Category: oculus connect

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Titanfall-Entwickler kündigen VR-Titel für Oculus Rift an

Auf dem Oculus Connect 4 (OC4) gab es eine Menge interessanter Neuigkeiten. So wurde die Oculus Go angekündigt sowie auch eine dauerhafte Preissenkung der Oculus Rift. Eine weitere spannende Meldung hoben sich die Verantwortlichen jedoch bis zuletzt auf, denn das Entwicklerstudio Respawn Entertainment, bekannt für die Titanfall-Spieleserie, arbeitet derzeit an einem VR-Titel für Oculus Rift. Das neue VR-Spiel soll ein First-Person-Shooter werden, der im Jahr 2019 erscheinen soll.

Respawn Entertainment wagen Schritt in die VR

Auf dem OC4-Event wurde die Partnerschaft zwischen Oculus und Respawn Entertainment verkündet. Dank dieser entsteht ein neuer VR-First-Person-Shooter, der im Jahr 2019 veröffentlicht werden soll. Die Verantwortlichen arbeiten bereits an der Entwicklung des kommenden VR-Titels, wie man im Video erkennen kann.

Das Entwicklerstudio Respawn Entertainment ist kein unbeschriebenes Blatt, da sie bereits erfolgreiche Titel wie das Titanfall-Franchise veröffentlichten. Zudem befinden sich in den eigenen Reihen Entwickler der Call-of-Duty-Spiele. Die Mitarbeiter können also auf jahrelange Erfahrung im Shooter-Genre zurückgreifen und möchten diese nun in einem großen VR-Spiel umsetzen.

Respawn-Entertainment-Oculus-Oculus-Rift

Bisher sind noch nicht viele Informationen bekannt. So soll der neue Titel viel Wert auf Immersion legen und den Spieler in die Rolle eines Soldaten versetzen. Dazu zählen auch realistische Kriegssimulationen und Kampfbewegungen. Weiter wurde bekannt gegeben, dass es sich nicht um eine VR-Adaption von Titanfall handelt. Auch vom Star-Wars-Universum distanzierte man sich.

Entsprechend sind derzeit nur Spekulationen möglich, doch betrachtet man die Historie des Entwicklerstudios und ihre derzeitigen Bekanntgaben, so wäre ein Call-of-Duty-VR durchaus eine Möglichkeit. Es bleibt also nichts anderes als abzuwarten, welcher VR-Titel sich hinter der Ankündigung verbirgt und ob die Erwartungen an einen AAA-Titel erfüllt werden.

Der VR-Shooter soll 2019 für Oculus Rift erscheinen. Wir werden euch über Neuigkeiten zur Arbeit von Respawn Entertainment und Oculus auf dem Laufenden halten.

(Quellen: VR Focus | Engadget | Video: Oculus Youtube)

Der Beitrag Titanfall-Entwickler kündigen VR-Titel für Oculus Rift an zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Preview: Marvel Powers United VR – MOBA-lite for the VR Fandom

Sanzaru Games’ Marvel Powers United VR was the surprise announcement of San Diego Comic Con 2017, and since then has benefited from a constant stream of attention. Now, at Oculus Connect 4 in San Jose, the developer is hosting 4-player team sessions, allowing attendees to jump into the guise of one of their favourite Marvel superheroes like never before.

In this demonstration version the players are assigned a random character, though are able to choose a different superhero if they so wish. The Hulk, Crystal, Black Bolt, Rocket Raccoon, Deadpool and more are available in this limited preview build, each with unique attributes and a special moveset of their own.

Played in first-person, the demonstration of Marvel Powers United VR began with the hub area in which the player can choose which type of match they wish to enter; as well as access supplementary assets, such as battle records and a dancing Groot. Jumping into a local match (four PCs were synced for each match) VRFocus was cast as the Hulk; and an appropriately smashy time was set to be had.

The Hulk’s moveset is appropriately brutal, relying on slow and heavy attacks delivered in close proximity. Basic punches – performed simply by swinging your arms – will do some damage, but grabbing and throwing your opponents in a similar fashion to Robo Recall will break enemies with ease. Despite being very slow moving, a teleport attack is available that will launch the player forward and create an area-of-effect upon arriving at the destination. This will damage those affected, but also stun enemies not fatally wounded by the impact.

A second playthrough was made with Deadpool, which delivered a faster and more familiar first-person shooter (FPS) experience. One more keenly suited to those playing Marvel Powers United VR for the first time. SMGs, heavy pistols and katanas can be called upon at any time (with a cooldown period, which is sadly made less-than-obvious) and once ammunition is exhausted can simply be thrown away; in fact, the katanas can be used as projectiles along with shuriken should the player be in the position of waiting for a cooldown to end. Deadpool also has a teleport manoeuvre which has a much longer range than Hulk’s, but does far less damage upon impact.

The core gameplay loop of Marvel Powers United VR is to have the team of players defend a central objective. This begins simply by fending-off waves of increasingly varied and powerful enemies before evolving into a fetch-quest in which players must gather power cells. The final evolution of the formula sees boss characters enter the fray, requiring much more co-operation and a greater mix of skillsets to takedown.

This formula essentially makes Marvel Powers United VR a sort of co-operative MOBA. The players work together to defend waves of enemies as they build their own powers before executing on larger scale enemies. It eschews the tower defence ruleset of strategy-over-action and instead opts for a more immediate experience, and does so with the ideal that players can work together while still playing their own little battles with the enemy AI. The only real issue with this at present is that there’s no sense of depth on offer – is there more to each character than the four basic attacks? Marvel Powers United VR is part-FPS, part-MOBA, and with that looks to be an enjoyable experience for both VR newcomers and Marvel fans alike, but those familiar with the VR medium will have to wait and see if Sanzaru Games end up with just another wave shooter. Albeit one Marvel flavoured.

 

 

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Ubisoft’s Multiplayer Arcade Shooter ‘Space Junkies’ Is Heading into Closed Beta in Early 2018

Ubisoft today announced that Space Junkies, the multiplayer arcade VR shooter, is going into closed beta in early 2018. We got a chance to go hands-on with a more developed prototype of the game at this year’s Oculus Connect, and while many of the basics haven’t changed much from our time with it at E3, it’s certainly shaping up to be a fuller experience with more crazy guns and at least 4 giant arena-sized maps for the closed beta.

In a 2v2 team deathmatch, I got a chance to see what a real battle feels like in Space Junkies, as the last time we played it was in a more demure setting with only the developers to shoot down. True to its main selling point, the match was fast-paced and featured a mad grab for the most powerful guns which float in predetermined spots in the zero-G map.

image courtesy Ubisoft

I also got a chance to play a free-for-all deathmatch, which took place in the same sprawling, meteor-encrusted mining facility as the earlier prototype, but according to Ubisoft, the map had been expanded further to give the players more hiding spots and cover from incoming fire.

Guns are greatly varied, some of them requiring two hands to pump or fire. You start out with a whimpy pistol on your hip, but you can wait for the random gun generator to give you something better before you spawn on the map. Guns like rocket launchers, OP lasers, and Gatling guns predictably take a long time to reload and charge up, but pretty much do major damage.

image courtesy Ubisoft

There’s also a light sword and shield that you can carry, but unlike the earlier version of the game, the sword was no longer able to deflect gun blasts. I would have loved to have played a swords-only match to see just how reliable the weapon is when faced with another sword-wielding player, but alas, I’ll have to wait until the closed beta takes effect in a few months to see if anyone will agree to a momentary cease fire.

Despite being on the same horizontal plane as the rest of the combatants, having the full 3 dimensions at your disposal creates an interesting dynamic, as you can never tell where the shots will come from next. As long as you’re not boosting around and going normal speed, you’ll be undetectable to the opposite team, meaning combat may evolve into a less intense hide-and-seek match of popping out behind cover and quickly retreating to safety instead of going to the center with guns a’blazing.

You can register for the closed beta here. Ubisoft says they’re aiming for a spring 2018 release on Oculus Rift+Touch, HTC Vive, and Windows VR headsets.

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Marvel and Disney Reveal New VR Content

In addition to the raft of other big announcements at the Oculus Connect event was the slightly lower-key reveal of some of the new and updated content that Oculus Rift users can expect to come to virtual reality (VR) from Disney, Pixar and Marvel.

Lots of comic books fans are already excited for the upcoming title Marvel Powers United VR, but now it has been revealed that players will be able to wield the mighty hammer of the gods, Mjolnir and play as Thor, the God of Thunder. The short trailer gives a brief demonstration of some of Thor’s abilities, including the power to zap foes with lightning and throw Mjolnir for the full smiting experience. Marvel Powers United VR has already revealed a few of the playable characters who will be available, including Captain Marvel and Rocket Raccoon. The title is expected to be released some time in 2018.

You can watch the trailer for the reveal of Thor below.

Also upcoming from Disney will be a VR tie-in to Pixar’s new animated film, a story called Coco, themed around the famous Mexican celebration the Day of the Dead. The VR experience is being designed to let users enter and explore the fantastic, stylistic world inspired by the art and decorations featured in the Dia de los Muertos festivals that take place in Mexico and various US cities such as Los Angeles, Houston and Dallas.

The Coco VR experience is being developed by Pixar in collaboration with Oculus, and will mark the first time the famous animation studio has ventured into VR. Coco VR is due to come to Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR on the 22nd November, 2017, the same date that the feature film is due for release.

VRFocus will bring you further news on new VR content from Disney as it becomes available.

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‘Echo Arena’ FPS Expansion Announced and More ‘Lone Echo’ Teased

Ready at Dawn’s single player sci-fi adventure Lone Echo (2017) already has its multiplayer mode, the much beloved sports game Echo Arena, but the studio says it’s bringing out a new first-person shooter multiplayer mode called Echo Combat, and also an expansion to the Lone Echo game.

Announced today on stage at Oculus Connect 4, the company’s annual developer conference, Echo Combat was quickly teased in a video.

The details are still thin on the ground, but Ready at Dawn says Echo Combat is (predictably) using the same zero-G locomotion method, and is said to arrive in 2018. It’s unsure if it will be a free expansion to all users like Echo Arena was for a limited time.

Oculus further said there will also be an expansion headed to Lone Echo that reopens the world of Captain Olivia and her best robot buddy Jack (aka ‘you’) in their mission through zero-G.

The game’s high-flying locomotion method is famously comfortable, allowing for fast-paced action without the problems of feeling artificial motion-induced nausea.

Oculus says more news is yet to come during the conference, so check back for more soon.

This story is breaking. We’ll be filling in the gaps as info comes in.

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Oculus Rift + Touch Bundle Gets Permanent Price Cut to $400

Following their highly successful Summer of Rift Sale, Oculus have announced a permanent price cut of the Rift headset and Touch controller package to $399. The new price was revealed by Hugo Barra, Oculus’ Vice President of Virtual Reality at the opening keynote to Oculus Connect 4.

Detailed on the official Oculus Blog, the $399 package still includes the same hardware bundle of headset, two sensors, two Touch controllers, and “six free apps” – although there are actually several more free apps available on the Store.

This aggressive pricing strategy means that the Rift and Touch remains considerably cheaper than the HTC Vive – the main competing high-end PC VR solution – which also received a permanent price cut to $599. Oculus is keen to bring the costs of VR entry down, also announcing Oculus Go – their first standalone VR headset launching early next year for $199.

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Oculus is Making Home into a Customizable Social Living Room, Coming to Rift in December

Oculus Home is getting a full overhaul in the new Rift Core 2.0 update coming this December, which promises to add a level of user customization that will let you create a unique, persistent space that you can invite friends to.

Since the beta version of Home was unveiled alongside the consumer Oculus Rift, the space has been a static launchpad for games and experiences. Now the company says it’s “leveling” the current version of Home to make way for a new customizable Home that promises to reflect your own personality and sense of style. The new Home space includes toys, furniture, artwork, and a place to put your achievements on display.

Home is also being changed into a social area that remains persistent, meaning you can share your space with a friend and visit their own. The company says they’ll be opening “new possibilities for community and co-presence, letting you hang out, play, and explore with others.”

The beta for Rift Core 2.0 update will come free to users in December.

This story is breaking. Check back for updates.

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Oculus ‘Santa Cruz’ Standalone Dev Kits Coming Next Year, Including 6 DoF Controllers

Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg took the stage today at Oculus Connect 4, the company’s VR developer conference, to tell the crowd that the high-end standalone Project Santa Cruz VR headset will be heading to devs next year and it will be coming with 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) controllers.

Update (10/11/17): In the confusion of the avalanche of updates from Oculus, it was incorrectly reported that Santa Cruz was a wireless PC VR headset when in reality it is a completely standalone, high-end mobile VR headset.

Project Santa Cruz is a high-end standalone headset with inside-out tracking, something that’s differentiates itself from the newly revealed Oculus Go mobile headset because it uses the a high-end, head-mounted mobile PC to drive the headset’s graphical abilities and comes with 6DoF controllers similar to Touch in function.

Oculus says in a blogpost announcing the headset dev kit and 6DoF controllers that “[g]etting the infrared LEDs on our new Santa Cruz controllers to work with the sensors used for inside-out tracking on the headset was a significant computer vision, design, and engineering problem. This is a milestone we’re proud of. By using four ultra-wide sensors, we achieved a large controller tracking volume, allowing for natural and unrestricted movement.”

Ever since building Rift, our dream has been to bring the magic of a PC VR experience to an untethered form factor. That’s why we were so excited to share our early work with Santa Cruz at Oculus Connect last year. Although that first prototype had a full-blown mobile computer strapped to the back of your head, the feeling of freedom you got when first experiencing fully untethered positionally-tracked VR remains unparalleled.

Today, we showed the next phase of Santa Cruz development, delivering hand presence with two positionally tracked controllers. This is an important, industry-first milestone that brings the magic and incredible design expertise of Touch into a completely standalone experience.

The Santa Cruz headset includes 4 camera sensors to allow for a wide field of view, allowing for both inside-out positional tracking and the controller tracking that allows for a seemingly full range of motion. The controllers integrate infrared LEDs to accomplish 6 degrees of freedom.

Zuckerberg told the crowd that “Santa Cruz headsets [will be] in your hands and the hands of developers in the next year.”

The company say they’ll be sharing more updates on Project Santa Cruz soon.

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Where & When to Watch Oculus Connect Day 2 Keynote Livestream (including in VR)

Oculus Connect, the company’s annual developer conference, goes down this week in San Jose, California on the 11th and 12th at the McEnery Convention Center. If you aren’t attending in person you can catch the keynote livestream on several platforms, including in VR, officially on Rift and Gear VR for the first time.

When

On the second day of the conference, Thursday, October 12th at 9:30AM PT (your timezone here) Oculus CTO John Carmack will give his signature unscripted keynote. Carmack usually talks deep tech and covers a wide range of VR topics with an emphasis on mobile / Gear VR, which he is closely involved with.

If you missed the opening keynote, catch up on the biggest news stories from day 1 here.

Where

Watch in VR

Those in prior years who have reveled in the irony that Oculus didn’t provide a VR livestream of their Oculus Connect keynote will be happy to know that this year during Oculus Connect 4 they’ll be able to tune in virtually on Rift or Gear VR. A new Oculus Connect app now available for both headsets will let viewers watch both keynotes live in VR. Get them here:

Watch Outside of VR

If you’re wanting to watch the Oculus Connect 4 keynote livestream on a regular computer, smartphone, or tablet, you’ll be able to find it here:

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Oculus Connect 4: Mark Zuckerberg’s Chance To Outline VR’s Next Steps

Oculus Connect 4: Mark Zuckerberg’s Chance To Outline VR’s Next Steps

Microsoft is poised to release a series of PC-powered VR headsets and Google is about to launch the Pixel 2 with an upgraded Daydream View. But neither company took the opportunity with recent announcements to detail VR’s next steps. Both tech giants were clearly focused on making the most of the holiday shopping season.

This makes sense, and Facebook’s Oculus is likely to follow suit to a certain extent with a rundown of its holiday 2017 offering across PC and mobile. But unlike Microsoft and Google, Facebook is poised to outline a future for VR (and AR) free of current paradigms. Last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage to make a series of announcement and demos showcasing the company’s financial support of developers and its pursuit of shared experiences inside virtual worlds. Zuckerberg confirmed in a presentation this week using Facebook’s Spaces that he’ll be making a presentation again this year, though he might have to be careful with his tone as there was significant backlash to his appearance as a cartoon standing in a devastated Puerto Rico.


For Zuckerberg, VR represents a fresh start for his company and a chance to own its future by delivering products directly to consumers. This could give Facebook a direct relationship with consumers that bypasses existing operating systems like Android and Windows to reach people. In contract, both Google and Microsoft are driven by the company’s existing partnerships and operating systems. Microsoft, for example, is being less than forthcoming about its plans to include VR in the Xbox One X while Google is far more focused on fostering its own product line than in promoting those of partners, like the forthcoming standalone headset from HTC.

This leaves Zuckerberg in a position to lay out a vision for the future of VR and AR that stands on its own. Oculus has done as best as can be expected adapting VR to the existing PC and mobile ecosystems — with Google and Microsoft quickly following. Last year, Zuckerberg made clear the company is pursuing a standalone VR system and we got the chance to try out the Santa Cruz prototype. Earlier this year news leaked the company was pursuing a lower end $200 headset that could stand on its own in the same category as Gear VR.

We are approaching the reality of the first standalone systems becoming feasible as we move into 2018. As this transition toward standalone systems occurs, Zuckerberg is free to make decisions about the technology that aren’t tied to existing computing paradigms. If Zuckerberg outlines this plan in any way — with VR as a powerful standalone communication, education and entertainment device — we will start to truly understand the value he got out of the $3 billion acquisition of Oculus.

The Oculus Connect 4 keynote kicks off at 10 am Pacific on Oct. 11. It should be streaming on the Oculus Connect homepage.

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