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.

Samsung 215

Samsung HTC Oculus Conference 215

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.

Gaming 192

Gaming Controllers Filming HTC 192

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

Oculus isn’t the only one using its Quill tool to make movies, though Groceries in the 2040s is a little different to the company’s Dear Angelica. For starters, this new film from Adam Dylewski is viewed through YouTube, not inside your VR headset. You may remember Dylewski made a similar project on the future of music using Google’s Tilt Brush earlier this year.

Filming 182

Filming Oculus Tools Video 182

Road to VR

MARCH 3, 2017

Tactical Haptics , developers of the Reactive Grip controller, are showing their latest prototypes now with attachments for the Vive Tracker, Oculus Touch, and a custom-built SteamVR Tracking solution. The controller employs a unique solution to haptic feedback which aims to recreate the feeling of friction against objects in your hands rather than just rumble.

Haptic 186

Haptic Controllers Tools Oculus 186

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.

Mexico

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

Last year at GDC, I saw someone rip off their Vive headset and throw it across an entire demo booth. She was cowering in fear, on the verge of tears, ready to run out of the Moscone Convention Center. This year at GDC the responses weren’t as extreme because the demo was far more reserved, but the quality of the immersion and atmosphere still rang true.

Gaming 179

Gaming Sony Controllers Oculus 179

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

The game formerly known as Project Arena is now known as Sparc. We had a chance to play the futuristic sports experience at this year’s GDC, and boy are our arms tired! Wait, is that how that old joke goes? Having released EVE: Valkyrie and Gunjack last year, CCP is no stranger to VR, but this is its first foray into a new franchise outside of the EVE universe.

Strategy 172

Strategy HTC Gaming Oculus 172

Road to VR

MARCH 3, 2017

Peripheral manufacturer Bionik are building a Rift-life aftermarket integrated headphone solution for the PlayStation VR called ‘Mantis’ and, they look pretty neat too. Regardless of which VR headset you personally may prefer, there’s little argument that the Oculus Rift’s solution to the problem of tangled, headphone cables is pretty elegant.

Sony 179

Sony Course HTC Oculus 179

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

Like many people, I’m not great with needles. Just looking at them sends a shiver coursing through my body, and I find myself instinctively backing away. Once you’ve had your first injection, that thin, precise pinpoint of pain sticks in your mind and it’s hard to forget. It was with some bravery, then, that I picked up a syringe and used it in VR.

Haptic 163

Haptic Healthcare Simulation Training 163

Road to VR

MARCH 3, 2017

Is Duck Season a game? Is a Hot Pocket a meal? Who needs labels anyway? Created by Stress Level Zero , developers of multiplayer shooter Hover Junkers (2016), Duck Season is something, that’s for sure. Part shooting game, part theater piece, part exploration experience, Duck Season defies the genre pigeonholing that would make this article easier to write.

Gaming 165

Gaming Filming HTC Video 165

Advertisement

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

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

If you’re reading this, you’re close to surviving GDC week! There have been a plethora of announcements for future games and you can find plenty coverage on UploadVR , but we mustn’t forget the new Vive experiences that released throughout the week as well. Starting off the highlights, we have an escape the room experience that’s tied into an upcoming feature film.

HTC 160

HTC Filming Gaming Data 160

Road to VR

MARCH 3, 2017

Robo Recall has been given a locomotion mod for those looking for a less-restrictive movement system. Epic Games’ new VR shooter employs a teleport mechanic for movement, but has full mod support, allowing for additional experimental control systems. Robo Recall , an Oculus Touch-exclusive action shooter, has only been available for three days and already the community has been treated to a mod that allows free-form locomotion.

Oculus 147

Oculus Controllers Gaming How To 147

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

Horizon: Zero Dawn, the huge new PlayStation 4 exclusive game that released this week, sadly doesn’t support PlayStation VR (PSVR), but it does pay fitting tribute to a game that does. Players have uncovered a hologram in the game’s post-apocalyptic world that will look very familiar to anyone that played the PSVR launch title RIGS: Mechanized Combat League [ Review: 8/10 ].

Netherlands 160

Netherlands Tips Sony Gaming 160

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.

Gaming 101

Gaming America Video 101

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

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

During a panel at the 2017 Game Developers Conference, Jinjing Sha, VP of Operations for Chinese virtual reality company Hypereal , discussed the many ways his organization is working to attract more users to VR. One of the most important adoption-spurring initiatives, according to Sha, is Hypereal’s efforts to reduce the minimum PC specifications required to reliably power a VR headset.

China 157

China Oculus Conference Hand tracking 157

Slashgear

MARCH 3, 2017

Although it already has its Gear VR platform, co-developed with Oculus, Samsung may have more ambitious plans for its virtual reality push. Behind closed doors at MWC 2017, Samsung was reportedly giving select partners a demonstration of prototype VR headsets, ones that don’t need a smartphone or a PC to function. These standalone headsets, instead, carried their own processing power … Continue reading.

Samsung 93

Samsung Virtual Reality Oculus 93

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

GDC is nearing its event but the VR events won’t be stopping there. VRLA might be the expo to head to if you’re on the west coast of the USA right now, but those living in the UK have plenty of options too. VRLO is returning this month, for example, and it’s bringing some big names with it. VRLO 7 will take place on Monday March 20th at the new location in the Picturehouse Central, not far off from Piccadilly Circus.

Microsoft 156

Microsoft Industry Examples HTC 156

Slashgear

MARCH 3, 2017

PlayStation VR owners will soon have access to a new ‘Aim’ Controller vaguely shaped like a gun. The new controller will be available starting in May to coincide with the Farpoint virtual reality shooting game that is exclusive to the PS VR. Sony made the new ‘Aim’ controller based in part on recommendations from Impulse Gear, the indie studio behind … Continue reading.

Controllers 71

Controllers Virtual Reality Sony Gaming 71

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

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

Buckle up; it’s a big week for Oculus Rift and Touch owners. GDC has been going on for the last five days and Oculus has made some big announcements during the show, including a Rift and Touch price cut and a new Gear VR. It’s also launched some of the biggest and best games and apps on its platform to date, and there’s new content for Gear VR too, so let’s get stuck in.

Oculus 155

Oculus Data Controllers Gaming 155

Hypergrid Business

MARCH 3, 2017

Kroatan welcome region on Kroatan Grid. (Snapshot by Maria Korolov.). To celebrate its first anniversary later on this month, the Croatian-language Kroatan Grid is holding a photo contest themed “my crazy virtual life.” The deadline for submissions is Monday, May 15, and the winning photos will be featured at the grid’s first anniversary party on Saturday, May 27. “Prizes are virtual, like a cup with name of the winner on it, and different other prizes like an in-world

63

63

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

It’s GDC week and it looks like most all of the developers are there rather than actually, y’know, releasing their games. It’s slim pickings for PlayStation VR (PSVR) owners this week, though not without hope. There is a new horror experience to check out and one of VR’s most interesting educational experiences so far, so you do have a reason to hop into virtual reality this weekend, but nothing earth-shattering is set to release for some time yet.

Education 148

Education Sony Virtual Reality Examples 148

Everything VR & AR

MARCH 3, 2017

Dr. Brandon Birckhead of Immergence Tech joins the podcast to talk about distraction therapy and the benefits of virtual and augmented reality technology in the medical and dental industries. Also learn more about his new company, Immergence Tech , as well as cold pressor immersion testing as it relates to distraction therapy. We also learn why Dr. Birckhead made the decision to join the VR/AR Association Digital Healthcare Committee.

AR 52

AR Healthcare Augmented Reality Industry 52

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

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

The weird world of Danganronpa might not seem like it’s ideally suited to PlayStation VR (PSVR), but we’ll find out if it’s a good fit next week. Cyber Danganronpa the Class Trial VR is coming to Sony’s headset next week, according to DualShockers. The news was reportedly announced during a Spike Chunsoft press event at GDC 2017 this week.

North America 142

North America Asia Sony Japan 142

VRScout

MARCH 3, 2017

The immersive NYC art exhibition featured some truly creative virtual reality installations. The Moving Images immersive art fair has officially shut its doors to the public, but not before blowing the collective minds of hundreds of New Yorkers with an impressive gallery of single-channel videos, single-channel projections, video sculptures, immersive media, and other larger video installations.

New York 212

New York Tourism Virtual Reality Construction 212

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 3, 2017

Many fictional sports have made their way into the VR ecosystem, some taken inspiration from Tron or other futuristic works of sci-fi and others entirely original. With the more engaged input that VR provides, devs will continue to do so and hope that their creation becomes the definitive VR sport that spreads like wildfire across the industry. Game developer REDspace is bringing their new creation to HTC Vive this Spring and Gunball is combining the ideas from a few different sports.

HTC 116

HTC Gaming Industry 116

VRScout

MARCH 3, 2017

Acer will be first to ship a $300 mixed reality headset for Windows developers. Microsoft is showing some commitment to the idea of Windows Mixed Reality (formally known as Windows Holographic) with not just a single headset, but with five headsets. Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo are all on board with Microsoft to put mixed reality into the hands of the consumers when Microsoft launches Project Scorpio , a high-end, 4K capable version of the XBox One.

Microsoft 234

Microsoft San Francisco Machine Learning Conference 234

Speaker: Bruce Armstrong Taylor, Co-Founder & Managing Director of SmartNations Foundation, Jimmy Jia, Venture Partner at Pi Labs, Fabienne Durand, Senior Advisor to the SmartNations Foundation, & Roger Strukhoff, Executive Director of the Tau Institute

The Climate 4.0 Economy. Climate change is here. We see it in many ways already. Weather catastrophes: Texas freezing over, the wildfires of California, the increasingly unpredictable violence and frequency of hurricanes, the rapid melting and disappearance of polar ice caps. Much more evidence all around us. What can we do in our corporate organizations, in our homes and communities, to change the current course?

Texas