Happy 420! The Rick And Morty VR game is out I am celebrating by NOT writing about it...check out this Justin Roiland/Squanchtendo Keynote.

Today is the launch of the brand spanking new Rick And Morty VR game and I wont be getting high and playing it today since I am on a work trip for my day job http://store.steampowered.com/app/469610/

Everyone should go out and buy this game and support this excellent work of Owlchemy Labs (Job Simulator).

Since I can't play the game and really write about it cause I did not get review copy I will give you some highlights from Justin Roiland's VRLA Squanchtendo Keynote. I escaped to a Starbucks long enough to write this.

 Happy 420 everyone...smoke weed erryday and stuff. Check out some highlights of Justin's excellent VRLA keynote where he talks about the state of VR, the future of VR,and some of the exclusive games coming from Squanchtendo including Miyamote's Toes.

If you are a UE4 developer Squanchtendo wants you.

Actual 3D model of a Squchtendo Fan.

CatsAndVR.com/blog

Dick Wilde from the makers of Kittypocalypse will be a launch title for the PSVR Aim Controller in May 2017, it is available now for Vive and Oculus Touch.

London-based publisher, PlayStack announced the global release of their first VR game,  Dick Wilde. Take to the swamps of Mississippi as Dick Wilde, the ultimate outdoorsman and “Exterminator Extraordinaire”, armed to the teeth with an arsenal of saw-blade rifles, nail guns and an electrified bow and arrow. Your job is to exterminate the infestation of ‘gators, crocs, piranhas and out-of-control birds before they exterminate you.

Dick Wilde is the latest madcap VR title from Danish development studio Bolverk Games, developers of ‘Kittypocalypse’. Set in the swamplands of Mississippi and the surrounding area, players can pit themselves against exterminators from all over the world with the online global leaderboard. Compete for the biggest killstreaks and top scores across three variable difficulty levels in each environment, the Swamp, the Lagoon and the North.

Not quite ready to show the world your extermination skills? Play with friends in a local Party Mode. Monitor your vitals and accuracy to perfect your technique and experiment with your arsenal of weapons. Each environment offers different deadly critters ranging from electric eels, piranhas and more, to Dick’s nemesis, a giant turtle. Pick the right weapons to become the most effective exterminator in town and avoid getting devoured by alligators.

Bo Bennekov, CEO at Bolverk Games said: “Each of our titles focuses on certain genres that really work for VR. We want our games to be immersive, replayable and just plain weird. Dick Wilde delivers exactly that. After six months in development who’d have thought we’d have a game where the aim is to make sure you're not fish-bait and we’re able to get this to market!”

“Dick Wilde is a great example of what we are looking for in a game and studio partner,” said Harvey Elliott, Founder and CEO of PlayStack. “Bolverk Games is an amazing studio from a creative point of view, they've pinpointed a genre in VR that consumers can really get behind, they're not afraid to push boundaries and they have a clear plan in terms of where they want to be in the future. Whilst we acknowledge that VR still has a way to go in terms of becoming a household gaming platform we know that there is still an opportunity for up and coming projects, and we’re keen to work with developers who want to be as involved in the long term as we do. We wanted our first VR game to stand out and Dick Wilde does exactly that.”

Dick Wilde is available to purchase today on  Steam and the  Oculus Store for $19.99/£17.99 and a 15% discount will be applied for one week only.

Dick Wilde will be a launch title for the PSVR Aim Controller in May 2017.

CATSANDVR.com

Today is the one year anniversary of CatsAndVR.com and also Respect Your Cat day. Here are the best Cat moments of Year One.

Today is the one year anniversary of CatsAndVR.com and also Respect Your Cat day.  Here are the best Cat moments of year one.  Check out the videos and links to some of my favorite cat related things I have covered during that year. Shoutout to all the people who have helped me this year and also too my very own cats, Vampire Bill Poopton and Donut "Knute" Hartman.

http://www.catsandvr.com/contact/

 

Chocolate VR

The experience is called Chocolate, named after the Giraffage song that it is actually a VR music video for. Chocolate is being called the definitive Cats And VR experience. Executively produced by Viacom NEXT, Chocolate made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival and is following that up with being a major part of SXSW VR Selections. https://www.sxsw.com/film/2017/sxsw-film-festival-reveals-midnighters-shorts-inaugural-vr-program/

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

Tracking Cats in VR.

To be honest the first time I actually thought of the possibility of a Vive Tracker attached to a cat is when I was crawling on the floor playing Unseen Diplomacy at the opening of the new Unity office in SF.  The advancement of Cat VR tech could not be in better hands. At Triangular Pixels, all the employees have cats!

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

SUPER FURRY NEON CAT HEADS!

Well thanks to my super RADD day job I only got to spend one day on the GDC floor this year. Knowing how amazing GDC has been for me in the past and now finally going in with some development experience it made me a bit sad to only be at GDC for one day. Much Sad, Very SMH...until I saw my true reason to be at GDC was to cover SUPER FURRY NEON CAT HEADS. If there is one VR game this year that obviously speaks to a site called CatsAndVR.com it would be SUPER FURRY NEON CAT HEADS! http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/superfurry

LIFE OF LON

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.

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/2016/lifeoflon

CatsAndVR.com

VR Superdad uses his powers to make his daughter smile and his cat annoyed.

VR Superdad Toby Newman used his VR super powers to put a smile on his daughters face. His latest experiment using a Ricoh Theta and an HTC Vive gives his child an idea of what the world looks like from the point of view of the family cat. A harness, a 360° camera, and a VR headset lets my daughter take a ride around our house on our cat. The cat has a harness that holds a 360° camera. The camera is fed the feed from the saddle-camera to a VR headset. Toby's  daughter uses her Lion King plushy to get an immersive cat experience.

This VR Superdad has also used his powers to shrink his daughter down and put her into her dollhouse. Check out the video below as well as 360 photos of the dollhouse.

Toby is using his powers for good and I hope he and his family have a great life in Virtual Reality and Reality Reality. He is also an inspiration for me to use my Ricoh Theta more. 

CatsAndVR.com

Bobby Throne Saves The World may be the next killer disruptive VR app, eSport, and social networking platform people in highly populated tech sectors of America are looking for.

"Games are about learning, you learn muscle memory, history, communication, stories, and so much more. If games are about learning then I’m here to teach. So what better place to share my ministry with than at the wonderful PAX East show where everyone is learning. I look forward to introducing myself to all these new minds and see them transform right before my eyes… forever."- Bobby Throne

I first took notice of Bobby Throne Ministries when my former roommate at the House Of Dtoid SF and my favorite MTV reality show personality Jonathan Holmes did a post about it on Destructioid. My first thoughts were wow this guy is still writing, my second was hey my name is Bobby too, I should write about this upcoming VR expereience.

Bobby Throne Ministries is a show (Twitch Stream?) that will be part of the vision of SnowRunner Productions new game Bobby Throne Saves The World. You keep contact with the audience and perform a sermon for a crowd. You can even unlock sermons!? The killer VR app we are looking for? The next eSport?

William Brierly of SnowRunner Productions describes the gameplay mechanics as very similar to Rock Band VR and other stuff he has never seen before.

The game is inspired by Will's fascination with Televangalists and also his time as a proffesional magician. 

Will and his brother have been working on this game ever since their big time indie hit Soda Drinker Pro recived critical and financial success. https://www.destructoid.com/review-soda-drinker-pro-358097.phtml

It does look like the SnowRunner Productions team has invested a lot of the money they received from the success of Soda Drinker Pro into Bobby Throne. They had a huge gaming booth at PAX East where they gave out coins. As you may have heard precious metal prices have gone up since the election of President Bannondorf. As you know silver bullets have great power against dark forces. 

Though they are indie darlings the SnowRunner Productions team has taken a page out of the books of major brands like Wal-Mart and Circuit City and used their new found gaming wealth to hire social media influences and strategic brand managers to brand their manage.

Boy ~ "Are you gay?" @BobbyThrone ~ "That doesn't even matter."

True story.https://t.co/qMz0GCZCq0

— Jonathan Holmes (@TronKnotts) March 15, 2017

The true goal of Bobby Throne Saves The World is to teach us to see the multiple realities around us and see how someone can influence us with words and shinny things.

VR.............?

CatsAndVR.com/blog

Capcom is making me feel like a kid again with the launch of The Disney Afternoon Collection ft my all time fav NES game Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers.

Funny story this one time at science camp I told the teacher I love video games. She asked me which one, I said Chip And Dale. She lost her mind, I would not realize that she thought I meant Chippendales till later on in life. At the time I thought she was just a Disney hating commie. Well any way. WOW! Capcom you just made my day.

Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced  The   Disney Afternoon Collection, a compilation of six games that feature beloved Disney TV characters from the 80s and 90s in fun-filled adventures. The beautifully restored classic games feature crisp 1080p HD support and include all-new modes that can be enjoyed by first-time players and long-time fans.  The   Disney Afternoon Collection will be available as a digital download across North America and Europe for $19.99 / £15.99/ €19.99 starting on April 18, 2017 on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC.

Players will be able to relive their childhood afternoons with Disney and explore these pieces of gaming history with classics including:

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers  – This classic lets players team up with a friend in co-op play as they assume the roles of the mischievous Chip and Dale as they take on memorable villain Fat Cat and attempt to solve the mystery of a missing kitten.
Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2  – Fat Cat has escaped and his plans are even more dastardly this time. The titular heroes and supporting cast Monterey Jack, Gadget, and Zipper must stop Fat Cat from his evil dream of world domination!

Darkwing Duck  – Play as the original caped crusader and fight a city full of criminals from the infamous F.O.W.L. organization in this action-packed platforming epic.

DuckTales  – In this iconic platforming adventure, players help Scrooge McDuck fill his feathery pockets with vast riches from across the world.
DuckTales 2  – The sequel to the original game comes jam-packed with more action and an even bigger caper set in new locations like the Bermuda Triangle and Niagara Falls!

TaleSpin  – Take to the skies as Baloo the bear navigates his plane through exotic and dangerous locations in this side-scrolling shoot-em-up.
 

All six games are new and improved HD versions of the originals and feature a number of filtering options that replicate a classic retro look and feel. This collection also offers new ways to play with Boss Rush and Time Attack modes for each game. In Boss Rush mode, players battle through challenging boss encounters consecutively, while Time Attack mode encourages time-based gameplay and provides online leaderboards that track the fastest times for each game. A new “Rewind” feature makes these challenging titles more accessible for newcomers, with the option to rewind time and enjoy a swift recovery from blunders. Additionally, the in-game Disney Museum will provide history buffs with a wealth of content to celebrate the era of the original releases, such as concept art, advertisements, character art, and music – all preserved in their original glory.

Thanks Capcom for making me feel like a kid again.

Check out my homie Suda51 announcing the new Fire Pro Wrestling game.

A couple a weeks ago I was talking to my boy Suda51 at the NIS America event. I mentioned that I would love if he would get into developing for VR and also if he would do another Fire Pro Wrestling game. If you not aware Suda51 got his gaming start on the Fire Pro series and created the most memorable and heartbreaking endings ever in a pro wrestling game. 

Well though Suda51 may not be working on the new Fire Pro game announced yesterday he was certainly happy to show his support in a launch video at the beginning of this post. You can check out the official official Fire Pro announcement bellow as well.

After a 10-year hiatus, director Tomoyuki Matsumoto’s Fire Pro Wresting World brings the hit franchise to Windows PC and PlayStation ® 4, with Steam Early Access confirmed for this Summer. Building upon the core gameplay, the game will offer improved graphics, updated features and online matchmaking connecting players from around the world. The PS4 TM version has not yet been rated by the ESRB. Bullet Club 4 life.

CatsAndVR.com

Mike Rothenberg drops the mic on the media!

Seems like everyday my tech news feeds are hit with a new Rothenberg Ventures has f'ed up posts. 

It's almost like tech journalism has always been looking for someone to make a tabloid martyr out of and Mike Rothenberg fits the bill with almost Kanye West like precision. 

Young, brash, Cinderella story. It almost comes across as a hip hop lyric about loving you on top but hating you when they can. From Rothenberg facing zoning issues to employee lawsuits there is always something to read about about Mike.  I felt I too should also do a post since I am a blog and all.  

Well actually Mike Rothenberg himself decided to finally address some of these media issues via a Facebook post yesterday. 

In the video Mike says he has not taken any money improperly as well as stating that Rothenberg Ventures never made any investments without investor permission.

Those are two of the major (among others) claims that the media has put out. Mike specifically calls out the media including one of the biggest outlets to push the story, TECH CRUNCH.  Mike goes onto say some of these stories have been liable and slander. Mike even goes on to say that Tech Crunch lives for Drama and even has a section dedicated to this. 

Look I am barely a member of the press so I am going to let the man speak for himself like he wants to in the video below. I am going to say this guy has balls of steel for recently changing Frontier Tech Ventures back to Rothenberg Ventures. Thug Life.

What the media has had to say in the past...INCLUDING yesterday.

https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/16/transcend-vr-sues-investor-mike-rothenberg-for-fraud-and-breach-of-contract/

https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/17/rothenberg-ventures-could-face-fines-over-setting-up-its-office-in-a-building-zoned-for-residential-use/

http://thehustle.co/rothenberg-ventures

https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/04/a-former-rothenberg-employee-is-now-suing-over-breach-of-contract-and-more-than-100k-in-amex-charges/

https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/18/at-rothenberg-ventures-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-virtual-gatsby/

and here is a list of WILD spending that Rothenberg allegedly did

• Hired a racecar driver and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain and transport her car to events
• Sponsored actor Chace Crawford’s birthday party and produced a video for Coldplay
• Spent $200k on a suite at the Super Bowl and $2k a month on private jets
• Launched an annual Founders Field Day at AT&T Park that was extremely over the top (and inspired the scene in “Silicon Valley”)

The Questions that CatsAndVR.com has about all this. 

• Was most of the extravagant expenditures listed actually sponsored....Founders Field Day was almost entirely covered by sponsors and did not come out of Rothenberg's pockets.
•  Why was Rothenberg Ventures corporate counsel terminated for cause in July, before all this news came out?
• How does CFO David Hasse let all of this go under his nose and says he is owed around 100,000 in company expenses he supposedly paid for?
• How is Mike Rothenberg still the CEO of the company?
• How come the feds have yet to find anything illegal that he did yet?
• Where are David Hasse, Geoffrey Rapoport, Brandon Farwell, and Justin Grooms now? And did they try to unravel the company from within in a skunkworks kind of operation.
• Why am I asking these questions?

The last one is because I am a contrarian and don't like to believe what I am told in the tabloids. Really in the end I am wondering how did this all fall apart and who killed Rothenberg Ventures.

Was Mike destined to fall or be the fall guy? I am way too low in all of this to really make a clear answer but I do look at the information and have lots of questions.

Really what will happen to River and the IP and investments that they made? This in the end may be an early warning for the VR community to not necessarily buy something for face value no matter how luxurious and hyped it is. 

Mike Rothenberg this one is dedicated to you!

Cats And VR

The CatsAndVR.com top 5 VR compaines in 2016 (for Us). Have a Great NYE! Have a Great 2017

First of all I would like to thank all the people who supported CatsAndVR.com this year. This started of as a pet project so I could learn and immerse my self in the world of Virtual Reality. 

As 2016 started I was in a job I hated but thanks to CatsAndVR.com I was able to get a job in VR that allows me to travel, be plugged in, and also follow my passion. I have learned a lot and due to that job I have I have not been able to put as much time into CatsAndVR.com over the last month. Since the end of 2016 falls on Caturday, I am closing 2016 out with a post. 

So Happy Caturday, Happy NYE, and Happy 2017 to all of you. Here we go.

The Top 5 VR Companies for me in 2016 (in no particular order I think they are all awesome)

Number One

Unity Technologies announced a host of new partnerships and exciting updates in 2016.The dev team I work with uses Unity as our bread and butter. There is a reason it is the game engine helping to push VR into a consumer product.  

With nearly 5 billion downloads of made with Unity mobile games in Q3 alone including  Super Mario Run, Unity continues to enable developers to create content and are now using that for VR and AR.

At the end of the year they released their EditorVR for constructing environments for VR in VR. For now, if you’re building VR games and experiences, EditorVR will likely help you with laying out a scene in VR and building your own custom VR tools

Unity has helped the VR ecosystem with innovation and has made some great hires this year to help chart them into 2017 including hiring innovators such as Tony Parisi and Danny Lange.

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

Number Two

As VR grew in the past few years, so has UploadVR. UploadVR has helped create an awareness of VR in the San Francisco Bay Area and is now helping to evangelize globally.  This growing set of influencers in the VR community known for their events and ability to connect the VR world.. Upload VR is not just a blog but a group helping to shape VR not only as a consumer product but through connecting VR to the world of art, cinema, as well as using these connections for good. 

They are also helping to push Unity by hosting Learn Unity events. I hope to take one of these in 2017 so I can better my own skill set. On a personal level I owe something to Upload VR due to the fact that they gave me tickets to their E3 Upload Party. If I had not received those tickets I may have not went to LA to try to get in to E3 as press. I was successful in getting press for CatsAndVR and thus my 2016 VR year actually seemed like a reality. 

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

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/uploadvre3

Number Three

Mindshow is a product built from a passion for VR. Not just because VR is cool but because we were promised the future when we were kids and still seeking it. 

Mindshow is Walt Disney. Mindshow is Jim Henson. Mindshow is Steve Jobs. Mindshow is the spark in humanity that made them create characters out of the stars. Mindshow are the muppet babies playing make believe come to life. 

It was hard to try to write something about Mindshow after I first tried it at VRLA because everyone who tried it in the media loved it to some degree and has been able to post before me. What do you write to be different. CatsAndVR.com can't compete with UploadVR, Techcrunch, VRScout , and the other cool kids in resources, turnaround time, etc.

Mindshow reminded me I did not start the site to do that at all but instead I started it to learn and to grow. In the end maybe this post did not fully explain what Mindshow really is or do the experience justice, but neither did the trailer. You have to experience it to really know that this is what we have been seeking in VR the whole time. You see in the end what Mindshow really is can just be described as inspiration captured and then shared for the sake of shared inspiration itself. Inspiration is what I walked away with from VRLA. Inspiration is what I walked away with from Mindshow.

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

Number Four

As you may know, TheWaveVR recently made headlines for raising $2.5 million to create a VR music ecosystem. http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/thewavevrfunding

TheWaveVR is a VR platform for people who love music, enabling them to view, host and socialize in live and recorded shows worldwide, anytime, anywhere.  TheWave creates a VR venue where artists can perform live music by simply importing their tracks, customizing the visuals of the venue, and sharing virtual shows. Fans can attend via most major VR head mounted displays, interact with performers, socialize with friends, dance, paint and more.

One of the major highlights of the VRLA Summer Expo was the VR Rave presented by Skullcandy, Subpac, WeLens, and TheWaveVR. Attendees like comedian Reggie Watts got to experience a next level audio visual experience that incorporated 3D visuals as well as the ability to experience it all in VR.

Number Five

Thank you everyone this year. I started this year just wanting to be part of the VR world and now I have an HTC Vive, Playstation VR, and Gear VR I can call my own. I used CatsAndVR.com to get me a paying job in VR. I have traveled all over America evangelizing VR for my day job and got to meet a bunch of pro Football players.

I watched two Warriors games from a private suite because of VR and got to travel to 3 new states due to VR. All in all I think CatsAndVR.com was a worthwhile investment. I look forward to growing, writing more, learning Unity, going to VR meetups, and being a member of the VR community. Have a safe NYE and great 2017. 

-

Bobby Venom

Unity Hires Dr. Danny Lange away from Uber to be VP of AI and Machine Learning

Unity announced that it has hired Dr. Danny Lange as VP of AI and Machine Learning. He joins from Uber, where he was head of machine learning.

At Uber, Lange led the efforts to build the world’s most versatile Machine Learning platform to support Uber’s hyper growth.  As head of machine learning, Lange will lead Unity’s efforts around AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Machine Learning.

“Danny’s deep, technical background and expertise in Machine Learning align perfectly with the needs of our developers in the rapidly changing world of games and AR / VR,” said John Riccitiello, CEO of Unity Technologies. “We look forward to Danny creating innovative technologies our developers can use to help them optimize engagement and revenue for their products.”

Previously, Lange was General Manager of Amazon Machine Learning -- an AWS product that offers Machine Learning as a Cloud Service. Before that, he was Principal Development Manager at Microsoft where he led a product team focused on large-scale Machine Learning for Big Data. Lange spent 8 years on Speech Recognition Systems, first as CTO of General Magic, Inc., then through his work on General Motor’s OnStar Virtual Advisor, one of the largest deployments of an intelligent personal assistant until Siri. Danny started his career as a Computer Scientist at IBM Research.

He holds MS and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from the Technical University of Denmark. He is a member of ACM and IEEE Computer Society and has several patents to his credit.

Source: Unity Press Release.

Cats And VR

VR startup Radd3 invited me to see the emotional documentary Gleason. Please see this film.

Last Friday VR startup Radd3 invited people out for a free screening of the emotional documentary Gleason. sf.funcheap.com/gleason-friday-night-film-showing-berkeley/

Gleason was a recent hit at Sundance because it is a compelling personal journey through struggle and triumph. CatsAndVR is a site focused on VR but since I attended this screening due in part of a VR startup I feel compelled to write a review. Plus this is a much see documentary. 

I must start out by saying MY words cannot really describe who Steve Gleason is, how bad ass his wife is, and how important this movie is to watch. The words of Steve Gleason himself in this film is the only way to understand the personal journey this film captures.

One quote in particular captured this film for me in particular. After attending a statue ceremony for honoring his contribution to the City Of New Orleans Gleason deals with some heart-wrenching physical struggle and loss of body control. His quote after that scene brought on an emotional sense of understanding from many in the audience.  

“It's an incredible example of the polarities, dichotomies and juxtapositions that is my life. 

The film thoroughly captures these polarities, dichotomies and juxtapositions with such artful direction it reminded me of Forest Gump. Except this is real life and the direction is the honest heart of a man spilling his life in front of us. The film was created from video clips that Steve created in order to make sure his unborn son still had a father in his life despite Gleason's struggles with ALS. Gleason is also the story of a very strong Mother and Wife who also shows us what a true fight really is. To quote Michel Varisco Gleason on the whole situation that was turned into the documentary "This is a mindfuck" 

That may sound comical to a degree but how else can you describe this. It is this honesty that Hollywood can only dream to capture. It is this honesty that makes this documentary so powerful. This is REAL life not a movie and you will cry. 

Yes I admit I cried, I cried when Steve goes to a faith healer on advice of his father. This really hit home and my heart because my mother once took my little brother who has Cerebral Palsy to a faith healer. I cried because my brother sincerely asked my Mom at that point if this would make him walk. This same emotion of anger towards the world, disbelief in goodness, disbelief in an aspect of GOD, a place of darkness and sadness that I felt at that moment is what I saw in Michel Varisco Gleason's eyes in that scene and I cried. The faith healer did not help Steve and did not help my brother but both Steve and My brother have more faith and healing hearts than the world could understand. People like Steve is what we understand as Faith, People like Steve Gleason is what the concept of Christ is based on. 

You can wikipedia who Steve Gleason is but I will answer it simply. Who is Steve Gleason? A Father, A Football player, a human being.  A man who just wanted the best for his son. A man who just wanted the best for humanity. A man who legitimately used his struggle to make the world a better place. A man who used technology to create a better world. In that way I tie it back to VR, is not making the world a better place the real goal of technology.

In closing people need to see this movie and understand not only Steve Gleason's impact as a human being but our own potentiality to make a real change in the world. Also I do really believe that his story should not only win an Oscar but also be made into a feature length with Steve Gleason played by Chris Pratt with his fee going to help ALS. 

Cats And VR

TheWaveVR teams up with Subpac,Skullcandy,WeLens,and amazing DJ's to crush it at VRLA Summer Expo

One of the major highlights of the VRLA Summer Expo was the VR Rave presented by Skullcandy, Subpac, WeLens, and TheWaveVR. Attendees like comedian extrodinaire Reggie Watts got to experience a next level audio visual experience that incorporated 3D visuals as well as the ability to experience it all in VR.

As you may know, TheWaveVR recently made headlines for raising $2.5 million to create a VR music ecosystem. http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/thewavevrfunding

TheWaveVR was able to showcase to the many attendees of VRLA just a glimpse of the VR music experience of the future. Reggie Watts strapped in to a Subpac(Subwoofer backpack) and threw on a pair of immersive Skullcandy headphones and was transported into a world of sound and amazing visuals. The lovely and talented Alluxe was throwing down pretty hard and Reggie seemed genuinely impressed.  I was able to snag an interview with Alluxe later in the day as well. 

Several DJ's showcased what they could do with the HTC Vive and TheWaveVR. Unfortunately I was unable to check out the set by TheWaveVR Co-founder Grimecraft due to finally being able to check out Mindshow. I was able to check out his set during the VRScout VRLA party where TheWaveVR was one of the featured attractions. 

Cats And VR

Netflix releases Stranger Things VR/360° video!

In a recent Venture Beat article Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said they are not looking to go all in with VR since it is hard to binge watch content in VR. He was quoted as saying VR will have a"big impact" on gaming, but that when it comes to watching content, the medium is too involving. "You’re exhausted after 20 minutes," 

Well that does not look to stop the company from trying out the potential of it. Today Netflix released a 360° video for their sleeper hit Stranger Things, a show rejected by multiply networks before Netflix grabbed it and one of the biggest hits of the summer. 

The company also currently has an app for GearVR. 

Cats And VR

World Renowned DJ/PRODUCER Alluxe will be performing this weekend as part of VRLA Summer Expo

 
Laura Escudé aka Alluxe will be performing this weekend at the VR Los Angeles Summer Expo taking place August 5th & 6th as part of the first ever VR Rave presented by Skull Candy. Alluxe will be joining a lineup of equally innovative artists who will be mixing live music inside Virtual Reality with an app called TheWave.

TheWave is a cross-platform immersive experience that lets users create music and perform live in a three-dimensional virtual space. Attendees will experience the performance in Gear VRs (from WeLens) tracked by Phasespace cameras along with Timbaland endorsed SubPacs so they can feel the bass as they walk around in the environment.
 

VRLA will  feature cutting-edge demos of the most exciting projects in development for the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR, Google Cardboard, Samsung GearVR, and more.
 

Alluxe will be releasing a new EP this fall and the debut single “Work My Body” feat. Salar System is out now.. 
 
"We’re hearing, immersing and haven fallen prey to the siren sound of this producer”
-VIBE MAGAZINE
 
The expansive sound of Alluxe is complimented by her alluring stage presence complete with custom LED controllers, vocals and violin. Alluxe’s music borrows from both from the classical and modern world. Escudé is a classically trained violinist, and a Certified Ableton expert. The dramatic builds and gritty razor sharp percussion in her music give a dense big-room cinematic feel, a nod to her classical training. Her signature sound is where hip hop meets bass music—banging, futuristic, growling electronic beats. She mixes original compositions, improvised beats, and violin loops seamlessly.
 
"The Alluxe take is the most interesting, simply because it’s the most subtle, building tension from fractured vocal loops and dizzying 808 beats.” - PASTE MAGAZINE
 
Alluxe has been commissioned for remixes by artists such as M83, Polica and Mr. Hudson. Her violin playing can be heard on “Watch the Throne,” on Hit-Boy's mixtape, Big Grams, Kanye's Dark Fantasy Tour—the list goes on.
 

Escudé’s creativity is equally as abundant in her work as a controllerist and live show designer. Her résumé in the world of live production boasts some of the top names in music from Herbie Hancock, Kanye West, Jay Z, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cat Power, Bon Iver, Drake, The Weeknd, Silversun Pickups, Garbage, Childish Gambino and M83. Escudé is also the co-founder and CEO of Electronic Creatives, a team Escudé has helped to build of some of the most talented and sought after programmers and controllerists in the business.
 
“I am known for working with a band of whizz kid producers, one of whom is a Grammy award winning legend. But who did we need to call when we were trying to figure out how to translate our record to the stage? That's right! A beautiful blonde slip of a girl by the name of Laura Escudé. She's hardcore, dude.” - Shirley Manson, Garbage

Cats And VR

Ela Darling-Political Activist, Feminist, and the face of Adult VR.

She has a Masters degree, she is the co-founder of a start-up, she plays Pokemon Go,and she drinks Soylent. Just your average modern day Face of Adult Virtual Reality. Ela Darling has taken the tech world by storm and in my opinion has become a Nina Hartley like figure for sex work in todays tech environment. 

Like Hartley, Ela Darling promotes the spread of positive information and education to help break through the sea of judgement and the lack of understanding of what people in the adult industry really deal with.

If you are not familiar with her, Ela Darling is the world’s first Virtual Reality cam girl and a pioneer of VR in the adult industry. She is the co-founder of VRTube.xxx as well as the face of Virtual Reality for Cam4. She has helped to grow VR live cams around the world and in turn helped performers around the world also understand how to monetize their work. 

Content Source: Cam4 http://www.cam4.com/vr

Just about 7 years ago Ela did her first hardcore porn scene right at the Kink.com facilities and just recently she was there to promote VR adult content. We got the chance to interview her about VR adult content. Check out Part 1

Here are some excerpts from Part 1

CatsAndVR- How did you become the face of Cam4 VR?

Ela Darling- I started doing VR adult content a little over 2 1/2 years ago. I did everything that I could do at the intersection of VR and Porn. 3d, 360* videos, and holographic content. We took that technology and created a dating simulator. You could date me in Virtual Reality. I am kind of a tough date. We realized that is great but it would be even better to date a live person in Virtual Reality. My business partner and I then created the first ever live VR web cam platform. 

Part 2 of the interview addresses some serious issues that performers in the adult industry have to deal with. California Condoms in Pornographic Films Initiative, Proposition 60.

"So many people want to make it a discussion about condoms and it's not. Thats not even the conversation at hand. The real conversation is that it puts our private information in the hands of the people that hate us the most or are so fanatical they will stop at nothing to gain access to us" Hear more about Ela's thought on the current battle adult stars are currently facing in part 2.

Ela continues to not only be an innovator in live 360° streaming and adult VR content but also showcasing that the adult industry has continued to be on the forefront of tech innovation and free speech.  I told Ela that it was great to see her at events such as SVVR where she was a guest speaker and shown as not just a Pornstar but also a tech innovator. Her response was that she in no way wants to distance herself from her identity as a Pornstar and embraces that. A figure helping to push both innovation and adult entertainment, Ela Darling in my opinion is the the face of Adult VR content. 

Ela Darling is currently serving her second year on the board of directors for the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee and is on the committee for the Performer Availability Scheduling Service.

#VOTENO on #PROP60

https://vrtube.xxx/

Cats And VR

2016 Disney Accelerator Participants include eSports & VR companies.

Today The Walt Disney Company announced participants in the 2016 Disney Accelerator, a program that provides entrepreneurs with mentorship and immersion into the media and entertainment industry. The three-month program connects participants from around the world with Disney’s creative expertise and resources to help them develop their products and consumer experiences.

Past participants in the Disney Accelerator have continued to work with The Walt Disney Company after completing the program, such as, Sphero, which created the BB-8 droid toy, the number one Star Wars toy in 2015. Additionally, Statmuse, an interactive sports stats platform powered by natural language search, is currently providing ESPN with statistical content; Israel-based imperson launched The Muppets’ Miss Piggy and Disney’s Zootopia chat experiences on Facebook using their artificial intelligence technology and EMOTIV’s Insight wearable for the brain was featured on ABC Television’s The Bachelor.

This year’s program includes nine startups and one internal project, and builds on Disney Accelerator’s success since its initial launch.

“We are evolving this year’s Disney Accelerator to include many later-stage start-ups, and for the first time, an internal project,” said Michael Abrams, senior vice president, Innovation, The Walt Disney Company. “This year’s Disney Accelerator program is designed to advance a broader spectrum of the strategic investments we make in innovation across all of our businesses.”

The companies selected for the 2016 Disney Accelerator include:

Ader is a marketplace connecting brands with eSports and gaming influencers. The company’s network of influencers reaches more than 50 million monthly viewers.

Atom Tickets is a new mobile movie-ticketing app where customers can buy movie tickets, pre-order concessions, invite friends without having to pay for them, easily discover new movies, browse trailers, read reviews and plan their next night out at the movies. Atom Tickets is movie-going for the 21st century.

Hanson Robotics is a leader in creating human-like robots with a full range of facial expressions. Based in Hong Kong, Hanson Robotics is building a range of robots for the business and consumer markets. The videos of its robot “Sophia” have been viewed more than 1 billion times.

Jaunt is pioneering end-to-end solutions for creating and publishing immersive cinematic virtual reality and a leading developer of the hardware, software, tools and applications that put the power of virtual reality in the hands of some of today’s best content creators. Jaunt has raised more than $100 million, and has launched Jaunt China, a virtual reality joint venture with China Media Capital and Shanghai Media Group in May.

littleBits is a platform of easy-to-use electronic building blocks that empowers kids to invent anything, from a remote-controlled car to a dancing robotto a smart home device. littleBits was founded by Ayah Bdeir, co-founder of the Open Hardware Summit, a TED Senior Fellow and a graduate of the MIT Media Lab. On a mission to unleash the inventor in everyone and get kids excited about STEM, littleBits has raised more than $60 million in funding.

Nom, an online live-streaming video community for chefs and food lovers, allows its users to create, share, watch and participate in live videos while chatting and interacting with each other. Nom was founded by Vijay Karunamurthy, former YouTube engineering lead, and Steve Chen, co-founder and CTO of YouTube.

OTOY is a “holographic content” platform bringing the power of light field rendering and network streaming to virtual reality and augmented reality experiences. OTOY’s investors include Autodesk and its advisers include Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet (formerly Google) and Ariel Emanuel, Co-CEO of WME|IMG.

Playbuzz is a content-creation and audience-engagement platform that empowers tens of thousands of publishers, marketers, bloggers and brands to easily create engaging content using mobile-friendly formats that are optimized for social sharing. With headquarters in New York and Tel Aviv, Playbuzz has raised $31 million in funding.

Pley is a leading toy subscription company that is pioneering the next generation in e-commerce for toys. For a monthly fee, members receive their preferred toys from a catalog of 500+ toys shipped directly to their door and can play with, keep or return each toy whenever they wish. Pley has raised more than $16 million in funding.

For more information go to www.DisneyAccelerator.com.

Hear about The Beatles’ Early Days in this 360° video from JauntVR.

On this day in history, Paul McCartney met John Lennon. Hear about The Beatles’ Early Days in this 360° video from JauntVR. 

An emotional journey with Paul through Early Days and the formation of The Beatles. A visual and aural landscape of light, sound, and a few kids from Liverpool. Directed by Tony Kaye. Soundscape by Geoff Emerick.

Check out more from Paul McCartney provided by JauntVR. 

Sneak Peak:Ghostbusters:Dimension from The Void, Made with Unity.

Unity, the largest global development platform for creating 2D, 3D, VR and AR games and experiences, today announced a new and truly unique virtual reality (VR) experience "Ghostbusters: Dimension" has been built using the Unity Technologies platform. Led by tech innovators THE VOID, the experience was created in partnership with Sony Pictures, Madame Tussauds New York, and Ghost Corps.

In Ghostbusters: Dimension, THE VOID's proprietary hardware and software allow guests to step beyond reality and into the world of the Ghostbusters. Based on the new movie, this first-of-its-kind, Hyper-Reality experience blends real world physical environments with a unique untethered virtual reality (VR) setup that uses real-time interactive effects powered by the Unity Platform and 3D engine.

"This is precisely the kind of innovative use of VR that Unity is now powering with our 3D engine and platform," said Clive Downie, CMO Unity Technologies. "With an untethered VR experience that allows people to roam freely and interact with a physical world that matches the digital one they are seeing, consumers will have whole new levels of delight as they lose themselves in another realm. It's giving presence to interactive storytelling putting people into the Ghostbusters world with high definition, high frame rate high excitement action, powered in part by Unity."

Audiences get to experience what it's like to be a Ghostbuster, tracking and trapping a supernatural foe through a New York apartment complex. The entire experience lasts about 15 minutes, with up to three people at a time and is scheduled to open to the public at Madame Tussauds New York on July 1, 2016 as an add-on to their Ghostbusters Experience.

"The Ghostbusters world is the perfect fit for THE VOID because you literally strap our RAPTURE gear on and it turns into your proton pack and proton gun," said James Jensen, Chief Visionary Officer at THE VOID. "One of the key components to powering this experience is a powerful 3D engine, and Unity was the obvious choice. Their VR platform allowed us to rapidly iterate on our ideas, while offering us an editor that lets us focus on storytelling instead of being bogged down in writing a lot of code."

For more specifics on Ghostbusters: Dimensions, please visit: https://thevoid.com/Dimensions/Ghostbusters. If you do get to the experience, make sure to use #unity3d #voidvr and #Ghostbusters when sharing your pictures and thoughts!

Are you a VR startup? HTC & Friends are looking to help and have 10 BILLION to share!

HTC  announced a 10 billion dollar Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance ,bringing together a close-knit membership comprised of 30 of the top Virtual Reality Investors in the world with the goal of funding startups working in VR as well as AR and MR. The  president of VRVCA is Alvin Wang Graylin,President of VR at HTC China.

The purpose of the Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance (“VRVCA”) is to foster long-term growth in the VR industry through identifying, sharing and investing in the world's most innovative & impactful VR technology and content companies.

Here is an overview of their plan.

6 opportunities to pitch  per year and $10+ Bn USD in deployable capital to invest in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed reality startups of any size from anywhere around the world. They will meet six times a year with a base of operations out of Beijing and San Francisco.

http://www.vrvca.com/

Jaunt ONE Camera to be made available to public allowing anyone to Shoot, Edit and Distribute High-Quality, Immersive Cinematic VR Experiences

Jaunt Inc., the industry leader in cinematic virtual reality, today announced that the award-winning Jaunt ONE camera will be made available for public use through a pilot program with Radiant Images, a Los Angeles-based digital cinema innovator and rental house. In addition to the patented camera technology, Jaunt Cloud Services (JCS), Jaunt’s cloud based stitching and rendering pipeline, will also be available to creators providing them with the only scalable, end-to-end, hardware and software solution for shooting, producing and distributing immersive cinematic VR experiences.

Starting in July, the Jaunt ONE camera will be available for rent via the Radiant Images website and rental house, giving everyone from rising filmmakers to established creatives and brands the opportunity to shoot with the highest quality professional-grade stereoscopic VR camera, designed with visionary VR creators in mind. The Jaunt ONE 24G model features 24 global shutter sensors, ideal for low-light and fast moving objects, and the setup can be coupled with 360° ambisonic audio recording, which in post can be mixed with Dolby ATMOS.

"Over the past 12 months we have used Jaunt ONE to film hundreds of hours of content all over the world. Jaunt ONE is a production tested camera that we are thrilled to be opening to the public through this rental program with Radiant Images," said Koji Gardiner, VP of hardware engineering at Jaunt. "Radiant is the perfect partner to enable broader access to our technology, and their expertise in the VR space makes them a great resource for filmmakers eager to explore VR as a new storytelling medium."

“The incredible Jaunt ONE camera is the perfect match for the many visionary VR creators we collaborate with who are eager to continue to push the boundaries of this new technology,” said Michael Mansouri, VP and co-founder of Radiant Images. “We’re honored and excited that Jaunt has entrusted us to help get this camera into the hands of talented filmmakers determined to take VR content to the next level and beyond. The power and versatility of the Jaunt ONE, together with Jaunt’s seamless software and distribution solutions, is unmatched. We’re thrilled to be the first rental house to have this amazing camera available to clients.”

After capturing stunning omnidirectional video with Jaunt ONE, production teams can also stitch and render their footage in the cloud using JCS, Jaunt’s proprietary cloud based algorithms and tools. JCS transforms footage into the highest quality stereoscopic VR experiences, ready for publishing. JCS also integrates seamlessly with most off the shelf post production tools for compositing, editing and color correction.

Once the experience is finalized, creators have immediate access to all of the assets necessary to publish to any platform that supports 360° video, including the Jaunt VR App. The Jaunt VR platform utilizes ‘deep-links’, allowing content creators to publish directly to their audiences. These unique content specific ‘deep-links’ give global audiences immediate access to the experience without having to search for it, regardless of the device or platform.

Cats And VR