Wilson’s Heart für Oculus Touch ausprobiert

Bei unserem ersten Stop auf der Gamescom 2016 bekamen wir von Oculus die Möglichkeit, neue Spiele mit dem Oculus Touch Controller auszuprobieren. Dafür begaben wir uns auf dunkle Korridore in der VR-Erfahrung Wilson’s Heart.

Was erwartet uns bei Wilson’s Heart?

Das Spiel Wilson’s Heart für Oculus Touch wurde erstmals auf der E3 vorgestellt und wird voraussichtlich ab 2017 erhältlich sein. Umso erfreulicher war es für uns, das Spiel schon vorab antesten zu können. Wilson’s Heart wurde von Twisted Pixel in Zusammenarbeit mit Oculus Studio entwickelt und wird exklusiv für die Oculus Rift erscheinen. Die Erfahrung ist ein First-Person VR Psycho Thriller, die den Spieler in eine unheimliche schwarz-weiß Atmosphäre im Jahr 1940 eintauchen lässt. Los geht es damit, dass der Hauptcharakter Robert Wilson gefesselt in einem scheinbar verlassenen Krankenhaus erwacht und sich dort erst einmal in den dunklen Korridoren zurechtfinden muss, wo ihn noch einige Überraschungen erwarten…

Wilson's Heart auf der Gamescom

Wilson’s Heart auf der Gamescom

Unser Eindruck von Wilson’s Heart

Wilson's Heart Das Spiel bietet eine interessante Methode den Avatar darzustellen. Vor allem das Drehen und die Bewegung auf der Stelle mit dem Avatar konnten uns begeistern. Die detaillierte Darstellung der Arme und Hände von Robert Wilson gelang sehr überzeugend, sodass man sich schon im ersten Moment erschrecken konnte. Dies wurde auf die Spitze getrieben, indem man sein eigenes Gesicht im Spiegel zu sehen bekam – definitiv ein Highlight der Demo! Etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig stellte sich die Navigation dar: Der Avatar konnte an verschiedene Orte teleportiert werden, die durch die Umrisse einer Person markiert wurden, sodass die eigenständige Bewegung stark eingeschränkt war. Die Interaktion mit den Oculus Touch Controllern konnte uns nicht nur durch gutes Tracking überzeugen, es gelang damit auch relativ einfach kleinere Gegenstände zu greifen und mit ihnen zu interagieren. Wir freuen uns schon darauf, herauszufinden, welche Geheimnisse sich noch in den dunkeln Korridoren des Krankenhauses versteckt halten.

Der Beitrag Wilson’s Heart für Oculus Touch ausprobiert zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Get 5 More Tables in the Pinball FX2 VR Season One Expansion Pack

When the Oculus Rift launched on 28th March one of the available titles on day one came from Zen Studios in the form of Pinball FX2 VR. The popular PC title had a virtual reality (VR) makeover which VRFocus reviewed and very highly rated. Now the studio has announced the first expansion pack for the title will be released soon with several new tables.

The Pinball FX2 VR Season One Expansion Pack will add five fan favourite tables from the original 2D videogame. These will be CastleStorm, Wild West Rampage, BioLab, Paranormal and Earth Defense. With each table having its own theme and style players will be able to defeat the enemy soldiers and raze their castles with Sir Gareth on the CastleStorm table, duel it out with a crooked sheriff in a western showdown in Wild West Rampage, create a new alien species in BioLab, investigate a series of supernatural events in Paranormal, or save the planet from invading extraterrestrial forces in Earth Defense.

PinballFX2VRSeasonOnePack_Castle Storm Screenshot

As with the previous tables the characters in the new ones will be brought to life, creating an immersive pinball experience that can only be found in VR.

One of the tables CastleStorm may sound familiar to regular readers of VRFocus as Zen Studios recently released CastleStorm VR for the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR head-mounted displays (HMDs). Castlestorm VR is a tower defence style action-strategy RPG that mixes up 2D destruction with a vivid and stylish cartoon aesthetic. Players must defend their castle using a legion of pit knights, soldiers, archers, griffins and other characters at their command against their enemies in castle vs. castle combat.

Zen Studios will launch the Pinball FX2 VR Season One Expansion Pack on 23rd August, 2016. VRFocus will continue its coverage of The Pinball FX2 VR, reporting back with any further announcements.

Oculus: Oculus Rift ab 20. September im Einzelhandel / Oculus Touch Demos ab Oktober

Wie Brendan Iribe gerade über Twitter mitgeteilt hat, wird die Oculus Rift in Europa und Kanada ab dem 20. September im Einzelhandel zu finden sein. Außerdem wird Oculus im Oktober die Oculus Touch Controller in diversen Märkten platzieren, damit Interessenten diese ausprobieren können.

Oculus Rift endlich ab 20. September im Einzelhandel

Lange Zeit haben VR-Nerds auf diese Nachricht gewartet. Während die HTC Vive schon in diversen Geschäften in Deutschland verfügbar ist, so fehlt die Rift doch leider noch. Inzwischen hat Oculus aber die Lieferzeit (teilweise) nach der Bestellung auf wenige Tage reduzieren können, doch die Präsenz in Geschäften in Deutschland blieb bisher aus und somit blieb auch die Chance aus, die Oculus Rift mit weniger hohen Versandkosten und bei dem Einzelhändler des Vertrauens zu bestellen. Ab dem 20. September soll sich dies aber ändern. In welchen Geschäften die Oculus Rift gekauft werden kann, ist aktuell noch unklar. Vermutlich wird der Verkauf zunächst über die großen Online-Händler erfolgen. Media Markt listet die Rift bereits mit einem Preis von 699 Euro.

Oculus Touch Demos ab Oktober

Virtual Reality muss man erleben und daher müssen auch Geschäfte mit einer Möglichkeit zum Testen der Oculus Rift ausgestattet werden. Dieser Faktor bei den Oculus Touch Controllern sogar noch wichtger, da die Steuerung durch getrackte Controller nicht nachvollziehbar ist, wenn man es nicht selber ausprobiert hat. Oft wird Oculus Touch oder die HTC Vive mit der Wii verglichen, da diese bereits eine Bewegungssteuerung hatte. Das dies in VR aber viel mehr Sinn macht und Virtual Reality auf eine neue Ebene hebt, ist Vielen dabei nicht bewusst.

Umso erfreulicher ist die Nachricht, dass man ab Oktober die Touch Controller von Oculus in lokalen Geschäften ausprobieren kann. In dem Post von Brendan Iribe bleibt aber offen, ob damit auch wirklich Geschäfte in Europa und Kanada gemeint sind. Wir hoffen jedoch, dass das der Fall ist. Doch selbst wenn es so ist, so ist Europa natürlich ein weiter Begriff. Deutschland sollte aber in der Regel für Brendan zu Europa zählen.

 

Der Beitrag Oculus: Oculus Rift ab 20. September im Einzelhandel / Oculus Touch Demos ab Oktober zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Snakebyte Reveal Controller Designed for VR Gaming

Snakebyte has announced a new range of products including the VR: Controller, a brand new game pad designed to be compatible virtual reality (VR) headsets. Set to begin shipping later this month, the VR: Controller is compatible with a wide range of VR head-mounted displays (HMDs) and smart devices.

Snakebyte VR Controller

Based on Bluetooth technology, the VR: Controller game pad is compatible with the Samsung Gear VR, Android TV, Android powered streaming media devices, such as the Amazon Fire TV as well as connected devices including smartphones, laptops and tablets. In addition, the VR: Controller utilizes a standard HID profile, allowing for quick configuration when gaming on PC. When using with non-Bluetooth enabled devices, the VR: Controller features a detachable Micro USB cable allowing for cross-platform compatibility.

“We’ve been providing players with high-quality gaming products for two decades, and now feels like the ideal time to flex our development muscles further with the introduction of a whole new range of hardware which significantly raises the bar for performance and quality,” said Chris Carroll, Director of Product Development for Snakebyte. “Great value doesn’t need to mean compromise in quality or design. We believe gamers will love our new line of hardware and products like the VR: Controller demonstrate our ability to innovate in the ever evolving world of interactive entertainment.”

The new range of gaming hardware from Snakebyte is expected to begin shipping globally from August 2016, with orders now being accepted via Amazon.com. Will the VR: Controller stand-up against the current line of best game pads for the Samsung Gear VR? VRFocus will keep you updated as the game pad approaches release.

New Alice VR Screenshots Reveal Out-of-this-World Locations

Following the announcement of an official release date for Klabater and Carbon Studio’s forthcoming Alice VR, a brand new selection of screenshots taken from the videogame have been revealed. Alice VR is currently in development for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR, and is set to launch later this year.

Alice VR throws the player into a deep space adventure, where the mission to acquire fuel quick unravels into a much bigger story. Players will be invited to explore Speculo, one of the very few colonies where a vital resource for interstellar travel can be mined, and uncover the mysteries behind the downfall of the city of Mirabilis.

Set for release in October 2016, Alice VR is currently expected to be made available for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR simultaneously. Alice VR will be present at Gamescom, Cologne, this week and VRFocus will be in attendance to bring you all the latest details. In the meantime, check out the brand new selection of screenshots below.

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How to Play No Man’s Sky in VR on Oculus Rift & HTC Vive

Since the initial unveiling of the PlayStation VR and the gaining of hype for the recently released No Man’s Sky, there’s been a great debate as to whether or not the videogame would see a virtual reality (VR) compatible release. Rumours fuelled by developer Hello Games’ own public interest in the medium didn’t help with the expectation, but the launch has come-and-gone without even a whisper of VR compatibility. However, that hasn’t prevented third-parties jumping on the bandwagon.

No Man's Sky screenshot

Though the expectation was that the PlayStation 4 version of No Man’s Sky would be VR compatible through PlayStation VR, it’s actually the PC release that is first to benefit from the technology. A word of caution however, as Hello Games did not design No Man’s Sky with the intention of being played in VR (for a comfortable experience a number of design changes would need to be implemented) and as such the below information is intended for experienced VR gamers only.

In order to enable No Man’s Sky for VR gameplay you will need an external third-party application that provides stereo-driver injection, headlook adaptation and more. Most widely recommended is VorpX, and so this is what VRFocus will use for the below example.

  1. Download and install VorpX.
  2. Launch No Man’s Sky and adjust the in-game settings. Recommended are setting the ‘On-Foot Field of View’ to 100 degrees, the ‘Flight Field of View’ to 100 degrees and the ‘Max FPS’ to 60.
  3. Close No Man’s Sky to apply these changes. Do not Reboot.
  4. Launch VorpX.
  5. Launch No Man’s Sky, but do not enter the videogame. Instead, immediately hit the Del key to access the configuration options for VorpX.
  6. Access ‘Image Settings’ and adjust the ‘Aspect Ratio Correction’ to ‘Letterbox 2’.
  7. For additional comfort further options can be tailored to suit the individuals’ needs. For example, you may wish to adjust the ‘Separation Value’ and ‘Image Zoom’ properties.
  8. Exit VorpX’s configuration menu, No Man’s Sky and VorpX.
  9. Reboot VorpX and No Man’s Sky, now fully playable as an external application with the Oculus Rift.

Additional Note: These instructions will also make No Man’s Sky playable on HTC Vive, though additional steps are required. When booting SteamVR, ensure that ‘Steam Overlay’ and ‘Use Desktop Theater’ options are disabled.

No Man's Sky screenshot

Whether or not No Man’s Sky will receive native VR support down the line is anyone’s guess at present, but for now this is your opportunity to experience the videogame as many have desired. VRFocus will keep you updated with the future potential of an official release for VR support with Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky.

War Thunder Knights of the Sea Screenshots Released

A couple of days ago Gaijin Entertainment released details about a closed beta being launched later this year for Knights of the Sea, a new ocean warfare update for its popular massively multiplayer online (MMO) title War Thunder. The studio released a video at the time teasing some of the action and now several new images are available of the boats what will feature.

To begin with the closed beta will have two starter packs, each with a different vessel. Then further torpedo, artillery and missile boats, coast guard vessels and submarine chasers will launch.

The images below showcase the Soviet Project 1124 Armoured River Boat from the first starter pack, and the American PT-109. The 1124 includes a T-34 turret and two 12.7mm machine guns alongside a M-13-M1 unguided rocket launcher called Katyusha. While the PT-109 is a fast and manoeuvrable ship destroyer with four torpedoes, each weighing almost 1,200 kg, for taking out large ships.

The update will be showcased at the Gamescom event next week, where viditors will be able to get the first public hands-on in a special closed arena.

And for those not attending there will be a special video broadcast from the official Twitch booth and new devblog updates each day, where developers of the game will talk about the new regime, and run giveaways of closed beta access codes for the viewers.

For all the latest news on War Thunder, keep reading VRFocus.

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Oculus Updates PC SDK to v1.7

Its now been almost five months since the launch of the Oculus Rift head-mounted display (HMD), and in that time its not all been plain sailing for the virtual reality (VR) device but now everything is going a lot smoother. Oculus VR has released several updates in that time the latest being a new version of the company’s PC software development kit (SDK), version 1.7.0.

Not a great deal has been added, there are more known issues than anything else, but there is one telling piece of information. The one new feature lists values for IndexTrigger, HandTrigger, and Thumbstick which likely relate to the upcoming Oculus Touch controllers, and the first known issue also refers to the Touch devices.

Oculus Touch

It’s still unknown when Oculus VR plans to launch the controllers other than Fall 2016, and no price has yet been revealed. These details will probably be announced at Oculus Connect 3 in October, so we’ll have to wait until then to find out.

The full list of update details can be seen below, and for all the latest Oculus news, keep reading VRFocus.

 

Oculus PC SDK 1.7.0 Changelog:

New Features

The values for IndexTrigger, HandTrigger, and Thumbstick include deadzones. Added IndexTriggerNoDeadzone, HandTriggerNoDeadzone, and ThumbstickNoDeadzone, which return values for the trigger, hand trigger, and thumbstick without deadzones.

API Changes

There are no breaking changes to version 1.7.0.

Known Issues

When Touch controllers wake up from idle, they might move erratically for up to 10 seconds before tracking is reestablished.

If you bypass the shim and communicate with the DLL directly, without specifying a version to ovr_Initialize, the DLL has no way of knowing the SDK version with which the application was built. This can result in unpredictable or erratic behavior which might cause the application to crash.

There are some USB chipsets that do not meet the USB 3.0 specification and are incompatible with the Oculus Rift sensor. If you receive a notification in Oculus Home or the Oculus App, plug the sensor into a different USB 3.0 port (blue). If none of the USB 3.0 ports work, plug the sensor into a USB 2.0 port (black).

Antivirus software, such a McAfee, can cause installation issues. To work around the issue, make sure you have the latest updates and disable real-time scanning.

If you encounter installation issues, delete the Oculus folder and install the software again.

If the Rift displays a message that instructs you to take off the headset, remove it and place it on a flat surface for 10-15 seconds.

The keyboard and mouse do not work in Oculus Home. To select an item, gaze at it and select it using the Oculus Remote or Xbox controller.

Bandwidth-intensive USB devices, such as web cams and high-end audio interfaces, might not work when using the Rift. To work around this issue, install the device on another USB host controller or a separate computer.

For dual-boot systems using DK2 or CB1 HMDs, the OS selection screen might appear on the HMD instead of the monitor. To work around this, try plugging the HMD into a different port or unplug the HMD while booting.

If you are running your application from the Unity Editor and you press the controller’s home button to return to Oculus Home, you will be prompted to close the application. If you select OK, Unity might remain in a state where it is running, but will never get focus. To work around this, restart Unity.