Years ago, theme parks across the world realised a great way to make more money from rides was to install a camera and photograph guests at the most exhilarating point, creating funny and memorable images they could never achieve otherwise. It’s that sort of service virtual reality (VR) arcades will soon be able to supply, thanks to a partnership between Synthesis VR and Blueprint Reality Inc., creator of MixCast.
Rather than a rollercoaster picture highlighting a screaming guest or a crying child, with Blueprint Reality Inc’s. MixCast technology, players at VR arcades using Synthesis VR’s management system will be to get mixed reality (MR) photos and videos of their gameplay sessions.
Using the MixCast VR Photobooth players will be able to capture their real-life selves inside their favourite VR gaming experiences to then share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. This helps to provide further awareness for the VR arcade as well as an incremental revenue stream.
“With MixCast, we’re able to offer Synthesis VR arcade operators the ability to provide mixed reality pictures and videos to their customers as a great experience enhancement, which is something we’re very excited about,” said A Shabeer Sinnalebbe, Synthesis VR CEO. “With so many cool features and now with the addition of MixCast, we believe this will help our partners to generate more revenue, add value and better promote their venues.”
“We’re thrilled to be working with a forward-thinking company such as Synthesis VR, as they offer a feature-rich platform that’s good for both VR arcade operators and their customers,” said Tarnie Williams, Blueprint Reality CEO. “We believe the addition of shareable mixed reality photos and videos will help communicate the experience and excitement around location-based VR.”
Synthesis VR arcade operators interested in offering MixCast Pics & Clips to their customers need to contact – synthesisvrarcades@mixcast.me. The MixCast Moments video capture solution for VR arcades rolled out earlier this year, offering location-based entertainment (LBE) providers a new tool to bring in customers. For home users, you can always head on over to Steam to download MixCast 2.0 for free.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of MixCast and Synthesis VR, reporting back with the latest updates.
Mixed reality (MR) videos have proven to be a great way to showcase what it’s like to be inside a virtual world to those who’ve yet to try virtual reality (VR). Blueprint Reality has been aiding this endeavour through the use of its software MixCast. Initially released back in 2017, the software has seen several improvements, most notably last summer when MixCast 2.0 arrived on Steam for free. For CES 2019, the company has now revealed MixCast Moments, designed to help gamers easily create mixed camera MR videos to share socially.
At present MixCast Moments is a new video capture solution for VR arcades, with location-based entertainment (LBE) providers being the first to gain access to the software soon.
With it, they’ll be able to provide guests with an MR video of their VR gameplay, all captured from different angles, to then share on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. The process is completely automated and based on the player-driven, in-game experience, weaving clips into a seamless story.
“One of the biggest challenges for the VR industry is that potential consumers don’t really understand the powerful immersion of VR until they try it”, said Tarrnie Williams, CEO of Blueprint Reality in a statement. “And for companies marketing VR experiences, it’s like selling TV over the radio in the 1940s. MixCast Moments makes the player a star in their own short video, complete with multiple camera angles, music and sound effects. When people view a MixCast Moment, they immediately want to try VR for themselves”
VR Arcades interested in MixCast Moments need to know the software is optimized for Intel Core i7 and Intel Core i9 processors and utilizes multithreading to enable multiple cameras and high-frame rate performance. The software also integrates with Intel RealSense cameras, cameras designed for MR capture without the use of a green screen.
Blueprint Reality Inc. will be debuting MixCast Moments during CES 2019 on the Intel booth.
If you can’t wait for MixCast Moments or are a home user looking to create your own MR videos to show the world, you can always head on over to Steam to download MixCast 2.0 for free. Check out MixCast Moments in action in the video below, and for further updates keep reading VRFocus.
Want to make an idiot out of yourself in VR and then humiliate yourself even further online? There’s an app for that.
Blueprint Reality today introduced MixCast Moments, an automated process for capturing your time in VR. MixCast 2.0 already lets you make your own mixed reality videos in your home and at arcades but with MixCast Moments there’s no video editing required.
Initially designed for use in VR arcades, MixCast Moments uses Intel RealSense cameras fitted to booths to bring your actual body into footage of VR games. You can see an example of a video shot using the system below. It features the vertigo-inducing Richie’s Plank Experience. Obviously, it’s a promotional video but it looks pretty promising.
The company says that this process won’t need any editing on the user’s part. MixCast transitions between the player view and a view of the player themselves. It’s a little like getting a picture of yourself after you’ve been on a rollercoaster.
Once you have your clip you can share it to the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Mixed reality capture (not be confused with Microsoft’s ‘mixed reality’ headsets) has become a popular way of conveying the power of a VR experience without asking people to put on a headset.
If you’re at CES then you can try MixCast for yourself at Intel’s booth. Otherwise it’ll be rolling out to arcades a little later on in the year. We’ve asked Blueprint if it has any plans for a rollout to home-based headsets too. The company said this feature would be coming in 2019.
The biggest barrier to more people recording and streaming amazing mixed reality videos like this Beat Saber one is the equipment cost. Setting up lighting sources, multiple cameras, a green screen, potentially complex recording/streaming/other software, and getting it all to cooperate in harmony isn’t easy.
Using their special WildKey technology you no longer need a green screen to isolate subjects within a frame to remove backgrounds. The MixCast software also natively supports recording, streaming to most major stream platforms, and doing timelapse footage all from within the VR app.
“We’ve really worked on the ease-of-use aspects of MixCast for this release,” explained Blueprint Reality CEO and co-founder Tarrnie Williams in an email to UploadVR. “No experience is necessary, but those with an eye for cinematography will find it put to good use with MixCast 2.0.”
Williams goes on to explain that literally all you need to film mixed reality content like the shots in the above video using the program are a VR-ready PC, a PC VR headset like the Rift, Vive, or a Windows VR device, and a camera connected to your PC. Supposedly, that’s it. The MixCast 2.0 software is designed to do the rest with optional support for stuff like green screens, trackers, depth cameras, Intel RealSense, and capture cards.
Future plans for MixCast, according to Williams, include “deeper cinematography tools, distribution and output options, as well as adding support for more VR hardware and cameras. The most valuable features for us are the ones that our community is asking for.”
Quick side note: yes, this is the same company behind the charming little puzzle game, Awaken.
Guest columnist Kevin Williams, continues his coverage of the emerging VR Out-of-Home entertainment scene, with an exclusive report from the floor of America’s largest dedicated amusement industry show.
The American amusement trade held their annual convention in the heart of Las Vegas during February, the Amusement Expo International, saw the AAMA, AMOA, along with NBVA trade associations and Lasertag Convention combined to create a dedicated gathering for all aspects of the American digital out-of-home entertainment (DOE) sector.
For the first time, the event comprised a Virtual Reality (VR) Educational Summit, reflecting the impact that VR out-of-home entertainment, along with dedicated exhibitors from the emerging sector, hoping to influence the family entertainment centre, leisure entertainment and location-based entertainment business landscape.
The issue with new entrants into the established amusement landscape is the learning curve that these start-ups must undertake to establish themselves; so, turning Amusement Expo into an impromptu beauty pageant of the latest VR platforms developed to capture the public’s and operator’s attention.
One of the traditional amusement trade to embrace VR in this sector, BANDAI NAMCO Amusement represented A.i.Solve’s WePlayVR – the maze enclosure based system that has individual players navigating the virtual environment wearing a backpack and HTC Vive headset. As well as revealing plans for BANDAI NAMCO to bring their VR ZONE Portal facility concept to the States, later in the year – something VRFocus covered last month as they look to further expand the chain throughout the US and Europe, particularly the UK.
Another developer of this approach was TRIOTECH, partnered with Asterion VR, to develop their ‘VR Maze’, running the Virtual Rabbids: The Big Maze – again with a single player backpack approach. The Ubisoft property was also on display on the LAI Games booth with their Virtual Rabbids: The Ride – this time a two rider VR motion experience using D-BOX motion hardware.
A player is prepared to navigate the VR MazeA wild ride, racing through the Rabbids universe.
The need to generate a strong ROI from operating VR hardware has seen many multiplayer approaches, Creative Works represented Hologate VR at Amusement Expo – the four-player enclosure, uses a ceiling tethered HMD approach (again, with HTC Vives); strong initial sales seeing the company working on their own and licensing content to support the platform.
Players do battle in Hologate VR
Amusement manufacturer and distributor, UNIS Technologies has partnered with Virtuix to present the Omni Arena – the two and four player configuration arena stage utilizes the companies omni-directional platform. Virtuix promoting that already some 2,500 of their platforms were in operation at some 500 location-based facilities internationally.
Frantic competition on the Omni Arena.
Another omni-direction system on display at the Las Vegas show was represented by FOCUS VR, showing the Cyberith Virtualizer – this approach was more based on offering a delivery platform for VR arcades. Several new exhibitors to the amusement trade took this approach, with the likes of Springboard VR, who have created a turnkey package for those wanting a plug-and-play VR arcade approach.
The Virtualizer being put through its paces
Content for the virtual arcade was also provided by exhibitors such as EscapeVR – offering a room-scale escape room experience in a virtual environment. While the ability to capture footage of the player within the virtual environment was offered through Blueprint Reality’s MixCast platform. The company bringing a Windows Mixed Reality system from Acer, to demonstrate their platforms versatility.
The MixCast platform running in conjunction with the Acer headset
Also walking the show floor were several of the up and coming operators and developers of new VR arcade locations, hardware and content – many sitting in on the VR Educational Summit sessions dedicated to the new technologies opportunity for amusement application.
Free-roaming (Arena Scale) VR experiences has gained great momentum in the DOE scene, exponents of this could be found on and off the show floor, including exhibitor Modal VR, presenting their PING experience. The system using a special tracking architecture, linked to mobile VR (Samsung Gear VR derivative) headsets – players taking part in a virtual game of an interpretation of the Atari classic Pong.
Player’s prepare for a one-on-one game of virtual PING.
While, Hyperverse promoted their own VR free-roaming solution at the show, based on backpack PC’s and Oculus VR CV1 headset. To experience a full free-roaming VR system, all the delegates had to do was travel down the Strip to the MGM Casino, and their new Level UP entertainment location, which has newly installed a Zero Latency four-player backpack VR system and a suite of games.
Kevin Williams and associate suit up ready to play at Zero Latency in the MGM Casino.
It is the reality of the actual hardware deployment in the field that will validate its worth from this business. Already the Zero Latency system will soon be joined by at least two new free-roaming installations in Las Vegas – and along with the other fielded VR entertainment systems on display, it looks to be a very interesting time for this emerging market. It will be interesting to see their penetration into the Western market – watch this space for more coverage from this sector.
The VR First initiative began has a means of promoting grass roots development in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) content among universities and other teaching organisations. Today, the global programme, along with a team of VR/AR industry leaders, have announced the launch of the VR Academic Purpose bundle, to further help academic institutions and science parks to engage with immersive technologies and grow their VR/AR labs.
Being made available thanks to a partnership with Intel, HTC Vive, Leap Motion, CDWG, Futuremark, MixCast, SpringboardVR and Senses Global, VR First’s Academic Purpose VR Bundle consists of hardware, services and support/mentorship by key industry organizations, designed for academic research, development and innovation purposes.
The full rundown of what’s included in the VR Bundle is as follows:
HTC Vive headset with accessories such as the Vive Deluxe Audio Strap and Vive Tracker, as well as education-related content through the Viveport store;
Intel–powered: bundles for VR ready PCs using Intel Core i7 Processors;
Leap Motion hand tracking technology directly attached to VR/AR headsets;
VRMark Professional Edition benchmarking software for VR performance from Futuremark;
MixCast by Blueprint Reality, which enables blending of real people with virtual worlds to create compelling 2D content from VR applications in real-time;
SpringboardVR‘s VR management software for automating storage, distribution and launch of VR Content;
The Academic Bundle catalogue of procurement and logistics services by international technology solutions provider CDWG;
Access to technology solutions & services in VR, AR, Human Augmentation and Smart Robots by Senses Global;
Guidance based on standards and recommended practices developed by the IEEE VR/AR Working Group;
Access to VR First‘s extensive network of industry partners for expertise insight on building powerful communities equipped with cutting edge technology and knowledge.
“Starting early 2018, we will add further hardware devices and software solutions to the academic bundle. By that, VR First also expands the addressable market for partners through global academic and developer reach,” said Ferhan Özkan, CEO of VR First in a statement.
“Education and academia are pushing the forefront of what’s possible in VR today,” said Daniel O’Brien, GM US, Vive. “VR First has created a bundle of hardware and software that serves academic needs, educational requirements and increases the accessibility HTC Vive globally. We’re happy to support their efforts to bring VR to more educational institutions.”
The Academic VR Bundle is now available through VR First as part of its Regional Growth Services program, which has renovated existing facilities or provided end-to-end solutions for establishing new VR/AR facilities. This has meant more than 50 labs have been established to date worldwide.
VRFocus will continue to follow the progression of VR First, keeping you updated on its latest initiatives.
Blueprint Reality is launching a tool dubbed MixCast VR that lets both game developers and consumers create their own mixed reality videos from within VR.
The Vancouver, Canada-based company recently released its first title, the Awaken VR puzzle game, on the HTC Vive VR headset. And now it is releasing one of the tools that it used to build that game.
MixCast VR is the first in a suite of tools. It is a VR broadcast and presentation system that enables VR to be an enhanced, shared, and seamless experience and simplifies the process of creating mixed-reality videos.
The software development kit (SDK) is available for developers on the Unity Asset Store, and the application for end users is available on Steam.
Most current approaches to mixed reality require a combination of applications with a complex, time-consuming setup. MixCast VR provides a quick and simple one-time setup and works across every supported application with no additional configuration.
To add support for MixCast VR, developers can easily drag and drop the MixCast VR SDK into their Unity projects so end-users can showcase their experience in real time.
“Mixed Reality is the best way to communicate what’s happening inside the virtual world via traditional 2D broadcast media,” said Ben Sheftel, chief technology officer of Blueprint Reality, in a statement. “Our goal with MixCast VR is to provide an intuitive system for developers, designers, reviewers, presenters, educators, and other end-users to share and broadcast in a simple yet powerful way.”
Broadcasters and streamers can use MixCast VR to stream a more personal view of themselves playing VR games. Developers can use MixCast VR to better illustrate their product, game, or experience and for trailers and gameplay videos. Designers and educators can use MixCast VR to demonstrate concepts and in-progress work to their collaborators to enhance rapid discussion, iteration, and learning.
MixCast VR’s technology creates a single video output for broadcasting or recording by blending a live video feed of a user in the real world with their “virtual world” surroundings and environment. MixCast VR works with a broad range of camera or webcam equipment and provides a consistent experience across supporting products. It works with off-the-shelf webcams as well as high-end cameras.
MixCast VR works with un-tracked, fixed cameras and with tracked cameras that allow for dynamic movement of the camera, generating more professional results. MixCast VR also includes intuitive chroma keying calibration to key out background colors (green screen or any other color), with good color isolation to accommodate a variety of set configurations.
Starting today, the MixCast VR SDK is available for developers on the Unity Asset Store for free. The MixCast VR Studio application for consumers is available now for $10 per month, or $20 for a three-month subscription, on the Steam store.
The company was founded in September 2016. Before that, the staff was part of Roadhouse Interactive, a mobile game company that went out of business. Blueprint Reality has 10 employees. The company is currently financed by angel investors and is looking for additional funding.
“Mixed reality is the best way to share your experience in virtual reality with the people around you, or through a video,” said Tarrnie Williams, CEO of Blueprint Reality, in a statement. “ We’ve created MixCast VR to avoid all the complex setup, multiple steps, or expensive setups. MixCast VR enables fast and easy mixed reality for developers and gamers alike.”
The American amusement trade held their annual convention in the heart of Las Vegas during February, the Amusement Expo International, saw the AAMA, AMOA, along with NBVA trade associations and Lasertag Convention combined to create a dedicated gathering for all aspects of the American digital out-of-home entertainment (DOE) sector.
