Schlagwort: virtualreality

  • VIVEPORT Infinity to Offer Unlimited Gaming for $12.99 a Month Starting April 2nd

    VIVEPORT Infinity to Offer Unlimited Gaming for $12.99 a Month Starting April 2nd

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    VIVEPORT Increases Developer Net Revenue Share to 80/20 Through 2019

    Today, VIVEPORTTM announced that Viveport Infinity, the first unlimited VR subscription service, launching on April 2nd, will be available for $12.99 a month or $99 a year. In the largest upgrade to the platform yet, Viveport Infinity members will gain unrestricted access to the service’s library of over 600 apps and games in addition to exclusive membership benefits such as the revamped Viveport Video application. Current members, including those with pre-paid subscriptions, and new members who sign up before April 2nd, will keep their current price through the end of 2019.

    Viveport Infinity offers a diverse library of popular and indie VR titles. At just $12.99 a month or less with a prepaid annual subscription, members can save thousands of dollars on top-quality content while aiding them in the discovery of hidden gems throughout the service. Popular titles, such as Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, have timed their launch in Subscription to coincide with their global release, giving members optimal choice and affordability when it comes to trailling new content in Viveport’s Subscription service. New Viveport customers can sign up anytime for a free 2-week membership to experience unlimited gaming with Viveport Infinity.

    “We have built a new model for VR that shines a light on the great library of VR content this industry has developed and gives users a reason to spend more time in headset than ever before,” said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport. “At the same time, we’re increasing developer reach and potential revenue as more developers can monetize a single Infinity user. We believe this model matches how consumers want to experience VR”

    Viveport Infinity will be available to VIVE and Oculus Rift owners. For compatible titles, Viveport Infinity will also travel with members to any standalone headset built on VIVE’s WAVE platform. This hardware agnostic and cross-platform approach is bringing the service to a whole new category of VR devices while broadening a developer’s reach and audience pool.

    “Through Viveport’s subscription service, we’ve been able to increase our player pool and build a bigger community around The Wizards,” said Paweł Gajda, Head of Marketing and Publishing, Carbon Studios. “Viveport Subscription has become a significant part of our revenue and we can’t wait to connect with even more players though Infinity.”

    To further support Viveport Infinity developers, Viveport is increasing the developer’s share of revenue earned to 80/20 up from 70/30. Running from April 1st through the end of 2019, this increase in profits applies to all titles in Viveport Infinity. In addition, with a consumer’s unlimited access to content, more developers can monetize a single member with Viveport Infinity, increasing potential revenue for a developer.

    Membership Promotions

    All Viveport Infinity members will enjoy exclusive perks such as weekend deals on select titles, free title giveaways, and monthly coupons. Starting April 2nd, members will automatically receive a 10% coupon at the beginning of every month to spend on any Viveport store purchase. Viveport will also hold a store-wide sale on over 100 titles to celebrate the launch of Infinity from April 2nd – April 7th.

    New members can start their free trial today to lock in the current $8.99 price before Viveport Infinity launches on April 2nd. In addition, all current monthly Viveport Subscribers and those with pre-paid Subscription bundles will also keep their current low price through 2019.

    Website: LINK

  • Hyperdeck Chooses VIVE For The Arcade of the Future

    Hyperdeck Chooses VIVE For The Arcade of the Future

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    With an attraction as grand as Hyperdeck, you need the right VR system to match.

    From left to right: Mike Bridgman, Sean Hennessey, Colin Schultz, and Jay Miller. Bridgman is the co-founder of MajorMega, the company behind a new VR attraction called the “Hyperdeck.” We met him at the 2018 IAAPA Expo in Orlando, FL where the Hyperdeck was first unveiled to great praise—one industry veteran dubbed it “the Void on steroids”

    What is the Hyperdeck?

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E47uIlcitiE]

    The Hyperdeck is a four-player VR ride with intense environmental simulation. It combines a full-motion platform, hurricane winds, instant heat, and interactive controllers to create an unparalleled immersive experience.

    Our debut experience is full of great examples: you feel real 75 MPH wind as you soar through a city in the open air; you feel the ground shake as you drop 100 feet onto a moving truck; you feel the truck suspension recoiling from explosions as you fend off killer AI cars; I could say more but I want to keep some surprises!

    Sounds intense! What about motion sickness?

    Well, I can safely say we have eliminated motion sickness with our custom system that moves the floor in real time with the game to simulate the proper g-forces on your body. We’re also able to amplify certain motions and do some other neat things that trick the brain into feeling something you’re not actually experiencing. It’s our secret sauce we’ve been developing for almost three years now. When you combine that with wind, vibration, and some other tricks, the level of immersion is incredible. So far, after thousands of players, we’ve had zero reports of motion sickness.

    What made you choose the VIVE Pro?

    We started with the original VIVE and loved everything about it. The deluxe head strap enabled us to quickly get players comfortable with a simple twist, the integrated headphones sounded great and simplified our setup, and the lighthouse tracking was perfect, even with four players in a small area.

    The VIVE Pro improved everything. On top of making a lighter and more comfortable design, the increased pixel density allowed us to do more with text and bring out more detail than ever in our games. And with the 2.0 SteamVR™ Tracking, we’re able to use four lighthouses to make sure every square inch of our play area is covered.

    The controllers look interesting—how did you arrive at that design?

    Well, we knew early on that people would lose their balance if we didn’t provide some kind of railing for stabilization—the idea to make that a controller was obvious from the start. My partner Sean Hennessey “MacGyvered” the first “Hardware Store” version from threaded steel pipe. We attached VIVE Controllers and a VIVE Tracker to it and it ended up working really well; people could stabilize themselves, but also feel like they were holding onto this supermassive object.

    The Hyperdeck controller boasts a full-motion platform, hurricane winds, instant heat, and interactive controllers. VR doesn’t get more immersive than this

    Our latest controller is jam-packed with tech. Each will automatically adjust height to fit the player, powerful recoil and vibration provide intense feedback, dynamic tension allows us to simulate a change in weight—switching from a machine gun to rocket launcher, for instance—and finally, hand sensors allow us to stop the motion floor if a player were to let go.

    And the iPads mounted outside the Hyperdeck, are they for interacting somehow?

    Yes precisely, our “Spectator Play” feature allows people standing outside the Hyperdeck to interact with the players in the game. They have the ability to target a specific player and create helpful or hurtful situations. It’s great for people waiting in line, or the person that couldn’t play in VR but still wants to take part in the experience.

    Can you tell us more about your launch title?

    The game is called H.A.I.R., which stands for Hoopers Artificial Intelligence Research. It tells the story of Harold Hooper, a washed up 80s rock star. To combat writer’s block, he invents a super powerful A.I. to write the ultimate metal riff, but when he fuses it with his body and releases it out of his lab…well you’ll have to see what happens. I can tell you it’s totally metal!

    Sounds fun! What does the future look like for MajorMega and the Hyperdeck?

    We’re currently in negotiations with a theme park, some family entertainment centers, and the largest athletic center in North America! We’re also working with some major brands to create custom experiences on a level they’ve never done before.

    We truly believe the Hyperdeck is the “arcade of the future” and we want to see one in every major city (and town!) in the U.S. and beyond.

    For more information visit HyperdeckVR.com

    Website: LINK

  • VIVE X company, Mindesk, secures $900k to bring CAD designers into Virtual Reality

    VIVE X company, Mindesk, secures $900k to bring CAD designers into Virtual Reality

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    Following the graduation from VIVE X, HTC VIVE’s global VR/AR accelerator, Mindesk has moved its HQ to San Francisco and will continue to develop VR software in Italy and the US. The company secured $900k seed round from HTC VIVE, Barcamper Ventures, A11 Venture and Invitalia Ventures.

    “We’re excited to see the success and progress Mindesk has made since graduating from the second batch of Vive X companies,” said Marc Metis, Vice President, HTC VIVE. “Vive sees virtual reality having a tremendous impact on the AEC industry and we will continue to invest in companies like Mindesk who are pushing the industry forward.”

    Mindesk, a startup founded in 2015 in Bari (Italy), created a platform for real-time CAD collaboration, enabling multiple users to review, create and edit 3D CAD models immersed in Virtual Reality. Mindesk has already published its solution for McNeel Rhinoceros and Grasshopper and soon will publish the one for Dassault SolidWorks.

    “We are proud of the Italian excellence exhibited by Mindesk. HTC’s investment is evidence of the quality team behind Mindesk and their ability to shape the future of the global VR industry” added Sergio Buonanno, CEO of Invitalia Ventures.

    We asked a few questions to Gabriele Sorrento, CEO and co-founder:

    What does Mindesk do?

    Mindesk’s product is a plug-in for CAD software like McNeel Rhinoceros and Grasshopper. Once installed, it allows users to quickly jump in VR to visualize, create and edit 3D CAD projects in their original format.

    We followed up on the desire of designers for a real-time VR design platform. Tired of spending hours exporting their CAD model to third parties’ game engines, we made it possible to jump right in VR in just a click with no model preparation or export involved. Our customers are active predominantly in the fields of architecture, ship design, industrial product design and creative arts, all who have tight deadlines and no time to waste in tech frictions.

    Why is virtual reality relevant to designers?

    Previously working as an architect, I would spend hours making physical prototypes of my designs to show clients or studio partners. However, right after these meetings, I would end up throwing the prototypes away as they were no longer needed or up to date. The costs associated with this wasteful and time-consuming workflow is the reason more designers are now turning to VR for reviews.

    In addition, virtual reality has the ability to make design reviews more productive and engaging for designers and their clients. Mindesk’s VR platform keeps a live link between VR and CAD, enabling users to experience and edit a project in the design phase by fully immersing themselves in the virtual environment. Designers can modify a model in real-time while their client is in VR and even enables clients to make their own edits in headset. Mindesk’s approach to this process facilitates a more collaborative partnership between designer and client.

    This level of engagement and communication benefits the design process itself by making it less prone to errors. With Mindesk, we’ve observed that clients are more likely to leave a review session with the feeling that their message has been received while designers know their work has been fully understood and accepted.

    So, is Mindesk a design review platform?

    With Mindesk, customers can do much more than just design reviews.

    An Australian sculptor used Mindesk’s VR modeling tools to shape a steel sculpture while an architecture firm in the Bay Area is combining Mindesk with Grasshopper (a computational plugin for Rhino) to monitor real-time information and simulation analysis results every time their 3D model changes. Another company is using VR to display a point cloud that is then traced directly in the space. When compared to tracing a model using a traditional mouse on a 2D monitor, Mindesk has made reverse engineering an easier and more intuitive process for this customer.

    There are several workflows that users can implement by combining Mindesk with different CAD software and related plugins. We keep our products as flexible as possible in order to meet our customer’s diverse use cases.

    How did it all start? What’s the road ahead?

    It all started in 2014 – I had been using CAD software for many years and was frustrated with the way I was forced to design 3D objects on 2D surfaces such as a monitor and keyboard/mouse. With modern VR headsets just blossoming, I thought it was the right time to start developing a solution to improve the lives of CAD professionals. From then onward it’s been quite a ride. Mindesk now has a couple of products on the market: one for Rhinoceros and one for Grasshopper, with another for SolidWorks set to launch soon.

    Last November we participated in Autodesk University, where we unveiled our forthcoming integration with Unreal Editor in partnership with Epic Games. This integration will add photorealism to 3D CAD modeling, creating the ultimate design environment for AEC.

    Future product offerings will scale on other CAD software including SolidWorks, a parametric CAD used extensively in mechanical engineering. Attendees who tried it at SolidWorksWorld 2019 in Dallas found the solution intuitive and attractive for the beneficial impact it could have on their businesses. We collected the application of interested designers and launched a closed beta at the end of February.

    How does the market for such products look like?

    The VR/AR market is burgeoning, going from $4.5Bn in 2017 to more than $200Bn by 2026, at a staggering CAGR above 50%. Last year VR hardware and software had the lion’s share compared to AR, 92% vs 8%. More than half of this market was represented by enterprise applications.

    We’re excited to be active in the VR B2B software market. VR can be a game-changing productivity solution for many companies while the enterprise is proving to be some of the earliest adopters of new technologies.

    How has HTC VIVE helped you along the way?

    We were lucky enough to be chosen for the second batch of the Vive X acceleration program in San Francisco in 2017. Needless to say, it has been an incredible experience. I’ve met some terrific startups and built a network that is proving to be useful even a few years in. I can say without a doubt that participating in Vive X has greatly increased our chance of success. The recent convertible note by HTC has also been particularly helpful as cash and trust are the most appreciated forms of support for an early stage startup.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak9bwFB8Uxs]

    Website: LINK

  • Vive Studios and Vertigo Games Announce “Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl”, A Competitive Card-Battler Built for VR

    Vive Studios and Vertigo Games Announce “Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl”, A Competitive Card-Battler Built for VR

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    Vive Studios and Vertigo Games today announce Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl, a highly competitive, cross-platform multiplayer VR card-battler from the creators of Arizona Sunshine. For the first time, PC VR and standalone VR players will join together as the game launches with full cross-platform support for major VR platforms on April 2, 2019.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHFb997kPmM]

    From the creators of Arizona Sunshine, set in the Skyworld universe, Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl is an action-packed, real-time multiplayer card-battler that will turn best friends into foes, built exclusively for VR. Unlock, collect and upgrade dozens of cards to build a powerful deck, and watch your cards come to life as you cast spells and summon forces to wipe your enemy off the map. Join a clan, take on opponents from around the globe in regular online tournaments, and claim your place on the global leaderboards. This is no friendly battle… this is war!

    “Vertigo Games and Vive Studios have delivered on the VR industry’s desire for a gripping multiplayer game where players can battle friends regardless of their different VR hardware,” said Joel Breton, Vice President, Vive Studios. “We are very excited to be partnering with Vertigo Games to bring Skyworld Kingdom Brawl to the entire VR community.”

    “We set out to deliver a consistent, uncompromising cross-platform experience across PC VR and standalone VR hardware with Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl and it’s exciting to see how far we’ve been able to push the devices; from drawing massive numbers of units on screen to delivering awesome combat effects,” said Trevor Blom, Lead Tech at Vertigo Studios.

    For those brave enough to set foot in its merciless VR battlegrounds, Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl is headed to GDC San Francisco next month where its highly competitive gameplay will debut in a cross-platform multiplayer hands-on demo on Vive Pro and the Vive Focus with dual 6 degrees of freedom (6dof) controllers in the VR Play Area.

    To celebrate today’s reveal of Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl, Vertigo Games launches the original Skyworld VR wargame into Viveport Subscription today.

    Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl will launch for HTC Vive (Pro), HTC Vive Focus, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality headsets on April 2, 2019, followed by a Vive Focus Plus launch later this year.

    Website: LINK

  • HTC VIVE Partners with the American Museum of Natural History

    HTC VIVE Partners with the American Museum of Natural History

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    VIVE Arts continues to lead the charge in bringing the public closer to humanity’s artistic creation and cultural heritage through VR. Today, we’re excited to announce our collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, one of the world’s preeminent scientific, cultural and educational institutions, on their new T. rex: The Ultimate Predator exhibit.

    The exhibition, which will be open to the public from March 11, 2019, to August 9, 2020, features the museum’s first multiplayer, interactive VR experience in addition to life-sized reconstructions of T. rex at various life stages—including the most scientifically accurate representation of T. rex to date, fossils and casts, large-scale projections and hands-on interactives to tell the amazing story of the iconic dinosaur.

    T rex: The Ultimate Predator is the first major exhibition of the American Museum of Natural History’s 150th-anniversary celebration. The first T. rex skeleton was discovered in 1902 by the Museum’s legendary fossil hunter, Barnum Brown, and the Museum boasts one of the few original specimens of T. rex on public display in the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs. With more than 120 years of dinosaur research and discovery, the Museum continues to be a leader in this field. In collaboration with HTC VIVE, the Museum adds a new dimension to this legacy with the exhibition’s virtual reality experience, T. rex: Skeleton Crew.

    Developed in collaboration with the Museum’s Science Visualization team, VIVE Studios (VIVE’s premium content development and publishing initiative) and Immersion, this VR experience places up to three visitors within a space similar to the Museum’s Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, where they will work together to help build a T. rex skeleton bone by bone. Once the full dinosaur is complete, players will witness a realistic T. rex come to life before their eyes. As the columns of the setting dissolve into trees, the Hall will transform into the marshland that is now Montana, the T.rex’s home 66 million years ago.

    “Through VR, visitors can engage with the exhibit in an exciting, in-depth way that enriches their knowledge and leaves a lasting memory for years to come,” said Chris Chin, Executive Director of Education VR Content, HTC VIVE. “VIVE is proud to partner with the American Museum of Natural History to harness the power of premium VR bringing visitors closer to the scale, majesty, and awesomeness of T. rex like never before.”

    “American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s most innovative and forward-thinking museums. The VIVE team worked closely with the Museum’s paleontologists and science visualization team to create an interactive and scientifically accurate representation of T.Rex based on the latest research,” said Victoria Chang, Director of VIVE Arts. “We are excited to observe the educational impact of this remarkably engaging VR project as it is experienced during the exhibition and soon globally through VIVEPORT.”

    “Virtual reality is a magical realm in which our human perceptions of time and space are suspended,” said Vivian Trakinski, the Museum’s director of science visualization. “In virtual reality, nothing is too small, too big, too fast, too slow, too distant, or too long ago to be appreciated. We hope this technology will let our visitors experience the most fantastic and inaccessible realms of nature.”

    HTC VIVE is proud to be the virtual reality partner of leading arts and cultural institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History, Tate Modern and Taiwan’s National Palace Museum. Through VIVE Arts, virtual reality is transforming the way art and culture are experienced around the world.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y35HlzdcEgE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Stay tuned for more information as the home version of T. rex: Skeleton Crew launches this summer on VIVEPORT.

    Website: LINK

  • Explore the Infinity with one month FREE of Viveport Infinity

    Explore the Infinity with one month FREE of Viveport Infinity

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    The next evolution of the best value in virtual reality is on the way. With Viveport Infinity, launching on April 2nd, Vive and Oculus Rift users can experience everything VR has to offer, with unlimited access to a huge library of more than 600 games and apps for one monthly fee.

    Titles like Fruit Ninja, Ready Player One: OASIS – Elite Gunter Edition, Apex Construct, as well as day-one new releases like Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs, Lucid, Dick Wilde2, TribeXR DJ School and more can be enjoyed each month with no limits! Coupled with all the other user perks like member exclusive discounts and FREE to keep titles, exploring the world of VR is easier and more affordable than ever.

    To celebrate this momentous occasion, we’re giving out 1 Month of Infinity for FREE to those who fill out this quick user survey. Share with us your favorite Viveport experiences and what’s on your wishlist for future features and get 30 days on us (codes will be sent out via email 3/20).

    We’re also excited to announce that existing Viveport Subscription members with active pre-paid memberships will be able to experience the upgraded, unlimited access to their library at no extra cost!

    Unlimited apps and games. Exclusive discounts. Free to keep titles.

    Viveport Infinity: VR awesomeness just got awesome(r).

    Website: LINK

  • Announcing VDA3 Nominees

    Announcing VDA3 Nominees

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    It’s that time of year again! We’re excited to share the nominees for the third annual Viveport Developer Awards. In total, there are 8 nominees across 4 categories for PC titles and 3 winners for Mobile titles. This year, we wanted to recognize the developers who are delivering exceptional experiences to our Viveport Subscribers and Viveport Arcade Operators. These 11 titles highlight some of the best titles in VR today. If you haven’t tried these nominees and winners, we highly recommend giving them a play and exploring them yourself.

    If you need a refresher on the prizing, check out our announcement blog of the awards. Final winners will be announced at our private developer mixer on Monday, March 18, the first day of GDC 2019. Good luck to the nominees and congratulations!

    Here are the nominees and winners in no particular order:

    Entertainment – PC

    Education – PC

    Arts & Culture – PC

    Arcade – PC

    Entertainment – Mobile

    • Bait! | Resolution Games

    Education – Mobile

    • Star Chart | Escapist Games Ltd.

    Arts & Culture – Mobile

    • PAINT VR | COSKAMI LLC

    Website: LINK

  • Experience Oscar worthy stories with these cinematic Viveport titles

    Experience Oscar worthy stories with these cinematic Viveport titles

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    The 91st Academy Awards take place this Sunday, a time to celebrate the very best achievements in filmmaking. To help get you in the red carpet spirit, we suggest checking out some of the best in cinematic VR available on Viveport and Viveport Subscription that push the boundaries of storytelling. From surreal dreamscapes that delve into the human mind to colorful and cartoony adventures into the cosmos, there are tons of immersive filmic experiences to be had on Viveport!

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU-af0Xwlk8?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    In this recently released cinematic adventure, you join protagonist Astra on an experimental journey into the psyche of her ailing mother. Memories and imagination swirl within her mindscape, as Astra explores in search of answers and closure. The developers of this imaginative and moving story sought to “create an experience that celebrates life, even in the face of sadness and loss”. We think they succeeded with flying colors (be sure to bring some tissues though).

    Experience Lucid today as a Viveport and Viveport Subscription exclusive. Not a member? Start your free trial today.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqXWLXuyDzo?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C3y8foX8RA?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    The critically-acclaimed interactive narrative series The Gallery has been a must-play since the first episode debuted on Viveport. Using all the immersive tools at their disposal, Cloudhead Games are crafting an engaging, nostalgia soaked episodic story with a rich universe to explore as players search for their missing sibling in a fantastical unknown realm. Find out more about why this is a don’t miss experience directly from the developers.

    The Gallery – Episode 1: Call of the Starseed and Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone are both available now on Viveport and as part of Viveport Subscription

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt0_-iBlkAA?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Letting go of a loved one is one of the most challenging things a person will do. The development team at NSC Creative sought to create a raw, emotional VR experience that captured the torrent of feelings that goes along with the grieving process. With surreal visuals, powerful audio, and breathtaking moments, Vestige distills complex experiences and emotions in a way that highlights the human experience in this autobiographical documentary-like narrative.

    Vive and Oculus Rift users can experience this emotional journey on Viveport and Viveport Subscription today

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmxBpQTVVhk?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Life on the seas can be a lonely and surreal one. Doubly so when you’re a sentient fisherman puppet!  Stuck inside the tiny cabin of a lighthouse, you’ll need to navigate a humorous, twisty turny world of challenges in order to seek safety as a storm approaches. Featuring mind-bending puzzles and a compelling and metaphorical narrative, A Fisherman’s Tale feels like an independent animated short sprung to life in VR.

    Check out A Fisherman’s Tale on Viveport and discover for yourself what exists at the top of the lighthouse…

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-RTIjU2Uvc?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    What are we made of? Where did it all come from? These are the huge questions that We Are Stars attempts to tackle with tons of charm and a colorful aesthetic in this Pixar-esque virtual science documentary that will expand your mind and make you smile. Featuring narration by Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), you’ll be whisked away on a 13.8 billion year adventure to unwrap some of the biggest mysteries of the universe.

    Discover that We Are Stars today on Viveport and Viveport Subscription today!

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfJtkXdlAmY?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    MANIFEST 99 is an ominous and eerie story about finding redemption in the afterlife. Set on a mysterious train inhabited by a murder of crows, you assist four travel companions on a journey to their final destination. Controlled with just your headset, you gaze into the eyes of crows to move to their perch, viewing the world from their scale and perspective. Look into the eyes of your travel companions and uncover the reason why they – and you – are on this train traveling into the great beyond.

    Experience this stylish and moody mystery today on Viveport and Viveport Subscription

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf3hlqpB9RI?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Based on the Philip K. Dick’s short story of the same name, The Great C is a cinematic VR narrative featuring a thrilling storyline, stunning environments and a powerful soundtrack. The viewer is transported to a post-apocalyptic landscape in which the remnants of humanity are ruled by an all-powerful supercomputer known as the Great C. Each year, the nearby village is forced to send a young person on a pilgrimage to appease the mysterious machine – a journey from which no one ever returns. Leaving the safe confines of your village, you must decide whether to accept the rules of this harsh society or fight against the oppressive reality of the world.

    Take part in this award-winning experience from the creators of Transpose and Blasters of the Universe on Viveport and Viveport Subscription today!

    What are some of your favorite cinematic VR experiences? Swing by our community forums and share with us your favorite movie-like moments with Viveport.

    Website: LINK

  • HTC VIVE at GDC 2019

    HTC VIVE at GDC 2019

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    GDC’s annual State of the Games Industry survey revealed HTC VIVE as the most popular platform among developers for the third year in a row. We’re proud of our standing in the developer community and strive to be the number one advocate for VR developers. To that end, we’ve got an exciting lineup of activities planned for developers attending GDC 2019:

    Developer Day – March 18th @ Moscone West Hall, Room #2024

    VIVE will be holding a developer day on Monday, March 18th. Filled with visionary and technical sessions directly from the VIVE team and partners, we’ll delve into the topics most meaningful to VR developers.

    To start, we’ll walk developers through our platform roadmap for 2019 to share the new opportunities ahead and how they can take advantage of them. Next, our engineers will provide in-depth demonstrations on our SDKs to provide the tools and knowledge necessary to accelerate VR development.

    Check out our full schedule below:

    10:00AM – 11:00AM: Developer Day Keynote: Platform Strategy for 2019

    11:20AM – 12:20PM: Developer Success in the Era of New Competing Digital Platforms

    1:20PM – 2:20PM: Getting Started, Publishing and Beyond: Viveport SDKs + VIVE Input Utility

    2:40PM – 3:40PM: Building for the Standalone Ecosystem: Wave Platform SDKs

    4:00PM – 5:00PM: Creating More Immersive Experiences: 3DSP Audio SDK + Hand Tracking SDK

    5:30PM – 6:30PM: The Future of XR Development: SRWorks SDK + SRANIPAL SDK

    VR Play – March 20th-22nd @ Moscone Center Hall

    This year, the VR Play area is sponsored by VIVEPORT. GDC attendees can see the new technologies from our technical talks in action on the latest VIVE hardware. VIVE will be showcasing innovative content that demonstrates the power of our developer tools such as eye and hand tracking, 6DoF input for the WAVE platform and more. Stop by the Moscone Center Hall from March 20th – 22nd try out some of our favorite VR experiences.

    Viveport Developer Awards Mixer – March 18th

    On March 18th, we’ll announce the winners of the 3rd annual Viveport Developer Awards at a private mixer for developers. The Viveport Developer Awards is an opportunity to celebrate and reward the exceptional studios and content that have contributed to Viveport Subscription’s success. This year’s batch will have one winner and one finalist from four PC-VR categories and one winner from three VIVE Wave categories. Winners in each category can walk away with up to $50,000 in cash and prizes to support their current and future development objectives.

    We hope to see you at GDC and be sure to add our developer day sessions to your schedules!

    Website: LINK

  • Introducing the VIVE Focus Plus for Premium Standalone VR Experiences

    Introducing the VIVE Focus Plus for Premium Standalone VR Experiences

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Today, we’re excited to reveal the newest premium virtual reality standalone hardware for enterprise customers, VIVE Focus Plus. We’ve upgraded the existing six degrees of freedom (6DoF) Focus headset to incorporate dual 6DoF controllers, giving users the ability to seamlessly interact with their virtual environment with the same freedom as PC VR devices. This enhancement also makes porting existing PC VR content easier for developers while making it physically more portable and natural to use.

    “At Vive, the announcement of Vive Focus Plus furthers our commitment to rapidly iterate and refine the VR market for both businesses and consumers,” said Daniel O’Brien, General Manager Americas, HTC Vive. “This rollout of Vive Focus Plus leads the way for deeper immersion, more realistic training and simulation, and easier porting of experiences from PC to the stand-alone category.”

    Blurring the lines between reality and virtual reality, Vive Focus Plus brings users greater comfort and full enterprise support. Resting easier on consumers’ heads, Vive Focus Plus offers comfort and lays the groundwork for extended sessions in VR needed by commercial customers. The headset also ships with several professional features including Kiosk Mode, Gaze Support, and device management tools to remotely enroll, monitor, and manage multiple headsets all at once. The headset will be available for purchase starting in Q2 2019 on www.vive.com in 25 markets worldwide, supporting 19 languages. In most markets, the product will include an enterprise license for use at no additional cost.

    Powered by the VIVE WAVE Platform with content from VIVEPORT, subscribers will also have access to a growing library of titles on the newly announced Viveport Infinity offering. Viveport Infinity is the first unlimited subscription service for VR. For just one low monthly price, members can explore a wide range of games, apps, experiences, and more. In addition to Vive Focus Plus, Viveport Infinity is compatible with high-end PC-based VR systems as well as the full spectrum of WAVE supported headsets. Members will be able to use a single account across their portfolio of VR devices when the service launches on April 2nd.

    NEW INNOVATIVE CONTROLLERS

    Vive Focus Plus offers two ultrasonic 6DoF controllers featuring an analog trigger that gives users the ability to control objects or interactions with pressure-sensitive input, making experiences truly immersive. Additionally, with the aid of the WAVE platform and SDK tools, porting from PC-based VR to Vive Focus Plus will be relatively easy for developers.

    Companies across the globe such as SimforHealth and Immersive Factory are already implementing Vive Focus Plus for medical training and safety simulation purposes. This all-in-one solution is powered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 Mobile VR Platform enabling the business markets to collaborate and engage in new and effective ways.

    “In our dedication to occupational health and safety, we easily ported our entire Hazard Spotting range from the Vive Pro to Vive Focus Plus to facilitate our large corporation deployments,” said Olivier Pierre, COO and Founder, Immersive Factory. “Vive Focus Plus will perfectly immerse our clients in realistic environments enabling full movement, which supports memorization of process and procedures, and improves behavior by creating consequences to their actions. Having a professional standalone headset is very important for us to widely integrate and deploy virtual reality for workforce training at large groups, with plants all other the world, who previously saw the equipment as a barrier.”

    “With HTC’s Vive Focus Plus providing a high-end processor and 3K AMOLED display, we are able to create realistic and immersive 3D environments for our medical and nursing simulators, providing better training outcomes for HCPs without wires or connected computers, “said Olivier Gardinetti, CTO, SimforHealth. “Moreover, the 6DOF controllers have improved the way to perform specific medical interactions that were not possible with the regular 3DOF controllers. Now, Simforhealth’s simulators have a better, more comfortable user experience.”

    VIVE AT MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS

    Vive will be showcasing the newest standalone headset, Vive Focus Plus and the new Vive Pro Eye, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, next week. The company will be spotlighting innovative partner experiences like construction safety and hazard training, medical simulation for nurses and their own multi-user collaboration tool, Vive Sync, in addition to groundbreaking demos on the future of VR and 5G.

    Website: LINK

  • Dive into dreams with the emotional VR narrative Lucid – out now on Viveport

    Dive into dreams with the emotional VR narrative Lucid – out now on Viveport

    Reading Time: 6 minutes

    In the critically acclaimed cinematic narrative experience Lucid – out today exclusively on Viveport and Viveport Subscription – you’ll explore the deepest corners of the mind of an ailing loved one in search for answers and closure. We spoke with the development team at Breaking Fourth to find out what inspired this beautiful, dreamlike journey of loss.

    By Nathan Allen Ortega, Viveport

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU-af0Xwlk8?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Tell us a bit about yourself and the team at Breaking Fourth

    Breaking Fourth is a leading virtual reality studio which has gained recognition from the world’s top film festivals and industry events. Our mission is to redefine storytelling. Our talented team of writers and directors are creating unparalleled experiences which take storytelling to a whole new level. Based in Kings Cross, London, we have been creating original productions since 2015.

    What were the biggest sources of inspiration for you and the team when creating such an emotionally powerful VR experience like Lucid?

    At Breaking Fourth, we are passionate about great storytelling. Virtual reality gives us the power to personally connect with every single audience member individually, and we want to respect that power by telling stories worthy of their undivided attention. Our first production, Ctrl, followed the story of a teenage gamer using video games to escape his own abusive reality at home. Whilst showing Ctrl, we realized that virtual reality has a incredibly powerful empathetic nature, putting viewers into experiences that they would never otherwise get to see. With Lucid, we wanted to explore this further and create a world in which viewers can experience something new. Theatre, particularly immersive theatre, remains a huge source of inspiration for us as there are significant similarities in the way that you tell stories in the two mediums. Stylistically, we take lots of inspiration from classic sci-fi and fantasy film, TV and animation.

    Lucid puts audiences in the shoes of a young woman who must venture into the mind of her ailing mother answers to her condition, and possibly closure. Talk a bit about how the concept came to be and how it evolved over the course of development.

    Virtual Reality allows us to imagine and create impossible worlds – for example here, the audience travels inside the mind of a children’s book author and illustrator. The concept really began here, with an interest in neuroscience and exploring the mind. Pete Short, the director of Lucid, had been wanting to tell a story about dementia due to his own personal experiences, and we thought that this was the perfect opportunity to create a story which is fantastical and beautiful, and also touches on such a powerfully, emotional topic.

    How did your experience developing cinematic, narrative oriented VR experiences on portable devices like Samsung Gear VR influence the creative direction of Lucid? What kind of challenges did you run into that were unique to developing for PC VR?

    We set out to create an experience which would work for both mobile and seated, passive experience and then also could be viewed at room-scale. With our proprietary rendering technique, we knew that we could guarantee top-quality audio and visuals for the mobile VR headsets, however, we knew we had to create something that would run live for PC VR as well. The storyline of entering the mind of an illustrator allowed us to be really creative with the art style and art director Matt Saunders designed beautiful-looking worlds which were simple enough to run flawlessly on PC.

    Were there any sequences, concepts or environments that you wanted to incorporate into Lucid but had to leave it on the cutting room floor?

    We had several more stunning storybook worlds in mind for this production, but we decided to keep them back in case we ever made a sequel. We have a story in mind which sees the characters revisit the world of Lucid and we would love to include the other environment ideas into that.

    Talk a bit about your thoughts on the state of VR in regards to it as a platform for telling stories, and where do you see it going in the future?

    We think that virtual reality is the future of storytelling. However, there is still a long way to go before VR headsets are adopted as mainstream, and we believe that location-based entertainment will be hugely important in making this happen. There is still a bit of work to be done to break people’s preconception that virtual reality is just for video games, and with more theatrical, narrative based hyper-reality experiences like The Void, we hope that the public perception of VR will start to shift.

    Lucid was an official selection at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, nominated for Best VR Award (Immersive Story) and Best VR Story (For Linear Content). Tell us a bit about your experience showing narrative VR to players in that space, and what kind of feedback did you get as opposed to other venues.

    We were highly honored to have been chosen for Venice and to attend. We had an overwhelmingly positive response to Lucid there. The Venice audience is largely industry professionals, but is much more narrative-focused than at other VR events, so they seemed very receptive to Lucid. We noticed, especially, that female viewers connected strongly to the two main characters and found the story very moving. We received a lot of positive feedback that Lucid was unlike most of the other VR productions people had seen, in that it focused on story, script and character first and foremost.

    “…the London-based production company Breaking Fourth demonstrates its mastery of filmic storytelling in immersive worlds. The treehouse, the gloomy forest, the ice desert, the rambling flight capsule – I experienced all of this up close in VR. The colorful world in Eleanor’s head is rich in variety and imaginative details, and perfectly tuned for VR’s visual experience. Here, Lucid combines the best from VR and film.

    The captivating adventure revolving around a mother-daughter duo asks the big questions of life – and demonstrates, almost in passing, the definition of virtuous storytelling in VR.” – VR Geshichten

    Are there any hidden Easter eggs to be found within Lucid?

    Just one! When you’re in the hospital room, you can lean in and see inside the comatose mother’s head.

    How many team members worked on Lucid and how long did it take to develop?

    Lucid was built by a team of 22 people working for 9 months. This includes the actors, writer and creative team alongside the animators and developers.

    What do you want players to take away from their time with Lucid?

    We want Lucid to be a celebration of life, enjoying the love and bond that is developed between family members, even in the face of sadness and loss. We hope that audience members will be moved and in awe of the beautifully animated worlds we have created, and also that they appreciate virtual reality as an art form in itself – a way to tell stories in which film, TV and theatre cannot.

    What’s next for Breaking Fourth?

    We are really looking to the next generation of headsets now and are excited by the possibilities that untethered and room-scale VR brings to storytelling. We have proven that we can tell stories and have gained significant recognition from film festivals worldwide, so now we want to make sure we remain at the forefront of cinematic virtual reality by harnessing the new technology as it’s released. Among other projects, we are currently working on adapting a Hugo award-winning sci-fi short story to room-scale VR.

    Exciting to hear! Thanks for chatting with us.

    Lucid is now available as a Viveport and Viveport Subscription exclusive. Not a member? Start your free trial today!

    Website: LINK

  • Viveport gets wild in the hilarious arcade shooter Dick Wilde 2

    Viveport gets wild in the hilarious arcade shooter Dick Wilde 2

    Reading Time: 5 minutes

    Virtual reality can provide users with experiences impossible to have otherwise. Taking a walk on the moon, shrinking down to learn up close about the human body, crafting amazing animated works of art at the flick of the wrist, you name it! But it can also provide hilarious and addictive gameplay experiences that just wouldn’t be the same without that extra sense of immersion. We sat down to chat with Bolverk Games, makers of Kittypocalypse and the recently released Dick Wilde 2 to hear how they bring hardcore arcade gameplay and humor together for in an awesome cocktail of hilarity.

    By Nathan Allen Ortega, Viveport

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmXtUXVsDm0?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Tell us a bit about yourself and the Dick Wilde team

    I’m Bo Bennekov, CEO and co-founder of Bolverk Games. We’ve focused on VR games since before the first goggles hit the market. Our team is now 10 people strong, with our third title Dick Wilde 2 launching today!

    What inspired you to create the wacky and colorful wave shooter Dick Wilde?

    Dick Wilde was a VR title from the get-go. We’ve always been more than a little obsessed with Youtube videos of Americans fishing for Asian carp in the Southwest. They were using everything from bow and arrows to dynamite!  We couldn’t find a reliable dynamite salesman in Copenhagen and our bow skills were not quite up to snuff, so we decided to do it in VR instead.

    Talk a bit about your previous experience developing for VR – like the hilarious hit experience Kittypocalypse – and how it influenced the direction of the Dick Wilde series

    Kittypocalypse was a labor of love for me, since tower defense is one of my pet peeves. Strategy games lend themselves to VR really well, because you can have an unprecedented overview of the battlefield, and at the same time see every little detail. We learned a lot from developing Kittypocalypse, and used those lessons learned to make the first Dick Wilde VERY fun.

    What new features and additions can fans of the first Dick Wilde look forward to with Dick Wilde 2?

    Dick Wilde 2 is on rails, meaning that you are sailing down a river with a changing scenery AND you get to do it with a friend or stranger with the cross platform co-op. The whole progression system is built from the ground up, and features unlockable keys, stars, weapons and hats. (hats are used as multiplayer bragging rights. You have to ace a level to get the level hat)

    The setting and tone of Dick Wilde is a humorous take on rural swamp life, featuring the wacky denizens of an undisclosed countryside, evoking images of the American South for some. Was this an intentional influence on the game’s universe or is the motif something more universal?

    It was very intentional, and inspired by the carp fishing mentioned above. We really like working with this narrative, and the lines almost write themselves.

    What motivated your team to return for another crack at the Dick Wilde series?

    We have quite a following on Dick Wilde 1, and many requests from the community about things they would like to see in a sequel. We had a good chat with our publisher, PlayStack, and decided to give the community everything they were longing for in Dick Wilde 2.

    Dick Wilde 2 features cross-play functionality over many VR headsets including Oculus Rift. Can you speak to how difficult this was to implement, and how important it was for you that players be able to play together regardless of hardware?

    It certainly came with it’s set of challenges, but we feel that VR really needs multiplayer sessions to work at any given time. We felt that we had a significantly better chance of finding the audience of everyone could contribute to filling the games.

    Were there any weapons/levels/game modes etc that you wanted to work into the series but had to leave on the cutting room floor?

    Yes. A lot of them. My biggest regret is that the drone strike launching pistol had to be cut due to only being fun on paper.

    Dick Wilde is a hilarious take on the genre. How important is humor to the projects you develop and how challenging do you feel it is to incorporate humor in satisfying ways in VR?

    We like to laugh, and we like games that don’t take themselves too seriously. We like to mix in crazy ideas alongside a strong focus on the core gameplay. Games should be fun in multiple ways, and pose a challenge to the player at the same time.

    How has player feedback helped shape your projects? Have you been surprised by any particular responses from players?

    Currently our projects exist in this middleground between the casual and hardcore games audiences. We were surprised to come to this realization and how people react to it. Many people like Dick Wilde 1 because it is hard, and many people found it frustrating for the same reason. Player feedback has shaped Dick Wilde 2 immensely. We have features in the game literally designed by the community from places like Reddit.

    Is 1800 Critters a real number? Dare I call it and summon a trigger happy bumpkin?

    Hilariously enough, it once belonged to an exterminator in the United States, but is now disconnected. We are trying to buy it.

    How many people helped make Dick Wilde 2 and how long was the development process?

    Development time was about a year in total, and our full team of 10 were on board throughout.

    What are your thoughts on the future of VR and AR and where do you hope to see the technology develop going forward?

    Oculus Quest and the Vive focus are the way forward. Cutting the wires out and bringing down the cost of entry will signal the next era of VR. We need generation two of the standalone headsets to run at GTX970 speed, and the it is TO THE MOON!

    What’s next for Bolverk Games?

    We have a ton of plans, but we’re not ready to announce them just yet. Stay tuned!

    That’s exciting to hear! Thanks for taking time to speak with us

    Dick Wilde 2 is now available on Viveport and via Viveport Subscription

    Website: LINK

  • Make it a heartwarming Valentine’s with these lovely multiplayer game deals on Viveport

    Make it a heartwarming Valentine’s with these lovely multiplayer game deals on Viveport

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Valentine’s Day is here, a time of chocolates, elaborate cards, those weird chalky candy hearts with the little words on them, candlelit dinners, and spending time with that special someone in your life (or treat yourself because you’re worth it!)

    Valentine’s also means crowded restaurants, scrounging for last minute gift and cards at picked over stores, and movie theaters sold out of seats for that new romcom. Your friends at Viveport have a solution to avoid the stress of this otherwise lovely holiday, and that’s to curl up with some takeout and spend some time with these lovely multiplayer VR experiences on sale during our Valentine’s event!

    From now until February 19th, Viveport Subscription members can grab these awesome co-op and competitive VR titles below and save up to 90% off! Not a member yet? Well you’re in luck, because not only can you start your free trial today to take advantage of these deals, but for a limited time get Final Soccer VR for FREE to keep with your redemption! It’s a great time to dip your toe into the best deal in VR!

    Take a look at some of the exciting multiplayer titles you can grab today and take advantage of awesome subscriber discounts:

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=silUn26nv-A?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Live your dream of being a parkour running cyber-ninja in the hit shoot and slash-em-up Sairento. Jump, blast and cut your way through futuristic environments and “bullet-time” your way through hordes of enemies with friends in PVE mode, or pit yourself against friends in challenging PVP combat.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9bbo9gr3f4?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    The zombie apocalypse arrives in VR with the immersive hit shooter experience Arizona Sunshine! Tackle waves of the undead with intuitive, life-like weapons and realistic free movement in huge southwestern American environments on your fight for survival. Team up with a co-op partner to take on the zombie horde together and try not to become monster food.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAio9x7KDI?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Challenge your friends to a hilarious party game like no other with the string pulling Puppet Fever! In this hot seat local multiplayer experience, you’ll take turns as the acting star in a virtual puppet

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4enJQBExa4?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Take on ruthless AI in a fast paced series of challenges in the action packed game bundle Arcade Saga! Take on futuristic sports – Fracture, Smash and Bowshot – and compete for the top score in challenging 360⁰ events in either single player or PVP competitions.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfxQikzUZmU?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Dive into the virtual world based on the hit film and take on a variety of challenges on your quest to defeat IOI. Expand your experience with new levels, games and challenges with the Ready Player One: OASIS – Elite Gunter Pack DLC!

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWJWTlzjg2k]

    Customize your robot fighter, arm your drones with awesome weapons, and dominate your opponents in mechanical cage matches in Drone Fighters – a whopping 90% off right now!

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOMxb736iJE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Enjoy classic games like whack-a-mole, bowling, super shoot basketball and more with this nostalgic boardwalk inspired experience Pierhead Arcade.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQEd6W1gx5A?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Float like a butterfly and sweat like a pig with the high intensity workout experience BOXVR! Challenge your friends to get the best score in a variety of blood pumping fitness challenges.

    Check out the rest of the amazing experiences on sale here for Viveport Subscribers. Don’t delay, start your free trial and feel the love of VR now!

    Website: LINK

  • 5 Reasons to begin your DJ journey with TribeXR DJ School – now on Viveport and Viveport Subscription

    5 Reasons to begin your DJ journey with TribeXR DJ School – now on Viveport and Viveport Subscription

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Ever wonder what it takes to DJ live, like Tiesto performing at Tomorrowland? Now you can, with TribeXR DJ School’s new rollout on Viveport and Viveport Subscription.

    Written by Tribe XR 

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWLa6MzRtH8?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    TribeXR DJ School is a all-in-one DJ experience featuring a pro virtual DJ deck based off real life pro equipment, learning resources, live performance integrations, and a community of artists supporting each other on their DJ journeys. Now available on Viveport and Viveport Subscription, we aimed to change the way DJ’s learn their craft.

    Here’s 5 Reasons to Try it Yourself

    1. Save money on expensive DJ gear

    The types of pro DJ decks commonly found at big music festivals and clubs can cost upwards of $6000. By replicating what these decks offer in VR, you’re given access to DJ equipment at a fraction of the price.

    Whether you add TribeXR DJ School to your Viveport Subscription or purchase it to keep for $19.99, you’ll save thousands of dollars while using the same equipment that pro DJs use. It’s also nice to be able to carry your DJ gear in a small backpack instead of finding space for the physical hardware.

    TribeXR DJ School isn’t working to replace DJ hardware. We’re working to democratize how to learn DJing, so that the next generation of creatives can rise and thrive.

    1. Built-in resources to hit the ground running

    Just as no one has ever picked up a guitar and immediately had the skill level of Jimmy Hendrix, no one is expected to stand at a DJ deck and mix like Tiesto.

    From the first moment you enter the TribeXR DJ School experience, you’ll be tasked with completing some basic functions to get your feet wet with DJing. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a DJ for years of if this is your first time behind a deck. This on-boarding will let you get grounded with the Vive controls and the basic functionality of the deck.

    From there, take things at your own pace. Upload your own tracks and experiment with what you can do. If you want help, our learning section provides video tutorials by professional DJs ready to teach you common techniques. Still stuck? Jump into the Tribe XR Discord community and ask for help directly.

    1. We help you perform live

    Immediately have the ability to perform your first live DJ gig. When you’re feeling ready, connect to your Twitch Channel from within TribeXR DJ School. From there you can:

    • Have an in-VR Twitch chat screen.
    • Let viewers send emotes to you in VR.
    • Let viewers put up visual GIFs as a background to your performance.
    • Take song requests from your audience.

    It’s our goal to give our DJs the joy and experience of performing for a live audience. We’ll do whatever we can to getting you up and running while also promoting your performances to a community of music enthusiasts.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFFSIkuBe0c?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Take a look at some of the performances from the last few months with this compilation video.

    1. Join a community of music enthusiasts

    One of the core inspirations for DJs is the ability to share their musical creativity with others. Knowing this, our community is at the core of what we provide. Here’s what you can expect from the Tribe XR community:

    1. Live performances from others, in VR and using physical equipment.
    2. Users sharing some of their favorite music.
    3. Seasoned DJs happy to mentor others.
    4. The Tribe XR Team directly available for support.
    5. Feature announcements and community programs.

    You’re not on your own when it comes to TribeXR DJ School. The app comes with access to a growing network ready to see you progress.

    Join our Discord and see for yourself.

    1. The future is bright

    On the horizon, we’re working hard to get 1-on-1 live connections available that will let you do things like take live 1-on-1 lessons, back-to-back DJ with friends and build stronger connections from within our experience.

    We’re grinding to push the possibilities of what can be accomplished with VR technology…and we’re just getting started!

    We believe that music is one of the great joys of life. We also believe that one of life’s great tragedies is that many prodigies may never realize their potential, because they didn’t have access to the right resources at the right time.

    As mixed reality evolves the internet into an immersive medium, we’re ready to see a new generation of creatives unleashed upon the world. Our mission is to provide the tools and platforms to enable this to be possible.

    TribeXR DJ School is now available on Viveport and via Viveport Subscription. Start mixing today!

    Website: LINK

  • Viveport bursts through 600 subscription titles with launch of Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs

    Viveport bursts through 600 subscription titles with launch of Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Today, VIVEPORT Subscription hits a major milestone as we surpassed over 600 titles in the Subscription library. That’s tens of thousands of hours of captivating content to play and new worlds to explore! Starting with 50 titles at launch less than two years ago, our Subscription library has grown to include many of the best titles in VR.

    To celebrate the 600 milestone, we have some exciting news for Viveport subscribers! Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs launches today in Viveport Subscription and on Viveport, bringing bird and pig madness to VR for the first time. The new VR game is also available to purchase for $14.99. HTC VIVE and Oculus Rift owners can now experience Angry Birds for the first time in a fully immersive VR environment, bringing them into the franchise like never before.

    Initially launching with more than 50 levels of gameplay, fans of the incredibly popular franchise travel around a remote island where the infamous green pigs often vacation. Players bombard the island’s exotic beaches, steep cliffs, snowy slopes and party city to take on the green pigs, destroy their structures and retrieve the stolen eggs. The levels can be approached from different angles for the best accuracy, while players leverage classic gameplay elements to progress or strive for three stars on all rounds.

    When we looked back on 2018, we found that Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs is part of a growing trend on Viveport as 64% of all titles in the Subscription service launch in Subscription on day one of their Viveport launch. Out of the 600+ titles now available on Viveport Subscription, over 300 of them launched in 2018 while March was the busiest month with an impressive 41 new releases. We’re looking forward to playing all the new titles coming to Viveport in 2019 as our growing Subscription service becomes unlimited with Viveport Infinity launching this April.

    Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs joins the ranks of other popular titles in Subscription, including: A-Tech Cybernetic VR, The Wizards, Ready Player One: Elite Gunter Edition, Tilt Brush, Knockout League and Sairento VR Lite.

    Download Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs today for HTC VIVE and Oculus Rift on Viveport or start your free trial today to play it in Subscription. For more information on Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, make sure to read our interview with Resolution Games.

    There’s much more in store for Viveport Subscription in 2019. As always, we thank the developers who help deliver one of the best values in VR and our loyal subscribers who continue to play all the apps and games available on Viveport.

    Website: LINK

  • Feathers will fly as the mobile hit Angry Birds arrives on Viveport

    Feathers will fly as the mobile hit Angry Birds arrives on Viveport

    Reading Time: 8 minutes

    The global phenomenon Angry Birds from Rovio has been letting players fling disgruntled fowl at mischievous porcine foes for nearly a decade on mobile devices and game consoles. Now the developers at Resolution Games bring the addictive sling-shooting experience to VR with Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs, out now on Viveport and via Viveport Subscription. We spoke with the team behind this awesome addition to the Viveport Subscription library (for a total of 600 titles available to subscribers) to find out what went into bringing this modern classic to virtual reality.

    Interview by Nathan Allen Ortega, Viveport

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuX7DSa-rZE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    For those unfamiliar, tell us a bit about yourself and the team at Resolution Games

    The Angry Birds team is a small group within Resolution Games and we’re the youngest team in the company by age, so our colleagues always see an aura of optimism and energy around us. Our studio was one of the first to focus solely on creating experiences for VR platforms and it’s been really exciting to be in this space as it evolves and essentially paves the way for immersive gaming. That’s why our focus has been on creating both AR and VR games that everyone can enjoy, with gameplay, unique characters, social components and storylines that resonate with gamers and non-gamers alike.

    Talk a bit about how the idea of bringing Angry Birds to VR came to be

    We collaborated with Rovio on an AR game previously, but had to actually prototype that game in VR first. As soon as we had a playable build ready we knew that the IP and gameplay was perfect for VR. The characters are super engaging, the gameplay gets you moving around and who doesn’t like destroying things? Since then, we’ve been focused on making this come to life in VR.

    Tell us a bit about what it was like collaborating with Rovio to bring their beloved bird throwing pork smash-em-up Angry Birds to virtual reality

    Rovio is very passionate about the Angry Birds franchise, and collaborating with them has been truly inspiring. We have a great relationship and have really appreciated their support during the development process.

    Of course some of the game design was already set when we decided on making a slingshot game. We’d have Red and other well-known characters, as well as the well-known, physics-based gameplay. The challenge for us was how to transfer that into 3D, and not only that, a 3D game where the player can explore the levels in VR and shoot from different angles. After we made the first prototype, we saw that the classic Angry Birds gameplay transferred well to 3D and VR, while providing fans of the original game a whole new way to interact with it. Allowing the player to move locations throughout the game adds another dimension to gameplay. It’s been very exciting to help redefine how fans can engage with such a classic and beloved IP.

    What was the process like crafting original characters set in the immensely popular Angry Birds universe?

    The Angry Birds characters are legends in their own right, so this was an amazing opportunity for us to build on that and bring them to life in 3D. With VR, we can make them much more realistic for players and allow longtime fans to really engage with them one-on-one. For example, the birds interact and follow you throughout the game. They’ll wave, salute and encourage you as you play. We made sure to give every bird their own personal characteristics. For example, we added Bomb, the bird that explodes. It should be a welcome addition to the game for anyone who has played the original Angry Birds games. Everyone loves explosions, right? The same goes for the pigs, which are quite some characters. They’ll show a range of emotions; they laugh at you, taunt you, but also cower with fear when you’re shooting.

    How has your experience developing games for mobile and social platforms as well as AR influenced the creative direction of Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs?

    The company as a whole has vast experience from developing across several different game platforms and genre types. Our background comes from mobile, AAA and console games and with Resolution Games we’ve so far created games for all major VR platforms, mobile AR, head-mounted AR and more.

    Experience with mobile devices has helped us build knowledge about how to create an accessible experience that players can get into quickly and have fun, as well as the technical knowledge to make a game look and sound amazing. The Magic Leap AR game that we made served as the basis for the game design, but we took an entirely new approach with the VR version t and made it a game that would be unique to the specific platform. With AR we were able to really build out that 3D gameplay and take the physics of the game to a new level. And, with VR’s inherent sense of presence and immersion we could make that experience even more engaging.

    Were there any particular challenges in bringing the unique brand of slingshot focused arcade gameplay from the Angry Birds series to VR?

    Making a 3D version of a 2D game is not always a good idea, but from the very earliest prototype, we could tell that it would work.

    VR can be a challenge. Having your hands appear in a game makes it very intuitive to what you can do, but the game also has to meet those expectations. In Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, you hold the slingshot in one hand while you use the other hand to pull the rubber band backwards. This feels natural, but we had to tweak the visual and audio feedback quite a bit before we got it right. We also wanted to push users to move around the levels and look around for points of weakness so we integrated design elements to help guide that process.

    You previously developed Angry Birds: First Person Slingshot for AR. Could you speak a bit about your thoughts regarding the unique opportunities and challenges in developing for AR vs VR?

    We saw how well the gameplay worked in VR when we worked on the Magic Leap version. As we didn’t yet have a Magic Leap headset, the first version we made used a VR headset to simulate AR. So it was natural to make a VR version once we were done with the AR version.

    For the Magic Leap AR version, we discussed different ways we could use the Angry Birds characters, structures and the world in a way it could naturally fit in someone’s environment – like their room, a living room or kitchen even. We thought about it as something that would be tangible and right in front of you, but also a part of their environment. We then expanded on that thinking to include the limitless possibilities of augmented reality gameplay and visuals to give players an experience they could never have on a 2D screen or in the real world.

    VR, however, provides players a more immersive experience. Players are totally immersed in the Angry Birds world. To build a stunning environment that enhances the presence in VR is super important and was also a challenge for us. Another difference between AR and VR is the mobility. Our player research indicates players love to walk around in AR because they can see the real environment and know where they are. In VR, players get more concerned when they start moving around. In Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, we provide different teleportation points around the level to enable players’ movement through the large distance while players can also move in the small area around one teleportation point.

    Were there any particular features, ideas, levels etc that you wanted to work into the game that just didn’t find the right place and had to be left on the cutting room floor?

    We hope to bring more characters to the game since all the characters in the Angry Birds universe are unique and have their own personalities. We would also like to add more kinds of blocks and features in the level, like the gravity blocks, portals, umbrellas, etc. We’re also experimenting with other elements to make the gameplay much deeper and engaging and hope to continue building the game out further.

     Who’s your favorite bird? (there are no wrong answers haha)

    We started a poll in the team and Bomb became the favorite bird in the game. He has a cool voice and his ability to explode before, during or after impact is the most rewarding. He’s also fun and tends to cause the most destruction in the game.

    Have there been any particular bits of feedback from players so far that surprised you?

    Our players gave us a lot of nice feedback in our previous play tests, and we have iterated the gameplay based on that to make the game better. The most interesting feedback was given to us at the beginning of the project. At that time, players would shoot a bird to different teleportation points to teleport. We expected players to master the teleportation easily because of the same mechanics as the gameplay. However, most players thought it was not that intuitive because it’s not their direct reaction when it comes to teleporting and they were afraid of losing a bird. After we changed the mechanics to point and click, most of the players learned the action very quickly even without the tutorial. We love to listen to our players and look forward to garnering more insights once the game is released.

    How many people were on your team during the development, and how long did it take?

    This has been a true team effort and has involved a lot of people with different skills from the entire company. At least half of the studio has been involved in one way or another. We have a short development period for the VR version. In total, it took us about four months. But, we plan to put more months of work into adding new levels and gameplay ongoing.

    Could you share any hints as to what kind of exciting content is on the horizon for Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs?

    We’re experimenting with all kinds of ways to make this game more expansive and better. Stay tuned for more levels.

     What’s next for Resolution Games?

    A ton… but isn’t that what’s so exciting about this space? There’s more to come on the near horizon as far as creating more games for VR, AR and standalone. But more than that, we’re very interested in social VR and how we can create further game engagement through having players interact with each other. We’re also working towards other game genres. It’s all about experimenting with the platforms and technology to create the best games for players.

    Great to hear! We’ll definitely keep an eye out for what’s next from you and the team. Thank you for speaking to us!

    Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs is now available on Viveport and as part of Viveport Subscription.

    Website: LINK

  • A Look at VR in Medical and Nursing Student Training

    A Look at VR in Medical and Nursing Student Training

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    AUTHOR: Steven Anbro

    Virtual reality has enormous potential for both current and future research applications in science and medicine. The social sciences in particular stand to benefit from using virtual reality technology to conduct more accurate research, better measure specific phenomena, and collect valid, reportable data—all common challenges in various disciplines in the field. We in the Behavior Analysis Program at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) put the technology to the test in a recent study. Read on for a look at our challenges, our simulation, and our findings.

    Effectively Tackling Medical Errors and Miscommunication

    In recent years, medical errors—primarily errors attributed to miscommunication among medical teams—have received increased attention. The call for specific research into them is ever-present. One proposed solution to communication errors among medical teams is to begin training medical and nursing students together, rather than separately.

    Through our graduate program’s ongoing partnership with the UNR School of Medicine and the Orvis School of Nursing, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to help orchestrate interprofessional trainings for these future medical providers. As psychologists, we are always asking ourselves, “Is this training/intervention/procedure/etc. effective?” By taking advantage of virtual reality technology in pre- and post-training assessments, we can begin to answer that question.

    The Simulation

    Using an Insta360 Pro camera, we filmed a short 360° video simulation where a simulated pregnant mother (a fully-functional “SimMom” birthing mannequin) is having an unexpected complication: a pre-eclamptic seizure. Her doctor and nurse then work together to address the complication, while also directly addressing the viewer.

    Figure 1. The simulation used in the current study.

    The students viewing this simulation played the role of a “recorder” – someone tasked with confirming and repeating back critical information (medications used; dosage). This simulation was filmed with a number of opportunities for recorders to respond, out loud, to what they saw and heard.

    Figure 2. A research assistant orients a medical student to what they are seeing in the VIVE headset.

    We had over 100 medical and nursing students view this simulation through VIVE prior to any training as a “pre-test”. We measured how often they responded to the simulation and whether their responses were correct, contained any errors or missing pieces of information, or if they simply did not respond at all. A subset of these students (20%) used VIVE headsets with built-in Tobii eye tracking sensors to track what they were looking at in the simulation, how quickly, how often, and for how long.

    Figure 3. Medical and nursing students gather for their interprofessional communication training.

    We then brought all 100+ students together for an interprofessional team communication training (TeamSTEPPS®), followed by another round in VIVE (their “post-test”) approximately one week later

    What Did We Find, and Where is This Going?
    After their training, students across the board increased the number of times they responded out loud to the simulation, with relatively few errors or missing pieces of information. Our initial analysis of those students using the eye tracking headsets shows some slight variation between pre-test and post-test.

    At this point we can’t conclude whether this variation is beneficial or detrimental—more research needs to be done in this area. For instance, we can assess how experts perform in these simulations and compare their performance to student performance. Do the experts look at everything relatively equally, or are there certain elements within a particular setting that are more important to focus on? Taking advantage of the simulation and measurement capabilities of virtual reality technology will allow many questions in this line of work to be answered and will undoubtedly reveal many future opportunities for research.

    Interesting in learning more about research at The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine? Please visit: https://med.unr.edu/odi/research

    Website: LINK

  • Citrus blasting mayhem arrives to Viveport Arcades

    Citrus blasting mayhem arrives to Viveport Arcades

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Shooty Fruity released late in 2017 for the home HTC Vive headsets worldwide to critical and commercial acclaim.  Developed by nDreams, it features addictive multi-tasking shooter gameplay – a mash up of the likes of Space Pirate Trainer and Job Simulator but with an anarchic and juicy twist! Recently, nDreams brought their creation to VR arcades in an all new exclusive version. Here, the team take us through the creation purpose of this edition of the game.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3m8rLc4aFI?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Here at nDreams, we have spent the past 12 months carefully watching the VR Arcade sector grow from strength to strength and fast become one of the key areas of the VR market. However, from our extensive conversations with leaders in the field, we knew that if we were to bring Shooty Fruity to the arcades we would need to take a fresh look at how to make it as suitable as possible for what is very different to home VR – from different audiences and player behavior, to logistical set up, staffing considerations and business model.

    The original did the hard work…

    The first thing that became apparent is how the core elements of the game fit perfectly with things integral to the success of an arcade VR title.

    Firstly, Shooty Fruity has simple controls and intuitive actions, it’s addictive and fun with a real ‘just one more go’ feel… The simple shooting and scanning, along with a depth of mastery needed for shooting accuracy, multitasking, duel wielding and so on gives it a simple to learn yet hard to master feel, which is perfect for arcades.

    Additionally, an engaging and accessible premise is really important if you want to target a much wider audience beyond the home consumer. The humorous supermarkets-meet-guns and gratuitous-yet-juicy violence balance nicely between what appeals to adults and kids.

    Finally, the polished graphics, carefully balanced gunplay and a full games worth of guns, fruits and jobs gave us the breadth and production values that you see on many of the leading VR arcade titles.

    Despite all the strengths of the game there were clear areas where Shooty Fruity could be refined for arcade environments.

    How does that work for the arcade player?

    From our conversations with partners, there were three elements that kept coming up that were essential to finding success in VR arcades:

    1. Simple and immediate ‘onboarding’ for new and returning players. The staff room of the home version of the game is great for long play sessions, but not if you’re paying by the minute – you want to get in and be playing as quickly as possible.
    2. Scalable play sessions – even a 10 minute game should be fun, rewarding and self-contained. While individual rounds in the original game can range from a couple of minutes up to 10-15 minutes, it was designed to be played in longer sessions.
    3. Keeping players coming back again and again – the gameplay naturally had the depth to do this, but what else could encourage it?

    So, what did we do?

    We were confident there were design changes we could make that effectively addressed the above challenges, while retaining the strengths of the original title.  What resulted was an experience tailor-made for arcades with the following key additions:

    1. Simple instructions – onboarding takes less than 30 seconds and puts focus on the most important things – how to grab, how to shoot, what the objective is. No need for an attendee to set up, demonstrate or explain to the player!
    2. Branching arcade structure – across a roughly 10 minute play-through everyone plays three shifts with which ones you move onto being dictated by how you do. Getting your head around your first time in VR?  You’ll move onto more forgiving shifts.  A VR shooter pro on your 5th play-through? You’ll have the opportunity to play more complex and unforgiving levels.
    3. You want to play again and again – the branching structure isn’t the only reason to have that one more go, level challenges boost your high score and those high scores can be viewed in weekly, monthly and all time leaderboards, giving a reason to keep returning to try and top the boards.

    Test, test and test some more

    From feedback and data from our initial launch, we’re delighted with how this version has been received by partners and players. However, we see this as the first step along a long road for Shooty Fruity Arcade. The same feedback and data points to areas which can be expanded and refined over time to make an even more compelling experience for players to enjoy well into the future.

    Shooty Fruity is available now in both arcade and home versions on Viveport and via Viveport Subscription.  For more details about the game and nDreams’ future titles be sure to check out their Twitter.

    Website: LINK

  • Getting a new perspective on story with Tiny Bull Studio’s Blind

    Getting a new perspective on story with Tiny Bull Studio’s Blind

    Reading Time: 6 minutes

    Blind is a narrative-driven psychological thriller out now on Viveport and via Viveport Subscription that tasks players with navigating mysterious surroundings using unique echolocation. Goaded by a sinister and twisted force, you’ll explore a frightening mansion using sound alone, solving puzzles to uncover the mystery of your predicament. We spoke to the developers at Tiny Bull Studios to hear how they crafted this innovative experience.

    Interview by Nathan Allen Ortega, Viveport

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zHypU267Z8?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&w=730&h=411]

    Tell us a bit about yourself and the team at Tiny Bull Studios

    Hello, I’m Matteo Lana and I’m the CEO here at Tiny Bull Studios. We are an indie developer based in Turin created by myself and my partner in crime Rocco Luigi Tartaglia. We both studied Virtual Reality and Multimedia at Turin University and decided to go indie as soon as we got our master’s degrees. We started small, but now we have over 20 people working on our games. We strongly believe that games are a very powerful way to tell stories, to push people beyond what they know. We want them to experience something unique, capable of making them laugh and have fun, while leaving them with something to remember.

    Talk a bit about your previous experience developing content for VR and how it informed the direction of Blind

    When we started working on Blind, VR wasn’t really as popular as it is today. We’d never developed any other VR content before and we had to start from scratch while keeping up to date with how the hardware was changing. Now it’s easier to find resources about the VR world, but we had to take the difficult path making Blind. It was hard, sometimes even painful, but we also felt a great sense of satisfaction in the end and it’s because of Blind that we grew so much as a team.

    What were some of the biggest inspirations on the design of Blind?

    There are a lot of ideas that influenced the design of Blind. First of all, we wanted to deliver a powerful narrative, in which the player could get lost, slowly putting all pieces together. Games like Gone Home and The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter, TV shows like Twin Peaks and Braking Bad, and also movies like Psycho and classic Italian thrillers by Dario Argento had a big influence on us and on the way we decided to tell our story, to create Blind‘s atmosphere and mood. At the same time art nouveau and liberty architecture were fundamental in defining the visuals of the game. The puzzle design was inspired by games such as The Talos Principle, Portal and Myst, but we always kept trying to translate classic concepts into puzzles involving more sound and less visual clues.

    Blind is a really unique experience where players navigate a dangerous mansion while visually impaired, using echolocation to guide them. What kind of research did you and the team do in order to craft such an authentic, respectful and satisfying experience?

    We focused a lot in studying how echolocation works and it wasn’t easy to translate this kind of mechanic into a VR game. Our sound programmer and sound designer did a great job in creating a dynamic system capable of handling the complexity that emerges when someone is wearing a headset. It is important to remember that Blind is still a video game and not a simulator: which means that all the research we did was integrated with the narrative, the art and the design we developed for the game. All those parts contributed in creating the mood we wanted to deliver to the player in final experience.

    Were there any concepts, sequences or ideas that you wanted to work into the experience but just couldn’t find a way to make it fit?

    Absolutely! The development of Blind has been very fluid, as it started as something very different than the game we actually released…

    Over the years we kept adding, removing and changing features and concepts, until we got to where we are now, which probably still isn’t the end of Blind‘s journey, as we intend to keep improving it bit by bit until we finally feel it’s done!

    What have been some of the biggest challenges in developing Blind?

    The main challenge was that, when we started developing Blind, VR technology was way different compared to what we have now. Imagine plugging in your headset, opening your engine and finding out it can’t be recognized by the software. Having to set up everything manually and somehow making it work. It was not easy at all back then to work on VR software.

    The other challenge was defining how to use something as immersive as VR in order to make the player blind. In other words, how to bend the technology onto itself, exploring new possibilities.

    Last but not the least, the biggest challenge of all: funding. Making games as an indie developer is pretty hard. We were lucky to have the support of our publisher, Fellow Traveller. Without them this game would not even exist.

    Your previous title – Omen Exito: Plague – was a compelling choose your own adventure experience. Talk a bit about how crafting compelling stories for VR differs from more traditional forms of interactive narratives.

    Writers always say: “Show, don’t tell”. In how that relates to Blind, this could be translated in something like: “Immerse, don’t show”. From a philosophical standpoint, those are really similar concepts in different hardware contexts. What’s behind narrating a great story probably does not change that much between Omen Exitio and Blind. The difference dwells in the peculiar methodology you have to develop in order to grab the players’ attention, to evoke something that makes them part of your game, of the world you created for them. It is a thin line and you have to adapt constantly and keep on exploring new possibilities.

    What has the feedback been like from players who have experienced Blind? Were there any particular reactions that surprised you?

    Feedback has been mostly good for us so far. Players have enjoyed the game and found the experience compelling and unique in a way. The thing with feedback is that it is always useful and it makes you grow and it helps make your games better as time passes. We changed many things in Blind since it was shipped, we learned from our players, we watched them play the game on YouTube and we got a lot of love from the VR community.

    The best thing though is taking the game to conventions and events, watching people’s reaction when they take the headset off and their friends make fun of them because of how bad they were in moving around Blind‘s mansion.

    How many people were on the team throughout the development process? How long did it take to make?

    Developing Blind took 3 years of work. It was a long time, but we had a lot to learn and a lot of mistakes to make. More or less 50 people worked on the project during those 3 years. Some came and some left throughout development, few were there from start to finish, but all of them were pretty amazing.

    What do you ultimately want players to take away from their time with Blind?

    There are many things that we would like the player to take away from Blind, but the most important is an idea we have: the idea that there are endless possibilities in video games, endless worlds to be explored, endless stories to be experienced. Blind is one of those worlds, one of those stories made by some guys in Italy who believed this game was important and somehow different, who grew up with it without letting it go. Games we make as indie developers become a part of who we are. Not everyone has to like Blind, but we hope we were able to communicate the effort that we put into making this game and why we care so much about it.

    What’s next for Tiny Bull Studios?

    We are currently working on a new game and some more digital game books with some new amazing features. Hopefully it will take less than 3 years, but we are pretty confident that all the things we learned will help us in this regard. Blind was just the beginning!

    Thanks for chatting with us! We’re excited to see what you have cooking next.

    Blind is now available on Viveport and via Viveport Subscription. Not a member? Start your free trial today!

    Website: LINK

  • Breaking With Tradition: How adidas Improved Their Workflow With VR

    Breaking With Tradition: How adidas Improved Their Workflow With VR

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    It begins in a place like this, but not like this. Above, a virtual simulation of the auditorium, generated by The Wild in VIVE VR.

    It starts off in an auditorium, much like the above. Teams trickle into forward-facing seats, homed in on a soon-to-be-occupied podium and stage with a projection looming overhead. On the periphery: a barrage of posters showcasing new product concepts and campaigns—all stories set to be told at specific times in the selling season. Attendees are expected to be familiar with each and every one of them, even beforehand.

    Then, the selling season begins in earnest…with a thirty-minute deluge of information. With a speaker and slide accompaniment, the meeting resembles more of a traditional lecture than a collaborative meeting. The goal for the product merchandisers, trade marketers, and salespeople in attendance? Absorb and digest everything you can so it can be relayed to teams, queueing up a series of hand-offs.

    There are questions: Okay, what are we trying to sell? What messages are we attempting to convey about the product? How does this all fit into the year-long, non-stop stream of content and products adidas puts into the marketplace? But really, this isn’t the place for questions—there are notes to be taken.

    Apparent and Unapparent Problems

    Needless to say, the process outlined above—a common and traditional one employed by many, many teams—was inefficient. Bringing key stakeholders together almost always sounds like a good idea in theory, but the reality for adidas couldn’t have been more different.

    Despite a concerted effort to work more collaboratively, their advanced analytics team found that their process was leading to siloed decisions and complications regarding cost overrun, inefficient workflow, and process. Crucial information from these sessions was lost and consequentially, it resulted in a full-stop issue: inadequate products being delivered to wholesale partners.
    A Possible Solution

    With their old process, adidas found that the inspiration and reason behind why a product was created wasn’t always making its way into retail experiences. The old process was looking beyond repair; it was time to try something else entirely.

    Their vision: a single space for collaboration; a place where someone, say, in marketing communications could grab assets from a virtual library for a specific product for the year; simultaneously, someone else in merchandising could do the same for products curated by the design/product development teams for the story attempting to be built. Then, together, they could see the culmination of their efforts in a lifelike setting and catch flaws before it’s too late.

    Less second- and third-hand information. Fewer hand-offs. Fewer chances for errors. Everything all in one place, available in real time. Not a bad vision.
     

    The Test Run

    The simulated retail space/playground for adidas’s design, merchandising, and communication teams.
    Working with The Wild’s innovative virtual collaboration software on VIVE VR systems, adidas created an immersive workshop—a testing ground of sorts for stakeholders with complete information just a few room-scaled steps away.

    Essential to this experience was a simulated retail space. This allowed for design, merchandising, and communication teams to see how their story would translate to the real world and function across a range of scenarios—a crucial phase that often came much later in the original process.

    With the ability to conduct work in one collaborative space and the ability to assess, change, and then reassess in 3D—with no cost incurred beyond time spent—storytelling and product offerings came together far more quickly; the problem of information being lost in spatial translation now significantly reduced.

    Lessons Learned

    Adidas wasn’t afraid to look at a broken process and say we can do better. You can’t be if you know what’s at stake: if you miss the mark on product storytelling, you’ll miss the mark on customer experience and satisfaction. It will be a waste of resources for you and a disappointing experience for your customers.

    With VIVE VR and The Wild’s assistance, adidas now has a chance to fortify their informational loop, get projects right with minimized back-and-forth, and most importantly, uncover potential flaws well before it reaches the customer.  
     

    Read the original article over at The Wild: https://thewild.com/blog/virtualization-decisions-vr-ar-revolutionize-work

    Website: LINK

  • Two HTC VIVE Partner Experiences Premiere at Sundance 2019

    Two HTC VIVE Partner Experiences Premiere at Sundance 2019

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    VIVE is headed to Park City, Utah as the annual Sundance Film Festival kicks off, celebrating innovative storytellers and audiences. This year, two new experiences from Vive partners will be making their world premiere at the festival: Altas V’s Gloomy Eyes and Marshmallow Laser Feast’s Sweet Dreams.

    As VR and immersive tech have continued to become fixtures in film festival lineups in the past few years, Vive is thrilled to be supporting two pieces of content that are pushing the boundaries of storytelling and technology. Both experiences will be part of Sundance’s New Frontier at the Ray, where some of the best VR experiences, social VR platforms, mixed reality and location-based experiences being produced today are exhibited.

    Gloomy Eyes – 

    “In this exquisite VR experience, it is 1983 on a cold night in Woodland City, and being a zombie is still illegal. Like all of his kind, Gloomy is hiding in the forest, away from bounty hunters. The night is quiet, but Gloomy still tries to stay out of sight. He doesn’t feel comfortable around others of his kind. While bitterness plagues the city, he strives to find a balance in his mysterious dual nature.”

    Atlas V’s Gloomy Eyes is a three-part animated VR series directed by Jorge Tereso and Fernando Maldonado and narrated by Colin Farrell. The first episode will debut at Sundance, introducing viewers to the forbidden love story between a human girl and a zombie boy in a town where being a zombie is outlawed. 

    Sweet Dreams –  

    “Sweet Dreams is a contemporary allegory presented as a spatial drama wrapped in a sugar coating. You are invited to Luscious Delicious Land, a land of plenty which you navigate with all your senses. Lonny, a long-time inhabitant, is your guide. You see the world through her. Lonny’s tasted all the delights of this world, but in pursuit of ever greater thrills, she’s made some faux pas…  Take your seat at the table, listen to Lonny, and sample the delicacies of Luscious Delicious Land. Forget about the mistakes. You don’t have long in this world, so enjoy.”

    Marshmallow Laser Feast invites viewers to embark on an otherworldly dining experience that caters to all the senses. This location-based experience is a spatial drama, combining social VR, food, and AI in ways that create synesthetic experiences for audiences.

    If you’re at Sundance, you can find both experiences at the New Frontier at the Ray, shown from January 25th – February 2nd on the VIVE PRO.

    Website: LINK

  • HTC VIVE and New Reality Launch “Tree” on VIVEPORT to Fight Deforestation and Climate Change

    HTC VIVE and New Reality Launch “Tree” on VIVEPORT to Fight Deforestation and Climate Change

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Global Leaders Experience the “VR for Impact” Title at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland

    HTC VIVE’s “VR for Impact” initiative and New Reality Company today announced that the critically acclaimed virtual reality experience, Tree, is set to launch on Viveport on January 24th. The immersive VR project is currently being showcased at World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos this week to the leaders of global society on the HTC VIVE PRO with the VIVE Wireless Adapter. In addition, Viveport has pledged to donate funds for the first 1,000 purchases of Tree to the Rainforest Alliance to support its vital work to conserve the world’s most critically threatened tropical rainforests.  

    In Tree, users experience the Amazon from the point of view of a kapok tree. Viewers grow from a seedling to a mature tree soaring above the canopy line, their arms and body morphing into branches and trunk. The experience brings to light the harrowing realities of tropical deforestation, which is driven primarily by agricultural expansion and of generates more carbon emissions than the sum total of all the cars and trucks in the world. Tree was one of the first grant recipients of “VR for Impact” and has earned critical acclaim at prestigious events such as Sundance Film Festival. Starting January 24th, the first 1,000 VIVE and Oculus Rift owners who download Tree on VIVEPORT for $4.99 will be supporting proven strategies to conserve forests—the most effective climate technology known to humankind. Tree is also available to download via Viveport Subscription, members can now choose the title as one of their five monthly picks.

    “The magic with virtual reality is that it has the power create empathy and awareness around humankind’s most pressing problems in new immersive ways,” said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport. “New Reality’s Tree is a moving and illuminating experience that serves as an example of how we can use the immersive nature of virtual reality to shine a light on critical issues.”

    Tree

    “Virtual reality’s greatest capability is to tell powerful stories,” said Milica Zec, co-founder of New Reality. “Tree has been able to connect with viewers in an intimate way that has made climate change personal to them. We can’t wait for people at home to finally be able to experience this project for the first time,” said Winslow Porter, co-founder of New Reality.

    Originally launched by HTC VIVE at WEF in 2017, “VR for Impact” is an initiative 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 2018, HTC and WEF announced that WEF, in collaboration with a core group of VR/AR leaders and the UN, will drive the “VR for Impact” initiative going forward. As a core member of the group, HTC VIVE continues to design and create experiences as part of the collaborative, ongoing commitment to foster and champion the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality to educate and empower humanity.

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

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