‘The Simpsons’ Celebrates 600th Episode With a Google Powered, VR Couch Gag

‘The Simpsons’ Celebrates 600th Episode With a Google Powered, VR Couch Gag

The Simpsons has been on the air for a long, long, long time. Whether or not you think that is a good thing, you can’t argue that the series is at least still trying to be innovative. The legendary program’s most recent stab at relevance comes in the form of a virtual reality experience that will coincide with its 600th episode. The experience is being provided in partnership with Google and will also include a Simpsons-themed VR viewer.

The VR experience will occur during the 600th episode’s opening couch gag, dubbed, “Planet of the Couches.” Standard television or online viewers will simply see the 45-second gag that had already been produced, while VR users will be able to don their headsets and dive deep into the couch-based world of the experience for three minutes of immersive exploration. The experience will be available on iOS and Android smartphones and will be compatible with any Google Cardboard viewer. If you don’t already have one, then consider going full-Springfield by picking up one of these 25,000 limited edition Simpsons Cardboards for your viewing pleasure.

“Planet of The Couches” VR edition is being made in conjunction with Fox and the Google Spotlight Stories team. The content will be accessible on October 16 via the Google Spotlight Stories app for iOS and Android. According to IndieWire, Google itself approached The Simpsons’ executive producer James L. Brooks to ask about the project.

Apparently, even Homer Simpson himself is being quoted in statements regarding the project. The animated star of the show stated that, “At first we had concerns about working with Google because we didn’t know who they were but then we googled the company and were very impressed.”

The Simpsons‘ 600th episode will be “Treehouse of Horror XXVII” and will premiere on Sunday Sunday, October 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

Learn How to Setup Your PlayStation VR Quickly With Sony’s Handy Video Guides

Learn How to Setup Your PlayStation VR Quickly With Sony’s Handy Video Guides

For the most part, PlayStation VR is pretty easy to set up. There are some tricky wires to handle and space requirements to clear, though, which Sony detailed in a new video series below.

The company released this quick and easy three part series today so that players can get up and running ASAP when the kit launches on Thursday. Part one gives you a virtual unboxing (if you hadn’t already watched enough real ones,) part two shows you what to actually do with the things you’ll find inside, while the third and final part tells you how to setup your play area so that it’s both safe and suitable. We really think this all could have been one combined video, but then again our attention spans are very…

Uh, where were we? Anyway, once you’ve completed these steps you’ll be good to finally dive into VR. It’s the end of a long chapter in the headset’s history, having originally been revealed all the way back in March 2014 under the code name of Project Morpheus. It arrives on October 13th with an impressive launch line-up including the likes of Battlezone, Here They Lie, and Job Simulator. If you’re having trouble choosing what to get, check out our 50 Days Of PlayStation VR countdown where we’ve highlighted one game a day. Just three days left to go!

You should also be sure to check out our full review of the headset, complete with our assessment of the hardware, design, and tracking. We’ll have plenty more PS VR coverage going forward, so stay tuned. There are also plenty of PS VR games we’ve already reviewed here with even more coming soon.

Anyone that’s used a Rift or Vive should have no problem, but if you’ve always been a console gamer, it may be worth taking a few minutes to look over these videos just to avoid any surprises on launch day later this week.

‘John Wick Chronicles’ Lets You Become The Legendary Hitman In VR

‘John Wick Chronicles’ Lets You Become The Legendary Hitman In VR

John Wick is a tale about the legendary assassin of the same name brought to life by Keanu Reeves and directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. The neo-noir action flick, that starts with the notorious hitman coming out of retirement after his dog is killed, birthed a franchise that is already developing its 3rd film with the 2nd having only received its first trailer this past weekend at New York Comic-Con. We reported on this new title from Starbreeze Studios in August and gamers will soon be able to step into Wick’s shoes in their VR game John Wick Chronicles. New York Comic-Con attendees were able to sample a 7-minute preview of the game in the HTC Vive, and the full experience is slated for February 2017.

It’s not Starbreeze’s first foray into video games based on film, as they’re responsible for the critically acclaimed game based on the Vin Deisel-led feature film Pitch Black. Chronicles also won’t exactly be the first time John Wick appears in the video game arena. John Wick was previously brought into the Pay Day 2 game world and, releasing on October 20th on Steam, Pay Day 2 will be getting the additional John Wick Weapon Pack for their bank robbery adventures.

John Wick Chronicles is available to pre-order on Steam for $19.99 and includes a free copy of Pay Day 2 along with the John Wick Weapon Pack DLC. For an additional $9.99 you can get the US exclusive digital deluxe version of the bundle that includes the John Wick film.

John Wick: Chapter 2 sees Keanu Reeves returning to the role with Chad Stahelski remaining in the director’s chair. The cast also adds Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Black-ish), hip-hop artist Common (Smokin’ Aces, Suicide Squad), and Angel Pai (Audition, Jessica Jones) to the mix as the hitman faces off against some of the world’s most lethal killers.

Mindmaze Collaborates With Dacuda For Room Scale VR Initiative

Mindmaze Collaborates With Dacuda For Room Scale VR Initiative

Mindmaze, a spin off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, has taken a proficiency in VR and neuroscience that makes them one of the top startups in Switzerland and charged forward into consumer healthcare applications. The company is now taking an additional step forward by collaborating with Dacuda, a private computer vision company that developed a SLAM scanning technology. Together, the two companies have announced the MMI platform that aims to bridge a gap in capability between mobile VR platforms and more premium options like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

Here’s how the initiative is described:

The technology pipeline behind MMI is based on some of the most advanced neurotechnology and real-time computer vision algorithms. It features MindMaze’s neural markers combined with Dacuda’s SLAM Scan 6DoF room-scale tracking technology. With its ability to measure emotions and body interactions, MMI will facilitate engaging social virtual reality interactions.

VR/AR with positional tracking on a mobile device is a definitive path into the hands and households of lots of consumers, and a number of companies are trying to solve this problem– including Oculus.

“Many are quite disappointed that Oculus still has not released anything for mobile room-scale VR – we can close that gap today, as shown publicly…with our positional tracking demo,” said Erik Fonseka, Dacuda founder & VP of mobile VR, in a prepared statement

Dr. Tej Tadi, founder at Mindmaze, recognizes the opportunity in front of them.

“To redefine high quality consumer VR and AR experiences beyond media and gaming into healthcare and wellness has been a long standing interest for MindMaze and with the MMI platform we intend to usher a new era of neural VR technologies accessible to millions of consumers,” he says.

The MMI platform will be deployed during 2016’s 4th quarter, with its sights focused on bringing the fully immersive VR experience to mobile devices. Of course, mobile positional tracking is an incredibly difficult problem to solve and we haven’t tested the latest technology from Dacuda and Mindmaze yet.

How To Achieve Room Scale VR With The Oculus Rift

How To Achieve Room Scale VR With The Oculus Rift

Pre-orders for Oculus Touch officially went live today. This is a significant moment in the life of Oculus as a company, and it is also a significant moment in the ongoing virtual reality “console wars.” Oculus’ biggest rival is the HTC Vive and debate over the superiority of these two headsets has raged since they launched earlier this year. One of the most important features of the Vive’s systemsis its ability to do “room scale” VR; meaning it allows users to physically walk, turn around, and otherwise explore in a pre-determined box of space.

Since launch, the Rift has not been able to do this — you can easily lose tracking of your headset if you move outside of the sensor’s cone of vision, for example. The architecture of the Oculus constellation tracking system has always seemed to have the potential to achieve room scale in the end. Now, with Touch launching, that potential is being fully realized. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe has gone on record saying that the Rift will be able to do room scale once Touch is out, but it’s a bit more complex than that.

We’ve put together a list of what you’ll need in order to unlock the power of room scale for your Rift. Check it out below:

Step 1: The Controllers 

The first thing you’ll need in order to accomplish a room scale Rift setup is Oculus Touch. These hand-tracked controllers are marvels of VR engineering and hold up quite well next to their competitors on the Vive. With Touch, you’ll be able to pick up digital objects, fire virtual guns, wave to virtual friends, etc.

They cost $199 for a pair and you’ll also be getting an extra positional tracking sensor in the box as well. This will put you at two sensors, counting the one that originally came with your Rift. So, as Creed Bratton would say, only one to go.

Step 2: The Sensor

Oculus will soon begin selling their VR tracking sensors as standalone products. Each one will cost $79 and will come with a USB extension cord in the box.

According to Iribe’s presentation, it takes at least three Oculus sensors to obtain a true, occlusion-free, room scale experience. To prove it, a number of demos at the recent Oculus Connect 3 conference were running room scale experiences with a three-sensor setup. In theory though, you could connect as many Oculus sensors as you want to your PC and accomplish a massive tracking area for your VR activities.

Step 3: The Triangle

We suspect room scale on the Rift will work best with a triangle set up for the sensors, as shown by Iribe during his presentation. The first two sensors could fit on your computer desk facing in toward each other slightly. The third sensor will be a bit trickier. Ideally, it needs to go directly behind you as you play and so will likely require a custom wall mount or a conveniently placed bookshelf or table. Oculus has not mentioned whether it will include mounting equipment in the box for the standalone sensors.

Materials and Costs

To achieve a room scale Oculus Rift setup you will need:

  • 1 Oculus Rift headset + tracking sensor ($600)
  • 1 Oculus Touch system + tracking sensor ($200)
  • 1 extra sensor ($80)
  • 1 VR Ready PC that meets minimum spec or recommended spec for the Rift ($500 – $1000+)

Up to 7 USB ports:

  • 1x 3.0 USB port for the headset
  • 1x 3.0 USB port for the sensor that came with the HMD
  • 1x 3.0 USB port for the sensor that came with Oculus Touch
  • 1x 3.0 USB port for the third sensor purchased separately
  • 1x 2.0 USB port for the Xbox wireless controller
  • 1x 2.0 USB port for your keyboard
  • 1x 2.0 USB port for your mouse

Conclusion and Considerations

If you’re a Rift owner, celebrate! The delights of room scale VR will soon be yours to enjoy. However, high USB consumption, mounting that third sensor, and connecting all of the trackers to your PC are certainly hurdles to be overcome.

According to Oculus, if you require more USB ports you can, “purchase and install a compatible PCI Express USB 3.0 Expansion Card. Click here to view a compatible card.”

As far as the physical hassles of wiring the sensors together, that will depend on your personal situations and room setups. It should be noted that the competing Vive headset is considerably easier to set up for room scale VR because the base stations don’t need to be physically connected to the computer. Of course, we’ll have to wait till we get our hands on Touch and three sensors to do extensive tests of different setups and compare those to the Vive.

Let us know how you plan to set up your room scale Rift space in the comments below.

Virtual Reality Strategy Conference 2016 to Bring VR Insights to Industry Execs

A new annual conference from Greenlight Insights is angling itself to sate the growing desire for “actionable insights” into the rapidly expanding VR industry. The 2016 Virtual Reality Strategy Conference aims to layout the “new rules” of the VR economy.

Research company Greenlight is leveraging the knowledge and insight gathered from its production of major VR industry reports to create an event aimed at those hoping to lead it to success. Greenlight says that the VRS Conference, to be held on November 1-2 in San Francisco, was created “specifically for executives in the technology, media and investment industries.”

The conference will play host to various leading lights in the technology industry, many of whom are forging businesses in the immersive technology space. Speakers and presenters at the event include Danielle Segal, Head of Experiences at AR headset developer Meta, Eric Romo, CEO of social VR platform AltSpace VR, Byan Mooser CEO at immersive media company Ryot, Tim Milliron, VP of Engineering at lightfield camera specialists Lytro, Devon Copley, Head of Product at 360 camera Nokia and many more.

vrsconference-1

The event is spread over two days, with the first offering two tracks. Track one, Delivering Immersive Entertainment focused on immersive media and games with the second track focusing on business strategy and insights from immersive company leaders.

PRE-CONFERENCE

10:00am – VR Studio Tour
12:00pm – Registration

Track One – Delivering Immersive Entertainment​
1:00pm – Welcome Address
1:15pm – Reimagining Live Entertainment in VR
1:45pm – Keynote Presentation
2:15pm – Paths to Achieving Higher Engagement in VR Games
2:45pm – Networking Break
3:15pm – From LA to Silicon Valley to Shanghai: The New Hollywood Rulebook
4:00pm – Perspectives on the VR Camera Market 2020

Track Two – Disrupting the Enterprise
1:00pm – Welcome Address
1:15pm – Industry 5.0: Reinventing the Enterprise
1:45pm – Keynote Presentation
2:15pm – From NFL to Walmart: How to Use VR to Grow Your Human Capital
2:45pm – Networking Break
3:15pm – Accelerating the Ecosystem for VR
4:00pm – Lightning Round: Top 2020 Disrupting Technologies

Day two at VRS is dedicated to a single track of exclusive research presentations from Greenlight VR and a series of executive keynotes from industry pioneers.

9:00am – Registration and Expo
10:00am – Opening Remarks
10:15am – Keynote Presentation with Special Guest
10:45am – Networking Break
11:15am – Unlocking the Platform Opportunities of VR
11:45pm – Winning Strategies: How to Invest in the Long Term
12:30pm – Working Lunch: Greenlight Research Master Class
11:05pm – Real Talk: Lessons from Riding High and Failing Fast with Special Guest
2:10pm – VROI: Building a Profitable Business
2:40pm – Fireside Chat with Special Guest
3:00pm – Networking Break
3:30pm – Beyond VR: Strategies for NextGen Immersive Platforms
4:00pm – Happy Hour: Enjoy the Best of San Francisco

You can register for the VRS Conference 2016 now, with a one day pass to the main conference priced $595 and $795 for a full, two day pass.

Road to VR are proud media sponsors of the 2016 Virtual Reality Strategy Conference.

Featured image courtesy Albert Gea/Reuters.

The post Virtual Reality Strategy Conference 2016 to Bring VR Insights to Industry Execs appeared first on Road to VR.

SPACES Creates Implicit Bias VR Programme for Researchers and Trainers

SPACES Inc., a company that specialises in enabling businesses and brands to bring virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) experiences to consumers, has announced the creation today of an implicit bias VR programme.

Implicit bias refers to measurable, objective attitudes and stereotypes that everyone carries, which has in recent months become a growing topic of interest. The creation of the programme is to aid both scientific researchers, corporate trainers and law-enforcement organizations.

VR Implicit Bias

“VR is enabling us to understand how implicit bias affects our views of the world and the way we work and interact with others,” said SPACES CEO Shiraz Akmal. “The work we’ve done with researchers indicates that VR could possibly reduce the effects of implicit bias. The idea that VR can be used for much more than entertainment is one of our core philosophies, and is particularly important at a time when the issue of racial sensitivity is reaching a critical point in our society.”

It was initially developed to assist an academic research examination of implicit bias, allowing participants embody the age-old adage of “stepping into someone else’s skin” to develop greater sensitivity. Using SPACES VR technology, the programme aims to show how immersive tech could reduce implicit bias in the future.

Implicit bias was brought up by Hillary Clinton during the first presidential debate with Donald Trump, to which she said: “I think it’s a problem for everyone, not just police. I think unfortunately too many of us in our great country jump to conclusions about each other.”

Back in May SPACES secured $3 million USD in funding to continue its VR projects, and in June the company teamed up with Songcheng Performance Development Co. to bring VR and MR to both rides and performances that take place in Songcheng’s theme parks.

For all the latest news on SPACES, keep reading VRFocus.

Oculus Touch Pre-Orders Go Live

The main news Oculus Rift owners have been waiting for finally arrived last week when the company announced the official price and release date for the Oculus Touch controllers. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe made the announcement at Oculus Connect 3 (OC3) in San Jose, California. Today pre-orders for the controllers have now gone live on Oculus.com and with global retail partners.

The Oculus Touch retails for $199 USD with shipments beginning on 6th December. For that price customers get the two controllers, additional Oculus Sensor and a Rock Band VR connector for when that videogame launches. Plus all pre-orders come supplied with Insomniac Games’ The Unspoken and VR Sports Challenge by Sanzaru Games.

Oculus-Touch-7

For those that want to ‘try before they buy’, Oculus has set up over 500 stores across the UK, US, Canada, France and Germany for customers to book a demo. The UK has 30 locations across the country, and all bookings can be made through Oculus Live.

The controllers will have 35 titles available at launch, these include: Viral EX from Fierce Kaiju, Dead & BuriedRock Band VR from Harmonix, Crytek’s The Climb, Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope by Croteam, Pro Fishing Challenge VR by Opus, Schell Games’ I Expect You to DieLuna by Funomena, Giant Cop by Other Ocean, Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives from Owlchemy Labs, Fantastic Contraption by Northway Games, and The Gallery: Call of the Starseed from Cloudhead Games.

At OC3 Oculus also revealed the new earphones which can now be pre-ordered for $49 via Oculus.com. And beginning on 31st October additional Sensors will be available, enabling customers to use room-scale. The sensors will also begin shipping at the same time as Touch.

For all the latest Oculus news, keep reading VRFocus.