Guerrilla Cambridge breaks down Single Player Mode for RIGS Mechanized Combat League.

Guerrilla Cambridge breaks down Single Player Mode for RIGS Mechanized Combat League. 

Coming exclusively to PlayStation VR, RIGS Mechanized Combat League puts you in the pilot seat of an athletic fighting machine, battling for supremacy in the adrenaline-fuelled sport of the future. Though pushed as a multi player potential VR esport the game has a very in-depth career mode. 

Guerrilla's Samrat Sharma gave an overview of the Career Mode

"In Career Mode, you and your team of AI pilots rise through the leagues as you defeat other teams, earn fame and fortune, and gain access to new Rigs and pilots," "In total, there are 24 unique Rigs to unlock, each with their own style of play. While climbing the ranks in Career Mode you will also impress sponsors and obtain exclusive sponsorship deals, liveries, and pilot outfits."

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. 

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Mindshow lets us remember the promises of VR and captures the spirit of the VRLA Summer Expo.

This weekend I attended one of the best up and coming conferences dealing with VR. Just like the humble beginnings of GDC, VRLA started because of a true passion for its respective industry. Having attended E3, PAX, GDC and many more events in the gaming industry VRLA may have been one of the most productive events I have ever attended. In fact the reason this post is late is because I may have possibly joined a stealth startup while attending the expo and had some work to do (more to come in the future)

Cosmo Scharf started Day 2 of the expo basically asking the audience to take a journey with him into our unconscious minds. To him VR is a journey into greater human understanding not just a race for the next big thing or monetization conversations. 

I was intrigued by his presentation that featured many references to Terrence McKenna and included a very trippy set of slides. He would then introduce Gil Baron, CEO of VisionaryVR, a startup that also includes includes the co-founders of the VRLA conference Jonnie Ross, Adam Levin and Cosmo Scharf as well as Luke Patterson who was the lead engineer on the virtual reality sandbox game ElemenTerra. 

GIl would go on to show the trailer for Mindshow and I was instantly captivated and said it might be worth checking out. I then went about my business which included interviews with an amazing DJ, checking out the awesome game Wands offsite, doing a job interview, and checking out the rad upcoming VR headphones from Skullcandy. I decided I had a quick break and I will now try to check out Mindshow, well the line was about 2 hours long and I was not press enough to cut the line apparently. Well after lunch with an Adult VR company I decided I NEED to see this and tried again. After some smooth talking I was able to check out Mindshow. You see the point I am trying to make is that I took a Greyhound bus from SF to LA because of passion for VR. I made sure I checked out Mindshow because of a passion for VR.

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 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.

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TheWaveVR team raises $2.5M from KPCB and others to help grow their interactive VR DJ/Production tool.

Well I woke up this morning in shock but not surprise to learn that The WaveVR team had just raised $2.5M from KPCB and others to help grow their interactive VR DJ/Production tool. 

Shocked because I have met Grimecraft, one of the primary architects of this amazing piece of software. Not surprised because I have met Grimecraft, one of the primary architects of this amazing piece of software. 

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.

Ever since I heard about TheWaveVR I thought this may be something that will be big and looks like investors share the same sentiments.

“TheWaveVR is building music experiences that can only exist in virtual reality. They're giving musicians superpowers they've never had before, and allowing listeners to experience performances in ways that have never been possible. We're excited to help them build this platform that will forever change the music industry,” said Anjney Midha, founding partner at KPCB Edge.

Photo Credit: Clarke Nordhauser

You may have not tried TheWaveVR yet but if you are into VR or even electronic music in general it is a must experience app.  Grimecraft, a game industry vet and SF based DJ  has been spending his time at conferences and VR events on an almost Fight Club like schedule(no sleep) to demo this to anyone interested. I knew it was something big when I saw the Tilt Brush team basically in awe of The WaveVR during a recent VR event. 

The company also announced that it has added David Wexler (aka Strangeloop) and Dave Haynes as advisors. Wexler is an audio-visual artist and founder of Strangeloop Studios in Los Angeles, CA. He is one of the most recognized live visual artists in the world, having worked with Flying Lotus, Skrillex, The Rolling Stones and more. Haynes is a longtime entrepreneur and currently on the investment team at Seedcamp. He was formerly a VP and part of the early team at SoundCloud, helping the company grow from launch to the world's leading online audio platform.

“We’re working toward empowering artists and music lovers alike and transforming the way people connect through music by building the world’s first musical metaverse in VR,” said Adam Arrigo, CEO of TheWaveVR. “Music creators will be able to fully customize how their audience experiences the music – whether that’s by transforming the venue from a realistic nightclub to outer space or putting on the most unimaginable light show ever.”

TheWaveVR will be unveiling the world’s first VR Rave at VRLA on August 5-6 in partnership with SubPac, Skullcandy, PhaseSpace and 3DLive. A curated list of DJs will be performing in the HTC Vive, while multiple attendees will wear positionally tracked Gear VR’s and SubPacs (subwoofer vests). The DJs will be performing in front of a giant 3D screen, so music lovers can also experience eye-popping visuals from the metaverse on 3D glasses

thewavevr.com

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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

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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/

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VixenVR uses its years of game dev experience to create the future of Adult VR.

CatsAndVR.com recently had the opportunity to check out several demos at the Kink.com Headquarters. Several companies showcased their respective 360° Adult video content but one company showed me that they are truly innovating Adult VR.

I first discovered VixenVR while looking for 360° content on Youtube. The company had created a 360° experience from the AVN awards putting the viewer in a theater style setting. I was very intrigued by what this could develop into and would find out several months later.

VixenVR has taken the years of game development experience within the company and used the Unreal engine to create a penthouse style wet dream of interactive VR reminiscent of something out of Saints Row. Temptation Towers is an ever expanding and continuously updated Adult VR experience that features everything from Muscle Girl Flix to 360° shower videos that you watch by actually entering a Virtual shower!

The thing that is most impressive about Temptation Towers is the immersion. One can see a video of a women changing in a closet but being able to enter that closet actually makes the 360° video really feel more like Virtual Reality in its true definition. The experience has several genres of adult content available and one can spent quite a bit of time just enjoying the interface. There are even some comedic easter eggs to discover just like a video game would have.  

The company is looking to continue innovating Adult VR content and has recently partnered with San Francisco's Gold Club to create an interactive strip club experience. VixenVR is working with some of the most well known names in the adult industry.

The road to innovation started from a strong understanding of AAA game development. If anyone has worked for a major video game company they know it can be draining and creatively limiting. One can say Co-founder of VixenVR Daniel Dilallo who is a game industry veteran from well know titles such as Guitar Hero and Call Of Duty entered the VR game with a chip on his shoulder towards the gaming industry.

"I want the world to know that you can spend your whole life working on other peoples designs, like me, but you can't neglect or forget to work on the most important design of all your own, your character, your own life's design, like I did.

I was so consumed by making other designs for companies and other men that I forgot my own...And there are many others like me. They make designs that don't care about the user, they want you to forget about your own design, your own life, they want to suck every second of everyday and give nothing back"

Though they are looking to innovate in the Adult VR space, the VIxenVR team has a passion and product that could crossover very well in an industry still looking for it's killer app.

Daniel Dilallo shared with me his vision for the future.

"Now I've started my companies first and I will give the users what they want Beauty, War, love, entertainment, next I will give them what they need, courage, strength and support them as they execute on their own designs.  I'm tired of directors showing me another hero's journey, that's old & weak, my users are going to have the journey not watch it. 

http://www.vixenvr.com/

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Lionsgate and SilVR Thread Partner to Launch Intense First-Person VR Experience for New Film “NERVE”

Earlier this year I had the chance to check out some of SilVRThread's amazing work within the 360° video space. http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/silvrthread

Well Tai Crosby and the SilVRThread team is back again and this time partnering with Lionsgate to create a promotional VR experience for the new action crime techno-thriller survival film NERVE.

The “NERVE - Do You Dare” app is an example of how film studios have the opportunity to put people right in the movie via VR.  The player can look down to their body as one of the NERVE stars, and see how it feels to pull off a 'dare' straight from the film.  The experience was created via a mix of live-action VR capture and computer generated imagery, and offers the closest thing possible to actually being in the NERVE film.
 
"Our goal was to immerse fans directly into the thrilling action of NERVE's insane 'dare' sequences, letting them experience these scenes from the same perspective as the characters on screen," said David Edwards, VP of Digital Marketing at Lionsgate. "A first-person VR experience was the ideal format."
 
The exclusive content was captured live on set with stunt actors during the films’ main production, and includes the insanely real dare of crossing a ladder between two buildings dozens of floors above New York city streets, or surviving a high-speed skateboard ride hitched to a police car.  You can dare your friends to see who’s brave enough to complete the experiences. The first-person perspective of being in the full body of the actual film characters means that keeping your balance feels as real as the dares themselves.
 
In the film and in VR you are either a "PLAYER” working to complete the dares, or a "WATCHER" to see what other Players from around the world have already dared to do.  
 
“Every kid grows up wishing they could be the actor or stunt person in a movie like NERVE,” says Tai Crosby, Founder, SilVR Thread. “With the first-person point-of-view NERVE VR app, we are powerfully transporting people directly into the movie scene as their favorite actor. The adrenaline is immense.”
 

The app is available for Gear VR via Oculus Home as well as for Google Cardboard via the Android and iOS stores.

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Mr. Robot to have VR experience but it is available for a REALLY limited time.

 One of the major events going down during San Diego Comic Con is the debut of a VR  experience for the smash USA drama Mr. Robot.

 The 12 minute VR experience was written and directed by Mr. Robot show creator, Sam  Esmail,  produced in partnership with Here Be Dragons, and presented on Chris Milk’s Within platform. The experience will only be available to view at 10:45am PT/1:45pm EST on Thursday, July 21st.

 The experience will be free and available on Gear VR, Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift and  HTC  Vive on the Within app.

Make sure to download the app before hand 

http://with.in/

HelloVR bringing MetaWorld social VR experience to Vive, Oculus, & PlayStationVR

"We are creating something magical with Improbable,” says Dedric Reid, founder and CEO, HelloVR. “Creating a social VR experience poses new challenges like head tracking on a massive scale, and networked physics so people can realistically interact in a persistent shared space. We are happy to reveal how we will be solving all of these challenges and opening up a new category of entertainment - by collaborating with Improbable, and building on SpatialOS.”

HelloVR’s MetaWorld will place players in nearly 10,000 square miles of virtual environment in the first ever massive, physics-based virtual social space of its kind. The scale of the simulated world, and its networked physics, is enabled by SpatialOS.

“HelloVR has designed MetaWorld from the ground up to take full advantage of room-scale VR and 360 degree freedom of movement,” said Herman Narula, Founder and CEO, Improbable.

“That means that, standing inside this massive VR world and looking out at the horizon, there's something distinctly otherworldly about knowing that “out there” really does exist. Building on SpatialOS means that there are no loading tricks or fake backdrops: if you can see it, you can travel to it - step by step if you want to. And if you make a change to any part of the world, that change persists and can be experienced by everyone else who visits. Your actions have lasting consequences; they matter. That’s a key part of making a virtual world feel real.”

Later this year, the studio plans to release an early version of this vast open-world experience. The release, entitled MetaWorld Pioneer Edition, invites early adopters to begin populating and shaping the new world. Visitors will be able to participate in outdoor physics simulations including: camping, fishing, farming, archery, hot air balloon flights, road trips, meditation retreats and more. A suite of creative tools for building and making in MetaWorld will follow next year.MetaWorld Pioneer Edition from HelloVR is currently in closed alpha, and will be available for HTC Vive Oculus Rift, and PlayStationVR.

Visitors will also be able to experience the world without a VR headset using standard computers and mobile devices.

To sign up for early access, please visit http://www.metaworldvr.com .

The Nico360 looks to be a good introductory 360° Camera, available for pre-order.

The Nico360 is available now for pre-order on Indiegogo at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-world-s-smallest-360-camera-nico360#/, shipping in August, priced at $149. A limited number of cameras are available on Indiegogo priced 40% off at $99 for the super early bird special. Once those are gone, the price will go up to $119, with final retail pricing at $149. A free Nico360 iOS and Android app is available to instantly share videos and photos.  For more information, see the website: http://www.nico360.com.

This camera does seem to offer a bevy of options at a very affordable price point. Key features includes in camera stitching and live streaming options. 

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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. 

Virtual Reality music sandbox SoundStage hits Steam Early Access on 7/7

If you look at old rock concerts, you’ll see these HUGE synthesizers that the musicians connect together to make electronic sounds. These instruments are literally enveloping the player. SoundStage attempts to capture the feel of those epic music machines then take it to the next level with tools only possible in a virtual environment. All in a world inspired by the airbrush paintings and computer graphics of the 80s. 

Available 7/7 on Steam Early Access: http://store.steampowered.com/app/485780 SoundStage is a virtual reality music sandbox built specifically for room-scale VR. Whether you're a professional DJ creating a new sound, or a hobbyist who wants to rock out on virtual drums, SoundStage gives you a diverse toolset to express yourself.

Cats And VR

Student VR Project of the Month: VR Flush-a toilet experience.

So here at CatsAndVR.com we are starting a new thing to promote student projects. The Student VR Project of the Month. We will be looking for fun and unique student projects to help promote and send bumper stickers to. The very first award goes to VR Flush, a toilet VR experience.

This VR project was noticed by one of our globe trotting VR correspondents at the FRAVR Conference. FRAVR is a 1-day, free to register B2B conference about Virtual Reality in gaming and entertainment hosted in Frankfurt, Germany. The event had some amazing speakers for a up and coming conference. 

One of the VR projects on the expo floor was VR Flush, a project I am excited about due to the absurdity and the fact that they have a cat reference. They also used a toilet for the demo. I look forward to more from this team. Please check out the game play video, it is actually way more interesting than you may realize and has a very Outer Limits feel to it. The dialog is on point as well. 

VR Flush is a 5th Semester project at Hochschule Darmstadt (Animation & Game)

Team: Lenz Monath, Felix Barton, Tobias Fischer, Jan Philipp Eckert, Nicolas Künzer, Patric Keßle

If you are currently a student and working on VR please let us know. We want to send you bumper stickers.

Cats And VR

MetaVRse Launches Canada's First Full Service Virtual Reality Agency

Toronto-based VR Agency MetaVRse has launched as Canada’s first full-service Virtual Reality agency. MetaVRse offers a wide range of experiential marketing and event production, content production and consulting services to brands interested in harnessing the incredible power of virtual and augmented reality technologies.

Founded by Alan Smithson, serial entrepreneur and inventor of the Emulator DJ system and Dan Flatt, a former lawyer, management consultant and leader of social media for Canada’s largest media company, MetaVRse offers a wide range of customized solutions including: 360° video and interactive Virtual Reality content development, 360° live streaming for festivals and events and VR rentals for tradeshows, marketing initiatives and events.

“The biggest challenge facing the emerging VR industry is showing the world VR,” said MetaVRse President, Dan Flatt. “We are leveraging the power of corporate events to solve this challenge.”

“Our mission is to show the world the future,” said an enthusiastic Smithson. “VR is already the most powerful and engaging platform for entertainment, gaming and branded content.”

With over one million active monthly users of the Samsung GearVR, millions of Google Cardboard units and high-end Oculus Rift and HTC Vive pre-orders, Smithson believes that brands that are early to develop unique and engaging content for VR and will have a huge advantage over their competition.

Studies show that people remember VR experiences the same as real memories. With the growing VR user base hungry for new content, marketers can create meaningful connections with their customers through innovative branded experiences.

MetaVRse has worked with marquee clients including: Royal Ontario Museum, Adidas, Footlocker, Niagara Falls Tourism and CDW. MetaVRse has been onsite capturing immersive 360° video at Groove Cruise, Bestival, MuchMusic Video Awards, and more. Smithson will be speaking at the Virtual Reality Toronto (VRTO) conference in Toronto and International Live Events Association (ILEA) conference in Austin. He will also be performing a live DJ set in VR at the Microsoft Worldwide Partners Conference (MWPC) in Toronto.

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/

Jerrys Place VR looks to be a safe space for Jerry and Jerry fanatics.

JerrysPlaceVR is coming to the Oculus Rift CV1 and the HTC Vive very soon. It gets more exciting, JerrysPlace will be integrating with VRChat! This means you can now discuss a show about nothing or do absolutely nothing at all with a whole VR community. VRChat lets you create, publish, and explore virtual worlds with other people from around the world. This means that you will be able to create your own abstract as F episode of Seinfeld. Just check out some of these community created avatars VRChat has to offer. http://www.vrchat.net/marketplace

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Check out JerrysPlaceVr.com , the new version for CV 1 and Vive should be coming 07/05/2016 - the 17th anniversary of the Seinfeld Pilot air date.

I already know what I will be doing with the new update, creating a safe space for Jerrys with no Ricks invited.

Here is what the creator of Jerry's place had to say about his creation. 

 "I've been a fan of Seinfeld for a long time. After purchasing the Oculus rift I started imagining what my first project might be. I decided to pick a project that would gradually introduce me to Unity without being overly complex. I was not new to 3D modeling, however this would be my first project in Unity. I came up with the idea of recreating Jerry's apartment, in it's entirety for virtual reality. Television is virtual reality in some ways. We make believe that Jerry's place is actually a Manhattan studio and Monks Cafe is just down the street. We suspend the reality that his apartment is just a set in Hollywood, with tons of cameras and lighting dangling overhead. I thought it would be a novel virtual reality experience to take a place that only exists in Hollywood magic, and make it for the Oculus Rift as if it were real. Virtual Reality Virtual Reality. 

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Coverage- UploadVR's Art & VR event.

The tech and art world are arguably in one of the most exciting times in regards to VR. This is something that I get up every morning excited to be part of. There are several people that share these same sentiments. One of the fastest growing set of influencers in the VR community recently hosted a sold out event to facilitate the discussion and discovery of Art & VR. 

UploadVR turned their offices into an art gallery and held an excellent event hosted by artist in residence and art curator of the Upload Collective space, Stuart Mason. 

The evening art showcases included "Floating World" -Marina Berlin's wire installation inspired by Virtual Reality as well as a collection of curated pieces.

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Event attendees included world renowned multimedia artist, Luska, Business Dev superstar @ SubPac, Zach Jaffe, & Co-founder at VR Weekend & Editor at Epic Magazine, Kelly Vicars.

The event drew an eclectic crowd of influencers from the art and VR world mixed with enthusiasts who were generally excited to discover the impact of VR in art world.  Those in attendance were treated to the cutting edge of Virtual Reality art including an amazing abstract art maze by Academy Award winning visual effects pioneer Kevin Mack of Shape Space VR.

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Of course what would an Art & VR event be without the inclusion of Google's killer VR art App, Tilt Brush. Elisabeth Moran of Google VR was on hand to not only demo Tilt Brush but also speak about creativity and expression in VR as a whole.

One of my favorite moments of the evening happened when Elisabeth Moran gave a shout out to The Wave, the amazing Vive DJ'ing tool that captivated the audience that evening including the Tilt Brush team.

Stuart Mason drove home the point of the artist portion of art by making attendees aware of H.E.ART Project, a non-profit organization created to give back to the SF art community. The project works with landlords and homeowners to provide selected artists with extended rent-controlled leases. 

UploadVR opened up their space to cultivate the connection between art and VR and I would say the Brothers Mason succeeded in that mission.

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How the UK leaving the EU will affect VR development in England.

TIGA, the network for video games developers and digital publishers and the trade association representing the video games industry, said today that in the light of the vote for ‘Brexit’ the UK Government and Parliament should take steps to ensure the continued success of sectors with economic potential, including the creative industries and the video games industry. TIGA made the comments following the EU referendum which took place on June 23 rd 2016 and drawing upon expert information from Weightmans LLP and Grant Thornton LLP.

TIGA said that there were three key issues facing the video games industry following the EU referendum.

1.      Access to finance: Difficulty accessing capital has consistently been the top factor holding back many games developers. In an uncertain economic environment, there may be a reduced appetite for investment. Additionally, outside of the EU, the UK games industry will not be able to access schemes such as Creative Europe and Horizon 2020 programmes.  The UK Government should promote policies that encourage investment, maintain sector specific schemes such as the Video Games Prototype Fund and consider a Games Investment Fund to help start-ups and small businesses.

2.      A favourable tax environment: Video Games Tax Relief and R & D Tax Relief have been crucial in enabling the UK video games industry to compete on a more level playing field against the UK’s international competitors, particularly Canada. In a post Brexit world it will be even more vital to maintain, improve and enhance these reliefs in order to attract external investment and to maintain the competitiveness of the sector.

3.      Access to talent: the UK video games industry relies on a highly skilled workforce to compete. Until now, the industry has had access to a substantial pool of skilled EU workers who can work in the UK without serious administrative restrictions.  Brexit is likely to result in new immigration rules requiring employers to secure some sort of visa and to meet certain skills/salary criteria in order to employ migrant workers.  It is vital that any new arrangements are not onerous or complex and that industry is not heldback by skills shortages.

4.      Intellectual Property: IP is the lifeblood of the video games industry and the impact of ‘Brexit’ here could be significant. There are many commercial considerations. For example, the UK is part of both the Registered Community Design regime and the EU Trade Mark regime and also recognises the Unregistered EU Design Right. Such rights provide protection to rights holders across the EU Member States. Potentially such EU related rights might lose their validity in the UK. The implication being that those parties who originally held such EU rights may need to apply for UK trade mark and design rights to protect their rights in the UK.  This may result in issues relating to existing development and publishing arrangements, IP licenses and security over IP rights.

Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said:

“The UK video games industry is a high technology sector that provides high skilled employment for over 30,000 people, including approximately 11,000 development staff and which contributes £1.1 billion to UK GDP. It is also export oriented, with at least 95 per cent of studios exporting. Following the referendum in favour of ‘Brexit’, it will be more vital than ever to strengthen (and avoid harming) those sectors where the UK has a comparative competitive advantage: for example, aerospace, defence, high-value manufacturing and engineering, high technology industries, higher education, low carbon technology and the creative industries, including the video games sector.

“For the video games industry, it is particularly important that policy makers ensure games companies have access to sufficient finance, benefit from Video Games Tax Relief and R&D Tax Relief, have clear and stable IP rights and can access highly skilled people from outside of the UK. Any new points based migration system must not be onerous or complicated, otherwise the industry’s growth could be held back.”

Jason Kingsley OBE, TIGA Chairman and CEO and Creative Director at Rebellion, said:

“The UK video games development sector is an export focused industry that sells content all over the globe. We have a highly skilled workforce, a creative and growing studio population and a heritage of thirty years of success. While uncertainty is unwelcome for business, the UK video games industry will remain strong, resilient and competitive.”

Information provided by  www.tiga.org

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