Category: theblu

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Kortex Expands List Of Compatible Titles

Kortex, the device used in partnership with virtual reality (VR) experiences has announced a number of new titles and expereines that are compatible, offering users more options for immersive stress relief.

Kortex Promo 01

The device uses electrodes which attach to the skin to provide gentle neurostimulation, which in some studies has been shown to stimulate the production of serotonin and lower cortisol. After a large number of beta testers gave feedback on how positive the combination of Kortex and Land’s End: A VR Adventure was, the company have now expanded the umber of titles that will be ideal for use within Kortex. The list is a taste of suggestions put forward by VR World Director of Content, Tommy Goodkin which is based on his six weeks of using Kortex.

For Samsung Gear VR users there are now two additional titles that will work with Kortex. This includes the 2017 Emmy winner title Invasion! from the director of Madagascar, featuring the voice of Ethan Hawke. The second title being Asteroids! which is once again from the director of Madagascar and will take users on an 11-minute immersive cinematic experience through space as part of the crew. Both of these are available via the Oculus Store and are free to download.

KORTEX

For Oculus Rift and HTC Vive users there are even more titles which are now able to be enjoyed along with Kortex. The Climb (Oculus exclusive) will see users climbing up huge heights, feeling the exhilaration of extreme free solo climbing like never before. Take your time and enjoy the views or complete for the fastest time to the top, the choice is up to you. Just make sure you are not afraid of heights.

Google Earth VR is also now supported, allowing users to take a stroll through the streets of their local town or famous cities, soar over the Grand Canyon, or walk around key landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower.

If the ocean is more your thing than TheBlu is for you. Explore the wonder and majesty of the ocean from the comfort of your own home. Visit a range of different habitats and come face to face with some of the most interesting and largest species on the planet. Fantastic Contraption will let users engage in a surreal building title as they build life-sized contraptions that fill the skies, and use them to sure puzzles on the other side of a floating island. No solution is right or wrong, so let your creativity run wild.

Real-time strategy (RTS) title Tethered awaits for users t o lend their guiding hands in a beautiful series of islands that will offer an experience unlike anything a user has seen before. Lastly, Dear Angelica (Oculus exclusive) is a journey through a magical and dreamlike world by the Emmy Award winning Oculus Story Studio. Featuring artwork painted entirely in VR, Dear Angelica is an immersive short story starring Geena Davis and Mae Whitman.

Kortex are continuing their work to develop the neurostimulation solution further and expand the library of suitable content as well. It is currently available to order direct from their website and is compatible with most VR units.

For more on Kortex in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

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theBlu: Tiefsee-Erfahrung in VR ist nun eine Museumsattraktion in Los Angeles

Das Naturkundemuseum Los Angeles (NHMLA) rüstet auf. Ab sofort können Besucher per VR-Brille in beeindruckende Unterwasserwelten eintauchen. Wevr, die Entwickler von theBlu, einer VR-Erfahrung, die den Ozean hautnah präsentiert, haben angekündigt, dass das kalifornische Museum die frische Technologie ab sofort in ihre Ausstellungen einarbeiten will.

Wal, Riff und Tiefsee – Naturkunde in VR erleben

Im Verlauf von sechs Minuten zeigt das Museum drei Unterwasser-Umgebungen, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten. In einer dieser Umgebungen macht ihr die Bekanntschaft mit einem 25 Meter langen Blauwal, der in unmittelbarer Nähe an einem versunkenen Schiff vorbeigleitet, in einer anderen findet ihr euch inmitten von Schildkröten, Quallen und prachtvollen Seeanemonen, am Rand eines Korallenriffs, wieder. Die wohl spektakulärste Erfahrung bietet allerdings der Ausflug in die Tiefsee. Besucher haben die Möglichkeit mithilfe einer virtuellen Taschenlampe in den finsteren Abgrund hinabzutauchen und Anglerfische, Tintenfische und andere Kreaturen der Tiefsee zu entdecken.

Lori Bettison-Verga, Leiterin und Präsidentin des Naturkundemuseums, zeigte sich in einem Statement begeistert von der VR-Technologie, die in Verbindung mit multimedialer Unterstützung eine ganz neue Ebene der Wissensvermittlung ermögliche:

Engaging and inspiring visitors is what we do — and theBlu: An Underwater VR Experience is beautiful, powerful storytelling. It would not surprise me if the next generation of marine biologists — and VR developers — are inspired by this exhibit.

Schon auf dem Sundance Film Festival 2016 wurde die VR-Experience, bei der Jake Rowell (Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, Superman Returns) Regie führte, mit einem Platz in der Ausstellung unter dem Titel “New Frontiers” ausgezeichnet und für exzellent befunden.

Die Entwickler des kalifornischen Studios Wevr möchten mit ihrer Applikation nicht nur ein jüngeres Publikum für VR begeistern, sondern alle Altersgruppen ansprechen und mithilfe der Immersion, die theBlu mit sich bringt, sowohl unterhalten als auch informieren.

Wir stellen fest: Die Integration der virtuellen Realität in herkömmliche Bereiche des menschlichen Lebens schreitet voran. Wo innovative Museen des Planeten ansetzen, könnten in Bälde Schulen oder Forschungseinrichtungen folgen. VR-Erfahrungen als Mittel multimedialer Kommunikation und Bildung wird uns auch in Zukunft begleiten.

Der Beitrag theBlu: Tiefsee-Erfahrung in VR ist nun eine Museumsattraktion in Los Angeles zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Wevr’s theBlu Lets Dubai Aquarium Visitors Go Beyond The Glass

Wevr’s theBlu Lets Dubai Aquarium Visitors Go Beyond The Glass

The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo now lets visitors go beyond the glass and having an astonishingly intimate encounter with sea life thanks to the HTC Vive.

Wevr’s theBlu, one of the first experiences to feature on the SteamVR headset, is one of a handful of VR apps on offer at the site’s new VRZOO. Visitors will be able to put on the headset and experience the brief, atmospheric encounter with a whale and other creatures that so many Vive owners will have already seen for themselves. The Vive it setup to support room scale play.

Offering a number of memorable encounters, theBlu is one of the most powerful examples of the sense of scale and immersion that VR can deliver, and appeals to just about anyone, not just gamers. If you haven’t checked it out for yourself, it’s available on Steam for $9.99.

While theBlu will create a sense of wonder, the VRZOO also hopes to educate its audience on the challenges that animals of all kinds face. In addition to the CG experience, live action, 360 degree footage will also showcase life both above and below the ocean in Uganda, South Africa, Maldives, Egypt, Australia and Mafia Island. These 3D clips will focus on aquatic wildlife facing extinction, aiming to raise awareness and support for their preservation. The installation was setup with the help of Emaar Entertainment.

VR is becoming an increasingly important tool in raise the awareness of many campaigns like these. When done right the connection users are able to grow with subjects inside headsets can be much more powerful than anything you’d see on a standard display, offering the next best thing to being there yourself. We’ve also seen the tech used to shine a light on the ongoing immigrant crisis that the world is facing and create a better understanding of historical events.

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Wevr’s theBlu to Feature at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo’s ‘VRZOO’ Attraction

Earlier this month VRFocus reported on virtual reality (VR) studio Wevr’s collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (NHMLA) to exhibit theBlu: An Underwater VR Experience. The company has now announced it’s working with Emaar Entertainment to bring theBlu to the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo.

As part of a new attraction called VRZOO which focuses on awareness and conservation efforts, theBlu: Season 1 will be used to allow visitors to explore multiple underwater habitats and come into virtual contact with creatures of the deep. Wevr has customised the experience specifically for VRZOO.

VRZOO

VRZOO will also feature a live-action 360-degree section from locations including Uganda, South Africa, Maldives, Egypt, Australia and Mafia Island, where users can see some of the world’s most captivating species, all of which are on the brink of extinction.

Maitha Al Dossari, Chief Executive Officer of Emaar Entertainment, said: “Emaar Entertainment is committed to providing visitors of all ages with interactive edutainment experiences. VRZOO is the latest addition, designed to broaden the mind and provide deeper connections to the world around us, using informative and interactive platforms. VRZOO demonstrates our commitment to education as we work toward a safe and more informed future for animals and humans alike.”

“Educating the public about endangered species is a key priority at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and we’re glad to be able to reflect that mission in the new VRZOO attraction,” said Paul Hamilton, General Manager & Curator, Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. “As we continue to expand our offering, VRZOO is the next step in diversifying our educational platforms. The experience brings adventurers closer than ever to incredible creatures such as African Elephants and Dugongs, in a safe environment, where they can come face-to-face in a way that’s not possible in the wild. VRZOO carries an important message in that all the species showcased could be lost forever in the near future without intervention. It is frightening to think that in our lifetime, some of these species may become extinct and only live on in VR for future generations.

“For Emaar Entertainment, the conservation journey started at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo with the world’s first Sand Tiger Shark artificial insemination programme; with this new initiative, we’re able to build on that, combining interactive technology and education in a fun, new way. We want people to feel a connection to the animals, and hope it leads to awareness and a deeper desire to get involved in conservation initiatives.”

If you can’t make it to Dubai to see VRZOO, you can always experience the normal version of theBlu on Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. For any further Wevr updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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Natural History Museum of Los Angeles to Exhibit Wevr’s theBlu

Virtual reality (VR) studio Wevr has announced a collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (NHMLA) to exhibit theBlu: An Underwater VR Experience, a specially curated cut of multi-award-winning VR series, theBlu.

theBlu: An Underwater VR Experience, directed by Jake Rowell (Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, Superman Returns), is a unique 6-minute presentation for NHMLA visitors, highlighting three environments. They’ll be able to encounter a 80-foot blue whale as it swims past a sunken ship; an undersea migration on the edge of a shallow coral reef, with turtles and swarms of jellyfish gliding by; and a deep dive into an abyss, where hidden creatures including angler fish and squid appear with the use of a virtual flashlight.

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“The museum has integrated technology and multi-media into our newer exhibits and is now exploring ways to enhance digital engagement with the natural world. This iconic deep dive VR experience from Wevr brings us to a new level of interactivity—and our visitors come along for the ride,” said Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, NHMLA Director and President. “Engaging and inspiring visitors is what we do—and theBlu: An Underwater VR Experience is beautiful, powerful storytelling. It would not surprise me if the next generation of marine biologists—and VR developers—are inspired by this exhibit.”

“Here’s what it’s like, from someone who has done a lot of SCUBA diving: It’s fantastic to see all those underwater creatures, and not be underwater and cold—especially the deep-sea chapter, where you couldn’t even dive in real life,” says Dr. Chris Thacker, NHMLA Fish Curator. “Users get an up-close look at the animals, particularly the whale and the turtle, and interact with jellyfish and see how they respond. The experience is scientifically accurate and does a good job of replicating what it’s like underwater, all while you’re just standing there, warm and dry.”

Before starting the experience visitors are acclimated to the technology amid glowing NHMLA ocean specimens on display and projections of reef footage. They’re then led into five “pods” in the gallery, each containing a HTC Vive headset. For friends and families, a seating area is located nearby, where they can watch the action on a monitor.

theBlu: An Underwater VR Experience will be open to NHMLA attendees from 6th March – 28th April, advanced timed-tickets can be purchased online, at NHM.org.

For all the latest VR news from around the world, keep reading VRFocus.