Meta announces Quest 3

Mark Zuckerberg just announced Meta Quest 3, the next-generation virtual and mixed reality headset, which launches later this year. It features higher resolution, stronger performance, breakthrough Meta Reality technology, and a slimmer, more comfortable form factor. Quest 3 will ship in all countries where Meta Quest is currently supported this fall. The 128GB headset starts at $499.99 USD,

Quest 3 combines highresolution display and pancake optics to make content look better than ever. To power those extra pixels, this will be the first headset to feature a next-generation Snapdragon chipset developed in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies. That next-gen Snapdragon chipset delivers more than twice the graphical performance as the previous generation Snapdragon GPU in Quest 2 — meaning you’ll get smoother performance and incredibly crisp details in immersive games. 

With a 40% slimmer optic profile* compared to Quest 2, Quest 3 is a sleeker, more comfortable headset. Meta has included TruTouch haptics that first debuted in Touch Pro to help you feel the action like never before. You can even upgrade to our fully self-tracked Meta Quest Touch Pro Controllers for a premium experience. And hand tracking will be supported out of the box, so you can explore without controllers, thanks to Direct Touch that lets you use just your hands to interact with virtual objects.

World’s Best Library of Immersive Content

Quest 3 is compatible with the Quest 2 catalog of over 500 VR games, apps, and experiences.

See all the highlights from today’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase.

Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded Coming to PlayStation VR2 At Launch

XR Games and Sony Pictures VR (SPVR) announced that a new, completely revamped version of the hit VR arcade light gun style shooter Zombieland: Headshot Fever will arrive as a PlayStation®VR2 launch title.


Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded is a premium version of the hit VR game, rebuilt to take advantage of PlayStation®5 and PlayStation®VR2. Fans will experience the action, characters and humor from the hit movie franchise with a brand new cel-shaded art style, new character models, new animations, new lighting, ragdoll physics, new music, completely re-designed progression system, a new game hub, a whole host of brand-new gameplay content, and PlayStation®VR2-exclusive features.


PlayStation®VR2-exclusive features include:

 

• Adaptive triggers: making every weapon feel different

• Controller haptics: unique haptic feedback every time you fire a weapon

• Headset rumble: feel the horde approaching in the headset

• Eye-tracking: supports eye-tracking for foveated rendering

Additionally, players can also look forward to a new story level, three new remix levels, new Gun Range challenges, new guns, new perks and new gun skins to enhance the fast-paced, heart-pounding Zombie horde gameplay.


“Bringing a reimagined version of our award-winning game ‘Zombieland: Headshot Fever’ to a brand-new audience on PlayStation®VR2 was a no-brainer.” said Jake Zim, SVP, virtual reality, Sony Pictures Entertainment. “The new hardware features of PlayStation®VR2 enabled the team at XR Games to take ‘Zombieland: Headshot Fever’ to the next level of immersive entertainment. This truly is the ultimate version of the hit arcade-style shooter, and I can’t wait for players to experience the game, and new hardware features, in action.” 


“As soon as we saw the power and hardware features of PlayStation®VR2, we knew there was a huge opportunity to increase the immersion and build the best version of ‘Zombieland: Headshot Fever’ imaginable.” said Bobby Thandi, Founder and CEO of XR Games. “The team kept experimenting, and came back with a gorgeous new artstyle, new animations, lighting, physics, character models, progression system, as well as new levels, guns, challenges and trophies. This is essentially a remaster built to take advantage of PlayStation®VR2’s exciting new hardware features, delivering a more exciting, faster, more immersive experience. I couldn’t be prouder of what the team has accomplished.”

Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded will be released for PlayStation®VR2 for $24.99/£19.99. Starting today, players can wishlist the game on the PlayStation store using the link below.


Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded on PlayStation Store
For more information about Zombieland: Headshot Fever, visit the game’s official website at https://www.zombielandvrgame.com.


Hear the latest news from XR Games by following XR Games on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. Find fellow Zombieland players by joining the XR Games Discord, or visit https://www.xrgames.io.

AltspaceVR to Sunset the Platform on March 10, 2023

In a blog post AltspaceVR announced plans to sunset the Platform on March 10, 2023 with the following message.

“The decision has not been an easy one as this is a platform many have come to love, providing a place for people to explore their identities, express themselves, and find community. It has been a privilege to help unlock passions among users, from educational opportunities for personal growth to the development of unique and wonderful events, groundbreaking art, and immersive experiences — enabling this community to achieve more. With Mesh, we aspire to build a platform that offers the widest opportunity to all involved, including creators, partners and customers. Over the coming weeks, we encourage the many creators and developers who are part of the AltspaceVR community to host final events and download their content*. Information on how to download content is available here.”

We have some sad news, Altspacers. #AltspaceVR is shutting down on March 10th.

Though we hate saying goodbye, we also feel such pride and gratitude for all the magic that happened here. ✨

Thanks for joining us on this epic adventure. #socialvr https://t.co/peCwpaaBl3

— AltspaceVR (@AltspaceVR) January 20, 2023

To learn more about what is next for Microsoft Mesh, visit Mesh.com and sign up for updates here.

Immersive VR love story "Marco & Polo Go Round" launches Valentines Day onSteam and HTC Viveport.

Marco & Polo Go Round is an immersive love story written by Gregory Kaufman and Benjamin Steiger Levine and directed by Benjamin Steiger Levine. 

On the morning of his birthday, Marco joins his girlfriend Polo in the kitchen but something strange is going on. The chairs are battened to the floor and the cupboard and fridge doors are taped shut, as if to protect themselves from an impending storm. Polo doesn’t seem to notice. She’s just excited to present him with the cake she has just made. Gradually the dissensions within the couple surface and the joyful atmosphere quickly turns to shock as the objects come loose and start to fly around them.

Marco & Polo Go Round immerses the viewer into a young couple’s intimate relationship and invites them to physically experience the crisis they are going through, as they navigate this distorted, topsy-turvy world. 

Marco & Polo Go Round is VR narrative experience produced using volumetric capture recorded in live motion to preserve the actors' glance and movements, coupled with traditional animation and virtual physical simulations.

Benjamin Steiger Levine depicts life through unexpected stories that are both touching and disturbing. This balance between charm and discomfort, humanity and visual wonder, is at the heart of his work. 

"Marco and Polo are perfectly complementary characters. They are totally different but these differences compensate for what the other lacks. These differences also separate them. Marco takes his time, he believes that truth can only exist in a perfectly gray space. Polo is a ball of fire, and for her, truth means expressing her opinion loud and clear" explains Benjamin Steiger Levine, director of Marco & Polo Go Round.

MARCO & POLO GO ROUND will be available on February 14th on Steam and Viveport.

A virtual reality fiction (6DOF) on Steam and HTC Viveport, a 360° video on YouTube and a short film on ARTE.tv and YouTube.
Written by Gregory Kaufman and Benjamin Steiger Levine
Directed by Benjamin Steiger Levine
With : Léane Labrèche-Dor and Emmanuel Schwartz
A co-production of Item 7 and Belga Productions, with the participation of ARTE.
Edited by ARTE France.

About ARTE   
Founded in 1992, ARTE is a European public cultural television channel and digital network focusing on creation and innovation. Over the past ten years, ARTE has co-produced a number of interactive games such as Inua, Unmaze, Homo Machina, Vandals, Type:Rider, The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature and Vectronom. More information on the official website and the Twitter page of Arte Interactif

ABOUT ITEM 7 
Item 7 is a Montreal-based film production company headed by Pierre Even. Since its inception in 2009, Item 7 has produced 17 feature films, including Jean-Marc Vallée's CAFÉ DE FLORE, Kim Nguyen's Oscar-nominated WAR WITCH (REBELLE), and co-produced John Crowley's BROOKLYN, starring Saoirse Ronan. Recently released films include Kim Nguyen's THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT starring Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard. In 2021, Lina Roessler's first feature film, BEST SELLERS, was presented at the Berlinale. This Canadian-British co-production stars Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza. MARIA CHAPDELAINE, written and directed by Sébastien Pilote, and the VR short MARCO & POLO GO ROUND, Item 7's first foray into virtual reality, will open in 2021.

ABOUT BELGA 
Belga Productions specializes in assisting European film co-productions that carry out all or part of their production process in Belgium (principal photography, post-production, special effects). For example, in 2015 and 2016, Belga Productions provided co-production and production services to several large-scale international film projects, such as Thomas Vinterberg's "Kursk" or EuropaCorp's "Renegades". Belga Productions has also assisted several local productions in their production and financing efforts, notably by soliciting and obtaining local regional funds. Thanks to its links with Belga Films Fund and the Belga Films Group, the largest independent film distributor in the Benelux, Belga Productions offers a unique solution to European producers who are considering producing in Belgium: financing through its internal Tax Shelter Fund, distribution in the Benelux (including TV production deals), production services, application for regional funds, etc.

HTC's VIVERSE platform will be utilizing Lamina1's layer one tools for the open metaverse

HTC is collaborating with Lamina1 to accelerate the realization of an open metaverse ecosystem for society. HTC's VIVERSE platform will be utilizing Lamina1's layer one tools to enable more efficient cross-world cross-platform asset distribution and management, so users can seamlessly keep their digital assets (avatars, clothes, artwork, etc.) with them as they traverse the metaverse.

Lamina1 was co-founded by Snow Crash author Neal Stephenson, who coined the term metaverse back in the early 90s, and Crypto Pioneer Peter Vessenes. Lamina1 recently launched its Lamina1 Ecosystem Fund (L1EF) on venture platform AngelList. The first-of-its-kind fund serves two goals: to offer global accredited investors a way to gain direct investment access to early stage Layer 1 projects not previously accessible to the general public, and to provide Web3 builders a vehicle for raising capital for their Open Metaverse ventures prior to mainnet.

Lamina1 is also a founding sponser of The Open Metaverse Conference will feature keynotes from renowned technologists and storytellers who are pioneering visions for the next era of the Internet. Attendees will hear from Lamina1 co-founders Neal Stephenson and Peter Vessenes, as well as Philip Rosedale, founder of virtual world Second Life (Linden Lab) and co-founder of virtual platform High Fidelity, John Gaeta, Oscar-winning VFX pioneer (The Matrix) and CCO of character persona company Inworld AI, Cathy Hackl, Metaverse and Web3 strategist and founder of design consultancy Journey, and other industry crossover leaders to be announced. Keynote sessions will be complemented by diverse speakers and side events spanning games, art, entertainment, and commerce. To connect these key areas of culture with the technology that enables them, the Open Metaverse Conference will also facilitate technological deep dives for attendees from leaders in Web3, immersive computing, and technology standards groups. Presenting partners include the Metaverse Standards Forum, the Open Metaverse Interoperability Group, and the Open Metaverse Alliance for Web3 (OMA3), all organizations fostering interoperability.

HTC VIVE unveiled its new consumer flagship all-in-one, VIVE XR Elite.

HTC VIVE has unveiled its new consumer flagship all-in-one, VIVE XR Elite. The headset combines Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR) capabilities into one compact, lightweight, powerful and highly versatile device – perfect for gaming, fitness, productivity and more. 

"The VIVE XR Elite all-in-one represents the next milestone in the progression towards the fully immersive internet, going beyond today's VR with accurate pass-through video to open up a new realm of realism in learning and playing," said Cher Wang, Co-Founder and Chairwoman of HTC Corp. "This advanced yet compact device offers the best of all worlds for consumers, providing the ideal physical gateway to the universe of experiences offered by VIVERSE, our version of the metaverse, with the widest variety of content inputs even up to the very latest standards such as WiFi 6E."

VIVE XR Elite includes a full color RGB passthrough camera, and hand-tracking, which enables a whole new dimension of MR scenarios. This can include playing games where the characters are running on your furniture, having real-time overlays on musical instruments like a piano so you can learn, and even having the ultimate workstation with multiple virtual screens while still being able to use your real-world keyboard and mouse.

VIVE XR Elite can be connected easily to a PC via USB-C to access PCVR content from VIVEPORT and Steam and supports wireless PC streaming over WiFi or the latest generation - WiFi 6E with low latency and great graphics.

You can even stream content wirelessly from a compatible Android phone to VIVE XR Elite, which opens a whole new world of entertainment.  In the headset, you'll enjoy viewing on your own personal cinema screen of 300 inches. That includes content from services like Netflix and Disney+ or games like Fortnite, and you can even connect a Bluetooth controller to your phone for a full gaming experience.

Powerful, versatile, all-in-one XR

VIVE XR Elite takes versatility to the next level. It has a sleek modular design that can easily be transformed into a glasses form factor - simply remove the battery and fit the VIVE XR Elite temple pads. Change the physical configuration so it works best for whichever situation you're in, whether that's at home, in the office, or travelling on a plane.

The redesigned hinge means the extended arms of VIVE XR Elite cup your head just like the front and back of a traditional all-in-one. There's a USB-C connecting cable on the right-hand side, which you can plug into a power source like a battery bank or airline seat.

Intuitive control with precise tracking

With four wide FOV cameras, exceptional 6DoF spatial accuracy, a depth sensor, hand-tracking and capacitive sensing for your finger movements on the controllers, developers have lots of options to incorporate in VR and MR content for accurate movement to enhance your overall experience.

VIVE XR Elite has both physical controllers and hand-tracking to achieve all-important accuracy when gaming, for productivity and even learning scenarios. VIVE Wrist Tracker is also compatible to deliver enhanced hand tracking, or it can be attached to objects you want to track in XR.

Compact design, superior performance 

The visual impact is sharp with a wide 110 FOV, 4K resolution which results in a crisp image all running on a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. VIVE XR Elite has adjustable lenses so you can take off your glasses and still enjoy a clear picture with greater comfort. Find your perfect sweet spot without having to remove the headset, with a built-in fine-adjustable IPD slider placed on the outside of the headset.

Find the perfect balance of comfort and performance with VIVE XR Elite's beautifully compact design. The full headset weighs just 625g including the battery, which is placed at the back for balance and is curved for optimal comfort, and delivers up to two hours of full XR use. The battery is removable and hot swappable, so you can keep going whether it's changing to another power source or changing to another battery. It has 30-watt fast charging and is charged via USB-C power delivery.

It also has a removable fabric face gasket, connected by magnets to make it easy to clean or switch out for a fresh one. The sound stage is enhanced by adding larger speakers that allow layers of immersion with enhanced bass, balance and directional audio that adds up to better clarity in any XR experience, without having to rely on external solutions.

VIVE XR Elite marks HTC VIVE's continued commitment towards corporate social responsibility. Its environment-first packaging is 99.9% paper, made from 99% recycled materials, and is 100% recyclable.

Step into VIVERSE

VIVE XR Elite brings the best of HTC VIVE's hardware and software innovation together which will enable you to dive straight into XR through VIVERSE, making it easier and more immersive from the second you put on the headset. 

You start in a two-floor customizable social space that acts as the launchpad of your adventures – simply look at the shelf in your space to launch your favorite XR games and experiences or look at the paintings on the wall and use them as portals into new worlds. A dedicated living area means you can invite friends over to hangout and to help with keeping that work/life balance, you can go to the second floor and check out your agenda for the day.

HTC is working with a variety of technology and content partners to bring its vision of an open, interoperable, and imaginative VIVERSE to life. 

Pricing and availability

VIVE XR Elite is available to pre-order globally from 5 January via vive.com and participating authorized retailers. Pre-order shipments are estimated to begin from late February. VIVE XR Elite comes with the headset itself, 2x controllers, and the headset battery cradle, and will cost*:

• US $1,099 exc. VAT

• UK £1,299 inc. VAT

• DE/FR €1,399 inc. VAT

• NO 15,499 NOK

• SWE 16,299 SEK

• DK 11,099 DKK

• A$ 2,099 inc. GST

• NZ$ 2,299 inc. GST

HTC VIVE's latest headset launches with a promotional offer of an XR games/content bundle, in certain regions.

VIVE XR Elite will also be available for enterprise users, with more information coming later this year and HTC VIVE will also be launching a Face and Eye Tracker unit in 2023.

To find out more, visit www.vive.com/vive-xr-elite/

VR developer and publisher nDreams has acquired Shooty Fruity dev Near Light

nDreams has acuired Brighton-based studio and long-time collaborator, Near Light. Near Light developed the nDreams published titles Shooty Fruity and Perfect, in addition to recently pioneering an AR experience for one of the world’s leading toy brands. The studio is currently developing an unannounced VR title to be published by nDreams.

Paul Mottram and Ben Hebb co-founded Near Light in 2016, having previously collaborated in key roles at Wide Games, Kuju Brighton, and Zoë Mode. The pair have worked on a number of innovative titles that championed new ways to play, including games in the EyeToy Play, SingStar, and Guitar Hero series.

Near Light joins nDreams’ three existing development studios – nDreams Studio (based in Farnborough), nDreams Studio Elevation, and nDreams Studio Orbital

Following the $35 million investment in nDreams by the Aonic Group at the start of the year, this is nDreams first acquisition.

“We are hugely excited to be deepening nDreams’ relationship with Near Light after many years of fruitful partnerships,” said nDreams CDO, Tom Gillo. “Acquiring the studio will allow us to collaborate even more closely on medium-defining games, not to mention bringing Ben and Paul’s 20+ years of industry experience into the nDreams family to strengthen our own expertise.”

“Going all the way back to Perfect and Shooty Fruity, our collaborations with nDreams have been really enjoyable,” added Ben Hebb, co-founder of Near Light. “The feeling of working on great projects with a group of people you get on with is a special, unique thing, and an absolute privilege. We’re thrilled to be working with nDreams to create titles that leave a powerful legacy."

Fantasy Adventure, “Colossal Cave” Reimagined by Roberta Williams for VR

Colossal Cave, the ultimate 3D interpretation of the original text adventure, sets off on an epic journey on Meta Quest 2, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, as well as Windows PC, and Mac via Steam and The Epic Games Store Jan. 19, 2023.

Traverse winding caves, dripping with stalactites, with only a trusty lantern for illumination. Take in awe-inspiring scenes full of friendly and hostile woodland dwellers, treading with caution to not wake a slumbering dragon. Swiftly resolve challenging puzzles and discover exciting easter eggs throughout the caverns before embarking on the treacherous journey back to the mortal realm. 

Colossal Cave will be launching across various platforms (Steam, Epic Games, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox X|S) on January 19, 2023!! Visit the website to learn more (www.colossalcave3d.com) and wishlist now!

Dive into pioneer developers’ and Sierra On-Line founders Ken and Roberta Williams's [King’s Quest, Space Quest, and Phantasmagoria] first passion project in nearly 20 years away from development.

Resident Evil Village VR Mode Launches with PlayStation®VR2 on Feb. 22, 2023 as Free DLC

Enter the world of survival horror once again with the Resident Evil™ Village VR Mode. This immersive new mode will be available alongside the launch of PlayStation®VR2 on Feb. 22, 2023 as free DLC for all PlayStation®5 owners of either Resident Evil Village or Resident Evil™ Village Gold Edition.
 
The VR Mode supports the entire campaign and lifts the award-winning experience to new heights. A deeper and more captivating adventure awaits with PlayStation VR2, as Ethan Winters’ journey takes full advantage of the headset’s advanced features. VR Mode utilizes the 4K HDR display, eye tracking, and 3D audio to make Resident Evil Village more realistic and intense than ever. Soak in the village’s richly detailed atmosphere in virtual reality, including the ornate chambers of Castle Dimitrescu, and prepare to feel truly dwarfed by the larger-than-life characters and creatures that lurk within. 
 

Beyond stepping into the world of Resident Evil Village with the PlayStation VR2 headset, players will get to grips with their surroundings in new ways with the PlayStation VR2 Sense™ controllers. These represent Ethan’s famously resilient hands and allow intuitive actions to be performed in-game. Players can hold up their arms to guard against enemies that get too close for comfort. Weapons also feel tangibly more realistic in VR Mode with new gameplay elements that dial up the immersion, such as dual wielding and natural motion controls for reloading firearms and brandishing knives.
 

About Resident Evil Village
Set a few years after the events of Resident Evil™ 7 biohazard, Resident Evil Village sees tragedy befall the Winters family once again. After their home is attacked, Ethan ventures into an eerie village to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Rose. Resident Evil Village resumes Ethan’s journey in the first-person view with photorealistic visuals that take survival horror to the next level with the power of Capcom’s proprietary RE ENGINE. The recently released Resident Evil Village Gold Edition is a bundle of the base game and the Winters’ Expansion, which includes Third Person Mode, The Mercenaries Additional Orders, and Shadows of Rose, a continuation of the story set 16 years after the main game.
 

ALTDEUS Brings Mecha Battles and Branching Stories to PSVR Today

ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos, the sci-fi, anime-style adventure with a twisting narrative and difficult choices developed by the industry veterans at MyDearest Inc., is now available on PlayStation VR, fresh off of winning the 2020 Famitsu/Dengeki Award in the Adventure Category, and becoming one of the top-rated apps on the Oculus Store.

Meteoras, colossal aliens which destroyed Earth’s surface 200 years after TOKYO CHRONOS, drove humans into the underground Augmented Tokyo. Amassing their forces to fight back, human armies deploy Makhia, giant mecha with Rail Cannons powerful enough to destroy the alien invaders.

Play as Lieutenant Chloe, an android and humanity’s best chance at returning to the surface. Fight in mech battles alongside her AI assistant Noa, who resembles Chloe’s departed friend Coco. Chloe fights to avenge her friend who was devoured by the Meteoras, while struggling with her relationship with Noa who is ever-present in her dual roles as aide and a pop singer, while acting nothing like Coco.

Between mecha battles, explore Augmented Tokyo, interact with residents, or tune into cyber Noa’s 360-degree J-pop concerts. Discover a story with numerous branching paths and multiple endings using the Libra system , which points out impactful choices and unvisited story branches. Uncover all the threads of the 15-20 hour campaign using the Ariadne system to return to past decisions to rewrite humanity’s fate.

Renowned character artist LAM and mecha designer I-IV contributed their specialties to bring a vibrant cast of characters to life with English and Japanese voice acting. Famous J-Pop performers have come together to create a heart-pumping soundtrack, including an all-new song by ASCA (Fate/Apocrypha, Sword Art Online, TOKYO CHRONOS) called “DESIRE, and performances by R!N Gemie (PROMARE, Attack on Titan Season 2).

“With the release of ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos on PSVR, we have ensured the full protection of humanity now that virtually anyone with a VR headset can play our game,” said Haruki Kashiwakura, game director, MyDearest. “We are already exploring where we can take the Chronos Series from here, and I assure you this is not the end of the ALTDEUS story.”

ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos is available now on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility for $29.99/€24.99 featuring English and Japanese voice acting and Chinese (Simplified), German, and French subtitles. ALTDEUS is also available on SteamVR and the Oculus Store for Oculus Quest and Rift devices.

For more information, please visit the ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos official website, follow it on Facebook, Twitter, and search for #ALTDEUS on social media.

Fracked is a trailblazing new PSVR action-adventure game from nDreams

Fracked is the trailblazing new VR action-adventure game from nDreams, the creators of the ground-breaking Phantom: Covert Ops. Seamlessly combining relentless “run and cover” gunfights with free and fluid skiing and climbing, Fracked is uncompromising, audacious, and unashamedly stylish.

Get ready to grab the PS VR by the Moves and experience a bombastic reality game that has been fully enhanced for PS5™.

As a reluctant hero, stuck deep inside a remote mountain facility, you’re forced into a final stand between the planet and the ‘Fracked’ - an army of gun-wielding, interdimensional enemies. There’s no room here for subtlety and stealth, this is bold, brash and uncompromising explosive action. Alone. On the edge. And really fracked off… humanity’s survival is in your hands!

“We wanted to create an uncompromised action adventure, specifically designed for PS VR” said David Corless, VP of Publishing at nDreams. “Fracked has kinetic, explosive combat plus free movement, skiing, climbing and base jumping off buildings… it kicks ass!”

Fracked’s innovative VR gunplay blends improvised run and gun combat with a 1:1 grabbable cover system allowing you to move freely around the battlefield outflanking, outsmarting, and outgunning the Fracked. The game also features free and intuitive no-rails movement on foot, on skis and climbing.

Designed exclusively for PlayStation®VR and PlayStation®Move, Fracked combines interactions, locomotion and combat in a single, pioneering VR game with further enhancements for the new PlayStation®5, including uncapped dynamic resolution, improved framerate, resolution and loading times. Fracked will be available Summer 2021.

nDreams Launches $2M Fund to Help VR Developers Publish their Games

Award-winning virtual reality developer and publisher announced that it has set aside $2m to co-fund and publish externally developed VR titles.

In addition to the opportunity for development funding, nDreams can also provide studios with full publishing support, sharing their market knowledge, data insights, first party relationships and game marketing and sales experience. The publishing team between them have over 20 years in VR and have additionally worked for AAA publishers such as Ubisoft, Capcom, SEGA and WB Games.

“We know how difficult it can be to get a VR game to market successfully,” said David Corless, VP of Publishing. “We want to share our knowledge with other studios to help them make the best game they can and to give those titles every chance of becoming a huge success, whether that be through development funding or solely publishing support.”

Led by Corless and Steve Tagger, Business Development Director, the studio will be looking for VR games that embrace the immersive, high-agency potential of the medium. Additionally, the nDreams initiative can provide development support and expertise, including QA, localisation, production, and technical/design consultation.

If you are a developer and interested in partnering with us, please get in touch for more details: publishing@ndreams.com

About nDreams Ltd.

nDreams Ltd. (www.ndreams.com) is an award-winning virtual reality developer and publisher, with a proven track record in creating successful and memorable experiences for leading VR platforms, including the award-winning Phantom: Covert Ops and Shooty Fruity.

nDreams is an approved developer partner with Sony PlayStation, Oculus, HTC, Microsoft HoloLens, Google and Samsung.

Learn more about nDreams on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram

SWORDS of GARGANTUA Launches on PlayStation VR

Thirdverse announced that VR sword-action game SWORDS of GARGANTUA is live on PlayStation VR. Already available for Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, HTC VIVE COSMOS and Windows Mixed Reality, SWORDS of GARGANTUA is a fan favorite with high ratings and reviews. Earlier this year, Thirdverse released a major update for the game, including new beautifully crafted weapons. SWORDS of GARGANTUA for PlayStation VR is now available for download globally in English and Japanese for $29.99 USD.

SWORDS of GARGANTUA is a VR sword-action game you can experience in single-player mode or online co-op with up to 3 other players. Traverse through the Tesseract Abyss floors with the aim of taking down the giant Gargantua in its deepest layer, Floor 101. Make use of various weapons and abilities which you earn with every attempt and take on difficult battles along your journey. A wide variety of weapons are available, allowing you to pursue your own virtual reality action (one and two-handed swords, axes, maces, boomerangs, shields, etc.). While playing, you can use voice chat to communicate with your fellow warriors while taking on the enemies in Tesseract Abyss.

Key Features:

• Hyper-Realistic VR Swordsmanship: Swing, stab, crush and parry. Wield over 30 discoverable weapons and fight your way through 101 floors of enemies hell bent on stopping you from reaching the colossal end-boss, Gargantua.

• Rogue-lite Action: Each play through gives different floor advancement choices along the way; play it safe, but it’ll take more battles to reach the end, or skip to a deeper level and be cursed with major disadvantages and debuffs while fighting tougher enemies.

• Character Progression: Keep all the weapons, items, coins and stat upgrades collected through each play permanently. Take excess weapons and combine them to make stronger versions to aid in progressively difficult battles.

• Co-op Multiplayer: Play with up to three other adventurers. Call the shots with native voice chat and defeat the mighty Gargantua.

Players can also play SWORDS of GARGANTUA on the following platforms:
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/895200/Swords_of_Gargantua/
Oculus Rift: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/2001971263187898
Oculus Quest: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/3064046640291676/
VIVEPORT: https://www.viveport.com/apps/bb242289-9aca-4b5c-8f93-f3a6a51de1b3

Vertigo Games Announces Publishing Agreement for VR Air Guitar Music Game

Vertigo Games, the multi-platform VR publisher and developer best known for the platinum selling VR shooter Arizona Sunshine, announced today they have entered into a publishing partnership with Anotherway, a newly formed VR studio led by developers with roots at Microsoft Hololens and Activision, for the upcoming VR Air Guitar music game Unplugged.

“Like many in the VR community, from players to creators, we were impressed by the tempting live gig atmosphere, 80s music fanzine art style and innovative air guitar gameplay shown in the first Unplugged gameplay teasers that circulated online earlier this year,” said Kimara Rouwit, Marketing Director at Vertigo Games. “We’re excited to officially bring aboard the talented Anotherway team and are fully geared towards helping them realize their as of yet unrevealed ambitions for Unplugged, which will see them elevate their great gameplay concept in exciting ways.”

"What started out as a passion project seemed to grab the attention of many VR media and content creators, and we soon realized that the project had much potential and we needed a partner to help us bring it to life,” said Julia Casal, Producer at Anotherway, “By partnering with Vertigo Games we are able to scale up the project and pursue our ambitious goals. The experience has been wonderful so far and we are extremely motivated to start the journey of working on Unplugged along with them.”

Published by Vertigo Games and developed by Anotherway, the VR music game Unplugged is coming to VR in Q3 2021. For more news about Unplugged, find Unplugged on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and sign up for the newsletter at unplugged-vr.com.

VR Training Platform, Mursion, Raises $20M in Series B Funding

 Mursion, the industry leader in immersive virtual reality training for emotional intelligence in the workplace, announced it has closed a $20 million Series B financing, led by Leeds Illuminate.

 Mursion is at the forefront of training individuals to be more empathetic and emotionally adept via virtual reality simulations that feature immersive interactions with human-guided avatars. Organizations turn to Mursion for a safe place to practice human skills, such as emotional intelligence, adaptability, and resilience, in an authentic risk-free environment where the danger of harming the individual's performance and company's reputation is eliminated. By blending AI with live human interaction, Mursion offers a virtual environment for practicing critical human skills in a consistent, customizable, cost-effective way, at scale. 

 "Mursion's extraordinary recent growth is evidence of the market need for an immersive and easily accessible platform to practice behaviors tied to strategic imperatives, across business, healthcare, government and education environments" according to Susan Cates, Managing Partner of Leeds Illuminate. "Mursion's unique approach delivers measurable results and real impact for learners ranging from doctors to front-line managers to K12 teachers."

With the global pandemic accelerating the shift towards virtual learning in the Fortune 1000, Mursion's ability to provide challenging, immersive, hyper realistic simulations of challenging workplace conversations proved consequential. In 2020, Mursion deepened its existing partnerships with such top companies as T-Mobile, Coca-Cola, and LinkedIn and signed new deals with industry leaders like H&R Block, Indeed, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Johnson & Johnson. Clients in government, healthcare, higher education and business partner with Mursion to practice a wide range of skills including leadership development, conflict resolution, clinical reasoning, and sales. Many recent collaborations are centered on the implementation of immersive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training that builds trust and supports courageous conversation between managers and their teams.

 "Mursion was founded on the basis that human skills, such as the ability to give constructive feedback and to deescalate interpersonal conflicts are not merely "nice-to-have" capabilities in the workplace, they are paramount to an individual's and an organization's success," said Mursion CEO Mark Atkinson. "Numerous studies have proven that companies that build a mutually supportive culture at work show more growth in revenue."

 Mursion Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Arjun Nagendran added: "Effectively combining the latest advancements in virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and human reasoning unlocks the potential to create human behavioral change. This change, afforded via Mursion’s immersive technology, will be at the heart of driving every organization's productivity and impact in the next decade." 

This new funding caps a momentous year for Mursion, with highlights such as inclusion in Fast Company’s "World's Most Innovative Companies 2020;" a multi-phased roll-out of intricate new software features, including photorealistic avatars and environments; enhanced learning analytics; and overwhelming demand for its trademark simulations that blend artificial intelligence and live human interaction.

About Mursion
Powered by a blend of artificial intelligence and live human interaction, Mursion provides immersive VR training for essential skills in the workplace. Mursion simulations are designed for the modern workforce, staging interactions between learners and avatars to achieve the realism needed for measurable, high-impact results. Drawing upon research in learning science and psychology, Mursion harnesses the best in technology and human interaction to deliver outcomes for both learners and organizations.

About Leeds Illuminate
Leeds Illuminate is a growth equity firm dedicated to partnering with exceptional management teams in high growth companies in education and workforce development. The Firm is committed to improving outcomes in education (pre-K through higher ed), workplace access and advancement. Together, Leeds Illuminate, with its focus on growth stage companies, and Leeds Equity Partners, with its focus on middle market buyouts, bring sector expertise and strategic insights to create long-term value for their partner companies and investors. Leeds Equity Partners was founded in 1993 and has deployed over $2.7 billion of capital across a broad spectrum of companies within the Knowledge Industries. For additional information on Leeds Illuminate, see Leeds Illuminate. 

Check out the Humble Fall VR Game bundle with games like The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.

Don't miss out on the Humble Bundle Fall VR Game bundle!
Choose from games like The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Zero Caliber VR, and more!

Prepare to fall into a new, virtual reality! Get a new view on familiar worlds in The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Zero Caliber VR, and more. Plus, your purchase will support Movember and a charity of your choice!

Pay $1 or more. Normally, the total cost for the games in this bundle is as much as $219. Choose the price and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle! This bundle has a minimum $1 purchase. Pay $1 or more to access Steam keys.

Redeem on Steam. All of the games in this bundle are available on Steam for Windows.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes - between the publishers, Movember, and 

Link for the Humble Fall VR Bundle

Four Seasons Total Landscaping recreated as furry hangout spot in VR

Ha ha ha OMG! The grand debut of Four Seasons Total Landscaping was AMAZING! Thank you to everyone who showed up! pic.twitter.com/2c5KQKQwgC

— coopertom (@thecoopertom) November 9, 2020

YouTuber coopertom recreated the infamous Four Seasons Total Landscaping location in VRChat. The Trump campaign's accidental press conference site has now been immortalized in VR. It includes detailed weathering on the facade, campaign signs attached to a garage door and that fire hose. coopertom shared a video of furries exploring a version of the location which is sandwiched between a crematorium and a sex shop as it is in real life.

Team behind Pixel Ripped 1995 developing anime inspired VR bullet hell game

ARVORE, the VR studio which developed acclaimed VR titles Pixel Ripped 1995 and The Line, is proud to announce YUKI, an action-packed bullet hell VR game with roguelite mechanics set in a fully original anime universe. With an innovative VR gameplay inspired by classics like STAR FOX and TOUHOU, the game explores the player’s spatial awareness and body movement across multiple procedural levels, filled to the brim with enemies, obstacles, and bullets. This all leads to a highly challenging adventure with roguelite elements, such as a semi-persistent progression system that allows the player to improve his skill by equipping several power ups and new abilities at the beginning of each run.

Set in an incredible anime universe, YUKI transports the player into the wild imagination of a child to fly through multidimensional worlds while holding the action figure of her favorite anime character, Yuki. They will use their hands to fly Yuki and dodge a near infinite barrage of bullets and obstacles that fall into their path in an enthralling VR-designed gameplay. Players will have to think on their feet and engage in a smooth choreography to battle enemies while dodging bullets and obstacles.

YUKI's Mechanics

YUKI offers a unique VR blend of the Bullet Hell and Roguelite genres. Both genres are known for their high difficulty, but YUKI is designed to be accessible and enjoyable by everyone. By starting as an “pick up and play” game, the player can feel the power progression through systems and clear skill progression through difficulty. YUKI quickly grows into a strategic game that offers a clear feeling of progression and rewards for the player’s personal achievements. ARVORE wants to invite all players interested in playtesting YUKI to join their community on Discord. Also we invite them to follow us on Twitter.

Prison Boss VR is coming to Oculus Quest/Quest 2 on December 3rd!

TREBUCHET is delighted to announce the imminent arrival of its VR masterpiece Prison Boss VR on Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2! The game will be released on the Oculus marketplace on the 3rd of December and will be priced $19,99.

Prison Boss VR is an hilarious crafting and trading game using room-scale to turn your VR space into a jail cell! Craft cigarettes, alcohol and cookies for other inmates while avoiding being caught by the warden! Customize your cell as your reputation grows! Earn cash until you can’t store it anymore and become the Prison Boss!

Vincent Brunet-Dupont, CEO of TREBUCHET says “Prison Boss is a title that was really built for VR with the idea of the jail cell scaling with your VR space. I'd even go as far as saying that having it come to the Quest with its untethered headset makes it the ultimate VR contraband simulator available on the market.”

 Feature list:

• 11 unique crafts recipe!

• 4 prisons with over 80 jobs to complete

• Unlockable game modes!

• Great Jazzy soundtrack!

Beat & Battle VR Tournament Pits Iconic Musician Steve Aoki and other famous DJ’s Against Seasoned YouTubers to Benefit Charity

U24 Solutions will be hosting a new one-of-a-kind Virtual Reality Tournament event called ‘Beat & Battle’ composed of music and esports gamings’ biggest stars, set to stream live on Twitch on November 11, 2020 (6 PM, GMT +0, 2 pm EDT). This event will bring out some of the best talent and biggest names from each industry, viewers will recognize well-known DJs such as Steve Aoki, Headhunterz, and Will Sparks, Milwin as well as YouTube and Twitch players like Sodapoppin, xQc, Yassuo, ProjectJamesify, and Loserfruit.

This event also gives viewers an early in-depth look at U24’s upcoming game Cradle of Sins VR which has been under development over the past two years, entering Steam Early Access very soon. Over the tournament, eight teams participating in the ‘Beat & Battle’ tournament will compete to win from a prize pool of $25,000, with the proceeds going directly to the charity of the winner’s choosing.

Cradle of Sins VR Beta teaser:

Beat & Battle Event Details:

Eight teams made up of three players each will compete in U24’s upcoming multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) title Cradle of Sins VR. With the world on lockdown thanks to the ongoing pandemic, U24 wants to bring the two most dynamic entertainment industries, gaming, and music, together to provide some hair-raising excitement.

Teams will be awarded prize money from a pool of $25,000, all of which will be donated to the charity of each team’s choice. The first place team will win the grand prize of $15,000 dollars, second place will be awarded $5,000, and third will get $3,000. The teams who place between fourth and eighth place will each receive $400 to donate as well.

More about Cradle of Sins VR Launching in Early Access Q4 2020:

Cradle of Sins is a strategy focused first-person Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game developed exclusively for VR. Featuring a diverse and exciting world and real depth of gameplay, we’ve built an immersive competitive experience that’s different every time you play.

The game is played in matches between two teams of three players with each team defending their own separate Altar on the map. Each of the players independently controls a powerful character. The game features 10 unique characters at release, each of which has their own unique weapons, abilities, and upgrades. Different weapons ranging from swords, crossbows, shields, staffs, and powerful crystals. Players have a passive income of gold and get rewards for killing enemies across the map. This gold can be used to buy weapons and upgrades to successfully battle the opposing team's character in player versus player combat. A team wins by being the first to destroy a large structure located in the opposing team's base.

Platforms: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, Mixed Reality