Category: The Wizards

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HTC Announces 2018 Viveport Developer Awards Nominees, $50K First Prize up for Grabs

Last year marked HTC’s very first Vive Developer Awards (VDAs), which saw tens of thousands of dollars go to VR app developers across a number of categories. Now, HTC has announced the nominees for this year’s VDAs who will be in competition to win $50,000 in first place prize money.

HTC has established 5 categories for this year’s VDAs including entertainment, education, arts & culture, enterprise and arcade. A total of 10 nominees came out of the initial evaluations, a review process held by a panel of HTC employees that looked at the games’ overall virtual reality experience and engagement metrics  such as total downloads, total user sessions and overall time played.

Without further ado, here’s this year’s VDA nominees:

image courtesy HTC

Entertainment

Education

Arts & Culture

Enterprise

Arcade

Winners will be announced at a special event on March 19th coinciding with the Game Developers Conference (GDC).

First place for each category will receive $50k, which includes a studio profile video produced by the Vive team, “priority access” to new developer hardware, and a shiny trophy. Second place gets a financial award of $20,000, and all of the above (besides the $50K of course).

Last year’s first-prize winners included Apollo 11 VR (2016), Fantastic Contraption (2016), Cloudlands: VR Minigolf (2016), and Allumette (2016).

The post HTC Announces 2018 Viveport Developer Awards Nominees, $50K First Prize up for Grabs appeared first on Road to VR.

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More Screenshots Appear Ahead of The Wizards Launch

Steam Early Access can sometimes seem like a long process with some videogames spending years in the development void. That’s not been the case for Carbon Studio and its magical adventure experience The Wizards. First announced in early 2017, the videogame came to Early Access last summer offering the chance to become a powerful wizard. As VRFocus reported this week, The Wizards now has a full release date. And to whet your appetite for it, Carbon Studio has released a few more screenshots.

These new screenshots showcase how far The Wizards has come graphically, offering richly detailed worlds and monstrous creatures with which you have to do battle.

The videogame is all about spell casting, so rather than having an inventory of spells which you can select and use, you have to learn specific hand-gestures to control elemental attacks like fire and lightning. This aids that sense of immersion when casting and fighting enemies, making you feel like a powerful wizard once you’ve upgraded some of the spells.

Since The Wizards first launched in Early Access Carbon Studio has continually added new features. These have included  free movement and free teleportation locomotion allowing players to choose between free movement and free teleportation to any flat surface in reach. In addition to the new movement types, the update featured new map areas, item pick-ups, and new interactive world elements. The second major update was Arena Mode allowing players to assail endless hordes of enemies on two brand new battle arenas and compete with other players on a global leaderboards.

The Wizards will finally leave Early Access on 8th March, 2018, retailing on both Steam and the Oculus Store for $20 USD. Carbon Studio will be adding three new stages including two boss fights in the full release, alongside six new spell upgrades for ultimate wizardry, a new battle arena, and Steam Achievements. For any further update on The Wizards, keep reading VRFocus.

The Wizards
The Wizards
The Wizards

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Spellbinding Action-Adventure Game The Wizards Leaves Early Access In March

Spellbinding Action-Adventure Game The Wizards Leaves Early Access In March

The Wizards, an action-adventure magic-based VR game from Carbon Studio, is existing Early Access for full release on both Steam and the Oculus Store next month on March 8th.

We’ve been following The Wizards for quite a while now. Spell-flinging has remained one of our favorite things to do in VR and with the likes of The Mage’s Tale, The Unspoken, and even Skyrim VR, that’s proving to be the case for other players as well.

The Wizards, unlike those other games, has been in Early Access slowly garnering feedback and updates over the course of seven months. In that time the developers have introduced new spells, enemies, and levels to more than double the length of the game since its Early Access debut.

For launch it will be getting three more new story chapters, an epic dragon boss fight, and alternative versions of spells to work towards via in-game challenges. You can watch the new mixed reality trailer above to see how intense the spell-casting can get.

The Wizards will launch on Steam and the Oculus Store on March 8th for $20. A PSVR version of the game is planned for later this year, but there’s no date on that yet.

Let us know what you think of the game down in the comments below!

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Spellcasting Adventure ‘The Wizards’ to Leave Early Access March 8th

Carbon Studio, the studio behind Alice VR (2017), today announced their Early Access spellcasting action-adventure The Wizards is slated to launch in-full on March 8th. The Wizards supports HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows “Mixed Reality” VR headsets.

Carbon Studio says that the full release will bring new content, improvements and bug fixes. Here’s the list, taken from the studio’s announcement on Steam:

  • Two new stages on the Ruins
  • Final stage on the Shrike’s Desert that will conclude the story
  • Boss fights with fearsome creatures
  • Wave-based Ruins stages will be moved to the Arena Mode
  • Master Enchantments – powerful upgrades for all the spells
  • Steam Achievements

The Wizards is also getting LIV Mixed Reality support, which easily lets you set up mixed reality capture. Games already supporting LIV mixed reality capture include Space Pirate Trainer (2017), Audio Shield (2016), The Blu (2016), and Hover Junkers (2016).

Carbon Studio says this isn’t the end for The Wizards however, and that the full release “will not be the end of [their] work” on The Wizards.

“We will keep working on new features and improvements based on your feedback,” the studio says. “Details on the new content coming after leaving Early Access will be revealed soon.”

The Wizards is currently selling for $20 on Steam (Vive, Rift, Windows VR, the Oculus Store (Rift), and Viveport (Vive).

The post Spellcasting Adventure ‘The Wizards’ to Leave Early Access March 8th appeared first on Road to VR.

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Carbon Studio Conjures Up The Wizards Release Date, Mixed Reality Trailer

Virtual reality (VR) can certainly be described as magical, capable of bringing both fact and fiction to life in new and previously unexplored ways. It can also be magical in a more literal sense, with high fantasy turned into the possible such as is the case with Carbon Studio’s VR action-adventure title The Wizards.

The Wizards screenshotIt’s a videogame that we’ve been following here on VRFocus for quite some time, ever since it was unveiled just over a year ago.  Since that time, it has journeyed to Steam Early Access, had a Closed Beta and an array of updates, including new gameplay modes such as The Arena, the addition of free motion and free teleportation alongside the initial movement method of node teleportation, and more. According to Carbon Studio the work done during this time period has “more than doubled” the length of the title.

Now however that chapter of The Wizards story is coming to an end with the developers revealing that the videogame will be finally leaving Early Access on March 8th 2018. Arriving on both Steam and the Oculus Store at a price of $20 (USD).

The release of the spellcasting title, in which users use hand gestures in order to bring forth their magics, will see new updates for existing players including three new chapters to the existing story and an array of upgrades to all the spells in the game. Revealing more advanced versions for people to conjure up. Would-be wizards will need them, as one story chapter will see you take on a ferocious dragon.

To underscore the announcement, Carbon Studio has released a new mixed reality (MR) trailer to YouTube, created in partnership with LIV. It was LIV who were responsible for a plugin to VR videogames made in both Unreal Engine and Unity to allow MR.

“We had a blast helping Carbon Studio get set up with Mixed Reality for The Wizards, and showing off some of our camera and avatar technology.” Commented LIV’s co-founder AJ Shewki in a statement. “We are excited to see this team take spellcasting in VR to the next level.”

Support on Steam exists for the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift (which obviously appears via the Oculus Store as well) and the Windows Mixed Reality line of headsets. The title is due to appear on Playstation VR later this year and VRFocus will bring you more news on this at a later date.  You can see the MR trailer below.

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Something For The Weekend: Big Sales On Oculus Rift Videogames

The weekend is here and you need something to get you back into the virtual world, right? We understand that need, and that’s why we always pull together the best virtual reality (VR) videogames and experiences for you. This week, here are all the best videogames to get you back into your Oculus Rift.

X Rebirth VR

We know what you want. You want to explore the universe in VR, seeing alien worlds and walking aboard incredible spacecrafts. Of course you do. Step into the shoes of Ren Otani as you rebuild your ship and trade, fight, build and think your way to victory.

X Rebirth VR is now £14.99.

The Wizards

Get ready for adventure in a fantasy land with The Wizards. You’ll be conjuring magic and destroying enemies while competing for high scores. The Oculus Touch controllers give an extra level of immersion as you wave your arms and cast spells in real time.

The Wizards is now only £7.99.

Projects CARS – Game of the Year Edition

One of the most authentic and realistic racing videogames available, Project CARS offers 120+ cars, 100+ track layouts and much much more. This is one of the best VR racing experiences available.

Project CARS – Game of the Year Edition is now only £18.99.

Shooty Fruity

SHOOTY FRUITY PREVIEW SCREENSHOT_13

Five a day? Who needs it. In Shooty Fruity you’ll be showing those pesky fruits the door – and a barrel of a gun. One minute you’ll be a normal supermarket cashier, and then the fruits will suddenly attack. Get ready and get armed.

Shooty Fruity is now only £10.99.

End Space

End-Space-Oculus-Screenshot-7

End Space is another romp through the galaxy, this time you’ll pilot a United Trade Consortium starfighter, and battle for control of the Tartarus sector. Unlock new weapons and missions as you blast through enemies in the galaxy.

End Space is now only £10.99.

Neon

If you’ve ever wished you were in the movie Tron, well, this might be the next best thing. Neon takes you to a colourful and neon lit world where you’ll shoot down obstacles and collect power ups in a unique action shooter, all to prevent solar flares, somehow.

Neon is now just £6.79.

Elite Dangerous: Commander Deluxe Edition

The original space exploration is bigger and better than ever, especially in VR. Explore the universe and boldly make your own mark on the galaxy in Elite Dangerous.

Elite Dangerous: Commander Deluxe Edition is now only £13.49.

A Handful of Keflings

handful of keflings

Visit a tiny, magical world where the Keflings live, and help them build their homes and turn their civilisation into a cultured metropolis. It’s slow paced so you can your time in this fun management sim.

A Handful of Keflings is now only £10.99.

Drop Dead

Someone needs to stop Dr. Monday and save the world, and only you can do it. Shred through zombies and get high scores with great VR arcade action. Oculus Touch only makes the experience more immersive.

Drop Dead is now £4.49.

Cosmic Trip

Defend yourself on an alien planet full of hostiles. Build an army of robots to bring under your command and defend you, as you gather resources and emerge victories. This striking VR shooter will have you building and shooting for hours.

Cosmic Trip is now only £10.99.

We’re sure you’ve already found something to waste your weekend with. Make sure to check back next week for all of the latest sales and featured VR videogames and experiences, we’ll always have the news and features you need on VRFocus.

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Spells and Swordplay with New VR Discount Bundle on Steam

Winter is Here. For some that means an endless supply of Christmas cheer. For others who prefer to avoid the Holiday crowds and cold weather and are looking for something to fill the fantasy gap in their lives until Game of Thrones comes back, a new bundle on Steam might be just what is required.

Three studios are offering their high-fantasy themed virtual reality (VR) works for a discount rate to fill up the cold winter months with the joy of roasting enemies with fire magic, or chopping up bad guys with an axe or sword. Nordic trolls, Blackjard Softworks and Carbon Studio are offering three of the highest-rates fantasy VR titles on Steam as a bundle with a 15% discount on Steam.

Karnage Chronicles Screenshot

Karnage Chroncles, VR Dungeon Knight and The Wizards all share a high fantasy setting and a gameplay emphasis on action and adventure, with exploration being a key feature in all of them. VR Dungeon Knight offers co-operative gameplay so groups of friends can descend into procedurally generated dungeons to explore together. Karnage Chronicles offers intense melee-based combat, along with elements taken from RPGs and a heavy emphasis on story. The Wizards has drown much praise from Steam users for its use of hang gestures to cast spells.

“Our goal was to create an exciting, all-in-one package that delivers hours upon hours of adrenaline-pumping action and unforgettable adventures. We believe that it’s a perfect bundle for the adventurous soul with a hunger for crawling through monster infested dungeons, uncovering secrets, casting powerful spells and finding treasures.” said Thorbjørn Olsen of Nordic Trolls, the developer behind Karnage Chronicles.

The bundle costs £46.65 (GBP), a 15% discount on the full price. All the titles are compatible with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Further information can be found on the Steam Store page.

VRFocus will continue to inform you about the latest deals and offers on VR products and services.

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Something For The Weekend: Swords, Sorcery, Sport & Steam

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday consigned to oblivion for another year… or at least until we look at our bank statements at any rate… it’s back to our usual trip through the stores in Something for the Weekend. This week VRFocus is looking at Steam for anything playable on any of the supported head mounted displays (HMDs). Be it the HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift, the OSVR or even Windows Mixed Reality headsets that are both up for grabs and available with a good percentage of money off. So let’s see below just what you can get, for how much and on what right now.

Obduction screenshotObduction

Compatibility: HTC Vive & Oculus Rift

Whenever you get a film nowadays it always says at some point in the trailer ‘from the makers of [blank]’ with blank filled in by some other film someone on the higher ups has been involved in. Videogames tend not to do that, concentrating on the big name producers alone. Obduction bucks the trend by wearing its ‘from the creators of Myst‘ badge proudly. And if your game was created by the people behind Myst… well you would, wouldn’t you?

“Abducted far across the universe, you find yourself on a broken alien landscape with odd pieces of Earth. Explore, uncover, solve, and find a way to make it home.”

Obduction is currently at 50% off until December 4th 2017, and you can get it now at £11.99 (GBP) as opposed the usual £23.99

Don't Knock Twice Screenshot 08Don’t Knock Twice

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

We might be getting into all things winter but that doesn’t mean you can’t also get a scare. Beginning yesterday and continuing all the way until December 15th 2017, Wales Interactive’s Don’t Knock Twice is also available at a 50% discount. Bringing the total to £7.99 (GBP) from £15.99.

“For a true horror experience you have to be almost defenceless, surviving in the darkness with that glimmer of hope you’ll escape, listening to every creak and whistle of the wind wondering what’s around the corner. If that sounds like your type of VR videogame then Wales Interactive’s Don’t Knock Twice might be just what you want, possibly.” – Peter Graham, VRFocus‘ Review

SportsBar VR

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

The former Pool Nation VR just announced their biggest update ever with cross-play and other updates and not only that you can get it for a third off on Steam until December 8th.

Always a favourite of VRFocus since its early days, we reviewed it back in March and it received a five star review from Editor Kevin Joyce. “[SportsBar VR] isn’t simply a VR recreation of a pool table, balls and a ruleset. It is, in fact, a virtual environment for players to enjoy a game of pool in, as well as a number of other entertainment activities. It’s more than the name suggests, and because of this [SportsBar VR] is one of the most enjoyable experiences currently available for the HTC Vive.”

SportsBar VR is currently available for £10.04 (GBP) from £14.99.

Eternity Warriors VR

Compatibility: Windows Mixed Reality, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift

One for virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR), this Early Access title from Vanimals Games has its roots outside of VR. The original Eternity Warriors having launched six years ago on smartphones. Since that time it has had three sequels and this version looks to continue the first-person hack and slash tradition.

Previewing the title back in September VRFocus described it as “a hoot” and you can get Eternity Warriors at 20% off on Steam until December 12th 2017. With a price of £8.79 (GBP) from £10.99.

Lucid Trips

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

The developers describe Lucid Trips as “a Virtual Reality experience which takes places in planetary dream worlds. You explore an artistically designed surrounding with a completely new concept, defining and navigating your avatar in a distinctive way, using hand motion controllers.”

Another Early Access videogame, it is available at £2.79 (GBP) from £5.59 – or half price – until December 7th.

The Wizards screenshotThe Wizards

Compatibility: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality

Another Early Access videogame, this time from Carbon Studios and set in a land of magic and enchantment. You, the player, take on the role of a young sorcerer tasked with defending the realm from an army of rampaging creatures. You’ll need to rely on your magical arsenal of elemental spells (lightning bolts, fireballs, etc) and your defensive skills in order to survive and expell the foul orcs and goblins threatening your home.

 

Presently available at £11.99 (GBP) from £14.99, The Wizards is currently discounted on Steam by 20% until December 7th 2017.

Titanic VR Cover Art VR Landscape imageTitanic VR

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

A relatively new release on Steam, the title by Immersive VR Education takes you underwater to explore the wreck of the famed passenger liner. Discover secrets, artefacts and unlock upgrades to go deeper inside the once thought ‘unsinkable’ vessel.

Titanic VR is available on Steam for £11.69 (GBP), a 40% discount.

Unknightly

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

A title we’re actually yet to feature on VRFocus, but one we’ll no doubt be looking at in the future. Developers Portal Studios describe the title as “a medieval VR stealth game designed from the ground up for VR. You play the role of a former member of the Knight’s Order. You have thrown betrayed and thrown into prison by someone very close to you. But by who? Hungry for revenge and fortune you seek to uncover the identity of those who double-crossed you, gain insight into their motives and eventually set the record straight.”

Currently in Early Access, Unknightly has a 40% discount on its regular price of £15.49 until December 7th. Meaning you can pick it up for only £9.29.

Space Panic: Room Escape

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

As the name likely suggests Space Panic: Room Escape is a VR escape room videogame, developed by Xefier Games. Set in the future aboard a space station, your freedom is at stake and you’ll need to solve a number of fiendish puzzles in order to secure your escape.

Space Panic: Room Escape can be purchased through Steam for £3.49 (GBP), 30% off its regular cost of £4.99.

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Get Ready To Take On The Arena As The Wizards Launches New Update

To some immersive technology is almost like magic. Through virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) or even mixed reality (MR) you are able to find yourselves in exotic locations in faraway lands. Everything from being up in the infinite black of space and investigating new worlds to diving under the oceans of our own. Getting face-to-face with creatures past and present.

Of course the ability to do anything means that magic itself is also on the table, and of course in some videogames magic is exactly what it’s all about. For fans of AR, Pokémon GO creators Niantic Labs today announced they would be weaving their spell over the Harry Potter franchise with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.  For those using VR, and particularly those who own either an Oculus Rift or an HTC Vive, one avenue to get your magical kicks in is The Wizards, Carbon Studio’s title about a young spellcaster trying to defend the realm from all manner of rampaging creatures.

Carbon Studio have recently revealed a new trailer for the videogame, which you can find below, which ties in with their newly released update entitled ‘The Arena Mode Update’, previously confirmed several weeks ago. The new update focuses around Arena Mode, which was previously referred to as Arcade Mode and along with a number of additional bug fixes and improvements sees two new arenas added to the mix. These are point defence map Mountainpass Castle, and the torchlit underground arena Crystal Caverns in which you must locate and destroy corrupted crystals before it is too late.

The Arena Mode update is the second major content update for the videogame since it made its way onto Early Access back in the Summer with the first being the ‘Free Locomotion Update’ which brought free motion and free teleporting to the title. he Wizards was first revealed at the beginning of the year following Carbon Studio’s first effort in VR, the 2016 title Alice VR.

A full listing of the update changes can be found here, VRFocus will bring you more news on The Wizards‘ journey through Early Access as we get it.

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The Wizards Update Introduces New Gameplay Modes

Fantasy adventure title The Wizards from Carbon Studios is adding in some brand-new gameplay modes in an upcoming update, with Arena Mode and Cafe Mode, which will bring some new aspects.

The Wizards is currently in Early Access and the development team at Carbon Studios have been keen to keep the title up to date for players. Last month new movement options were added in, introducing free movement and free teleportation, which introduced the possibility of finding hidden paths, secret enemy encounters and hidden item pickups.

The new modes introduced into The Wizards are Arena mode, which allows players to test their skills by facing off against increasing hordes of enemies, with two different gameplay variants. The Arena Mode will also be introducing a new Fate Card set and a separate leaderboard, with Card unlocks available through high scores in the Arena mode.

The Wizards new screenshot 4

Cafe Mode is a new mode aimed at VR arcades, allowing for casual players and newcomers to jump right into the action, able to access all the content that would usually be gradually unlocked during the campaign.

Further information and updates are available on the Steam Store page.

VRFocus will continue to bring you news on The Wizards as it becomes available.