Category: VR Arcade

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The Virtual Arena: Oculus Quest 2 Makes Appearance In LBE

The Virtual Arena

Out-of-Home entertainment development continues, and in his latest Virtual Arena column, industry specialist Kevin Williams reveals the appearance of the Oculus Quest 2 into the commercial entertainment scene. With the launch of a brand new free-roaming platform from Scale-1 Portal, and the deployment of a brand new business model to allow the hardware into the commercial sector.

The continued development of location-based entertainment (LBE) takes place even though most entertainment facilities are temporarily closed due to local restrictions. Some of that development is towards a new generation of arena-scale (or free-roaming) platforms that allow multiple players to be immersive without the issues of wearing a backpack PC.

Oculus Quest 2

The use of the new mobileVR (standalone) headsets was seen as a logical opportunity, but there were numerous roadblocks towards this as previously covered in our feature on standalone LBE VR development. But French developer Scale-1 Portal has announced the first system that officially deploys the Oculus Quest 2 into the commercial entertainment market, and offers a brand new business model for operators.

Speaking exclusively regarding their new release, Scale-1 Portal has rolled out the finished VOXEL ARENA, previously covered last year in prototype form in our industry roundup. The first installation of this system was undertaken in Canada during August 2020, and the company now has made available the full system to operators. Now including a unique business model that allows venues to deploy multiple Quest 2 headsets in their facilities.

There are restrictions to use the consumer Oculus Quest 2 hardware for commercial business, blocked by the Terms of Service (ToS). However, the Oculus for Business program has been established for enterprise usage of Oculus hardware. Scale-1 Portal is a member of the Oculus ISV (Independent Software Vendors) Program supporting developers using their systems in enterprise. Through this relationship, they have been able to create a unique business model to deploy this hardware in entertainment.

Scale-1 Portal Voxel Arena
Multiplayer free-roam VR experience from Scale-1 Portal. Image credit Scale-1 Portal

Entertainment operators can now purchase through the Oculus Business Edition program, multiple Quest 2 headsets that also come with a mandatory yearly maintenance and support fee. The operator then has access to the Scale-1 Portal Cloud version of VOXEL ARENA, the subscription service supports up to six players. Playing one of three unique games available on the platform (including Sep’s Diner, and Guns&Dust), players compete within a 4×5 meter player space.

Scale-1 Portal Voxel Arena players
The ‘VOXEL ARENA’ in operation at the Illucity Paris facility. Image credit Scale-1 Portal

The Business Edition of the Oculus hardware does not need a Facebook login, (a requirement that has been contentious with the consumer VR community). The commercial version having a unique ToS for Enterprise. This release seems to be the only real fruit of the Capability Concept Demonstrator (CCD), that Oculus showed back in 2018 at OC5 that had promised the use of Quest hardware in locations.

The Scale-1 Portal business model is the only legal means for operators to deploy the Quest 2 hardware in their facilities and avoid action. It will be interesting to see how many operators jump at the opportunity to have a cost-effective solution to running free-roaming VR., and what other VR standalone systems follow suit.

Scale-1 Portal has also made use of their time towards looking at pivoting into the consumer VR scene. The company will be launching a home version of their LBE videogames. Announcing that the title Sep’s Diner has been released last December on SteamVR and SideQuest for gamers at home, with a multiplayer version emulating some of the features of the LBE version planned to be added. The company revealed that they will be supporting other standalone VR headsets, such as the Pico Neo series, with this consumer release.

We look forward to running a full review of the VOXEL ARENA LBE experience when the first of the facilities reopen in the coming months.  

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Dragon Quest Creator Yuji Horii Teases Future Franchise VR Support

Dragon Quest is one of the most renowned video game franchises on the planet and more or less invented the entire premise of the turn-based JRPG back in the mid-80s, back before even Final Fantasy. The series’ creator, Yuji Horii, spoke with Yahoo Japan about the legacy of Dragon Quest and its future.

Dragon Quest VR

The above video is a trailer for the arcade-exclusive Dragon Quest VR game from Japan. You can read our hands-on impressions of the experience here. What he’s alluding to in the interview though, is for an official entry in the series for actual consumer platforms at home.

In the interview referenced above, as translated by Google Translate, Horii says:

“I think it’s a question that everyone wants to ask, but what will happen to “Dragon Quest” in the future? It’s a secret (laughs). It also affects what happens to the game console, and in the future, the day may come when you can enjoy it in VR, such as the world of “Dragon Quest” is there while you are in the room.

Also, I think it would be interesting if AI systems could be used in the characters and conversations of fellow characters. It would be nice if the friends who ventured together grew up with AI and became people to talk to. We hope to continue to provide new and exciting play under the name Dragon Quest.”

The most recent main line entry in the Dragon Quest series is Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. It’s out on PS4, Switch, Xbox, and PC and is available as part of Game Pass on the latter two platforms.

Rather than simply numbering entries like Final Fantasy, the Dragon Quest series is well-known for its esoteric and fancy subtitles. Some of my favorite subtitles include Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line (NES, 1987) and Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies because I’m a sucker for alliteration.

What exactly a Dragon Quest game could look like in VR is a big mystery. If the arcade adaptation is anything to go by it probably means adapting things to a more action-focused format, which could be a lot of fun. But it’s hard to know how they will adapt the heavy exposition, menu-heavy interface, and slower pace that the series is known for.

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

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The Void Co-founder Unveils VR Skydiving Attraction ‘JUMP’, Locations Coming 2021

James Jensen, co-founder and creator of VR attraction The Void, recently unveiled his next VR startup which aims to bring the thrills of wingsuit skydiving to people particularly averse to jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

The company, called JUMP, exited its two-year stint in stealth mode this past weekend. According to Jensen’s LinkedIn page, he’s been working as CEO of Jump since March 2018, or just a few months before he left his position as Chief Visionary Officer at The Void.

Not much is known about Jump yet, however the company’s website LimitlessFlight.com maintains users will be able suit up into a certified wingsuit and don a VR headset for some lifelike thrills. Promo material appears to show a tethered VR headset integrated into a masked skydiving helmet. Locations hosting Jump’s wingsuit experience are said to arrive sometime in 2021.

However vague, here’s how Jump describes the experience:

Imagine being able to perform one of the world’s most dangerous and technically difficult stunts with little to no training, no parachuting experience, no cost for equipment and setup, and no risk of death trying to pull it off. What would you do (and how much would it cost) for such an experience?
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Would you dedicate years of your life, spend thousands of dollars, and practice life-threatening jumps time and time again just to risk dying in the end? Any way you look at it, this would be an unattainable experience for 99.9% of people on this planet … until now.

Jump has attracted expertise across both real-life skydiving and immersive design. Academy Award-winning designer John Gaeta has signed onto the project as an advisor; Gaeta is best known for pioneering ‘Bullet Time’ for The Matrix films, his work on volumetric capture methods, and for co-founding Lucasfilms’ immersive skunkworks ILMxLAB.

Professional skydiver Marshall Miller, who is also the co-founder and managing director at GoPro’s jump team ‘Bomb Squad’, is also listed among the company’s team.

Image courtesy Jump

It’s unclear what sort of setup we can expect from Jump, however the company has also attracted Head Rigger for Cirque du Soleil Jim Shumway, who is also ETCP Certified in arena and theater rigging.

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It’s possible Jump users will suit-up and be suspended via some sort of tether while experiencing their virtual flight, possibly with the same cadre of added multi-sensory effects that users can experience at The Void, which includes wind, sound, and heat to enhance the VR experience. Further speculation: such a single-serving experience could be deployed as a pop-up installation instead of a brick-and-mortar affair, something that potential investors may see as a boon in wooing the paying public back to out-of-home VR after a lengthy global lockdown.

We’re hoping to learn more about Jump in the coming months, as the company is well positioned to be one of the first location-based entertainment startups to emerge during what we hope to be the year of recovery for the industry.

The post The Void Co-founder Unveils VR Skydiving Attraction ‘JUMP’, Locations Coming 2021 appeared first on Road to VR.

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‘Star Wars Lightsaber Dojo’ VR Arcade Experience Coming to Locations Worldwide

ILMxLAB is again teaming up with VR arcade company Nomadic to bring a new version of the ‘Lightsaber Dojo’ from Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series to locations worldwide.

With the help of Nomadic, Lucasfilms’ immersive entertainment studio ILMxLAB brought an arcade-style Lightsaber Dojo experience to pop-up installation at select locations late last year. Now the studios are partnering again to produce a version inspired by the Lightsaber Dojo in the third, and final episode.

There’s no word on where you’ll be able to play just yet, however Sean Griffin, President of Nomadic, says Star Wars fans “worldwide” will be able to experience it. The studios’ Lightsaber Dojo from last year, which was based on the mini-game from Vader Immortal: Episode II (2019), was held in pop-up locations across North America.

“The ILMxLAB team is excited to bring a new chapter to the Lightsaber Dojo experience,” said ILMxLAB Senior Producer, Shereif Fattouh. “Fans will soon have the unique opportunity to battle Darth Vader himself using all their abilities in the ultimate test of skill.”

Just like in the Lightsaber Dojo from the third episode, fans will get a chance to handle lightsabers, blasters, and use the Force to combat waves of droids, stormtroopers, and other creatures before a climactic fight with Darth Vader. Check out some gameplay footage of the original Lightsaber Dojo III below, courtesy YouTube channel ‘cycyclist’:

“Nomadic is thrilled to once again partner with ILMxLAB to bring guests into the world of Star Wars,” said Sean Griffin, President of Nomadic. “Our new form factor will deliver a more immersive experience for players, will provide a social viewing experience for their friends and family, and is more efficient for family entertainment centers and arcades to operate. We can’t wait for Star Wars fans worldwide to experience it.”

There’s no word on which VR headset arcade-goers will play on, as the studios only make mention of “a top-of-the-line virtual reality headset,” however it’s likely that due to ILMxLAB’s previous engagements with Oculus that it will be an Oculus Quest 2 headset.

The studios says details on availability and pricing of Vader Immortal – Lightsaber Dojo will be available at a later date. We’ll have our eyes peeled in the coming weeks.

The post ‘Star Wars Lightsaber Dojo’ VR Arcade Experience Coming to Locations Worldwide appeared first on Road to VR.

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Ubisoft Launches ‘Far Cry VR’ Eight-player VR Arcade Experience, Trailer Here

Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity is a new VR arcade experience supporting up to eight players. The game is now available across Zero Latency VR arcade locations, which span 50 locations worldwide.

Update (June 10th, 2021): Ubisoft and Zero Latency today launches the Far Cry VR experience. The co-op shooter takes up to eight people to the world of Far Cry 3, and puts you face-to-face with psychopathic villain Vaas. The experience is said to take around 30 minutes.

Far Cry VR is now bookable across 50 locations in 23 countries. Check here to see if you have a Zero Latency location nearby. The original article, along with updated trailer, follows below:

Original Article (September 10th, 2020): Ubisoft announced today that it’s developing Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity as a new out-of-home VR arcade experience in collaboration with Zero Latency, one of the leading VR arcade companies with more than 45 locations in 22 countries. (see update)

There’s not much info yet on exactly what the experience will entail, beyond Ubisoft saying that “the game will take a group of up to eight players back to the Rook Islands, the setting of Far Cry 3. Captured by Vaas and his henchmen, players will explore the island and fight for survival together.” Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity is due to release in 2021.

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The announcement is interesting for two reasons. First, the VR arcade scene has been hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic; though the game won’t launch until 2021, Zero Latency appears to be making a sizeable bet that things will be back to normal by then, and that players will feel comfortable going out and donning VR headsets and backpacks used by the public at large.

Second, Zero Latency has traditionally done its own game development, much of it impressive in its own right, and the same for Ubisoft under its brand Ubisoft Escape Games, which has made at least three VR arcade experiences based on Ubisoft IP. At this time it isn’t clear if Zero Latency is merely licensing the Far Cry IP, or if there’s a deeper design collaboration between the studios.

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Interestingly, a Far Cry 3 VR experience was among several VR prototypes that Ubisoft built way back in 2015, when VR was still in its ‘dev kit’ era. Whether there’s any development heritage there—or if it’s a just a coincidence—is unknown at this point.

Beyond the out-of-home Far Cry VR, Ubisoft today also revealed a new in-home PC VR game called AGOS: A Game of Space.

The post Ubisoft Launches ‘Far Cry VR’ Eight-player VR Arcade Experience, Trailer Here appeared first on Road to VR.

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Blasters of the Universe: Infinity Forever Is A New Free-Roam LBE VR Shooter

Secret Location revealed Blasters of the Universe: Infinity Forever today, a new free-roam location-based VR shooter for up to four players.

The original Blasters of the Universe was one of the first room-scale VR interpretations on the classic bullet hell wave shooter genre. Instead of controlling a spaceship, you’d move your body to dodge bullets while returning fire in a neon-soaked retro-futuristic landscape. It was a blast (pardon the pun) and is highly regarded as one of the best early VR shooters with lots of replay value that eventually left early access after a couple of years.

Now, Secret Location (also developers of the excellent time-bending VR puzzle game, Transpose) is back with Blasters of the Universe: Infinity Forever, a free-roam location-based entertainment take on the franchise. Designed for up to four people, it follows a linear story structure as players make their way through a series of levels at actual physical VR arcade locations powered by SynthesisVR.

The choice to focus on LBE VR rather than at-home VR is an interesting one given the current state of the industry. Top-billed attractions like The Void are struggling to retain leases for their locations and arcades around the world, but most especially in the United States, continue to struggle.

“We have remained optimistic about the state of our industry in the past months as we continued to make our games from home”, said Michael Masukawa, Director of Strategy and Business Development at Secret Location, in a prepared statement. “We know that now more than ever, families and friends are going to be craving meaningful shared experiences and so we’re happy to be able to offer them exactly what they need. As family entertainment centers start to reopen with safety in mind, we are thrilled to be partnering with Synthesis on the launch of our first location-based VR game.”

What do you think of the move? Risky considering the state of affairs, or forward-looking as the world slowly tries to return to normal? Let us know what you think down in the comment below!

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VR Destination ‘Sandbox VR’ Emerges from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy After Reorganization

Virtual reality arcades and other out-of-home VR destinations have been some of the worst affected businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sandbox VR, one of the most well-funded in the industry, has been no exception, as the company’s US-based subsidiary Glostation USA Inc. filed for bankruptcy back in August. Now it’s come to light that Glostation has been reorganized, effectively pulling itself out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Update (December 10th, 2020):  A representative from Sandbox VR tells Road to VR that, as of late last month its US subsidiary, Glostation USA Inc.’s court-approved reorganization plan has allowed it to emerge from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which was filed in August 2020. Sandbox VR tells us the company was able to restructure remaining debts to stabilize financials and continue to grow its operations.

According to Bloomberg, to keep doing business the California-based Glostation is receiving funds from parent company Sandbox VR Inc, which includes a restructuring amount of $13.6 million of secured debt.

With an effective vaccine on the rise, it seems backers are hopeful for a possible resurgence of the company’s location-based VR facilities. The original article reporting the company’s Chapter 11 filing follows below:

Original Article (August 14th, 2020): Sandbox VR does business in the United States under the name Glostation USA Inc., which has filed for Chapter 11 (along with a number of associates) at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Woodland Hills, California. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Sandbox operates multiple locations in North America and Asia, and hosts both branded VR content such as its Star Trek: Discovery experience and in-house developed games. Experiences last around 20 minutes and can accommodate up to six people per session.

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Despite having already reopened a handful of locations recently it appears the damage of staying closed for such an extended time has taken its toll on the company. Back in early June, Sandbox VR CEO Steven Zhao told Protocol that the company had effectively lost “100% of the revenue,” something that led Sandbox to lay off 80% of its staff. Former CEO Siqi Chen and a number of the company’s developers also left the company.

Since its founding in 2016, Sandbox has garnered over $80 million in outside funding, with the most recent round led by celebrities such as Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, and Will Smith. Sandbox was also funded by Andreessen Horowitz, Alibaba, Floodgate Ventures, Stanford University, Triplepoint Capital, and CRCM.

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According to WSJ, the company was close to securing over $50 million in equity funding prior to the pandemic lockdown. This was put on hold back in March, which ruined plans for the company to open around 20 new locations.

Still, Sandbox says its reached a deal with the company’s lenders to restructure debt and reopen its locations once things eventually get back to normal. Whether there will be a ‘normal’ in the short term still remains to be seen though. Many VR arcades, like Hologate have put in more visible cleaning and sanitizing regimes that they hope will ease the public back in, but it’s sure to be an uphill battle any way you slice it.

The post VR Destination ‘Sandbox VR’ Emerges from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy After Reorganization appeared first on Road to VR.

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Hologate Wants Its New VR Arcade Hygiene Standards to Inspire Confidence in a Wary Public

As businesses begin to reopen, it’s becoming more and more clear that the out-of-home entertainment industry needs to adapt in a major way if it wants to move forward. Inspiring confidence in the cleanliness of VR equipment donned by the paying public is, without understating it, the biggest obstacle to clawing back the much-needed repeat business that many VR arcades have become accustomed to. To that effect, VR arcade company Hologate recently released a new set of guidelines that it hopes will set a standard for not only its own 300+ global network of locations, but also the VR arcade industry at large. But will it be enough?

Let’s get it all out on the table first. It’s way too soon to head back into public places without a proper face covering and the expectation of a six-foot bubble between you and anyone who you aren’t already isolating with. That said, it doesn’t mean companies aren’t devising strategies now to bridge the uncertain gap between the eventual reopening of arcades (depending on when regional lockdowns are loosened) and the release of a bonafide vaccine. Enter Hologate’s new hygiene and safety standards, something it hopes will get VR arcades back into business.

The company issued this statement, which proceeds a number of strategies outlined in a pretty comprehensive blog post. We’ll dig into those below.

Post coronavirus, we must accept the reality that we will be unable to operate as we have before. Cleanliness and disinfection will have to become paramount to customer’s confidence in enjoying our attractions and location based entertainment.

We must also ensure that standards are maintained by professionals and not left to the customer. Attendant run systems are at an advantage in regards to hygiene as they ensure that the public-accessed components are sanitized at at professional level.

Virtual Reality headsets and accessories have always been the target and topic of hygiene conversations, so it’s more important than ever to make sure that you have proper cleaning procedures in place to ensure that your customers are not only protected but also have full trust in your facility and staff.

Hologate recommends a smorgasbord of techniques for cleaning equipment, which seem pretty common sense—even before the pandemic:

  • Start with a visual check on all components (VR headset, peripherals, haptic packs, etc).
  • Ensure that all parts are free of detritus and other debris.
  • Use a sanitizing wet wipe over any area that touches hands, face, or body.
  • Only wipe the outside of haptic vests and parts that were touched by clients. The inside liners should be washed regularly.
  • Allow the component to sit and air dry for at least 30 seconds, or until fully dry.
  • If any areas remain wet, dry wipe with a soft single-use tissue. Gently dry wipe lenses. Check that all areas are clean and dry.

It’s not enough to just sanitize the equipment itself though. It’s also about creating the perception of cleanliness for arcade-goers. Hologate suggests making sure the process is “highly visible by your customers,” and done so via daily cleaning shifts and even hourly shifts for highly trafficked areas. And like everywhere else, anti-bacterial dispenser or disinfectant wipe stations should also be visible and convenient to access.

This even extends out to the realms of social media. Hologate says arcades should take “photos and video of your team in action” and post on social media channels to drum up the consensus that VR arcades are safe.

“Word of your company’s care and conscientiousness that you’re ensuring your location is a safe place for friends and families will spread through resharing and word-of-mouth. This customer confidence will build and people will respond by returning to the fun once again,” the company says.

The Void, Photo by Road to VR

Hologate is striking a hopeful note with its safety guidelines: simply sanitize everything, make sure people know you’re actually doing it, and the people will eventually return. But is it enough?

The company also suggests following guidelines established by The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), which take things a bit further. It stipulates that attraction owners should “encourage the use of masks/face coverings for guests and staff,” and to follow local guidance on social distancing. Locations may not even be able to ensure the required six-foot distancing.

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The IAAPA guidelines also say to protect employees by including barriers, protective coverings, and distancing, which will definitely increase the weirdness-factor to people who may already be entirely unfamiliar with virtual reality.

To its credit, VR attractions are very different to mass gatherings such as baseball games or movie theaters though, which will likely be the very last to return to any sense of normalcy. Customer throughput is already fairly low in VR arcades, and hygiene considerations aren’t anything new either. Most reputable VR arcades use some form of wipeable facial interface, typically made of PU leather, have sanitizing regimes already installed, and have a lower staff-to-user ratio than many other entertainment venues, such as theme park rides or water parks. It may simply be a matter of making more time for cleaning and running less people through the experiences, and waiting for public consensus to respond accordingly.

This rings true for dedicated VR arcades such as The Void and Hologate’s network of independent locations, which tend to offer custom-built attractions that last a set amount of time. However pop-up stations that require less oversight, which can range from lone HTC Vive to proper arcade kiosk machines, well, those may be out for good until a vaccine is widespread enough to return to ‘normal’.

How that new normal will look, we’re no more certain than anyone else at this point. One thing is for sure though: yours truly won’t be trying on any public VR headsets without seeing it completely deloused first before my eyes.

The post Hologate Wants Its New VR Arcade Hygiene Standards to Inspire Confidence in a Wary Public appeared first on Road to VR.

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Oculus Quest Unity SDK References Colocation API

Code found by VR developers in the Oculus Unity Integration reveals Facebook’s shared-space “colocation” API for Oculus Quest.

The code was first spotted by developers at Bentham Realities a few weeks ago while working on their upcoming title Hermetika VR. This week the same code was separately spotted by Gerald McAlister from RGB Schemes, a startup working on VR games & tools.

UploadVR searched through past versions of the Platform SDK and determined that these additions were made in version 1.40.0, which shipped in August 2019.

Colocation means having multiple Oculus Quests sharing the same playspace. Facebook showed off an “arena scale” prototype of this at Oculus Connect 5 in late 2018, but no further development has been shown since then. In February, Facebook told us that was a “tech demo exploring the possibilities of standalone headsets. Since the launch of Quest, we have focused on delivering a great consumer VR experience and have nothing new to share around co-location features at this time.” We asked Facebook if they have an update about the functionality and will update this post if we hear back.

Based on the description of the technology at the time of the OC5 demo, it likely works similarly to the colocation features already present in Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore. Inside-out tracking generates a point cloud of static features in the room. Machine learning algorithms can find shared unique patterns in the point clouds of multiple devices and thus align the virtual spaces. The process requires no external sensors, base stations, or specific markers.

At home, colocation could be used to build “frictionless” local multiplayer VR experiences. Ideally, if two members of a household each own an Oculus Quest, developers could allow them to quickly enter a LAN same-space multiplayer session.

For location-based VR experiences that take place over a large space already like at a VR arcade, a colocation API for Quest could bring down the cost significantly. Today, each user typically needs a backpack PC as well as a headset, and an expensive external tracking system is often used to track the weapons/tools.

While Quest is typically sold starting at $400, Facebook sells Quest to businesses for $1000 per headset bundled with a business warranty and support, whereas a backpack PC alone can cost around $3000. An OptiTrack setup for these locations requires tens of thousands of dollars of cameras too.

The spotted colocation code is part of the Oculus Platform SDK component of the Oculus Unity Integration. The Platform SDK gives developers access to features which leverage the Oculus store and servers. This includes leaderboards, achievements, cloud storage, matchmaking, and more. On Quest, Platform SDK features are only available to developers who have passed Facebook’s pitch submission process.

In our February report about colocation, Facebook said teams reaching out to the company about the feature “have been directed to the enterprise and hospitality license, which provides more detail on terms.” The Oculus for Business Enterprise Use Agreement includes the restriction that “Unless separately approved in writing by Oculus, you will not…modify the tracking functionality (including the implementation of any custom co-location functionality) on your Software or take any action that will disable, modify, or interfere with the Oculus Guardian System.”

Of course, barring the use of “custom co-location functionality” doesn’t preclude the possibility of Facebook making its official colocation API available to some or all Quest developers at some point.

What kind of games would you want to play in a shared playspace? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Oculus Quest Unity SDK References Colocation API appeared first on UploadVR.

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Oculus Quest SDK Reveals Colocation API Is In Development

Code found by VR developers in the Oculus Unity Integration reveals Facebook is working on a shared-space “colocation” API for Oculus Quest.

The code was first spotted by developers at Bentham Realities a few weeks ago while working on their upcoming title Hermetika VR. Yesterday, the same code was separately spotted by Gerald McAlister from RGB Schemes, a startup working on VR games & tools.

UploadVR searched through past versions of the Platform SDK and determined that these additions were made in version 1.40.0, which shipped in August 2019.

Colocation means having multiple Oculus Quests sharing the same playspace. Facebook showed off an “arena scale” prototype of this at Oculus Connect 5 in late 2018, but no further development has been shown since then.

Based on the description of the technology at the time of the OC5 demo, it likely works similarly to the colocation features already present in Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore. Inside-out tracking generates a useful byproduct- a point cloud of static features in the room. Machine learning algorithms can find shared unique patterns in the point clouds of multiple devices and thus align the virtual spaces. The process requires no external sensors, base stations, or specific markers.

At home, colocation could be used to build “frictionless” local multiplayer VR experiences. Ideally, if two members of a household each own an Oculus Quest, developers could allow them to quickly enter a LAN same-space multiplayer session.

For location-based VR experiences that take place over a large space already like at a VR arcade, a colocation API for Quest could bring down the cost significantly. Today, each user typically needs a backpack PC as well as a headset, and an expensive external tracking system is often used to track the weapons/tools.

Facebook sells Quest to businesses for $1000 per headset (including business warranty & support), whereas a backpack PC alone costs around $3000. An OptiTrack setup for these locations requires tens of thousands of dollars of cameras too.

The spotted colocation code is part of the Oculus Platform SDK component of the Oculus Unity Integration. The Platform SDK gives developers access to features which leverage the Oculus store and servers. This includes leaderboards, achievements, cloud storage, matchmaking, and more. On Quest, Platform SDK features are only available to developers who have passed Facebook’s pitch submission process.

That could indicate that colocation will only be available to select developers. However, Facebook could ship a local testing version to spur innovation from the community — much like with controller-free hand tracking.

Of course, working on a feature is never a guarantee that the feature will ship. While it’s fairly likely Facebook will eventually ship a colocation feature, it may be delayed by current events or never ship at all.

What kind of games would you want to play in a shared playspace? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Oculus Quest SDK Reveals Colocation API Is In Development appeared first on UploadVR.