat, but unlike most rhythm games, getting the highest score is about swing technique, not perfect timing. If you’ve found yourself wondering ‘how do I get the highest score in Beat Saber‘, you aren’t alone—the details of the scoring mechanics aren’t well explained in the game itself, but luckily you’ve come to the right place.

This video from developer Beat Games shows that swinging in a wide arc (both before and after your cut) is key to achieving getting the most points out of each cut, while the alignment of your cut also helps to a degree.

While the video is correct in concept (and applies to all versions of the game), the score and angle values have been tweaked slightly; here’s a breakdown of the three factors at play.

Swing angle before cut – 100 degrees ideally
Swing angle after cut – 60 degrees ideally
Center cut – closer to center of arrow means earns additional points

Collectively, both the swing angle before and after the cut contribute up to 100 points. The centrality of the cut contribute up to 15, meaning you can get a maximum of 115 point per note.

Of course there’s also the combo counter which you can see in-game on the right which stacks up to 8x for consecutive cuts and multiplies each cut score accordingly but drops back to 1x if you miss a block.

The key to going above A to achieve S and SS ranks is holding a steady combo and having the ideal cut technique.

If you’re hunting to top scores, check out the Practice Mode (activated on any song by tapping the graduation cap icon). With Practice Mode in Beat Saber you can play specific parts of the track and even play in slow motion to learn complex block patterns. While you practice, remember that swing angle contributes much more to your score (up to 100 points per block) than cut centrality (up to 15 points per block), so you’ll want to prioritize accordingly.

A Slice of Hard Mode Beat Saber Gameplay

Since it was released on to Steam Early access, Beat Saber has become something of a phenomenon. The online leader boards are filled with players striving to reach those high scores, and of course VRFocus staff have been practising and bring you a bit of gameplay in Hard mode.

Bringing the same kind of fluid, satisfying gameplay as rhythm games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, Beat Saber is an action-rhythm virtual reality (VR) title where the player wields a pair of lightsaber-like swords and slices up blocks.

Beat Saber Screenshot

Of course, it isn’t quite that simple. Each block has an arrow, so the player needs to slice in that direction, and keep the the beat of the music. If successful, you are rewarded with a more beautiful and complex form of the playing music, which makes for a very satisfying playing experience.

That’s not all, though, for more experienced players there is ‘No Arrow’ mode. This means that all the arrows on the blocks go away, so the player is free to choose whichever direction cut is most efficient. Don’t think that learning the block layout in regular mode will help, though, since the No Arrow mode offers a different beat chart to add to the difficulty.

VRFocus were lucky enough to try the title for a preview, and said: “Beat Saber works excellently at everything it sets out to do. It can easily eat vast amounts of your time without you even realising it as you fight to get a perfect score. The gameplay is extremely satisfying while still being very simple and is the sort of thing that would serve as a great introduction to VR.”

Developer Hyperbolic Magnetism are regularly updating Beat Saber with new tracks in the various modes. You can also check out our previous Beat Saber gameplay video. VRFocus will bring you updates on Beat Saber as it becomes available.

May 7, 2018

‘Beat Saber’ to Receive Level Editor “soon”, Letting You Build Tracks With Any Song

Beat Saber, the VR rhythm game in Early Access that made its way to the top spot on Steam this past weekend, is getting a level editor soon that will let anyone build and slice away to whatever music they like.

Developing studio Hyperbolic Magnetism released word of the level editor in a tweet yesterday, saying that not only would it be available “soon,” but that there would be more information coming on Friday, May 11th.

Beat Saber currently only features 10 songs, each with four difficulty levels. The addition of the Level Editor would be a boon to repeated playability in the short-term as the game continues Early Access, although it’s uncertain still if the studio will actively promote sharing levels due to copyright issues.

New Screenshots Released For Beat Saber

Following the announcement Beat Saber, the neon filled virtual reality (VR) title about swinging swords to the beat of music would be releasing in Early Access next week, developer Hyperbolic Magnetism have released a number of new screenshots.

Beat Saber

The Czech Republic based team have been hard at work on Beat Saber for sometime now, building a title that allows players to slice up boxes in time with music in a style of videogame similar in core concept to the likes of Guitar Hero. Boxes fly towards the player and visual cues tell which colour sword they should use to slice said box along with what direction they need to hit it. With plenty of ways to earn points, including building up combos, Beat Saber will reward those who stay on beat and rank up the highest combo possible for each level.

The screenshots, which you can view below, feature a number of different action shots which feature different levels, colours and sword placement. As the title will require users to pay close attention to the rhythm of the level and react accordingly it is refreshing to known that the visual noise from the levels is not to overwhelming. Looking at the screenshots it is clear that the team at Hyperbolic Magnetism have worked hard to maintain a gameplay environment that is fitting to the title but also does not become to much for the players, taking them away from the action.

Beat Saber will be releasing on Early Access this coming Tuesday, 1st May at 2018 at 9:00 PDT (5pm GMT) and is going to cost around $20 (USD). Including within the Early Access release will be all the mechanics for an “arcade mode” with content designed for both casual and competitive players. Hyperbolic Magnetism plan to bring a lot of content to the title before it leaves Early Access with more songs, a single player mode with missions and challenges planned and a possible level editor. Beat Saber will support the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality (MR) head-mounted displays (HMD) on release thanks to Steam VR.

In case you missed it, VRFocus got hands on with Beat Saber at both Gamescom 2017 and Unite Europe 2017 along with naming it one of the best Oculus Rift videogames coming in 2018. For all the latest on Beat Saber in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

January 22, 2018

Hyperbolic Magnetism Release Teaser Trailer for Rhythm Action Experience Beat Saber

Rhythm action videogames have become a popular genre in virtual reality (VR), with the likes of AudioShield, BOXVR, Thumper and many more available, each offering its own take. Due for release soon is Hyperbolic Magnetism’s version, a sword swinging, beat slicing experience called Beat Saber. This weekend saw the studio release the first gameplay teaser video for the title, showcasing what’s in store.

Just like any rhythm videogame, the essence is to interact with objects at specific times to the music, made all the more difficult by fast beats and specific actions. In Beat Saber, you’re equipped with two light sabers which need to cut boxes flying at you in rapid succession. Each box has an arrow indicating which way you need to slice – up,down, left, right. The more accurate you are with slice will up your multiplier and in turn your high score.

Unlike some titles which let you add your own music to play to, Beat Saber’s music is composed to perfectly fit the hand made levels. There will be a quick-play mode for those times where you want a short session lasting a few minutes, then a campaign mode for hours and hours of beat slicing gameplay.

While the video below might be the first official gameplay teaser from Hyperbolic Magnetism, it’s not the first time VRFocus has seen, or reported on the experience. Development originally began back in 2016, with the first showcase of Beat Saber happening at Unite Europe in July 2017. VRFocus caught up with the studio again during Gamescom 2017, showing off a similar build.

Currently Hyperbolic Magnetism has given a tentative release date of Q1 2018 for Beat Saber, listing supported headsets as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. As an indie developer it hasn’t yet confirmed if the release will be simultaneous across all platforms or more staggered. As more details are sure to be released over the next few weeks, VRFocus will keep you updated.