Blog Central: March 2020

Tuesday 31 March 2020

New Oculus TV Series Shines A Light On The Transgender Community

Oculus releases ‘Authentically Us’ in celebration of International Transgender Day of Visibility.

Just three months into 2020 and Oculus TV is already crushing it with its selection of captivating 360 and VR180 content. This past February saw the release of Everest VR, a jaw-dropping VR docuseries featuring some of the most stunning 360-degree footage we’ve ever seen.

Earlier this month, Oculus teamed up with popular internet duo The Slow Mo Guys on an eight-part series featuring everything from fire breathing and katana slicing to powder paint airbag explosions, all of which captured in super slow motion. Today, Oculus continued its winning streak with the release of the eye-opening VR for Good series, Authentically Us.

Available now on Oculus Quest and Oculus Go, Authentically Us shines a light on members of the LGBTQ community who often go unrecognized by the media. Developed in collaboration with Oculus VR for Good, Fovrth Studios, and Pride Foundation, the three-part series takes viewers into the homes and lives of three different individuals from Idaho, Montana, and Oregon.

“We designed Authentically Us on Oculus to help bring transgender people in our communities into our homes and lives, to see our common humanity and move toward understanding and acceptance,” says filmmaker Jesse (Jesus) Ayala in an official Oculus blog. “The COVID-19 pandemic is a great opportunity for people to understand the importance of community.”

According to Oculus:

We’re Still Here tells the story of Aiden Crawford, a Two-Spirit artist and historian in Boise, Idaho, as he struggles to preserve and revive his heritage.
She Flies By Her Own Wings follows veteran Shannon Scott as she urges for freedom and justice for all.
A Treasured Stat” introduces Acton Seibel, a transgender person of color working in a traditionally masculine industry as a mechanic.

“The stories together show why transgender people should be able to live and work anywhere safely,” continues Ayala. “They also show how transgender people have always been a part of our communities. The stories we tell come from states where LGBTQ communities are rarely depicted in media: Idaho, Montana, and Oregon.”

“As the United States comes together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic with many federal and state governments stepping up to defend all their residents, it saddens me that the Idaho state legislature has passed not one, but a series of anti-transgender bills targeting the transgender community in a time of heightened vulnerability.”

I had the chance to check out She Flies By Her Own Wings while attending the Tribeca Film Festival and was genuinely moved by the piece. Shannon’s courage in the face of adversity as she continued her fight for transgender rights throughout Washington D.C. was inspiring to watch.

All three episodes of Authentically Us are available now on Oculus TV.

Feature Image Credit: Oculus, Facebook

The post New Oculus TV Series Shines A Light On The Transgender Community appeared first on VRScout.

By: Kyle Melnick
Title: New Oculus TV Series Shines A Light On The Transgender Community
Sourced From: vrscout.com/news/oculus-tv-authentically-us-transgender-series/
Published Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 23:48:06 +0000

Lies Beneath Out Today for Oculus Quest, 10min Gameplay Video Inside

Now is most certainly the season for new titles on Oculus Quest with Down the Rabbit Hole, The Room VR: A Dark Matter and Covert arriving. For those who like their virtual reality (VR) experiences with a few more scares and gore, Drifter Entertainment has now released Lies Beneath for the standalone headset.

Lies Beneath

With an eye-catching visual style similar to that of vintage comic books and some nasty looking monsters Lies Beneath tells the tale of Mae, a college student returning to the sleepy town of Slumber, Alaska with her father. An accident occurs and they become separated, so Mae needs must fight to save her father, encountering the terrifying townsfolk and creepy creatures infecting her hometown.

Only revealed a few weeks ago, Lies Beneath offers players a heart-pounding experience where they can use an assortment of weapons to survive. From ranged weapons including shotguns and pistols to knives and spears for close combat, players will be able to dual wield their arsenal for maximum damage. Like any good horror Lies Beneath can get a little dark and creepy so players also come equipped with a lighter to illuminate those corners – plus it comes in useful when lighting checkpoint lanterns and fires which can heal.

If you want to delve a little deeper into the narrative Drifter Entertainment has created two pseudo websites dedicated to Slumber. The first is a tourist style ‘Visit Slumber, Alaska‘ site with a nice version about its history while the second takes a far darker turn by the Slumber Historical Society.

Lies Beneath

Available now on the Oculus Store for Oculus Quest, retailing for £22.99 GBP, take a look at VRFocus’ initial gameplay video ahead of our review. Lies Beneath will also be coming to Oculus Rift shortly, scheduled to arrive on 14th April. For all the latest Oculus Quest news and reviews, keep reading VRFocus.

By: Peter Graham
Title: Lies Beneath Out Today for Oculus Quest, 10min Gameplay Video Inside
Sourced From: www.vrfocus.com/2020/03/lies-beneath-out-today-for-oculus-quest-10min-gameplay-video-inside/
Published Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 22:00:27 +0000

Grapple Shooter Swarm Coming to Oculus Quest and PC VR Headsets Summer 2020

Grapple mechanics aren’t often used in virtual reality (VR) as they can be tricky to pull off comfortably, the most well known being Psytec Games’ Windlands series. Today, indie developer Greensky Games has announced its take on this dynamic locomotion mechanic, Swarm, combining with first-person shooter (FPS) gameplay.

Swarm

Instantly striking thanks to cel-shaded graphics which have that Borderlands 2 VR feel to them, Swarm is built around frantic arcade action. Set in arenas filled with platforms to swing from, the gameplay showcased in the video below looks like players will be challenged to take on a succession of boss fights, dealing with one primary enemy as well as smaller drones and other minions.

Players will be able to nip around arenas using grappling hooks from either hand whilst being able to dual wield two pistols. Other weapons do pop up including rocket launchers for crowd control and a gun which fires electricity.

On the subject of all that swinging around in VR, Peter Le Bek, founder of Greensky Games said in a statement: “You know, after we finished prototyping the grappling mechanic, before there were enemies, we were having so much fun just swinging around, but we were really worried that the movement would be too intense for most people. So when we tested with everyone in our office – most of whom had never tried VR before – we were really surprised that no one complained about motion sickness.

“And Swarm’s now been tested by hundreds of VR veterans and newbies alike, we haven’t had one complaint about nausea. Just to be safe we added comfort settings, but Swarm can be played without the fear of motion sickness.”

Swarm

“From the start we were focused on building something where you can jump in for a 10-20 minute session and make progress,” Le Bek continues. “We also wanted to build a game with an incredible motion mechanic. We’d been enjoying grappling in Windlands and we felt like grappling in VR could feel even better.

“We spent 4 months iterating on grappling, and had a breakthrough when we gave the rope some elasticity and tension simulation – suddenly it felt like we had more control and power, more like Spider-Man. From there we considered building a 3D platformer, or a racing game, but we settled on the arena shooter because swinging through explosions and plunging down on enemies while shooting them was just ridiculously fun!”

Swarm is currently slated for a Summer 2020 release supporting Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift and SteamVR compatible headsets and it’ll feature cross-buy support on the Oculus Store. As further updates for Swarm are revealed VRFocus will keep you updated.

By: Peter Graham
Title: Grapple Shooter Swarm Coming to Oculus Quest and PC VR Headsets Summer 2020
Sourced From: www.vrfocus.com/2020/03/grapple-shooter-swarm-coming-to-oculus-quest-and-pc-vr-headsets-summer-2020/
Published Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 18:34:50 +0000

VR Launch Title Headmaster Getting ‘Lost Lessons’ DLC, Physical Release

Nearly four years on from its launch on PSVR (and subsequent releases on PC VR), Headmaster is getting its first DLC.

Called The Lost Lessons, the DLC will be arriving on all platforms this April. As the name implies, the pack will feature 10 new missions that explore new ideas not previously seen in the original game. The developer says that these are some of the game’s most “outrageous” challenges. There’s also an advanced Party Mode level to complement the update the game got late last year. You can get a brief look at what’s included in the tweet below.

We are thrilled to announce that our first ever DLC expansion, Headmaster: The Lost Lessons, is coming to PSVR and PC this April! Watch the trailer now: pic.twitter.com/kT7LOW2NQp

— Headmaster (@HeadmasterGame) March 20, 2020

Headmaster presents a novel use of VR headsets, getting you to headbutt soccer balls at targets. The headset’s tracking makes for the perfect controller to do that with, but developer Frame Interactive also dresses up the experience with a strangely deep story mode.

Elsewhere, Headmaster is getting a physical release on PSVR via Perp Games. The Extra Time Edition, as it’s called, will feature both the Party Mode update and this new DLC. That’s arriving on June 5. The DLC on its own will cost $7.99 with a 10% discount available at launch. Headmaster costs $19.99 on the PlayStation Store so the physical version may come in around that price.

We thought Headmaster was quite fun when it first released on PSVR, though the novelty of the experience could wear off quickly. Hopefully adding these new levels into the mix will remedy that situation somewhat.

Will you be checking out Headmaster’s new DLC? Let us know in the comments below!

The post VR Launch Title Headmaster Getting ‘Lost Lessons’ DLC, Physical Release appeared first on UploadVR.

By: Jamie Feltham
Title: VR Launch Title Headmaster Getting ‘Lost Lessons’ DLC, Physical Release
Sourced From: uploadvr.com/headmaster-dlc/
Published Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 17:55:56 +0000

VRChat Becoming A Great Escape During Corona Virus

VRChat has become notorious for its memes and characters over the years with the creation of Ugandan Knuckles and the like. It had its massive popular phase but has simmered down over time. But with the Corona Virus quarantine in place, many people are finding this virtual world an escape for entertainment once again.

Since the last time we visited the virtual worlds in VRChat, things have become even more creative with the avatars. We see many more anime characters, robots, super heroes, aliens, and animals that have some unique quirks to them.

Popular streamer xQcOW recently hopped on and saw the massive changes himself.

VRChat was created for the social aspect and it’s definitely becoming a fun escape once again with all the people trapped within their homes.

We also see popular YouTuber Drumsy continue is fun adventures in VRChat as well.

There’s certainly been a lot of changes in style as well over the years in characters and what is trending.

If you have some time during these quarantine times, make sure to check out these virtual worlds in VRChat. It’s a free to play game and you can even access the social virtual world on your desktop without having to use a VR headset.

The post VRChat Becoming A Great Escape During Corona Virus appeared first on VR News, Games, And Reviews.

By: Griffin Streeter
Title: VRChat Becoming A Great Escape During Corona Virus
Sourced From: www.vrandfun.com/vrchat-becoming-a-great-escape-during-corona-virus/
Published Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 17:39:37 +0000

Training Solution Specialist Strivr Completes $30 million Funding Round

Originally a virtual reality (VR) training solutions provider for sports teams, Strivr has since expanded its focus towards the enterprise markets, now partnering with companies including BMW, Fidelity, JetBlue, Verizon and Walmart. Today, Strivr has announced the completion of a Series B funding round, securing the company a $30 million USD investment.

The round was led by Georgian Partners with existing investors GreatPoint Ventures and Alumni Ventures Group taking part. Franklin Templeton and Prologis Ventures joined the round as new investors. The new funding will allow Strivr to further its immersive learning solutions for enterprise use cases, designed to help companies improve workforce engagement and performance.

“With more than 1.5 million training sessions conducted in VR and over 22,000 headsets deployed across our customer base, Strivr has developed the world’s only end-to-end software platform for the delivery of immersive solutions to elevate workforce learning and performance,” said Derek Belch, founder and CEO of Strivr, in a statement. “We are thrilled to leverage this new round of investment led by Georgian Partners to more rapidly accelerate the adoption of Immersive Learning in the enterprise and take the next step in connecting immersive data to real-world performance improvement.”

In addition to the funding round, Strivr has announced the issuance of a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) covering the measurement of training data in VR. The company has developed an algorithm which uses sensing data from sources like head, hand, and eye movements, as well as physiological data, to predict how performing a task in VR will translate into a real-world situation. Thus giving clients a better understanding of how VR will benefit their particular industry.

“With the rapid increase in large enterprises embracing Immersive Learning to improve performance, we are now able to connect employee learning with business outcomes using completely new types of data,” said Tyson Baber, Partner at Georgian Partners, who has joined Strivr’s board of directors. “We believe in Strivr’s team, mission, and methodology, and are very excited to partner with them as they deliver the next generation of predictive, workforce analytics.”

Strivr has now managed to raise $51 million in venture funding. As the company continues to drive immersive learning forward, VRFocus will keep you updated.

By: Peter Graham
Title: Training Solution Specialist Strivr Completes $30 million Funding Round
Sourced From: www.vrfocus.com/2020/03/training-solution-specialist-strivr-completes-30-million-funding-round/
Published Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 14:00:12 +0000

Several Oculus Quest Titles Discounted In ‘The Great Indoors’ Store Sale

Facebook’s Oculus is running a new sale on the Oculus Store for the Oculus Quest titles, aptly-named ‘The Great Indoors Sale‘.

In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, Oculus is recommending and discounting a variety of Quest titles that will help you get through isolation and social distancing over the next few weeks and months.

The sale features a bunch of popular Quest games like Space Pirate Trainer, Vacation Simulator, The Thrill of the Fight and more. The full list of games and their discounts are as follows:

Space Pirate Trainer – 33% off, $11.99
Vacation Simulator – 15% off, $25.49
Acron: Attack of the Squirrels! – 25% off, $14.99
The Thrill of the Fight – 20% off, $7.99
Drop Dead: Dual Strike Edition – 20% off, $11.99
Death Horizon: Reloaded – 20% off, $15.99

The sale page also lists Bait!, Rec Room and VRChat, but those apps are free (and always have been). While they might fall under good games and apps to use while stuck indoors, they’re not technically on sale and are likely just a recommendation from Oculus.

There’s also two bundles of games on sale – the Beat Your High Score! bundle and the Relax. Recharge. Reflect. bundle, both of which contain two games. The former contains Ninja Legends and Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, and the latter contains Real VR Fishing and Guided Tai Chi.

The bundles are priced at $22.99 and $19.99 respectively. If you already own one of the games in the bundle, the pricing will be adjusted accordingly to reflect an appropriate discount for the other game by itself.

You can check out the full sale list in the Oculus Store online or in VR using your Oculus Quest. The sale will end in 2 days.

The post Several Oculus Quest Titles Discounted In ‘The Great Indoors’ Store Sale appeared first on UploadVR.

By: Harry Baker
Title: Several Oculus Quest Titles Discounted In ‘The Great Indoors’ Store Sale
Sourced From: uploadvr.com/oculus-quest-store-sale/
Published Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 13:55:00 +0000

9 ‘Half-Life: Alyx’ Mods We’d Love to See

Half-Life: Alyx has only been out for a week now, but many who have finished the game are already itching for more. While we don’t expect to see any major post-release changes to the game from Valve itself, the company has committed to releasing tools so that the community can tweak the game with mods for Half-Life: Alyx. Though the modding tools aren’t available yet, here’s list of Alyx mods that we’d love to see.

Valve hasn’t made clear when they intend to release Half-Life: Alyx mod tools just yet, but considering the popularity of the game we expect to see a lot of action when it does.

From my own take on the game, and some suggestions from Twitter, below I’ve listed a handful of mods I’d love to see for Half-Life: Alyx. I’m splitting things up into ‘Practical’ and ‘Less Practical’ sections based on how complex they’d likely be to build.

Practical Mods for Half-Life Alyx

Detached Weapons and Holsters

This was one of the things that struck me right away in Half-Life: Alyx; instead of acting like independent objects, weapons are stuck to your selected ‘Weapon Hand’. And rather than grabbing your weapons from a holster and returning them when done, you use a menu to equip and unequip your weapons into your hand. I find this approach wholly unimmersive compared to being able to grab my weapons with whichever hand I see fit, or even set them down.

Though I’m quite certain Valve did this to avoid the clunk that can come from an iffy holster system, and to prevent users from dropping their weapons, we’ve seen several games that manage to do holsters and detached weapon interactions well. Stormland (2019) showed several smart solutions to these issues (like floating weapons in front of the player for a few seconds if they drop them) which modders could use as a basis for a holster mod in Half-Life: Alyx.

Foot Tracking

This one might seem silly but it could be a major immersion booster. I’m not the only one who became so immersed in Alyx that at one point I tried to kick something with my foot, only to remember that the game doesn’t know where my feet are!

Some games already support the use of Vive Trackers for tracking more parts of the player’s body, and a mod for Half-Life: Alyx which would allow for foot tracking would be quite compelling even if it meant I could kick objects in the world for added embodiment. Bonus if I can Spartan-kick a Combine soldier out a window.

Iconic Half-Life Weapons

The Half-Life series is home to as many iconic weapons as it is enemies to shoot them with. Unfortunately Half-Life: Alyx’s weapon roster left much to be desired both in terms of number and diversity of weapons.

A mod to bring some of Half-Life’s iconic weapons—like the crossbow, revolver, RPG, and pulse rifle secondary fire—to Half-Life: Alyx would spice up the combat for your next playthrough. It would also be nice to wield the heavy weapons used by the large Combine soldiers (which normally disappear when they die).

And of course there’s the Gravity Gun itself, a weapon/tool which was foundational to Half-Life 2. It would be especially fun to be able to use the gravity gun in Half-Life: Alyx because in VR you’d get to wield it much more directly than its original incarnation which relied on keyboard and mouse.

Gravity Glove Overdrive

Speaking of the Gravity Gun, one of the most thrilling moments of Half-Life 2 was when the Gravity Gun becomes extra powerful at the end of the game. While Valve may have avoided doing the same for Alyx to avoid turning the mechanic into a trope, I have to say that I would love a powered-up version of the Gravity Gloves which could be used to pull and (and maybe even crush) Combine soldiers and other enemies. It would be especially fun to be able to pick up the game’s larger physical items and use them as devastating projectiles.

In-game DSLR for Screenshots

Half-Life: Alyx is one of the most detailed VR games ever made; with all the time Valve spent making the game look so good, it would be awesome to have an in-game DSLR camera that the player could use to take screenshots like a real photographer with zoom, focus, aperture, and exposure settings.

As suggested by Andreas “Boll” Aronsson, this would pair nicely with a ‘stop time’ mode which would freeze everything else in the game so that the player could scout the perfect angle for their shot.

Gameplay Adjustments

Some extra gameplay options in Half-Life: Alyx would let players could tweak things to taste. Here’s a handful of suggestions from other players:

Infinite ammo (@BOLL7708)
More enemies
Slow motion
Load from any checkpoint
Harder difficulty with perma-death (@NathieVR)
Deactivation of hints (@IvanJamesVR)
Manual flashlight activation
Sprinting (@mastergamingvr)
FOV slider for spectator view (@vr_oasis)

Less Practical Mods for Half-Life: Alyx

Melee

You might be wondering why I put melee in the ‘less practical’ section… after all plenty of VR games use melee. Indeed, though in order to get melee to work how most VR players would hope, I think it would take quite a bit of modding work. That’s mostly because enemy AI in the game isn’t really designed to handle physics-based melee, which means a modder attempting to add satisfying melee to the game would need to do a bunch of work to figure out how the physics system would interact with the animation and damage systems in the game to create convincing collisions and

I expect we’ll see some coarse melee mods early on that just do some damage and trigger a generic bullet-hit animation in enemies, but that likely won’t have the visceral feel of melee in VR games like Blade & Sorcery and Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. But hey, if someone can give us that precious crowbar, I’m all for it.

Co-op

This is, unfortunately, perhaps the least practical mod in this list, despite being one of the most requested and most obviously desirable. Yes, it would be awesome to have co-op in Half-Life: Alyx, but unfortunately adding such a feature is much more complex than most people realize.

Decisions made during a game’s development (especially the way in which the physics, AI, and resource management systems work) have major implications for how easy or hard it would be to add co-op to the game. Since Half-Life: Alyx was conceived as a single player game, Valve wouldn’t have architected any of its systems to be easily synchronized between players over the internet.

It likely isn’t impossible to bring co-op to Half-Life: Alyx (after all, there’s been a co-op mod for Half-Life 2 for a long time), but it would take substantial work to create such a mod that offers a good experience for both players.

Half-Life and Half-Life 2 Remade for VR

It’s actually already possible to play the original Half-Life games in VR, but such mods are of course missing lots of VR-specific interactions that would be expected from a native VR game. Rebuilding any of the Half-Life games to really work well in VR would take nearly as much time as rebuilding Alyx to work well in non-VR.

In fact, there’s been a long-running community project called HLVR which has shown some very impressive work on that front over the years but hasn’t reached a full release of the mod for the latest headsets.

What mods would you like to see for Half-Life: Alyx?

The post 9 ‘Half-Life: Alyx’ Mods We’d Love to See appeared first on Road to VR.

By: Ben Lang
Title: 9 ‘Half-Life: Alyx’ Mods We’d Love to See
Sourced From: www.roadtovr.com/half-life-alyx-mods-love-to-see/
Published Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:38:49 +0000

Monday 30 March 2020

YUR Launches Fitness Tracking VR Smartwatch For PC VR & Quest

Track your estimated hear rate, squats, and calories burned without taking off your headset.

Fitness-focused VR developer YUR today announced the release of YUR.watch, a virtual smartwatch device compatible with a massive selection of existing PC VR titles, as well as several Oculus Quest releases. The VR extension sits conveniently on your virtual wrist, offering pain-free access to your workout progress.

A simple swipe of your wrist activates the sleeve extension, opening up access to a host of useful information:

Heart Rate Estimate
Local Time
Squat Counter
Daily Calorie Goal
YUR Leveling (1-60) Unlock Watches
PIN Login
Mobile Apps (iOS, Android)
Integration for any Unity game

This early access build features compatibility with nearly all PC VR titles as well as a select lineup of Oculus Quest titles, including Sairento, RacketNX, OhShape, and Synth Riders. Burning calories gains you XP. As you level up you’ll unlock different skins for your VR smartwatch, such as Common, Uncommon, and Rare. According to YUR there are a total of 60 levels in which to progress.

Due to the ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), YUR is offering the sleeve free for a limited time. There’s also a companion app you can download free on iOS and Android.

“Over the course of the last quarter we’ve seen an incredible shift in the world due to COVID-19, people are looking for new avenues to stay active while at-home,” said Dilan Shah of YUR. “Now, over 5.1+ million workouts have been logged by over 60,000 users; and with so much time spent at home now is the time to join them.”

Feature Image Credit: YUR

The post YUR Launches Fitness Tracking VR Smartwatch For PC VR & Quest appeared first on VRScout.

By: Kyle Melnick
Title: YUR Launches Fitness Tracking VR Smartwatch For PC VR & Quest
Sourced From: vrscout.com/news/yur-launches-vr-fitness-tracking-smartwatch/
Published Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 23:12:47 +0000

VR Games To Hold You Over During Corona Virus Quarantine

If you are one of the many who are currently self-quarantining and need a little enjoyment in life, look no further than these VR games listed below. We have created a list of fun VR games that can hold you down while the virus passes on.

The list of VR games will be mixed between different platforms and we’ll list them out on their availability.

Fun VR Games To Play During Corona Virus Quarantine

Half-Life: Alyx

Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift: $59.99

Beat Saber

Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift: $29.99

Oculus Quest: $29.99

PlayStation VR: $29.99

Boneworks

Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift: $29.99

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift: $39.99

Skyrim VR

Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift: $59.99

Asgard’s Wrath

Oculus Rift: $39.99

Defector

Oculus Rift: $19.99

Make sure to keep safe, sanitize, and have fun in virtual reality while we get through the pandemic.

The post VR Games To Hold You Over During Corona Virus Quarantine appeared first on VR News, Games, And Reviews.

By: Griffin Streeter
Title: VR Games To Hold You Over During Corona Virus Quarantine
Sourced From: www.vrandfun.com/vr-games-to-hold-you-over-during-corona-virus-quarantine/
Published Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 17:42:00 +0000

MicroLED Maker Plessey Agrees Exclusive Deal With Facebook

Facebook might be making significant investments in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies but there are times when specialist companies have done some of the vital work. Normally, giants like Facebook would simply purchase these smaller firms – like the recent acquisition of CTRL-Labs – but this can be a lengthy process. Today it has been revealed that Facebook and British microLED manufacturer Plessey have entered into an exclusive arrangement to help further Facebook’s AR plans.

Michael Abrash - AR Glasses

Plessey specialises in building microLED display solutions which it claims produce very high-brightness whilst consuming low amounts of power. There are a number of hurdles AR headset makers face and producing viable imagery is a decent form factor is a major component. Facebook has yet to reveal an AR product but has extensively discussed the technology at events like Oculus Connect.

Regarding the news, Plessey notes in a press release. “We have decided to work with Facebook to help achieve their vision of the next computing platform centred around people. Under a new commercial agreement, our LED manufacturing operations will be dedicated to helping Facebook prototype and develop new technologies for potential use in the AR/VR space.”

The deal will help stop rivals gaining access to Plessey’s technology. While the company has previously collaborated with Vuzix on its next generation of Vuzix AR smart glasses, Apple is the main rival Facebook is trying to beat. An article by The Information suggests Apple was recently looking to buy Plessey, citing two sources familiar with the matter. In any case, that’s not going to happen now.

“We are delighted to announce this new commercial agreement with Facebook,” said Dr Keith Strickland (Co-CEO/CTO) of Plessey in a statement. “Plessey has been at the forefront of micro-LED display development and this agreement recognises the significant advances in our capabilities that we have made in recent years and we very much look forward to working with Facebook to help bring their vision to life.”

Last year it was reported that Facebook had teamed up with Ray-Ban’s parent company Luxottica to help design a form factor that the general public would buy, not just tech enthusiasts. With the Facebook Developer Conference (F8) now cancelled and lockdowns in place across multiple countries, any AR news may be put on hold for a little while. For further updates to Facebook’s AR plans, keep reading VRFocus.

By: Peter Graham
Title: MicroLED Maker Plessey Agrees Exclusive Deal With Facebook
Sourced From: www.vrfocus.com/2020/03/microled-maker-plessey-agrees-exclusive-deal-with-facebook/
Published Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 17:00:01 +0000

Review: Good Goliath

Some of the best videogames aren’t the ones which are overly convoluted, requiring dozens of hours before you can get anywhere, and it’s often the ones with the simplest mechanics which can be the most addictive. Virtual reality (VR) titles like Beat Saber or Tetris Effect have proven this time and time again, and now there could be another in Knocktwice Games’ first VR title Good Goliath.

Good Goliath has two core attributes which are always useful in a VR experience, energetic mechanics and highly interactive gameplay. With plenty of upper body motion combined with easy to pick up gameplay for that arcade action feel don’t let those cartoon graphics fool you, this is a bit of a workout.

The basic premise revolves around you being a giant, a good one in fact, hence the title. After what must have been a considerably long sleep you’ve awoken to find some rather angry little folks willing to wage war with your massive frame, throwing everything at you in a bid to take your hulking great ass down.

Naturally, that’s not going to happen because even if you’re a good soul you still need to protect yourself. And so begins what is essentially a wave-shooter just without the guns, instead, throwing back the very items being lobbed at you in a sort of tit for tat.

There’s no need to worry about movement as Good Goliath keeps you almost rooted to the same spot, with each level housed in a singular arena. Which makes for a comfortable experience whether you’re seated or standing. What you need to be able to do is catch stuff, hurl it back and dodge any incoming projectiles you don’t want to or can’t catch – such as fireballs.

As you don’t have any weaponry or defensive capabilities apart from two giant hands, killing the waves of attackers requires using their weapons against them. Pitchforks, barrels, wheels, cannonballs and even the littles folds themselves will come flying towards you at an ever increasingly rapid rate. So you have to think fast and react faster in Good Goliath, grabbing what you can and trying to hit as many enemies as possible. The throwing mechanics are well balanced enough so that even those with really poor throwing skills can hit something.

But this is the videogame in a nutshell. Catch and throw. The first few levels are entertaining enough as you get to grips with the mechanics but halfway through that repetitive feeling all wave-based titles get starts sinking in. There is a little variety here and there, the pirate levels allowing you to catch a cannon and then loading it with a shark offer humorous side notes alongside the baker who floats through levels holding a cake to replenish health.

What’s impressive about Good Goliath is the level of detail and polish Knocktwice Games has employed. Grab a villager or pirate and you’ll see them squirm in your hands, with nasty looking teeth and a face only a mother could love. The arenas themselves are also littered with secrets and stuff to break when you spot a moment in the carnage to use some ammo on the scenery. There’s always plenty going on so the completion of each level always feels like an achievement.

The best set pieces in Good Goliath are certainly the boss battles. Bosses are supposed to be big and these are huge, towering over your giant self. Going against foes like the Giant King or the Kraken-like sea monster actually offer a bit of a breather as you generally only need to worry about this one foe rather than loads of little ones.

When it comes down to it, Good Goliath is all about highscores and that’s what’s going to keep players coming back. Killing several enemies gains you a multiplier and making it through a stage quickly or having taken no damage gains bonus points. Plus you don’t like the normal hands there are others to unlock, swapping those digits for tentacles or some bony fingers.

There’s no doubt that Good Goliath is fun in short sharp intervals, drawing you in with its colourful designs and pick up ‘n’ play mechanics. Nine levels might not sound many but you should get a good few hours of gameplay as they are subdivided with checkpoints because of their length. This is rinse and repeat gaming so the gameplay isn’t exactly deep but it’s still mostly enjoyable, great for those looking to steer clear of RPG style titles.

60%

Awesome

Verdict

By: Peter Graham
Title: Review: Good Goliath
Sourced From: www.vrfocus.com/2020/03/review-good-goliath/
Published Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 14:00:30 +0000

YUR Levels Up VR Fitness With Calorie-Counting Virtual Watch, Native On Quest

VR fitness platform YUR is levelling up at-home workouts during COVID-19 isolation with the launch of a virtual watch in several Oculus Quest games and on PC.

The YUR.watch, as it’s called, is a new interface that mimics a real-life smartwatch, attached to the user’s wrist. It counts the calories you burn off while playing games. It also keeps track of a heart rate estimate calculated on your height and weight, and it’ll count the number of squats you do over a play session. Once you’ve signed in, you’ll be able to keep track of your daily targets and rise through a levelling system to unlock new tiers of watches.

Previously YUR integration on Quest came by way of SideQuest, which gave you a floating menu in-game. But the watch is being natively integrated into Quest apps via updates. I tried it out with Synth Riders, which you can see in the video below.

After a quick play around, the watch seems like a pretty fantastic addition for any VR gamers that want to keep fit. Being able to track progress persistently across multiple games is a huge advantage, and the interface can be summoned and disregarded with a flick of a wrist. There’s no physical interaction, which is a shame given that it could allow for great UI control, but understandable given you don’t want it to interfere with gameplay.

Right now the watch is officially integrated into Sairento VR, Racket: Nx and Synth Riders, with support for the excellent OhShape arriving tomorrow. We’d definitely like to see it get added into more Quest games in the future. On PC, though, the watch can be more easily integrated into games, as evidenced by this excellent Half-Life: Alyx GIF.

Will you be using YUR.watch to keep fit in VR while you stay indoors? Let us know in the comments below.

The post YUR Levels Up VR Fitness With Calorie-Counting Virtual Watch, Native On Quest appeared first on UploadVR.

By: Jamie Feltham
Title: YUR Levels Up VR Fitness With Calorie-Counting Virtual Watch, Native On Quest
Sourced From: uploadvr.com/yur-watch-vr-fitness/
Published Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 13:59:38 +0000

Half-Life: Alyx Is The Highest Rated PC Game So Far In 2020, According to Metacritic

One week after release, Half-Life: Alyx currently sits at number one on Metacritic’s list of Best PC Video Games for 2020. The game has an average score of 93, which is higher than any other PC game released this year so far, including traditional non-VR games.

Although you could argue that VR titles are a whole different category of game, Metacritic counts them as PC entries and so they compete with any other PC release in a given year. With this in mind, it’s impressive that Alyx has hit the top of the Metacritic charts for the year so far. That being said, it is only March but games like Doom: Eternal are providing stiff competition. However, many movies, TV shows and video games are being delayed and impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. With the fate of scheduled game releases now uncertain, who knows what competition Alyx might face throughout the rest of the year.

The only other VR game to get close to Alyx’s score on the PC list is The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, which sits at 9th on the list with a score of 81. Console games, such as those on the PS4 or Nintendo Switch, have their own separate list. For comparison, the highest rated PlayStation 4 game on the list is Persona 5 Royal with a score of 95. After that is Dreams with 89, which we also know is receiving VR support at some point in the (near?) future. On Nintendo Switch, the highest rated title is Animal Crossing: New Horizons with a score of 91.

This means that, across all platforms, Alyx is one of the highest rated games of the year so far. Despite it being early days, that’s still pretty impressive. According to SteamSpy, the game is owned by over 500,000 people as well. However, that number comes with two caveats. There’s no way to verify SteamSpy’s data. Plus, the game was also gifted for free to owners of the Valve Index and Vive Cosmos Elite. Therefore, the number wouldn’t accurately represent sales, only those who own the game irrespective of whether they bought it or received it for free.

If you missed our Half-Life: Alyx review, be sure to read or watch it right here.

The post Half-Life: Alyx Is The Highest Rated PC Game So Far In 2020, According to Metacritic appeared first on UploadVR.

By: Harry Baker
Title: Half-Life: Alyx Is The Highest Rated PC Game So Far In 2020, According to Metacritic
Sourced From: uploadvr.com/half-life-alyx-metacritic/
Published Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 13:55:40 +0000

Vuzix M400 AR Glasses Available as Part of Librestream Support Business Continuity Program

Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses Now Available as Part of Librestream Onsight Remote Support Business Continuity Program

Vuzix® Corporation (NASDAQ: VUZI), (“Vuzix” or, the “Company”), a leading supplier of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technology and products, together with Librestream, will be offering free access to Librestream’s secure remote expert assistance software consisting of their Onsight augmented reality platform. Today they announced that Librestream’s Onsight Connect remote expert software will be provided to qualified new customers at no charge for a limited period to the Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses customers to help companies facing business continuity and worker safety challenges related to COVID-19.

The Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses are certified as part of the Onsight Optimized program. Using Onsight Connect, frontline workers can see live or recorded video, pictures, and onscreen mark-ups on the M400 display. Remote collaborators can also remotely view live content, share and remotely control the Vuzix M400 camera, adjusting lighting, zoom, and capturing HD or thermal images, providing teams with real-time data and knowledge assets.

“We felt it was important to provide a free offer to help companies that urgently need to overcome the distance barrier in light of the coronavirus. In some regions, we’ve seen usage of our Onsight platform increase over 700% and we recognize that companies need to replace travel with virtual collaboration. As an Onsight Optimized solution, the Vuzix Smart Glasses provide an excellent industrial hands-free option for enterprises,” shared Charlie Neagoy, VP Business Development at Librestream.

“We are pleased to partner with Librestream in bringing this hands-free remote expert experience to companies facing immediate operational challenges. The combined solution of Onsight Connect with the Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses is a robust voice driven application that has been optimized for enterprise customers,” said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix.

Librestream will for a limited time provide its Onsight Connect remote expert package to qualified organizations, subject to a 20-user license cap, who are new to this capability. The package includes pre-configured Onsight Connect remote expert software and materials to get up and running within 24 hours. To initiate the qualification, organizations must fill out their information online and agree to provide feedback. There is no commitment to purchase of any kind.

Vuzix and Librestream will also be offering ongoing training webinars to help new users get up and running quickly. You can view a schedule of the upcoming webinars on the Vuzix website, which will be updated frequently.

Last week, the two companies announced an integrated hands-free thermal imaging solution for frontline workers to monitor body temperatures from a safe distance. This new offer enables a broad range of worker safety-focused use cases that range from remote inspections of critical equipment and diagnostic assessments to telemedicine consults. Given the nature of these challenging field environments, security, data privacy and low bandwidth optimization are all critical requirements that are included in this solution.

The post Vuzix M400 AR Glasses Available as Part of Librestream Support Business Continuity Program appeared first on Virtual Reality Reporter by VR Reporter

By: VR Reporter
Title: Vuzix M400 AR Glasses Available as Part of Librestream Support Business Continuity Program
Sourced From: virtualrealityreporter.com/vuzix-m400-ar-glasses-available-part-librestream-support-business-continuity-program/
Published Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 08:00:20 +0000

‘Half-Life: Alyx’ Now Among Steam’s 10 Best Rated Games Ever, Surpassing All Other ‘Half-Life’ Titles

As more people have had the opportunity to play Half-Life: Alyx over the first weekend since its release at the beginning of last week, the game’s user ratings have surged yet higher. Surpassing all other Half-Life games along its way, Half-Life: Alyx is now among the top 10 best rated games on Steam, ever.

Half-Life: Alyx continues to show a strong impact in its first week since launch. Despite the much smaller audience of VR players compared to general gamers, reviews continue to pour in for the game, recently passing 15,000 user reviews on Steam. 98% of those reviews are positive, pushing Half-Life: Alyx to rank #10 among the best rated games of all time on Steam.

Top rated Steam games according to Valve

Alyx is arguably #9 considering the original Witcher 3 and its Game of the Year Edition take the #2 and #3 spots. On the way to the top of the charts, Alyx has surpassed all other Half-Life games, though Valve’s Portal and Portal 2 still outrank it at #8 and #5 respectively.