Obduction from the makers of Myst will be available on March 22nd for HTC Vive and Oculus Touch.

Cyan Inc., makers of the legendary Myst and Riven franchise, announced today that its critically-acclaimed sci-fi adventure game, Obduction, will become available on HTC Vive and Touch for Oculus Rift on March 22 on Steam, GOG, Humble Store, and the Oculus Store for $29.99, in a feature-rich package that includes all platforms released to date, including Mac which is coming soon. Players who already own the game will receive Vive and Touch in a free update on March 22 as well.

"We have over 200,000 fans on our Steam wishlist, many who have been asking for hand controls for Obduction. As a VR-centric studio, we're thrilled to be delving even further into these platforms, bringing ever deeper immersion to our worlds and pushing the edge of what's possible," cheered Rand Miller, CEO, Cyan.

Obduction PC and Oculus Rift Touch will be playable in the Indie Corner of the SXSW Gaming show floor, Thursday, March 16-Saturday, March 18, 12-8pm at the Austin Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 2. Fans are encouraged to swing by the booth to say hi to the Cyan dev team, play the game, and show their support by voting for Obduction for the SXSW Gamers' Voice Award, 

On St Patrick's Day, Friday, March 17, 7:45pm, there will be a special appearance by master puzzler, Rand Miller, who will be doing a fun-filled AMA on the SXSW Gamer's Voice stage. 

Fans will also have a chance to play Obduction PC and Oculus Rift Touch at the PAX East Indie MEGABOOTH in Boston, Friday, March 10-Sunday, March 12.

Cats And VR

Samsung to release new mixed reality glasses and Gear VR aid for the visually impaired at Mobile World Congress.

Samsung’s is set to release a set of mixed reality glasses at Mobile World Congress 2017 that appear to use Microsoft’s Windows Holographic Shell for PC and  while on the phone it would have a multi-window shell for Android.

On the right of the device is a  CPU, Wi-Fi chip, and projector, while the left incorporates a battery and speaker. Content is capable of being streamed over Wi-Fi Direct or peer-to-peer Wi-Fi.

"Monitorless addresses the fact that there isn't enough AR and VR content currently available and also enables users to play high-capacity PC games on a mobile device,"- Samsung

This could be the holy grail for all the "second-screen experience" talk during the recent years.

An application to consider would be it's functionality for Twitch streamers, allowing for chat control, multiple games, and social aspects.  

Monitorless is a remote-control VR/AR solution that enables consumers to use devices such as smartphones and PCs without a monitor. The solution consists of a special pair of glasses that resemble regular sunglasses. They are used to view content from other devices such as smartphones and PCs and can be used for both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality functionality thanks to the electro chromic glass featured on the glasses.

Samsung has also developed a  visual aid application for Gear VR to help near-blind and visually-impaired read books and watch TV more easily.

This is part of a big push by Samsung at next weeks Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Cats And VR

DiRT Rally now available for Playstation VR.

Codemasters has today launched the PlayStation®VR update for DiRT Rally®, the highest rated racing game on the PlayStation®4*. The update makes the entire game playable in VR and introduces a brand new Co-Driver Mode where a second player can give the all important calls using a controller and the social screen.

Available for existing players as a standalone DLC Add-on via the PlayStation®Store for £9.99 and as a ‘DiRT Rally PLUS VR Upgrade’ retail version from Argos and new digital bundle from the PlayStation®Store ( https://store.playstation.com/#!/cid=EP4001-CUSA03648_00-DIRTRALLY0001000) , the update fully immerses you in the world of rally, putting you directly at the wheel of some of the most iconic cars ever to ever take to a stage.

Every game mode within DiRT Rally is playable as the driver in VR including rallycross and hill climb. In addition, the new Co-Driver Mode means that on the rally stages a second player can become engrossed in the action as they use the buttons and touchpad on a DUALSHOCK 4® to give the pace note calls to the driver from the social screen. Timing and accuracy are vital, just like in real life, in order for you to complete the stage in the best time possible.

Light Field camera developer Lytro announces $60 million round of funding, production ready technology, and partnership with Within.

Light field camera maker Lytro recently announced its latest round of funding of $60MM, led by Blue Pool Capital, with participation from EDBI, Foxconn, Huayi Brothers and Barry Sternlicht, founder of Starwood. All existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, GSV, North Bridge and Qualcomm Ventures also participated in the round. 

Moon,” the first 360 live action VR piece with 6DoF was  created by Lytro to demonstrate the possibilities of their tech and team through the first steps of  production.

Lytro CEO Jason Jason Rosenthal also announced that Lytro Immerge system is production ready while also saying the value the are bringing to the market. 

-Represents first live action capture system that allows for Six Degrees of Freedom
-Provides the highest quality and highest resolution — greater than 6K per eye —  on the market that enables high-end VR productions to future proof their content
-Allows for true presence: everything in the headset reacts as it should in the real world
-Seamlessly blends the physical and digital worlds, essential for the future of VR and Mixed Reality.

Lytro announced yesterday that its Immerge VR camera was used by Chris Milk’s Within to shoot a project currently in post-production.

Cats And VR.

Ex Marvel CEO and corporate turnaround genius Peter Cueno to join VR/AR company Uncorporeal Sytems

Uncorporeal Systems, today announced that corporate turnaround genius Peter Cuneo has joined the company as Chairman. Cuneo has a distinguished career in leadership roles at world-renowned corporations across industries, from CEO of Marvel Entertainment to president of a Black and Decker business group, with a reputation for unleashing unprecedented growth.  Uncorporeal Systems is known for their volumetric capture, holographic photography and static photogrammetry technology. 

"Peter is a gamechanger," said Kul Wadhwa, Uncorporeal CEO. "With an esteemed career leading major companies working in everything from entertainment to consumer goods, Peter brings us an unparalleled understanding of what customers need to embrace VR and AR. When you add his shrewd operational acumen and extensive relationships at the highest levels of industry, Peter is an ideal partner to scale Uncorporeal's technology."

Cuneo has more than thirty years of experience leading companies into rapid growth phases and facilitating successful market exits. Cuneo is currently Chairman of Valiant Entertainment, a leading character-based entertainment company and one of the most successful publishers in the history of comic books. He is Chairman of Iconix Brand Group, which licenses major consumer brands including Peanuts, Danskin and Mossimo. He previously held several senior leadership roles at Marvel Entertainment, including president and CEO. Ultimately, Disney purchased Marvel for $4.3B. Before that, Cuneo was President and CEO of Remington Products Company and held leadership roles at Black & Decker, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Clairol.

"When I saw the technology Uncorporeal's team developed, I realized the enormous market potential and had to get involved," said Cuneo. "The company is creating incredible experiences that help brands deepen relationships with audiences anywhere, from moviegoers and gamers to online shoppers and travelers. As we enter a new era of visual engagement, Uncorporeal provides an incredible value proposition that businesses can't afford to ignore."

Cats And VR

Paranormal Activity VR looks to tap into the bloody vein of VR Horror fans.

Following the well received Virtual Reality debut of the Resident Evil franchise on Playstation VR horror fans are clamoring for more VR scares. Enter Paranormal Activity VR, a VR title developed by LA-based VRWERX in partnership with Paramount and based on the HIGHLY profitable movie franchise of the same name. The team recently released a teaser trailer to go along with a short gameplay video release on Twitter last month. 

Here you go! A VERY VERY small @PAVRGAME gameplay clip. more to come. @UnrealEngine @htcvive @PlayStation @oculus @AMD @nvidia pic.twitter.com/FiyLQgc7dv

— PAVRGAME (@pavrgame) January 10, 2017

Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul will be launching as a Early Access release  on the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on March 14th 2017. A Playstation VR version is to be followed up in either demo form or full fledged product, this may put a PSVR out for a little. 

This Paranormal Activity VR Game from VRWERX is truly terrifying,” said LeeAnne Stables, President of Worldwide Marketing Partnerships & Licensing for Paramount Pictures. “This is a groundbreaking way to experience the actual thrill of ‘Paranormal Activity’ and we are excited to give fans of the movie franchise a first look at what’s coming this spring.”

For more VR Horror check: http://www.catsandvr.com/vrhorror/

Attention Cat fans: You will love the Hololens Hello Kitty Collaboration.

Yesterday Sanrio launched Hello Kitty on Actiongram, the HoloLens video creation app. Created by Vine animator Alicia Herber; you can see some examples of the 14 animations included in the Hello Kitty pack in the above video. 

Though AR and the Hololens are still very niche and used more as a development tool than for consumer use Sanrio is looking to be ahead of the curve. 

"Sanrio is always looking for the newest trends and collaborations, including augmented reality," says Egita Di Filippo, a member of Sanrio's digital team. "Mixed reality storytelling is an interesting new medium for expressing creativity which allows the many Hello Kitty fans to engage with and experience her in an entirely new way."

The Hello Kitty video is just one of several that has been created from a collaboration with Microsoft and several social media video influencers. 

Looks like the original Star Trek bridge will be included in the delayed again but still anticipated VR game Star Trek: Bridge Crew

Today, Ubisoft ® announced that the bridge of the legendary U.S.S. Enterprise from Star Trek: The Original Series will be playable in Star Trek™: Bridge Crew, the new virtual reality game where players explore space as a member of Starfleet. Under license by CBS Consumer Products, Star Trek: Bridge Crew will be available on PlayStation®VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. In addition to the announcement of the original series bridge aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, the new launch date on all platforms will be May 30 th, 2017.

Developed by Red Storm Entertainment, a Ubisoft Studio, Star Trek fans will be able to live out their Star Trek dreams as a member of the bridge crew aboard the famed U.S.S. Enterprise and the U.S.S. Aegis, a brand new ship created for Star Trek: Bridge Crew. Playable co-operatively with a crew of up to four, or solo playing as the Captain, players will be immersed into the Star Trek universe as they command a Starfleet vessel and complete missions that will determine the fate of their ship and crew.  The original U.S.S. Enterprise bridge will be playable in the Ongoing Voyages mode, which generates randomised missions for countless hours of solo and co-op adventure.

“We felt it was important to include a part of classic Star Trek with this game, especially during Star Trek’s 50th anniversary,” said David Votypka, Senior Creative Director at Red Storm Entertainment. “The original U.S.S. Enterprise is such an iconic part of the franchise - it’s the ship that started it all.  The adventures and relationships that took place on the ship are a special part of Star Trek history, so we were determined to give players the opportunity to create their own adventures and stories on this classic ship.  We’re very excited to see player reactions when they step onto the U.S.S. Enterprise original bridge for the first time, and experience Star Trek: Bridge Crew in a whole new way. We’re also appreciative of players’ patience as we finalise work on the game to bring the Star Trek experience we envisioned to life.”

Star Trek: Bridge Crew marks the most recent project in virtual reality for Ubisoft, which believes in the strong potential of VR to redefine social gaming with a unique sense of reality. Ubisoft recently released the games Werewolves Within™ and Eagle Flight™, and announced a VR partnership with the film company SpectreVision.

For more information on Star Trek: Bridge Crew visit http://www.startrekbridgecrew.com

The long awaited John Wick VR game is out today for the HTC Vive!

Starbreeze have opened the doors of the notorious Continental Hotel with the launch of John Wick Chronicles. Developed in collaboration with Grab Games, Big Red Button and GamecoStudios, this electrifying first-person VR shooter is available today on the HTC Vive virtual reality headset for $19.99.

John Wick Chronicles puts players in the role of the legendary assassin himself, out for vengeance against the criminal underworld in a land of hired guns. The game lets fans explore and interact with the characters and locales of the Continental, an illustrious assassins’ den featured prominently in Lionsgate’s hit film John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves, and its sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2.

Players will have access to an arsenal of firepower to engage in intense firefights and boss battles against deadly crime lords and their vicious henchmen. But the player, as Mr. Wick, isn’t immortal, so when the bullets start flying, making intelligent use of dodges and cover is essential to surviving against such overwhelming odds.

John Wick: Chapter 2 opens in theaters worldwide starting on Feb. 10 and is distributed by Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label.

Players can find John Wick Chronicles on Steam at: store.steampowered.com/app/382360
Further information about John Wick Chronicles can be found at: www.johnwickvr.com

Oculus, ZeniMax, NDA's, & a bunch of money.

Oculus left 2016 with troubles and has entered 2017 with even more. A Texas jury awarded half a billion dollars to ZeniMax. ZeniMax accused  Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey to failing to comply with a non-disclosure agreement he signed.

Of the $500 million, Palmer Luckey and Brendan Iribe have to pay $50 million for false designation and Iribe has to pay an additional $150 million. Oculus as a company is responsible for the additional $200 million. 

While we wait to see how this all plays out for Iribe who recently stepped down as Oculus CEO and Luckey who has been silent and missing from the VR community ever since his support of Donald Trump vilified him to many who were early Oculus supporters. 

To the end of CatsAndVR.com, I have been a fan of Oculus for years and was an early user of their dev kits.

I don't disagree with the Zenimax Verdict but I do think this verdict will hurt a company I felt pushed for the refinement of VR. Everything from the headstrap to the design of the touch controllers are amazing. But alas this blow will hurt

I feel bad for Palmer Luckey and hope this fires him up to go out and create something better on his own and prove the world wrong. I also wonder how Brendan Iribe got so much of this verdict against him. 

ZeniMax in the meanwhile has made some move to acquire Escalation Studios. Escalation is responsible for the VR port of Please, Don’t Touch Anything! and the Oculus-published Herobound: Gladiators.

If ZeniMax goes forward with what they told Polygon this story may not be over. 

 Polygon was told  that ZeniMax  may seek an injunction to stop the sale of Oculus Rift headsets.

 ZeniMax’s Chairman and CEO, stated that “technology is the foundation of our business and we consider the theft of our intellectual property to be a serious matter. We appreciate the jury’s finding against the defendants, and the award of half a billion dollars in damages for those serious violations.”

John Carmack went on Facebook obviously and stated "I disagreed with their characterization, misdirection, and selective omissions."I never tried to hide or wipe any evidence, and all of my data is accounted for, contrary to some stories being spread," he continued.

Carmak takes issue with the accusations made by ZeniMax's legal counsel that he erased data after learning of ZeniMax's lawsuit.

“This is a really important step toward VR legitimacy: a legal case of this size substantiates the potential of VR technology,” said Stephanie Llamas, an analyst at SuperData Research

With little fanfare the Pokémon Company launches Pokémon Duel into app stores and into our hearts.

The Pokémon Company International announced today that Pokémon Duel is now available for download at no charge on the App Store and on Google Play. With much less fanfare than the Augmented Reality hit Pokemon Go we get a new Pokemon mobile game. 

Pokémon Duel is an exciting mobile strategy game in which fans deploy digital Pokémon figures and battle based on strategic moves to reach a goal in the opponent’s territory. Pokémon Duel gameplay details follow:

By strategically assembling their team of six Pokémon, each with its own strengths and a set number of steps it can take, players can take different routes to rush toward the goal or block the opponent’s Pokémon from advancing.

When two Pokémon from opposing teams meet, a battle commences, and the players spin each Pokémon’s Data Disk to see which Attack each Pokémon will use.

In addition to moving Pokémon and battling, players will also be able to use a plate at the start of their turn. These plates have various effects, including swapping positions of Pokémon in play and giving their Pokémon various battle enhancements for that turn.
The player who reaches their goal first wins the duel.

Players can duel against real opponents at any time by tapping League Match on the Home screen. They will then be automatically matched, according to skill, with other players around the world.  A variety of items, including Pokémon figures, can be earned through Time Boosters that are unlocked with every League victory. Winning League matches also increases the player’s rating and provides a chance to get different Pokémon figures as they compete in higher-level leagues.

More plates and Boosters can be purchased at the Shop within the app. Materials collected from purchased Boosters can be traded for desired Pokémon. In-game currency known as Gems can be purchased at the Shop or earned in several ways, such as by playing Pokémon Duel daily and clearing missions.

HTC Vive and Viveport are bringing some of my favorite VR experiences to Sundance.

HTC Vive and Viveport is heading to Park City, Utah during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival to exhibit at “VR on the Mountain,” a virtual reality hub for festival attendees taking place January 20-22. HTC Vive and Viveport are bringing a lineup of apps including two of my favorites of 2016, Mindshow and The Price Of Freedom.

I'm actually in a promotional video for The Price Of Freedom but that is because it is super rad.

I am also a huge fan of Mindshow and have been hanging in the Alpha for a bit.

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. 

Vive is also highlighting new content from Baobab Studios, a studio that brought its impressive animation pedigree to VR last year with “Invasion!,” an award-winning title launched last year.  Headed by veterans from Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, including “Madagascar” writer-director Eric Darnell.

The Viveport exhibit is part of HTC Vive’s sponsorship of “VR on the Mountain” during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. “VR on the Mountain” will be held January 20-22 at Firewood, one of newest venues located on Main Street in Park City, Utah. Attendees will be able to experience all of the titles listed for the duration of the exhibit with the exception of “Asteroids,” which will debut on January 21.

HTC is already killing it in 2017 with a rad showing at CES including the Vive Tracker. Also who in the hell is dotdotdash?

HTC has kicked off 2017 by showcasing new Vive accessories and services at CES that will lay the foundation for VR in 2017 and beyond.  

First up: The Vive Tracker

The Vive Tracker will ship in the Q2 of this year. The company showed off a video featuring Portland, Oregon VR design studio dotdotdash, one of the first developers to use the Vive Tracker. The company developed a camera accessory called D3-U for its VR experience called Exoplanet. I would describe Exoplanet as Pokemon Snap on Acid.

Second Up: Vive Deluxe Audio Strap.

I love my HTC Vive but I have always thought that Oculus had them beat with the way they integrated audio into the headset. HTC has finally addresses it with the Vive Deluxe Audio Strap.

The Vive Deluxe Audio Strap is designed with adjustable integrated headphones and a new customizable sizing dial for quickly adjusting the fit of the headstrap ala the Playstation VR headset. The Deluxe Audio Strap will also be available in Q2. Pricing for both the Tracker and Deluxe Audio Strap will be announced soon.

HTC also announced a collaboration with Intel to jointly bring to market a commercial-grade wireless VR adaptor. TPCast is a wireless adaptor  incubated through the Vive X accelerator program. It includes a one and a half hour battery, and latency as low as 2ms. TPCast will be shipping in Q2 2017 and will retail for $249 USD.

Lastly: Viveport & Chill?

In early 2017, Viveport will be launching a subscription service to help you navigate and find the best VR apps in the world, as well as introduce a new channel through which VR developers can monetize their content. There are currently thousands of apps available on Vive globally. Viveport’s subscription service will help people navigate this growing marketplace and discover new apps, providing access to an ever-growing library of content for a low monthly fee. 

CatsAndVR.com

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

Construct Studio are on the cutting edge of VR storytelling with The Price Of Freedom. Update: The Price Of Freedom is now free on Steam.

UPDATE: The Price of Freedom is available for free on Steam. 

Link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/561080/

ABOUT THIS GAME

Ask not what this country can do for you
January, 1960. The US is deep in Cold War with Russia, and nuclear war seems eminent, when Benjamin Miller breaks into CIA research facilities, stealing valuable Chemical Weapons research. Your mission: assassinate Miller and protect this information from falling into enemy hands. What seems like a straight forward mission soon takes a dark turn as you learn the truth behind Miller's motives. 
Become part of the story in this thrilling interactive Room-Scale VR narrative, inspired by true events.

Recently CatsAndVR.com had the opportunity to check out a preview of Construct Studios upcoming interactive VR experience "The Price Of Freedom". The Price Of Freedom is Construct's first interactive room-scale VR storytelling experience. The experience is inspired by Project MKUltra, a Cold War era mind control experiment which has been the inspiration for the recent Netflix hit "Stranger Things". 

You may be familiar with the previous work of two of the founders of Construct Studio "Imago" from my post on how that 360° experience made me cry.

 http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/imago

Guests in attendance were able to check out IMAGO as well as The Price Of Freedom and both were well received. Being a huge fan of IMAGO it was great to see how both Chuck, Tsung-Han Lee and Joel Ogden were able to build on their experience on that product as well as their own personal journey in VR to build Construct Studio into a team to watch for the future of VR story telling. Personally I like to look at both Chuck and Joel as the Tarantino and Rodriguez of a new medium, blazing a trail through hard work, guerrilla filmmaking techniques, and pure DIY punk rock determination. 

Tony Parisi, Head of AR/VR at Unity was in attendance and not only gave me his impressions on Construct Studios latest but also a great story on Chuck's determination to learn and grow in the VR space. 

Chuck, Tsung-Han Lee

Anyone who meets Chuck will tell you he is a humble dude and is one of the people to watch for in VR Storytelling. I had met Chuck before but this time around I also met one of his collaborators on IMAGO and now CEO of Construct Studio, Joel Ogden. 

Speaking with Joel I understand a bit on how Chuck and Joel work so well together and making an assumption that the whole Construct Studio team is just as bright, enthusiastic, and cutting edge with their perspectives on VR. Everyone in the room seemed taken back by The Price Of Freedom in which Joel was the Director. I was able to get some interview time with Joel who happens to be a very funny dude. 

Below is a video from Construct Studio highlighting the experience people had with The Price Of Freedom. 

The Price Of Freedom is just the latest project from Construct Studio and it is a great first step for them.  Dealing with subject matter like MK Ultra brings to question many of the same questions in VR of What is reality? What is real? My experience with The Price Of Freedom has wet my appetite and I am looking forward to the official release to this amazing episodic series and this up and coming VR storytelling team. 

My.com launches its first Virtual Reality game VR INVADERS on Steam December 15.

Global publisher My.com is launching their first virtual reality PC game, VR Invaders via Steam VR on December 15.. VR Invaders takes place in the near future and thanks to global corporations, virtual reality programs offer the perfect distraction from life’s hardships.

To the delight of the corporations, some people spend almost all of their life logged into the VR programs. However, not everyone stays logged in voluntarily. Sometimes a VR user can’t disconnect because of a software bug or a virus. Corporations often hire freelance hackers called Divers to protect their profits and extract the “Stuck”.?

VR Invaders is developed by My.com’s in-house studio and delivers a story driven dive into Virtual Reality for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift & Touch owners. Build on Unreal engine 4, VR Invaders puts the player in the role of a Diver. They are special members of a virtual reality rescue force that plunges into VR when dreams turn into nightmares. During a routine operation to rescue a “stuck” user, the player will have to fight back unexpected hordes of droids created by a vicious virus program. Equipped with a blaster that has multiple firing modes and a time-bending energy shield, players can rush through a variety of levels with challenging bosses at the end of each level. Players will be able to use power ups to slow time or even equip dual blasters, which will significantly help in critical situations that are created by the virus program. 

Cats And VR

HTC Launches Vive Studios and debuts studios first title Arcade Saga.

HTC today announced Vive Studios as the company's internal development and publishing initiative for virtual reality content. Vive Studios will bring to market VR content created by HTC's internal studios as well as through publishing partnerships with external developers. Also announced today is the launch of "Arcade Saga," the debut title from Vive Studios. The fast-paced VR game is a first-party title for HTC Vive developed by internal studio 2 Bears Studios.

"We're excited to formally unveil Vive Studios as a new pillar in HTC's initiative to drive persistent growth for VR," said Joel Breton, VP of content at HTC Vive. "Vive Studios' aim is to nurture and discover development talent and help create content that will continually push the boundaries of the kinds of experiences VR can deliver."

Vive Studios will use a publishing model similar to console games, where the label will produce first-party content through internal developers, such as 2 Bears, as well as partner with external developers. For external developers, Vive Studios is now a partner they can turn to for development funding as well as publishing and marketing support on VR content. Vive Studios is actively creating content across key categories for VR including games, education, cinematic, design, social, real-estate and sports, as well as tools and applications that can revolutionize areas such as media, retail, healthcare, and location-based entertainment centers and arcades.

Added Breton, "The VR ecosystem needs a persistent flow of exciting experiences and AAA content that can help grow our audience. We're excited to mark our launch with the debut of our first internally developed title 'Arcade Saga', a game that represents the kind of deeper and more challenging experience we believe VR enthusiasts are ready to embrace."

"Arcade Saga" is a fast, colorful VR game inspired by arcade games but with a twist, where players find themselves taking on the role of A.I. fighting threats developed by humans. Designed to enslave CPUs, these threats represent firewalls and viruses that manifest as three distinct challenges – Fracture, Smash, and Bowshot – each taking inspiration from arcade classics such as Breakout, Galaga and Arkanoid. The game play introduces new and exciting VR mechanics, combining the physics and physicality of games such as pinball, table tennis and archery with design and art direction drawn from the soul of a retro arcade. "Arcade Saga" is designed for all ages, with three difficulty modes that allow for family, casual and hardcore play. The game delivers more than 84 levels to master, with an upgrade system to gain new weapons and abilities, and massive boss fights to overcome.

"'Arcade Saga' delivers exciting and deep VR game play painted with strokes from classic arcade games that people will instantly remember," said J. Epps, Creative Director at 2 Bears Studios. "By combining an homage to familiar games with our backstory putting players in the role of a CPU fighting humans, 'Arcade Saga' is the VR equivalent of not just walking through an arcade but getting inside the game."

2 Bears Studios is led by game veterans from Microsoft Game Studios, Rockstar and Midway who have now joined senior engineers at HTC Vive to develop the next generation of VR experiences. As with their debut title "Arcade Saga," 2 Bears' aim is to tap into the enthusiasm in VR for richer experiences that are custom made for room-scale and push the capabilities of the Vive.

"We have entered a golden age of virtual reality content creation with incredibly powerful game engines, toolkits, and development kits at the fingertips of talented content creators worldwide," said Breton. "With Vive Studios, we're going to support the global VR development community as we work together to make virtual reality the next mass medium."

Arcade Saga" is available now for the Vive virtual reality system on Steam http://store.steampowered.com/app/464000/

Looking for some Werewolves Within! Ubisoft launches its newest cross platform Social VR title.

Ubisoft continues to do its part to unite the fragmented virtual reality market by bringing it's newest VR title Werewolves Within to Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Playstation VR with cross platform online play. 

http://store.ubi.com/us/werewolves-within/57c169e46b54a406218b4567.html

Available right now, Werewolves Within originally started as a VR prototype from Ubisoft Red Storm after they stopped working on the studio's Rainbow Six game. 

Senior creative director David Votypka had this to say about the game in a recent Gamastura interview. 

"We wanted to try and capture this social experience you get from playing games around the table, especially social deduction games,"

"So that's why our prototypes typically involved a traitor of some sort, and having to figure out information about other players. I guess that's where the impetus came from."

I had a chance to try the game out at Twitch Con and was immediately enamored by the social VR elements of the game. Werewolves Within represents the early phase of social VR gaming as how Wolfenstein 3d formed a templet for first person shooters for decades to come. 

Werewolves Within is one of the first VR games to truly capture the social dynamic of table top games such as Settlers Of Catan. We will be seeing a lot more social experiences in VR coming in 2017 but Werewolves Within is actually a good glimpse at what companies like Facebook are going to use to create both user experience and retention. 

Facebook Social VR

I have to give Ubisoft some credit for taking a risk on this game to help grow the social VR ecosystem and hope to see some players taking a chance on it so I can get a few games in. I logged in this morning and could not find 4 players to play but did still have an interesting social VR experience with another person waiting for players. I do hope to see a few people on there to really see how far Werewolves Within can grow. Ubisoft is really trying to bring cross platform social gaming to VR and has already integrated this in both Eagle Flight and the upcoming Star Trek: Bridge Crew. 

Cats And VR

StarBlood Arena announced for PSVR during Playstation Experience 2016

StarBlood Arena is a futuristic flight combat shooter developed for use with the PlayStation VR headset. Players navigate battle pods in 360-degrees-of-freedom through underground arenas in close-quarters competitive and co-op multiplayer gameplay for 2 to 8 players.

In tournaments set up across the galaxy by the StarBlood Network, players compete for fame, fortune, and survival. Successful competitors will unlock ship modifications and customization options and battle through the ranks of the online leaderboards.

Key Features

Four modes of online competition – Carnage: A free-for-all battle, Team Carnage: team deathmatch, Gridiron: team goal-scoring game, and Invaders: a 4 player co-operative endless wave defense.
Single player – Single player skirmish mode as well as per-pilot tournaments.
Nine pilots – each with their own unique weapons, tactics, and play style.
Customizable vehicles – all APEX Battle Pods can be customized with paint schemes, visual attachments, and gameplay altering Mods.
360 degrees of freedom – Battle pods can strafe, roll, and boost in any direction while independently aiming weapons using the PlayStation VR head tracking.
Party on – easily connect with and fight alongside your online friends in both Ranked and Private matches.

Happy Thanksgiving! Also help out Planned Parenthood and ACLU by buying video games like Catlateral Damage! Here is how.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the people who have helped me out and supported me this year in life, especially on the gaming and VR side. Lets take this time to think about how we can give back and give thanks. 

A bunch of indie video game creators have done that and are sharing their works to combat some of the ugliness in our world. For between $2-$20 dollars you can get up 151 indie video games with 100% of the proceeds from this bundle will be split 50-50 between the ACLU ( American Civil Liberties Union) and Planned Parenthood. 

https://itch.io/b/149/a-good-bundle

 $2 will get you 89 video games, like Zoe Quinn’s Depression Quest.  At $8, you will get 36 additional titles, such as Vectorpark’s Metamorphabet. At $20 you get access to everything in the bundle, including some top titles and also some of my personal favorites like Catlateral Damage, Gone Home, and the super excellent cyber punk adventure Read Only Memories.  

Keep in mind these are not VR games and more than 25 of the titles are browser-based. However the games are all high quality and made by developers who not only care about the medium but how they can use it to help the world. The games are playable on Linux, Mac and/or WIndows PC.

The bundle will be available until 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 29. So if you feel the need to buy something on Black Friday A Good Bundle is a good deal for a good cause.