vive – Page 37 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

January 26, 2017

Physics-Based VR Puzzle Game Awaken Hits Steam Early Access With Level Editor Contest

Puzzle games are about as common in VR these days as wave shooters, which is to say you see them everywhere. Unlike most genres, which rely on intense action or engaging storytelling, puzzle games are enhanced by VR due to the simple prospect of 360-degree presence. Instead of inspecting a flat 2D screen you’re required to physically move around the world to figure out solutions which opens up whole new game design possibilities.

When we revealed the game via our first hands-on preview of Awaken last month, the debut VR puzzle game from recently founded game studio Blueprint Reality, we came away impressed. While similar in concept to other “get the ball to the goal” games like Bounce and Grav|Lab, its use of ingenious dynamic music building, mesmerizing art style, level editor, and sheer sense of polish easily set it apart from the competition. The game’s creators are trying to position it as the “Mario Maker or LittleBigPlanet of VR puzzle games.”

“We are very excited to launch Awaken, a visually stunning puzzle game and dynamic music experience,” stated Tarrnie Williams, industry veteran and Blueprint Reality CEO, in a prepared statement. “We set out to make a VR title with approachable, engaging gameplay and a universe that sets a powerful yet meditative tone.”

In my previous demo, it was only a small sampling of a handful of levels, but that’s been expanded to 30 for the Early Access release with a grand total of over 100 planned for full release. With the inclusion of the level editor in this build, Blueprint Reality is also running a level creation contest. It will begin today and run through 2/16/17. All entries will be judged on fun, creativity, and beauty, with the potential to win items such as GTX 1080, 1070, and 1060 graphics cards, as well as featured placement for the in-game community.

You can download Awaken now on Steam with official support for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift at the price of $29.99; a PlayStation VR version is currently in development. The first week of release on Steam will feature a 15% discount, dropping the price to $25.49 until 2/2/17.

Tagged with: awaken, blueprint reality, physics, puzzle, rift, steam, Vive

January 19, 2017

Vive To Spend $10 Million on VR Projects That ‘Create Positive Impact’

Tonight at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland HTC Vive announced that it will devote $10 million “to drive VR content and technologies that will create positive impact and change,” according to a company spokesperson.

Vive is pledging these funds through a new program called VR for Impact. The money will also be used in conjunction with the United Nations’ “Sustainable Development Goals by 2030” platform. According to an official Vive statement:

“Virtual Reality provides a tremendous opportunity to develop and share ideas in impactful ways that lead to change, and through VR for Impact, HTC Vive will fund and support content and technologies that create the most powerful experiences to transform our world.

….Virtual Reality’s ability to immerse people into an experience is unmatched, and VR can drive the world to act on global issues the human race is facing. Through VR for Impact, HTC Vive is committing $10 million dollars to industry partners and content developers to create experiences that improve awareness, education, and lead to action.”

The HTC Vive VR headset

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is a coalition effort that aims to call corporations, nonprofits and other organizations to action in support of the world’s most impoverished and marginalized peoples. The platform includes 17 stated goals that include “No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Quality Education and Gender Equality” among others.

“HTC Vive will fund the best ideas using Virtual Reality that truly drive awareness and positive change in our world,” said Chairwoman and CEO of HTC, Cher Wang, in a prepared statement. “We encourage all players in the VR eco-system to join as only together can we drive real impact.”

One of Vive’s potential partners in the VR for Impact campaign, the World Food Program, believes that the company’s immersive prospects could significantly drive forward charitable causes by engaging society through empathy.

“There are millions of untold stories in every crisis, especially on the front lines where much of our work takes place,”said Corinne Woods, Director of Communications for the World Food Program. “HTC’s support of new ways to tell important stories, and help in shaping innovation for the UN’s sustainable development agenda, will build on the impact of our work and take it in new and exciting directions.”

As of today, Vive is calling for ideas that could become a part of its VR for Impact initiative and will announce the first winners on “Earth Day” April 22, 2017.

Vive’s chief competitor, Oculus, also has a similar program called VR for Good.

Tagged with: 10 million, money, positive impact, united nations, Vive, VR for Impact, world economic forum

January 17, 2017

Gabe Newell: ‘We’re Designing Our Own VR Games’ at Valve (Live Updates)

Valve co-founder and president Gabe Newell was live on Reddit today participating in an official AMA (Ask Me Anything) that was hosted to focus on a wide variety of topics. The AMA was announced earlier this week and confirmed yesterday, but it looks like it got started a bit earlier than originally planned.

“There are a bunch of other Valve people here so ask them, too,” Newell begins. “I’m in a conference room with VR, Dota, Steam, and other people happy to answer your questions,” he writes in a follow-up comment. When the AMA was announced, VR was certainly expected to be a huge topic of conversation, as are continued rumors and speculation about Half-Life 2: Episode 3 and Half-Life 3.

Newell has been passionate about VR as a whole for years and was one of the featured voices in Oculus’ original Kickstarter pitch video. As the head of Valve, he is now one of the core forces behind the HTC Vive and the Steam’s position as one of the leading destinations for VR content on the internet.

Last year Newell stated that he had been spending a lot of his time with the VR team at the company, alluding to potential hardware and software developments. As it stands, The Lab is the company’s only real VR release, with Destinations and a DOTA 2 viewing mode also included.

The first VR-specific answer we got from Newell in the thread is in regards to Valve’s plans to work on a large VR-specific title at some point. It sounds like something they’re interested in pursuing. Reddit user GoodCrossing asked, “Is Valve interested in making a full game experience for the Vive? The Lab was great but we’d all love to get a full Valve game.” Somewhat cryptically Newell responded, “Yes. We think VR is pretty important as a tool for interesting games.”

We’ll continue to update this story as news comes out of the AMA. Tune in to follow the thread on your own as well!

Update: When asked by Reddit user Air_chandler how the team looked at the future outlook and trajectory of Valve as a company, Newell responded, “The big thing right now is broadening the range of options we have in creating experiences. We think investing in hardware will give us those options. The knuckles controller is being designed at the same time as we’re designing our own VR games.“

Tagged with: AMA, Gabe Newell, htc, reddit, steam, valve, Vive

January 17, 2017

Survios To Release VR Arcade Version of ‘Raw Data’ Following Game’s Sales Success

Survios is one of early virtual reality’s most impressive success stories. The young studio has created one of the best-selling VR experiences available today, in Raw Data. This experience is available only through Steam for the HTC Vive (with unofficial Oculus Rift with Touch support) and it has eclipsed the elusive $1 million benchmark in sales. Now, on the heels of this success, Survios is announcing that its game will soon be playable in VR arcades around the world.

According to an official release from the company, “Survios Inc. today announced the launch of an arcade-optimized version of their best-selling, critically-acclaimed game, Raw Data, in virtual reality arcade entertainment venues across the globe with localized marketing and customer support.”

This Arcade Version of Raw Data will give gamers the same fast paced, high-octane experience they’ve come to know and love on their personal systems. However, the port will be an “exclusive version of Raw Data, created specifically for arcades” and this iteration will offer a “uniquely streamlined experience” featuring “simplified in-game menus, improved loading times, faster multiplayer matchmaking, and robust admin tools for arcade operators.”

Additionally, in the new arcade version:

“Players will have access to multiple game modes—including match-based hero progression and fully unlocked quickplay—ensuring an engaging experience for casual and hardcore gamers alike. Additionally, customizable gameplay timers make Raw Data Arcade easily adaptable to both short and long arcade play sessions. Beyond the actual game, arcade operators will also receive marketing support from Survios to promote their business and drive in-store traffic.”

This initiative has apparently been in the works for a while now, with Survios reporting that it has been quietly beta testing this port in more than 30 VR arcades. “Survios is the most sophisticated publisher with respect to arcade operators’ needs,” said McKay Christensen, co-founder and CEO of VR Junkies, a network of arcades with multiple locations in North America. “Raw Data is a fantastic title, and to have that game combined with their marketing support and customer service has been immensely valuable to us.”

This news comes less than a month after Survios revealed it had closed two rounds of fundraising adding up to $50 million. Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer (MGM) led one strategic financing round and MGM chairman and CEO Gary Barber joined the Survios’ board. In addition, a prior financing round was led by Lux Capital with participation from Shasta Ventures, Danhua Capital, Shanda Holdings, Felicis Ventures, and Dentsu Ventures.

Tagged with: action, arcade, raw data, shooter, Survios, Vive

January 16, 2017February 14, 2017

Everest VR Is Coming To Rift Very Soon With New Content

Update: Solfar Studios today released Everest VR on Oculus Home for $14.99. The game features Touch controllers and new additions to God Mode, as detailed below.

Eight months on from its initial release on the HTC Vive and Solfar Studios’ Everest VR remains one of the most visually striking VR experiences. Stitched together using over 300,000 real photos, you won’t find a more realistic interactive digital rendition of the planet’s biggest mountain on Steam. Soon, you’ll find it on Oculus Home, too.

Everest VR‘s launch on the Rift is “imminent” with support for Oculus Touch, Solfar Business Development Director and Co-Founder Thor Gunnarsson confirmed to us today. Indeed, we’ve tried the game on Oculus’ tech and, yes, it works just like it did on the Vive, but there are a few new additions to both version that the developer is making to give players a bit more to check out. One of our primary criticisms about the original release was the lack of content, so anything extra comes as good news.

These new updates revolve around the game’s God Mode, the extra endgame component that allows you to view Everest from above as if you were, well, a god. As it is it’s a fun add-on, but Solfar is bringing new mountain trails to the experience, allowing you to trace historic climbs using a teleportation mechanic. That includes Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s first ever successfully confirmed ascent of the mountain in 1953. It appears as a blue line that winds up the side of the mountain, and you can hook your teleportation reticle to it and follow the path yourself. There are about 18 treks to follow in total.

This also introduces the other major addition to God Mode: scaling. Taking a page from the book of Google Earth VR (Gunnarsson describes it as “Google Earth on steroids”), you can now scale yourself within God Mode, shrinking all the way down to 1:1 if you so desire. It’s actually possible to start at base camp at human size, and follow any trace up the mountain from start to finish, something that Gunnarasson jokes will take about two hours if attempted.

Hillary and Norgay’s path will also have a sort of VR museum mode, with diversions off to the sides of the path teaching more about their journey, complete with images they took along the way.

Oh and don’t worry Vive owners; all of this is coming to your version of the game too as a free update.

Rift’s release won’t be the last you hear from Everest VR; Solfar is still planning to bring the experience to PlayStation VR as well, and its looking to turn its attention back to its first announced game, Godling, too. Keep an eye out for the developer as the year goes on.

Tagged with: climb, everest vr, god mode, mountain, rift, solfar, Vive

January 16, 2017

Valve’s Gabe Newell Is Hosting a Live Reddit AMA On Tuesday Jan. 17th

If you’ve ever wanted to ask Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve Corporation, a question — then tomorrow may be your lucky day. We first noted the news reported by PCGamer, that the date and time were revealed through screenshots of email communication both Reddit moderator Jedi Burrell from The_Gaben subreddit and Steam moderator R3TR1X had with Newell. The AMA is happening at The_Gaben subreddit tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17th, at 3PM PST. The confirmation thread is right here.

For those unaware, a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) is when someone hosts a thread on the site, along with confirmation they are who they say they are, allowing users to login and ask them any questions they want. When you’re Newell, an industry icon that’s commanded a massive fan following, a relatively large turnout is expected. In fact, when AMAs get very popular, it’s often difficult for the hosts to keep up with the constant barrage of questions. Newell will likely have to pick and choose which ones he answers.

Newell has long been a champion of the VR industry. Valve as a company co-created the Vive with HTC, using its Steam marketplace as the go-to source of content for the budding piece of consumer technology. In August of last year during the DOTA 2 International Championships, the co-founder and president stated that he had been spending ‘most of’ his time with the VR team. While we are still waiting on that big killer app (such as VR iterations for Half-Life, Left4Dead, Portal, or something original) from the PC gaming powerhouse, Valve’s (and as a result the Vive’s) contributions to VR as an industry have been wide and far-reaching thus far.

You can check into the Reddit AMA thread tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17th, at 3PM PST over on The_Gaben subreddit. Exact details such as which topics he’d like to discuss or how long it will last are unknown but as is the case with these sorts of things most of the time, it’ll likely be open season once the internet descends upon the thread.

Do you plan on tuning in tomorrow? Which types of questions do you want to be see answered? Let us know in the comments below!

Tagged with: AMA, Gabe Newell, gaben, reddit, valve, Vive