CatsAndVR@Pocket Gamer Connects SF- VR Indie Pitch Winner VINDICTA

Recently CatsAndVR had the chance to not only attend Pocket Game Connects SF but also be part of their VR Indie Pitch. My game is still a work in progress and the feedback was great for my development. However, the winner of the VR Indie Pitch was an excellent game from Beirut based Independent Studio "Game Cooks". 

Vindicta is a great VR FPS that is able to stand out from a very crowded marketplace with its innovative control scheme, smooth gun combat, and art style that seems like a mix of Portal and Half-Life. Holding down the Vive's touchpad buttons and swinging your arms allow you to move in the game. At first I thought this controller scheme was silly till I realized how creative Game Cooks really is. One simple controller scheme not only solved an the locomotion issue faced in many First Person Shooters it added a spastic level of immersion that I feel is often missing in VR games. 

I got a chance to talk to Lara Noujaim, Director Of Publishing at Game Cooks.

Lara went into detail on the conscious decisions the Game Cooks team made in order to develop in to a VR studio starting with seeing the potential of the market at GDC, trying their hand at their first VR game HOVR, and then making the leap to wanting to be a full time VR studio.

I was very happy for Lara and her team but the whole field of view did not present itself until I saw Lara speak at here PGConnects panel "VR from the Unlikeliest Places"  

#VRCSanFrancisco #vr big pitch winners @Vindictagame representing not only #womeninvr #womeningaming but also the #middleeast @GameCooks pic.twitter.com/NiO7hMftHk

— CatsAndVR (@CatsAndVR) June 28, 2017

Lara went into detail about how tough it really is to be a VR development studio in a country where is not as readily available due to import restrictions not to mention that Lara and her team have to be extremely selective in what events they are able to attend in the US due to the simple fact they are an independent studio with limited funds. 

With the lack of VR Headsets in the Middle East it is very hard for them to even promote locally but the Game Cooks team makes a point of reaching out and evangelizing VR in their area.

After that talk by Lara I knew that I must push myself to be a VR developer and really view myself as lucky for the many VR resources available to me in the Bay Area. 

If you have a VIVE go out and support these truly Independent team out to prove themselves despite the odds. VINDICTA is on sale now. 

http://store.steampowered.com/app/597770/VINDICTA/

CatsAndVR.com visits the ART OF VR event at Sotheby's NYC.

Recently I got the chance to visit the Art Of VR event at Sotheby's NY. A big shout out to the team at Oculus for that as well.  A public, two-day event, The Art of VR festival showcased just a sample of many of the VR and augmented reality experiences currently unavailable in VR App stores. It also had a plethora of many fantastic branded experiences including the new Aliens VR experience and the new Spider-Man VR experience just released today. 

The new #SpiderManHomecoming #vr game is pretty rad and out today. I tried it a few weeks ago @TheVRSociety art event #psvr #marvel @Sony pic.twitter.com/nZs0kGQkKf

— CatsAndVR (@CatsAndVR) June 30, 2017

One thing that stood out was the use of Virtual Reality themed mixed media pieces to create a sense of both the connection and disconnection to reality that VR brings us. 

One of the artists using her work to showcase both VR/AR in both the Virtual and the Physical realms is Marina Berlin who had her piece "Floating World" on display at the famed auction house. The work is a visual representation of the freedom VR gives you.  You may seen Marina's work previously at Bay Area Art and VR events. http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/uploadvrart

I had the chance to chat with Marina and was humbled and surprised to know she was aware of CatsAndVR.com

Another artist on hand was Isaac Cohen aka Cabbibo who is quickly becoming one of my favorite VR artists with his almost punk rock level of VR art production and his willingness to create and share resources. 

Cabbibo created a photogrammetry based VR art installation in two days exclusively for the Art of VR event using Unity. He captured a couch that was physically in the room and in turn created a reality virtual reality piece. 

My two favorite experiences at the event share similarities but are on two different spectrums of the Virtual Reality landscape.  First is the SUPER CUTE Pixar-esq Raising A Rukus from VRC. Even though Raising A Rukus is currently available on the Oculus store VRC did a great job by having game art/props and having haptic feedback chairs available to maximize the experience. 

My other favorite experience was MacInnes Scott sexually artistic piece Grace. Grace is visually compelling, reminds me of Bjork, and can channel some interesting energy from people experiencing it as you can see from the twitter video below. Grace made me realize that some of the best content I want to show people is not available on the marketplace yet  

Check out this reaction to the vr experience Grace from @MacInnesScott @TheVRSociety sure can curate quality @Sothebys #art of #vr pic.twitter.com/bDSe0o4DF3

— CatsAndVR (@CatsAndVR) June 22, 2017

All in all I was happy to see how much the art world is embracing VR and hope this turns into better experiences for all. 

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/

CatsAndVR.com continues to grow with the addition of our sharp new Los Angeles correspondent, fellow Oculus Launchpad alumni Sherif Higazy. Check out his coverage of the Technicolor Experience Center.

Technicolor printed its last frame of film in 2015” Tim Sernoff (Deputy SVP of Technicolor) remarked in a press briefing. A significant milestone for a company that has been pioneering film technology for the past one hundred years. In 2017, Technicolor opened its doors to press and guests to unveil its Experience Center (TEC). A marker for the French company which may (fingers crossed) prove to be a far more significant milestone.

A proposed technology hub, the center hopes to incubate and advance virtual reality as a content medium and technology with a focus on improving the quality of the medium. Partnering with outside companies such as Epic (The company that brought us Unreal) NVIDIA, NOKIA and IMAX while leveraging its own portfolio companies (THE MILL, MPC, MISTER X and more.)

With $3.8B in 2013 revenue, Technicolor’s entrance into the immersive space is a signal to the wider VR industry that larger companies are taking an interest. And while Technicolor has been servicing the entertainment industry for a hundred years, they are taking a cross disciplinary approach. Alongside TEC, they announced their partnership with HP to create Mars Home Planet.

With more details to be announced at SIGGRAPH, this will be a crowdsourced effort to bring together architects, engineers, 3D artists and designers to problem solve the potential pitfalls of sustaining civilization on Mars. A unique problem that intersects aerospace, architecture, design and many other fields.

While we’ll have to wait and see how Technicolor continues to innovate in the space, the TEC is another signal that VR is coming into its own as a mature industry and that the convergence of so many significant entertainment and technology players will only benefit VR companies and consumers.

catsandvr.com/blog/

About Sherif Higazy: Sherif Higazy is a director, designer and VR developer. He is the Executive producer and founder of Thermonuclear. He covers the LA VR scene for CatsAndVR.com and is a Oculus Launchpad Alumni along side the founder of CatsAndVR.com

Intel, Oculus, and ESL come together for a $200,000+ VR Challenger League to promote VR eSports.

Intel, Oculus, and ESL come together for a $200,000+ VR Challenger League to promote VR eSports. This brand new competitive VR gaming league will feature two exciting VR titles - “The Unspoken” and “Echo Arena”. The competition will feature a prize pool of over $200,000 and includes multiple stops at key eSports events around the world, eventually concluding with the grand finals at the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice in 2018.

Potential Wizards and Space battlers will be able to qualify for the offline events by taking part in ESL's online competitions starting on July 12th on ESL Play.

On top of the VR Challenger League qualifiers, there will also be weekly ESL Play cups, where you can compete for weekly points and prize money. 

The competitive titles in the VR Challenger league are two of the best demos I played at Oculus Connect 3 last year. Lone Echo had one of the biggest lines there.  http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/oc3

Insomniac's The Unspoken will lead players into a world of spellcasting where they face up against opposing mages in dynamic 1v1 duels. Cast powerful spells and utilize the destructible environment to gain an advantage over your opponents on your way to becoming an unrivaled arch-mage. You can find more insights into the classes, spells and maps on the official website.

The second title of the VR Challenger League will be Echo Arena, Ready At Dawn Studios’ face-paced multiplayer action title set in outer space. The game will be released on July 20th as a free download for all Oculus Rift owners and you can keep an eye on new gameplay reveals as they become available on their website.

catsandvr.com/blog/

The CatsAndVR.com Oculus Launchpad Development Blog: Week 1 Day 1

First of all I want to thank everyone at Oculus and Facebook for allowing me to be part of an amazing opportunity. Words cannot describe how I feel on Week 1 Day 1...wait they can. Nervous, Anxiety Filled, Hopeful, and most importantly grateful for allowing me to be included among the 99 other talented individuals in the second Launch Pad class. So many individuals to thank but I will start with Ebony Peay Ramirez-Program Manager, Diversity & Inclusion at Oculus VR. Without her pushing how important Launchpad is the event may not have happened this weekend. She put together an excellent event with some amazing mentors and organizers including Robin Hunicke, Sarah Stumbo, Chris Pruett, Jason Rubin, Yelena Rachitsky, Jewel Lim, Bernard Yee, Dorian Dargan, Isabel Tewes, Trevor Dasch, Stephanie Vazquez and sooo many more including the awesome legal department who had a presentation FULL of Cats. I'm just going to say to Launch Pad Class 2 lets do the best we can so Launch Pad Class 3 gets the same opportunity.

One year ago I started CatsAndVR.com in order to not just be a spectator of VR but to be an active participant. However my Oculus story goes way back to E3 2013 when I stumbled across CCP's EVE VR demo and got to try DK1. Eventually I pre ordered a DK2....and then canceled it cause I needed to take care of some unfortunate financial moments. I regretted that for a long time until I started CatsAndVR.

When I woke up one morning and decided my two passions in life was to be cats and vr as well as the fact that URL was still available I decided this was my chance at VR redemption. It has been a very interesting journey. Around this time last year I took a Greyhound to LA to see if I could get into E3. They said my Alexa ranking was not high enough and I stood there for about 30 minutes expounding on my passion for VR. I eventualy won them over. I went to E3 that year for one singular reason, Virtual Reality. 

I was really excited to try the PS VR cause it looked like a way for me to finally afford high quality VR. Unfortunately the Playstation booth was a cluster. I was a bit down but decided to go to Oculus. It was there I met a momentary savior who kept my inspiration alive. While waiting in line to check out a demo I was approached by an Oculus rep who liked my look (lol) and asked if I wanted to play a game against Palmer Luckey who from now on shall be referred to as The Unspoken.  So in reality the first time I ever used the Touch controls was against Palm...The Unspoken on the E3 FB Live stream. I went from not getting into E3 to that! You can check me playing Dead And Buried with the Unspoken one in the video below at the 51 minute mark.

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/oculuse3

So its about a year later and I just finished the start of Oculus Launchpad and here is my next move.

An amazing friend of mine Alex Q Ryan was giving me a pass to go to E3....I just turned it down to start working on my Launchpad project right away so the next time I go to E3 I don't go as a spectator but I will go as an active participant. I am very nervous as though I have supported a team with Unity on both the product and business side enough to push them to the Super Bowl I have never had to be Lebron James. Well now is the time I have to be a witness for my own development. 

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/catsandvrsuperbowl

There were so many amazing people I met from those trying to show their parents that they made the right choice pursuing art to those daring to show the world that the time is right to use technology for the greater good of inclusion.  I am humbled to have been included in LaunchPad Class 2 and look forward to what these New Mutants of VR bring forward to the world.....and really hope I can bring to the world what I have in my crazy universe of a mind. 

So Mote It Be. 

Week 1 Day 1. 

www.catsandvr.com/blog/

PS Mad props to my new BFF David Solito who allowed me to crash out as his place for the weekend so I can use my Launchpad cash for development. Facebook is SUPER lucky to have you as part of the team. 

Dean Takahashi's GamesBeat events are the type of events you want to skip work for. You may get to talk Rick And Morty with John Underkoffler.

Dean Takahashi pretty much said during his panel at the last GamesBeat summit that you are 100% better off skipping a day or two of of work in order to go to one of the events he puts together. He is absolutely right! These events have less of the super networking vibes of the W hotel during GDC and is more of a Socratic critical thinking forum to snap you out of your tech daze. During the event I went to I felt no one was trying to sell me an ideology or a glimpse of the future but just real talk on how did we get to the place in tech we are and share insights on how you too can predict the future. 

At the last event I got to talk to John Underkoffler, a HUGE pioneer in Augmented Interface growth and direction into the future. Don't know the name? Remember the data interface from Minority Report? Well, it's real, John Underkoffler invented it — as a point-and-touch interface called g-speak. 

John Underkoffler led the team that came up with this interface, called the g-speak Spatial Operating Environment. His company, Oblong Industries, was founded to move g-speak into the real world. Oblong is building apps for aerospace, bioinformatics, video editing and more. But the big vision is ubiquity: g-speak on every laptop, every desktop, every microwave oven, TV, dashboard. "It has to be like this," he says. "We all of us every day feel that. We build starting there. We want to change it all."
 
Before founding Oblong, Underkoffler spent 15 years at MIT's Media Laboratory, working in holography, animation and visualization techniques, and building the I/O Bulb and Luminous Room Systems. He also took some time to break down Rick And Morty for my limited mind. 

This year, GamesBeat 2017: Time Machine is parked right on that event horizon:

Early bird registration is open now — just in time for E3 — and the discount is solid: Sign up today and you’ll save 40 percent off the full-price ticket. Register now for GamesBeat 2017 and save $395!

Speakers Include

• Steven Roberts, chairman of ESL, the biggest independent esports tournament company
• Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, creator of Eve Online and VR games such as Eve Valkyrie
• Bernie Stolar, CEO of The Stolar Group and former head at Sony’s U.S. PlayStation business and Sega of America 

At GamesBeat 2017: Time Machine, will dive into the parts of gaming that are driving excitement, triggering powerful growth, and launching the startups that are about to transform the industry.

www.catsandvr.com/blog/

River Ecosystem is more than just Mike Rothenberg. It's a fucking ecosystem of hungry innovators and tech talents looking to prove themselves. Check out just a few.

River Ecosystem, a consulting firm that provides services to frontier technology startups and hosts the annual River Accelerator program, today announced veteran Bay Area entrepreneur Jimmy Ku, and Techstars and River Accelerator alumnus Nick Canafax, as partners.

Ku brings over a decade of entrepreneurial experience and networking expertise to River Ecosystem. His new role at River Ecosystem draws upon his experience as a three-time founder -- Loup, Mobiley and GoPlanit, which was selected as a finalist for the TechCrunch 50 Conference -- and his passion for connecting people through immersive and insightful programs and events.

"River Ecosystem and its accelerator program have a stellar track record helping innovative companies push the boundaries of frontier technology," said Ku. "Like any early stage entrepreneur, I understand the importance of connecting with the right people to bring big ideas to life. As a new partner at River Ecosystem, my key role is to infuse fresh thinking and energy into our members business plans, and help them address the tough questions so that they're able to flourish."

Canafax has worked behind the scenes as the president of River Ecosystem since September 2016, while continuing to serve in an advisory capacity with Artificial Intelligence company Rival Theory, where he is also a founding member. As a partner with River Ecosystem, Canafax will assume greater responsibilities interfacing directly with its class participants. Prior to joining River Ecosystem, Canafax graduated from the second River Accelerator class, and graduated from the Techstars accelerator program before that.

"As a River Accelerator alumnus, I know first-hand what the program can offer to budding frontier technology entrepreneurs, including unparalleled visibility and networking opportunities with investors and industry luminaries, and access to developmental resources during the critical first year," said Canafax. "Having worked with dozens of inspiring founders and entreprenuers, River Ecosystem is one of the most dynamic and creative startup consulting firms in the world. It's through this experience we'll help the next generation startups achieve their vision -- turning dreamers into doers."

Ku and Canafax take on their respective leadership roles at a busy time for the firm. Both will oversee the selection process for the Fall 2017 class of River Accelerator, an innovative startup incubation program focused on indentifying and fostering frontier technologies such as VR/AR, AI, machine learning, computer vision, drones, 3D printing, and more. The River Accelerator provides startups with mentorship from top frontier tech leaders through the River Network, creative space in the River Lounge in SOMA, and the opportunity to present at the River Accelerator Demo Day and Founder Field Day at AT&T Park. River Ecosystem partners with Rothenberg Ventures to provide $100,000+ of investment to startups in the River Accelerator.

This fourth River Accelerator program, set to launch September 12, will ultimately join the prestigious River Accelerator alumni network of over 40 companies, including Fove, Emblematic, Roqovan, Psious, Boom Supersonic, and EmergentVR, that collectively have gone on to raise over $100M in funding from investors including Accel, Google Ventures, Samsung NEXT Ventures, and Colopl VR Fund.

Following the kick-off of the new River Accelerator program, River Ecosystem will host the fourth-annual Founder Field Day at AT&T Park on November 13. Ku and Canafax will be an intergral part of the team bringing together sponsorship partners, investors, and founders within the River Network to facilitate valuable connection between frontier technology entrepreneurs, startups, and investors.

"When given the opportunity to bring Jimmy and Nick into River Ecosystem as new partners, I immediately knew I was bringing together the dream team to foster a new phase of growth," said Mike Rothenberg, chairman and founder of River Ecosystem. "Between their shared experience as founders of previous startups, combined with their extensive networks and accelerator backgrounds, we're poised to take the firm, its programs and community experience to the next level."

To learn more about River Ecosytem and the application process for the Fall 2017 River Accelerator program, visit the website at: http://riverecosystem.com/riveraccelerator/

Stereolabs is allowing you to use the Vive or Rift you already have as a AR/MR headset.

Cecile Schmollgruber founded STEREOLABS in 2010. As chief executive officer, Cecile has taken her company to a new level: STEREOLABS is today the leading provider of 3D vision systems. 

Stereolabs is a leading provider of depth and motion sensing solutions for autonomous robotics and VR/AR. Before launching the ZED camera, Stereolabs has a long experience in the 3D movie industry working with clients such Cameron-Pace Group of Avatar fame. Now with their ZED depth sensor, Stereolabs provides a means for machines to see depth the way humans do, for applications in autonomous navigation, AR/VR and more.

Instead of a standalone headset, Stereolabs is releasing a mini stereo camera you clip to the front of a Rift or Vive. From there, it scans the environment in front of it in real-time, while also capturing the "background" video for each eye. The only downside is it's tethered, unlike many of the AR/MR headsets making headlines (including the company's own Linq). But in exchange, consumers can try out an incredible mixed reality experience using tech that's available today, rather than waiting years for standalone headsets to get better, and developers can get a head start working on content (they're shipping an SDK for Unity and Unreal). 

www.catsandvr.com/blog/

Oculus partners with the California State Library to continue their goal of making VR accessible

“Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future.” —Ray Bradbury

Access to information and knowledge opens the doors to new possibilities and let us experience worlds that would otherwise be beyond reach. Through a new partnership with the California State Library, Oculus is giving access to VR to people that may never have the chance. This pilot program will place 100 Rifts and Oculus Ready PCs in 90 libraries throughout the state.

“It’s pretty cool to imagine how many people will try VR for the very first time—and have that ‘wow’ moment—in their local libraries,” says Oculus Education Program Manager Cindy Ball. “We hope early access will cause many people to feel excited and empowered to move beyond just experiencing VR and open their minds to the possibility of one day joining the industry.”

The 90 participating locations span nearly half of the state’s 184 library jurisdictions—with the possibility for future expansion.

“If this pilot is successful, that shows that library patrons and librarians value the availability of VR equipment in libraries,” Ball said. “Next steps would include the California State Library expanding the program by allocating or raising additional funding to scale the presence of VR.”

The applications available for discover and explore include Google Earth, Apollo 11, Titans of Space 2.0, Everest, Ocean Rift, The Body VR, Guided Meditation VR and Star Chart. This program also gives some additional life to the excellent work of the now defunct Oculus Story Studio. Dear Angelica, Lost and Henry will also be available.

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/

Women In Tech Spotlight: Emily Olman (Hopscotch Interactive and VR/AR Association)

Emily Olman is the founder of Hopscotch Interactive, a marketing and media services company for promoting extraordinary spaces. They create custom marketing solutions with Matterport 3D Photography, 360°, and VR. Hopscotch Interactive was recently nominated as Matterport Service Partner of the Year from over 1000 MSP's for the inaugural "Matty Awards". To see a list of all of the nominees, winners, and some stunning examples of 3D photography visit the Matty Awards homepage here.

Emily is also the San Francisco Chapter Co-President of the VR/AR Association (VRARA), the global association for the Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality industry with local chapters in major cities, connecting leading solution providers with brands and customers. VRARA works with each member company to promote their solutions and services and puts on high-level VR/AR events in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

You can join Hopscotch Interactive and the VR/AR Association SF Chapter on Wednesday, June 14 (6pm-10pm) at The Flight Deck in Oakland for an exciting program on Lightfield Technology & Volumetric VR featuring speakers from: Lytro, Visby, and Lightfield Labs and Hopscotch Interactive. The fun continues with demos, giveaways, VIP networking, and Exit Reality in action with their mobile VR truck!

And, 360° Filmmaker Kevin Kunze of Kunze Productions will be giving away 100 cardboard viewers to lucky attendees. Use code SPEAKER5 for $5 off tickets. Reserve your VIP ticket here. 

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/

Could DIAMONST be the 1st killer app to showcase Apple's AR Kit? Maybe with funding?

After #AWE2017 we are back to work to solve the last bugs and yes, we will use #ARkit for the iOS version of DIAMONST AR RPG#wwdc2017 pic.twitter.com/RkkvF3bOAX

— ZenkoGames (@_ZenkoGames_) June 6, 2017

Could DIAMONST by Zenko Games be the killer app to showcase Apple's AR Kit?

Diamonst will be a story-driven augmented reality experience that will take place in the real world and is inspired by classics JRPGs like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger as well as the more recent Geolocation hit Pokemon Go. 

On the map of your city you will be able to see the missions and the side quests of the story and when you will be close enough you will be able to visualize the events in 3D Augmented Reality (6 degree of freedom AR).

During the single player campaign, you will meet allies, face enemies and solve the riddles that will lead you to discover the reason why the Diamonst have returned to our planet and everything will happen, for the first time, in our world.

Diamonst will mix gameplay mechanics from various turn-based and card games like Magic, Hearthstone, Yu-gi-oh, Pokémon and Yo-Kai watch.

The game will put a lot of focus on intra team and same element synergies that will allow the player to create intricate combos and strategies.

A first playable demo of Diamonst is currently in development with Unity and Vuforia for Android and iOS and will be soon available for Google Tango, Microsoft Hololens and for the Bridge Headset form Occipital.

The team is currently looking for funding to finish the full game.

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/

Beast In Show @ AWE 2017 is Beast Pets! Check out this interview with the Mother Of Dragons Vivian Tan.

Beast is a VR platform that brings digital pets to virtual "life" through artificial intelligence and personalities. It is also the winner of the very first CatsAndVR Best Of Cute award which goes to the cutest thing I saw at a particular conference.  Seriously Beast Pets are basically smart pets for VR. The dragons are basically flying puppy-kittens that actually interact like I would expect out of Cat Dragons. I spent a little bit rubbing their lil dragon tummies, playing laser with them, and just overall going into cute overload.

I could go further into this cute thing and say Chief Beast Of Beast Inc is cute as a button but I'm not. I'm going to say she is the mother of Dragons and beasting her way with a product that has the potential to not only be a cute VR experience but also have the ability to touch the lives of those who have disabilities. I believe this company is doing a good job of separating it self from the multitudes of VR gaming startups in the ecosystem.

For one Beast Inc is part of the current Boost VR class and is using that to establish connections and be everywhere.  Beast Inc recently had the chance to showcase their product and brand in partnership with SVVR at Maker Faire and was so very well received they won a blue ribbon. 

I ran into the team at AWE2017 and all I really had to say was AWE! I totally loved the product and suggest CatsAndVR readers be part of the beta. We even secured our readers access to the private beta. Just send an email to Team@BeastPets.com and mention CatsAndVR.com sent ya. 

To be completely transparent I was a tad bit jealousy that Vivan beat me to the VR Pet market but I am ok with it because that market I care about looks to be in the hands of a very sharp individual who cares about the product, the ecosystem, and the true value of pet friendship to others. She has partnered with BoostVC, SVVR, and has assembled a team that also cares about her vision including Kate Hughes who is known for her Holo-Dog project for Hololens. 

All in all I believe in this product and I am V glad there are others out there that believe in the Beast Inc vision. 

Edit: Can't end this with out giving a shout out to Beast Co-Founder Mat Tyndall. Thanks for the demo!

Meta: Making Augmented Reality Fashionable.

At AWE 2017 Meta announced its Meta Workspace, a spatial AR operating environment designed for creativity and collaboration.

The original Meta AR headset was a great proof of concept with a great 40° field of view much like Microsofts Hololens is today. That was three years ago. The feedback the Meta team received from this was that it was good for R&D, good for innovation, good as a glimpse into the future of computing, but not good enough to replace the screens that characterize our lives in technology. 

The teams answer was to tap in some of the most innovative AR minds globally to develop an optical engine that can create a 90° field of view. The Meta team also tapped into the Google Project Tango framework to acquire the expertise of Alan Betran in developing a sensor array capable of dexterous hand interaction.  With over 600 patent claims for the technology, the Meta team now offers us a truer vision of their future of reality. 

I spoke with Meta's evangelist extraordinaire Ryan Pamplin about what its like to be part of an award winning AR company making the term Augmented Reality fashionable. 

Ryan Pamplin: It is an honor, really and truly, the team loves this. The team sleeps, eats, and breathes Meta. Not for the sake of AR, not for the sake of technology but for the sake of a more natural computing experience.  

Check out my interview with Ryan above. 

What is the Meta vision for the future of computing? To shift the paradigm of computing from a small scale flat experience to a visceral reality of interaction and point of view.

The Meta team has stepped their game up with their new operating system which overlays the physical world with your computer's desktop, eliminating the need for a monitor. Meta won an Auggie award for Best In Show at AWE 2017.  

Meta is the precursor to a future that will use VR, AR, voice control, a digital canvas and haptic technology (recreating the sense of touch) all working together to let people create in more natural ways.

Ryan Pamplin had some advice for me to work on AR cats.....well maybe if I had a Meta Cat shirt I might be incentivized. 

www.catsandvr.com/blog/

A River Resurrection Part One

In 2014, identifying the huge potential in VR, Mike Rothenberg decided to build the world's first startup accelerator focused on VR companies, and named it The River Accelerator Program. The program founded by Mike Rothenberg has evolved to now be part of a bigger vision called River Ecosystem.

Oh and yes it is THAT Mike Rothenberg, the one who earlier this year was described by many a media outlet as a VR Great Gatsby, a person with a Wolf of Wall Street personality, a man steering his VC fund Rothenberg Ventures like it was the Titanic. Come to think of if I think tech media really has a thing for Leonardo Dicaprio films.

Well perhaps those things about Mike are true, I don't know the guy personally but I can say he sure has some Steph Curry like attributes to him. First one up is vision. Just take a look at some of the companies Rothenberg Ventures has helped in some sort of fiduciary capacity. I mean come on this is just in the VR/AR space. I know the word ecosystem gets tossed around a lot but really how do you describe what the River/Rothenberg team were trying to pull together before a lot of news came out about a lot of alleged things.  We still have no true answers on those allegations so I can really only do one thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERm_WNxGs1U

River, Rothenberg, Frontier Tech, or whatever the team was using as its main identity for the past few months continued pushing for a goal of a true VR/AR future of growth not a constant stream of fads. In fact Mike threw a small intimate post AWE 2017 event in which he spoke about his vision of a VR/AR ecosystem and a future of content creators not just tech evangelists. Check that video at the top of the page. Robert Scoble was in attendance and you know if Scoble is jumping on the bandwagon the team must be doing something right at this time. That was a joke Scoble, lets grab a drink sometime. 

Oh back to Steph Curry, one of the biggest things about Steph Curry is his ability to understand the value of the players around him and maximize their potential. Just look at how Javale Mcgee is playing this year. Just look at how KD seems just happy to be able to work like a teammate with Steph. This brings me to the point of the people River has on the squad. VR/AR evangelist and all around good person Dulce Baerga was brought on to be the CEO of River Studios. That is that a major free agent acquisition for River Ecosystems that brings a lot of passion to the court. Dulce is a #WomenInVR #WomenInTech #PERSONINVR #PERSONINTECH to look out for as she helps grow the ecosystem. Check her talking about the future of River Studios including a new version of Quarteback Snap. QB Snap was one of the first if not the first football game for the HTC Vive.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/482210/Quarterback_SNAP/

Just like the Golden State Warriors, the River Ecosystem team has a solid lineup including Nick Canifax, Skye Jordan, and many more. Skye was on site and Dulce made sure to point out the value Skye is brining to the table with the events element of the River Eco equation. 

Check out just some of the interesting events and programs River Ecosystem have done in the last few months. 

All in all there has been a lot of negative press thrown at Rothenberg and by proxy the River team. I however am not getting paid to write negative press, in fact I am not getting paid for positive press either. I am however willing to give a team who is trying to grow VR/AR and actually understand what ecosystem means a chance. River may not be dead in the water. What that means exactly is for another day, thats why this is called A River Resurrection Part One. The Future Iz Meow!

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/ 

https://riverecosystem.com

The hey I got food poisoning and could not make it to Augmented World Expo today. Here is a list of the fun things going on.

AWE (Augmented World Expo), the largest and longest running conference and expo dedicated to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), officially opened its exhibition doors today to kick off the biggest event in the event’s 8-year history. With a record-breaking 212 exhibitors, 350 speakers, 300 journalists, 5,000 attendees and a mind-blowing 100,000-square-feet expo, AWE 2017 this year is showcasing the most cutting-edge AR and VR exhibits and demonstrations ever gathered in a single location.
 
Announcements today include innovations in entertainment, gaming and cinema, smart wearables, sensing toys, robotics and consumer electronics, cloud, enterprise and business technologies, human-computer interaction solutions, automotive, and high-performance APIs.
 
In addition, AWE is announcing AWEx, its strategy to partner with passionate experts and influencers around the world to further the growing worldwide demand for AR- and VR-centric events. The expansion takes AWE from the U.S., Europe and China to explore local candidates including Mexico City, Lisbon, Adelaide, Rome, Dubai and Tel Aviv.
 
“The growth of the industry is accelerating, and we are facing demand to bring AWE to multiple cities around the world,” explained AWE founder, Ori Inbar. “That’s why we are proud to announce AWEx. This program will support independent organizers who are passionate about our mission to address humanity’s growing pains, such as overpopulation, globalization challenges and inequality.  AR + VR can help drive economic growth, democratize access to knowledge and health, and increase empathy with sustainability.”
Highlights of today’s remarkable announcements include:
 
CieAR is unveiling its new AR film platform which enables a unique and immersive film
experience in real space and time with life-sized 3D virtual characters. www.ciear.ca.
 
Massless is unveiling the Massless Pen, a  high  accuracy,  responsive  and  intuitive  interface  device  that  enables designers  and  engineers  to  build,  edit,  manipulate,  review  and  collaborate  on  3D  models. www.massless.io
 
Deep Optics is unveiling and showing interactive demos of its tunable lens technology for the AR and VR markets. www.deepoptics.com.
 
Digibit is showcasing the world’s first wearable gaming system that transforms your body into a mobile gaming controller. https://mydigibit.com/kickstarter/
 
Epson is introducing two new Moverio® products – the Epson Moverio BT-350 augmented reality (AR) smart glasses optimized for multi-user “fleet” environments, and the Epson Moverio Pro BT-2200 smart headset for industrial applications. https://epson.com
 
Livemap is unveiling the 3rd pre-serial prototype of its motorcycle smart helmet with HUD based on AR technology. Ride a bike like a fighter pilot! https://livemap.info/
 
Arloopa is showcasing its ““Take a Photo with the Leopard” environmental information campaign to  raise  public  awareness  on biodiversity  conservation and threatened species. http://arloopa.com/
 
AnotherWorld VR is previewing KOBOLD, a new kind of creative fiction that blurs the line between cinema and VR gaming. http://anotherworldvr.com
 
Augmania is announcing the launch of its latest release, an out of the box DIY augmented reality authoring tool and its innovative web AR viewer. www.augmania.com.
 
Arvizio is demonstrating its Mixed Reality Studio Suite, a mixed reality platform that extends HoloLens capabilities as a full-fledged collaboration and conferencing tool. https://www.arvizio.io
 
Catchoom, global innovator in AR and image recognition software solutions is debuting the full suite of its new Visual Shopping solutions. catchoom.com/.
 
EcoCarrier is launching PizzAR, a cost efficient way to promote wares and services through AR on the top surface of a Pizza Box. www.ara2z.com
 
Fraunhofer IGD is presenting VisionLib, an AR one-size-fits-all library tracking system designed specifically for enterprise. https://www.igd.fraunhofer.de/en
 
HDBT is showcasing HDBaseT, a one-cable solution for Virtual Reality, supporting high-def audio, video, USB, controls, Ethernet and power over a single cable. www.hdbaset.org/
 
ICAROS is demonstrating its Active AR product, a fitness device and a game controller that allows users to control their flight path with nothing but their movements. http://www.icaros.net
 
IdentiToy is demonstrating its “machine interface over a display surface” technology, a touch-less, optical triangulation interface completely independent of human touch. http://www.identitoy.com
 
InsiderNavigation is revealing its indoor augmented reality navigation 1.0 tool to enable recording, localization and navigation within buildings. http://insidernavigation.com
 
Joinpad is demoing its remote video streaming and collaboration tool that lets on-field technicians share data and receive support from a remote expert. www.joinpad.net.
 
Kodak is showing off its PIXPR0 Orbit360 4K VR Camera - a minimalist approach to an all-in-one 360° VR camera utilizing two fixed focus lenses in a futuristic body. www.kodakpixpro.com.
 
Kopin is unveiling a reference design with Goertek for a new lightweight, super high-res, OLED-powered head-mounted display. www.kopin.com
 
LC-Tec Displays AB and SKUGGA Technology AB are demonstrating prototypes of the next generation automatically dimmable sunglasses. www.lc-tec.se
 
ManoMotion is releasing a SDK that provides developers and content creators with the tools and know-how to incorporate hand gestures into VR, AR, MR and IoT products and applications. http://manomotion.com/
 
Meta is unveiling the Meta Workspace, its spatial AR operating environment designed for creativity and collaboration . https://www.metavision.com
 
Wikitude, with Lenovo New Vision, is announcing a collaboration to develop an Augmented human (AH) Cloud. https://www.wikitude.com
 
Moback is demonstrating Perplexigon, a new multiplayer VR physics building game recently released on Steam’s Early Access program and now available for purchase. http://perplexigon.com
 
Optinvent is debuting its new Ora-X smart headphones, blending audio and display for an unprecedented wearable entertainment experience. http://www.optinvent.com
 
Quantum Interface is introducing its groundbreaking, truly hands-free User Interface (UI) controls for headworn displays for industrial and enterprise applications. http://quantuminterface.com
 
Re’Flekt is unveiling the first platform to support simultaneous direct publication and model-based tracking for the Microsoft Hololens. https://www.re-flekt.com
 
Resonai will demonstrate Resonai Search, a visual search engine for VR/AR content. http://www.resonai.com
 
Scope AR is introducing significant updates to its live support video calling platform, Remote AR, making it the first remote assistance software to enable markerless tracking. http://www.scopear.com .
 
Soap Collective is debuting Atlas: Prologue, an interactive sci-fi adventure short highlighting episodic content and debuting on Oculus Rift + Touch. http://www.thesoapcollective.com
 
Stereolabs is announcing ZED Mini, a pass-through stereo camera accessory that gives VR developers a head-start on making mixed reality content. https://www.stereolabs.com
 
The Future Group is demonstrating its next-generation platform for creating immersive IMR, AR and VR content for TV production, mobile gaming and commercial solutions. https://www.futureuniverse.com
 
Tractica has released a new white paper assessing key use cases for augmented reality in smartphones and tablets, as well as new capabilities for smart glasses. https://www.tractica.com
 
twnkls is showcasing new mobile AR applications and solutions. http://twnkls.com
 
uSens is showing off its new, industry-first single-camera/dual-lens combined inside-out 6DOF (degrees of freedom) head-tracking and 26DOF hand-tracking technology. https://www.usens.com  
 
VividWorks is demonstrating its VividPlatform4, a Cloud-based 3D visual sales solution delivering photorealistic and user-friendly visualizations on-device and in-store. http://vividworks.com
 
Wrnch is demonstrating BodySLAM, a human pose estimation engine, enabling anyone with a smartphone to capture human motion. https://wrnch.com
 
Zappar is showcasing Zapbox, which does for mixed reality what Google Cardboard did for Virtual Reality. www.zappar.com
 
Zenko Games is unveiling its first gaming title, Diamonst Augmented Reality RPG, based on geolocalized narrative arcs, strategic gameplay and virtual pet features. http://zenkogames.com  
 
To see AWE 2017’s full agenda of more than 300 speakers, visit http://www.augmentedworldexpo.com/agenda.
 
More about Augmented World Expo
AWE (Augmented World Expo) is the largest AR+VR conference and expo showcasing technologies which are augmenting our human capabilities, turning ordinary experiences into the extraordinary and empowering people to be better at anything they do in work and life: Superpowers to the People. AWE USA 2017 will feature more than 300 speakers and 250 exhibitors leading the charge in augmented and virtual reality. 

Deep Optics will showcase the latest lens technology for visual focus control at AWE 2017

Deep Optics, the inventor and pioneer of proprietary and patent-pending liquid crystal (LC) electronic lens technology, will be unveiling its tunable lens technology for the AR and VR markets at AWE 2017 (booth #437).  The technology will be in action for the first time, with the company offering interactive demos of its customized lenses with leading HMD (head-mounted display) systems.

Deep Optics’ tunable lens transforms any AR/VR optics into an auto-focusing system by enabling the realization of a real dynamic focal plane. This unique technology creates a more vivid, comfortable and immersive 3D experience and alleviates negative side effects usually associated with augmented or virtual reality, such as blurred vision, headaches, or queasiness. Such discomfort is caused in current VR/AR devices, because virtual objects (e.g. holograms) are displayed at different virtual distances from the viewer and the device’s projecting system uses static optics that are unable to synchronize the optical signal with the varying distances.

Deep Optics’ adaptive lens is based on Liquid Crystal, a birefringent material that has a different refractive index for different light polarizations. Liquid Crystal molecules change their orientation under electric voltage. By applying different voltage profiles to a liquid crystal layer, it is possible to control the effective refractive index of different areas of this layer. In order to achieve high precision control over the liquid crystal layer,

Deep Optics has developed a unique Liquid Crystal panel, similar to an LCD, with a very high resolution, transparent electrode grid. This dense electrode grid enables the application of high precision voltage profiles over the liquid crystal layer, without sacrificing transparency, or other optical properties. The result is a single panel that can implement many lens prescriptions, dynamically – positive and negative prescriptions, at a large diopter range and unlimited accuracy (not limited to 0.25D steps). The center of the lens can also be controlled in real-time; it can be positioned anywhere in the panel, and moved across the panel dynamically.

Yariv Haddad, Co-founder and CEO of Deep Optics, said, “We’re excited to demonstrate our AR/VR auto-focus solution at the show. Our tunable lenses dynamically change their focal power and position, allowing us to effectively cover a large field-of-view, a critical requirement from AR/VR HMDs. Visitors will be able to try out the superior augmented reality experience for themselves in different headsets.”

Haddad continued, “Our aim is to continue our partnerships with tier-1 players in the AR/VR market and introduce products powered by our lenses in 2018.”

Yariv Haddad, Deep Optics’s Co-founder and CEO, will be speaking at the AWE Conference on Friday Jun 2 - Room 209/210, 10:30am - 11:00am, on “Foveal Adaptive Optics - Large Aperture Liquid Crystal Lenses”.

http://www.augmentedworldexpo.com/

CatsAndVR.com Visits Magik Gallery

Have you ever looked at the word IMAGE? The word image breaks down to I MAGE as in I the MAGICIAN create a reality for the world to see. On Saturday May 20th Nick Ochoa and his Magik Gallery crew presented a reality that consisted of his vision of a possible definition of VIRTUAL REALITY. 

Nick Ochoa-Founder Of Magik Gallery-" Virtual Reality is more that a gaming platform, more than a 360° Video distribution platform, VR is a canvas and what you can create is very vast and infinite. 

Magik Gallery brought together some of the most innovative artists and admired immersive creators in virtual and augmented reality art for an exposition featuring a collection of painted worlds, invisible sculptures, immersive illustrations and interactive narratives. The event was not just put together to evangelize VR but to open up people to the creative potential VR truly has. 

Everyone who attended the event looked inspired. I for one always felt that introducing someone to Tilt Brush for the first time brings them back to the first time they used crayons as a child. You could feel that childlike wonderment in the air that night. 

Nick Ochoa-Founder Of Magik Gallery- "What we noticed is that people have a greater appreciation and understanding of the technology when they are introduced to it through a beautiful piece of content. 

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http://magikgallery.com/

The event featured the immersive Quill illustrations of Liz Edwards, the Tilt Brush dimension gateways of Steve Teeps, the AR visions of SUTU, and much much more.

The event was well attended by a gallery of guests of VR newbies, artists appreciating other artists, and industry heavy hitters like Head Of VR and AR at UNITY Tony Parisi.

Also mad props to Oculus and Naomi from the Medium team out there showing mad love in support of the event. I am already looking forward to checking out the next Magik Gallery event. Please make sure to check out the event video I shot for the event, its at the top of the page :). I was very inspired by the event to really put together something that captured the MAGIK of the event....so mote it be.

http://magikgallery.com/

Open-world 2D RPG Cat Quest launching on PlayStation 4 and Steam this summer.

Well here comes a game that would make me take a break from VR! Since you guys and gals asked for more cat content check this out. 

PQube has announced that they will be teaming up with developer The GentleBros to release the pawsome new catventure game, Cat Quest, for PlayStation 4and Steam in Summer 2017.

Cat Quest is an open-world top-down 2D RPG set in the wonderful world of cats. Engage in intense real-time combat and explore a massive continent and experience the ultimate catventure. Relive the good old days of exploring an overworld map as you raid dungeons for epic loot, complete quests and meet the many furry denizens of the world of Felingard.

After your sister is kidnapped by a mysterious cat known as Drakoth, you come face-to-face with your destiny as part of a long-lost race of dragon slayers called the Dragonblood. Joined by Spirry, your guardian spirit, you set off on a grand catventure to not only save your sister, but also the world that Drakoth has brought to chaos!

Check out #CatQuest on social media! For more information and the latest news, follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/PQubeGames , and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pqube .

Follow Cat Quest on Facebook at w ww.facebook.com/catquestgame and the The GentleBros atwww.twitter.com/TheGentlebros .

This Saturday Magik Gallery will curate some of the most innovative art in VR and AR at its SF event.

Virtual reality has changed how we create. From games and movies, to experiences and tools—we’re just beginning to see what’s possible. But what happens when you take traditional artistic methods and transfer them to VR? This Saturday Magik Gallery will bring together some of the most innovative artists and admired immersive creators in virtual and augmented reality art for an exposition featuring a collection of painted worlds, invisible sculptures, immersive illustrations and interactive narratives.

The event features artists such as Oakland, CA very own Tilt Brush Artist In Residence Steve Teeps who has worked with prominent artists like Flying Lotus and Future. The event is sponsored by Oculus and will have some amazing artists like Liz Edwards showcasing their amazing work using Oculus Quill.

http://magikgallery.com/

If you are in the Bay Area and a fan of VR and AR or just a fan of art and creative expression come and check out Magik Gallery this Saturday. Check out the website for more info and to RSVP. http://magikgallery.com/

http://magikgallery.com/

Owlchemy Labs the award winning creators of Job SImulator, Jack Lumber, and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality get acquired by Google.

Google has made an interesting play to solidify it's VR lineup for the future. Welcome Owlchemy Labs to Google. They've created award-winning games like Job Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. They have won multiple awards for their gameplay and interaction in Job Simulator, and became one of the most popular VR titles across the many platforms. They’ve helped set a high bar for what engagement can be like in virtual worlds, and do it all with a great sense of humor! 

With several great moves Owlchemy did great job establishing themelves as a hit VR developer and right around their recent 6 year anniversary had turned that into a  $5 million series A investment from Qualcomm Ventures, HTC, The VR Fund, Colopl Next, Capital Factory, and several Austin area investors. Now the team takes a huge leap by possibly becoming Google's go to VR dev team for some interesting IP. They already showed they can handle it with the excellent Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality.

They team also pioneered a new way to show VR footage with a Spectator Mode for their games and built out a new depth-based mixed reality technique. From a small team in a bedroom in Boston to a 16 person industry respected game development company Owlchemy Labs has a bright future. Take a look at one of their early Pre VR games. 

Cats And VR