Why isn't anyone here talking about virtual reality?

[wonderpug]

GameInformer says there's still no killer app. Anyone disagree? TiLT?

I came really close to trying them out over the holidays but then I got busy and didn't get to it and then my wife's car got new tires.

I'd say SuperHot is the killer app right now. Even though it's on the short side, it's a mindblowing experience.

There's a lot of other must-have games for someone who buys into VR, but just about everything is going to be on the short side while we're still in early adopter mode. Elite Dangerous is kind of the only VR game that's going to last you longer than 20 hours, though there are a handful that'll last you at least 8-12 hours.

If there was an option to rent a Rift for a month or two, that would be a much easier recommendation. Whether or not the full buy-in price is worth it to you is really a matter of how much you're willing to spend to have a selection of amazing but relatively brief experiences.

[Sepiche]

Elite Dangerous

Granted I haven't been following VR games lately, but of all the ones I've tried E:D is the one that's more game than tech demo. Haven't tried Superhot with VR, but even without it it's a blast.

[em2nought]

Give me a call when there is something like Wings Over Flanders Fields for virtual reality.

[TiLT]

GameInformer says there's still no killer app. Anyone disagree? TiLT?

There are killer apps, but some of them require that you're into specific genres (Elite Dangerous for example).

Regardless, VR has at least one killer app that should appeal to everyone: Superhot. Anyone who dismisses that game simply hasn't tried its VR version. Everyone I've heard talking about it has been absolutely blown away, and now we're getting more content for it too.

[KDH]

from Blues News:

ZeniMax Wins $500M in Oculus Lawsuit

ZeniMax Wins $500M in Oculus Lawsuit

[Feb 01, 2017, 7:39 pm ET] - 40 Comments
ZeniMax has won a $500 million judgment in its lawsuit versus Oculus, though the jury did not find they had misappropriated trade secrets, reports Polygon. The half-billion dollars is for failing to abide by an NDA, copyright infringement, and false designation. $300M of that will come from Oculus, $150M from CEO Brendan Iribe, and $50M from company founder Palmer Luckey. Polygon says Oculus says they will appeal, but are looking forward to putting the case behind them, expressing their commitment to the long term success of virtual reality, the technology at the heart of the lawsuit. On the other side of the decision, ZeniMax says it may seek court order to halt sale of current Oculus Rift headsets.

[TiLT]

No matter the outcome of this case, I just want it out there that I fucking hate Zenimax. Their business practices are abhorrent in general, and the idea that they supposedly invested money into VR research before VR was a thing is laughable. Zenimax would never do honest research.

[LawBeefaroni]

Facebook is closing around 200 of its 500 Oculus virtual reality demo stations at Best Buy locations across the US, Business Insider has learned.

The scaling back of Facebook's first big retail push for VR comes after workers from multiple Best Buy pop-ups told BI that it was common for them to go days without giving a single demonstration. An internal memo seen by BI and sent to affected employees by a third-party contractor said the closings were because of "store performance."

The foot traffic of demo stations might not be the best way to gauge interest in a product, but to add insult to injury, a SuperData report this week (via MCV) revealed that Oculus shipped just 250,000 Rift headsets in 2016. To put that into perspective, Sony shipped 750,000 PlayStation VR units, HTC shipped 420,000 Vives and Samsung moved a whopping 4.5 million Gear VR units last year.

Lawsuit or not, Facebook and Oculus have some serious work to do.

[Max Peck]

If you're feeling lucky, Intel and Ubisoft (Star Trek: Bridge Crew) are running a contest for a free VR rig (computer plus Vive or Oculus).

[KDH]

ZeniMax files for injunction over Oculus code

If granted, it would apply to games on sale for Oculus Rift and Gear VR

ZeniMax Media has delivered on its promise to file for an injunction against Oculus, filing papers with a Dallas court asking that products using disputed code be removed from sale.

The injunction papers were filed yesterday, according to a report from Reuters, in the same court that heard its case against Oculus VR and its founders Palmer Luckey and Brendan Iribe last month. The trial resulted in the award of $500 million in damages to ZeniMax.

This injunction specifically relates to lines of code used by developers creating software for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. If the injunction takes effect, it will have an impact on which games can be sold for those devices.

A spokeswoman for Oculus, Tera Randall, stated that the company is appealing the original verdict, describing it as, "legally flawed and factually unwarranted."

Oculus CTO John Carmack made a similar point in the aftermath of the trial, describing ZeniMax Media's argument that Oculus code was "non-literally copied" from work he undertook at id Software as akin to saying Harry Potter was stealing from Joseph Campbell's theory of The Hero's Journey - "which also maps well onto Star Wars and hundreds of other stories."

ZeniMax responded with its own statement, pointing out that expert testimony had asserted "both literal and non-literal copying," and that, "Oculus programmers themselves admitted using ZeniMax's copyrighted code.

"Not surprisingly, the jury found ZeniMax code copyrights were infringed."

there are links in the link that I didn't link ... capiche?

(a link in time saves nine)

[KDH]

Sparc Announced

CCP announces Sparc, a full-body physical sport played in virtual reality coming to "all major high-end VR platforms" later this year. They say this is the first wholly original IP from the developer outside the EVE universe, and offer this trailer with glimpses of what to expect amid mostly live-action footage. Keep the five Ds in mind, as this sounds a bit like dodge ball. They say to expect more details soon, and in the meantime, here's the announcement:

Today, CCP Games is thrilled to announce Sparc, a unique virtual sport only possible in virtual reality. In Sparc, players connect online to compete with each other in fast and fun full-body VR gameplay.

Currently in development for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, Sparc will be the first wholly original IP to be shipped by CCP outside of the EVE universe when it releases in 2017.

Sparc's skill-based, full-body gameplay makes for a fast-paced and fun physical sport. Players use their motion controllers to throw projectiles at their opponents from a distance, and in turn defend themselves by dodging, blocking, or deflecting the incoming attacks. Players can join one-on-one matches with friends online or find opponents via matchmaking.

Sparc enables players to connect and compete in an online community. Players can watch matches in-person and queue for the next match in VR through Courtside, a freeform social area for spectating in VR or on screen. Sparc includes multiple two-player game modes as well as single-player challenges and training modes, plus a range of customization and personalization options for competitors.

"After our early experiments with standing VR gameplay, we were excited by the idea of building an original sport designed for the current generation of VR hardware. We've designed Sparc so that players can express and improve their skill through their physical actions." said Morgan Godat, Executive Producer at CCP Atlanta. "Ultimately, we want players to think of Sparc as a virtual court in their living room where they can meet and compete with other players from around the world."

"At CCP games, our goal is to harness our passion for virtual reality as a new medium and create the killer apps for the first generation of VR technology," said Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games. "We set out to achieve that in mobile VR with Gunjack and in seated VR with EVE: Valkyrie, both released in the first year of VR becoming publicly available. With Sparc, we want to capitalize on the unique strengths of standing VR and deliver a game with all the depth and excitement to keep players returning long into the future."

Today's announcement is only the beginning for Sparc and CCP Games plans to reveal further information about Sparc's gameplay and feature-set ahead of release later this year.

sparc-brings-full-body-gameplay-later-year
sparc-is-a-vr-sport-from-the-makers-of-eve-online
sparc-ccp-vr-sport-coming


spotted at blues



sparc is also the name of a cannabis dispensary in SF .. click responsibly

[Max Peck]

I'm holding out for UltraSPARC, at the very least.

[KDH]

it kinda looks like a cross between pong and dodge-ball .... and "full-body physical sport" is more reminiscent of American football and not badminton

[sgoldj]

We know i am a sucker for new toy tech that either goes nowhere or moves along slowly (I am looking at you 3D tv - yes, I enjoy mine, especially for movies like Kubo, but I digress)
In keep with my habit of being an all too early adapter, I have a PSVR and 1 game for it: Batman Arkham VR.. a fun experience worth the price, but aside from trying out the demo disc and the VR Sports Bar, it sits idle.

Now, today, it finally occurred to me that YouTube VR and 360 is available for PSVR ( I assume other platforms), so I have been enjoying VR Disney World from the comfort of my chair. First person POV of several rides including Expedition Everest and the new Frozen ride. The pluses are - No lines, good sound, and you get to look around as you go, you can see the rides and the animatronics. The cons are the low resolution really stands out,the dark inner passages are just black, nothing to see in those sections of the rides, many films look like you are near sighted and need glasses; the rides seem sterile for lack of movement and in some there are no other passengers. All in all, it's cheaper than a trip to Florida and gives you a good feel. I see it very useful for those who are wondering if Splash Mountain is too scary when it drops and can the kids handle it.

Anyway, a much longer than usual post from me, but if you are interested it is there. If you use it and want to we can discuss how well the experience is working for you

[Daehawk]

Some idiots that skipped the academy play Star Trek Bridge Crew

[Cortilian]

I've been playing Elite and IL2 Sturmovik recently on my rift since I just obtained a nice HOTAS. Really really fun but 1 generation away I think. They are going to have to upgrade the screen resolution to get rid of that screen door effect.

[em2nought]

I've been playing Elite and IL2 Sturmovik recently on my rift since I just obtained a nice HOTAS. Really really fun but 1 generation away I think. They are going to have to upgrade the screen resolution to get rid of that screen door effect.

I eagerly await my VR wings. In the meantime I just yesterday realized that there are 360 degree videos on youtube where you can pan around whilst the movie plays. I went over the top in a limey trench, and rode around in a Mark IV. Neither is recommended in real life.

[TiLT]

Played around with Batman VR and Google Earth on the Rift yesterday. Enjoyed both quite a bit. It was fun to fly back to New York (where I've been only once) and get to experience the sheer scale of it again. Standing at the foot of one of the biggest skyscrapers and looking up at it is as impressive as it was in real life, and standing on top of most of them looking down is something I didn't really get to experience before. Forcing myself to take a physical step off the edge of one is harder than I expected, even with how much VR experience I have by now. My brain reflexively placed my foot back down on solid ground the first few times I tried to walk off the edge.

[Punisher]

Some idiots that skipped the academy play Star Trek Bridge Crew

I am looking forward to this game but am concerned that all MP games will look like this..

[Fretmute]

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes on PS4 VR was a huge hit at our last game night. It makes a big difference not being able to see the folks talking to you.

[Buatha]

Okay, so I guess you would call me an "enthusiast" with VR since it was a dream of mine since the mid 90s with the Forte VFX1 headset. Unfortunately, that headset was underwhelming to me (it was like the screens just sitting in front of your eyes...no wrap-around effect). The HTC Vive exceeded my expectations with its room-scale tracking and awesomely accurate controllers. However, I also see Oculus Touch controllers as being superior for interacting with your hands compared to the Vive wands. Since my car is paid off in two months, I could financially handle the Oculus Rift, but I feel that my enthusiast side is not being reasonable.

So, anyone have any pros or cons for also getting an OR or is it just being stupid to get the other VR headset? I saw some images of what looked like HTC trying to make some hand-based controllers, but they are taking their sweet time with the damn deluxe head strap and I don't see any new peripherals being out soon. They usually trumpet that stuff well in advance. Wilson's Heart looks amazing and the first "full" game at roughly 10 hours...but it's an OR exclusive (don't know if it will be released for Vive).

Yeah, I know. First World problems.

[TiLT]

The Rift + Touch is supposedly better in most ways, but the difference is small enough that it shouldn't really matter if you have one or the other. Unless you've got plenty of money to burn, stick with your Vive for now and see what happens with the second generation of these devices instead.

[wonderpug]

Yeah, the Vive and Rift performance and libraries are similar enough that I agree it's not really worth having both. If your money is burning a hole in your pocket, maybe pick up Playstation VR to get access to exclusives that aren't coming to Vive or Rift.

If it were me I'd just set aside the money for whatever the next generation of VR brings.

[Buatha]

I've found using the Vive while seated to be uncomfortable for things like Elite and Project Cars. You don't notice the weight so much when walking around, but using it for a simulation is a bit tiring on the head/face. I'm hoping the new deluxe audio strap helps on the weight distribution.

I'm not too keen on the PS VR system due to their tracking solution and lower resolution. I used the Move and it was pretty good, but the wands are too similar to the Vive and lighting becomes an issue if it is similar to the Move camera.

[coopasonic]

I'm just to going to buy all of your old headsets when the next gen hits... or miss VR altogether. As long as I never actually try it I won't miss it.

[Buatha]

Yes, it's probably just as well

So, just a bit of background, I'm in IT (specifically Network Security), so I'm a bit more inclined to technical purchases over anything else. And, joking aside, there may very well be a healthy after-market for Gen 1 headsets since I'm sure there will be some backward compatibility given the small library of games to date. If not, I'd personally be a bit pissed.

Anyway, I'm discovering that I feel the pain for people who don't have the area for room-scale. My sister-in-law is staying with us and her dog has to stay in the living room...where I did my room-scale. So, trying to use my Vive in my office made me realize that my tripods and stuff were a bit cumbersome in a small space and I was now essentially limited to standing in place. This situation caused me to think about the possibility of having a Rift for these occasions versus the full room-scale games. Actually, I realized how little I was now using the Vive because of this situation and how easier it would be having the little cameras on my desk and cabling not being an issue anyway since my office isn't really that big.

Do you guys really think they are going to jump to Gen 2 so quickly? I have the feeling that they are going to follow the console release schedule and simply keep reducing prices on the Gen 1 headsets if they figure out cheaper ways to produce them. It's been one year already and all I've heard about so far are peripherals.

[coopasonic]

Do you guys really think they are going to jump to Gen 2 so quickly? I have the feeling that they are going to follow the console release schedule and simply keep reducing prices on the Gen 1 headsets if they figure out cheaper ways to produce them. It's been one year already and all I've heard about so far are peripherals.

I'm ok waiting a few years.

..and I just added PSVR to my wish list, you know in case my wife wants to go all out for my birthday.

[TiLT]

Do you guys really think they are going to jump to Gen 2 so quickly? I have the feeling that they are going to follow the console release schedule and simply keep reducing prices on the Gen 1 headsets if they figure out cheaper ways to produce them. It's been one year already and all I've heard about so far are peripherals.

I'm expecting roughly two years between gen 1 and 2 for VR. I don't think they want to rush it as sales have been lower than hoped for (though nothing alarming. They know it will take several years for VR to take off) and they'd probably like gen 1 to get a little more time in the spotlight before moving on, but there's been big technological leaps even in the short time since these were released. For one thing, eye tracking now appears to be a realistic and reasonably cheap addition (and one that will make enormous differences to performance), and there's serious work being done on wireless headsets. These two things alone are enough to make a gen 2 product very appealing.

[Buatha]

Yes, I've seen the wireless add-on and eye-tracking upgrade for the Vive, but I'm taking more of a wait-and-see approach, especially for the wireless technology to ensure it can handle the data transmission speed. Eye-tracking seems very cool, but they're going to need some games that take advantage of this feature.

The Vive "puck" sensors look pretty sweet as well and some videos showed some nifty peripherals to use them.

[TiLT]

Eye-tracking seems very cool, but they're going to need some games that take advantage of this feature.

They don't have to. This could be inbuilt in the driver. While this kind of stuff could be used for gameplay, the primary importance is to be able to render stuff you're not directly looking at in a lower resolution (which improves rendering speeds dramatically and lowers hardware requirements) and providing fake focus effects to make the world seem more natural.

[Punisher]

That wireless adapter looks interesting, but I can't find anywhere to pre-order/sign up for updates...

[Buatha]

I think it's only available in China.

I'm just wondering why it's taking so long for the audio headstrap to be released. It looked pretty done in January.

[Daehawk]

VR in 1992

[gameoverman]

So...Doom is officially in VR. Could this be the killer app?

I was into computing back in the C-64 days, after transitioning from the Atari/Intellivision consoles post-videogame crash. Then I got into other things and didn't touch computers in the late '80s. It wasn't until a friend showed me this new game on his Packard Bell that computers became a thing in my life again. That game was Doom.

If anything could make VR interesting enough to fire my interest, it would be Doom.

Doom.

edit: I was just thinking, back in those Packard Bell Doom playing days if someone told me "You will be playing this game in virtual reality one day" I would have thought they were reading too much sci-fi. I haven't played it in VR yet but it's just a matter of time now. I hope I don't get hit by a bus.

[Rip]

So...Doom is officially in VR. Could this be the killer app?

I was into computing back in the C-64 days, after transitioning from the Atari/Intellivision consoles post-videogame crash. Then I got into other things and didn't touch computers in the late '80s. It wasn't until a friend showed me this new game on his Packard Bell that computers became a thing in my life again. That game was Doom.

If anything could make VR interesting enough to fire my interest, it would be Doom.

Doom.

edit: I was just thinking, back in those Packard Bell Doom playing days if someone told me "You will be playing this game in virtual reality one day" I would have thought they were reading too much sci-fi. I haven't played it in VR yet but it's just a matter of time now. I hope I don't get hit by a bus.

No Doom isn't the killer app, Fallout 4 is.

[Punisher]

I will be very interested in the reviews for both. So far, I don't see VR being good enough for twitch games where you have to move around. If it's move to a spot and then shoot the waves coming at you, then fine, but not where you have to run and gun.. It's not really responsive enough in my opinion.

[iloveplywood]

I will be very interested in the reviews for both. So far, I don't see VR being good enough for twitch games where you have to move around. If it's move to a spot and then shoot the waves coming at you, then fine, but not where you have to run and gun.. It's not really responsive enough in my opinion.

Have you tried the Serious Sam games? Those are pretty fast shooters and they work great on the vive in my opinion. I'm circle strafing like crazy with the trackpad locomotion. The weird thing is, that I would get a little queasy playing Serious Sam on the PC back in the day but haven't had any problems in VR with the FOV comfort setting enabled. It's really be a revelation to me that super fast shooters can work in VR

[Punisher]

I may try it if I get it for sub $5.. mostly because I never really liked the Serious Sam series...

[Butterknife]

I picked up the Deluxe Audio Strap for the Vive, and it came today. I really like it. It is far easier to put on and take off, and having the headphones built in is so much less trouble than trying to find them after you have already put the headset on (Rift owners never had to hassle that). It is pretty pricey for what it is but I can already tell I'm not going back. I like how well it sits on my head and it seems to work well on my daughter's head too (age 9) so it fits a small head pretty well. I've heard it will fit a large head too.

The best thing though is how quickly I can put it on or take it off. I recommend it if you have the money kicking around.

[sgoldj]

So...Doom is officially in VR. Could this be the killer app?

I was into computing back in the C-64 days, after transitioning from the Atari/Intellivision consoles post-videogame crash. Then I got into other things and didn't touch computers in the late '80s. It wasn't until a friend showed me this new game on his Packard Bell that computers became a thing in my life again. That game was Doom.

If anything could make VR interesting enough to fire my interest, it would be Doom.

Doom.

edit: I was just thinking, back in those Packard Bell Doom playing days if someone told me "You will be playing this game in virtual reality one day" I would have thought they were reading too much sci-fi. I haven't played it in VR yet but it's just a matter of time now. I hope I don't get hit by a bus.

No Doom isn't the killer app, Fallout 4 is.

You're both wrong. The killer app is already released and it is Star Trek :Bridge Crew

[coopasonic]

I thought Bridge Crew was pretty limited in scope?