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Play 'Fallout 4' in VR next year
Bethesda is building a version of Fallout 4 for the HTC Vive headset, and it'll be ready next year. "If you thought that survival mode was an intense way to experience Fallout", Bethesda marketing chief Pete Hines said at the company's E3 press conference, "you ain't seen nothing yet." The company is showing off a small section of gameplay at E3. It's also got Doom in VR, which offers "a virtual tour of hell." It sounds a lot like an environmental demo, rather than an actual game. We'll bring you impressions of both once we've had a chance to check them out.
The first 'Star Trek' VR game arrives this fall
If you're a Star Trek fan, the odds are that your dream game (outside of a Holodeck) involves helming a starship as if you were really on the bridge. Well, you're about to get your wish: Ubisoft has teased Star Trek: Bridge Crew, the sci-fi series' first-ever virtual reality game. The title is set in JJ Abrams' Star Trek universe, and has you taking on the captain, engineer, helm or tactical stations of the remarkably Enterprise-like starship Aegis as it resettles what's left of the Vulcan population. Think of it as a very sophisticated VR version of Spaceteam -- you have to coordinate with the rest of your crew to explore the galaxy and fight off enemies.
VTime lets you hang with friends in VR, whatever the hardware
As virtual reality goes more and more mainstream, there are still scant few options where you can just get your friends together and, you know... hang out in a VR world. Like, on the side of a cliff perhaps. Enter: vTime, which just rolled out an updated version for Gear VR, Google Cardboard and Oculus Rift.
HTC intros the Vive Business Edition for $1,200
HTC has just made a surprising reveal of a new version of a business version of its Vive VR headset. It's called the Vive Business Edition (BE), and you basically get the same headset and accessories (two Vive controllers, two base stations and four face cushions) as consumers. However, business buyers also get a dedicated customer support line and the option to buy more than one headset (right now, consumers sales are limited to a single device). For all that, you'll pay $1,200 in the US, or £849 in the UK and €1,080 in Europe -- a significant premium to the $799 consumer price.
HTC Vive now ships shortly after you order it
Buying an HTC Vive has been a time-consuming process. Even after it started shipping to customers, you technically had to pre-order the virtual reality headset and twiddle your thumbs waiting for it to arrive. Mercifully, you won't need much patience after today: HTC has announced that the Vive now ships within 2-3 business days of when you order it. You'll have to live in one of 24 countries, but it's otherwise as close to instant gratification as you'll get with high-end VR.
Computex 2016: It's a wrap!
Just like that, Computex 2016 has come to an end. As in previous years, the show kicked off with ASUS' big keynote presentation, but this time it wasn't just laptops, tablets and smartphones -- the company also unveiled its first home robot, Zenbo. We met up with Chairman Jonney Shih who gave us an exclusive demo of this $599 machine, so do check out our interview with him. We also saw Intel launch its first 10-core desktop processor geared towards hardcore gamers, followed by yet another exclusive interview -- this time with the company's new consumer head, Navin Shenoy.
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.
VR rowing turns a workout into a vacation
Playing VR games can be surprisingly good exercise -- ducking your head behind artificial barriers or waving your arms around to shoot enemy robots can work up a sweat. But what if you wanted a genuine workout? Well, VR fitness appears to be a rising trend, with several applications designed to alleviate the tedium of indoor gyms. Here at Computex, I tried out yet another VR fitness apparatus that had me rowing through a tropical oasis while burning calories at the same time.
HTC is working on its own VR game for Vive (updated)
HTC is cooking up a game of its own for the Vive virtual reality headset. Little is known about the title, other than its name -- Front Defense -- and that it'll be shown at the Computex conference in Taiwan next week. A quick translation of HTC's announcement describes a military shooter with "fierce fighting on the battlefield" and "classic" weaponry spanning pistols, rifles and anti-tank rockets. HTC has little experience as a game developer, so the announcement comes as a surprise. Given the Vive's competition -- which will soon include PlayStation VR and Google Daydream -- a new, exclusive title could help it to sway people still sitting on the fence.
Oculus' DRM could have unintentionally helped VR piracy
Oculus' recent software update that locked exclusive games to its hardware has already been circumvented. On Friday, Oculus implemented changes that -- among other things -- added "platform integrity checks." These checks disabled use of a popular tool called Revive that let Rift-only titles play on HTC's Vive. Over the weekend, the team behind Revive has released a new version that not only avoids Oculus' hardware check, it bypasses the part that confirms ownership of the software altogether -- raising concerns it could be used for piracy.
Oculus update stops you from using VR apps with HTC's Vive
HTC Vive and Oculus Rift owners generally have a lot in common, including access to many of the same apps and games. However, it looks like a gulf is opening up between the two virtual reality headsets. Oculus has released an app update whose improved "platform integrity checks" break support for Revive, an unofficial tool that lets Rift-specific apps (those in Oculus Home) run on HTC's gear. If you ask Revive's creators, they believe that Oculus is checking that its hardware is connected regardless of the app you're using -- previously, you only had to convince individual apps that there's a Rift attached.
HTC sales fell off a cliff over the past year
All is not well at HTC. It today posted another difficult earnings report detailing its fourth consecutive quarter of losses. The Taiwanese manufacturer, which has just released its latest flagship smartphone, the HTC 10, lost roughly $148 million between January 1st and March 31st. More worrying still is the drop in revenues when compared to 2015: HTC brought in 41.5 billion Taiwanese dollars this time last year (and broke even), versus 14.8 billion this year. That's a 64-percent drop in revenues.
Manus VR gloves add full-arm tracking to the HTC Vive
The Manus VR gloves were already impressive when we got our hands in them at the Game Developers Conference, but their latest feature promises an even more immersive experience. Using the HTC Vive and its motion controllers, the Manus system can track players' entire arms, bending elbows and all. The controllers strap onto players' wrists for full-arm positional tracking and the gloves allow them to articulate their fingers in the VR space.
A virtual reality game that's good for you and scientist-approved
It's fitting that the morning I first experienced Deep VR at the Tribeca Film Festival, billed by its creators as a meditative virtual-reality experience, I was already approaching peak anxiety levels. At 9:30 a.m., I was behind schedule (for reasons beyond my control) and huddled in a claustrophobic installation space made all the more overwhelming by various camera crews and the booming soundtrack of a heartbeat from the far corner. So when I first strapped the HTC Vive onto my head and a snug-fitting sensor around my diaphragm, I braced for the worst, assuming I'd be hit with a wicked bout of VR sickness. How wrong I was.
HTC Vive teardown shows it's even easier to fix than Oculus Rift
We've seen the iFixit folks tear apart the Oculus Rift, now they've taken their tools and relentless curiosity to the other big VR player, the HTC Vive. Both headsets are basically just complex containers for two OLED displays, but it's fascinating to see how the companies went about designing them. For example, while they both use fresnel lens designs (which allow for thinner lenses compared to early VR headsets), the Vive's approach relies on its eye relief mechanism to tweak focus, whereas the Rift's curved lenses requires you to move the headset higher or lower on your face for focus.
Mini review video: Our verdict on the HTC Vive in a minute
Without a doubt, the HTC Vive is the most immersive VR headset you can buy right now, but that doesn't mean we recommend it wholesale. Though the included motion controllers and whole-room option add a new dimension to the experience, we ultimately found that the Vive was both harder to set up and less comfortable to wear than its chief rival, the Oculus Rift. It's also more expensive than the Rift, which "only" costs $600, though once Oculus' touch controllers become available, the price gap should narrow somewhat. All told, it was difficult for us to choose a favorite, and indeed, the two headsets earned similar scores (82 for the Vive and 84 for the Rift). If you're thinking of buying one yourself, your purchasing decision will ultimately come down to what you value more: immersion or ergonomics.
At Tribeca, this little VR match girl put Penrose on the map
Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl, Allumette, the latest virtual reality short to come from Penrose Studios, isn't some Disney-fied experience for children. Though set in a whimsical, cloud-borne city and populated by charming and mute marionette-like denizens, the short -- named after the French word for "match" -- is actually a surprisingly mature allegory about love, loss and the sacrifices parents make for their children. It's but one piece of a greater interactive virtual world Penrose is creating.
You can buy the Vive at brick and mortar stores this summer
HTC announced on Friday that its new VR headset, the Vive, will be available for sale both online and off come this summer. The company is partnering with Microsoft Stores in the US and Canada -- as well as Gamestop, but that's only in America -- to sell the devices in their retail locations.
BMW uses the HTC Vive to design new vehicles
Since the Oculus Rift was first unveiled, it's been clear that virtual reality has applications beyond the home. One such use case is the automotive industry, where designers are constantly drawing, examining and comparing new ideas. BMW has been using the technology since the 1990s, and now it's adopting the consumer-ready HTC Vive. Staff will be using the headset to visualise new interiors and other physical features. Once they've been implemented in VR, designers will be able to simulate a city and test whether the driver has enough visibility behind the wheel.
'DOTA 2' VR spectator mode may be as exciting as playing the game
The next time you want to follow an eSports tourney, you might find yourself strapping on a virtual reality headset. Valve just teased a VR spectator mode for DOTA 2 (scroll down to the video above "you're not starting from scratch") that gives you more information than you're used to seeing during a MOBA match. The actual game is front and center, but look around and you'll see details of each team's heroes, a visually rich map and nice-to-know stats.
