Category: Shadow Project

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This Week In VR Sport: VR ESports In China And Australia While Its All About Football At Home

Every week VRFocus brings you a number of sports and eSports related virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) stories as part of This Week In VR Sport. This week, HTC Vive and McLaren launch their Motorsports eSports series at ChinaJoy 2018, Australia is seeing a raise in the number of VR eSports fan and Cherry Pop Games release a new update and demo for their popular title Football Nation VR.

HTC Vive and McLaren Launch Their eSports Series In China

Back in July it was announced that HTC Vive would be partnering with McLaren to put on an eSports series. Now, the first VR Motorsports eSports Competition hosted by the two companies has taken place in China alongside a new Vive Focus system update as part of ChinaJoy 2018.

Known as the McLaren Shadow Project, the competition sees participants complete in a racing videogame that shadows the real F1 team, using the Vive Pro headset, in time trial-based races. The player who is able to earn the faster time will win a place in the finals which are set to take place in January, 2019. The overall winner of the program will win a seat in McLaren’s new eSports team , an opportunity to join the McLaren eSports development programme and a unique motorsport experience.

“Already, the dramatic impact of XR on the gaming industry is transformational, which is clearly demonstrated by the new class of immersive content we are showing at ChinaJoy!” Explained Alvin Wang Graylin, China President, HTC, talking to europeangaming: “As a category, eSports is being redefined by immersive technologies, and this cooperation between HTC Vive and McLaren to hold the world’s first official VR motorsport eSport event this week is bringing the worlds of virtual and physical sports closer together than ever.”

Graylin took to Twitter to share a number of images from the competition which can be seen below. As the competition continues ahead of the finals in a few months, VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest.

Australians Are Embracing VR eSports

Next Tier eSports

Australia is seeing an increasing number of people join in the eSports scene as the sport becomes more popular across the country. According to IoTHub, this movement is being helped by Next Tier Esports who have helped run events at two of the biggest gaming  conventions in the Northern Territory: Geekfest and Gecon. Not only does this mean a number of PC and console gaming areas are installed at the events but also VR setups.

Geekfest – operated by the City of Palmerston Council – expected 100 attendees in 2017, but ended up with over 700. The team at Next Teir Esports were on hand to help provide attendees with a means to play and become introduced to the concept of eSports including some VR titles. In 2018, Geekfest attracted over 1,500 attendees and the numbers are only set to raise.

Though other companies are helping to bring eSports into the lime light, including Flaktest Gaming and Throwdown Esports, it is Next Tier Esports who are looking to bring VR into the mix. With an ever growing eSports presences, VR is making waves that will not only see it offering exciting opportunities for players to engage in competitive play, but also as a great entertainment resource for consumers.

Football Nation VR Releases Free Demo On PlayStation VR

Football Nation VR 2018

Lastly this week, and in case you missed it, the fun and excitement of the 2018 World Cup can continue forever as Cherry Pop Games announced that their Football Nation VR videogame got a new update alongside the release of a demo. This means that PlayStation VR owners can download the demo and get stuck into the football action before picking up the full title.

The update that was released alongside it includes a bunch of new features such as a new striker mode, allowing players to try out penalty shoot outs in head-to-head online or offline fun. New custom teams, selectable AI difficulty, updates controls, new face to ball/goal button directing player goal orientation and an updated replay system.

“Our latest content update will fill the undeniable void left by the World Cup, one of our main focuses has been to improve the players experience, it was clear to us that the player wanted more memorable footballing moments – giving players the chance to be the star player and in doing this giving you more time on the ball,” commented Gemma Jessop, Cherry Pop Games, in a statement. “This is just one one in a list of game optimisations provided in this update, including; further control improvements, varying AI difficulty levels and the launch of a free demo on PlayStation VR so you can now jump in online and play for your country for free. It’s a great introduction to the new game mechanics.”

The free demo – which includes the striker mode – is available to download now on PlayStation VR with the update coming to both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive later this month.

That is all for This Week In VR Sport. For more on immersive sport news keep reading VRFocus and remember to check back next week for another This Week In VR Sport.
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This Week In VR Sports: Augmented Sports Continues To Grow

It is once again time for another entry in This Week In VR Sport. Every week VRFocus brings you a number of sports and eSports related virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) stories. With the World Cup in full swing it is time to look elsewhere in the world of sports to see what is going on. Ncam technologies has joined the Sports Video Group to demonstration AR solutions to sports broadcasters, Snapchat lets you go up against Serena Williams and McLaren is taking on eSports.

Ncam Technologies Partner With The Sports Video Group

Ncam Technologies, a company aimed at delivering effective and reliable real-time AR solutions, has become a corporate sponsor of the Sports Video Group. The work of the Ncam Technologies has been used in the gamification of sports, product launches and digital product placement. Joining the Sports Video Group, they will be aiming to demonstration the possibilities of AR technology for use in sports broadcasters.

“With sports viewers expecting more and more out of every broadcast they watch, only SVG can expose us to the production professionals that can bring augmented-reality technologies into the homes of their audiences,” says Morgan Beall, VP, North America sales. “Sporting-event viewers always want more information, delivered in compelling and engaging ways. As part of the SVG community, we are excited to educate fellow members and demonstrate what is possible with AR today.”

Ncam Technologies recently developed and introduced at NAB 2018 AR solutions such as Real Depth, Real Light, and Extreme.

Take On Serena Williams In New Snapchat AR Expereince

Though it is all about the football at the minute as the world cup final rapidly approaches, there was some news for the tennis fans out there earlier this week. Thanks to the work of Snapchat and Bitmoji avatars, users can experience what it might be like to go up against Serena Williams in an AR tennis match.

Thanks to the 3D Bitmoji avatars, users can launch the tennis match of a lifetime and battle against the avatar of Serena Williams in a fun AR mini-game. Players will need to move, swing and smack the ball effectively if they are wanting to have a chance at coming out on top of this match.

“Starting today, everyone can play tennis against Serena Williams…on Snapchat,” tweeted John Brennan, head of global sports partnerships at Snap, Inc. “Tap on the front-facing camera to activate an interactive 3D Bitmoji Lens and see how many points you can score against the GOAT.”

This is the latest addition to Snapchat’s AR offerings as the company continue to embrace the technology and find new ways to bring it to consumers in a fun and engaging way. VRFocus will be sure to keep you up to date on all the latest from Snapchat in the future.

Formula 1 Team McLaren Partner With HTC Vive For eSports Series

Earlier this week it was announced that HTC Vive are partnering with McLaren for an eSports series called Shadow Project. The project is an expanded version of the ‘World’s Fastest Gamer’ event, which was held in 2017. The winner of Shadow Project will land a spot on McLaren’s new eSports racing team and have the chance to even become part of the world famous Formula 1 team as a simulation driver.

Shadow Project will expand the titles that are included within the lineup by bringing smartphone titles like Real Racing 3 next to the likes of Forza Motorsport, iRacing and rFactor 2. It will be owned by McLaren which offers an interesting branding and marketing opportunity for the company and for eSports as a whole. HTC Vive and Dell’s Alienware hardware solutions will offer a reliable base for the event to run on with partners such as Logitech G, Sparco, EA and Microsoft also having been involved at some point.

With VR-enabled racing titles now able to be brought into the event line up it offers a unique experience that will offer views and participation the chance to enjoy immersive titles within an eSports scene.

That is all for This Week In VR Sport. For more on immersive sport news keep reading VRFocus and remember to check back next week for another This Week In VR Sport.
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HTC Vive Partner with McLaren for Esports Series

While a car manufacturer might not seem like the most obvious candidate for running a esports tournament, McLaren have, in fact, been involved in the esports area for some time. The company are now sealing their participation with the launch of an esports series called Shadow Project.

Shadow Project is an expanded version of the ‘World’s Fastest Gamer’ Event, which took place in 2017. The ultimate winner of Shadow Project will get a spot on McLaren’s new esports racing team, and perhaps even become part of the famous Formula 1 team as a simulation driver.

While the previous event was focussed on traditional driving simulator titles, Shadow Project is branching out into more casual titles, which will see things like smartphone title Real Racing 3 added to the line-up alongside Forza Motorsport, iRacing and rFactor 2.

“In World’s Faster Gamer the simulator was the star,” says McLaren director of esports Ban Payne. “The Shadow Project has broadened the entire programme out, so there are more ways to get involved… The end output of it is we’ll have additional talent for our esports team, and more people to bring into our esports development programme across McLaren as a group.”

Shadow Project is being entirely owned by McLaren, which presents an interesting branding and marketing opportunity for the company as it becomes more involved with the esports scene. McLaren are welcoming various partners, however, with VR brand HTC Vive and Dell’s Alienware offering expertise, alongside previous partners Logitech G and Sparco as well as EA and Microsoft.

The involvement of HTC Vive offers the potential for VR-enabled racing titles to be part of the line-up that players will need to master in order to claim a position of champion.

Some analysts are pointing to this as another step towards mainstream acceptance of esports. For further coverage of VR in esports, keep checking back with VRFocus.