Schlagwort: virtual reality

  • Pioneer new lessons in your classroom with Google ExpeditionsPioneer new lessons in your classroom with Google ExpeditionsProduct Manager for Google Expeditions

    Pioneer new lessons in your classroom with Google ExpeditionsPioneer new lessons in your classroom with Google ExpeditionsProduct Manager for Google Expeditions

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Through our travels with the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program, we’ve worked alongside teachers and students to improve the overall Expeditions experience. One of the top requests we’ve heard from teachers and students is the ability to create their own Expeditions. Today, we are excited to announce a beta program that allows schools and educators to do just that. Classrooms will be able to create immersive tours of the world around them — their classrooms, their schools, their communities. We’ll provide participating schools with all the tools and hardware required to capture 360 images and curate unique Expeditions. For more information about the program, sign up here.

    Website: LINK

  • Enter your VR app for the second Viveport Developer Awards

    Enter your VR app for the second Viveport Developer Awards

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Viveport Developer Awards trophy mock-up

    Last year, in the inaugural VDAs, we awarded prizes to apps across the spectrum of what’s possible in VR – from recreating history with Apollo 11 VR, to witnessing a piece of art in motion with Firebird – La Péri. With another year of experience and experimentation, we’re hoping to see the bar raised, if not completely surpassed, by your VR creations!

    Well, the aforementioned $50,000 for our first prize winner for starters. You’ll also be featured in a studio profile video produced by us, get priority access to new developer hardware and, naturally, a trophy to place right next to your development kit. If you don’t manage to snag first place and come second, you’ll still get everything here plus a massive $20,000 as well.

    Almost anything! Whether your title is already live on Viveport or it’s submitted before the end of February 9th, you’ll be eligible for consideration. (There are some exceptions; check out our FAQ for exact details.) The five categories we’re considering titles in are as follows:

    Entertainment: An app that captivates the player in an engaging world and story. Features interactivity that is satisfying and rewarding. Leaves a lasting impression. Encourages the player to revisit the title again and again.

    Education: An app that offers immersive and interactive learning experiences for the classroom or outside of it. Sparks curiosity, imagination and passion for intriguing subject matter.

    Arts & Culture: An app that enables, preserves, and democratizes creation in the arts. Addresses a diverse, global audience and contributes to the knowledge and enjoyment of cultural heritage.

    Enterprise: An app that aims to transform businesses with digital innovation. Accelerates the way teams create, cooperate and execute. Impacts key areas such as visualization, design, collaboration, marketing/sales and simulation/training.

    Arcade: An app that will delight customers new to virtual reality. Designed for location-based entertainment considering ease of learning and playtime. A great choice for venues and businesses offering virtual reality experiences.

    If you don’t think your app fits into any of these categories, great! Submit it anyway. We love to see original work!

    To be considered for the VDAs, all you have to do is submit your title for publication on Viveport via our Developer Console. (Your title does not have to be published – i.e. live – to be considered for the awards, but it must be submitted for publishing.) More information on how to enter is in our FAQ.

    February 9th. As long as your title is submitted for publication by then, it’s eligible for consideration. We’re looking forward to seeing your VR creativity in action!

    PS! Don’t forget to check out our FAQ!

    Website: LINK

  • HTC VIVE and World Economic Forum Partner For The Future Of The “VR/AR For Impact” Initiative

    HTC VIVE and World Economic Forum Partner For The Future Of The “VR/AR For Impact” Initiative

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Today, HTC VIVE announced a partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to drive the VR/AR for Impact initiative forward, and to showcase its latest content at the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Impact Hub at the WEF 2018 in Davos.

    Originally launched by HTC at WEF in 2017, VR/AR For Impact is a more than $10 Million program to drive VR and AR content and technologies that will create positive impact and change in support of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.  In collaboration with a core group of VR/AR leaders and the UN, WEF will drive the “VR/AR for Impact” initiative going forward, and as a core member of the group, HTC Vive will continue to design and create experiences as part of their collaborative, ongoing commitment to foster and champion the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality to educate and empower humanity. 

    “The challenges our world faces today have never been greater, and humanity needs a clearer understanding and guidance to help solve global issues,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO, HTC. “Unlike any other medium, Virtual Reality is able to immerse the global audience in literally any experience, and can help us learn, empathize and transform the world. VR/AR for Impact is a unique way of driving critical awareness toward problems and solutions facing mankind.” 

    “We see so much untapped potential with VR/AR to drive positive outcomes for society in areas such as health and education, and we are looking forward to working with leaders in this space to build up this initiative in the coming years,” says Lauren Joseph, leader of the Electronics Industry Program at World Economic Forum.

               

    VR/AR for Impact experiences shown this week at WEF 2018 include:

    • OrthoVR aims to increase the availability of well-fitting prosthetics in low-income countries by using Virtual Reality and 3D rapid prototyping tools to increase the capacity of clinical staff without reducing quality. VR allows current prosthetists and orthosists to leverage their hands-on and embodied skills within a digital environment.
    • The Extraordinary Honey Bee is designed to help deepen our understanding of the honey bee’s struggle and learn what is at stake for humanity due to the dying global population of the honey bee. Told from a bee’s perspective, The Extraordinary Honey Bee harnesses VR to inspire change in the next generation of honey bee conservationists.
    • The Blank Canvas: Hacking Nature is an episodic exploration of the frontiers of bioengineering as taught by the leading researchers within the field. Using advanced scientific visualization techniques, the Blank Canvas will demystify the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are being exploited to drive substantial leaps such as gene therapy.
    • LIFE (Life-saving Instruction For Emergencies) is a new mobile and VR platform developed by the University of Oxford that enables all types of health worker to manage medical emergencies. Through the use of personalized simulation training and advanced learning analytics, the LIFE platform offers the potential to dramatically extend access to life-saving knowledge in low-income countries.
    • Tree is a critically acclaimed virtual reality experience to immerse viewers in the tragic fate that befalls a rainforest tree. The experience brings to light the harrowing realities of deforestation, one of the largest contributors to global warming.
    • For the Amazonian Yawanawa, ‘medicine’ has the power to travel you in a vision to a place you have never been. Hushuhu, the first woman shaman of the Yawanawa, uses VR like medicine to open a portal to another way of knowing. AWAVENA is a collaboration between a community and an artist, melding technology and transcendent experience so that a vision can be shared, and a story told of a people ascending from the edge of extinction.

    These experiences will be made available for all attendees at the World Economic Forum at the UN’s Sustainable Impact Hub on January 23rd, 2018 on Promenade 72, Davos Platz in Switzerland. Awavena can be experienced in the main congress hall, Portals exhibition.

    For more information on VR for Impact visit: https://vrforimpact.com/.

    Website: LINK

  • Augmented reality on the web, for everyoneAugmented reality on the web, for everyoneUX Engineer, Daydream WebXR TeamUX Lead, Daydream WebXR Team

    Augmented reality on the web, for everyoneAugmented reality on the web, for everyoneUX Engineer, Daydream WebXR TeamUX Lead, Daydream WebXR Team

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    The spacesuit model was sourced from Poly. Many Poly models are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Generic (CC-BY), which lets users copy and/or remix them, so long as the creator is credited. Our astronaut was created by the Poly team.

    Article’s 2D sections were built with off-the-shelf libraries and modern web tooling. For responsive layout and typography and overall theme, we used Bootstrap, which makes it easy for developers to create great looking sites that adapt responsively across device screen sizes. As an nod to the aesthetics of Wikipedia and Medium, we went with Bootswatch’s Paper theme. For managing dependencies, classes, and build steps we used NPM, ES6, Babel and Webpack.

    Looking ahead

    There’s vast potential for AR on the web—it could be used in shopping, education, entertainment, and more. Article is just one in a series of prototypes, and there’s so much left to explore—from using light estimation to more seamlessly blend 3D objects with the real world, to adding diegetic UI annotations to specific positions on the model. Mobile AR on the web is incredibly fun right now because there’s a lot to be discovered. If you’d like learn more about our experimental browsers and get started creating your own prototypes, please visit our devsite.

    Website: LINK

  • VR workouts for the mind and body!

    VR workouts for the mind and body!

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    The New Year is always a time of renewal, and for many of us it’s a time to resolve to do better, whether that’s with our bodies or in our minds. Naturally, there are VR apps for that!

    From today until Wednesday, January 24th we’re offering some fantastic VR apps at 50% off that will help you in mind, body and perhaps even soul. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s on offer:

    Virtual Sports

    Take on tennis and play some ping-pong with Virtual Sports, which includes two ball-batting games to keep you on the move. With AI opponents who’ll show you no mercy and the ability to play multiplayer matches, this is one exercise routine that’s anything but.

    Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR

    In the future, wars will be decided by robots. And table tennis. Yes, after a two-millennia war it’s only natural that the peace will be maintained by a table tennis competition called the Division of Steel! Eye-opening plot aside Racket Fury is a different take on table tennis, with hi-res visuals and extremely shiny robots to compete against. You’ll also be able to enhance your robotic avatar after every successful match, allowing you to compete at the upper echelons of artificial table tennis!

    Dash Dash Run!

    Ever played an ‘endless runner’? Ever wanted to be in one? To some that might sound like a special form of torture, but one thing cannot be denied: if you’re running in Dash Dash Run, you’ll be working up a sweat. That’s because in this frenetic racing game you have to pump your arms (with your controllers in hand) to make your avatar run. The faster you pump, the faster you run… if you’re old-school enough to remember 80s arcade classics such as Track & Field, you probably get the idea already. At least in VR, you won’t need to mash buttons to get yourself moving (or insert quarters to continue). This time though you’ll need to dodge around articles, grab coins and run as fast as you can if you’re going to top the global leaderboard.

    Nature Treks VR

    While getting out into nature is always a good thing, there are times when you just can’t make it happen – and of course, many times when you can, but nature doesn’t cooperate. Experience some breathtaking scenes, interact with animals and best of all, literally create the world around you. Nature Treks VR is a lot more than just a walkabout; it’ll activate your creativity while also relieving your stress.

    Nirvana

    If you’re looking to meditate, putting on a Vive headset might not be a bad start – no visuals to distract, no noises to get in. To enhance that experience you might want to try Nirvana, which places you in a virtual meditation temple where, surrounded by symbols of the divine, you can try to focus and block out the rest of the world.

    Guided Meditation VR

    While Nirvana looks to harmony in simplicity, Guided Meditation VR (as the title suggests) will steer you towards enlightenment with a strong helping hand. Designed to help anyone begin their meditation practice or improve a current one, Guided Meditation includes 19 environments, over 300 meditation spots and over 15 hours of helpful meditation material. If you’re looking for a vacation from the everyday, you’ll find one here.

    Whatever VR apps you choose to try, we wish you a happy, healthy and fulfilled year ahead!

    Available on Viveport:

    Website: LINK

  • Vive Demos and Hardware at CES 2018

    Vive Demos and Hardware at CES 2018

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    This week at CES, Vive is all around the show floor. From our expo at the Wynn’s Alsace Ballroom to Vive demos and hardware showcased by our amazing partners at their own booths, Vive is featured throughout CES. Read below for our partners featuring Vive at CES 2018:

    Intel              

    • CES Opening Keynote -The Intel CEO, Brian Krzanich, gave the opening keynote on Monday with the theme, “Intel powers the data that brings experiences to life.” Krzanich showed the VIVE Wireless solution on-stage and highlighted Vive in a virtual environment that features a setting from Ready Player One.
    • Intel is featuring several Vive bays where users can enter a virtual-version of the Intel booth that they’re standing in. Within this environment, they can visit the Ready Player One setting Aeche’s Garage, created by Sansar. Intel’s booth in the Venetian can be found on Level 4, Delfino and Zeno 4805/6.

    Nvidia is showcasing their Holodeck content with an automotive partner, powered by Vive Pro (TBC) in at booth #7019 in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Vive Pro will also be used in Nvidia’s “Featured Demo Bay” and in their “VIP Demo Bays” which are by-appointment in the GeForce Gaming Zone.

    Alienware / Dell

    • Alienware is using Vive to power Knockout League, Duck Season, and Trinity VR Baseball at their booth in the Venetian, Lvl 2 – Sands Showroom.
    • Alienware is hosting a party at the Yardbird with Vive powering Duck Season mixed-reality featuring a Hyperkin blaster with the Vive tracker.

    Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. At booth #8300 in the North Hall, CES visitors can discover how Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform is used with the Vive Pro to experience enhanced capabilities for industrial design that will create value and game-changing consumer experiences.

    HP is hosting a Truck Tour on Tuesday from 10am-6pm in the courtyard across from LVCC. HP has partnered with Intel to offer a VIVE + HP Omen prize package at Intel’s Amazon Treasure Truck outside of the LVCC. The truck will feature live demos of Sparc using the Vive.

    AMD is demoing Arizona Sunshine, Tilt Brush and Space Pirate Trainer on Vive to highlight their Vega GPU and Ryzen CPU at the Venetian, Lvl 2 – Titian 2303/4/5.

    Gigabyte is conducting Vive demos to showcase the GIGABYTE Brix VR mini PC in their lifestyle/battle station zone located the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 1 – 21345.

    MSI will be displaying Vive and VR-Capable MAXQ laptops at the Venetian Veronese Ballroom #2405.

    Razer is displaying the Vive and VR-Capable PC at their booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 1 – 21000.

    CyberPower is displaying the Vive and Vive Ready PC in their suite.

    Zotac is using Vive to power their VR GO backpack PC in their private suite.

    Website: LINK

  • Vive Partners With the Best in VR at CES 2018

    Vive Partners With the Best in VR at CES 2018

    Reading Time: 8 minutes

    Yesterday at CES, Vive raised the bar for premium VR with the new Vive Pro upgrade and Wireless Vive adaptor while dramatically improving the way we discover and consume VR content with Viveport VR and Vive Video. Today, we’re proud to highlight the exceptional partners sharing our booth and those showing Vive out on the floor.

    Starting today, the following partners will be demoing their content at Vive’s expo at the Wynn’s Alsace Ballroom:

    • Evasion by Archiact–

     

    Developed by Archiact, Evasion is an intense VR shooter game, designed to immerse players in high-intensity co-op multiplayer combat. Experience the next generation in VR locomotion designed from the ground up for an authentic FPS action game. Choose a hero class and join up to three friends or go on alone in an extinction-level battle for survival. Evasion will deliver cinematic destructible environments and intense bullet hell action. Players will team up and fight their way through maelstroms of bullets while diving for cover. The ‘Swarm A.I’ enemy behavior system adds a new level of tension, making tactical movement and teamwork critical to your squad’s survival. Experience the charge of heroism as you and your team run and gun to complete vital objectives, rescue one another and overcome deadly ambushes.

    • Arizona Sunshine by Vertigo Games and Jaywalkers Interactive –

    Virtual reality meets the zombie apocalypse! Arizona Sunshine is a first-person shooter built exclusively for VR that immerses you in a post-apocalyptic southwestern America overrun by zombies. Developed from the ground up for HTC Vive and Oculus, Arizona Sunshine puts you in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Handle weapons with real-life movements, freely explore a post-apocalyptic world, and put your survival skills to the test in VR – putting the undead back to rest is more thrilling than ever before.

    •  CXC Simulations –

    The CXC Simulations Motion Pro II was developed as a professional-level racing simulator capable of serving as a training tool for professional drivers. Designed by a team with a background in professional auto racing, the Motion Pro II is set apart by:

    • Proprietary full-motion and car control systems
    • A dedicated carbon fiber and steel chassis
    • Highly realistic software systems

    These systems which work together to accurately replicate the sensation of driving on the race track. The proof is in the number of Indy Car and sports car drivers who use the Motion Pro II to practice and train.

    Realistic driving starts with accurate data. However, an accurate simulation is not just an assembly of data. Thanks to a high-tech physics engine and tire modeling system, this data is transformed into feeling when you’re behind the wheel. The final piece of the puzzle is VR. By adding the HTC VIVE to the Motion Pro II, it completes the immersive feeling of actually being on the track.

    • Doom VFR by Bethesda Softworks® –

    Available for PlayStation VR and VIVE platforms, this DOOM adventure will bathe you in virtual carnage. Developed by id Software, the studio that pioneered the first-person shooter genre and modern VR, DOOM® VFR brings the fast-paced, brutal gameplay fans of the series love to virtual reality. Immerse yourself in the UAC facility on Mars and the depths of Hell, as your skills are put to the test through intense combat. Play as a cybernetic survivor who is activated by the UAC to fight the demon invasion, maintain order, and prevent catastrophic failure at the Mars facility. Lay waste to an army of demonic foes as you explore and interact with the outlandish world of DOOM from an entirely new perspective.

    • Fallout 4 VR by Bethesda Softworks® –

     

    Fallout 4, the legendary post-apocalyptic adventure from Bethesda Game Studios and winner of more than 200 ‘Best Of’ awards, including the DICE and BAFTA Game of the Year, finally comes in its entirety to VR. Fallout 4 VR includes the complete core game with all-new combat, crafting, and building systems fully reimagined for virtual reality. The freedom of exploring the wasteland comes alive like never before.

    • Front Defense: Heroes by Fantahorn Studio –

     

     

    Front Defense: Heroes, the latest installment to Fantahorn’s smash hit Front Defense, brings you the intensity and dangers of World War II. Front Defense: Heroes is a 5v5 online multiplayer VR game set during World War II. Front Defense: Heroes delivers the most immersive war experience, using classic World War II weapons in life-like battlefield atmospheres. The development team, Fantahorn Studio, has come up with the best VR war experience to-date. Between the detailed graphics and intuitive control experience, players can explore the battlefield freely, make strategic movements, and engage in realistic combat. The most immersive World War II military shooting game on HTC VIVE currently includes 2 different online multiplayer modes across 5 exciting maps: Team Deathmatch and Defense. Through the submillimeter tracking and room scale VR of HTC VIVE, experience the classic battles of World War II, experience the European climate during wartime in an immersive online multiplayer first-person shooter. Engage in this great war in VR and fight shoulder to shoulder with heroes and friends.

    • Microdose VR by Vision Agency –

    The Microdose VR platform is a fully customizable creative experience for gamers, artists, musicians, and dancers. Microdose VR puts the creative power in the player’s hands to do real time audio/visual performances, create custom content and build shareable worlds in which to host networked multiplayer collaborations and competitions.

    Microdose VR is designed from the ground up as a native VR app, based on a core mechanic which is only possible within virtual reality. Designed to viscerally engage gamers, artists, musicians and dancers of all ages, players can tune the experience to their preference, from an auto-tuned therapeutic experience to highly customized skill-based gameplay.

    With the complexity of engineering and development required to create VR software, it feels unattainable and out of reach to most digital artists and musicians, and there is currently no clear platform for artists and musicians to make their own truly unique creative splash into the VR space. Microdose VR paves the way for creatives to get involved and make their mark in Virtual Reality, and offers a social multiplayer gaming platform unlike anything that has come

    before.

    • Muse by Interaxon –

     

     

    Interaxon introduces Muse VR – the world’s first neuroadaptive interface for VR and mixed reality. Muse VR brings Interaxon’s robust brain sensing system and cardiac physiology sensors into the HTC Vive, creating new ways (like MicroDose VR) for users to interact with responsive virtual environments.

    • Raymond Forklift by Raymond –

    The Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator allows the user to enter a simulated warehousing environment utilizing an existing Raymond® forklift truck by plugging into the company’s patent-pending sPort, or Simulation Port. The Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator allows operators to become familiar and comfortable with the forklift and its controls prior to operating within the physical warehousing environment, thus building confidence. This platform affords operators the ability to learn within a controlled simulated environment, avoiding potential product and warehouse incidents.

    • Ready Player One by Sansar Studios –

    VR recreation of Aech’s Garage from Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One

    Interpreted by Sansar Studios from the original ILM design for Ready Player One from

    Warner Bros. Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and Village Roadshow

    Pictures, opening on March 30, 2018.

    Check out the Ready Player One Trailer here.

    • Rumii by Doghead Simulations –

    Currently, the only way for remote workers to communicate is through VoIP software that focuses on telephones and joining a pre-planned meeting online. By using rumii, teams distributed all over the world can communicate, participate, and interact with each other as though they are all in the same room.

    Collaborate without traveling and gain real-time visibility into your team’s dynamics with rumii for distributed business teams. Our solutions will help you optimize your entire business team, from agile planning, sprint Development, project management and scheduling – while shrinking total travel costs.

    rumii can be used across virtual reality headsets, desktops, browsers, tablets, and phones. Built-in audio means no more dial-in numbers and access codes. Do more than share presentations. Teams can manipulate objects for 3D product design and innovation.

    • SimforHealth –

    SimforHealth is a leading provider of innovative digital solutions for improving the training of healthcare professionals. The company works alongside faculties, medical schools, and training organizations to design immersive, interactive and collaborative solutions for medical education and medical training. Continuously monitoring new technologies, SimforHealth’s medical teams and simulation experts have already trained more than 30,000 healthcare professionals worldwide and are committed to the ethical principle of “Never the First Time with the Patient”.

    • Vive Video –

    Today HTC Creative Labs also rolled out an upgrade to its native VR video player, Vive Video. Vive Video solves the discovery and acquisition problem for VR video content by delivering a large catalog of high-quality streaming video directly to VR headsets. In addition to new features and UI upgrades, Vive Video has integrated content from Vimeo, the world’s largest ad-free open video platform, and home to millions of creators worldwide.

    • Viveport VR –

     

    Available today, Viveport VR is the biggest upgrade to the Viveport customer experience since launch. Viveport VR will change the way consumers browse and discover new content. Viveport VR is the biggest update to the Viveport customer experience since launch. Viveport VR is an all-new way to browse, discover and purchase VR content. Instead of being locked to a 2D plane on a PC or phone, consumers can browse and discover content in a deep and immersive experience that stays true to bringing VR content to life. VR Previews offer a new opportunity for developers to present their titles to potential customers and a new way for customers to try the content before downloading.

    In addition to showcasing this exciting content in our booth, read here for new Vive Demos and hardware all around the CES Floor.

    Website: LINK

  • Memory machines: VR180 cameras, and capturing life as you see itMemory machines: VR180 cameras, and capturing life as you see itVP

    Memory machines: VR180 cameras, and capturing life as you see itMemory machines: VR180 cameras, and capturing life as you see itVP

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    But as the technology used to capture these moments has improved, the fidelity has also increased. From primitive pinhole cameras, to black and white film cameras, to color, to video, there’s been a continuous upward trajectory of resolution and quality. Today’s high-end VR cameras are a big leap forward. Through immersive, stereoscopic footage, they do something more compelling than refreshing your memory—they make you feel like you’re there. And the closer cameras get to capturing the moment just the way we experienced it, the closer we get to creating time machines for ourselves.

    Though Google started by making VR cameras for filmmakers and professional creators a few years ago, our team has always aimed to help people capture their personal memories in VR. But in order to make this tech accessible to everyone, we had to rethink the camera itself. There are 360 cameras in the market today, but they present some challenges—they can be costly, confusing to use (where do you point it?), and the photographer always ends up in the frame. So, we focused on the pixels that matter (the ones in front of you!) with a new format we’re calling VR180. And we started designing high-quality, pocket-sized cameras that anyone could use to capture VR180 experiences with just a click of a button. The first VR180 cameras will hit shelves throughout this year, just in time for you to start hitting “record” on your own memories in 2018.

    I’ve been using the VR180 prototypes for a while now, in places like my living room or on trips to the beach. It’s easy to share the captures with my family and friends. They can look at them on their phones, or use a viewer like Cardboard or Daydream View to step into the moment as if they were there. It’s amazing that I can film my sons jumping on the trampoline, or having a quiet breakfast, or being back where I was many years ago, on a ride at a carnival—and not only share those moments with family far away, but also relive them myself, in a way that makes me feel like I’m right back in each moment.

    Website: LINK

  • A new way to experience Daydream and capture memories in VRA new way to experience Daydream and capture memories in VRVP

    A new way to experience Daydream and capture memories in VRA new way to experience Daydream and capture memories in VRVP

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Since we launched Cardboard, our goal has been to create virtual reality experiences that are accessible, useful, and relevant to as many people as possible. With Daydream, we’ve been building a platform for high-quality mobile VR: we’ve worked with lots of different partners to bring fifteen Daydream-ready phones to market for smartphone VR. And today marks another step, with Lenovo unveiling new details about the Mirage Solo, a Daydream standalone headset we first announced at Google I/O. With it, you’ll have a more immersive and streamlined way to experience the best of what Daydream has to offer without needing a smartphone.

    We’ve also been investing in ways to help you capture your life’s most important moments in VR. We’ve designed high-quality, yet simple and pocket-sized cameras that anyone can use with just the click of a button. Our partners Lenovo and YI are sharing more on these, and they’ll be available beginning in the second quarter this year.

    Website: LINK

  • HTC VIVE Raises The Bar For Premium VR With New VIVE PRO Upgrade And Wireless VIVE Adaptor

    HTC VIVE Raises The Bar For Premium VR With New VIVE PRO Upgrade And Wireless VIVE Adaptor

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    New Hardware Raises the Bar for High-End VR Market, While All-New Viveport VR and Vive Video Dramatically Improves the way You Browse, Discover and Acquire VR Content.

    Today in Las Vegas, HTC VIVE™, the leader in room-scale Virtual Reality (VR) announced new hardware upgrades that deliver premium VR experiences to consumers and enterprises with the introduction of Vive Pro and Vive Wireless Adaptor. In addition, the company debuted new improvements in how VR users discover, experience and acquire VR content through a radical redesign of Viveport VR and Vive Video. These advancements deliver on VR users’ desire for higher resolution, improved audio, greater comfort, wireless freedom and immersive content discovery.

    Vive Pro

    Vive Pro is a new HMD upgrade from Vive, built for VR enthusiasts and enterprise users who want the best display and audio for their VR experiences. Vive Pro includes dual-OLED displays for a crisp picture resolution of 2880 x 1600 combined, a 78% increase in resolution over the current Vive HMD.

    This premium resolution enhances immersion for VR enthusiasts, and the improved clarity means text, graphics and overall experience all come into sharper view. Vive Pro also features integrated, high-performance headphones with a built-in amplifier to offer a heightened sense of presence and an overall richer sound. Vive Pro’s new headstrap was built with enhanced ergonomics and comfort, including a sizing dial for a more balanced headset that decreases weight on the front of the headset. Additional improvements include dual microphones with active noise cancellation and dual front-facing cameras designed to empower developer creativity.

    “There’s a clear need in the VR market for a premium VR experience with high resolution display, integrated audio and the best components available today in a headset,” said Daniel O’Brien, GM U.S., VIVE. “Vive Pro offers an immediate upgrade for both VR enthusiasts and enterprises that want to utilize the best VR experience.”

    More details on Vive Pro availability and price will be made available soon.

    Vive Wireless Adaptor

    Also unveiled today, the Vive Wireless Adaptor will be the first to market with a truly wireless VR headset integration for both Vive and Vive Pro.

    The Vive Wireless Adaptor features Intel’s WiGig technology and offers a premium VR wireless experience that operates in the interference-free 60Ghz band, which means lower latency and better performance. The Vive Wireless Adaptor will ship in Q3 to customers worldwide. 

    “Wireless VR has been on nearly every VR user’s wishlist since the technology was unveiled,” said Frank Soqui, General Manager Virtual Reality Group at Intel Corporation. “By collaborating with HTC to commercialize Intel’s WiGig technology, we will guarantee that wireless VR meets the most discerning quality bar for home users and business VR customers.”

    Viveport VR

    In the largest upgrade to the Viveport customer experience since launch, Viveport VR redefines how users, discover, experience and acquire VR content. Instead of a traditional 2D catalog, Viveport VR content is delivered in fully immersive interactive previews. Viveport is embracing a VR first approach by including VR enabled “VR Previews,” which are interactive glimpses of content that give customers a room-scale preview of an experience and the opportunity to interact with content before purchasing or subscribing.

    “Viveport is moving to a VR first experience model, and with the all-new Viveport VR, we are changing the way consumers discover, experience and acquire VR content,” said Rikard Steiber, president, Viveport.  “Until now, there has not been a shopping and browsing experience that takes advantage of the full functionality of VR. Available in early access today, Viveport VR increases interaction with content and offers developers a preview that showcases the quality of their titles and experiences.”

    Earlier this year, Viveport launched the world’s first VR subscription service to provide a whole new way to access the best VR experiences for a great price. With more than 1,000 titles available on Viveport today, and more than 325 available for subscription, Vive is changing the way users browse and discover content through Viveport VR.

     Vive Video Includes Vimeo

    Today HTC Creative Labs also rolled out an upgrade to its native VR video player, Vive Video. Vive Video solves the discovery and acquisition problem for VR video content by delivering a large catalog of high quality streaming video directly to VR headsets. In addition to new features and UI upgrades, Vive Video has integrated content from Vimeo, the world’s largest ad-free open video platform home to millions of creators worldwide.

    In the new Vive Video experience, a curated selection of Vimeo content will be made available to browse and view in a highly optimized native VR experiences within Vive Video-compatible headsets.

    “Whether we’re building our own tools in-house or partnering with other innovative platforms, Vimeo is committed to the future of storytelling and finding new ways to support our creators,” said Christophe Gillet, GM of Vimeo’s Creator Platform. “Not only does the integration with Vive Video showcase some of Vimeo’s highest quality, human-curated content within the VR experience, but it also gives those creators an exciting new way to expose their work and engage with audiences.”

    Vive Video has consistently been one of the most-downloaded and highest-rated apps on the SteamVR platform, enabling users to view 180 and 360-degree video content. Vive Video is available today for both Vive and Google Daydream platforms, and will arrive on Vive Wave in the near future.

    Website: LINK

  • VR Tour of Deckard’s Blade Runner Apartment

    VR Tour of Deckard’s Blade Runner Apartment

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    BladeRunner 9732 is a virtual reality tour of Rick Deckard’s Los Angeles apartment, developed by Quentin Lengel. It goes live on Steam on January 7th.

    How cool would it be to operate the Esper machine in Blade Runner? Or to view 2019 Los Angeles from Deckard’s balcony?

    Thanks to the efforts of developer Quentin Lengele, you can! His virtual reality (VR) tour of Rick Deckard’s apartment, room 9732, will be released on Steam on January 7th.

    And if that’s not soon enough for you, a free beta is available for download from Google Drive.

    Exploring the tech-noir abode consists of wandering through the rooms, moving objects, and interacting with points of interest like the piano or the Esper machine.

    Lengel talks about the creation of the VR platform:

    “BladeRunner 9732 is a hobby job done during free time, nights, weekends, and vacations, with zero budget. The project started in 2014 when I decided to put myself virtually inside of my favorite movie scene — Deckard’s balcony view in Blade Runner.”

    The developer eventually hopes to incorporate several more features, like a model of Rachael, origami figurines, and bottles of whiskey.

    What Does BladeRunner 9732 Have to Offer?

    The dimly-lit quarters are best experienced using VR hardware. However, a note to interested parties: The Oculus Rift is not supported, only the HTC Vive.

    Don’t have a Vive? No problem. You can also walk through Deckard’s apartment in First Person Shooter mode.

    Compared to other virtual reality platforms, the tour provides little interactivity. Still, true Blade Runner fans are sure to be delighted at the level of detail.

    A few issues have been identified. The most prominent one is a large white glare that occassionally appears in the left eye. Additionally, some objects in the bathroom and kitchen are slightly out of scale.

    Nevertheless, the overall tour functions well. And as it looks like we won’t be living in a world built around replicants for some time, what better way to experience Ridley Scott’s future?

    For more information on the VR tour, check out br9732.com.

    Source: Rock Paper Shotgun


    Website: LINK

  • Zayden’s Wish: Making the Impossible Mission Possible – in VR

    Zayden’s Wish: Making the Impossible Mission Possible – in VR

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    **This is a guest post from the team at Trick3D

    The tarmac at Dobbins Air Force Base is clear – no jet engine roars – it’s calm enough to hear the American flag flapping in the breeze. And yet, the air’s electric with excitement. More than 50 airmen are aligned in formation. They are awaiting the arrival of a very special astronaut for a very special mission.

    Astronaut Zayden Wright was born with a rare heart condition. In his seven years of life, the young explorer endured 38 echocardiograms, six heart cauterizations and four open heart surgeries. Yet, none of these challenges have stopped his appetite for adventure. When Make-A-Wish Georgia asked Zayden Wright what he wished for in all of the world, Zayden wished to go to Saturn in a red rocket ship, so his mother, Shonda Wright, said “Let’s see what we can do!”

    From there, Zayden’s family, Make-A-Wish Georgia, immersive content studio TRICK 3D, and a squadron of local wish-granting volunteers banded together to make the seemingly impossible mission possible for the young airman. The group turned to the power of virtual reality to make the space expedition come to fruition.

    The creative vision for the virtual reality wish was set by Zayden himself. Zayden described what his space expedition would be like with his mom and, in vivid detail, he shared how his rocket ship will be red, how he’ll meet a little green alien, and how he’ll see countless stars along his journey.

    With Zayden’s creative brief in-hand, director and TRICK 3D founder, Chad Eikhoff, and his team set to work crafting the VR experience.

    “When Make-A-Wish Georgia shared the wish with me, I immediately said ‘yes! We are doing this!’ Virtual reality is a medium that’s inherently built for wishes and dreams, and this is a great example of VR making something possible that was previously unattainable,” said Eikhoff. “For us at TRICK 3D, building a world and experience for such a meaningful use at such a high level of production is 100 percent why we create, so saying ‘yes’ to Zayden was a no-brainer.”

    The ‘yes’ was easy. The task of crafting an experience that transported Zayden to the destination of his dreams was tricky – just the kind of challenge the artists of TRICK 3D love to tackle. Early on, the team turned to the HTC Vive headset, affectionately dubbed “astronaut goggles,” to achieve the most immersive virtual reality experience possible for Zayden.

    “It was imperative for this experience that we make Zayden feel as though he was really experiencing the Saturn of his dreams,” remarked TRICK 3D lead technical artist, Warren Drones. “To achieve this, our team iterated in the Vive constantly – taking the headset on and off repeatedly – checking and re-checking the experience in order to refine the virtual world we were creating in real-time. The result – Zayden’s reaction – made it all worth it and confirmed to us the power of the technology.”

    Zayden donned the HTC Vive (his astronaut goggles) and “blasted off” to Saturn on May 1st from Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta, Ga. alongside NASA astronaut, LeRoy Chiao, to the fanfare of more than 50 airmen.

    “Zayden’s Wish” represented the first-ever VR wish granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the seven-year-old’s reaction showcases the potential virtual reality has to transport kids (and adults) to places and experiences that were previously impossible or unimaginable.

    “Zayden’s wish inspires us all to imagine what’s possible – he set a high bar for using VR to instill hope and joy,” said Eikhoff. “We’re excited by the innovative pathways this wish paved that will grant future wishes not yet imagined.”

    Most recently, the Make-A-Wish Foundation honored the Georgia chapter and “Zayden’s Wish” with the Most Innovative Wish of the Year award.

    “We have seen, time and again, that when we can make seemingly impossible wishes come true for these families, they experience an improved sense of overall hope and an improved outlook,” said David Williams, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. “Zayden’s Wish represents a remarkable achievement in harnessing creativity and technology to make that hope happen in a whole new way.”

    To learn more about Make-A-Wish America, visit Wish.org. For more on TRICK 3D, visit TRICK3D.com.

    Website: LINK

  • Say hello to our third round of Jump Start creatorsSay hello to our third round of Jump Start creatorsProgram Manager

    Say hello to our third round of Jump Start creatorsSay hello to our third round of Jump Start creatorsProgram Manager

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Aidan Brezonick (Director), Justin Benzel (Author), Ivanna Kozak (Producer, Laïdak Films), Antoine Liétout (Producer, Laïdak Films), and Ivan Zuber (Producer, Laïdak Films)

    Locations: LA, USA; Chicago, USA; Berlin, Germany; Paris, France

    The team is working on a story set in the French countryside. It follows Henry, an aggrieved inventor struggling to overcome the laws of physics by reversing entropy. 

    Website: LINK

  • Interact with the virtual world in a whole new way

    Interact with the virtual world in a whole new way

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Interact with the virtual world in a whole new way

    Arduino Team — December 20th, 2017

    As reported by the Creative Applications Network, “Tangibles Worlds explores the effects of tactile experience as a catalyst for full immersion in VR.”

    The project by Stella Speziali takes the form of three separate boxes, along with an Oculus Rift headset. When a hand is placed in one of these boxes, the user is virtually transported to another dimension of sight and sound, controlled by IR distance sensors, flex sensors, capacitive wire, and several other devices interfaced with an Arduino Mega.

    Each box contains an IR distance sensor, which detects when a hand is inserted and display the virtual world attributed to the box. This new virtual world surrounds the user. A sensor is placed on each wall within the boxes, this sensor recognizes the hand and activates an animation inside the virtual world. I tried to map the sensors in the virtual universe so that a little clue is given to the user and will lead him to trigger the animations.

    The idea behind this installation is to go beyond “traditional” VR controllers for entirely new level of interaction. The video seen here gives an excellent preview of the strangeness of this type of interface, though using it with a headset and sensors would likely be an altogether different experience!



    You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

    Website: LINK

  • ARCore Developer Preview 2ARCore Developer Preview 2Director, Product Management

    ARCore Developer Preview 2ARCore Developer Preview 2Director, Product Management

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Augmented reality is a powerful way to bring the physical and digital worlds together. AR places digital objects and useful information into the real world around us, which creates a huge opportunity to make our phones more intuitive, more helpful and a whole lot more fun.

    We’ve been working on augmented reality since 2014, with our earliest investments in Project Tango. We’ve taken everything we learned from that to build ARCore, which launched in preview earlier this year. Whereas Tango required special hardware, ARCore is a fast, performant, Android-scale SDK that enables high-quality augmented reality across millions of qualified mobile devices.

    Developers can experiment with ARCore now, and we’ve seen some amazing creations from the community. ARCore also powers AR Stickers on the Pixel camera, which launched earlier this week and lets you add interactive AR characters and playful emojis directly into photos and videos to bring your favorite stories to life.

    Today, we’re releasing an update to our ARCore Developer Preview with several technical improvements to the SDK, including:

    • A new C API for use with the Android NDK that complements our existing Java, Unity, and Unreal SDKs;

    • Functionality that lets AR apps pause and resume AR sessions, for example to let a user return to an AR app after taking a phone call;

    • Improved accuracy and runtime efficiency across our anchor, plane finding, and point cloud APIs.

    To learn more about the SDK updates, check out the Android, Unity, and Unreal Github pages.

    As we focus on bringing augmented reality to the entire Android ecosystem with ARCore, we’re turning down support of Tango. Thank you to our incredible community of developers who made such progress with Tango over the last three years. We look forward to continuing the journey with you on ARCore.

    If you’re a developer interested in AR, now’s the time to start experimenting. In the coming months, we’ll launch ARCore v1.0, with support for over 100 million devices. And soon, many augmented reality experiences will be available in the Play Store. We can’t wait to see what you create.

    Website: LINK

  • Savings galore in our Viveport Holiday Sale

    Savings galore in our Viveport Holiday Sale

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    ‘Tis the season to be in VR, as they say, and we’ve got plenty of great incentives to get you there. Whether you’ll be unwrapping a Vive on the 25th or have already taken your first step into a virtual world, we have dozens of VR titles for sale this holiday. Here’s what we have, as our gift to you!

    Spend $29.99 and get a 3-month subscription!

    Whatever you buy during this sale, it will count towards you getting three months of Viveport Subscription. As soon as you’ve spent $29.99 or more (or local equivalent) you’ll be eligible to receive a three month subscription code, which will be sent to you in early 2018. That way you can spend the first quarter of 2018 exploring up to 15 different VR titles!

    Want some hints on where to spend your money to get to $29.99? Well, you might start with one or more of our Viveport Staff Picks. Then there’s the newly-arrived L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, Tilt Brush by Google, The Gallery- Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone (and Episode 1‘s on sale too), Knockout League or perhaps Fantastic Contraption.

    Please note, this offer is only available in the following Viveport territories: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Taiwan and China.

    Save on Viveport Subscription

    Want to keep experiencing Viveport titles until next holiday season? Then save yourself some money with discounts on our Viveport Subscription bundles. Here’s what you can save:

    • Save 40% on a 12-month subscription bundle (Access 60 titles in total!)
    • Save 30% on a 6-month subscription (Access 30 titles in total!)
    • Save 25% on a 3-month subscription (Access 15 titles in total!)

    If you already have a Viveport Subscription, good news – these bundles add-on to your existing sub, so you can extend your subscription and save.

    To pick up a Viveport Subscription bundle, click here.

    Up to 65% off Viveport titles

    Save up to 80% on selected Viveport titles

    Last but not least, we’ve got discounts of up to 80% on a huge range of titles. There’s truly something for everyone here, from the gamer to the history buff. Show your family what VR has to offer with one or more from this list (sorted alphabetically by title).

    Remember, we’re giving 100% of revenue share for every title on Viveport until December 31st to developers – so you’ll be giving them an extra boost with every purchase, too. Support your favorite developers and get a gift for yourself this holiday!

    However you spend the holidays, in VR or out, everyone here at Viveport hopes you have a fantastic time!

    Website: LINK

  • Go beyond the gridiron in VR with „NFL Immersed“ season twoGo beyond the gridiron in VR with „NFL Immersed“ season twoDirector, VR Video

    Go beyond the gridiron in VR with „NFL Immersed“ season twoGo beyond the gridiron in VR with „NFL Immersed“ season twoDirector, VR Video

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Jump, Google’s platform for virtual reality video capture that combines high-quality VR cameras and automated stitching, simplifies VR video production and helps filmmakers of all backgrounds and skill levels create amazing content. For the past two years, we’ve worked with NFL Films, one of the most recognized team of filmmakers in sports and the recipient of 112 Sports Emmys, to show what some of the best creators could do with Jump. Last year they debuted the first season of the virtual reality docuseries “Immersed,” and today the first three episodes of season two land on Daydream through YouTube VR and the NFL’s YouTube channel. This season will give fans an even more in-depth look at some of the NFL’s most unique personalities through three multi-episode arcs, each dedicated to a different player.

    Shot with the latest Jump camera, the YI HALO, the first three episodes follow Chris Long, defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles. Each episode gives fans a sneak peek into his life on and off the field, from his decision to donate his salary to charity to a look at how he prepares for game day. They’re available on Daydream through YouTube VR and the NFL’s YouTube channel today, with future episodes featuring Calais Campbell of the Jacksonville Jaguars and players from the 2018 Pro Bowl coming soon.

    We caught up with NFL Films Senior Producer Jason Weber to hear more about season two, what it was like to use Jump and advice for other filmmakers creating VR video content for the first time:

    What makes season two of “Immersed” different from the first season?

    For season two of NFL “Immersed,” we wanted to try and dig a bit deeper into the stories of our players and give fans a real sense of what makes them who they are on and off the field, so we’re devoting three episodes to each subject.

    VR is such a strong vehicle for empathy, and we wanted to focus the segments on players who are making a difference on and off the field. Chris Long is having a tremendous season with the Eagles as part of one of the best defenses in football, but his impact off the field is equally inspiring. Calais Campbell is a larger-than-life character whose influence is being felt on the resurgent Jaguars and throughout his new community in Jacksonville. And the Pro Bowl is a unique event where all of the best players come to have fun, and the relaxed setting gives us a chance to put cameras where they normally can’t go, giving viewers a true feeling of what it’s like to play with the NFL’s finest.

    Website: LINK

  • Save development time with our new 3D debugging toolSave development time with our new 3D debugging toolTechnical Lead

    Save development time with our new 3D debugging toolSave development time with our new 3D debugging toolTechnical Lead

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Developing 3D apps is complicated—whether you’re using a native graphics API or enlisting the help of your favorite game engine, there are thousands of graphics commands that have to come together perfectly to produce beautiful 3D visuals on your phone, desktop or VR headsets.

    To help developers diagnose rendering and performance issues with their Android and desktop applications, we’re releasing a new tool called GAPID (Graphics API Debugger). With GAPID, you can capture a trace of your application and step through each graphics command one-by-one. This lets you visualize how your final image is built and isolate calls with issues, so you spend less time debugging through trial and error until you find the source of the problem.

    The goal of GAPID is to help you save time and get the most out of your GPU. To get started with GAPID, download it, take your favorite application, and capture a trace!

    Website: LINK

  • Best practices for mobile AR designBest practices for mobile AR designUX Designer

    Best practices for mobile AR designBest practices for mobile AR designUX Designer

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Mobile AR immersive interactions. To achieve immersion, we focused on core mobile AR interaction mechanics ranging from object interaction, browsing, information display, and visual guidance. It’s possible to optimize for readability, usability, and scale by considering ways to use a fixed position or dynamic scaling for digital objects. Using a reticle or raycast from the device is one way to understand intent and focus, and designers and developers may find it appropriate to have digital elements scale or react based on where the camera is pointing. Having characters react with an awareness to how close the user is, or revealing more information about an object as a user approaches, are a couple great examples of how creators can use proximity cues to reward exploration and encourage interaction via movement.

    What’s next?

    These are some early considerations for designers. Our team will be publishing guidelines for mobile AR design soon. There are so many unique problems that mobile AR can solve and so many delightful experiences it can unlock. We’re looking forward to seeing what users find compelling and sharing what we learn along the way, too. In the meantime, continue making and breaking things!

    Images in this post by Chris Chamberlain

    Website: LINK

  • The Ochre Atelier Comes To Viveport

    The Ochre Atelier Comes To Viveport

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    The next stage of Vive’s partnership with Tate comes to life as Modigliani VR experience ‘The Ochre Atelier’ is now available to download at home

    In 1919 Amedeo Modigliani returned to Paris from the south of France. The war was over; his health had improved. His art dealer, Léopold Zborowski found a studio and living space for Modigliani and his partner, Jeanne Hébuterne, on the rue de la Grande Chaumière, near the cafés and meeting places of Montparnasse. Thanks to Vive’s VR technology, you can now be transported from the comfort of your own home to a recreation of the place where one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century lived and worked in the final months of his life.

    While the studio still exists, almost 100 years after the artist’s death, its appearance has changed significantly. There are no photographs of the studio from the 1910s.  Yet by using the actual space as a template, as well as study of first-hand accounts, historical research and new technical information about Modigliani’s paintings, the studio was reconstructed by teams at Tate and Preloaded to accurately reflect the artist’s living environment. Each object included in the experience was carefully researched, validated by art historians and authentically modelled.

    This incredible and unprecedented look into the life and work of one of the early 20th century’s most innovative artists is currently installed within Tate Modern’s exhibition Modigliani.

    Available now on Viveport, the experience has been expanded and will be more immersive than ever before by utilising the Vive controllers and Vive’s unique room-scale functionality to allow you to walk around Modigliani’s studio. You can check out the experience and how it was made by watching the video here:

    You can from today download the The Ochre Atelier on Viveport here for $2.99.

    This latest release sees Vive continue its work with the arts world, the partnership with Tate Modern being the latest project in the Vive Arts program. Vive has been previously centre stage at leading art venues and events around the world, including Tribeca Film Festival, The Venice Biennale and Somerset House.

    Stay tuned to the Vive blog for even more exciting art projects in 2018.

    Website: LINK

  • Super Puzzle Galaxy – Creating Levels

    Super Puzzle Galaxy – Creating Levels

    Reading Time: 5 minutes

    This is a guest blog post by J. Epps and the 2Bears Team.

    A blank page can be intimidating. For me, a blank page feels like a vast ocean that I can’t see the edges of; however, there is a trick that those of us who create for a living use to get past this problem. Just get started. Yep, it’s actually that simple. Once you get started creating, different ideas will come to you and drive the process forward. When creating, there are no bad ideas or wasted efforts; even if you abandon something you created, it still taught you what didn’t work. As in my ocean analogy, imagine your initial idea is like pouring a 1m by 1m cement column you can stand on. Once you have a place to stand, you can see land to build toward.

    Let’s break this down some more:

    1. The Level Gameplay Theme – How to come up with a cool level idea

    a. There are really two options:

    i. Item Driven – The way I start all my S.P.G. levels is to pick two different objects and think about interesting ways to use them or have them interact. Frequently, as you start constructing your level, you will uncover new interactions between objects. If this happens, see if you can harness it and build around that as the main gameplay theme for the level.

    ii. Idea-Driven – Sometimes an idea for a cool interaction may just occur to you such as creating a level with no rock, only sand. In the case of an idea-driven level, you use objects to create the idea you are thinking of. The important part is the idea you are driving at, not the objects to get you there.

    2. Create a Level – Let’s walk through creating a level.

    a. Place the Level End First – I place the End Goal object first to understand where I need to arrive. I then build backwards in steps.b. Divide into Sections – Usually there are 3 major interactions in a level, so divide into 3 sections.c. Make it Real – Let’s add some concrete ideas to these sections:

    i. Section 1 – Use sand manipulation to navigate around a 90-degree turn.

    ii. Section 2 – Aim the Catapult in the correct direction.

    iii. Section 3 – Place the Bent Tunnel to throw ball up and into the rock mound protecting the End Goal. [The sand ramp in section one is not present because the player will create this ramp themselves.]

    d. Solved – Here is what the level would look like once it is solved.

    1. Rules – Here are the simple rules the bears at 2Bears_Central use to create S.P.G. levels:

    a. Galaxy Gems – Our general rule is that it doesn’t have to be hard to win a level; however, getting all the Galaxy Gems should be challenging.

    i. Easy to Get 1, Hard to Get 3 – It can and should be pretty easy to win the level. This will make it so that if a player gets tired of figuring out the level they can win and come back to tackle getting three gems later. Getting one gem should be more difficult than just getting the ball into the end goal while getting all three should be super challenging.

    ii. Gems Can Show the Path – A good way to give player’s a starting place in your level is to use a Gem or two to show the intended path of the ball. This would be similar to coins that show a jump arc in a Mario game.

    b. Too Many Objects – While not an iron-clad rule, it is more elegant and thoughtful to design with fewer objects. For example, a level with 8 moveable Portal Doors all connected to different fixed Portal Doors will drive a player insane as she tries to figure out—through guess and check—which movable Portal Door links to which fixed Portal Door. It is fine to have one of each object as long as the end product is still fun.

    1. Creation Suggestions –

    a. Momentum – S.P.G. is a physics puzzle game so the speed of the ball is integral. You can use accelerator ramps, catapults, portal doors and of course sand to cause the ball to accelerate or decelerate. Don’t forget to experiment with making the player control the speed of the ball using hills and ramps. Consider starting the ball off on a rock ramp and then make them slow the ball down or even start the ball on an accelerator ramp and make players use a pit to channel the ball.

    b. Fun – Don’t forget, you are creating fun. Sometimes a level idea is great in the abstract but just isn’t fun in the game, or you just can’t make the mechanic work the way you envisioned it. I suggest you don’t beat your head against a level idea that isn’t working out and just move onto a different idea.

    c. Start Over – Don’t be afraid to start over if you don’t like the direction of the level. While it is counterintuitive, the reality is that deciding what to make is the hard part. Actually recreating a level is fast once you know exactly what you are building. You don’t have to start over from scratch, but sometimes it helps to get rid of what isn’t working so you can come up with a fresh approach.

    –J. “jammy” Epps & The 2Bears Team

    Early Access of Super Puzzle Galaxy is available today on Steam for a promotional price of $9.99 while a Lite Edition of Super Puzzle Galaxy will be on Viveport for $3.99. Viveport’s Lite Edition will also be available for Viveport subscribers to select as one of their monthly titles starting today. The Lite Edition features all 48 levels but does not include the option to create or explore user-generated content.

    Website: LINK

  • Operation Apex and the Motivations Behind It

    Operation Apex and the Motivations Behind It

    Reading Time: 5 minutes

    With the launch of Operation Apex today on the HTC VIVE, we asked the CEO of Curiscope, Ed Barton, to give us some in depth insight into the virtual experience surrounding one of the most expansive, diverse places on the planet: our ocean.

    It’s hard to imagine a world without plastics. For most of us, it’s only the world we’ve ever known. Plastic became a mainstream material in the 70s with invention of the plastic bag  and now, in less than 50 years, we’ve reached a stage where our oceans contain over 50 trillion microplastic particles, 500 times more than the stars in our Galaxy. If we continue at our current rate, by 2050 our oceans will contain more plastic than fish by mass.

    The underwater world makes up considerably more of the Earth than the areas we inhabit, yet to most of us the ocean is completely alien, scary even. It is an environment where still, countless species still exist that we’ve never even laid eyes on. The wonder of this world runs contrary to the impact we as a species are having on it. Our impact is something that’s out of sight and out of mind.

    So there’s a huge problem here but we wanted to try to tackle it a little differently. Virtual Reality is often so immersive that most experiences focused on a social mission leave you drained or overwhelmed and can often do more to disconnect you from the issue at hand. Learning about something doesn’t need to feel like a lecture.

    With Operation Apex we wanted to lead with the wonder of the ocean, creating a product that stands up on its own right. It’s not only a game that you’ll learn from but something that you’ll enjoy and want to go back into time and time again to interact with the creatures and to explore the things hidden around the levels.

    So, what was important to make that happen? We started the project with extensive communication with our contacts at Oceans Research, looking into what messages were important to communicate and how we could best represent the environment. The development team then scoured through research papers to learn as much as we could about the food chain and the way the animals move in this environment so that we’d be able to make it feel as realistic as possible. In particular, we spent months honing an algorithm for the sharks that represented them in a lifelike manner. This provided the user with an ability to interact with them, feed them, chase them and swim with them, all as though you were in their environment alongside them.


    This code-driven animation was something we were particularly keen to work on. Ben and myself started Curiscope at the start of 2016 with an animation, Great White Sharks 360, that went on to be watched by over 25m people. Most people watch it not even knowing that it’s animated and assume it to be filmed footage. Animation and CGI were the tools we chose at the time with the objective of reaching as many people as possible but we always built it with a view to it becoming something more.

    Operation Apex is the product that is something more, the spiritual sequel. We transitioned the company from CGI to real-time, code-driven animation, creating a fully interactive, explorable world where the inhabitants react to your presence. It’s maybe bigger than we ever envisioned it would be and we’re just getting started. One of the most exciting aspects about working in this new medium is world creation and the subsequent exploration and discovery this offers. The opportunity to create dynamic creatures that then live there and react to you is a sensation that’s unique to VR and that’s unparalleled by anything else.

    The food chain is the core point of progression in Operation Apex. As you progress through the game you work your way up, learning more and more about the different species and how pollutants, plastics and overfishing have an impact across them all. We’ve also introduced a couple of interesting game mechanics, the lure and the mimic. Together you can use these to control and interact with the creatures in your environment. As you progress through the game, you unlock more and more mimics (even a Whale Shark which is…interesting) and interact your way up to the predators at the top of the food chain.

    So it’s a bit of an experience, a game and a virtual world, all rolled into one. We designed it to be open ended so that, whilst there’s a narrative arc, you can go off script and explore the environment. We hate experiences that are on rails and think the most exciting part about an ocean environment is the freedom that it offers. It’s an interesting space in which to create; and we want to continue opening up possibilities as we develop it further.

    We’d hope that users spend as much time exploring the environment as they do progressing through the tasks. We’ve spent a lot of time crafting it to have its own character with deep crevices, caves, tunnels and the slowly wafting kelp, loosely modelled on one of our favorite places on the planet, Monterey. We’ve also hidden some pretty interesting discoveries around the levels, some hinting at future expansion ideas and others being creatures that are as elusive in the game as they are in real life.

    Ultimately we’d love to hear how you all get on. We’re a small team with around 6 members of staff working on Operation Apex over 2017. We’d love for this to be the start of development and of transforming the idea of what immersive learning really could be. And, of course, we’d love to hear how Operation Apex has impacted you and how, together, we can protect the most important ecosystem on our planet.

    • Ed Barton, CEO, Curiscope

    Website: LINK