Starbreeze releases info on upcoming immersive Virtual Reality experiences for StarVR

Starbreeze AB today presented its next in line Virtual Reality experience shorts produced under its Publishing arm to be produced for future Location Based Initiatives (LBE) in the StarVR Virtual Reality HMD. Each experience aims to push the bar beyond what’s possible in home use setups. You can watch the presentation at the 1:03:30 mark in the above video. 

Bo Andersson-Klint, StarVR Chairman of the Board and Starbreeze CEO, as well as Brooks Brown, Starbreeze Global Director of VR, presented the following solutions and upcoming titles on stage during Next@Acer in New York:

PRESENZ is a revolutionary technology for immersive VR cinema made by Belgian company Nozon. PresenZ allows for interactive parallax in virtual reality and delivers high quality blockbuster computer graphics (CG) with true immersive feeling. Interactive parallax is a technique to enhance viewers’ perception of perspective and view depth, adding to the immersive feeling.

THE RAFT takes players on a thrilling cinematic adventure and comes from RED Interactive Agency. Lured by an ancient treasure, a brave band of explorers make their way down an ominous river. Players must work together to navigate and protect their raft, but keeping it afloat is the least of their worries. As they venture deeper into the mysterious jungle, various creatures will be attacking them and wreaking havoc to the raft.  Only resourceful, coordinated teams will reach the prize, while others will be lost forever to realities unknown. The experience aims to leverage larger than normal playing space tuned towards LBE setups.

HERO – From the award winning studio that brought us 1979 REVOLUTION: Black Friday, iNK Stories creates an electrifying first-person rescue experience that throws players into the volatile streets of the civilian warzone in Syria — where survival is secondary to saving the lives of others. An idyllic day is split open as the sound of sirens fill the sky as the F16s above you continue their bombing campaign on your home town. Suddenly a bomb hits the side of an apartment building. As a volunteer rescue worker, alongside your trusted canine companion, you are called upon your own journey. Put on the headset and ask yourself - What does it really mean to be a Hero?

APE-X - From Lucky Hammers, Fight for your survival and freedom atop a towering building. Feel the rush of hanging 500 meters above City Street as a 12-ton cyber APE named, Big Mike. Forced to disconnect from his virtual “Happy Place” to take action. Big Mike has nothing but a ledge beneath his feet and an antenna to grab onto. Witness the breath-taking view of the city below and the sounds of the metropolis coming from all angles...and how quickly it’s interrupted by the all too familiar buzz of the laboratory guard drones. Listen closely to the Doctor’s instructions in order to survive this ordeal and finally gain your freedom. With 360 degrees of mobility around the peak of the high rise, the player has to shuffle around the building ledge in order to avoid being spotted. The inevitable confrontation lets the player discover the extent of their capabilities in Big Mike’s cyber body as you blast and swat guard drones out of the sky.

PROJECT GOLEM lets users take control of a giant robot mech to fight off an alien invasion threatening the world. Desert Owl games will be creating a fresh new way to bring the fight to the alien hordes, Golem uses the extensive technology of the STARVR platform to finally give players a very physical, 1:1 way to fight. Be prepared to defend the Earth!

ELEMENTERRA is a social VR world-building puzzle game, that takes place amidst a cosmic event of the cataclysmic sort. The player will be able to take on the role as a god-like deity and assist the population of the universe to rebuild the planets.

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Acer and Starbreeze Announce First Shipment of StarVR Head-Mounted Displays

 Acer and Starbreeze AB  today announced at a global press conference in Berlin that they have started to ship StarVR® Virtual Reality (VR) Head-Mounted Displays (HMD) to IMAX Corporation in preparation for the highly anticipated opening of the IMAX VR® Center in Los Angeles, expected later this year, and others in the near future. Earlier in 2016, Acer committed to delivering a small volume of units of StarVR® HMDs this year with mass production of the devices to commence in 2017. Also on hand at the press conference were Bo Andersson Klint, CEO at Starbreeze and Rob Lister, Chief Business Development Officer at IMAX Corporation.

“With this shipment to as important a player in the entertainment industry as IMAX, we are absolutely thrilled that we are well on our way in bringing the virtual reality experience to the next level and to the world” said Jason Chen, President and CEO at Acer. “The realization of the most premium VR experience ever offered isn’t just our dream, but one of an entire ecosystem that encompasses hardware makers, videogame developers, theater companies, filmmakers and many others.” Chen highlighted at the global press conference that movies and videogames have exceedingly become ever more closely entwined. The lines are blurring between movies and videogames, and are moving beyond just two mediums that have traditionally only complemented one another. He said they were converging to become a more dynamic, immersive form of storytelling, and virtual reality would feature prominently in this development.

“We’re extremely proud to be able to show the first manufactured units of the StarVR® headset produced in our collaboration with Acer. Since announcing the StarVR® headset in 2015, we’re finally at a place where we can see the pieces of our vision coming together. From day one we’ve been convinced that we can deliver premium experiences with premium hardware. The search for great partners sharing the same vision was long, but we’re happy to be able to lay down these two fundamental parts in Starbreeze VR-ecosystem together with Acer and IMAX. We can’t wait for people to start experiencing world-class virtual reality in the StarVR HMD and at IMAX VR® centers, said Bo Andersson Klint, Starbreeze CEO.

“We are looking forward to the launch of our first IMAX VR® center and pleased with the progress demonstrated by the initial shipment of StarVR® HMDs from Acer and Starbreeze, as this exciting industry continues to develop and grow,” said Robert D. Lister, Chief Business Development Officer, IMAX Corp. “IMAX is committed to delivering immerse, multi-dimensional virtual reality experiences, featuring some of the world’s best entertainment and gaming properties, to premium locations, including multiplexes, malls and other commercial destinations.”

Acer Inc. and Starbreeze AB announced earlier in the year that their respective Board of Directors had approved the establishment of a joint venture, for design, manufacturing, promotion, marketing and sales of the StarVR® Head-Mounted Display. The joint venture has since obtained regulatory approval and will be known as Acer Starbreeze Corporation. its best-in-class cinematic experience, StarVR® targets professional- and location-based entertainment markets such as high-end cinemas, gaming arcades, automotive retail and aviation training. StarVR® provides a truly immersive VR experience with its unique ultra-wide 210-degree horizontal field of view, with custom optics that deliver great image quality across the eye’s natural vision.