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Formula E drivers battled simulator pros in a million-dollar e-race
With $1 million on the line, cheering crowds and drivers from the likes of McLaren and Ferrari, the inaugural Visa Vegas e-race did a good job of conveying at least some of the spectacle of a physical motor rally. Held on the final day of CES 2017, the competition saw 30 competitors take to the tracks in a race that was streamed on Twitch, with a live audience numbering in the hundreds. The spectators, a mix of fans and corporate sponsors, cheered, winced and applauded the challengers, which included 20 professional Formula E racers and the world's 10 best simulator drivers.
'World Rally Championship 6' in VR is full of off-road rage
Virtual reality makes everything better, right? Not so fast. I got a chance to play World Rally Championship 6 with an Oculus Rift and a bucking, hydraulic-powered racing rig with a steering wheel and pedals. As you'll see in the video above, I spun out a ton and caught the VR sickness that's been going around. That's because with all the spinning I was doing, my eyes saw it, but my body didn't feel like it was doing 360s. The result was me feeling sweaty and queasy after pulling the headset off. Oh, and I swore an awful lot too. Sorry Mom and Dad.
Birdly and HTC Vive let you fly like a bird over Manhattan
Nope, we're not quite done yet with the HTC Vive demos at Computex. In addition to the three VR titles we tried yesterday, there was one more that we managed to hop onto after the show floor cleared. Yes, it was that popular. Birdly is a full-body simulator ride that uses multi-hinged flaps and motion feedback to give you a taste of flying like a bird. Better yet, there's a fan in front of the user to simulate headwind which gives you a better sense of flying speed. The visuals and head-tracking are offered by an HTC Vive, which allowed me to enjoy a nice bird's eye view while gently flapping my way through the skyscrapers in Manhattan. Well, I say gently, but it got intense once I started climbing my way back up -- it's definitely a fun alternative to working out in the gym.
NASA gets new Dragon capsule training simulators this year
With both the SpaceX Dragon and Starliner modules just a few years from their maiden launches, NASA has already started training the crews that will operate them. To that end, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Eric Boe recently spent some time at Boeing's St. Louis facility trying out a pair of the company's brand new part-task training simulators for the CST-100 Starliner.
Meet Krush's 360-degree VR vomit comet
You know those firms that are famous for making one thing, but also have some wacky projects on the side? Krush is one such outfit, which is most commonly known for its video chat platform, ooVoo, and various other social and dating apps. Despite this, the the firm has rolled up to CES with the Moveo, a VR flight simulator that offers 360-degrees of unfettered motion. A user straps themselves in while wearing an Oculus Rift, and uses a joystick in the cockpit to zoom around the galaxy in a virtual spaceship.
Step inside NASA's astronaut training simulators
To honor past orbital pioneers and future planetary explorers, we look at some of the simulators and mockups that real astronauts used in preparation for launching themselves off this blue orb and into the well-studied, yet unpredictable vastness of space.
The adorable 'Kerbal Space Program' will land on Xbox One
Kerbal Space Program's cute little green engineers are coming to Xbox One. Much like the PlayStation 4 version that was announced in June, there isn't a release date listed for the spaceship-building sim on Xbox. But considering the latter has an Early Access-like program of its own we could theoretically see it on Microsoft's latest console before it hits the PS4. Maybe. The port's being handled by mobile-focused developer Flying Tiger, which original developer Squad says will allow them to keep a keen focus on the game's PC version. As Squad tells it, Flying Tiger has helped immensely in the process of upgrading the game to run on the Unity 5 engine and has "deeply simplified Kerbal's upgrade process. Flying Tiger's resume isn't what you'd call impressive, but hey neither was Rocksteady's prior to Batman: Arkham Asylum -- we all know how that turned out. [Image credit: K.G.23/Flickr]
OptiShot2 is a fun golf sim that also improves your game
If you have creeping doubts about your golf game, there's a $500 sim that lets you swing real clubs in your house. Yep, your pets and furniture will need to make way for the OptiShot2, which gives you online play, simulated championship courses and instant practice feedback. You hook it up to a Mac or PC, download the software and swing away. The infrared sensors accurately track your swing while the simulated courses and online competition add a gaming-like fun factor. But $500 is a lot of money for a video game and sensor, so I want more than just fun; I also want to get better. Luckily, the OptiShot delivers both of those things.
'Madden'-simulated Super Bowl match predicted the winner... and exact score
Pundits schmundits. Give us a console and an annually rehashed sports game series and we'll do the rest. Possibly. EA's Super Bowl simulation, which ran on Madden 15 last week, pegged the New England Patriots to win, coming from behind to clinch it 28-24 against the Seattle Seahawks. Which is exactly what happened in real life last night, with the Patriots trailing in same third quarter. While this year's prediction might be particularly uncanny, Madden has now picked the winner in eight out of the last 10 Super Bowls. However, some may still prefer the shock and awe of Breaking Madden in comparison to more straight-laced sims.
Toyota's VR driving simulator teaches teens to focus on the road
You can tell people that distracted driving is bad and make laws preventing it, but that won't necessarily make the dangers sink in. Toyota thinks it has a way to convey the risks to impressionable minds, however. Its new TeenDrive365 education initiative includes an Oculus Rift-powered virtual reality simulator that challenges both teens and parents to keep their eyes on the road despite a horde of distractions, ranging from text messages to talkative friends in the back seats. As you'd guess, the VR is meant to produce a more realistic experience -- it's more tempting to look down at your imaginary phone than it would be if you were staring at a regular screen.
GAME's festive shopping simulator is equal parts hilarious and awful
It's safe to say Goat Simulator has become a cherished part of video game culture. Now GAME is hoping to tap into some of that indie magic with a parody simulation title of its own. It's called Christmas Shopper Simulator and, well, it's a bit rubbish. The game dumps your rag-doll character in a generic British shopping centre, filled with pun-riddled shops such as "Scroungeland" and "Texas Raincoat Massacre." Sprint to the top floor and you'll even find an "Amazombie" store with the slogan "powered by a heartless algorithm." There are missions and barmy achievements to complete, but GAME knows you'll probably have more fun hurling presents at unsuspecting shoppers and generally running riot. That's why it's a free download for PC and Mac, meaning you can save your hard-earned cash for a proper video game this Christmas.
Humble Weekly Simulators 2: Universe Sandbox, Tropico 4
Simulator games aren't ways to escape reality – they exist to make real life better. Did you always want to be a train conductor, only to find that plan derailed by the demands of money and opportunity? Simulators have you covered. Do you wish you were a cat? Done. Now all your dreams are true, and they're part of your real life. The Humble Weekly Bundle: Simulators 2 offer live now has three tiers of games that mimic reality: First, for any price you wish, there's Universe Sandbox, Out of the Park Baseball 14, and Cook, Serve, Delicious. For $6 or more, add Turbo Dismount and Tropico 4: Steam Special Edition. $10 or more gets you Euro Truck Simulator 2 plus the Fantasy Paint Jobs Pack, which is exclusive to the bundle. Purchases this week benefit the Electronic Frontier Foundation and The American Red Cross.
Fly like a bird with this VR-powered, scent-emitting machine
Current technology and human anatomy may prevent you from soaring like a bird in real life, but a team at the Zurich University of the Arts may just have the next best thing. Their Birdly machine lets you flap your way through the air much like the Red Kite it's modeled after. Motors translate your hand movements to the virtual avian's wings, and an Oculus Rift VR headset gives you an all-too-literal bird's eye view of the scenery -- you probably won't want to look down very often.
Fight manager sim Title Bout Championship Boxing 2013 out on iPad, Android
Boxing management sim Title Bout Championship Boxing 2013 is now available on iPad and Android via the Google Play store. Title Bout 2013 launched on PC, Mac and Linux in June 2013, one month after Out of the Park Developments sold the series to PISD, an independent company that provides OOTP with development libraries used for Out of the Park Baseball. Title Bout 2013 has players simulating boxing matches, setting up tournaments, training sessions and more in a management simulation/text-adventure-style interface. Much like OOTP Baseball and Sports Interactive's Football Manager series, Title Bout 2013 features a huge database of real-life athletes, sporting over 8,000 fighter records. The management sim is said to be nearly the same on iOS and Android as it is on PC, though it's priced at a moderate $1.99 compared to the current $9.99 price for two PC licenses on the game's site. Title Bout Championship Boxing has a lengthy history, as it began as a tabletop game created by brothers Jim and Tom Trunzo in the late 1970's, later seeing DOS-based text simulation TKO Boxing in 1990. Comp-U-Sport created Title Fight 2001, a brand later sold to OOTP Developments, which launched Title Bout Championship Boxing 2 and version 2.5 in 2005 and 2008, respectively.
DevJuice: A real-world lesson in why you must test on-device
Dave Caolo's daughter has been working hard on a school report regarding the Everglades National Park. So he downloaded a nice-looking iPad app on the subject for her. Swiping around it looked great. And then he tapped on a video. This is what happened. In the TUAW back channel, we scratched our heads, trying to brainstorm any reason for an app to directly link to a YouTube video that didn't support mobile. The best we could come up with was this: we figure that the developer never tested the video on an actual iOS device. But then we tested this theory by trying out the video URL on the iPhone simulator. It didn't work there either. So probably the developer never tested the video at all. That said, although the simulator looks like an iPhone, it never provides a perfect representation of the physical and computation abilities of device deployment. Sometimes, it may reflect a Mac reality over an iOS one. So if you specifically provide a video as part of your app, you should really make sure that it plays back within that app, and not just on the simulator. We'd also recommend that you control the rights and distribution of any material that's fundamental and essential to the app in question. That addresses the problem of another video used within the app. It said: "YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated due to copyright violations." Oh, excellent.
Costco UK selling full-size F1 simulator for just £90,000
Costco UK is selling an FMCG International F1 racing simulator for £89,999.89 (including delivery and installation!), or $138,338.83, which is still significantly cheaper than owning an actual Formula 1 car. We also assume it's probably a tiny bit safer and easier to maintain, but that's just a hunch. The body is available in "your own choice of colour" and is made out of various combinations of composite materials, alloys and carbon fiber, with real wheels, tyres, chromed-out exhaust tips and everything. There's no engine or transmission, obviously, but it does come with one of those totally awesome detachable steering wheels. The gaming portion of the rig is powered by an Intel Core i7, an SSD of unknown capacity, 16 gigs of RAM and a non-specified graphics card outputting to three 23-inch adjustable TFT monitors. Meanwhile, sweet jams are pumped through a 5.1 audio system into both the car's body and your body, since the subwoofer is located directly behind the driver's seat.
Out of the Park Baseball gets updated for the new season
Spring is here in the US. My Cubs are losing, and that must mean it's finally time for baseball season! MLB's official At Bat app is already out in the App Store if you want to listen to the real thing, but if you would rather have your pitching and hitting simulated, Out of the Park Baseball has you covered. The revered baseball sim's iOS version has already been updated with the 2013 roster, and the Mac version is set to get updated on April 15. Out of the Park Baseball is a great game for baseball fans, but of course it's all about the managing and simulation. If you want to actually play the game directly, it's probably not what you're looking for. For that, you'll have to wait. There are a few baseball games out on the App Store, but they're either not full action baseball games or they're not yet updated with the 2013 rosters. MLB 13: The Show has received solid reviews on the PS3, but considering that the game's made by Sony, there's not likely to be a version on the App Store anytime soon. So OotP may be the way to go for your baseball simulation, and then you can get your hitting and pitching practice in by actually going outside. Play ball!
Do you dream of a World of Warcraft simulator?
Years ago, before vanilla WoW became vanilla WoW, a friend of mine made the passing comment, "If only I ran as much as my night elf. I'd be in amazing shape." I've been dreaming about a World of Warcraft simulator ever since. Mind you, I'd suffer the fate of Pheidippides if I ran a fraction of what my night elf runs (I'm a terrible long-distance runner), but I suppose that's what makes the idea of a WoW simulator so appealing. Of course you'd be awful when you first started, but over time you could expect to get better. In my overly optimistic imagination, I saw hardcore raiders becoming sculpted athletes, sprinting from left to right to avoid boss abilities. But in the absence of a holodeck or some other form of simulated reality, is a WoW simulator even feasible? I got my first look at an answer in 2010, when researchers at the USC Institute of Creative Technologies released a video demonstration of their Flexible Action and Articulate Skeleton Toolkit (FAAST). The middleware toolkit allows motion control to be integrated into games without existing motion control support, by translating gestures into mouse and keyboard inputs. In the demonstration video, a Microsoft Kinect is used to control a mage running around Dustwallow Marsh. Awesome, right?
TMU's virtual body simulates most senses from the comfort of your seat (video)
A lot of virtual reality, quite simply, isn't. It replicates the visuals and sounds, but not much else. Tokyo Metropolitan University's Ikei Laboratory is taking a shot at filling in more of the experience with a new exhibition. Its virtual body seat goes beyond a 3D screen and headphones to include vibrating foot pedals, for recreating the ground, as well as a fan that both produces wind and wafts scents. The demonstrator is currently being used to impress guests with the scents of a Milanese market or the rush of an Usain Bolt sprint, but it could eventually serve a practical purpose for some of the population: TMU sees its chair replacing an environment for those who can't be there in person. About all that's missing is taste, although we don't really need to lick our virtual worlds. Yet.
Mozilla launches Firefox OS Simulator 1.0 into the wild, alongside per-window private browsing for nightlies
We knew it was en route, and now developers anxious to try out potential apps for Firefox OS can finally get to cracking without the need to source any additional hardware. The 1.0 build of the Firefox OS Simulator enables devs to test their programs for the outfit's new mobile OS without having to find a compatible phone. Mozilla's calling this a "preview" for now -- given that Firefox OS itself is still in development -- but it's still an exciting launch for those who've been waiting patiently to get their code dirty. Moreover, the company is bringing per-window private browsing to Firefox, though it's being reserved for the experimental Nightly versions of Firefox until it's stable enough to hit the release channels. Head on over to the source links for more, or pop past the break for a video demonstration.
