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Orboot Augmented Reality Globe Launches Kickstarter

The Orboot is a 10” globe that can be scanned with a smartphone to access a range of augmented reality (AR) features and it is looking for funding via Kickstarter.

The Orboot globe is designed as an educational tool for children. It can pair with a smartphone to show a wealth of information on various locations, including monuments, food, music, animals and climate. Each globe highlight has it’s own story, which contains basic educational information, such as a story about the Chinese New Year and a girl’s trip to China.

The Orboot team are looking to raise $15,000 (USD) by April 5th 2017. Which, as of writing, they were less than $1000 away from reaching, only three days after the campaign launch.

orboot globe 1

The funding tiers rang from $1 (USD) for a simple thanks on the website, to $29 for a simple Orboot globe made of recycled materials and three features unlocked on the smartphone app, through to the $75 (USD) kickstarter exclusive which will net backers an Orboot globe with chrome-plated arc and base as well as all 8 features unlocked on the smartphone companion app.

orboot app 1

Orboot joins a range of virtual reality (VR) and AR related products that have been launched on Kickstarter. Such as the haptic feeback suit, or a survival horror game. Recently, another new children’s toy SwapBots also launched on Kickstarter, seeking £25,000 (GBP).

VRFocus will bring you news on other Kickstarter VR and AR products at they are launched.

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Watch 40 Minutes of The Mage’s Tale Gameplay with Oculus Touch

Watch 40 Minutes of The Mage’s Tale Gameplay with Oculus Touch

The 2017 Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) is now officially over. This year there was a ton of news and lots of great looking games for all manner of VR systems from the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift to the Gear VR and PlayStation VR (PSVR). One of the highlights of the week was undoubtedly The Mage’s Tale from inXile Entertainment, lauded developers of Torment: Tides of Numenera, Wasteland 2, and The Bard’s Tale IV.

During GDC week, we invited the team behind of The Mage’s Tale to our offices to let us do an exclusive Facebook livestream of the game in action. If you missed out on the action last week, you can watch it right now down below!

The 40-minute long gameplay video starts all the way back at the tutorial section of the game and runs through the first level of the first dungeon. The team is promising an approximately 10-hour long adventure complete with dozens of enemies to fight, spells to cast, and rooms to plunder. The action and gameplay is reminiscent of the classic old-school RPGs of yesteryear, albeit with a modern aesthetic and built-for-VR polish.

During my time with the game one of the elements that stood out the most is just how satisfying it is to throw a fireball in VR. It’s a sensation that’ been captured before — perhaps best by The Unspoken — but never has it been extrapolated to a massive, sprawling, first-person RPG adventure such as this.

What’s more is that it doesn’t just stop there as you’re able to carefully and creatively concoct spells of your own by mixing ingredients and effects together in a massive cauldron. Shooting rainbow-colored lightning bolts shouldn’t be this much fun.

The Mage’s Tale is currently slated for a summer 2017 release first on Oculus Rift with Touch and then other platforms later. You can read more about the game in our extended hands-on preview and original title announcement.

Will you be playing The Mage’s Tale when it releases later this year? Let us know in the comments below!

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PlayStation VR to Get Improved Tracking and 3D Blu-ray Playback in Next PS4 Update

Among other additions to the console’s base experience, the forthcoming PS4 System Software Update 4.50 will bring improved tracking and 3D Blu-ray playback to Sony’s PlayStation VR headset.

In time for the launch of Farpoint and the PSVR Aim controller, the PS4 System Software Update 4.50 will launch with tracking improvements that apply to objects tracked with the PlayStation Camera, including the Move controllers and the Aim controller. That’s according to developers working on PSVR and Farpoint during a session at GDC 2017 where it was also confirmed that Farpoint would launch on May 16th and include co-op.

PSVR Tracking Improvements

playstation-vr-aimWhen asked to detail the tracking improvements, the developers didn’t share specifics, except to say that the changes were derived from work with the Aim controller, but apply to tracking in general. The improvements are also applicable to all PSVR games following the PS4 System Software Update 4.50 without requiring per-game updates. The developers cautioned that users shouldn’t expect major changes to tracking performance, but apparently felt the improvements notable enough to warrant mentioning during the session.

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Speaking with other developers working closely on PlayStation VR, Road to VR was told that PSVR tracking has in fact been improving since the October launch of the headset. Most of the improvements to this point have come in the management of edge-cases, like extreme lighting situations. It isn’t clear if the changes coming with PS4 System Software Update 4.50 are more or less significant than those previous tracking improvements.

Easy Aim Development

playstation-vr-aim (2)At the same GDC session, the developers explained that the PSVR Aim controller, which is due to launch alongside Farpoint in May, will have support built directly into the PSVR SDK. This means that developers can target the peripheral easily without needing to deal with additional software or plugins. It was shown during the session that incorporating the Aim controller as a source of input is almost identical to doing so with a PS4 controller.

That ease of development will hopefully see the controller supported widely for shooter-style VR games. The company has already confirmed that in addition to Farpoint, The Brookhaven Experiment will also see support, and that Sony is working on multiple new first-party titles with support for the Aim controller.

3D Blu-ray Playback

In addition to PSVR tracking improvements, Sony confirmed back in February that the PS4 System Software Update 4.50 will add 3D playback on PSVR for supported Blu-rays. Presently, you can watch Blu-ray discs inside the PlayStation VR headset on a virtual screen, but even if the movie supports 3D, you’ll see a flat image. The update will add depth to the screen as defined by the movie. PSVR currently supports 3D playback on some other video platforms, but Blu-day was left out, until now.

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PlayStation VR is the First Tethered Headset to Score YouTube VR Support

Rumored to Come as Early as Tomorrow

Sony hasn’t confirmed when the update will launch, except that it would come before Farpoint’s May 16th release date. However, a Reddit user claims to have received word from Sony support that the PS4 4.50 update will release tomorrow, March 7th, alongside version 2.40 of the PSVR firmware. The authenticity of that claim is unconfirmed, but we’ll know for sure as of tomorrow.

The post PlayStation VR to Get Improved Tracking and 3D Blu-ray Playback in Next PS4 Update appeared first on Road to VR.

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Fans At Ski Cross World Cup at Blue Mountain Watched Races via 360° Virtual Reality

Fans who attended the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup at Blue Mountain at the weekend had the unique chance to experience the course for themselves with the use of virtual reality (VR).

On Friday before the main competition, a group of young athletes did a run of the course while wearing VR 360-degree cameras on their helmets to capture the experience of skiing through the challenging ski course.

The technology was created by Canadian company Eye-Live Media, who managed to get approval for the 360-degree video capture from Alpine Canada and FIS. Fans attending Blue Mountain village could then look out for VR View Experience signs in the Mackenzie Investments and Nikon Canada activation zones, where they would get the chance to see the course from the point of view of the athletes.

audi ski cross cup at blue mountain

Eye Live Media is far from the only one using VR and augmented reality (AR) to allow sports fans to get closer to the action. The San Jose Sharks ice hockey team have also produced a VR experience for fans, and The Superbowl and Formula 1 are also looking into VR broadcast options.

VRFocus will continue to bring you the latest on VR in sports.

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Targeted Guided Surgery AR System Cleared For Use In USA

Berlin-based company Scopis has won clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US for its augmented reality (AR) navigation system for ENT surgeries.

The technology provides visual guide paths superimposed over live imaging from the endoscope to guide surgeons towards difficult targets that may be hard to find with traditional methods.

The system relies on the Hybrid Navigation platform developed by Scopis that allows for real-time head tracking using optical and electromagnetic imaging, automatically aligning previously captured images with the real-time data coming in from the endoscope.

scopis AR medical tech

Use of virtual reality (VR) and AR technologies in medicine and health has been growing considerably. From Stryker using HoloLens to design new operating rooms, to 360-degree video of surgeries being broadcast across the world, to new therapies that us VR technology. In fact, it has been reported that medical VR will grow by 34% by 2022.

You can see videos of how the new Scopis surgery technology works below.

VRFocus will continue to bring you information on VR and AR use in medicine

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SprayCraft Is A Vive Painting Program For Professional Applications

SprayCraft Is A Vive Painting Program For Professional Applications

Tilt Brush and Kingspray are both great for unleashing your creative side when it comes to VR painting, but they’re not much use as professional applications. That’s not a slight against them, but there’s a small market that could make genuine use of a painting app for the working world. I got a small glimpse of such an app at Mobile World Congress last week.

At its booth on the show floor, HTC showed SpraryCraft, an experience that used a peripheral shaped like a spray paint gun, with a Vive controller fitted inside. Obviously the intention is for the new Vive Tracker to be used instead of a controller one day, but for now it makes a pretty good substitute.

Inside VR, I wasn’t painting artwork or 3D models, but instead a car door, with the rest of the vehicle concealed with a wrapping, a little like it might in a real factory. No, that doesn’t exactly sound glamorous, but this wasn’t a piece of entertainment software, and it wasn’t easy to master, either.

Along with a trigger, my controller was fitted with three knobs to twist, each affecting the spray produced in VR. One would adjust the angle at which the paint was released, for example, while another changed how much paint was used when I squeezed the trigger. These were fully integrated with the VR experience, so I could see what I was turning and in which direction in the virtual world.

Its important to pay attention to those meters along with your technique, as they dictate just how good of a job you’ll do. For my first try, for example, I randomly turned the knobs and that scattered the blue paint without paying much attention to detail. I ended up have thick gloops of liquid running down the door and patchy areas in the corners. After I was ‘finished’ I could remove the Vive and take a look at a graph showing me just how bad of a job I’d done.

As you can see above, I got pretty detailed feedback. It showed me what type of car door I was practicing on (in this case a Honda Civic), the angles at which the paint was spraying, the distance I held my hand to the car, and the speed at which I was moving. Heatmapping also showed me where I applied the most paint and where I skimped a little. This is all data that could probably be captured with the real thing, but all I had to do was slip on a VR headset and paint, not practice on real car doors that might go to waste.

On my second go, I adjusted the switches according to the information I’ve been given and was treated to better results. I was still far from perfect, but I could see how the data could help me get better with each passing round.

SprayCraft might not be something I’d personally spend hours with, but that’s not the point. This is something I could see having genuine use within the automotive industry and beyond. The next time you’re sitting in a new Honda, a VR headset might have helped it get there.

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Educators open free resource shop on OSgrid

The Educator Commons store on OSgrid’s Wright Plaza. (Image by Maria Korolov.)

To help schools and educators create, access and share more virtual learning and educational resources, an Educator Commons shop has been set up on OSgrid‘s Wright Plaza region by Kay McLennan, a professor of practice at Tulane University.

The shop, which is hypergrid-enabled, has virtual world learning and teaching tools, freebies, Do-It-Yourself resources, hypergrid links to showcase education builds by the community, and a directory of OpenSim educational content creators.

The hypergrid address is hg.osgrid.org:80:Wright Plaza.

The shop will help educators create  their own simulations easily and at a low cost, while accessing free tips about virtual education matters. There is free give-away content too, and all will be distributed under the open source Creative Commons licensing, McLennan told Hypergrid Business.

“If any content in the shop is believed to be distributed under a different, more restrictive, copyright or license, I request notification and I will immediately remove the content from the shop,” she said.

Interior of the Educator Commons store on OSgrid’s Wright Plaza. (Image by Maria Korolov.)

In addition to freebies that visitors can grab copies of right in the shop, there are also links to downloadable resources such the OAR files for the BioZone by Peter Miller and the Undersea Observatory by Justin Reeve.

There is also lots of information for educators who are getting started in OpenSim.

Interior of the Educator Commons store on OSgrid’s Wright Plaza. (Image by Maria Korolov.)

Educators can use resources on the second floor to get free land, learn how to host their own grids and where to host them, and download free items such as buildings and terrains.  There are also links to many more OAR and IAR files available to download on the web.

Educators can also share hypergrid addresses of college-level or K-12 showcase hypergrid destinations. To do so, you leave a note card in front of the shop or post the information to the Google Plus group.

Rooftop hypergrid gates at the Educator Commons store on OSgrid’s Wright Plaza. (Image by Maria Korolov.)

A Showcase Garden on the roof of the shop contains slideshows of sample educational builds and landmarks to the showcase builds.

The group plans to add more educational content, tips, and other resources that allow showcasing and sharing of educational content.

Educators can also search and find various providers of virtual world educational simulation consulting services for hire from the Directory of Content Providers on the second floor.

To be listed as a provider, all a content creator needs to do is provide a freebie virtual educational content for educators to use. You can do so in-world or through the community’s Google plus page.

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GNOG is a Colorful Point-and-Click Puzzle Game Inspired by Polly Pocket and Mighty Max Toys

GNOG is a Colorful Point-and-Click Puzzle Game Inspired by Polly Pocket and Mighty Max Toys

GNOG is… uh… weird.

Totally weird, actually.

Like really, really weird.

So weird, I don’t really know where to begin describing it.

“Was this inspired by those huge Olmec heads like Xtapolapocetl from The Simpsons?,” I inquired while playing. “No, we were thinking more Mighty Max and Polly Pocket,” Ko_Op studio director Saleem Dabbous fired back.

GNOG – pronounced “nog,” as in “noggin’” – is a colorful point-and-click puzzle game that takes place inside a creature’s head. The puzzle elements take place on both sides of the head, so you have to flip back and forth to see what your actions have affected on the other side.

Similar to The Witness, when you first jump into puzzles, you don’t really know what you’re supposed to do, so part of the challenge of the game is hitting every switch, button and lever to see what it does. Soon you’ll start seeing the patterns and method to the madness, and once you solve a puzzle, you’re treated to a trip-tastic light display, some trance diddies and the satisfaction of knowing you unlocked another big-ol’ monster noggin’. All in all it’s a very cute, chill, Zenlike experience.

GNOG should be available soon for PSVR and 2D PS4, with Steam and iOS versions following later.

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