Mit Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity hat Ubisoft ein neues VR-Spiel für Virtual Reality Arcades veröffentlicht. Das Spiel kann ab sofort in den Einrichtungen von Zero Latency gespielt werden.
Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity
Wenn ihr zukünftig eine Arcade von Zero Latency besucht, könnt ihr mit bis zu 7 weiteren Personen in die Welt von Far Cry 3 eintauchen. Hier findet ihr die Liste mit Locations, die Far Cry VR bereits anbieten. Die Erfahrung soll ca. 30 Minuten dauern und Spielende sollen gemeinsam kooperieren, die Insel erkunden und ums Überleben kämpfen.
In Deutschland gibt es aktuell eine Arcade von Zero Latency in München, jedoch ist diese derzeit noch geschlossen.
HTC VIVE zeigt neues Rendering der kommenden VR-Brille
Der kleine Videoausschnitt von HTC VIVE lässt auf eine besonders schlanke Form schließen und zeigt erneut, dass HTC auf Inside-Out-Tracking setzen wird. Zudem scheint HTC kein Stoffband für die Halterung am Kopf zu verwenden, was der Brille zu einem gutem Komfort verhelfen könnte.
Nicht klar ist bisher, ob HTC eine Brille für Konsumenten anbieten wird und somit eine direkte Konkurrenz zur Oculus Quest 2 ins Rennen schicken will oder ob sich HTC auf professionelle Anwender und Anwenderinnen und VR-Arcades konzentrieren wird. In diesem Markt konnte sich HTC VIVE bereits einen guten Namen aufbauen und zudem fokussiert sich aktuell Facebook nicht auf diesen Markt.
Mit der Hologate World wird Hologate die VR-Landschaft in Deutschland schon bald bereichern. Hologate bietet mit seinem gleichnamigen System eine einfache VR-Lösung für Arcades und andere Einrichtungen an. Nun geht das Unternehmen einen Schritt weiter und eröffnet noch in diesem Jahr eine komplette VR-Arcade in Fürth.
Hologate stellt Hologate World vor
Während das klassische Hologate ein System ist, welches in einer Location installiert werden kann, ist Hologate World eine komplette Arcade.
Die Hologate World wird noch im September 2021 in Fürth auf 1,200 m² eröffnen. Die Einrichtung soll Virtual Reality-Systeme, XR-Escape-Räume und einen Bereich für esports beherbergen. Zudem verspricht das Team einige neue Inhalte, die erstmalig in der neuen Hologate World gezeigt werden sollen.
“Wir freuen uns sehr über die Zusammenarbeit mit der P&P Group bei diesem bahnbrechenden Projekt. Mit der Einführung und Einbeziehung neuer Inhalte und den ARENA- und BLITZ-Systemen, in einer offenen und freundlichen Umgebung, stellt die HOLOGATE WORLD die nächste Stufe der immersiven ortsbezogenen Unterhaltung für HOLOGATE und die gesamte Branche dar.” – Leif Petersen, HOLOGATE CEO und Gründer.
Ob es bei einer Hologate World bleiben wird, ist abzuwarten. Das Unternehmen gibt an, dass Hologate World-Konzept auch als Grundlage für andere Einrichtungen sein könne.
Arizona Sunshine developer and A Fisherman’s Tale publisher Vertigo Games has acquired VR arcade software company, SpringboardVR.
Neither group disclosed the value of the sale. For the past few years, SpringboardVR operated a subscription-based management platform for VR arcades with software that allows users to choose from a range of officially licsensed titles. As they play, arcade owners are able to set how long the customer can use the platform among other aspects. Springboard charged $30 a month for use of its platform, with discounts available for multiple stations within an arcade.
A press release confirms that this service will continue to run under Vertigo’s ownership, with several of the team members joining the company. Vertigo itself has its own arcade business under which it’s distributed an arcade version of Arizona Sunshine and unique games like Corsair’s Curse and Ghost Patrol VR, which was announced last year.
But the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced major challenges for the VR arcade industry, with most locations having remained closed for the better part of a year now. Vertigo — which itself was acquired by Koch Media in 2020 — has continued to support the sector, even offering relief packages over the course of the last year. Even with vaccines now rolling out across the world, it remains to be seen when it will be safe for VR arcades to fully reopen.
Other founders of SpringboardVR are moving on to start a new company, ArborXR, which offers software to streamline VR and AR enterprise use cases.
When do you think VR arcades might return? Let us know in the comments below!
Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity is coming to Zero Latency VR arcades exclusively next year.
The news was confirmed during Ubisoft’s Forward stream today. Far Cry VR is set in the same environment as the third game in the series, getting players to team up for a fight on a tropical island. Check out the first trailer for the game below.
We first reported that Zero Latency was working on a game based on one of Ubisoft’s franchises a few months ago. The company is using its own arcade tech to deliver an experience in which players hold rifle-shaped controllers and blow up enemy bases.
Far Cry is far from the first franchise Ubisoft has brought to VR arcades, though it is the first to feature more action-oriented shooter mechanics. The company’s two Assassin’s Creed VR titles instead resemble cooperative escape rooms, and it sounds like the upcoming Prince of Persia VR experience will be along the same lines too. The rumor is Ubisoft is also working on some new at-home VR games too. In fact, it just announced AGOS: A Game Of Space.
Okay, so it might not be a full Far Cry VR game, but we’re definitely interested in this. Exploring Far Cry 3’s island in VR sounds like a treat. There’s no telling when we might see VR arcades back to full operation amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, though.
Will you be getting out to a VR arcade to see Far Cry VR? Let us know in the comments below!
Back in February, we reported that Ubisoft was developing a new VR arcade game set in one of its best-known IPs called Prince of Persia: The Dagger Of Time. For fairly obvious reasons, the experience missed its intended spring 2020 launch, but the company today revealed the first images and more info for the game.
Four images of The Dagger Of Time can be seen below. They mostly show off the game’s environments, though one image also shows what appears to be players collaborating too.
We know a handful of things about The Dagger Of Time so far. Firstly, the game’s set during the events of Ubisoft’s PS2-era Prince of Persia trilogy. The story sees players travel to the Fortress of Time to stop an evil Magi. As with Ubisoft’s other escape room games, up to four players will work together, solving puzzles as they make their way towards victory.
It looks promising, though we still don’t know when the game will be rolling out to VR arcades. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the industry hard and it’s likely be be a long time yet before it fully recovers. That hasn’t stopped companies like Ubisoft and Vertigo revealing more VR arcade projects, though.
The Dagger Of Time is being developed at Ubisoft Dusseldorf in Germany. But that’s not the only VR experience the company has in development; last September Ubisoft confirmed to us that it was hiring for a new AAA VR game. Another VR arcade experience that’s exclusive to Zero Latency is also due to be announced later this year. You can keep up with The Dagger Of Time right here.
Capcom is bringing another beloved franchise to its Japanese VR arcade. This time it’s Mega Man VR.
Mega Man VR — or Rockman VR as it’s called in Japan — will make its debut at Capcom Plaza in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district on July 18. It’s a single-player game in which players will presumably suit up as the blue bomber and use his iconic arm cannon to topple foes.
From what we can tell on the Google-translated page, Mega Man VR sees series villain Dr. Wiley put on his own headset to conquer the virtual world. Players will have to head into the virtual dimension themselves as Mega Man to put a stop to his plan. Check out a poster for the experience below.
We’ve actually been to Capcom Plaza in Ikebukuro to check out the company’s two Resident Evil VR arcade games; you can see both on display in last year’s episode of The VR Culture Show, seen below. It’s also just over the road from Bandai Namco’s amazing VR theme park, Mazaria, where you can enjoy Mario Kart VR and Pac-Man VR too. This area of Tokyo is pretty much VR heaven.
It’s not clear if Mega Man will perhaps be replacing one of the two previous games (though, based on the space available, we’d think it’s likely).
No other sites for Mega Man VR have been revealed so far and, no, we sadly wouldn’t expect to see it come to arcades in other territories (once they open again), nor would we hold our breath for a release on home headsets. None of Capcom’s other Japanese VR games have made that jump thus far.
Oh and hot tip if you do go check this out; there’s an incredible cinema bar at the top of the Plaza building. Perfect for post-VR drinks. Thank me later!
Capcom is bringing another beloved franchise to its Japanese VR arcade. This time it’s Mega Man VR.
Mega Man VR — or Rockman VR as it’s called in Japan — will make its debut at Capcom Plaza in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district on July 18. It’s a single-player game in which players will presumably suit up as the blue bomber and use his iconic arm cannon to topple foes.
From what we can tell on the Google-translated page, Mega Man VR sees series villain Dr. Wiley put on his own headset to conquer the virtual world. Players will have to head into the virtual dimension themselves as Mega Man to put a stop to his plan. Check out a poster for the experience below.
We’ve actually been to Capcom Plaza in Ikebukuro to check out the company’s two Resident Evil VR arcade games; you can see both on display in last year’s episode of The VR Culture Show, seen below. It’s also just over the road from Bandai Namco’s amazing VR theme park, Mazaria, where you can enjoy Mario Kart VR and Pac-Man VR too. This area of Tokyo is pretty much VR heaven.
It’s not clear if Mega Man will perhaps be replacing one of the two previous games (though, based on the space available, we’d think it’s likely).
No other sites for Mega Man VR have been revealed so far and, no, we sadly wouldn’t expect to see it come to arcades in other territories (once they open again), nor would we hold our breath for a release on home headsets. None of Capcom’s other Japanese VR games have made that jump thus far.
Oh and hot tip if you do go check this out; there’s an incredible cinema bar at the top of the Plaza building. Perfect for post-VR drinks. Thank me later!
Ubisoft’s next VR arcade title, again based on one of its existing IP, will be announced soon, and is exclusive to the Zero Latency platform.
The pair announced a collaboration for a new title arriving in 2021 earlier this week. Details are thin on the ground right now, but Zero Latency confirmed to Upload that the experience is based on one of Ubisoft’s existing IP and that the announcement trailer will be shown at an upcoming digital showcase from the publisher called Ubisoft Forward. The first of those events is scheduled to take place on July 12.
Zero Latency offers free-roaming VR arcade experiences for up to eight players. We last went hands-on with its offerings last year. The company has collaborated with different brands and IP before, but Ubisoft is certainly its most high-profile partner to date.
The publisher itself has long shown an interest in VR arcades, having released a handful of location-based titles set in the Assassin’s Creed universe among other experiences. No word on exactly which IP its latest experience will be based on, but Ubisoft is also rumored to be working on new entries in the Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell franchises for home-based headsets, exclusively on Oculus. In September of last year, we reported that the company was hiring for a new ‘AAA’ VR game.
This offers an encouraging sign for the future of Zero Latency during an uncertain period for VR arcades. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen sites shut down for the past few months and it’s unclear how many can be expected to return. That hasn’t stopped announcements from coming, though; last week at our Upload VR Showcase Vertigo Arcades debuted a new game called Ghost Patrol.
For now you can sign up to learn more about the new Ubisoft VR arcade experience over on Zero Latency’s website. Which series would you want to see Ubisoft adapt for VR arcades? Let us know in the comments below!
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.
