Vicon Origin – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

December 6, 2019

VR Days Europe 2019 Interview: Free-roaming VR With Vicon

Originally starting out in motion capture (mocap), hardware and software solution specialist then turned its attention to virtual reality (VR) and location-based entertainment (LBE). Offering a range of solutions for VR arcade owners, this culminated in the Vicon Origin system which launched in 2018. At the recent VR Days Europe event in Amsterdam, Vicon was in attendance to showcase its latest top-of-the-line camera, the ViperX. Vicon’s Product Manager Tim Massey was on hand to explain more.

Vicon - ViperX

During the two-day expo in November Vicon had the biggest presence of any individual company with a massive play area in partnership with VR Arcade, designed for up to four players to team up and fight waves of zombie hordes. In combination with the ViperX tracking system, the setup used mobile backpack PC’s, Oculus Rift’s, and gun controllers for that added feel of realism.

Obviously the main showcase was the new ViperX camera system which has been designed for larger-scale VR locations. The Viper series has been designed with VR in mind, with the original Viper camera featuring a 2.2 MP resolution, a visible coverage range of 8 meters and a latency time of 3.2ms. The new ViperX keeps the same low latency time whilst upping these other features. Offering an improved 6.3 MP resolution, the big gain is in its visible active marker range, now up to 18 meters.

The LBE industry has seen massive gains over the past few, with more locations appearing and bigger franchises getting involved. Recently Dave & Buster’s location in the US saw the arrival of Terminator: Guardian of Fate in addition to Star Trek: Dark Remnant and Men in Black: Galactic Getaway. While The VOID has now launched Jumanji: Reverse the Curse. Here in the UK Bandai Namco Entertainment has brought Godzilla VR over from Japan.

Vicon Origin

Massey notes how Vicon has witnessed this growth, seeing its Origin system expand from one customer with seven sites to eight customers running 51 sites worldwide, all in the space of 12 months.

Check out the full interview with Vicon at VR Days Europe 2019 below. And for further updates on the LBE industry and its latest innovations, keep reading VRFocus.

March 12, 2019

Become the Controller as Vicon Debut Shadow Shifter at GDC 2019

The Game Developer Conference (GDC) 2019 is only a week away and it’s set to be an exciting year for virtual reality (VR). Today, motion capture specialist Vicon has announced it’ll be at the event in San Francisco to showcase two new updates, one for its location-based VR (LBVR) system Origin, and the other for its upcoming motion capture technology Shōgun 1.3.

Vicon Origin

Vicon launched the Origin system last summer during SIGGRAPH, offering a complete tracking solution for VR enterprises, employed by companies like Dreamscape Immersive and VR Arcade. To showcase the latest refinements to the system, at GDC 2019 Vicon will challenge guests to play Shadow Shifter, an experience developed specifically for the event.

Players will become the controller in the physical videogame where two attendees at a time must work together to collect coins. Participants are equipped with six Pulsar active clusters and tracked by 20 Vicon Viper cameras, players then need to match there body shape with what’s displayed in front of them, with the best gaining a place on the leaderboards.

“Although Origin is less than a year old, we have only begun to scratch the surface of its vast capabilities,” said Vicon CEO, Imogen Moorhouse in a statement. “For GDC, we want to give showgoers a practical demonstration of how Vicon is developing its leading LBVR system while having a little fun at the same time.”

Shadow Shifter will also take advantage or Origin’s recent improvements, like those to the Evoke software, tracking and the introduction of “Nova,” an active strand kit containing a set of sensors that can turn any real-world object into an in-game prop.

In addition to Origin, attendees will gain a first-look at the upcoming Shōgun 1.3 update, scheduled to launch later this year. Daily demonstrations will highlight the new features, including retargeting and high-fidelity finger capture in real-time. To help with the demonstrations veteran motion capture artist Gina Williamson will star as Ciri from CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher videogame series.

As Vicon continues to improve Origin and more establishments employ the technology, VRFocus will be there to keep you updated.

October 26, 2018

VR Arcade Employs Vicon’s Origin System for new European Locations

Vicon’s revealed its new location-based virtual reality (LBVR) system, Origin, back in August, designed to offer all sizes of VR centre a complete solution. Today, Dutch-based virtual entertainment provider, VR Arcade has announced a partnership with Vicon to use its system in two new European arcades.

Vicon Origin

Vicon’s Origin system consists of four components – Viper cameras, Pulsar tracking clusters, Beacon wireless network receivers and the Evoke software. Designed to be used out of the box to create a fully immersive LBVR setup, Origin will make its first appearance on 17th November in the Netherlands, used to create two massive open gaming areas, where up to five people can freely roam.

“Roaming around a virtual environment with complete freedom of movement is one of the most immersive gaming experiences imaginable, but that hasn’t been easy to create,” said Sander Bos, VR Arcade CEO in a statement. “Vicon offers cutting-edge technology that does exactly what we need it to do out of the box. When we saw the capabilities of Origin, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities.”

Located in Delfgauw, Netherlands, the arcade will feature 40 Vicon Viper cameras per area, tracking four Vicon Pulsar active marker clusters on each player in two 240-square-meter free-roam environments. Players will be equipped with a mobile backpack and a VR headset, along with a peripheral device for use in the videogame. Currently, VR Arcade offers experiences developed in-house: Zombie Apocalypse, where players face off against a horde of zombies, and Alien Defense, which challenges participants to defeat waves of alien invaders while determining their weak points.

VR Arcade - VR2

“We are thrilled to see what Origin can do in the hands of innovative and creative minds like the team at VR Arcade,” said Vicon CEO Imogen Moorhouse. “The LBVR market is just in its infancy, and Origin will help developers around the world expand and create things no one has even dreamed of before.”

VR Arcade is currently planning to expand into two additional locations in the Netherlands, followed by an arcade in Germany and additional locations abroad. When further details are available VRFocus will let you know.