The latest update to Dead and Buried brings in-game 360° image and video capture among other new features.
VR is an experience that’s hard to explain to those who haven’t been lucky enough to try it themselves. How exactly does one put the incredible sensation of being immersed into a brand new world into mere words?
It’s a difficult task, one that Facebook recognizes as essential in the long-term acceptance of virtual and augmented reality technology. That’s why the company famous for allowing others to share their lives one post at a time is now bringing that same accessibility to the Oculus Rift.
As part of the “Summer of Bullets” update released Monday for the Rift game Dead and Buried, the company announced a slew of new features now available for the game, including a native in-game recording system that allows you to capture and share 360° images and footage. While previous recording methods merely captured the 2D perspective of the player, this 360° functionality will allow spectators to dive deeper into the experience for a more authentic representation of the actual game.
Those looking to watch can either use standard web browser to click and drag their way through the 360° action, or use a VR headset or mobile HMD for a better experience. The update also includes support for mixed reality video capture as well.
While this is definitely Facebook’s largest attempt at creating a new means of sharing VR experiences, it’s hardly their first. The social media giant released an update to its Gear VR platform allowing in-game video capture last year and offered a free SDK to developers for 360° content capture merely a couple months ago. However the release of this update to Dead and Buried marks the first implementation of a native 360° image and video capture feature. Hopefully this will remain a trend and find its way to other popular Rift and Gear VR titles.
According to the Oculus Store, Dead and Buried is basically what happens when VR meets the Wild West meets George A. Romero (RIP). “Step into a world full of gunslingers and ghosts in Dead and Buried. Grab your Touch controllers and become the best gunslinger in the wild west in this multiplayer action shooter. Battle it out in the old saloon. Rob a runaway train. Team up with other bandits and defend against hordes of ghastly creatures. Finally, you can live out your wild west fantasies thanks to virtual reality.”
Other changes included in the Summer of Bullets update include a Global Quick Search feature, matchmaking improvements, faster menu transitions, a new level, increases to max party sizes and much more.
Dead and Buried is available now on the Oculus Store for $19.99. For a small taste of the action you can check out the mobile version on Gear VR for FREE.
