Razer kauft THX um führende Rolle für VR Audio einzunehmen

Mit diesem Schritt konnte wohl bisher niemand rechnen. Das Razer im Virtual Reality Markt mitmischen will, zeigt das Unternehmen zwar bereits mit dem OSVR Headset, doch bisher hat Razer seine Fühler kaum in den Bereich Virtual Reality Audio ausgestreckt. Nun gibt das Unternehmen bekannt, dass THX jetzt zu Razer gehört.

Razer kauft THX

OSVR Hacker Dev Kit v1.4

Quelle: Razerzone

THX wurde im Jahr 1983 durch den Star Wars Erfinder George Lucas gegründet und hat sich einen Namen im Bereich Cinematic Audio machen konnte. Das Unternehmen gehörte anschließend lange Zeit zum Soundkartenhersteller Creative.  Trotz der Übernahme soll das Team aber auch weiterhin an Cinematic Audio arbeiten, aber es sollen auch andere Gebiete erschlossen werden.

Ty Ahmad-Tyler, CEO von THX, sagt, dass das Unternehmen eine führende Rolle im Bereich Virtual Reality Sound für Spiele und  Erfahrungen einnehmen will. Damit möchte das Unternehmen die Immersion von Virtual Reality Anwendungen erhöhen. Außerdem geht aus der Pressemitteilung hervor, dass THX auch an Augmented Reality Soundlösungen arbeitet.

THX will eine akustische Umgebung schaffen. Laut Ahmad Tyler bekommen die User aktuell nur binauralen Sound, welcher nicht die nötige Immersion herbeiführen kann.

Da Razer aktuell noch keine eigene Lösung für die Wiedergabe des Sounds im OSVR Headset verbaut hat, könnte das Unternehmen hiermit einen wichtigen und richtigen Schritt gehen. Auch Oculus hatte sich die Spezialisten von Two Big Ears mit ins Boot geholt, um an der Audiowiedergabe der finalen Version der Oculus Rift zu arbeiten.

Der Beitrag Razer kauft THX um führende Rolle für VR Audio einzunehmen zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Alice VR Release Date Set, New Screenshots Unveiled

In early 2015 Oculus ran a development jam for the Samsung Gear VR head-mounted display (HMD). Developer Carbon Studio took part creating A.L.I.C.E. Since then the project has had a slight name change to Alice VR along with a platform change to Oculus Rift. Now the studio along with publisher Klabater has announced the launch date for the title along with several new screenshots.

Alice VR takes place in the farthest reaches of space, where a malfunction prompts the ship’s AI to wake players from cryosleep and forces an emergency landing on a foreign planet called Speculo. The colony on this planet mines a vital resource for interstellar travel and so players must head to the nearest city of Mirabilis in search of fuel, only to find that all of the inhabitants have mysteriously disappeared.

The search uncovers a strange world that undermines the laws of physics, with alien technology that needs to be deciphered to uncover its secrets and, hopefully, find a way to leave the desolate planet.

At Gamescom 2016 VRFocus got to preview three specific areas of Alice VR, from wide open deserts, towering cityscapes and more.

Alice VR will launch on 27th October 2016, with support for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR, in English, Polish, German, French, Spanish, and Russian. As an extra bonus every purchase of Alice VR will come with a collection of digital extras, including the soundtrack composed by Francois Jolin from EON Sounds, a 40-page art book with notes from the developers, a set of exclusive wallpapers, and additional behind-the-scenes footage from the making of Alice VR.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Alice VR, reporting back with any further announcements.

AliceVR_Screen (5) AliceVR_Screen (4) AliceVR_Screen (1)

OSVR’s HDK2 Now Available in 10 Asia Pacific Countries

In July the Open Source Virtual Reality (OSVR) platform’s Hardware Development Kit 2 (HDK 2) PC-based HMD launched in the US, Canada and Europe. Today OSVR has now made the head-mounted display (HMD) available across ten countries in the Asia Pacific region.

Countries that the new hardware’s available in include: Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong.

OSVR HDK 2

“The HDK 2 is engineered to deliver a visual experience on par with the industry’s best while keeping it at a more affordable cost point in order to bring VR technology to more people.” Says Christopher Mitchell, OSVR Lead, Razer. “It will now also give developers and enthusiasts within the Asia Pacific the freedom to innovate and support a myriad of VR technologies across the world”

The main improvement to the OSVR HDK 2 has been the screen, a 90hz low-persistence OLED, RGB dual-display with a total resolution of 2160×1200 (1080p per eye). This along with custom designed SLR grade lenses, and a unique IQE (Image Quality Enhancer) technology for a reduced screen door effect, aim for a visual experience that’s closer to the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.

OSVR HDK 2 will making an appearance at Unite Singapore today and tomorrow, Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, with Christopher Mitchell, OSVR business lead from Razer hosting a talk on the 4th October. Then the team will be showcasing the HMD at PAX Australia which takes place from 4th to 6th November at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

For all the latest news on OSVR, keep reading VRFocus.

Redout: Achievements, Cheats, Tips & Tricks

Launched this weekend on Steam was Redout, a high octane racing title that supports virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs). The futuristic racer is a homage to classics such as Wipeout and F-Zero and comes with 34 Steam Achievements to unlock all of which are listed below.

Supporting Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR, Redout features single-player and multiplayer options, 20 tracks and over 75 events in Career Mode to compete in. There’s currently a limited time discount available. Until 9th September 2016 players can purchase Redout for £24.29 GBP rather than £26.99, a 10 percent discount.

Redout image 1

Full Achievement List:

 

CALLING HOUSTON

Miss a landing.

 

SNEAKY SNEAKY

Obtain a passive powerup.

 

NATURAL BORN WINNER

Win your first gold medal.

 

TRICK UP YOUR SLEEVE

Obtain an active powerup.

 

GT9 STRADALE

Obtain the Class 1 Lunare Scuderia ship.

 

CHALLENGER

Unlock a Class 2 ship.

 

VANGUARD

Obtain the Class 1 ESA-AGR ship.

 

PHOTO FINISH

 

TAKATORA

Obtain the Class 1 ASERA ship.

 

ON A ROLL

Win 3 consecutive events

 

QAREEN

Obtain the Class 1 Sulha AG ship.

 

SHOW OFF

 

FASTER THAN EVER

Break the speed of sound.

 

PRO

Unlock a Class 3 ship.

 

CENTAUR

Obtain the Class 1 Koeniggswerth ship.

 

GILA

Obtain the Class 1 Conqueror ship.

 

SHINY SHINY GOLD

Win 15 Career events.

 

CHALLENGE THE WORLD

Win an online match.

 

HARDCORE

Win a Score Endurance event.

 

ACE

Unlock a Class 4 ship.

 

RESPWND

Explode 5 times in a single lap.

 

TACTICIAN

Obtain all active powerups.

 

HIDDEN POWER

Obtain all passive powerups.

 

TUNING MANIAC

 

GTX COMPETIZIONE

Obtain the Class 4 Lunare Scuderia ship.

 

DRAGOON

Obtain the Class 4 ESA-AGR ship.

 

MARID

Obtain the Class 4 Sulha AG ship.

 

NOBUNAGA

Obtain the Class 4 ASERA ship.

 

FLAWLESS

 

IINI

Obtain the Class 4 Conqueror ship.

 

ODIN

Obtain the Class 4 Koeniggswerth ship.

 

PILE UP TROPHIES

Win 45 Career events.

 

ENLIGHTENED

Win the final Career event.

 

BETTER THAN EVER

High Octane Racer Redout Arrives for Rift, Vive and OSVR

If fast futuristic racing videogames such as F-Zero and Wipeout where always your favourite titles, then a new release from 34BigThings, Redout has just launched on Steam.

Featuring support for virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR, Redout is an anti-gravity racer which includes both single-player and multiplayer modes.

Redout image 1

The single-player career mode has over 75 events to complete, with 20 tracks set around 4 locations on a post-apocalyptic Earth. There are even boss circuits included. Players will be able to create their own racing story, choosing between six teams, each requiring a different driving approach, with four racing classes to test those cornering skills in, each increasingly faster than the other.

As for multiplayer, racers will be able to match up with 12 players for a proper challenge, racing the tracks they’ve learnt in career mode and using them to full advantage to win races.

To help player compete in the higher stages Redout has an upgrade system so that when players gain experience and level up they’ll be able to add new features to their ships. To add to this over ten power ups are available to give racers the edge, such as additional turbo, shields, self-repair drone, advanced grip system, slipstream enhancers, and more. These power ups are also upgradeable for even more customisation options.

At the moment developer 34BigThings is currently offering a limited time discount for Redout. Until 9th September 2016 Steam users can get 10 percent off Redout, dropping the price down to £24.29 GBP from £26.99.

As more VR supporting titles are released on Steam, VRFocus will bring you the latest releases.

15 Titles Confirmed for OSVR HDK Through Developer Fund

A couple of months ago Razer, one of the main companies behind the Open Source Virtual Reality (OSVR) head-mounted display (HMD), announced the creation of the OSVR Developer Fund. The fund encourages studios to make content for the OSVR headset and today Razer has announced fifteen new titles that will be coming, or are already available to HMD owners.

Of the 15 videogames announced today some will be instantly familiar to virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts, with titles such as Radial-G: Racing Revolved, The Brookhaven Experiment, PolyRunner and A-10 VR already available for HMDs such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Gear VR.

OSVR HDK 2 headset

Below is the full rundown of the videogames coming to OSVR HDK in the next few months:

Limb by Interdiction Studios – Available Q4 2017

Abduction by Red Iron Labs – Available Oct 31st 2016

PolyRunner by Lucid Sight – Available TBA

RC Soccer VR by Beatshapers – Available Q4 2016

StarDrone VR by Beatshapers – Available Q4 2016

Theme Park Studio by Pantera Game Studio – Available TBC

Alice VR by Carbon Studios – Available Oct 2016

Infinite by Project: Gateway VR Studios GmbH – Available Sept 2016

The Hum: Abductions by Totwise Studios – Available TBA

Redout by 34BigThings – Available Sept 2016

The Brookhaven Experiment by Phosphor Games – Available Q4 2016

A-10 VR by Futuretown – Available Q4 2016

Descent: Underground by Descendent Studios – Available Now

Radial-G: Racing Revolved by Tammeka Games – Available Now

CDF Starfighter by Mad About Games Studios Ltd – Available Sept 2016

These titles are just the first, the OSVR Developer Fund has received hundreds of applications and further content will be announced in Q3.

Razer has also announced support for WebVR. This means owners of the HDK 1.x, HDK 2 or any OSVR supporting devices can now experience VR apps via their browser.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of OSVR, reporting back with any further announcements.