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'Star Wars' VR experiment comes to HTC Vive on July 18th
You don't have to wait much longer to live out you dreams of wielding a lightsaber in virtual reality. HTC and Lucasfilm have revealed that Star Wars: Trials on Tatooine, their VR gaming experiment, will be available on July 18th through Steam. And it's free as long as you have an HTC Vive, so it won't cost more to role-play a Padawan. The no-cost move isn't surprising (this isn't an in-depth game), but it's welcome if you've been hoping to find a new showcase for your headset.
A 'Star Wars' VR experiment is coming soon to HTC Vive
Last year Industrial Light & Magic teased an HTC Vive VR tie-in experience (the old teaser clip is embedded after the break) to go along with The Force Awakens and to celebrate the launch of its ILM Experience Lab. Apparently its release was delayed along with the headset, but with the Vive due April 5th, it could be arrive at or near launch. Earlier this evening a short YouTube teaser for Star Wars: Trials on Tatooine appeared on the ILMVisualFX YouTube channel before going private, and it showed something that goes well beyond the Jakku Spy experience we saw last year for Google Cardboard. Update: The full trailer has been revealed at GDC, check it out here.
Your phone is a lightsaber in Google's desktop browser game
Since real lightsabers don't exist (yet), Google and the studios behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens are offering the next-best thing: A program that turns your smartphone into a lightsaber, which then takes out bad guys on your computer screen. Lightsaber Escape is live now -- open it in your desktop browser and then punch in the unique URL on your phone (or vice versa), and you're good to go. Your phone becomes a lightsaber handle and, as you move it around, the actual glowing sword moves on the desktop.
ILM's tools could let you direct your own 'Star Wars'
Whether you're familiar with the studio's name or not, you've definitely been touched (and likely gobsmacked) by the computer-generated imagery in one of the blockbuster films to get the Industrial Light and Magic treatment. From Jurassic Park (and its sequels) to the upcoming Disney-backed Star Wars films, the Lucasfilm-run powerhouse is one of the more visible and transformative visual effects forces in entertainment. Now, with a suite of virtual production tools, it's poised to change the way we experience not just film, but also storytelling with an iPad and a virtual reality headset.
Did you think 'The Avengers' finale was shot in New York? Think again (video)
Raymond Teller once said that the secret to fooling people is to put in so much more effort than the trick seems worth. It seems that the bods at Industrial Light and Magic followed his wisdom when concocting the effects for The Avengers. If you'd marveled at how seamless the team had blended shots of the Big Apple with the Chitauri invasion, then we've got a surprise for you -- almost none of it is real. Rather than shoot parts of the New York-based finale in the city (or any other city), the effects house created a 20-block "digital playground," complete with individually detailed office windows. Interested in learning just how much of those breathtaking set pieces were filmed in a green screen in New Mexico? Head on past the break.
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace returns to theaters in 3D February 10, 2012
It's time to mark your calendar Star Wars fans, whether you plan to be first in line to check out the new 3D-converted editions of each movie, protest their rerelease in a new format or just avoid the theater altogether now that The Phantom Menace has officially been slated to return next year on February 10th. The effects guys at Fox, Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic reckon the immersive visuals of each flick lend themselves to being viewed in 3D and the yearly releases of the movies should be good test of both whether a 3D conversion really is worthwhile and if audiences are interested in paying to watch it. Of course, there's also the alternative of just grabbing the Blu-ray discs (original trilogy only, if you so desire) skimming the Red Letter Media review and calling it a day, but we won't get pushy.
