UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

Whew, what a week. Can we sleep now? With each passing year the Game Developers Conference (GDC) becomes more and more important to the VR industry, and 2017’s iteration was no different. There have been a frankly ridiculous amount of announcements over the past six days and we wouldn’t blame you if you’d missed a few of them. So we’ve gathered what we’d consider to be the nine biggest stories of the show, representing the need-to-know information.

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VRScout

FEBRUARY 26, 2017

A comfortable design and word prediction make this the best VR keyboard on the market. Like any emerging technology, virtual reality still has a few problems that need resolving before the platform can truly begin to shine. One of those specific limitations is the difficulty that comes with entering text while fully immersed in VR. The most common solution to this problem has been to physically take off your headset to enter the info via a standard keyboard or use a simplistic virtual solution s

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Road to VR

MARCH 1, 2017

The Acer Windows Mixed Reality Development Edition headset is shipping this month, the first HMD to include the inside-out tracking technology pioneered on the HoloLens. This marks the beginning of the rollout of Microsoft-endorsed VR headsets that support ‘world scale’ tracking and ‘mixed reality’ apps. Originally announced at Microsoft’s keynote in October 2016, VR headsets with inside-out tracking from HP, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, and Acer (with another from 3Glasses revealed in Decemb

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Cats and VR

MARCH 3, 2017

A couple a weeks ago I was talking to my boy Suda51 at the NIS America event. I mentioned that I would love if he would get into developing for VR and also if he would do another Fire Pro Wrestling game. If you not aware Suda51 got his gaming start on the Fire Pro series and created the most memorable and heartbreaking endings ever in a pro wrestling game.

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Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

To avoid awkward and sometimes disastrous learning content, instructional designers must use authentic translation in the right context to get optimal results. For example, even a simple phrase like “got milk” translates to “are you lactating” in Mexico. Can you imagine what a straight translation might do to your course? With over 317 million people in the US and over 6.7 billion potential customers in the world, personalizing training seems logical.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

FEBRUARY 26, 2017

Sony revealed official sales figures for the PlayStation 4-powered VR headset, PSVR. Through Feb. 19 the company sold 915,000 headsets, Sony revealed in an interview with the New York Times. The figure joins the previously revealed number of 5 million Samsung Gear VR headsets sold so far as the only solid data we have about the size of the VR market.

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Road to VR

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

HTC announced the new accessories, the Vive Tracker and Deluxe Audio Strap, back at CES 2017 earlier this year but didn’t provide pricing or release date info more specific than Q2. At $100 for each accessory, the pricing falls in line with expectations. The Vive Tracker will cost $100 and become available for order for developers on March 27th.

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Cats and VR

FEBRUARY 28, 2017

Today, Ubisoft ® announced that Virtual Rabbids ®: The Big Plan, the first VR Rabbids experience on mobile, will be released this spring on Daydream, Google’s platform for high-quality mobile VR. Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier in collaboration with Bucharest, specifically for virtual reality, the mobile game is based on the Rabbids franchise, which has sold more than 14 million video games worldwide, and are regularly featured in a television show that airs in more than 110 countries.

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Government Virtual Reality Virtual World Controllers 101

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 1, 2017

I tried a Microsoft prototype VR headset at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and got the first public look at the company’s vision for mixed reality beyond Hololens. I’ll get straight to the point. Inside the headset, I saw considerable motion blur while moving my head. I was among a handful of journalists invited to see the internal Microsoft prototype, though I was told photos or videos for my demo would not be allowed.

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VRScout

FEBRUARY 28, 2017

Recapping the top stories covered on the VRScout Report , a weekly podcast discussing the best in VR, hosted by Malia Probst. Four projects from Samsung’s C-Lab to watch this week, the next generation of Gear VR will come with a controller, Oculus Rift lands on the International Space Station, Zenimax tries to shut down Oculus, the investment wrapup and much more… You can enjoy the full audio recording below: ALL EYES ON SAMSUNG: FOUR PROJECTS TO WATCH FROM THE C-LAB.

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With a rapidly changing economy, Avangrid Renewables looked to virtual reality to develop a standardized form of immersive training in order to onboard and upskill technicians faster than ever before.

Virtual Reality

Road to VR

FEBRUARY 25, 2017

It’s emerged that last year’s Star Wars: Rogue One , used existing virtual reality technology – specifically HTC Vive’s Steam VR tracking – to allow the film’s director to compose visual effects shots for the movie. Watch how it was done. Whatever you may have thought of the most recent arrival to the Star Wars movie universe, Rogue One had some undeniably impressive visual effects.

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Cats and VR

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

Wizards Of The Coast recently announced their partnership with Experiment 7 to bring games to VR. Founded in 2015, Experiment 7 started as a collaboration between founders Geoffrey "GZ" Zatkin and Demetri Detsaridis, who had previously worked together on DC Universe Online. In 2016, Experiment 7 launched Magic Table Chess , the first game in the Magic Table™ series of games.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

In December of last year, Khronos group made headlines for adding Epic Games to the list of companies in support of their pursuit of an API standard for virtual and augmented reality. Representatives for Google VR, Intel, and others already voiced their support of Khronos’ work by that point, but Epic’s Unreal Engine allowed Khronos to focus on a potential wider adoption of the standard.

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VRScout

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

You’ll soon be able to pre-order both previously announced products. HTC’s Mobile World Congress announcements included the reveal of new payment plans as well as pricing and release dates for previously announced accessories, the Vive Deluxe Audio Strap and the Vive Tracker. Both unveiled at CES earlier this year, the Vive Tracker will be available on March 27 for developer purchase through Vive.com.

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Speaker: Nik Gowing, Brenda Laurel, Sheridan Tatsuno, Archie Kasnet, and Bruce Armstrong Taylor

With 191 country signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement now hard at work in the race to zero carbon by 2050, much of the heavy lifting in ecosystem sustainability falls on the shoulders of the world's densely populated urban centers. This conversation considers how today's AI-enabled simulation media, such as AR/VR, can be effectively applied to accelerate learning, understanding, training, and solutions-modeling to sustainability planning and design.

Simulation

Road to VR

MARCH 2, 2017

“Adrenaline platformer” is the apt descriptor that Survios is using for their newly announced title, Sprint Vector. The core of the game is what the company is calling the Fluid Locomotion System, a synthesis of VR movement techniques seen elsewhere that together add up to a supremely satisfying way to move around VR worlds at high speed without getting dizzy.

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Cats and VR

MARCH 2, 2017

The team behind Wands® announced that it has been awarded for Best VR Game in the 13th International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA Global). The IMGA is the longest standing and highest regarded mobile games award program started in 2004. Held during gaming week in San Francisco, the 13th IMGA ceremony was presented by the Australian host Maude Garrett at Minna Gallery.

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San Francisco Gaming Industry Immersion 101

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 2, 2017

Despite big releases in the likes of Resident Evil 7 [ Review: 9/10 ] and Dirt Rally VR , it’s been an undeniably quiet start to the year for PlayStation VR (PSVR), but Sony is promising that won’t last long. The headset maker said this week that more than 220 software titles and experiences are development for the device, and more than 100 of those will be released this year.

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VRScout

MARCH 2, 2017

The 15-second clips aired throughout the week leading up to the Super Bowl. As VR tools like Tilt Brush make their way into the hands of artists daily, we are continually amazed by what creators dream up in the new medium. Tilt Brush lets you paint in 3D space with life-size brush strokes, stars, light and even fire all within VR. You start with a blank canvas, but the intuitive interface and creative freedom have made this app a favorite among immersive artists.

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Speaker: Richard Goring, Director at BrightCarbon

Remote meetings are here to stay - and many are BORING. If you are trying to engage your learners (or any audience), compelling content is critical. But trying to create stimulating content with the same tools you’ve always had is hard, right? Thankfully, wrong! Terrific tools in PowerPoint along with visual assets help you create the kind of dynamic content you need to capture your remote audience’s attention, with functions that allow for interactive sequences and navigation.

How To

Road to VR

MARCH 3, 2017

Jump scares are universally hated by horror film and game enthusiasts alike for being ‘cheap thrills’, and are oft considered the low-hanging fruit of the genre. Suspense and existential dread however are much harder to manufacture in a horror game, and from what I’ve seen at this year’s GDC, Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul has it in spades.

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Cats and VR

FEBRUARY 25, 2017

This months LootCrate may be my cats favorite as they love their new Batman feeding bowl and they have been snuggling with the Power Rangers shirt that came with it. As a long time fan of LootCrates I have to tell you after a tough week at work, a tough week of figuring out the future, and a tough week of listening to how America is going through a insane time politically it is pretty rad to chill with the cats and do a theraputic unboxing video.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

FEBRUARY 28, 2017

Unity launched its Editor VR service in an alpha form late last year, and the engine-maker appears to be pretty happy with the results so far. Editor VR is an in-VR section of the larger Unity engine that lets you edit virtual scenes in games and more. Taking to the stage at the company’s GDC 2017 press conference this morning, Principal Designer on the Labs team, Timoni West, revealed that the platform has had over 6,000 downloads since its launch.

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VRScout

FEBRUARY 28, 2017

Featured 360° is an ongoing series to highlight some of our favorite videos from creators and brands for you to enjoy during the week. For this week’s installment of Featured 360°, explore NASA’S newly discovered planetary system, take a step inside the Arrival’s other worldly spacecraft and get up close and personal with the dancers from Heroes.

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Speaker: Treion Muller, Chief Strategy Officer at ELB Learning

Since when has learning and development (L&D) become such a negative experience with its intended learners? Could it be because learners have been conditioned by very poor learning experiences over the past two decades, combined with the kinks of technological innovation? Or is it because learning has typically been designed as a one-size-fits-all solution, despite the fact that humans are not clones?

Technology

Road to VR

MARCH 2, 2017

At a PlayStation VR session today at GDC, Sony stated that first-party PSVR titles with support for the new Aim peripheral are in development. Sony’s curious looking Aim controller may not be the coolest looking peripheral out there (a dubious accolade at any rate), but after our hands-on with the device and its first supported title Farpoint was quite positive.

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Cats and VR

FEBRUARY 26, 2017

So it appears that the long-running Fire Pro Wrestling franchise will be getting its first installment since 2012. Spike Chunsoft has launched a teaser site and video titled "Pro Wrestling. They also added 3/2(GDC?) to the Japanese twitter page. This matches up with the petition that they put out 10 months ago to gauge interest in a new game. I'm getting bodyslammed by Fire Pro Wrestling fans!

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San Francisco Gaming Video 101

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

At GDC 2017, UploadVR had the chance to speak with HTC’s president of Viveport and SVP of virtual reality, Rikard Steiber. During the interview, Steiber revealed the price point for Viveport’s upcoming subscription service for VR content. According to Steiber, the plan will cost $6.99 USD a month and will be available to current Vive owners and new customers “in the next few weeks.” Steiber also reconfirmed that HTC will be offering a free, month-long trial of the Vivepor

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VRScout

MARCH 1, 2017

There have been over 160 million downloads of Cardboard apps worldwide. Google is celebrating some new milestones this week with an announcement at Mobile World Congress that more than 10 million Cardboard viewers have shipped worldwide. First launched in 2014, the mobile VR viewer has been a simple and affordable way for everyone to dip their toes into the world of VR.

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Speaker: Micah Eppler, Account Executive for Rehearsal of eLearning Brothers

Did you know that companies such as Paychex, 3M, and Honeywell are getting better results by incorporating video-based practice and coaching within their L&D strategy? From sales pitches to soft skills, learners are becoming top performers by applying and validating knowledge transfer using the unique benefits of video. Whether used as a stand-alone application or integrated with a learning platform, video-based practice and coaching platforms give learners the ultimate opportunity to repeatedly

Video