kickstarter – Page 2 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

December 23, 2021

Lynx-R1 To Integrate SideQuest in 2022

French startup Lynx has had a strong 2021 having redesigned its mixed reality (MR) headset earlier in the year followed by a successful Kickstarter that raised just over $800,000 USD. Founder Stan Larroque holds fairly regular live updates on the progress of Lynx-R1, yesterday revealing several new details that included the upcoming integration of SideQuest in 2022.

If you’ve not heard of the platform, SideQuest was originally set up to help Oculus Quest owners sideload early access projects by indie virtual reality (VR) developers, growing a community away from the official Oculus Store which was difficult for developers to get approved on. The news that SideQuest will be available for Lynx-R1 is not only exciting but highly important where content access is concerned. The Lynx headset already supports SteamVR but having access to SideQuest opens up another massive library of titles, plus it gives developers another platform they can sell their games on.

Larroque noted that SideQuest support should be available in April 2022, the same month that the Lynx-R1 should be shipping to Kickstarter backers.

While that was the main news, he also mentioned a couple of other details. Lynx-R1 focuses on hand tracking as its main input method but Larroque has confirmed that the Valve Index controllers will work. You’ll need to have separate SteamVR base stations, of course, for tracking purposes but at least the option is available ensuring compatibility with Steam content.

For developers, Lynx plans on making its software development kit (SDK), which supports OpenXR, publicly available at some point in January 2022. Unity developers – no mention of Unreal Engine – will then be able to use the SDK to test if their app works with the Lynx-R1 and make any adjustments if necessary.

The Lynx-R1 is a fully all-in-one (AIO) MR headset featuring a 2.1″ octagonal LCD panel, 1600 x 1600 per eye resolution at 90Hz with a 90° FOV, all powered by a Qualcomm XR2 chipset, 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage – that’s expandable via an SD card slot. While the Kickstarter had a limited-time Early Bird discount, the standard price for the Lynx-R1 is $599 USD.

December 17, 2021

The Unusual HalfDive VR Headset Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Virtual reality (VR) is all about immersion and a key component of that is physical freedom, being able to move around a tracked playspace however you wish. But that’s not always possible depending on physical space, disability or simply you just don’t want to get out of bed. Enter Japanese startup Diver-X which has just launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for its rather unusual headset, the HalfDive.

What makes the HalfDive rather different from other VR devices is that it’s been completely designed around use whilst laying down, hence why it’s perfect for in-bed VR gaming. The brainchild of Diver-X co-founders Yamato Sakoda and Kei Asano, HalfDive draws inspiration from anime like Sword Art Online, where users “dive” into virtual experiences. Sakoda originally started out developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) device but realising the obstacles that stood in the way pivoted towards far more accessible technology.

HalfDive has features you’d expect from a VR headset, a nice 134° field of view, manual IPD adjustment; an LCD display with a 2,880 × 1,600 resolution, four speakers and a 90Hz refresh rate. After that things begin to differ thanks to the whole base-station setup. So rather than clamping to your face HalfDive mechanically moves into position over a users face, meaning there’s no pressure so it should be very comfortable to use. It also features force and wind feedback, a system you usually only find in hyper-reality location-based systems. Most importantly, Diver-X says HalfDive is compatible with SteamVR thanks to OpenVR integration.

Control scheme wise, currently shown are a pair of cabled cuffs to which you can attach trackers such as HalfDive’s or HTC’s own Vive Tracker to. Whilst that puts your hand into VR there’s doesn’t seem to be an input method for walking or other interactions. The company has previously teased a physical controller but there’s no mention of that in the Kickstarter.

When it comes to backing this rather bizarre idea there are two models available. The Minimum Model comes in at an Early Bird price of $750 USD which includes HaldDive, hand “controllers” and a HalfDive Tracker. Whilst the more expensive Basic Model at $1050 adds the Force & Wind Feedback module. Looking to raise ¥20,000,000 Yen (around $176,000) is well over the halfway mark at ¥14 million, indicating significant interest in this device.

How feasible HalfDive will be to play most SteamVR titles remains to be seen. Watching movies or more passive meditation apps will likely be its forte as rotational movement shown in the campaign still looks fairly clunky. If the Kickstarter goes well Diver-X estimates HalfDive will start shipping in August 2022.

Halfdive Specification

Display
- Resolution – 2,880 × 1,600 LCD (1,440 × 1,600 per eye)
- Refresh rate – 90Hz
Optics
- Lens – 10-element aspheric lenses
- Field of View (FoV) – 134° (estimated)
- IPD range – 58-84 mm
Tracking
- HalfDive tracker, Vive Tracker supported (Tundra Tracker support coming soon)
Connections
- DisplayPort 1.2 / USB3.0 / 3.5mm audio jack / 12V power source / I2C (module connection),
Audio
- 4 in-built speaker and microphone
System Requirment
- Windows 10 (Linux support coming soon)
- Dual Core CPU with hyper-threading
- 8GB RAM
- Nvidia GeForce GTX970 / AMD RX 480

HalfDive’s Kickstarter is due to finish on 30th January 2022. As the campaign progresses VRFocus will keep you updated.

November 18, 2021

More Ruins Magus Details Released as Kickstarter Begins

A couple of days ago VRFocus reported on an upcoming Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) called Ruins Magus for Oculus and Steam headsets. Developer CharacterBank plans on making an English language version so to help in that endeavour the team has launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign.

As expected, the Kickstarter goal isn’t that high in comparison to other virtual reality (VR) projects, only looking to raise a mear £32,000 GBP (¥5,000,000 JPY) to help make English language support possible. Backing tiers start from £23 to get an early bird digital copy of the videogame. Higher tiers add more goodies, of course, with the maximum tier only costing £69 (¥10,500), giving backers a digital soundtrack, 3D models, digital artbook and more.

CharacterBank doesn’t want to stop at English dubbing if it can raise the funds. The studio wants to add a new language for every ¥5,000,000 raised, announcing each new language as the goal is met. Which ones the studio has next in mind haven’t been revealed. The campaign ends on 20th December so there’s plenty of time to hit several targets, how many VR players crave a JRPG is the big question?

Ruins Magus is a fantasy action RPG set in the city of Grand Amnis which houses a colossal ruin at its centre. You play an unnamed novice wizard who plans on unravelling the mysteries within with the aid of Iris, a new researcher at the Enigma Research Institute. With the launch of the Kickstarter, the studio has revealed a little more about the gameplay and the characters you’ll meet along the way.

The title is being built around the idea of an interactive visual novel, with a rich cast of characters and a storyline to match. There will be over 30 characters across 26 chapters to converse with as you stroll around the city of Grand Amnis. Areas will include “The Square in front of the Ruins” where you’ll find shops like Nandemo-do selling useful wares. Or if you head down the back alleys you’ll find interesting characters and the Tomarigi Cafe for some respite.

When it comes to the inhabitants of Grand Amnis, Uketsuke-san is a friendly demi-human and receptionist at the guild counter in front of the ancient ruins. Or then there’s the Guild Master, the current head of the Wizard Guild, described as a “mysterious person with a strange dignity and a great sense of humour.”

Currently, CharacterBank expects the English version of Ruins Magus to be ready for early 2022. As further details regarding the release are announced, VRFocus will keep you updated.

November 15, 2021

Gorgeous JRPG Ruins Magus Getting English Version in 2022

There are some great Japanese virtual reality (VR) titles available at the moment and for those who love role-playing games (RPG) CharacterBank’s Ruins Magus is another to keep an eye on. Originally revealed earlier this year, the developer plans on releasing both Japanese and English dubbed versions, with a Kickstarter campaign to launch later this week to help support the cost of the English edition.

Ruins Magus looks set to offer a classic JRPG experience in VR, supporting both Oculus and SteamVR headsets. Set in the city of Gran Amnis, at its centre is a large archaeological site which players need to explore. You take on the role of a novice wizard, who teams up with a researcher called Iris, from the research institution Enigma, to unlock the mysteries within the ruins.

CharacterBank has revealed so far that Ruins Magus will contain a 26-chapter story, with players having to utilise their magical abilities to defeat the Guardians that dwell within the ruins. Plus, it wouldn’t be a JRPG without plenty of quirky characters to talk to, Ruins Magus will have over 30 to bring some life to the adventure.

Aside from a few screenshots and short trailers, very little of the Ruins Magus‘ gameplay has been revealed just yet. One thing’s almost for certain, it looks quite the spectacle with rich character designs and huge Guardians to fight.

And so on to the Kickstarter. CharacterBank originally supported the project via a Campfire campaign with plans to launch both Japanese and English versions of Ruins Magus this year for VR headsets. This week the team announced via Twitter their intention to launch a Kickstarter campaign this Wednesday, 17th November, purely to help support the creation of an English edition. This would then be released in February 2022.

Currently, the studio hasn’t revealed how big the funding goal will be or what backing tier incentives there might be. As the money raised will be used for translation, it’s unlikely to be a huge Kickstarter in comparison to other VR projects.

As VRFocus learns more about Ruins Magus we’ll let you know.

November 11, 2021

Lynx-R1’s Successful Kickstarter Ends With Over $800,000 Raised

The Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for the Lynx-R1 mixed reality (MR) headset was a success before it even had time to warm up, managing to exceed its $300,000 USD funding goal in less than a day. Now the campaign has concluded with over one thousand backers supporting the project and just over $800,000 raised over one month.

In total 1,216 backers pledged €725,281 EUR (approx $840,000) for the Lynx-R1 headset which supports both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications in a surprisingly small form factor. It’s this marriage of tech that has incited so much interest in the device because the passthrough is in full colour – rather than B+W like the Oculus Quest for instance. And just to be different, hand tracking is the main input method rather than controllers, utilising Ultraleap’s latest Gemini solution.

That’s not all the headset offers inside its compact frame. That svelteness is thanks to some special optics which are comprised of a 4-fold catadioptric freeform prism in conjunction with a 2.1″ octagonal LCD panel. That display provides users with a 1600 x 1600 per eye resolution at 90Hz with a 90° FOV. Under the hood is a Qualcomm XR2 chipset with the Lynx-R1 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage that’s expandable to 1TB thanks to an SD card slot. Also onboard are Wifi 6 and Bluetooth, and there’s a magnetic VR facial interface to prevent any light leaks.

As the Lynx-R1 is an all-in-one (AIO) headset it has a three-hour battery life with the battery located on the rear strap. A design becoming far more commonplace in AIO devices as it improves comfort over longer gameplay durations thanks to balanced weight distribution.

Now that the Kickstarter has concluded the focus moves to the official launch of the Lynx-R1, with backer shipments scheduled to happen in April 2022. For those that weren’t sure about backing the crowdfunding campaign, you can head on over to the official Lynx website to pre-order the standard headset for $599 USD or the Enterprise edition for $1099.

The redesigned website also offers several accessories including travel case, facial interface and 6DoF FinchShift controllers.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of the Lynx-R1, reporting back with further updates.

October 12, 2021October 18, 2021

Update: Pimax To Host Online Conference, Pimax Frontier, On October 25

Pimax revealed plans for a new online conference, called Pimax Frontier 2021, where it says it will reveal details about its future roadmap and tease a new product code-named ‘Reality’.

Update: Pimax Frontier has been pushed back from October 20 to October 25, but will still take place online and be available worldwide. Original story follows below.

According to an email from Pimax to potential attendees, this conference will go over the company’s Pimax product roadmap and “related technologies,” alongside “the vision of VR3.0” and a sneak peek of their next product, which is referred to by the name ‘Reality’ in the email. The effort is referred to as “a new product that’s several generations ahead of anything currently on the market.”

Don’t expect a full announcement just yet — Pimax says that Frontier will only feature a “sneak peek” of Reality and that CES 2022 will see the full “formal unveiling” of the new product. CES is the largest annual Western technology conference and the 2022 event is scheduled to take place on January 5-8, 2022 in Las Vegas.

At CES 2020, Pimax announced a 180Hz ‘5K SUPER’ headset — an enhanced version of Pimax’s main offering, the 5K Plus. While Valve’s Index controllers are compatible with Pimax headsets, the company’s own controllers, the long-delayed Sword Lite VR controllers, entered mass production last month, with the aim to begin shipping this month. This will make good on a promise from Pimax’s 2017 Kickstarter, where backers could pay an extra $200 for rudimentary VR controllers to go with its “8K” ultra-wide field of view VR headset.

The company has a long history of shipping delays and in the past we’ve recommended treating orders, particularly ones for products that don’t yet have a ship date, as more like backing a Kickstarter than placing an order. For those interested in attending Pimax Frontier, sign-ups are available now online.

October 5, 2021

Lynx-R1 Launches Kickstarter to Raise $300,000

One of the most interesting XR headsets currently in development is the Lynx-R1 by French startup Lynx. Combining both virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) capabilities, today sees the launch of the company’s Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign, looking to raise a substantial $300,000 USD over the next month.

Lynx has garnered a lot of attention thanks to the technology its employing in the headset and founder Stan Larroque’s vision for the device and the company as a whole. He started developing his own headset back in 2016, a mishmash of various components that included an Oculus Rift DK1. Fast forward five years and the Lynx-R1 embodies the latest technology to provide customers with an all-in-one (AIO) headset with hand tracking, 6DoF tracking, and many more features.

All of which have now been confirmed by the company. The hand tracking for example comes from Ultraleap and will be the primary control method. The front-facing cameras will be full-colour passthrough – no B&W here – whilst the display will offer 1600 x 1600 per eye resolution at 90Hz at a 90° FOV. Powered by a Qualcomm XR2 chipset the Lynx-R1 will have 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage that’s expandable to 1TB thanks to an SD card slot. It’ll also have Wifi 6 and Bluetooth, compatible with SteamVR thanks to OpenXR support and three-hour battery life. Oh, and there’s a magnetic VR facial interface to prevent any light leaks.

What everyone really wants to see though is those lenses. While they’ve gone through several revisions the optics feature a 4-fold catadioptric freeform prism in conjunction with a 2.1″ octagonal LCD panel helping to keep the headset’s form factor small. To maintain comfort the battery is located on the back of the head strap which is becoming much more commonplace in AIO devices.

Lynx has launched the Kickstarter to help with the final production run with a variety of funding tiers available. To secure one of the standard black Lynx-R1’s you’ll need to spend €530 EUR, £453 GBP or around $600 USD. Or if you’re looking for an XR headset that’s aesthetically different a limited edition transparent version is available but that’ll cost €745/£636. Only 1000 of these will be offered.

While the Lynx-R1 doesn’t come with motion controllers Lynx has been working with Finch to supports its FinchShift controllers if hand tracking isn’t to your liking. As the Kickstarter progresses, VRFocus will keep you updated.

September 13, 2021

Iragon’s Naughty VR Kickstarter has Smashed its Funding Goal

Towards the end of July VRFocus reported on Repulse Game Studios launching a rather modest Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for its virtual reality (VR) RPG Iragon. Having already spent three years in development the team was looking to raise a mere $10,000 USD. But with 10 days left to go the campaign has now surpassed $100,000.

Currently sat at $105,002 from 2003 backers, Iragon isn’t your usual VR role-playing adventure; adding an erotic twist to the gameplay. It still has all the hallmarks of a classic RPG with a focus on narrative and a hero tasked with saving the day in a fantasy world, there just happens to be romance and a bisexual sorceress thrown in for good measure.

This has obviously proven to be popular as that current cash tally means Iragon is 1047% funded. This has also helped the team achieve three out of four listed stretch goals with one still hidden. The stretch goals see characters April and Erika expanded their storyline, a new boss fight added and more outfits for the girls. The final $125,000 goal adds body type variety customisation so players can fully tweak those lasses.

For those interested in backing Iragon before the Kickstarter ends tiers start from $25 for a digital copy with the official launch expected to take place in June 2022. Paying more gets you more (or possibly less) with the $50 tier including a “Nude mode patch for NPC’s during combat,” which sounds like an ever so useful feature. You can even try before you buy with a free PC demo available.

Iragon is a fantasy world filled with monstrous creatures and merciless soldiers to fight as well as scantily clad women. You step into the shoes of Darick, a poor village kid whose world drastically alters when he meets bisexual sorceress, Brianna. She’s currently being hunted by a dangerous empire ruling the lands and you decide to help her out. To aid her journey you get to learn magic, fight battle armies and meet the ladies of the land to fornicate with.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Repulse Game Studios’ Iragon, reporting back with further updates.

September 10, 2021

Lynx R-1 Kickstarter to Offer Mixed Reality from $499

For those after a reasonably cheap mixed reality (MR) headset then French hardware startup Lynx‘s R-1 device is a tantalising prospect. Lynx founder Stan Larroque has been developing the device for several years now, taking that next leap towards consumer availability with the launch of a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign this month. He’s also revealed the price, $499 USD.

In a new live stream this week Larroque revealed plenty of new details about the company’s plans and what it’s trying to achieve. While he refrained from unveiling a date or funding goal for the Kickstarter, he did say the current aim is to launch the campaign by the end of September between the third and fourth week. Larroque also highlighted several reasons for going down this particular route, aiming to keep Lynx independent from the big tech companies, helping to gauge order quantities for production and thus helping create a speedy delivery for customers.

Obviously, the big news revolves around the price. When the Lynx R-1 was officially unveiled at the beginning of 2020 it was marketed as an enterprise headset retailing for $1500. That’s dramatically changed, with the price coming down to $499. Now, that’s a special Kickstarter price to encourage backers, with a transparent limited edition available for $699 and a pro-enterprise version for $899.

Lynx hasn’t revealed what the eventual retail price will be post Kickstarter or what the main difference will be between the consumer and enterprise models. The R-1 headset specs have already been released, providing a 90° FOV with 1600 x 1600 per eye resolution at 90Hz. Powered by the Qualcomm XR2 platform – the same as Oculus Quest 2 and HTC Vive Focus 3 – the device won’t come supplied with controllers as it’ll use Ultraleap hand tracking as its main input method. However, Lynx R-1 will support the upcoming FinchShift controllers and Larroque did make a teasing comment about: “exploring with another, bigger company that is famous for making accessories in the PC world.”

When it comes to gaming he confirmed that Lynx R-1 will support OpenXR in Q4 2021 and the team has got the headset working with SteamVR. An early test showed Larroque in SteamVR’s home via a tethered USB-C cable. In the future, the team plans to enable WiFi 6 streaming that’s built into the device.

The Lynx R-1 certainly promises an interesting alternative in the XR hardware market and as further details are revealed, VRFocus will let you know.

August 25, 2021

Dino Photo Adventure Jurassic Snap Begins Kickstarter, Aims for 2023 Launch

There has been some interesting virtual reality (VR) focused Kickstarter crowd-funding campaigns of late and this week welcomes another into the fold. French indie team Dreamirl has just launched one for Jurassic Snap, a chilled-out experience all about photographing dinosaurs, the aim is to raise €30,000 EUR with an official launch taking place in 2023.

Very much a family-friendly VR exploration videogame combining colourful and cure dinosaurs, Jurassic Snap‘s core gameplay arc is exploring the various biomes of a planet set within the Jurassic era, cataloguing all the wonderful creatures. Just like any wild animal, those in Jurassic Snap may not always be cooperative so players will have access to various tools to bait or repel them to get the best shots or to complete various tasks. The Gravity gun for example enables bait to be flung much further than physically throwing it.

Players are part of an expedition to record all the dinos so after shots are taken they are added to the Dinopedia, collecting all their info including their size, what they eat and their preferred environment into one handy journal. In a similar fashion to Jurassic Park, rather than simply being able to wander around and getting trampled on, Jurassic Snap employs a vehicle system you ride in, preplanning the route before heading out.

As mentioned, Dreamirl aims to raise €30,000 over the next month to help develop Jurassic Snap for multiple VR platforms as well as a normal PC version. These include Oculus Quest 2 and Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR and SteamVR headsets. In an FAQ the team has confirmed that support for the original Oculus Quest will be unlikely, saying: “We are already on the edge with a Quest 2. Releasing on Quest 1 would require a huge drop in graphics quality, so we prefer to say no.”

Funding tiers start from as little as €15 to get a copy of Jurassic Snap – the limited Early Explorer tier – with the standard funding tier being $20. After that, there are plenty of digital and physical goodies to unlock if you so wish.

Dreamirl has already listed its roadmap for Jurassic Snap should things go well. An early closed alpha for backers will begin in January 2022 with an open early access to commence in Q3 2023. The plan is to officially release the videogame in Q4 2023, so there could very well be some new VR headsets on the market by then.

As the Kickstarter progresses VRFocus will keep you updated.