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Valve uses 'Portal' robots to find out if your PC is VR-ready
In mere months we'll finally have two of the "big three" virtual reality headsets out in the market. While your bank account might be more than capable of writing the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift pre-order checks, can your PC's performance actually cash them? Valve has a test for that. The SteamVR Performance Test is just over two minutes long and takes place in a Portal-inspired non-interactive testing facility. Naturally.
Wevr: The virtual reality studio you need to know
It's pronounced "weaver." And you might not be familiar with it now, but the LA-based virtual reality outfit is quietly positioning itself as the backbone of the industry. With one foot firmly planted in the production side of the business (the studio's recent slate includes Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue) and the other in distribution, Wevr is primed for the impending mainstreamification of virtual reality. So when the public eventually goes gaga over VR goggles, Wevr will be right there, ready to deliver that content.
VR is better when virtual objects feel real
For all the amazing experiences virtual reality enables (the illusion of flight, the exhaustion of exercise and even the emotional fatigue of trauma), it still has one major flaw: Virtual objects are intangible and have no physicality. If you want to walk through a wall, the game can't stop you. If you try to lean on a table, you'll probably fall down. It's a limitation of first-generation VR technology I'd grown to accept -- at least until I played Survios' Raw Data, a game that tricked me into pretending its completely virtual objects were real.
Tribeca Film Festival wants to normalize VR for the masses
Genna Terranova wants virtual reality to feel "commonplace." That is, she wants to make it normal. Terranova, who serves as the director of the Tribeca Film Festival, thinks now is the time to break VR out of its headline-stealing sideshow and make it accessible to the general public. And with a mix of 23 VR exhibits and installations planned for the fest's upcoming slate this April in New York, she's on track to do just that. "Yes, the Gear [VR] is out there and Oculus [Rift] is coming, but it's still a bit rarefied as far as the general public goes," says Terranova. "So we want to create a place where people can really explore this and not feel intimidated by it. But also create a space where you can experience these individual pieces and then have conversations about them."
Create VR experiences within VR itself using Unreal Engine
Epic Games has been teasing "the future of VR development" recently, and the team is finally ready to tell everyone what that is: Creating virtual reality content within virtual reality itself, using the full version of its Unreal Engine 4. Epic cofounder Tim Sweeney says that while the company's been supporting the likes of the Oculus Rift from the outset, the irony is that, up to this point, the experiences we've seen so far have been developed using the same tools as traditional video games. "Now you can go into VR, have the entire Unreal editor functioning and do it live," he says. "It almost gives you god-like powers to manipulate the world."
I'm too out of shape for virtual reality
My knees and thighs ached. If my left shoulder moved more than half a foot out of its neutral position, it lit on fire. Breathing deeply made my back seize with stabbing waves of pain. My pride was hurt most of all. My physical ailments weren't the result of visiting the gym or training for a marathon -- they were the fallout of one afternoon of playing full-body virtual reality video games. Holy crap, am I out of shape.
Virtual reality support for 'The Witness' sounds shaky
Your brain might be sore from The Witness' puzzles but you won't have to worry about motion sickness from playing it in another format on your PlayStation 4. We've confirmed with developer Jonathan Blow that the gorgeous brain-bender won't be making its way to PlayStation VR; there are no plans for it "at this time." The game was simply in development for far too long (possibly even before Sony had a working Project Morpheus prototype) and Blow has said that to support Sony's VR headset, the game would had to have been designed for it from the outset.
These SteamVR games will make or break virtual reality
In one month, the HTC Vive will be available for pre-order, giving consumers a chance to buy the first room-scale virtual reality system with full head and hand motion tracking. It sounds great, but what are you going to play with it? Valve knew you were going to ask that -- which is why it hosted the SteamVR Developer Showcase in Seattle this week. In all, the company showcased twelve games that stood out as some of the best VR experiences Vive owners can have in 2016. Better still? There's not a bad egg in the bunch -- I've played all of them, and I already want to play all of them again.
For VR to be truly immersive, it needs convincing sound to match
I'm staring at a large iron door in a dimly lit room. "Hey," a voice says, somewhere on my right. "Hey buddy, you there?" It's a heavily masked humanoid. He proceeds to tell me that my sensory equipment is down and will need to be fixed. Seconds later, the heavy door groans. A second humanoid leads the way into the spaceship where my suit will be repaired.
Thorpe Park unveils VR ghost train designed by Derren Brown
VR headsets have matured to the point where some of the UK's biggest theme parks now want to integrate them into their next rides. Alton Towers announced a VR rollercoaster last week and today Thorpe Park has unveiled its own plans for a VR ghost train. Designed by mentalist Derren Brown, the attraction promises "grand-scale illusions" using a mixture of live-action, 4D special effects and "next generation technology." That last descriptor is important because, buried at the bottom of a press release, the company explains that this is a reference to the HTC Vive.
HTC Vive pre-orders open February 29th
If you've been jonesing to try HTC's room-focused take on virtual reality, the Vive, you won't have to wait long to plunk down some cash. Following a tease late last year, HTC has confirmed that pre-orders for its VR headset will begin on February 29th. There's still no mention of the price you'll pay when the device ships in April, although the recent Oculus Rift sticker shock is a reminder that the Vive probably won't come cheap. And we'd add that the biggest obstacle isn't necessarily the cost. For this to work, you'll need both a sufficiently beefy PC and a room large enough to wander through virtual worlds. If you have the funds and free space, though, you now have a firm date to put on your calendar.
Fox pushes virtual reality to the limit with 30 minutes on Mars
I wasn't prepared for The Martian VR Experience. All I'd known before sitting down in a padded seat in a near-pitch-black booth, tucked away in the Library bar at Vegas' Marquee nightclub, was that I'd be enveloped in virtual reality for up to 30 minutes. And I was worried about that. Bad virtual reality -- VR that lasted up to two minutes -- has sidelined me in the past, leaving a lingering nausea I'd prefer to never revisit. But by going all in with its first commercial experience, 20th Century Fox has made an expensive bet that pays off: It's created comfortable long-form VR.
Pinball Labs wants to bring the pool hall experience to VR
Early adopters of the soon-to-arrive Oculus Rift and HTC Vive virtual reality headsets are going to need games, and what better way to waste time than a few rounds of pinball? Thomas Kadlec, the developer of the Star Trek Voyager Bridge VR experience is trying to round up Kickstarter funds for Pinball Labs, a pinball simulator that will let you design and play your own games. Built with Unreal Engine 4, games will have realistic physics, a built-in table editor and custom user settings. They'll be playable in VR on Vive and Oculus Rift, in desktop mode for PCs and on virtual, multi-monitor cabinets.
The brain hacks that make climbing in VR feel real
When I talk to friends and family about VR, their most pressing questions are usually about immersion. Once they've finished asking about the possibility of vomiting, the conversation turns to: "And how real does it feel?" "Do you believe you're really there?" Truth be told, I've never had that sensation -- a complete and utter submission of my senses -- although developers are getting better at tricking my brain for a few fleeting moments.
HTC will launch its Vive VR headsets in April 2016
It doesn't sound like HTC will be able to make a limited number of Vive VR headsets available for purchase by the end of 2015, as it once told Engadget. But at least it now has a set date for the device's commercial release: April 2016. In a blog/social media post detailing the device's timeline, HTC said that it's hosting a developer conference in Beijing on December 18th and launching a second-gen dev kit before the masses can start buying the headset. It also plans to distribute 7,000 units to developers in early 2016 and taking the product of its partnership with Valve on a demo tour at a number of key events, such as The Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, GDC and MWC. Bottom line is that the headset will finally come out next year, likely a bit after the consumer version of Oculus Rift becomes available -- good luck to your poor, poor wallets.
Explore the surfaces of planets in 'Elite: Dangerous' beta
The expansion pack for Elite: Dangerous, the one that lets you go planetside and explore the surface of places like Europa, is out now. Sort of. The Horizons Planetary Landings beta, teased in a video released last week, does exactly what it says assuming you've pre-ordered Horizons itself. Everyone else needs to wait for the official release sometime before year's end. Driving the all-new Surface Recon Vehicle, players can discover signals, crashed ships and mineral deposits, vastly expanding the range of gameplay. Creator David Braben recently showed off the expansion in a demo (below), and said that certain features, like textures and frame rates, might still have issues.
Watch Disney Animation legend behind Aladdin and Ariel draw in VR
Chances are Glen Keane has made an impact on you. As an animator at Disney, he brought to life iconic characters like Aladdin, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, and everyone's favorite furry grump, Beast from Beauty and the Beast. But after spending nearly four decades at the house of Mickey Mouse, Keane left in 2012 to explore new ways to bring animation to life. His first stop was at Motorola's (now Google's) Advanced Technology group, where he developed the interactive animated short Duet (accessible as part of the Spotlight Stories app). But his next experiment is even more exciting: drawing in virtual reality. That's the subject of a new short, Step Into the Page, created for the upcoming Future of Storytelling Summit.
Expect a 'limited number' of HTC Vive VR headsets this year
According to HTC, reports that the commercial launch of its Vive virtual reality headset is delayed until next year aren't telling the whole story. The company provided a statement to Engadget saying "We'll have a limited number of units by the end of the year, with more to come in Q1 2016." It seems unlikely there will be enough to satisfy all potential buyers of the "first complete VR system" it's making with Valve's help, but there's still a chance you could get one, and developers have had access for a while. The Vive headset is coming to PAX Prime in Seattle with demos like Fantastic Contraption -- once we know more about when you can have one we'll let you know.
US Open exhibit pits you against Maria Sharapova in VR
From real-time match updates to performance analytics and the Hawk-Eye, the US Open has been upping its technology quotient over the last few years. This year the two-week grand slam tournament is opening its hard courts to virtual reality with the "You vs. Sharapova" experience. If you have a ticket to watch the live action at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, you can swing by one of the three VR stations and strap on an HTC Vive to be Maria Sharapova's opponent.
These are the wireless controllers you'll use with the HTC Vive
HTC's virtual reality headset, the Vive, blew us away when we first tried it at MWC 2015. Back then, however, the company was using wired, 3D-printed controllers, which made the experience slightly cumbersome -- considering that you're expected to move around a dark room "blindfolded." Thankfully, HTC has already put together a wireless pair for developers; each one features motion-tracking sensors, a trigger button, digital touchpad and a design that's very reminiscent of the Wii's nunchuks. Now, these controllers are still in their prototype stage, but they should give you an idea of what's coming when the HTC Vive consumer edition launches.Question for you: In terms of ergonomics, do you prefer this set or the Oculus Touch?
