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'Trinity' will be the first interactive VR sci-fi TV show
Virtual reality production studio UNLTD today revealed that it's working on the world's first interactive sci-fi TV show. Speaking at SXSW, the company announced the premise for Trinity- a show set in a future where humanity has long become extinct. With only a few surviving androids left on Earth, the story follows the robotic resistance as they take a stand against the all-powerful singularity threatening to destroy them. After speaking about the challenges of filming in VR, producer John Hamilton promises that Trinity will be an experience which allows 'viewers to move around an episode in a way that hasn't been seen before'. The live-action series will be split into five fifteen minute episodes and is to be released on all available virtual reality platforms.
Vive Studios' 'VR Sports' is exactly what it sounds like
The unmitigated phenomenon that was the Nintendo Wii had an everlasting effect on any medium with motion controllers: If you have hardware that can track hand movements, it needs to have its own "Wii Sports" game. Enter Vive Studios' latest virtual-reality game, VR Sports -- a lighthearted but surprisingly realistic-feeling ping-pong and tennis simulator. On March 15th, the game kicks off Vive Studios' spring lineup of VR games, which also includes a WWII defense shooter and a port of Sixaxis' virtual-reality CAD program.
HTC's Vive Tracker and Deluxe Audio Strap cost $100 each
HTC launched a pair of desirable accessories for its Vive VR headset at CES 2017 in Las Vegas last month, and now we know when they'll arrive and for how much. The Vive Tracker, a 3D tracking device that you can attach to your wrists or any objects you want to use in VR, will cost $100 (£100 in the UK) and arrive to developers only starting on March 27th. The Deluxe Audio Strap, which adds some much-needed comfort to the otherwise fabulous headset, will also cost $100 and £100 in the UK.
Valve's room-scale VR trackers will soon be sold separately
Valve has announced that it will soon be selling standalone SteamVR Tracking base stations directly. While you could previously order the tech from HTC, later this year, consumers and developers will be able to purchase the new and improved single-rotor tracking model from Valve's online store. With the current standalone tracking stations costing $130 from HTC, the Steam owner states that the move from a dual-rotor to single-rotor design could bring "rapid cost reductions," according to Road To VR. This suggests that the new tracking station may be significantly cheaper.
Google's VR painting app lands on the Oculus Rift
Tilt Brush, Google's virtual reality painting app, is available today on the Oculus Rift, complete with a few tweaks to make your 3D art take shape as naturally as possible. Tilt Brush landed on the HTC Vive in April 2016 and it's generated some awe-inspiring work.
Sony files patent for Vive-style PSVR tracking device
Sony is experimenting with its own Vive-style VR tracking device, according to a patent filing from June. The document hints at a tracker working similarly to HTC's current virtual reality tech. Functioning as an external projector, the device would use lights and mirrors to map the player's real world movements straight into PSVR. While Sony's VR offering currently uses a camera to detect light from the player's headset, the existing tracking limits users to an incredibly small space. With light often interfering with the PS4's camera, if this new tech makes it to production it could not only give gamers more mobility but also potentially provide a more accurate and immersive PSVR experience.
Valve is working on three 'full' VR games
Valve is still making video games! But they're probably, almost certainly not Half-Life 3 (I know it's hard, but we have to let it go.) During a media roundtable, Valve founder Gabe Newell confirmed that the company is working on three new titles for VR. Not just little experiments either, like the room-scale mini-game collection The Lab. Real, proper video games. "When I say we're building three games, we're building three full games, not experiments," he said, according to Eurogamer. Few other details were disclosed, such as whether the team was working on new or existing IP.
HTC's head of design is joining Google Daydream
It's a game of musical chairs lately in the VR world. On the same day that Xiaomi's Hugo Barra revealed he would head Facebook's Oculus VR division, HTC VP of Design Claude Zellweger tweeted that he's moving to Google's Daydream VR project. A reliable source tells Engadget that he actually departed last July, but stayed on during a grace period, much as former CEO Peter Chou did in 2015. Zellweger not only headed up the creation of the HTC Vive, he and One & Co. partner Scott Croyle were responsible for the design of the original HTC One smartphone.
Vive Video puts a personal home theater in HTC's VR headset
We've seen VR video theaters for Oculus and PlayStation VR, but now HTC has an upgrade in that department. Vive Video supports all kinds of media: 2D, 3D, 180-degree or full 360-degree, with options to make the environment as much of a realistic theater or distraction-free cinema as you'd like. Also, thanks to those positional sensors, wearers can move around in the surround videos and watch as it adapts to their perspective. Vive owners have already had the Vive Home Cinema app and any number of third party players to choose from, but this one looks a little more polished. The app is available in the Viveport app store, and comes with a teaser for the Invasion! 360-degree video.
'Knockout League' brings cartoony boxing to virtual reality
The Nintendo Switch has Arms and now the VR-minded folks at Grab Games and Vive Studios have dropped Knockout League onto Steam's Early Access label. The arcade-y boxing game's in-development version only has four cartoony pugilists for now, according to VentureBeat, but each one has a different fighting style. And some aren't even human. Like Sir Octopunch, a mustachioed octopus with a stance like an old timey English boxer. Sure!
Trump at 2AM: The new Oval Office in virtual reality
Donald Trump stands before me with a grim look on his face, lightly leaning against the Oval Office's Resolute desk. Moonlight pours in through the office's rear windows as a phone quietly rings. It's 2am, and something has happened -- and a new President holds the weight of the world on his shoulders. I'm looking at this surreal, frozen scene through the lens of an HTC Vive. It's a free virtual reality experience called "Wide Awake," and it tells a simple, concise story: no matter who Donald Trump was before or what you may have thought of him, he's now the guy who answers the phone when shit hits the fan.
HTC is readying a Vive-branded smartphone (update: not necessarily)
For weeks, HTC has been teasing a January 12th event that will show what it has in store "for U" in 2017. But just what does that cryptic clue mean? We might have a better idea. Well-known leaker Evan Blass has obtained a promo video (below) showcasing HTC's future smartphone efforts, and it's clear that the company is eager to try something different. Most of the clip centers on experiments with unusual phone designs, such as cloth or splashes of color. However, the most interesting part is toward the end: HTC briefly shows a Vive-branded phone, suggesting that the company wants to bank on the popularity of its virtual reality headset.
HTC's Vive Deluxe Audio Strap makes its VR headset more comfortable
Compared with Playstation VR and the Oculus Rift, HTC's Vive virtual reality headset is a bit of a face-hugger. It offers a window into beautiful virtual realms and boasts room-scale motion-tracking but, well, it's just not very comfortable. Soon, that may change. HTC just announced it's creating a Vive Deluxe Audio Strap to replace the headset's elastic headgear. Not only does the new strap look a lot more ergonomic, but it tacks on one of the Oculus Rift's most convenient features: built-in headphones.
HTC launches its own VR app and game studio for Vive
HTC spun its Vive VR business into a subsidiary back in June and today the company announced it's launching its own studio for VR app and game development. The appropriately named Vive Studios will release games that are developed in-house and by other companies in an effort to boost interest in its virtual reality gear. The first title from the new initiative is called Arcade Saga: a trio of games that shows off HTC's room-scale VR from the internal 2 Bears Studio.
HTC Vive can do wireless VR with this $220 add-on
HTC is opening up pre-orders for a $220 add-on that cuts the Vive's wires and transforms it into a wireless VR headset. The peripheral that clips onto the device was made by a company called TPCAST and was designed under the Vive X program. If you'll recall, HTC launched the program to invest $100 million into startups looking to build accessories for the Vive. According to the company's interview with UploadVR, there'll be no "noticeable difference" when you use the device, implying that it won't turn VR experiences into laggy nightmares. HTC even promises that it will "greatly improve" the overall Vive experience.
VRMark will tell you if your PC is ready for Virtual Reality
Oculus and Valve's own virtual reality compatibility tests will tell you if your PC is VR-ready, but how ready is a bit of a specification guessing game. Will you be able to run games at their maximum settings, or are you just going to scrape past virtual reality's minimum requirements? Futuremark's trying to make that question easier to answer with a new benchmarking suite designed specifically for virtual reality.
HTC wants to bring back the arcade for its VR gear
HTC's high-end VR gear is expensive and takes up a fair amount of space that most people simply don't have. That's why the company is hoping to bring back the old-fashioned arcade in the hope of giving more people access to the future of gaming. At a VR developer conference, HTC announced that two popular titles are coming to Viveport Arcade, it's licensing platform enabling titles to be played in public spaces. It's hoped that the program will pave the way for businesses to create "thousands" of new arcades by the end of 2017.
Game studios go all-out with Halloween events and sales
Game developers thrive on seasonal events, and that's truer than ever this Halloween. It's not just themed skins and game modes, although there are plenty of those -- there are some serious bargains to be had, whether you're a Steam veteran or just getting into virtual reality. Even PlayStation Now has some Halloween goodies. We've rounded up some of the spookier events and sales to make sure you don't miss out.
HTC's Vivepaper is a VR magazine stand
HTC has unveiled Vivepaper, an app that lets Vive users check out interactive, VR content from publishers like Conde Nast. After you don the headset and scan a physical AR booklet, you can peruse a virtual magazine and load up 360-degree videos, 3D content, audio and other content. The passthrough "Chaperone" camera enables augmented virtual reality (A-VR), letting you be in the virtual world and touch physical objects (the booklet) at the same time.
Valve's next VR hardware could be a wrist-mounted controller
If last week's Oculus Connect left you hungry for more news about virtual reality, maybe news of a new hardware out of Valve's Steam Dev Days will do the trick. Perhaps the biggest tidbit is that the PC gaming juggernaut is working on a new controller for the Vive headset. What's different from the current wand, according to TechCrunch, is the device will allow users to pick items up and put them down, all without letting go of the controller.
