Category: Streaming

Posted on

Vreal VR Broadcasting Startup Shuts Down

The people behind the Vreal streaming startup are shutting the effort down.

The Seattle-based startup built a recording and broadcasting service which worked with a handful of VR titles as a kind of Twitch for VR. The service allowed players to relive moments they’d spent in VR and share with others using virtual cameras, and Vreal’s playback technologies, to present action from new angles.

vreal shuts down vreal.net

Vreal employed around two dozen people when we reported on its fundraising round of $11.7 million in February 2018. Roughly 18 months later — the typical funding runway startup managers give themselves — and Vreal is no more.

A posting to the Vreal.net website states:

“Moving on to new realities…”

“Vreal started with an ambitious idea – VR is immersive, and VR content should be immersive too. For those that are a part of the VR community, it’s always inspiring to see the wonder and awe on a friend’s face when you first put them in your VR headset. VR is magical, and the Vreal team wanted to share that magic with everyone.”

“We achieved that, and we are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done. Unfortunately, the VR market never developed as quickly as we all had hoped, and we were definitely ahead of our time. As a result, Vreal is shutting down operations and our wonderful team members are moving on to other opportunities.”

“It’s been a incredible journey and we want to thank our community, our partners and investors for the support they’ve given us along the way. We will be keeping the Discord server open for a week or so if anyone has any questions or wants to connect.”

“Much love from the Vreal team”

The post Vreal VR Broadcasting Startup Shuts Down appeared first on UploadVR.

Posted on

Vive Focus Plus To Get Official Viveport PC VR Content Streaming In Q4 2019

Today at the ChinaJoy 2019 event, HTC announced that the Vive Focus Plus standalone VR headset will support integrated content streaming from Viveport via a nearby VR-ready PC over standard 5Ghz Wi-Fi networks.

The feature is described as a “one click” solution to offer “seamless content streaming” from Viveport accounts. This has been a hot topic for standalone VR headsets for some time and even the Oculus Quest has a host of solutions for PC content streaming but none of them are official from Oculus.

On the flip side, this solution for Vive Focus Plus is directly from HTC:

“5G Cloud VR has been a hot topic in the press recently, and in one to two years, after the 5G network is more robust, it will provide a new way for users to experience high quality VR without the need for a high-end PC. Until then, the new VIVEPORT Streaming capability being announced today will enable VR users to enjoy countless premium PC VR experiences on their standalone VR devices without the need for a wire.” said Alvin Wang Graylin, China President, HTC in a prepared statement. “PC VR streaming as a concept is not new, but having the PC and the Vive Focus Plus complete the full complex network connection automatically and providing a seamless UI to starting any VR content on the linked PC from inside the VR device makes the experience a real breakthrough.”

The concept is great, but from what we’ve seen with our own two eyes the execution isn’t quite perfect. Jamie tried Viveport streaming over 5Ghz at Mobile World Congress (MWC) earlier this year and had the following to say:

“The idea of instantly jumping from one high-fidelity VR experience to another no matter where I am is exciting. We’re just not there quite yet.”

PC VR streaming from Viveport is coming first to the Vive Focus Plus in Q4 2019, but will also support “other full 6DOF standalone VR devices built on Vive Wave VR open platform” after that. There is no timeframe on other devices besides “soon.”

The post Vive Focus Plus To Get Official Viveport PC VR Content Streaming In Q4 2019 appeared first on UploadVR.

Posted on

RiftCat Finally Brings Its VR Streaming Software To iOS

RiftCat Finally Brings Its VR Streaming Software To iOS

Streaming PC VR content to an iPhone is finally possible thanks to RiftCat.

The company this week launched the long-promised iOS version of its VRidge software. Available on Android since 2016, VRidge streams PC VR content straight to your phone. You can then insert your phone into a VR viewer like a Google Cardboard headset. It’s a low-cost workaround to access PC VR games, though it’s far from perfect. While players will lose positional tracking, they can still tilt their head to look around.

Now, obviously, you’re not going to be playing tracking-heavy games like Vacation Simulator or Superhot VR. But RiftCat does reason that the platform is good for sampling seated VR experiences like Subnautica, Elite Dangerous and Project Cars. You can see some of those apps in action in the short video below.

Recently RiftCat also added the ability to use other smartphones as three degrees of freedom (3DOF) motion controllers. So, if you have three smartphones to hand, you could theoretically play the likes of Beat Saber with the software. We did just that in an Oculus Go, actually.

It’s a fun experiment but in no way a proper replacement for a real PC VR headset. It’s also worth noting that the rise of standalone VR headsets like the soon-to-release Oculus Quest is providing cheaper ways to get into high-quality VR. How RiftCat copes with the increase in affordable VR will be an interesting story to follow. VRidge is available for free in 10 minute sessions, but a one-time payment of $14.99 also gets you unlimited access.

Tagged with: , ,

The post RiftCat Finally Brings Its VR Streaming Software To iOS appeared first on UploadVR.

Posted on

Nvidia: GeForce Now soll zukünftig AR- und VR-Streaming ermöglichen

Nvidia veröffentlichte kürzlich auf der GTC 2019 (GPU Technologie Conference) den Ausbau der hauseigenen RTX-Server. Durch die neue Hardware-Struktur und dem damit verbundenen Ausbau der Cloud-Computing-Kapazitäten soll es möglich sein, in Zukunft mit GeForce Now AR- und VR-Inhalte in 4K mit 90 Hz zu streamen.

Nvidia – GeForce Now soll zukünftig AR- und VR-Streaming ermöglichen

Mit GeForce Now soll zukünftig dank der neuen RTX-Server von NVIDIA ein latenzfreies Streamen von AR- und VR-Inhalten in 4K mit 90 Hz möglich werden. So soll laut Verantwortlichen AR und VR zur Cloud Reality werden. Die neuen Server sollen die Spiele und Apps unabhängig vom genutzten Endgerät auf dem Performance-Niveau einer GeForce RTX 2080 rendern. Somit könnten auch leistungsschwächere Rechner PC-VR-Brillen verwenden.

NVIDIA-RTX-Server-Cloud-Computing-AR-VR-Streaming

NVIDIA RTX Server | Image courtesy: NVIDIA

Eine entsprechende Demo wurde auf der GTC vorgeführt. In Kooperation mit AT&T und Ericsson entwickeln die Verantwortlichen derzeit die NVIDIA CloudVR-Software fort. In Testphasen soll dabei in interaktiven VR-Erfahrungen dank 5G-Streaming ein verlustfreies Spielen bei einer Latenz von fünf Millisekunden ermöglicht werden.

Die gesamte Keynote auf der GTC 2019 gibt es hier (ab 49:09 startet der Vortrag über das Cloud-Gaming-System)

Die derzeitige Beta-Version der GeForce-Now-Software ermöglicht das Streamen von über 400 Spielen auf Windows-PCs, Macs oder Nvidia Shield-Tablets. Um die Streaming-Software zu verwenden, ist aktuell eine Internetübertragungsgeschwindigkeit von mindestens 15 Mbit/s für 720p bei 60 FPS bzw. 25 Mbit/s für 1080p bei 60 FPS sowie ein 5 GHz WLAN-Router erforderlich.

Wann die neue Streaming-Technologie offiziell verfügbar wird, ist derzeit noch unklar.

Das Streamen von Computerspielen, und der damit verbundene Wegfall eines eigenen teuren Gaming-PCs, wird derzeit als komfortable Zukunftslösung für den Spielemarkt angesehen. Google präsentierte gestern auf der GDC 2019 seine neue Game-Streaming-Plattform Stadia, die es erlaubt, Spiele über den Chrome-Browser zu spielen.

Stadia-Google-Cloud-Gaming

Stadia Logo | Image Courtesy: Google

Somit werden die mittlerweile großen Games und dazugehörigen Updates auf den Servern gelagert, wodurch die Spieler per Knopfdruck die angebotenen Games in 4K mit stabilen 60 FPS starten können. Der Support von AR- oder VR-Software blieb bei der Präsentation allerdings außen vor.

(Quelle: Nvidia Blog | Upload VR | Videos: NVIDIA YouTube)

Der Beitrag Nvidia: GeForce Now soll zukünftig AR- und VR-Streaming ermöglichen zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Posted on

Vive Focus Streaming On 5G Is A Fun, Flawed Glimpse Of The Future

HTC Vive 5G Hub

If I had a penny for every time I’ve heard the term ‘5G’ in the past 48 hours. At MWC 2019 you were in constant earshot of someone telling you why it was the future. The same was true for the past two shows, mind you, but this year the buzzwords are actually materializing into something tangible. HTC Vive was one of the companies to prove that.

Vive was showing its newest headset, the Focus Plus, streaming content via its new 5G hub this week. HTC had its hub positioned at the top of a booth, much like you’d have a Vive base station. Locked away in a cupboard below was a huge box of wires that I was told simulated a real 5G network. To showcase its potential? What else other than Superhot VR?

Of course, all of this has to be taken at HTC’s word. They told me that, of all the companies at MWC, they were one of (if not the) only ones to be simulating a “real” 5G network. While others have Wifi networks specced to 5G standards, HTC bought equipment it says enabled a real 5G connection. They showed me a big box with lots of wires that they said was very expensive. Still, I have no way of knowing just how close that network gets to what 5G will really be like when it’s out in the wide world.

What I saw was a shaky foundation for something hugely promising. I was able to fight my way through Superhot’s first level on a standalone VR headset. The experience was streaming from a PC elsewhere on the booth. The very fact that any of it worked at all was kind of amazing. The idea that someone could have that experience by streaming off of a PC elsewhere in the world could drastically lower the barrier to entry for premium VR. Well, it could one day at least.

As great as it is, though, Superhot probably wasn’t the best choice of demo. It’s not the most visually-intensive PC VR game, for starters. You also can’t scrutinize tracking too much before getting a bullet in the head. But perhaps that was the point; when I played the game with the emergency it demanded everything largely worked well. Like many of you, I know Superhot’s levels like the back of my hand by now. I was shooting and punching my way through them just as I do on Rift, Vive or PSVR.

But it was when I slowed down and zeroed in on specific features that the cracks began to show. If I purposefully turned my head as fast as possible, I’d have a black screen for a split second before the experience caught up. If I made snap movements with my arms, I could notice the small amount of latency. At one point I spotted the visual fidelity drop down to a faintly fuzzy quality, much like when a YouTube or Netflix video dips in quality to keep the stream going. The hub’s position also didn’t allow for a full 360 degrees of tracking – turning away from it caused controllers to disappear.

I was told that’s more to do with environment than it is tech, though. If the hub had been positioned directly above me or I’d had a wall behind me it would have apparently worked with 360 degrees. Again, HTC’s words, not mine.

Again, none of this drastically affected my performance in the game. It just felt like I was playing something inferior to the native PC VR or even PSVR experience. The fact that Superhot is already running on Oculus Quest (and quite well, for that matter) suggests native experiences will still be the best way to experience standalone VR for the foreseeable future. There’s still work to be done and HTC knows that. We won’t know just how viable 5G VR streaming is until networks are finally supporting it but with

To quote every marketing executive in Barcelona right now, this demo was billed as an early glimpse of the future and in that respect I came away feeling positive. 5G might be where HTC’s Viveport subscription comes into its own. The idea of instantly jumping from one high-fidelity VR experience to another no matter where I am is exciting. We’re just not there quite yet.

Tagged with: , ,

The post Vive Focus Streaming On 5G Is A Fun, Flawed Glimpse Of The Future appeared first on UploadVR.

Posted on

NextVR: Neue Kooperation sorgt für immersive elektronische Musik

Die Livestreaming-Plattform NextVR erweitert zukünftig ihr Angebot. Bisher stellte das VR-Unternehmen hauptsächlich 360-Grad-Streams von Sportveranstaltungen zur Verfügung, nun sollen auch Musikfans auf ihre Kosten kommen. Dank einer neuen Partnerschaft mit Central Station Records befinden sich zukünftig immersive VR-Erfahrungen mit Bezug auf elektronische Musik im Streaming-Portfolio des Anbieters.

NextVR – Neuer VR-Musikkanal für elektronische Musik

Der Streaming-Anbieter NextVR musste im Januar finanzielle Abstriche ziehen und knapp 50 Mitarbeiter entlassen. Trotz der Rationalisierungsmaßnahmen versprach CEO David Cole damals, dass dies in Zukunft keinen Einfluss auf das Streaming-Angebot des Unternehmens haben wird. Dabei hielt er Wort und verkündete wenige Wochen später eine neue Kooperation mit der NHL zur Übertragung von VR-Eishockey-Highlights der laufenden Saison.

Nun folgt eine weitere Partnerschaft mit dem Label Central Station Records zur Expansion des VR-Angebots auf der Plattform. Dadurch steht ab sofort ein VR-Musikkanal mit Fokus auf elektronischer Musik innerhalb der App bereit, um die Nutzer durch 360-Grad-Videos in immersive Club-Landschaften zu befördern.

So können Trance-, House- und Techno-Enthusiasten die angesagtesten Clubs und Hauspartys per VR-Brille miterleben und sogar in den VIP-Areas sowie hinter den DJ-Pulten das Tanzbein schwingen. Dabei werden internationale Elektroszenen vorgestellt, beispielsweise die Underground-Szene von Tokio oder der Ministry of Sound Club in London. Zu den angebotenen DJs zählen unter anderem Brooke Evers und Killer Hertz.

Neben den derzeit bereitgestellten Videos sollen Weitere zukünftig folgen.

Die App NextVR ist kostenlos für alle gängigen VR-Brillen erhältlich.

(Quelle: Upload VR | NextVR Twitter)

Der Beitrag NextVR: Neue Kooperation sorgt für immersive elektronische Musik zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Posted on

How To Stream VR Games From Rift, Vive, And PSVR To Twitch And More

How To Stream VR Games From Rift, Vive, And PSVR To Twitch And More

Livestreaming is a big part of the gaming community these days. Millions of people watch gamers from around the world play games on Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Mixer, and more every single day. While the most popular games are non-VR shooters and MOBAs, there is a growing focus on VR gaming on these platforms as well. Here at UploadVR we stream our VR games on Twitch (in the past we did YouTube and Facebook as well) and try to show off all of the latest and best games — as well as have some fun with viewer recommendations.

What I realized is that we get asked a lot about what we use to stream, how we do it, and what you need to get started. That’s where this guide comes in. I won’t pretend that I can give good advice on best practices and how to build a stream community (I can’t) but I can tell you the technical side of how we do what we do and what works.

Continue reading for our guide on how to stream VR games from Rift, Vive, PSVR or any other VR headset to services like Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Mixer, and more.

What You NEED To Download and Buy

The most important part of getting ready to stream VR games is that you download the proper software. If you’re playing PC VR games with a Rift, Vive, Windows VR headset, something else, or even if you’re on PSVR, Oculus Go, or any other non-PC headset, you absolutely need Streamlabs OBS. No questions about it. Streamlabs OBS is a streamer-specific version of Open Broadcast Software (OBS) with tons of added functionality that makes streaming super easy and painless.

If you’re streaming on an Oculus Rift specifically then that means you have the Oculus Dash feature that allows you to quickly and easily access your desktop. You can do this to check chat quite seamlessly. But if you’re on an HTC Vive, Windows VR, other non-Rift headset, or don’t like using Dash, then you should use OVRDrop. This lets you pin a window anywhere in 3D space around you or attach it to one of your VR controllers. When I use it I have it setup so that it’s invisible unless I flip my left controller upside down and specifically look right at it as shown in this video.

You also need to buy a webcam. If you’re shy about being on camera, get over it. Being in VR helps a bit with that aspect because you feel hidden inside the headset. But if you’re streaming games, especially VR games, people want to see you and what you’re doing in real life to create the things inside the game. It’s essential. This is a good, affordable option. For more on using a green screen (not mandatory but encouraged) check out the bottom of this guide.

Finally, you should download and install LIV for mixed reality if that’s what you’re interested in doing. You can get it here. Read more about mixed reality at the bottom of this guide.

 

Source: Elgato

Streaming High-Quality PSVR Without Rounded Edges

The PS4 has built-in streaming capabilities that work pretty well. You can go live to Twitch or YouTube directly from your console without needing any other equipment at all — it even works for VR games. The great thing about this is that it displays chat messages right there in your field of view inside the headset. But the end result isn’t very high resolution and it has awkward rounded edges at the far ends of the video feed so it doesn’t look great.

Here’s what the native PS4 streaming looks like for VR games:

If you want something that looks much better with a crisp output, higher resolution, and the ability to place overlay images, use Streamlabs OBS, and more — then you need to get an external capture card.

Here’s what a PSVR stream looks like with a capture card and full setup:

Watch VR PLATFORMER ASTRO BOT – Playing One Of PSVR’s Best Games This Year from UploadVR on www.twitch.tv

The capture card that I recommend and that I use for not only PSVR but also my Xbox One and Nintendo Switch is the Elgato HD60 S. It’s excellent. When you use it you’ll install the Game Capture HD software, which allows for streaming and capturing, but I prefer to just source that window into Streamlabs OBS so I can manage everything from there instead.

And because of the way that my office is arranged I don’t have room right in front of my TV to do streaming with PSVR so I actually have my PS Camera on top of my monitor, right next to my webcam, and I used this proprietary extension cord to make that happen.

Finally, since you’re pumping all of this stuff into your PC through Streamlabs OBS, if you want to have friends to talk to on Discord while you’re streaming or if you want to hear the notifications as they happen, then you should get a good pair of wireless PC headphones instead of plugging into your PSVR headset. If you only listen to your PS4 audio you’ll miss anything that’s also playing on your PC. I’m a big fan of LucidSound devices, personally.

Picking A Streaming Platform

There are more ways than ever now to stream your games online and we’ve used a lot of them. We decided to focus on Twitch for our gaming content because that’s what everyone on that platform wants to see anyway, it’s the market leader, and we found good traction there with becoming affiliated very quickly. However, YouTube, Mixer, and Facebook are good options as well.

Basically it comes down to two core questions: 1) Which platform do you have the biggest audience already, and 2) Are you intending to monetize and stream seriously? If you already have a lot of YouTube subscribers it make more sense to stream there and focus on that audience. Or if you want to start fresh on a young platform without as much competition, Mixer could be good. Facebook is great as well and they’re pushing content creators more these days, so if you have a big audience with your brand page or video creator page, then go for it.

Ultimately it’s just up to you. I’d highly recommend looking up to the revenue options with all of the platforms to see what seems to be the best or most fair and what you think you can attain in a reasonable amount of time.

Source: Restream

Multistreaming With Restream

If you are just  getting started — as in you have no audience at all really and want to do this for fun and see how it goes — then I’d recommend using Restream. That’s what we did for a while too. Restream is a great service that allows you to stream to tons of places all at once. We used to stream our content to Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Mixer, and Twitter/Periscope simultaneously. We can’t do that now that we’re affiliated on Twitch though.

But this is a great way to dip your toes in the water and see what sticks. Plus, Restream has a handy chat app that displays all of the chat messages in one box so you can monitor everything very easily. If you’re streaming with an HTC Vive or Windows VR headset, OVR Drop makes it super simple to check chat using the Restream chat client. Here’s a video showing what that looks like.

Setting Up Steamlabs OBS

The setup process is pretty simple. You create an account, pick your streaming platform, and then you’re basically good to go. They also have a ton of great documentation on the website. From the Editor view you can see in the bottom left corner a box for “Scenes” — this is where you setup the different views that your streamers will have. To the right of that are the Sources that you use to setup your scenes.

For example, you could have a “Stream Starting Soon” scene that shows a static image, or video, and has a spot for chat to appear, and maybe your webcam too so that everyone can see what you’re doing while you get ready. Then you should have your main game view scene with the game window, any overlays you want to use, a spot for your webcam, chatbox, alertbox, etc. I also have a “Be Right Back” scene in case I need to step away for a moment during the stream. The best tip I can give for this portion is to honestly just tinker around with it. There are tons of options and possibilities you can uncover with a little experimentation.

Then once you have Streamlabs OBS (SLOBS) downloaded and ready to go, I recommend using these widgets:

  • Alertbox: This lets you setup the GIF and sound effect that plays when people follow you, subscribe, donate, or do anything else that deserves a mid-stream alert.
  • Chatbox: With this you can have chat messages display on-screen wherever you want and in whatever size you want. This is great because not everyone likes to watch with the chat box open natively, so being able to still see comments is great. Plus, if you export your stream or upload it as an archive this ensures all of the chat messages are still there.
  • Goal widgets: If you get serious about streaming and want to work toward Follower goals, Subscriber goals, Donation goals, or anything else, then those are good widgets to use too.

Best Settings For Streaming With Streamlabs OBS

Now we need to cover the actual settings you use in Streamlabs OBS itself. You can see what I use in these two screenshots. Click on them to enlarge and get a better look at the settings:

For streaming these are your two most important tabs, after the Stream tab of course (which is where you pick your service like Twitch, Facebook, Restream, etc). On the Output tab you want to make sure the encoder is set to NVENC with rescaled output to 1280×720 — if you have great internet and a really good PC, you might be able to handle going 1080p but it’s usually not worth the performance hit. Set Rate Control to CBR and I use a 2500 Bitrate.

On the Video tab your Base (Canvas) Resolution should match whichever monitor the game window is displayed on. In my case it’s a 1440p monitor. Set the scaled resolution to whatever your rescaled output is, so 720p in my case. I’ve got Downscale Filter set to Lanczos (Sharpened scaling, 32 samples) and the Common FPS Value at 30.

For more detailed advice on what these settings mean there are tons of guides online that cover the under-the-hood implications in more detail. I just wanted to quickly go over everything.

Using a Green Screen

Even if you don’t stream in mixed reality (that’s covered below) you should still be using a green screen during your livestreams, there isn’t really an excuse not to. If you want a compact setup just to cover your standing space, which is good enough for most VR games, I can’t recommend this one from Elgato enough. You can get fancier if you have the space though.

Once you have a green screen it’s really as simple as just going into Streamlabs OBS, right clicking your webcam window, selecting “Filters”, adding a Filter, and picking the “Color Key” option. You’ll need to make sure your lighting is good and that the green screen has a consistent, flat color all the way across.

In my experience the LIV app (explained more below) is also great at keying out your green screen if the Streamlabs OBS option is too finicky for you.

Streaming in Mixed Reality

Mixed reality streaming is what allows it to look like you’re inside the VR game while you’re playing it, which can be an incredibly cool and immersive way of watching for your viewers. That’s what I’m doing up in the featured image at the top and you can see a streamer doing it in the image right above this paragraph too. Here’s the latest list of newly added LIV-supported games that will let you stream in that way.

I am not going to try and explain all the steps to get LIV setup with mixed reality streaming because that’s already been done much better elsewhere. You can see the detailed instructions (plus tons of more info) over on the official LIV Wiki site.

The most important thing is that you have patience. It takes a lot of tweaking to get it working right. That and finding the right angle — having a larger green screen area is super important to get the best shot of the action. If you have any questions then you should stop by the LIV Discord channel to ask for help — everyone there is incredibly nice and helpful.

There you go, this should be everything you need to get started! Let me know down in the comments if you have any questions.

Tagged with: , , , , ,

The post How To Stream VR Games From Rift, Vive, And PSVR To Twitch And More appeared first on UploadVR.