If you want to watch your favourite movies in virtual reality (VR) one popular app to use is Mind Probe Labs’ cinema software CINEVEO. This allows owners of Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR to view movies across several immersive environments, and recently the developer released an update to improve the service even further.
In update v1.9.10 Mind Probe Labs’ fixed an issue with MKV files which suffered with jittery playback. Now they should play smoothly without any stutter. Another big improvement comes by way of setting up CINEVEO in the first place. Previously users were required to manually download a video codec pack or read a user manual to setup the software. Now though the first time installation process is handled automatically.
The studio has also managed to fix a bug users found when using a mouse in the Internet Cinema. They found they couldn’t select anything which has now been rectified.
Released back in May, CINEVEO supports most popular video files including: MKV, MP4, AVI, MOV and WMV. Before watching a film users can select one of five different cinema layouts: The 4D Movie Theater, the 1960 Drive-in Theater, the Ocean Theater, the Internet Cinema and the Void. And experience can be enjoyed with multi people with integrated chat room support. Users can populate their cinema with other CINEVEO viewers, play browser games and watch streamed videos from platforms such as YouTube together.
CINEVEO is currently in the Steam Black Friday sale, with a 50 percent discount available. This drops the price from £6.99 GBP down to £3.49.
If I’d played SVRVIVE seven months ago with my HTC Vive fresh out of its box, me being eager to play just about anything in a roomscale environment, it might have been enough. The simple thrill of walking around in VR and being able to pick up objects with the Vive wands may well have pulled me in for the few hours this experience lasts and enthralled me, even with the often frustrating puzzle solving.
But we’re not in April anymore.
Lots of developers have done amazing things with the hardware. We’ve played online military shooters, built fantastic contraptions, met with Gnomes and Goblins, and more. The simple thrill of using the Vive headset and its controllers isn’t enough anymore, and that makes this escape room puzzler decidedly dated and shallow.
SVRVIVE starts out with promise. In its opening minutes, put simply, you die. But it’s not game over; you’re granted a second chance at life, so long as you can assemble different parts of the Deus Helix. That involves travelling to different worlds and solving a series of challenges. You’ll venture to alien worlds, thick jungles and run-down apartments, exploring every inch of every environment for clues about exactly how you’re meant to proceed.
The range of locations makes SVRVIVE a tonally strange game. In the first level, where I stepped on creaky floorboards and searched in the dark, I was convinced that this was a survival horror experience. When no scares came and in the next level I found myself in an elaborate neon city, I thought it was sci-fi. On one hand, the random locations made it fascinatingly unpredictable, as I was always guessing where I was going to go next.
But there’s also a certain drabness to the environments that make them utterly uninteresting to explore. Everything looks like it was taken from the Unity asset store, for one thing. Textures are plain and hurt what could have been some interesting art direction in some of the more imaginative environments. Despite the variety in design, it’s all lackluster and uninspired.
Sadly, those are two terms that fit the gameplay pretty well too. SVRVIVE essentially consists of walking around environments, picking up objects, and finding some use for them. It’s trial and error gameplay at its most tedious. In the first level for example, you’ll find an axe but won’t be able to cut open the vent holding the item you need, just the door to the screw driver that will unlock it. In the second you’ll find a series of strange objects that slot into holes in a wall. There’s no difference between them, it’s just a case of trying each item with each hole until they slot in place.
Making matters worse is the fact that many environments are just simply too dark. I often felt like I was just stumbling around squinting for hints, and I found progress-halting bugs that I could replicate by doing things out of the order they were meant to be completed in.
At one point, I stood for what must have been half an hour trying to replicate a musical pattern. It sounded simple but I just didn’t have any success no matter how much attention I paid to the tune. I just wasn’t having any fun.
SVRVIVE doesn’t have any ingenuity to its puzzles, it just has a lot of random obstacles that you’ll spend a long time time to solve before you progress. Perhaps there’s an audience for that type of product, but I’m willing to bet most that try their hand at SVRVIVE will leave as frustrated and bewildered as I was.
Final Score:4/10 – Forgettable
Escape room games are relatively popular in VR, but SVRVIVE is one of the most frustrating and inessential I’ve played. With puzzles that frustrate in their obscurity, environments that are murky and joyless to explore, I can’t find a good reason that anyone would want to play this disappointing game unless the escape room concept is too appealing to ignore for your personal tastes.
The quirky sci-fi adventure in which players assume the role of a ship’s captain and guide a crew through multiple types of levels and missions. It’s a comedic take on the genre that enables players to choose their own crew, take on random encounters such as facing the terrible and weird Synapsion Brain Beast, or the pedantic might of Baxxtar the Instructor, all whilst managing resources in order to survive.
The Oculus Rift has 70 encounters unseen in VR as well as new officers like the sturdy Brick Stonewood and everlasting Captain Forever.
Rated as a comfortable VR experience for most, Orion Trail VR can be downloaded through the Oculus Store for £5.99 GBP.
For all the latest content releases for Oculus Rift, keep reading VRFocus.
You must have heard about the successful use of augmented reality in several fields by now, but have you ever thought that this powerful technology can also be used in investigating crime scenes. Though it’s actually true that AR is now being used for processing crime scenes with an intention of identifying actual criminals, however, when you get to hear such a thing for the first time it might sound a little weird.
A European country called the Netherlands is allowing its police to make use of an augmented reality system which is developed by the researchers at the Delft University of Technology. The augmented reality system on which researchers have been working for the last five years, is expected to bring a whole lot of changes in terms of how criminal investigations are carried out by police along with the support of forensic experts.
Dragoş Datcu, who is a prominent researcher at an augmented reality company called the Twnkls, has worked extremely hard for this AR projects along with other researchers from Delft University of Technology.
The AR system developed by Dragoş Datcu’s team is now being tested by Dutch police which is expected to offer a great support to them when it comes to catching criminals. The team of researchers is not only introducing this AR system to Dutch police but also to Dutch Fire Brigade and the Netherlands Forensic Institute so that the required authorities from all these departments can also play a crucial in the investigation process.
According to Dragoş Datcu though the police department has not yet bought this AR system, but it is expected to be purchased by them in the next six months.
With the support of this AR system, the officers investigating the crime scene will be easily able to send the videos to forensic experts directly who will then help the police officers to pick the right evidence from there. For example, there are various things at the crime scene such as a bottle of wine, a handkerchief, a half smoked cigarette, or a pen lying down on a table etc. Now the forensic experts, communicating with the police officers from hundreds of kilometers away can easily guide them in terms of what exactly to pick from the crime scene which can help in further investigations.
All this can be done easily because the investigating officer at the crime scene wears a vest that’s laced with a camera, that helps in capturing the videos which are eventually streamed to the forensic experts guiding the police officer in question. With the support of videos captured at the crime scene, forensic experts provide necessary advice to the police officer.
Though the police offers are still learning how to use this tech effectively when it comes to identifying the real criminals, but it looks like once it’s actually used it can make a huge difference.
The Chinese mobile market is big and growing rapidly. Western companies are very keen on getting a slice of the pie but find it difficult embedding themselves into the market, usually finding co-operation with a Chinese firm a far easier route. Recently Unity Technologies – one of the leading middleware companies – announced a partnership Chinese tech company Xiaomi to enable Unity users to publish on its app store and become the first third-party ad network on any Chinese Android mobile store.y’ll now be able to directly release titles to Xiaomi’s MIUI app store, which has seen approximately 50 billion downloads to date, it claims. Xiaomi provides support negotiating licensing terms, quite often a stumbling block for outside companies.
Developers will also be able to use Unity Ads, and Unity IAP to extend support to the Xiaomi platform so developers can port the in-app purchases directly.
“A Large part of ensuring developer success is providing access to the platforms that matter most,” said Andrew Tang, China Country Manager at Unity Technologies. “By partnering with Xiaomi we can help Unity developers bring their creative vision to a massive audience and accelerate the progress of quality entertainment worldwide.”
“Unity shares our vision for rapid innovation, and we’re excited to partner to accelerate creation and continue bridging the gap between desire and distribution,” said Jingyan Liu, Deputy GM at Xiaomi. “Together, we will be that much closer to allowing developers to tap into the full potential of a global app market.”
The Unity development platform is used by millions of studios worldwide, whether its for 2D, 3D, mobile videogames, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) projects. This deal with Xiaomi will enable VR developers to access this growing market, hopefully providing new revenue streams and encouraging more immersive content to be produced.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Unity, reporting back with the latest announcements.
Leider macht der Black Friday einen großen Bogen um das PlayStation VR Headset, denn das Virtual Reality Produkt von Sony ist online kaum verfügbar. Dennoch gibt es aber einige Produkte die für PSVR Besitzer und zukünftige PSVR Besitzer interessant sein könnten.
PlayStation 4 Slim für 196 Euro
Günstiger kann man eine PlayStation 4 wohl derzeit kaum bekommen. Bei Media Markt ist der Red Friday ausgebrochen und ihr bekommt die beliebte Konsole von Sony für nur 196 Euro. Dafür wird der Konsole aber kein Spiel beigelegt und ihr erhaltet nur einen DualShock 4 Controller dazu. Amazon zieht natürlich mit und bietet die Konsole auch für 196 Euro an.
Total*: 289,58 EUR
Versand*: n.a.
s. Shop
Preis kann jetzt höher sein.
Total*: 289,58 EUR
Versand*: n.a.
s. Shop
Preis kann jetzt höher sein.
PlayStation VR Spiele im Angebot
Im PlayStation Store gibt es leider keine besonderen Rabatte auf PlayStation VR Titel. Dafür hat Amazon aber Until Dawn: Rush of Blood für nur 15,19 Euro auf Lager und bietet einen kostenlosen Versand für Prime Kunden an. Außerdem bekommt ihr folgende PSVR Spiele bei Amazon zum Bestpreis:
Hustle Kings VR – 15,99 Euro bei Amazon (nächster Preis: 17,62 Euro + Versand)
PlayStation VR Headset für Menschen mit viel Geduld
Bei Conrad könnt ihr derzeit das PlayStation VR Headset mit einem Rabatt von 11,10 Euro bestellen und kommt somit auf einen Preis von 389 Euro. Leider wird derzeit aber eine Lieferzeit von 9 Wochen angegeben. Hier ist also viel Geduld gefragt. Um auf den Preis zu kommen, müsst ihr einfach den Gutscheincode „TECH47111″ verwenden.
If you’re in the virtual reality (VR) industry then next years Virtual Reality Evolution event is aimed at you. Organised by Maddox Events, the one day conference being held in London, UK, is set to feature some big names from the industry, and recently Maddox released the full agenda for the event.
Earlier this month VRFocusreported on the agenda and schedule being released, with two tracks detailing what attendees can expect from the conference. Now the organisers have expanded that agenda further providing three tracks which visitors will have to choose between.
The day’s schedule runs back to back until 2pm, at which point it splits into the three separate tracks, these are: Creating the Perfect VR Experience; Enhancing the Future of the Next Generation; and Gaming Experience. Each will have three sessions taking place.
Creating the Perfect VR Experience will focus on how VR can be used to create emotional human connections and memorable experiences. Attendees will discover more about the democratisation of VR content creation, new technologies available in the market and how you can use VR to add value and sensations to your content.
Enhancing the Future of the Next Generation will explore how VR is helping and can help the public sector to innovate how they provide services, training and knowledge transfer and how this technology has the ability to enhance the life of the future generation.
Gaming Experience will look at the multiple possibilities that gaming can offer to your business such as training, simulation or branding.
Virtual Reality Evolution will be taking place on 16th, February 2017, at the America Square Conference Centre in London. Tickets are currently on sale, and you can grab a Super Early Bird ticket for only £90 (GBP) giving full access as well as light breakfast and lunch. As an extra bonus enter promotional discount code: VRF15 to get a 15 percent discount off the regular price.
For all the latest news on Virtual Reality Evolution, keep reading VRFocus.
Wir hatten bereits angekündigt, dass HTC die HTC Vive für 799 Euro auf der eigenen Webseite anbieten wird. Wer aber lieber auf einen anderen Händler setzen will, bei dem eventuell schon ein Account besteht, der hat heute verschiedene Möglichkeiten und kann weitere 10 Euro sparen.
HTC Vive am Black Friday für 748 Euro
Den günstigsten Preis bietet aktuell eine Bestellung über Conrad. Wenn ihr den Gutscheincode „TECH47111″ benutzt, erhaltet ihr 11,10 Euro zusätzlichen Rabatt. Die HTC Vive wird bei Conrad derzeit für 799 Euro angeboten und es fallen keine Versandkosten an. Somit kommt ihr auf einen Preis von 787 Euro. Wenn ihr zusätzlich noch Shoop benutzt, kommt ihr sogar auf einen Preis von 748 Euro durch 5% Cashback. Das Paket beinhaltet die gleiche Austattung wie das Paket bei HTC selbst. Ihr bekommt The Gallery – Episode 1: Call of the Starseed und Zombie Training Simulator bei einer Bestellung gratis dazu.
Bei Alternate bekommt ihr das gleiche Angebot wie direkt bei HTC. Ihr bezahlt 799 Euro und es fallen keine Versandkosten an. Eine Bestellung über Alternate lohnt sich also nur, wenn ihr diesen Händler bevorzugt.
Oculus dropped prices on several VR titles on their store for Thanksgiving with those prices likely to persist through the weekend until Cyber Monday. Here’s what’s on offer.
In addition to offering $100 in Oculus Store credit for every new Rift purchase from Best Buy, Amazon, and Microsoft (US), GAME (UK), Saturn (Germany), and FNAC (France), Oculus have provided some significant software discounts on the store, highlighted below:
Dirt Rally – $40 (33% off) – a superb rally sim from Codemasters. Particularly effective with a steering wheel controller, this game is both punishing and rewarding.
Edge of Nowhere – $30 (25% off) – a stunning third-person action thriller. Insomniac Games’ first designed-from-the-ground-up VR title, this is one of the premier experiences on the Rift.
The Assembly – $20 (33% off) – an engaging first-person adventure from nDreams. Strongly narrative-driven, you’ll have to solve puzzles and deal with some moral challenges.
The Moto Z and Moto Z Force smartphones are the first devices after the Pixel and Pixel XL to be recognised by Google as ‘Daydream-ready’. Daydream VR is Google’s new mobile VR platform built into the latest version of Android.
Lenovo is currently rolling out an Android Nougat update for several Moto and Droid-branded phones. The latest version of Android includes deep VR integration of Google’s new Daydream platform. While many modern Android phones are due to receive the Nougat update, there are very few that currently meet the specifications for Daydream VR, some of which is outlined in the latest Android Compatibility Definition Document. Currently, only the flagship Moto Z and Moto Z Force phones (including the US Verizon variants known as the Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid) which use Snapdragon 820 processors have been recognised as Daydream-ready, and not the Moto Z Play, which has a slower Snapdragon 625.
Daydream VR was first seen on Google’s own high-end Pixel and Pixel XL phones, and Lenovo, who acquired the Motorola Mobility brand from Google in 2014, is claiming their two flagship Moto Z models are the first from another manufacturer to be recognised as ‘Daydream-ready’. Indeed, they are now shown prominently alongside the Pixel phones on the official Daydream website.
You can read more on what we though of Google’s Daydream VR platform, their first Daydream certified phone the Pixel XL as well as its first VR headset ‘View’ in our detailed review here.
Total*: 196,00 EUR
Versand*: 0,00 EUR
s. Shop
Preis kann jetzt höher sein.
