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StarVR puts its developer headsets on hold amid financial woes
StarVR's headset plans are facing a serious setback. The company has confirmed to UploadVR that it's putting its StarVR One developer program "on hold" a month after starting sign-ups due to both problems with its "key overseas shareholder" and while it's in the midst of becoming a private company. One of StarVR's main stakeholders, Starbreeze, both filed for reconstruction (akin to bankruptcy) in Sweden and had to grapple with an arrest for insider trading. StarVR itself, meanwhile, has delisted itself from the Taipei Exchange Emerging Markets over concerns about the state of the VR industry.
StarVR's latest enterprise headset features built-in eye tracking
StarVR has a new virtual reality headset, dubbed the "One." We haven't heard from the company -- a collaboration between Swedish game developer Starbreeze and Acer -- since it was demoing its own The Walking Dead game back in 2015. Back then, what made its headset stand out from the crowd was its 210-degree field of view. If you're keeping track at home, that's over double what the Oculus Rift offers. The new headset promises the same impressive FOV, but with Tobii's eye-tracking technology baked in.
The best way to customize a supercar is in VR
To paraphrase Robin Williams, buying a $2.8 million supercar is God's way of telling you that you're making too much money. And yet there's a certain thrill in picking out the red leather trim that goes so well with a black carbon-fiber shell. Because that's what I picked to trick out the Pagani Huayra I could buy if I had Zuckerberg-level money. It's also the same way that members of the super rich will customize their own rides soon.
Starbreeze deal gives you more freedom to move in VR
If Starbreeze is going to get you wearing VR headsets in IMAX theaters and pods, it'll have to create a wow-inducing experience... and it might have taken one step closer toward that goal. The company has bought Nozon, a visual effects house whose recent breakthrough is an interactive parallax effect that gives you more freedom when watching computer-generated or 3D-scanned VR video. You ideally get quality closer to pre-rendered 3D, but the freedom to tilt your head and otherwise look around more naturally. You should feel more like you're present in a given scene, instead of staring at a giant video wall.
IMAX plans to bring virtual reality into theaters
In a move that we should have seen coming, IMAX announced that it'll be rolling out virtual reality experiences in multiplex theaters, malls and similar locations later this year. The news comes on the heels of Google's announcement yesterday that it's building a cinema-quality virtual reality camera with IMAX. Given that it's been delivering immersive theatrical experiences with giant screens for decades, it makes sense for IMAX to do something similar with smaller VR displays.
Acer will help Starbreeze make its VR headset
Starbreeze may be comparatively new to virtual reality headsets (and hardware in general), but it's getting some big allies in its corner. The Payday 2 game studio has revealed that Acer will help design, make and sell its theme park-oriented StarVR headset as part of a planned joint venture. Yes, the computer industry veteran is doing more than just making VR-ready PCs. While Starbreeze already has some help from outsiders (Toshiba is one of its partners), the alliance should give it a better shot at becoming a significant player in the VR world. And for Acer, this isn't just about entering an undiscovered country -- this and the company's existing mobile efforts are a hedge against a declining PC market. Update 6/25: The two sides have formalized their deal, and expect to ship the initial batch of VR headsets this year.
StarVR is a QHD headset with an ultra-wide field of view
Starbreeze, the game developer behind Payday 2, Syndicate and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, is getting into VR. The company has acquired hardware startup InfinitEye and is developing its prototype VR headset under a new name: StarVR. The device is unique because it offers a super-wide 210-degree field of view, which is more than double the 100 degrees found on the Oculus Rift. The headset also boasts two 5.5-inch Quad HD (2560x1440) displays, coupled with a fresnel lens design to give players an immersive VR experience. Motion tracking is handled with fiducial markers on the headset (not shown) and a combination of gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers.
505 Games acquires Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons IP for $500K
Starbreeze announced the sale of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons to 505 Games today in a deal worth $500,000. Starbreeze CEO Andersson Klint said the transaction represented his studio's "final transition to the digital strategy," following its recent efforts to push sales through digital distribution channels. The deal includes full rights to the game and intellectual property (IP). With Brothers, Swedish studio Starbreeze created a new IP that gained strong traction with critics and consumers alike. The story-driven puzzle platformer earned a spot in our top 10 of 2013 and went on to sell more than 800,000 units to date.
Payday 2 enlists its first woman gang member in new DLC
Murderous thieves though they may be, the masked crooks of Payday 2 are a progressive bunch and have hired a new female member going by the pseudonym "Clover" to join their heists, assuming you buy the game's newly-available character pack. Available on Steam and other digital distribution platforms for $5, the character pack introduces Clover alongside her unique mask and Shillelagh weapon - Clover is overtly Irish, in case the name didn't give it away - as well as the new Queen's Wrath assault rifle and an additional perk deck focused on breaking into things and accessing areas that are otherwise off limits. Payday 2 also receives a new mission today, dubbed "The Diamond Heist." In it, players will attempt to swipe the world's most famous diamond from a heavily guarded museum. Players are given the option to pre-plan the heist or just ad-lib the whole thing, and they'll do so in style thanks to four new masks "based on historical figures and myths of old." The Diamond Heist DLC features a price of $7. Beyond the break you'll find a trailer for the Diamond Heist narrated by Clover. It's not in-game footage, but it does set up ample reason to steal the precious mineral. [Image: 505 Games]
Whoa, Keanu Reeves is in Payday 2
Whoa. Keanu Reeves' character John Wick (of the new film, also called John Wick) is now playable in developer Starbreeze's Payday 2. The free DLC is the result of a partnership with Lionsgate, which also partnered with Devolver Digital back in August to create The Expendabros. "Lionsgate's entry into the game space is continuing to build momentum with the addition of another great partner and a tremendous piece of IP," Lionsgate President of Interactive Ventures & Games Peter Levin said in a press release. In addition to playing as John Wick, the DLC also offers a new perk system called Hitman, which includes the ability to dual-wield weapons, a Chimano Compact pistol with modification options, a knife and three pairs of sunglasses. If you don't already own Payday 2, you can score a free Steam code of the game when you purchase tickets to see John Wick via Fandango. Like ... whoa. [Image: 505 Games]
Payday 2's Hotline Miami DLC sounds terrifying
Payday 2 will receive a special piece of Hotline Miami-themed DLC on September 30, Overkill Software announced in a Steam community update. The collaboration between the developer and Hotline Miami creator Dennaton Games will feature at least one heist mission, though Overkill has not spelled out what other gruesome events will take place in the DLC, nor has it mentioned a price for the pack. The developer did offer a rather terrifying live-action trailer to announce the downloadable cross-over, found after the break. The sequel to Dennaton's graphic top-down shooter, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, will launch later this year. [Image: Overkill]
Payday developer reveals co-op Walking Dead game
Payday series developers Overkill Software and Starbreeze Studios revealed that they are working on a Walking Dead game of its own. The Walking Dead creator and Skybound Entertainment CEO Robert Kirkman said the new take on the zombie survival series is the "co-op game that all of the Walking Dead fans have been waiting for" in a Payday 2 Steam community update. Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson Klint said the developer "will bring The Walking Dead into the world of first-person shooter co-op games," and that it will be "gameplay focused, ferocious and bring chaos to the traditional industry model." While the developer did not specify the game's targeted platforms, it did mention that it will be powered by Starbreeze's Diesel engine, "updated for the next generation." It is expected to launch in 2016, which is when "Washington falls," according to the announcement trailer. [Image: Overkill]
Payday 2 scores 'Big Bank' with June 17 DLC
Come June 17, developer Starbreeze AB plans to launch the sixth DLC entry for its first-person crime simulator Payday 2, the aptly-titled "Big Bank Heist." According to Starbreeze, The Big Bank Heist is not only the largest, most complex Payday 2 heist to date, it also introduces a new contact character called "The Dentist," who is voiced by actor (and Breaking Bad's resident fried chicken/methamphetamine baron) Giancarlo Esposito. Additionally, the DLC introduces four new masks for the fashion-conscious criminal, as well as the ability to pre-plan heists before you dive into things, guns blazing. "The release of 'The Big Bank Heist' marks something truly special for us," wrote Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson Klint. "For our veteran players, the heist will feel extra special because it has everything that we love about the original game: a huge setting, an intense heist plan and plenty of replayability." When The Big Bank Heist debuts on June 17, it will feature a $7 price tag. As with all Payday 2 DLC, those who don't purchase the addition can still enjoy the new heist by joining a game hosted by someone who has. [Image: Starbreeze]
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons director on next project, those controls
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons director Josef Fares is working on a new project, but it isn't with developer Starbreeze. Speaking to Digital Spy during a roundtable interview, Fares said, "I can tell you this: If I tell you the idea now, you'd say, 'I haven't played something like this before.' I can't tell you more. But definitely something that hasn't been done before." Fares was speaking at last night's BAFTA awards in London, where Brothers won the gong for Best Innovation. We also caught up with the Lebanon-born director and asked when he came up with mapping control of one brother to the left analogue stick, and the other brother to the right one - an idea that probably contributed to Brothers winning its award. "It was the first day," Fares told Joystiq. "I had to fight so hard to make this game happen. So the first time I got the chance to make a demo, actually I was sat at my motel room and I came up with the concept and the actual story. I mean everything, how it starts, how it ends, how you control, that was all from day 1. Of course it changed during development, but trying to convince all the studios that this was gonna be awesome... "I'm quite known in Sweden for making movies, so people were like, 'You're a movie maker, you don't know anything about games.' But eventually I convinced them. I've worked on this game two years, it's been a real passion project for me." We're glad he convinced them, too: The PS3, Xbox 360, and PC game scored third place in our Best of 2013 awards, with Mike Suzsek calling its emotional adventure "a true rarity, as it places the gravity of its compact story right in your hands." [Image: Starbreeze Studios]
Starbreeze: Payday 2 DLC plans expanded, Brothers 'finally' making money
Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson-Klint announced plans to expand DLC offerings for the developer's multiplayer co-op FPS Payday 2, citing a financial turnaround in a recent earnings report. "To put the past six months in perspective, I would like to highlight that Starbreeze historically, from 1998 to June 2013, accumulated a total loss of SEK 94 million ($14.43 million)," Andersson-Klint explained. "Thanks to our new business model, reorganization and a focus on our own brands, we have - in only two quarters - generated a profit before tax of SEK 104 million ($15.97 million). I would like to think that is what they call a turnaround." Andersson-Klint announced that Starbreeze signed a new agreement with publisher 505 Games, allowing the developer to produce additional Payday 2 content over the next two years. The report states: "The new improved contract, worth 6 million U.S. dollars, gives us the security to, for the next 20 months, focus on developing and refining Payday 2 so that it becomes the best co-operative gaming experience available on the market, with many more add-on packages and other exciting events planned." Andersson-Klint also delivered good news regarding Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, noting that the critically acclaimed adventure game "has finally begun to generate royalty income for the company." Brothers ranked in at #3 in Joystiq's list of last year's best games. The PC version of Payday 2 was updated today with a new batch of free content, adding the Death Wish difficulty, new enemy types, and four new masks. [Image: Starbreeze]
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons free on PS Plus starting tomorrow
Starbreeze's inventive teamwork-based puzzle-platformer, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, heads up this week's PlayStation Plus lineup in North America, and will be available as a free download for members starting tomorrow. Brothers stars a pair of siblings who must work together and solve environmental puzzles as they search for medicine for their sick father. The game boasts a unique control scheme that maps each brother to an analog stick, while the controller's shoulder buttons provide context-sensitive action. Think of it as Ico meets The Adventures of Cookie & Cream. Brothers (also known as Bros: A Tale of Two Dudes) ranked in at #3 in Joystiq's editor-chosen list of 2013's best games. PlayStation Plus members also receive access to a selection of exclusive price drops starting tomorrow, including discounts for Sound Shapes, Rock Band Blitz, and Retro/Grade.
Payday 2 'Charlie Santa' Heist DLC drops in time for the holidays
Payday 2 on Steam will receive a free bit of festive DLC on Monday, December 16. The free "Charlie Santa" Heist mission, which sees Payday 2's four crooks busting into a custom bank map, can go one of two ways: you can quickly hunt down the two key cards necessary to break into the vault, bag the cash and get out; or, if things go pear-shaped and you must drill into the vault, you can set up some lift cages on the roof and have your pilot swoop in and skyhook the packaged cash. The "Charlie Santa" Heist DLC also features some festive St. Nick masks for those who are part of the official Steam community group for the game, plus a new scope to unlock, courtesy of Gage the weapons dealer. Finally, there are some new achievements to unlock, including one where you have to neatly package four dead bodies and place them under the bank's Christmas tree. Nobody wants to unwrap that on Christmas morning!
Payday 2 sells 1.58 million copies, 80 percent through digital
Payday 2, the sequel to Overkill's 2011 game Payday: The Heist, has sold 1.58 million copies across all platforms. Just 20 percent of the game's sales came through retail channels, while the rest were through digital platforms like Steam, Xbox Live and PSN. The sales for Payday 2 were enough to land it a spot in the NPD's top ten sales list for August. Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson-Klint said in early August that the game turned a profit just six days before it launched, so things are certainly looking up for the developer.
Vin Diesel describes upcoming Chronicles of Riddick game as being an MMO
If you can't get enough of media wherein Vin Diesel is a man who can see in the dark... well, he's got a movie out in theaters now. You should probably go and see that. But maybe you don't care about the films, preferring the games that sit alongside the series that have been the subject of critical praise. According to Diesel, another one is coming and it's going to be an MMO. Exactly what Diesel means by that is up for interpretation; what he cites is simply a top-level concept, which could mean anything from an online component to a fully featured shared space. He describes it as focusing on the mercenary trade in the fictional universe and allowing players a chance to interact with a larger scope of the game world. Apparently he's been talking up this aspect of the game since July, but somehow the rest of us were still in the dark.
PSA: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons travels to Steam, PSN today
Starbreeze Studios' touching fantasy adventure Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is now available on PC via Steam and on PSN. The game was originally released as an Xbox 360 Summer of Arcade title on August 7. Joystiq's Editor-in-Chief Ludwig Kietzmann was quite taken with the game, saying in his review that "Brothers exudes a truly earned charm in its warm fairytale world, which is sometimes comical, sometimes gory, and even disconcertingly grim." Brothers concerns two brothers (shocker!) who embark on a quest to find a cure for their ailing father. It's worth nothing that the Steam version of Brothers requires a controller to play. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions do as well, but that's not worth noting.
