Category: Social VR

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‘Rec Room’ Update Adds New Quest, ‘Curse of the Crimson Cauldron’

The impressive content of popular social VR game Rec Room has once again expanded, with this week’s update introducing a brand new Quest titled ‘Curse of the Crimson Cauldron’. Developer Against Gravity believes their third co-op VR mini-adventure is the longest and most challenging to date.

As described in an entry on the game’s Steam news page, Rec Room’s third co-op Quest ‘Curse of the Crimson Cauldron’ is now available, alongside a few extra features and fixes. This includes improved powers for event hosts, a new eraser marker, and a watch prompt to import new friends.

Image courtesy Against Gravity

Against Gravity explained to Road to VR that they believe it is the most difficult quest they’ve created to date, as well as the longest, as illustrated by the quest’s elaborate map (right).

This is a result of the ‘new dynamic encounters’ with more ‘unpredictable’ enemies, along with new challenges which include ‘puzzle solving’ and ‘environmental hazards’. The mode also introduces a new magic wand and crossbow, and ‘double damage potions’ to deal with the stronger enemies.

Image courtesy Against Gravity

With ‘The Quest for the Golden Trophy’ in February and ‘The Rise of Jumbotron!’ in April, along with many other updates to features and content, Rec Room’s development continues at a relentless pace. Against Gravity are seemingly unafraid to make rapid changes to environments and gameplay features, as they have the ability to react to feedback from the highly active community just as quickly. Their approach is clearly successful, with Rec Room becoming one of the most popular social VR platforms. The injection of funding announced early this year has ensured the game continues to be free, although the team will surely have to explore monetisation options in the future.

The post ‘Rec Room’ Update Adds New Quest, ‘Curse of the Crimson Cauldron’ appeared first on Road to VR.

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New Procedural Speech Animation From Disney Research Could Make for More Realistic VR Avatars

A new paper authored by researchers from Disney Research and several universities describes a new approach to procedural speech animation based on deep learning. The system samples audio recordings of human speech and uses it to automatically generate matching mouth animation. The method has applications ranging from increased efficiency in animation pipelines to making social VR interactions more convincing by animating the speech of avatars in real-time in social VR settings.

Researchers from Disney Research, University of East Anglia, California Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University, have authored a paper titled A Deep Learning Approach for Generalized Speech Animation. The paper describes a system which has been trained with a ‘deep learning / neural network’ approach, using eight hours of reference footage (2,543 sentences) from a single speaker to teach the system the shape the mouth should make during various units of speech (called phonemes) and combinations thereof.

Below: The face on the right is the reference footage. The left face is overlaid with a mouth generated from the system based only on the audio input, after training with the video.

The trained system can then be used to analyze audio from any speaker and automatically generate the corresponding mouth shapes which can then be applied to face model for automated speech animation. The researchers say the system is speaker-independent and can “approximate other languages.”

We introduce a simple and effective deep learning approach to automatically generate natural looking speech animation that synchronizes to input speech. Our approach uses a sliding window predictor that learns arbitrary nonlinear mappings from phoneme label input sequences to mouth movements in a way that accurately captures natural motion and visual coarticulation effects. Our deep learning approach enjoys several attractive properties: it runs in real-time, requires minimal parameter tuning, generalizes well to novel input speech sequences, is easily edited to create stylized and emotional speech, and is compatible with existing animation retargeting approaches.

Creating speech animation which matches an audio recording for a CGI character is typically done by hand by a skilled animator. And while this system falls short of the sort of high fidelity speech animation you’d expect from major CGI productions, it could certainly be used as an automated first-pass in such productions or used to add passable speech animation in places where it might otherwise be impractical, such as NPC dialogue in a large RPG, or for low budget projects that would benefit from speech animation but don’t have the means to hire an animator (instructional/training videos, academic projects, etc).

In the case of VR, the system could be used to make social VR avatars more realistic by animating the avatar’s mouth in real-time as the user speaks. True mouth tracking (optical or otherwise) would be the most accurate method for animating an avatar’s speech, but a procedural speech animation system like this one could be a practical stopgap if / until mouth tracking hardware becomes widespread.

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Disney Research Shows How VR Can Be Used to Study Human Perception

Some social VR apps are already using various systems for animating mouths; Oculus also provides a lip sync plugin for Unity which aims to animate avatar mouths based on audio input. However, this new system based on deep learning appears to provide significantly high detail and accuracy in speech animation than other approaches that we’ve seen thus far.

The post New Procedural Speech Animation From Disney Research Could Make for More Realistic VR Avatars appeared first on Road to VR.

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Microsoft Picks up AltspaceVR, Plans to Build the “preeminent [AR/VR] community”

Following weeks of speculation surrounding the social VR platform’s successful turnaround, it has been revealed today that AltspaceVR is now part of Microsoft. Despite being one of the original social VR services, the company fell into financial difficulties in July, and almost completely shut down.

Update (10/3/17): At today’s Windows Mixed Reality event in San Francisco, Microsoft announced that AltspaceVR is now part of the family. The social VR platform ran out of funding in July, announcing an imminent closure, but the service was saved thanks to a passionate community response and investment from an unnamed party, which has now been revealed.

“AltspaceVR is one of the pioneers in immersive communications bringing people together in virtual reality from over 160 countries to attend meetups, comedy shows, yoga classes, dance parties, and large-scale events hosted by NBC, Reggie Watts, Justin Roiland, Drew Carey and more,” reads the short statement provided on Microsoft’s press release. “With the AltspaceVR team onboard we look forward to building the world’s preeminent mixed reality community.”

Original article (08/15/17): While AltspaceVR is currently keeping details close to its chest, the venture-backed company appears to have found a solution to their recent financial difficulties, where they were unable to secure additional venture funding.

In a message to Road to VR, a spokesperson for AltspaceVR stated “We are now in discussions with third parties to develop a sustainable solution to continue development and growth for the future. We look forward to communicating more when possible over the coming weeks and months.”

Since establishing itself as one of the first social VR platforms in 2013, the market has become increasingly diverse, with the likes of Bigscreen, Facebook Spaces, JanusVR, Rec Room, and more offering different social experiences. Despite the competition, AltspaceVR says they’ve been able to retain about 35,000 active users per month, some of whom were passionate enough about the platform to talk about their memories and connections they had made, offering donations and encouragement to the team after the closure was announced.

“In the meantime, AltspaceVR is up and running for our user community and SDK developers with the help of a skeleton crew”, AltspaceVR tells Road to VR. “We will be rebuilding the calendar of events over the next few weeks. The staff will serve during peak times and certain other select hours to welcome new users, moderate as needed, and help with troubleshooting and technical questions.”

The surprise announcement of the closure would have surely piqued the interest of potential investors; indeed Oculus founder Palmer Luckey asked the public for their thoughts on whether he should ‘save’ the platform. It’s unclear whether he is actually involved in the turnaround, but his most recent tweet is about AltspaceVR’s good news.

The post Microsoft Picks up AltspaceVR, Plans to Build the “preeminent [AR/VR] community” appeared first on Road to VR.

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League of War: VR Arena Brings More Couch Multiplayer to PSVR

League of War: VR Arena

Munky Fun, the team behind the hit free-to-play mobile game League of War: Mercenaries, announced they’re bringing the popular franchise to PlayStation VR with League of War: VR Arena.

The arena-style pseudo-tabletop strategy game sees players selecting units, placing them on the battlefield, and watching the ensuing fireworks as tanks, flamethrowers, and helicopters (among others) attempt to take down the opposing player’s base.

While dwarfed technically by the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, PlayStation VR is becoming the platform of choice for local multiplayer and VR. From the tech demos in Playroom to yesterday’s Kaiju Driving Range announcement, developers continue to capitalize on Sony’s Social Screen. VR Arena continues this trend with its local multiplayer, allowing one player to play on a television while the other aspiring general plays with the VR headset.

League of War: VR Arena drops later this fall, exclusively for PSVR.

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Rec Room: Neue Quest Crimson Cauldron kommt Donnerstag, Trailer

Der laut unserem Christoph Social-VR-König Rec Room erhält am Donnerstag, den 17. August 2017 eine neue Quest: In Crimson Cauldron darf man gemeinsam mit Pfeil und Bogen, Schild und Schwert sowie Flinte gegen Goblins zu Felde ziehen. Zwischendurch ist in der mittelalterlichen Fantasy-Welt dann Zeit für ein Schluck Zaubertrank.

Rec Room mit neuer Quest Crimson Cauldron


Eigentlich ist Rec Room ja eine Social-Media-Plattform in VR. Sie fällt durch ihre liebevolle Gestaltung im Comic-Look auf und erfreut sich ähnlich wie das gerade gerettete AltspaceVR großer Beliebtheit. Dabei ist den virtuellen Reisenden überlassen, ob man in Rec Room einfach nur entspannt im Gras liegt, in den Himmel schaut und mit halbem Ohr die anderen Anwesenden belauscht. Oder ob die sportliche Herausforderung liebt und zu Wettkämpfen trifft. Einige Spiele wie beispielsweise Disc Golf und Dodgeball laden zur freundlichen Auseinandersetzungen ein. Dabei hört es aber nicht auf, seit Ende letzten Jahres gibt es eine private Lounge, in der man entspannt ungestört mit Freunden die Zeit verbringen kann. Wer Lust hat, spielt dort eine Runde Karten oder Tischtennis.

In der neuen Quest Crimson Cauldron verlässt man den sportlichen Bereich und wechselt ins Mittelalter-Ambiente. Ein erster Trailer auf YouTube zeigt, was einen ab morgen erwartet. Rec Room ist kostenlos für die Oculus Rift und HTC Vive zu haben. Eine Fassung für PlayStation VR ist zwar in Arbeit. Aber die Entwickler sind noch nicht davon überzeugt, ob das Spiel für die PSVR erscheinen kann.

Red Room Quest

Der Beitrag Rec Room: Neue Quest Crimson Cauldron kommt Donnerstag, Trailer zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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AltspaceVR Announces Return, In ‘Deep Discussions’ For Social VR Revival

AltspaceVR Announces Return, In ‘Deep Discussions’ For Social VR Revival

Two weeks ago social VR platform AltspaceVR hosted what was supposed to be its final gathering before shutting down. Now, it appears that it won’t be shutting down at all.

AltspaceVR announced its planned closure in late July, noting that the company had been unsuccessful in raising further funds needed to keep the platform going. Yesterday, the developers posted a blog update announcing the app’s apparent revival. In the post, the company states that it is “deep in discussions” with those that “want to guarantee that our virtual oasis stays open,” though no new round of funding was officially announced.

Despite this, the company notes that it feels “confident” in saying the app will not be closing down.

Exactly who is interested in saving the company is unknown. The day after the closure was announced Oculus Rift inventor Palmer Luckey took to Twitter to ask if he should try to save the platform, putting it down to a Twitter poll. Of the 5,493 votes given, 67% voted yes. Luckey also retweeted the news that the company had been saved but did not clarify if he had aided it.

We’ve reached out to AltspaceVR to find out more about the news, and we’ll update this story with any further information.

AltspaceVR did have one group of people to thank; the community. ” You all made this happen by sharing memories, videos, tweets, and emails,” the blog post reads. “So many of you wrote to us asking if they could donate or help. You told the world how much AltspaceVR meant to you and how you had made good memories and lasting friendships. Your messages of encouragement brought us smiles during a pretty gloomy time.”

The app was available across a wide range of VR headsets, from high-end PC devices to mobile kits and was completely free to use. It allowed users to meet up online as customized avatars and talk to each other, attending events or just hanging out. Its closure had raised questions about the future of social VR as a whole, and those questions still remain despite this revival.

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‘VRChat’ Anecdotes and Dealing with Harassment & Tolling in Social VR

gunterGunter S. Thompson has been hosting VR meetups in VRChat for the past three years where he will give guided tours through the latest additions to the VRChat metaverse, and he also hosts a live talk show every Tuesday called ‘Gunter’s Universe.’ I had a chance to catch up with Gunter at SVVR about two months after VRChat launched on Steam on February 1st where we talked about highlights from his social VR adventures, the challenges of dealing with harassment and trolling with VRChat after it’s public launch, and hanging out at the most popular bar in the metaverse, which is called ‘The Great Pug’.

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Infinity Ward Founder Moves From Call of Duty to VR Conferencing With Rumii

A screenshot of Rumii by Doghead Simulations

VR games garner headlines, but potential business applications might even be more alluring. Case in point: Chance Glasco left his role as a founding member of Infinity Ward, the studio behind Call of Duty, for the decidedly less sexy world of teleconferencing.

Most office workers spend at least some of their time in the purgatory known as the corporate conference call. Many have learned that it’s the perfect time to zone out and play with their phones. Glasco told Forbes, “Something like 67% of people doing teleconferencing are actually doing something else.” Companies waste hours with workers half-listening to managers drone endlessly in distant offices. Glasco wants to change that with Rumii, a VR conferencing app.

A typical session in Rumii begins with meeting and greeting in a shared lobby, then moving on to the conference room, complete with a virtual projector that can display shared desktops or slide shows. While Rumii won’t make chart-filled PowerPoint presentations any more entertaining, Glasco hopes that the addition of eye-tracking to VR headsets will allow for more natural interaction. Rumii also records meeting animation and audio data, giving those who missed the meeting no excuse not to relive it themselves.

Glasco’s founded Doghead Simulations and built a team scattered across the world, making them the perfect test case for their product. They are their own best customers. Remote teams often feel disconnected from each other when they only interact through email or the occasional video chat. Rumii allows teams to come together and get to know each other in a shared space, even if it’s a virtual one. Glasco described the experience, “I think one of the biggest issues is that you’ve got a lot of people who work together who don’t feel like they’ve been together. So using the power of social presence, we’re a lot closer… The thing with Rumii is you really feel like you’re with other people, your brain just buys into that sense of team, and collaboration is a lot stronger than using video.”

Doghead Simulations qualified as one of ten finalists in Nvidia’s AR/VR GTC Competition earlier this year. Rumii is slated for release in the last quarter of 2017. Those of you who can’t wait to share your undoubtedly thrilling PowerPoints with your co-workers in VR can apply for early access on Doghead Simulations’ website.

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Targeted by Trump Travel Ban, Musician Reaches Americans in VR

Targeted by Trump Travel Ban, Musician Reaches Americans in VR

London-based musician Ash Koosha is a self-described virtual reality pioneer, a rockstar, and a synesthete who sees colors as sound. But all that matters under President Trump’s travel ban is the color of his passport- brown, like all others from Iran.

Jailed in his home country for the crime of organizing a rock concert, Koosha claims asylum in the UK and lives in London. His conflicts with Iranian authorities are irrelevant under the US President’s travel ban targeting individuals from Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The new restrictions, implemented by executive order, went into effect last week and will continue at least until October, when the US Supreme Court is slated to rule on their validity.

Even with the new presidential order, Koosha will reach fans in the US in a virtual reality performance. Partnering with TheWaveVR, a virtual reality concert platform available in early access on Steam, Koosha will play in London on August 16th at 7 PM PST. Fans in America can watch with an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.

Last summer, Koosha canceled concerts in the United States after the State Department failed to process his visa in time. His problems have only grown under the new administration. He issued a statement in January, calling Trump’s first failed travel ban, “the outcome of petty political pandering to the detriment of thousands.” He continued, “All of my ambitions, contributions, and efforts were reduced to bureaucratic paperwork that left me feeling betrayed and burdened because of my ‘place of birth’.”

Koosha’s concert is the fourth in TheWaveVR’s flagship series. Previously featured artists include Heavy Grinder, N-Fold, and Grimecraft.

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Avatar Creation with Morph3D & Social VR Anecdotes from Chris Madsen

chris-madsenCustom avatars in social VR add a lot of fidelity of identity expression and creative flair in applications like VRChat or High Fidelity. Morph3D is a custom avatar solution that offers a number of free avatars within VRChat, but they also have a custom tool where you can customize your own virtual avatar. I had a chance to catch up with Chris “DeepRifer” Madsen, Morph3D’s head of VR/AR at GDC where we talked about some of the reactive avatars that they’re working on. 

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Chris has tried to explore something new in VR every day for the past four years, and he also shares some of the highlights of his social VR experiences from the last four years.

Editor’s Note: Chris Madsen has previously contributed articles to Road to VR.

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