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Sony's early VR headset prototypes looked pretty silly
Head-mounted display, movement sensors.... done. Sony Computer Entertainment's Shuhei Yoshida says that the company's been working on its Project Morpheus VR hardware for over three years and it's fair to say it's come a long way: the early model above features three Move controller modules, attached in what could be described as the Mickey Mouse formation. It's somehow cute, but also hilarious.The luminous pearl-finish headset revealed on stage is apparently still nowhere near complete, although SCE appear to have taken on board some of the design cues of Sony's existing head-mounted display series. There's more pictures after the break, with Yoshida himself channelling some Star Gladiator vibes with two different prototypes.
Sony's new VR headset being shown at GDC 2014 with playable demos of EVE Valkyrie, Thief
What's a virtual reality headset without software? Nothing -- and Sony knows it, which is why the company is treating GDC attendees to four demos on the conference show floor, starting tomorrow morning. Some of them are familiar: when EVE: Valkyrie was announced as a playable demo, Sony's GDC audience erupted into cheers and applause. Gamers stopping by Sony's booth will also get a chance to play a special build of Thief created specifically for virtual reality. Although these traditional gaming experiences are likely to steal the show, Sony's also trotting out two demos that sound more passive: The Deep and The Castle, which lets players experience a shark-infested lagoon and a medieval fortress, respectively. So, how do these games play? We'll let you know as soon as the GDC show floor opens tomorrow.
'Project Morpheus' is Sony's virtual reality headset for the PlayStation 4
The rumors are true: Sony's working on virtual reality. The hardware is called "Project Morpheus" and it's headed to the PlayStation 4. The headset is two pieces: a closed display and what looks like a PlayStation Move sensor built in. SCE Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida unveiled it on-stage tonight at GDC 2014; he said the "prototype" is "by no means final." It's the culmination of over three years of work, Yoshida said, and the prototype unveiled tonight will also double as a dev kit. As seen above, a subtle PlayStation-themed blue light is emitted by Morpheus. A single wire can be seen exiting the unit on-stage; apparently carrying both an HDMI and USB connection. Sony's clearly drinking the VR Kool-Aid: there's serious talk about "presence" on-stage (the term Valve coined as the target for "true VR"). What are the specs in the headset? It's got a 1080p display and just over a 90-degree field of view. There's positional head tracking, a 3-meter working volume with full 360-degree tracking that works with the PlayStation Camera, and games can recognize the PS Move controller as a virtual object. In terms of audio, the device has "true spatial sound" using binaural audio -- pretty neat! It's also apparently "highly adjustable" and supports custom headphones if you'd prefer your own audio choice (it plugs right into the headset). Head below for more!
Live from PlayStation's 'Driving the Future of Innovation' panel (the VR one)
What is the "Future of Innovation"? Sony's gonna tell us tonight, but we're pretty sure we can tell you what it is right now: bacon-scented alarm clocks. Oh, right, the future of innovation is also the rumored virtual reality headset from Sony's PlayStation team. At least we're pretty sure that's the case, both based on the rumor mill and our own cabal of sources on the ground here at GDC 2014. We'll certainly find out soon enough, as the event kicks off shortly. Stick around, as we're starting shortly. Update: It's all over folks! Check out the details on Sony's Project Morpheus VR headset right here. March 18, 2014 8:45:00 PM EDT
Unity 5 game engine brings advanced lighting, physics and audio effects to mobile, PC and now the web
At the Game Developers Conference, or for those in the know: GDC, we got a taste of the new Unity 5 game engine. For most of you, a new engine doesn't mean much, but in the hands of the right people, it can mean more beautiful and realistic games. Unity, which powers any number popular titles, especially on the mobile front, is getting a host of new features for version five. Most notably is a new physics-based shader system and integration of Geomerics Enlighten illumination tools -- that means more realistic lighting and shadows as well as console-caliber visual effects. The engine's audio pipeline has also been rebuilt from the ground up for better performance and more flexibility when it comes to mixing sound and adding effects. But perhaps the biggest addition is early access to WebGL support, which means you'll be able to build titles that work on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, OS X, Windows, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, WiiU and any modern web browser. As an example, Unity will be demoing Dead Trigger 2 running on WebGL at their booth at GDC.
Imagination's new graphics tech brings realistic lighting to mobile games
Even the prettiest mobile games tend to look a bit ugly, with simple lighting effects that remind you that you're not using a more powerful console or PC. If Imagination Technologies has its way, though, those pocket-sized games will be truer to life. Its newly unveiled Wizard architecture brings ray tracing, a technique that calculates the path of every light beam in a 3D scene, to the company's PowerVR mobile graphics cores. You can see the resulting visual boost in the picture above: every light casts a shadow, glass is more realistic and reflections accurately portray the surrounding world. The first core to use Wizard is the high-end GR6500, which companies can license for their mobile processors. Imagination hasn't named customers, but we'd note that Apple and Intel are among two of its clients -- don't be surprised if your next iPhone or Windows tablet is a graphics powerhouse.
Oculus VR exits first virtual reality collective
Just five days ago we told you about the Immersive Technology Alliance, a group of companies that are working on virtual reality coming together to support the burgeoning medium. At the time, we told you that Oculus VR -- the company behind the Oculus Rift -- was part of the group. That said, the announcement was notoriously missing any official statement from the Oculus folks. As it turns out, that's because Oculus VR isn't actually part of the group. Oculus offered Engadget this statement: "There was confusion on March 13 about whether Oculus was a member of the Immersive Technology Alliance. We've spoken with the ITA's leadership and clarified that we are not, and have not been, a member of the group. We appreciate the ITA moving so quickly to correct their website and media to reflect this." We've checked with the other members of the group, many of which responded to confirm their participation in the ITA, including EA and Technical Illusions. During the group's first meeting today at GDC 2014, ITA Executive Director Neil Schneider kicked things off with a lengthy response to Oculus dropping support, heavily tinged with passive-aggressive criticism.
This is the week virtual reality goes wide
After attending the first day of the annual Game Developers Conference, the only games I played were in virtual reality. In the following four days, many, many more VR experiences will happen. Some will be good, some will be great, some will be not-so-great. One thing's for sure: when this week's over, the VR landscape will look very different.
Google helps devs create cross-platform Android and iOS multiplayer games
The annual Game Developers Conference descends on San Francisco this week, and Google's wasting no time in sharing its news. For gamers, Mountain View's said it'll be launching a "game gifts" service for sending in-game swag to other players, and increasing the number of game categories in the Play store to 18 in the hope you'll stumble upon titles you might like easier. More important, however, is what devs can do with the new features of Google Play game services, a back-end tool for managing leaderboards, achievements and more in Android, iOS or web games. Multiplayer support has been added for iOS games, and via an update to the Unity plug-in, cross-platform multiplayer between Android and iOS devices is now possible. These features have to be implemented by developers, of course, but next time you see that friend who's always arguing the merits of one mobile OS over another, you might just be able to settle the discussion in-game instead. Update: A new version of Google Play services is rolling out to support the new features. Version 4.3 supports the new gifts feature, as well as tie-ins to Google's recently updated Drive API for storage.
Kinect and Unreal Engine 4 power Alzheimer's and dementia care project (video)
Sure, virtual reality and browser-based games are impressive, but Unreal Engine 4's latest use is a bit more noble: improving the lives of Alzheimer's and dementia patients. The Forest Project uses the game engine, smart TVs and Microsoft's Kinect 2 tech in an attempt to create a temporary reprieve for those suffering from the cognitive diseases via an interactive, virtual woodland. There's also a virtual dementia simulation that aims to help caregivers understand first-hand how their patients see the world, possibly improving care as a result. Should the dev team reach its crowdfunding goal, the arboreal environment could be just the beginning, with beach or Christmas-themed environments hinted as possible expansions. Opaque Multimedia and Alzheimer's Australia Vic need a fraction of what many modern game budgets command to bring The Forest Project to multiple platforms in early 2015 -- $82,000 (AU$90,000). Other details are scarce, but seeing that the team is in San Francisco for this week's Game Developer's Conference, we may hear more as the show progresses.
Sony could show off its long-rumored VR headset at GDC next week
The appearance of Oculus Rift on the scene has done a great deal to increase the potential of VR, but new rumors indicate Sony is going to show off a headset of its own. Sony launched several head mounted displays (including the HMZ-T3W shown above), but so far hasn't released units with VR capabilities despite years of interest in the technology. Edge-Online cites unnamed developer sources claiming Sony will bring "Oculus Rift-beating" hardware to the Game Developers Conference 2014 next week, along with software developed by one of its first party studios. President of SCE studios Shuhei Yoshida, senior software engineer Anton Mikhailov and senior director Richard Marks are all scheduled to participate in a "Driving the Future of Innovation" panel where, according to the rumors, the device will be shown off. We've seen impressive gaming demos from Oculus including EVE: Valkyrie, but Sony brings significantly more resources and potentially developer support -- whatever it shows, we will be on the ground in San Francisco to get our hands and if necessary, faces, on it.
Microsoft teases DirectX 12 reveal for GDC, rumors pit it against AMD's Mantle
That death knell AMD has been ringing for DirectX? Microsoft's having none of it. The software giant is now teasing the next version of the Windows graphics API, inviting developers to join it at GDC for the official reveal of DirectX 12. The splash page reveals little besides the version's numeric and announcement time, but it does feature partner logos for Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia and, of course, AMD. AMD's disdain for the platform helped birth Project Mantle -- a competing API that gives developers lower-level access (and as a result, more leverage over) PC graphics hardware. One of Microsoft's GDC sessions suggest that something similar is in the works for its own development platform: "You asked us to bring you even closer to the metal... ...so that you can squeeze every last drop of performance out of your PC, tablet, phone and console," reads the description for one of the firms DirectX presentations. "Come learn our plans to deliver." It sure sounds similar, and indeed, it meshes well with recent rumors. Sources close to ExtremeTech say that while the two APIs will have different implementations, both should offer the same benefits. They also say that Microsoft's "close to the metal" lower-level access API is a relatively new project in Redmond, meaning it probably won't muscle in on Mantle's territory until sometime next year. Between that, and the fact that Microsoft has recently taken to limiting Direct X upgrades to Windows upgrades, it's possible that we might not see DirectX 12 in access until we're installing Windows 9.
