Netflix Hack Day takes us back to the bygone era of video rental stores.

You are now entering a dimension, a dimension of nostalgia and tomfoolery, you are now entering THE NETFLIX ZONE. As part of Bi-annual Netflix Hack Day, this ode to the bygone era of video rental stores was created for HTC VIVE. You can grab VHS tape version of Netflix shows watch them on screens on the walls and ceiling of the video store homage. 

Though it is unlikely this will be available to the public I do think this is a great idea and I can see someone developing this in some form. Imagine having our pirate video collection in a personally curated store with Quentin Tarantino as the store clerk telling you that you know nothing about movies. Oh and by Pirate Video, I do mean legally purchased versions of Pirates Of the Caribbean. I do miss the charm and randomness of video stores and this really put a smile on my face. 

Now all I can think of is that my life is not going to be complete until I rent a virtual copy of Johnny Mnemonic from a virtual 90's underground video store and then watch it in VR.

Cats And VR

Assassin's Creed writer and Papo & Yo Developers team up for Time Machine VR.

Time Machine VR, the made-for-VR adventure game from Minority Media Inc., is available now for $29.99 USD on Rift and Vive, with a PlayStation VR launch slated for later this year.

The team behind Time Machine VR were also behind Papo & Yo, the very emotional and compelling fantasy adventure game for PS3 that dealt with child abuse. I expected quality from Minority Media's followup and they have delivered in VR. Time Machine VR has over 10 hours of gameplay and a gripping narrative penned by Jill Murray. Jill was the award-winning writer behind the underrated PS Vita game Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation that featured an African-French women as the protagonist.  Jill was also the writer behind the very well received Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. 

Download Time Machine VR today on the Oculus store or on Steam.

"VR is the only way to make this game," said Minority CEO Vander Caballero. "We've spent three years re-creating prehistoric creatures and the oceans they lived in... and their sheer scale in VR is heart-stopping. A livyatan on a flatscreen TV is cool to look at; a VR livyatan twenty times your size with a mouth so big you can stand comfortably in it is out of this world.”

In the role of an adventurous time-hopping cadet, players will be tasked with traveling to the Jurassic era to gather data on the ancient titans that roamed those oceans. This mission takes a dire turn when rising temperatures in the present free a deadly virus from the ice caps where it had lain dormant for millions of years. To prevent the extinction of the human race, the player must delve deeper into the past, seeking a cure among the marine monsters who survived the plague when it first emerged.

Cats And VR

Starbreeze partners with Acer in development of StarVR.

Acer Inc. formed a partnership with Starbreeze AB to provide support for their StarVR Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display . The two companies aim to cooperate on the design, manufacturing, promotion, marketing and sales of the StarVR HMD to the entertainment market.

This is part of a big push for Starbreeze during the legendary Cannes Film Festival currently taking place. Starbreeze  premiered its first cinematic VR experience “Cockatoo Spritz” directed by Stephane Barbato in Cannes during the first week of the festival. The company has also been working on a VR experience for John Wick, which wasn’t ready in time for a Cannes demo.

“Since our launch in June 2015, we have had an amazing start with StarVR. By partnering with Acer we shift gears yet again to firmly position us as the leader in top-end VR experiences. Acer is an excellent, experienced and prominent hardware partner that will accelerate us in realizing and producing a high-definition, high-fidelity VR headset,” said Bo Andersson Klint, Starbreeze CEO. “We’ve been working with a clear roadmap for our VR strategy from day one, and are now about to realize one of the first major collaborations we set out to achieve. The future for StarVR is now set and extremely exciting.”

"Acer is thrilled to join forces with Starbreeze in bringing the StarVR head-mounted display to the market,” said Jason Chen, Acer Corporate President and CEO. “We are devoting R&D resources across multiple aspects of the VR ecosystem for a coherent and high-quality experience, while just last month Acer announced powerful desktops and notebooks fully-ready for StarVR. Starbreeze and Acer share the same goal of delivering best-in-class VR applications, and we look forward to unlocking new VR possibilities together with this partnership. ”

Starbreeze launched StarVR with a VR-experience at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June 2015 by the acquisition of French company Infinite Eye. 

Cats And VR

VUZE Camera officially launches it's Pre-Orders, I have been excited for months!

HumanEyes Technologies, a leader in photographic 3D, computer vision and lenticular graphic arts, has announced new technical capabilities and started taking orders of VUZE, the groundbreaking 3D 360° VR camera and software studio that captures and renders 3D and 2D VR content in near real-time and with a super easy interface and a click of one button. Priced at  $799, VUZE is less than 3% of the cost of the Facebook Surround 360 ($30,000) and less than 2% of the cost of the NOKIA OZO ($60,000), bringing immersive content creation to the masses.

Available at www.vuze.camera for $799, the pre-order bundle includes the VUZE Camera and software studio, VR headset, purposely engineered ‘selfie stick’ and tripod, stylish carrying case and a newly designed handle for alternative ways to hold the device. Pre-orders begin May 12, 2016 with shipping in the fall of 2016. While people need to register a pre-order to secure this price and guarantee their place among the first to receive VUZE, no payments will be taken until shipping.

As an early adopter I have already pre-ordered mine and you can read about my excitement here. http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/2016/4/13/so-i-pre-ordered-a-vuze-camera

You get not only a camera, but also access to a total 360° filmmaking package. One of the things that excites me the most is the VUZE editing suite. Currently 360° video editing is not the most efficient and I am excited that VUZE is solving for this issue. 

VUZE is built on its own technology architecture and can be controlled by a dedicated iOS and Android app. Eight full HD cameras simultaneously capture images, videos and sound to facilitate full stereophonic and 360° 3D spherical content.

Each camera uses lenses that capture 120 0 horizontal FOV and 180 0 vertical FOV that together generate 4K 360 VR content. Since the VUZE camera can easily generate #d and 2D content, it is like having two cameras in one. Its 8 FHD cameras deliver one of the highest quality 2D content experiences on the market and greatly reduce the effects of flare and peripheral distortion associated with ultra-wide fisheye lenses.

The camera’s battery and removable SD card allows for up to one hour of video capture and internal processing and compression capabilities produce H.264 HD video files for editing. Featuring a stylish, ergonomic design, the VUZE camera is available in red, yellow, black and blue.  Pre- Order Here http://vuze.camera/

Cats And VR

The highly anticipated and loved by everyone Ghostbusters remake to get VR tie-in. I ain't afraid of no trolls.

What can I say about the anticipation for the  new Ghostbusters film that director Paul Feig has not said already. The trailer for the new film has received some fairly negative feedback.

My opinion is,  hey give the movie a break and wait till it actually comes out first before dousing it with hate, I mean look how well Michael Bay's TMNT film came out.  But forget about the movies, we are here to talk about VR and looks like there will be a Ghostbusters VR tie in. I may be more excited for a Ghostbusters VR experience than the new movie. I am not knocking the upcoming film at all but I have been dying to play a good Ghostbuster video game for years. One can only hope that there will be Ectoplasm thrown onto participants to create total immersion. 

In advance of the July 15, 2016 release of Ghostbusters, Sony Pictures, Madame Tussauds New York, Ghost Corps and THE VOID have teamed up to bring Ghostbusters to VIRTUAL REALITY! Scheduled to open to the public on July 1, 2016, the VR experience will launch exclusively as part of the Ghostbusters Experience at Madame Tussauds New York in their legendary Times Square attraction. 

In Ghostbusters: Dimension, developed by THE VOID in collaboration with Ivan Reitman, Paul Feig and Sony Pictures, audiences will experience what it is like to be a Ghostbuster, tracking and trapping a supernatural foe through a New York apartment complex in an environment that combines physical props and sets, real-time interactive effects, and virtual reality technology designed by THE VOID.

"Ghostbusters has an incredible, passionate fan following, and now VR technology allows the fans to become a Ghostbuster themselves within Madame Tussauds New York. The technology is breathtaking, the experience is thrilling, and what better way is there to use VR, than to let audiences inhabit the stories they love," said Ghostbusters creator Ivan Reitman.

"Who wouldn't want to answer the call, suit up as a Ghostbuster, and blast their way through a ghost-infested New York apartment with a proton pack?" said Jake Zim, senior VP of digital marketing at Sony Pictures. "We expect this experience will draw fans of all ages to Madame Tussauds and generate a lot of buzz around the release of our new Ghostbusters film this summer."

"Our new collaboration with Sony Pictures and THE VOID has paved the way to delivering an unforgettable experience for our visitors," said Eric Fluet, Head of Marketing and Sales for Madame Tussauds New York. "We believe the Ghostbusters Experience and Ghostbusters: Dimension will propel Madame Tussauds New York into a new era of immersive entertainment."

"Ghostbusters is an amazing property that has kept fans enthralled for decades, so as we roll out immersive VR experiences around the world, we're thrilled to have Sony Pictures on board as our first studio collaboration, working with us to develop a truly memorable experience that will have fans talking for years to come," said Ken Bretschneider, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at THE VOID.

"We are thrilled to work with Madame Tussauds and THE VOID to bring our iconic franchise to life in the heart of New York City.  Fans of Ghostbusters will have the opportunity to take a walk through an immersive environment with iconic scenes from the film, and bust ghosts using cutting edge virtual reality technology," said Mark Caplan, Senior Vice President, Sony Pictures Consumer Products.

Cats And VR. 

Please support Life Of Lon, cause I really want to experience more.

How can you say no to that cute creature above? Funny enough that creature is called Yep, I like to think of him as an underwater space cat cute thing. Yep is your companion in Block Intervals upcoming VR immersive experience Life Of Lon. My impressions of my demo on Life of Lon reminded me of Journey, a beautiful well crafted indie hit from thatgamecompany. It also reminded me of one of my favorite films of my childhood, Flight Of the Navigator.

Walking away from the demo I wanted more, I feel this is not a game that a demo will be able to show the true scope of what the team wants to bring to the VR world. Just take a look at the site for Life of Lon and you will see that this is to be a collaboration of art, movement, emotion, and music. Everything is being developed to be a potentially moving experience. Right now people are saying VR is starting to get saturated with content but I say no, the more voices the better.

I hope Life Of Lon takes it's place as a successor to companion games of the past such as the seminal classic A Boy And His Blob and the aforementioned Journey.

Even going as far as looking into Block Interval's own blog I see that they are reaching for something more than a "good game bro". 

Life of Lon has no lives, no experience points, no health bar, no pointless quests, no grinding. Instead, your journey will take you through brainy and involving environment puzzles as you find your way back to the stars.  Life of Lon is being developed by a small team of passionate people and I really want to see their vision come to fruition. I really hope they get the funding and if you read this and believe games and interactive stories can be art please support them.

Here is some additional content including a 360° video I did with Daniel David Allen, a making of Life Of Lon video from the Block Interval team, and some of the amazing music that will be in the game. 

This was written by Neranjan Bobby Venom who loves his companion cats and is a A Boy With A Blog....and a dream.

That one time VR made me cry. Imago is an amazing work of VR art.

This past weekend I got the chance to work with some great people in creating 360° film projects at an event called VR Weekend. At the end of the event our group had the opportunity to hear some insights from Chuck, Tsung-Han Lee, one of the visionary minds behind Imago.

You can check out his shared experience with making Imago in a video posted on our preferred 360° video platform Metta: http://www.mettavr.com/v/q4dZbBrmedQ5tdCP2

Imago left a real impression on me, this may be due to the fact of having a family member with a disability but also due to the techniques Chuck and his team, Project Hypnos, used to create the feeling of isolation and freedom in a VR space. Actually building a camera around a physical representation of a disabled person really put me in a space of sadness at points.

There is a moment in this film that I actually shed a tear. Imago is not just a good VR experience, it is a true work of art that should be showcased as such as well as be accessible to many. I look forward to seeing how Project Hypnos will help to define cinema as well as real emotional experiences in VR. Imago was honored by the Vision VR/AR awards and has been accepted into Siggraph 2016.

Imago is virtual reality short film produced by Project Hypnos, an interdisciplinary team of graduate students at the Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology center. This project was developed to explore questions of film language, story structure and production techniques for 360 degree film.

Cats And VR

MoMA NY to present immersive VR Storytelling.

Slithering Screens is a special selection of original cinematic works that premiered in the Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier program over the past decade. Presented at MoMA on the occasion of the program’s 10th year, these works hack the cinema space itself by presenting stories that move from the silver screen onto the stage and into the hands, pockets, and homes of the audience. Featuring works by Lynette Wallworth, Yung Jake, Nao Bustamante, Miwa Matreyek, and the filmmaker/creative technologist duo James George and Jonathan Minard, Slithering Screens is an energetic mix of cinema-inspired performance, interactive documentary, and immersive media storytelling.

In addition to live experiences at MoMA, more than 10 virtual reality works such as Collisions will be made available on the Sundance VR app for Google Cardboard from April 25 to May 5. Limited artist-edition Cardboard VR goggles designed by Yung Jake will be given away to Slithering Screens attendees each night.

The first artist selected for the Sundance Institute New Frontier | Jaunt VR Residency Program is Sundance Institute New Frontier alumnus Lynette Wallworth, who will participate with her groundbreaking project Collisions. A work of stunning visuals and powerful narrative, Collisions tells the story of Aboriginal elder Nyarri Nyarri Morgan who lived as 1000 generations before him in the remote Pilbara desert of Western Australia-- until his life was dramatically impacted by a collision with the extreme edge of Western science and technology. Wallworth is an acclaimed Australian artist and documentary filmmaker known for producing immersive artworks that provoke a profound emotional response. She is ideally positioned to explore the storytelling potential of VR, and sees the new form as the perfect vehicle for Nyarri to communicate his story. Wallworth's immersive installations and films have been shown at the World Economic Forum (Davos), Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian, Adelaide Biennial, Brighton Festival, Vienna Festival, London Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Adelaide Film Festival and Margaret Mead Film Festival, among others. Collisions is produced by Sundance Film Festival alumnus Nicole Newnham and Academy Award-nominated film producer Cori Shepherd Stern.

Information provided by MoMA

Headsets provided by WeLens

Check out Tilt Brush with Google Virtual Art Sessions!

Virtual Art Sessions lets you observe six world-renowned artists as they develop blank canvases into beautiful works of art using Tilt Brush. Each session can be explored from start to finish from any angle, including the artist’s perspective – all viewable right from the browser.

Participating artists include illustrator Christoph Niemann, fashion illustrator Katie Rodgers, sculptor Andrea Blasich, installation artist Seung Yul Oh, automotive concept designer Harald Belker, and street artist duo Sheryo & Yok. The artists’ unique approaches to this new medium become apparent when seeing them work inside their Tilt Brush creations. Watch this behind-the-scenes video to hear what the artists had to say about their experience:

Virtual Art Sessions is a new Chrome Experiment in virtual reality art, made with Tilt Brush. We partnered with six world-renowned artists, bringing them a new way to paint, draw and sculpt. We recorded their sessions and made them accessible on the web, so you can explore how the artists developed their virtual reality creations from any angle.

https://virtualart.chromeexperiments.com/

Cats And VR.

THE UPRISING CREATIVE IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE HULU VR APP.

The official music video for “Welcome” by Fort Minor, a project by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, created and produced by Los Angeles-based integrated creative + production company The Uprising Creative is now available in the Hulu VR app.

Shinoda and The Uprising Creative co-founder and director Jeff Nicholas joined forces to create an experience that would embody the spirit of “Welcome” – a song meant to offer a sense of connection and community to the outcasts and underdogs. Filmed in Venice, CA, the video immerses viewers into the famous boardwalk environment alongside Shinoda as he performs, parties with locals, and spray paints an 80-foot-long canvas mural.

One of the very first 360/VR music videos ever created, “Welcome” is a prime example of how VR can be expertly used as a tool to create much deeper visual, auditory and emotional experiences. The experimental approach resonated with fans, reaching an impressive view count of over 5 million on YouTube 360.

Fort Minor - "Welcome" [360 Version] This 360 Version requires Google Chrome or the YouTube App on Mobile.

Off the success of this VR project and others, The Uprising Creative developed its own virtual reality content studio, VEHICLEvr, to focus on original and branded VR content creation. With VEHICLEvr, the directors, producers, and makers at The Uprising Creative (and their partners) have a focused space to explore this new medium, and to create 360/VR content that doesn’t have to adhere to the rules and structure of traditional content development and production.

The Uprising Creative is amongst the first to provide Hulu with premium original content as they take their first steps into the VR landscape, and will continue to play an integral role in supporting Hulu in their ongoing mission to evolve the art and experience of storytelling.

Originally posted on VRandCats.com

So I pre-ordered a Vuze Camera...now what?

Yesterday I received an email that got me both excited and nervous about the potential future of CatsAndVR.com

Though I am super excited for VR, I am a filmmaker first and foremost. I can write about every thing from Oculus games to adult content on cardboard but eventually I am going to have to make some Cat VR videos. The site is called CatsAndVR.com at the end of the day.

One of the keys to consumer VR success will be stereoscopic panoramic cat videos.

— John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) November 6, 2014

I spend most of my available cash being a loving husband and a good cat dad so my budget is currently very limited and VR is a very expensive hobby. 

Currently there are several options available for a VR filmmaker but the best HD video camera for the average consumer is priced too high for the average consumer. The realm of professional grade setups, like the Nokia OZO or the Freedom360 GoPro Mount with six GoPros is out of my range. I also am not in the financial bracket to build a $30,000 Surround 360 camera, but I do give Facebook credit for making it open source.

Perhaps getting something lower end would work and I thought about a Ricoh Theta but at $350 it seems steep for something that may be obsolete at the end of the year.

Where does that leave me? Enter the Vuze Camera.

Vuze Camera, the world's first consumer 3D 360 VR camera by HumanEyes Technologies. Easy to use, light weight, awesome design and comes with a complete kit which is all you need to be able to relive your moments. 

When I first discovered Vuze Camera I turned to twitter. The social media manager was very engaging and provided some great information. I followed up with my own research and found out that people had some concerns about the product. Engadget ran a story on Vuze and to my surprise Anton the VP R&D of Vuze tried to quell those concerns in the comments of that story.

I am really putting my trust on Anton on this one as I said I already pre-ordered one.

So getting into that pre-order, since I signed up for pre-order information I was offered the launch price as well as a promo code that with the headset, tripod, and software package looked to be a really good deal. In comparison to the Ricoh Theta the price seemed pretty good. I am hoping I made the right choice. 

One thing of note on preordering, when I first tried to order my card was declined. When I asked the card company why they said I was making an international order and they wanted to verify it first. This is probably something the company should be aware of and any one who preorders should be aware of this possibility, but hey I could be an edge case.

I was able to get the pre order processed but now I have to wait until October. That is quite a bit away for someone who wants to go out and create some VR Cat videos right now. The only thing I can do now is hope that HumanEyes Technology does deliver on their promises as well as expected delivery time. I just put my VR filmmaking hopes as well as cash on a product I have yet to try. I hope my cat like intuition is steering me in the right direction.

I personally took the plunge to pre-order but go check out the product and do the research to see for your self.  http://vuze.camera/

For me the VUZE camera has the potential to do for VR filmmaking what the Panasonic DVX100a did for independent digital filmmaking. 

Cats And VR

Oculus, Sony, HTC, and Microsoft can all go to hell because Google just changed the game up. Introducing Google Cardboard Plastic!

#GAMECHANGER #THUGLIFE Upstart Startup Google just changed the game up son! The first ever 100% fully immersive experience. CatsAndVR.com got some hands on experience and not since the advent of credit card debt has a piece of plastic felt this real. But hey we are pay to play bloggers so check out what VR evangelist Lil Wayne had to say after getting some hands on time with Google Cardboard Plastic. 

Sources at VrAndCats.com  have told us Lil Wayne is trying hard to get out of his deal with Samsung and is actually said to be trying his hardest to be in commercials for Google Cardboard Plastic now that Google has a product that can withstand the harsh conditions of Champaign. Lil Wayne had previously been enamored by the anti-champagne tech Samsung had developed.

Even though Google respects Mr. Wayne, sources at VrAndCats.com say that Google is looking to upstart rapper Drake as a potential celebrity endorser. Drake's recent song about a cell phone has gotten the educated Canadian mad respect in the undergrown hip hop community. One may remember Drake due to his struggle being real and thus being the inspiration to the global television hit Wheels Ontario. 

When asked about the potential release date of the new product Google responded with "Who the hell is CatsAndVR.com and who let them into the building"

Cats And VR 

Google Introduces VR View to allow you to embed immersive content into your apps and websites!

Move around using a mouse on a desktop or using your phone. 

SO EASY EVEN A CAT CAN EMBED A VR VIDEO! Also it is super mobile friendly. I tested on an old iPhone 4s and it views and loads great! This will allow for some really good Cardboard acceptance from the blogging community. 

Excerpt from Google Developers Blog

VR views take 360 VR images or videos and transform them into interactive experiences that users can view on their phone, with a Cardboard viewer, or on their desktop computer. For native apps, you can embed a VR view by grabbing the latest Cardboard SDK for Android or iOS* and adding a few lines of code. On the web, embedding a VR view is as simple as adding an iframe on your site. We’re open-sourcing the HTML and JavaScript for web developers on github, so you can self-host and modify it to match your needs.

From travel and real estate to news and entertainment, we hope embeddable VR views make it quick and easy to share your story and build immersive and engaging visual experiences your users will love. We're excited to see what you create.

*Yes, you read that right! Starting today, there’ll be a native Cardboard SDK for iOS. Provided in idiomatic Objective C, and packaged as a single, easy-to-use CocoaPod, this new SDK includes all of the features already available in the Cardboard SDK for Android.

Read More of this fantastic post by Google Product Manager-Nathan Martz

Cats and VR

VICELAND partners with Samsung to create exclusive VR content.

As part of a larger ad deal that will make some of its primetime programming commercial-free Viceland is creating virtual reality content for Samsung. 

Instead of ad breaks in a show, some content will run commercial-free with a Viceland doc running before. 

The first documentary will take a look at VR pioneer Chris Milk, founder and CEO of VR tech company Vrse  providing a look at his journey and body of work in VR.