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

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

ARLOOPA's easy to use AR app and their work to help companies like the WWF make them a company to check out at AWE as well as in our Augmented Future

ARLOOPA is brining great AR experiences to the world.  They also provide valuable AR technology jobs to the Armenian people as well as AR content to help them. The company is currently working with brands, creative advertising agencies, museums, schools and cities on cost effective and fun AR experiences.

In May of this year WWF Armenia and ARLOOPA launched “Take a Photo with the Leopard” environmental information campaign in the country to raise public awareness on biodiversity conservation and threatened species. People could take an augmented photo with the Critically Endangered Caucasian leopard with their special ARLOOPA application.

The initiative captured audience’s attention at once. The marker has been scanned more than 4000 times and dozens of photos and videos have been posted on Facebook with special hashtag #LeoAlive in a week.  

Mr. Karen Manvelyan, Director of WWF-Armenia, said: “The use of modern technologies will increase the efficiency of the campaign helping to create a unique connection between man and nature”.

http://arloopa.com/

The application will be presented at AWE exhibition in booth #200 where everyone can feel the presence of leopard and make photos/videos with him. Please come and check out this wonderful company.  ARLOOPA will have the soon be adding a Donate button to assist WWF in fundraising activities.  

The ARLOOPA app is one of the best mobile VR apps that I have seen as far as simplicity and UI. Being able to record GIFs, Videos, take photos and share them makes ARLOOPA a company to watch as we move forward to an Augmented World

augmentedworldexpo.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://www.augmentedworldexpo.com/

CatsAndVR.com Visits Magik Gallery

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

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

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

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

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

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

http://magikgallery.com/

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

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

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

http://magikgallery.com/

The fastest-selling game for Oculus Touch, SUPERHOT VR, Comes to HTC VIVE

Winner of the D.I.C.E. award for Immersive Reality Game of the Year and the fastest-selling game for Oculus Touch, SUPERHOT VR is available today for VIVE.

SUPERHOT VR for VIVE comes complete with the recent FOREVER update, expanding the experience even further with new modes, challenges, and endgame content. Early-adopters save 20% with a launch week discount, with the option of bundling the original SUPERHOT for even more savings.No regenerating health bars. No conveniently placed ammo drops. It's just you, outnumbered and outgunned, grabbing the weapons of fallen enemies to shoot, slice, and maneuver through a hurricane of slow-motion bullets.

SUPERHOT VR is a title reimagined and redesigned from the ground up for VR and hand-tracking controllers. Since releasing last December, SUPERHOT VR has been named VR Game of the Year by the New York Game Awards, Unity Vision Summit, and nominated for additional awards at GDCA, Digital Dragons, and many more.

SUPERHOT VR is available now for VIVE on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/617830

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://magikgallery.com/

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

http://magikgallery.com/

Daedalus, a VR game inspired by Escher and Dali is now available on Gear VR.

The Spanish indie studio Vertical Robot has just launched their first VR title: Daedalus, a part platformer, part exploration game set in a spectacular oneiric and surreal world developed for Samsung Gear VR.

Daedalus, architect and creator of fantastic mechanical artifacts, was imprisoned by the king Minos to prevent him from sharing his knowledge of Creta’s Labyrinth with others. Every night, in his dreams, Daedalus explores the intricate labyrinths aboard his own winged creations, trying to relive every step, each leap, each flight to freedom, in an attempt to escape his own tragedy.

In Daedalus, the player will have to discover the labyrinth's exit by finding the platforms that unlock the next level, while exploring mysterious, dream-like environments. As the levels progress, both architecture and difficulty grow increasingly complex. The player will boost, glide, ride wind shafts, use trampolines and activate mechanisms.

Thanks to the impressive graphics, the well thought out environments and carefully designed mechanics, the player will enjoy complete immersion in the game, he will truly feel as if he were inside this dream-like labyrinth that he has to escape.

The Development process

Daedalus began as a prototype VR locomotion system for one of the games the studio is currently developing. The challenge was to create a sort of jetpack locomotion system that would permit freedom of movement and was comfortable using just the Gear VR’s Touchpad. To achieve this, we developed a system that gives the player a helping hand when navigating the environments that proved to be a success.

Later on, when the Samsung Gear VR Controller was announced, they saw it as a perfect match. They were able to decouple the direction of your movement from that of the headset allowing for even more precise control and freedom.

The art side has let itself be influenced by brutalism, surrealism and the likes of Escher and Dali. They feature realistic lighting and a strong emphasis on color.

Additionally, one of the features that makes Daedalus stand out as an authentic virtual reality experience is the fact that the team has managed to include a great deal of high-end graphical features. Notably HDR Lightmaps, Filmic Tonemapper, GPU Particles, specular roughness and even Pre-calculated fluid simulations. Samsung S8 phones even feature Parallax Corrected Cubemaps and Normal Maps,

Since the game relies on creating a dream-like atmosphere, music played a very important role in the development. The team was lucky enough to enlist the help of award-winning composer & sound designer Eduardo de la Iglesia to create the sound FX and compose its unique soundtrack.

http://verticalrobot.com/daedalus/

Interestingly named VR swamp shooter Dick Wilde launches on PSVR with Aim Support

“Exterminator Extraordinaire” Dick Wilde blasts onto PSVR today after his initial launch on Oculus and Vive last month. The madcap shooter will be compatible with both the PlayStation Aim and Move controllers.

New London-based publisher, PlayStack, is pleased to announce the PSVR launch of their first VR game, Dick Wilde, after it’s launch on Oculus and vive on April 30th. 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: “We’re thrilled to introduce PlayStation gamers to Dick Wilde. It’s really exciting for us to have worked on one of the first titles to be Aim controller compatible and we think it really compliments the Dick Wilde gameplay.”

“The response to Dick Wilde so far has been great, we wanted our first VR game to capture everyone’s attention and Dick Wilde really delivered.” said Harvey Elliott, Founder and CEO of PlayStack. “Bolverk are a really innovative studio and we’re really pleased to be partnered with them. Their games have captured the funnest elements of VR in a genre that can often be overly serious.”

Baskhead is a VR basketball game for Google Daydream in which you are in the role of the hoop!

Baskhead Training is pretty interesting take on VR Basketball.  In this game you will be able to to play basketball like never before: this time you’re not the player but the hoop! Your goal is to become the best hoop on earth! It sounds pretty ridiculous but it is actually quite fun. 

The game has two modes, a Story mode where you will have to face 20 entertaining levels with the help of hoopmaster, your coach. There is also an arcade mode, where you will be trained before going back with the coach and try to beat his levels.

The game is out now on Google Daydream, Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and soon on PSVR.

Check out this pretty ridiculous commercial below for this ridiculous but pretty fun game. 

If you like VR and a basketball fan I highly recommend Baskhead. http://baskhead.com/

catsandvr.com/blog/

VR Chair Games' For Oculus Rift & HTC-Vive Offers Seven Mesmerizing VR Experiences From The Comfort Of Your Chair!

Award-winning game developer and publisher EnsenaSoft has announced the worldwide release of VR Chair Games for HTC-Vive and Oculus Rift, a fantastic collection of seven challenging VR games suitable to VR enthusiasts of all experience levels. Each game within collection has a duration of four minutes with the ultimate goal of achieving the highest possible score for each gameplay session.

FEATURED GAMES

• Zombie Apocalypse: You are the last survivor of a zombie apocalypse and your task is to slay as many zombies as you can using your axe-wielding skills. Chop off their heads and destroy the zombies before they destroy you!
• Alien Attack: Prepare to battle aliens in a fight for humanity. Tripod aliens are wreaking havoc on the world and only a true hero can save the world from eternal devastation. Prepare your lasers!
• Colony Outpost: Evil bugs have infiltrated a colony outpost and it is your objective to destroy them. Are you up for the challenge?
• Leprechaun's Gold: Enjoy a night in the spooky Irish woods. Catch the Leprechaun in your gaze to snatch his Gold. Will you get away with it?
• Blacksmith's Forge: Your kingdom is in a desperate need of swords. You must enter the blacksmith and use the anvil to create weaponry before cooling your swords in the wooden barrel.
• Championship Tennis: Show off your skills as a Tennis pro! Serve the ball and gain points for solid returns.
• Soaring Eagle: Soar like an eagle as you make your way through checkpoints looking for missing feathers.

 Download VR Chair Games today:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/605110/VR_Chair_Games/

Ubisoft launches Hungry Shark ® VR for Google Daydream.

Today, Ubisoft ® announced that Hungry Shark ® VR, the seventh installment in the successful mobile franchise developed by Future Games of London, is available on Google Daydream.

With five different shark species boasting unique characteristics, Hungry Shark VR takes players to the Mediterranean setting made famous by the Hungry Shark series. Players will complete three missions in total: Eat, Checkpoint Race and Rescue. In Eat, players must eat a number of specific edibles within a given time, Checkpoint Race challenges players to swim to checkpoints before the timer runs out, and in Rescue, players must find three keys and rescue jailed sharks.

Hungry Shark VR offers two new exciting game modes, allowing players to test their abilities and explore the vast landscape. Sandbox mode allows players to freely explore the colourful ocean world with no health drain or danger. Players can focus on swimming around the ocean and experiencing the beautiful underwater world. In the Play mode, players will face dangerous marine creatures while attempting to save four other sharks.

“Future Games of London is incredibly excited to announce that we’re working with Daydream to bring the Hungry Shark experience to VR,” said Ian Harper, Managing Director, Future Games of London, a Ubisoft Studio. “The Daydream platform enables us to create high quality VR visuals and bring innovative motion based controls to Hungry Shark fans.”

Built using the Unity 3D mobile game engine, Hungry Shark VR boasts striking 3D models, lighting and beautifully rich environments. Each in-game model has been meticulously designed and animated for accurate design and movement. Offering players a unique opportunity on Daydream with its new virtual reality gameplay, Hungry Shark VR gives players a fun, intuitive and more immersive experience than ever before. With the addition of the Daydream View controller, players can control functions such as navigating, boosting speed, performing flips and chomping fish. This advanced platform allows players to interact with the virtual world in the same way that they would in the real world.

Ubisoft continues its commitment to players by bringing highly innovative mobile games to VR. Built for high quality mobile VR, Daydream ensures easy and intuitive controls. Daydream-ready phones are equipped with high-resolution graphics and high-fidelity sensors for precise head-movement tracking.

Hungry Shark World ® and Hungry Shark Evolution ® is also available on iOS and Android.

For more information about the game, please visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ubisoft.vrhungryshark

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

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

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

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

Cats And VR

International Mobile Gaming Award winner Wands releases its Eastern Realms update.

Wands®, the award winning, action-packed VR game is now releasing a new content package called ”Eastern Realms”. Eastern Realm is packed with new mind-blowing content such as new arenas, wielders, spells, clothes, masks, and more. The new features are fully compatible with the new Oculus controller which steps up game play to a whole new level.

Wands® was recently awarded ”Best VR Game” at the International Mobile Gaming Awards Global in San Francisco. Game critics have been spell-bound by the immersive and graphic experience produced to date and now this new update brings with it a dynamic and explosive new edge. Hold onto your seat and get ready for a new breath-taking Wands experience!
 
Wands is a multiplayer game which is both social and engaging specially by using the spectator mode. http://www.wandsgame.com/site/spectator/
 

Wands is available on Oculus https://www.oculus.com/experiences/ge... for $5.99.
 

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

Multiplayer collaborative block building game Perplexigon is now on Steam Greenlight.

Perplexigon is a multiplayer collaborative block building game out on Steam Greenlight looking for a chance to come home to your VR hearts. 

The game is an immersive multiplayer VR physics sandbox game in where you choose from a toolbox of blocks and joints to create anything from castles to complex remote controlled rockets.

Use the tracked Vive or Oculus Touch controllers along with seated or room-scale tracking to fully move around your constructions and build them quickly and intuitively.

Steam Greenlight will only approve the game if there is a demand for it so the fate of Perplexigon is literally in the hands of you. Please vote and share if you dig the above trailer.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=917548685

New Gear VR hidden object game based on Lionsgate's Now You See Me franchise out today.

Now You See Me: Back to Macau is the first major hidden object game in VR and features 6 challenging, adventurous missions. The game is based on the global blockbuster Now You See Me film franchise from Lionsgate. The player assumes the role of Special Agent Price, assigned to find the whereabouts of the “Four Horsemen” band of magicians depicted in the film, who have disappeared yet again after another narrow escape. Players will dynamically integrate themselves into the world of Now You See Me. Each mission has 50-100 possible items to uncover, with new puzzles and 20-30 items that reveal themselves each time you play. The game is available now on Gear VR. It is free for the first two missions and $4.99 to unlock the full game.

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/gear-vr/1213715582017059/

The game was developed by Side-Kick VR.  Side-Kick VR specializes in bringing worldwide entertainment IP from top Hollywood studios into mobile virtual reality with unique, high quality experiences, and is the first to bring major hidden object games to VR, starting with Now You See Me: Back to Macau. We had a chance to chat with Side-Kick VR's CEO Guy Bendov who has more than 14 years’ experience as the founder, president and CEO of hi-tech companies in the interactive entertainment technologies market. 

http://sidekickvr.com/

Sony and Grammy Award winning Selfie fanatics The Chainsmokers colab for FREE Playstation VR interactive musical experience.

Grammy winning dance music duo, The Chainsmokers have a free Playstation VR app out now. A collaboration between Sony and The Chainsmokers, the free Paris.VR Virtual Reality Music experience is currently only available in North America and getting some good reviews on Reddit with user feedback being one Reddit user saying, “Whether you’re a fan of EDM or not, I highly recommend checking this thing out!”
 

You can Influence new remixes of the hit song ‘Paris’ based on the choices you make throughout the experience. Structures and objects activate new audio elements simply by looking around. Choose a new path each time you enter the experience, and let the music engulf you as you lean into the experience, or simply lean back and enjoy the ‘Paris’ daydream.

The Chainsmokers came to my attention with their tonuge in check video for their song "Selfie" and have come quite a way to now be considered established creative talents. I look forward to checking out Paris VR.

CatsAndVR.com

Will Tekken 7 Playstation VR mode be fun? Here are Tekken 7 producer Katsuhiro Harada's thoughts.

At an event last week, Tekken 7 producer Katsuhiro Harada spoke a little about Tekken 7's exclusive PlayStation VR (PSVR) content adding he does not think it will be fun in the traditional sense for Tekken players but will still have some value.

"If you could imagine that you have some kind of a martial artist or pro boxer or something come and do shadowboxing right in front of your face, you can then probably begin to see how that’s not a very entertaining or enjoyable experience. Added to that, you’d be knocked into the air for, like, an aerial juggle or whatever – it’s really jarring and not very fun."

Harada went on to detail what we can expect from Tekken 7's VR mode. 

We ended up focusing more on the character elements of it, where you can customize your character and look at it from various angles, or with a fight against a CPU opponent slow down the match, and change the camera angles so you can see the game like you’ve never seen it before. These are the kind of things that make Tekken a more enjoyable experience in VR.

Personally I am looking forward to Tekken 7 in VR as the Tekken franchise is my favorite fighting game series. I am also looking forward to customizing King into to a cuddly cats.

catsandvr.com/blog/

Star Wars HoloChess inspired Augmented Reality Game HOLOGRID: MONSTER BATTLE now has a VR version launching for Gear VR and a tournament to celebrate May the 4th.

Award-winning independent game studio HappyGiant and Tippett Studio today announced their ground-breaking augmented reality game HoloGrid: Monster Battle has made the transition to virtual reality, and is coming out on the next-generation Samsung Gear VR. In celebration of the upcoming “Star Wars Day” (May the Fourth), the game is now available for download on the Gear VR website and App, and will be available at a limited-time discounted price of $2.99 USD (regularly $4.99 USD).

In addition, HappyGiant will mark the occasion with a three-day HoloGrid virtual “tournament”, in which participating players have a chance to win prizes such as t-shirts and vintage prints signed by famed VFX artist Phil Tippett. Beginning at 12:01 AM EST, May 4, and ending Midnight EST Sunday, May 7, players who accumulate the most multiplayer match victories will be placed into a pool to receive prizes. Contestants must fill out the tournament form HERE.

Launched in December as a physical goods mobile AR game, HoloGrid: Monster Battle VR is one of the first Gear VR games to incorporate the use of the platform’s new GearVR Controller and add Oculus Gear VR Avatar support with VOIP so players can talk to their opponents during games. The tactical strategy game, which combines elements of board games, collectible card games, and digital games, has been reimagined for VR and set inside a deep space game arena.

Built in Unity, the title has added a new single-player AI mode and supports multiplayer matches. With gameplay similar to that of games like HearthStone or Magic: The Gathering, HoloGrid: Monster Battle isthe first augmented and virtual reality cross-platform game . VR players will be able to challenge players of the AR mobile version and vice versa.

Inspired by the Star Wars HoloChess scene, created by Phil Tippett for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope forty years ago, and then recreated for 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens,HoloGrid: Monster Battle brings the monsters of Tippett to life for the first time in a game. Captured through a process known as photogrammetry, where actual hand-crafted 3D models are filmed from all angles and then used to build digital models used in the game, the creatures literally roar to life and into the digital game.

“It’s been a dream come true to work with Phil Tippett, who inspired myself and so many others,” said HappyGiant CEO and Creative Director Michael Levine. “AR and VR tech has given us a whole new playground in which we can interact and create our own vision and worlds that previously only existed in fiction. We can’t wait to see what people think of HoloGrid in VR!”

HoloGrid: Monster Battle VR is available today on the Gear VR site and app for $2.99 USD (regular price $4.99). The mobile AR version is available for iOS and Android on both Amazon and the HappyGiantwebsite for $24.99 USD. Next gen AR and VR platforms, including but not limited to Microsoft HoloLensand Google Tango are also being explored.

For additional information, please visit www.hologridmonsterbattle.com .

Bundle Stars launches a $4.99 Virtual Reality games bundle just in time for the weekend.

Are you the proud owner of a HTC Vive or Oculus Rift ? Are you looking for enjoyable new games to play, without breaking the bank?

Immerse yourself in 10 great Steam games for your Windows PC, with the first ever virtual reality bundle from Bundle Stars ( https://www.bundlestars.com ). The Pure VR Bundle ( https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/pure-vr-bundle ) is available now, with 10 VR-compatible Steam games for just $4.99. That’s a discount of more than 90% off the normal retail price of the games.

All the games are officially licensed from their respective developers, and have racked up a highly respectable combined Steam user review score of 87%.

That’s not all. Everyone who buys the Pure VR Bundle receives a Bundle Stars discount voucher, granting an extra 20% off selected VR games in store. Eligible games include the brand new Batman Arkham VR,which is already discounted, making this an absolute steal!

So what’s in the brand new bundle? Get ready to become an archer defending your tower from incoming waves of skeletons and demons, in God of Arrows VR. Or become the monster in King Kaiju, throwing cars through the air, eating pedestrians and breathing fire at helicopters. Take being evil to the next level!

Pure VR Bundle includes the following 10 Steam games. 

God Of Arrows VR, VR Ping Pong, King Kaiju, Thirst VR, Hoops VR, VRNinja, Bomb U!, Tower Island: Explore, Discover and Disassemble, Sky Jac, and Felt Tip Circus. All games are VR-only, except Felt Tip Circus.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Explore new worlds, play 3D table tennis, protect a train from marauding gun runners, throw bombs at opponents in online multiplayer mayhem, and much, much more.

Be sure to grab your Pure VR Bundle now. You only have 2 weeks before this treasure trove of VR games is gone forever: https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/pure-vr-bundle

CatsAndVR.com