VRScout

VR Steampunk Opera ‘Miranda’ Is Visually Stunning But Needs Improvement

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 20:41:45 GMT

Full-body motion capture offers a unique, but flawed live theater experience.

This past weekend marked the debut of Miranda, a VR steampunk opera performed live on-stage by a cast of professional actors operating remotely out of Binghamton, NY. In Miranda, one of the city’s wealthiest socialites has been murdered, and it’s up to you to decide who is guilty.

Because this weekend was the first show, the organizers behind Miranda offered free tickets to anyone around the world who wanted to be part of the debut. The show was also live-streamed on YouTube for those without access to VR headsets.

Keep in mind that this is live theater. Miranda features professional actors in motion capture suits performing on-stage in real-time. Things can go wrong. This is why the producers asked for a little forgiveness in case things didn’t go as planned—which they’d didn’t.

I had a ticket for Saturday evening’s performance. Ahead of the show, I was hit with an avalanche of instructions on how to properly set up SteamVR to access the Miranda VR experience. I understand why the team felt it necessary to provide some form of guidance, but the overwhelming amount of instructions—with each email being slightly different—was unnecessary. I could definitely see how all that information could potentially discourage attendees from wanting to participate.

Once I was in the experience, I was placed into a VR lobby before entering the show. Visually, the world of Miranda is nothing short of stunning. Luma, Tri-Cities Opera, Enhance VR, and Opera Omaha put a lot of work into creating an incredible steampunk world that feels like a mash-up of Blade Runner and Knives Out. The avatars of each character looked like they stepped out of a classic Agatha Christie novel.

Unfortunately, I suffered major audio issues during my show. Sometimes I could hear the actors as they went about performing their scenes. Most of the time, however, I could only hear background noise, which was especially disappointing considering the incredible list of talent. Leela Subramaniam, Quinn Bernegger, Trevor Martin, Tehanee Aluwihare, and Timothy Stoddard, all extremely talented actors that I was, unfortunately, unable to fully appreciate.

Miranda also features its fair share of moving camera angles, which proved to be its own challenge. Several times throughout my viewing the camera would pan throughout the virtual environment in order to direct our attention to specific areas of the world. This caused a lot of VR sickness (or motion sickness) for me. Most times I’m able to avoid motion sickness by controlling my in-game movements, using the motion controls to move or teleport throughout my environment.

In Miranda, audiences are guided automatically throughout each scene, sort of like an on-rails shooter. The idea was to replicate the feeling of walking across a stage. In the end, however, this automatic locomotion left me feeling incredibly queasy. It was so bad at times I actually had to step out of VR periodically throughout the performance. Eventually, I had to completely exit the experience because I was so sick. This could be incredibly discouraging to someone who is new to VR, potentially tarnishing their image of the technology as a whole.

To be fair, however, motion sickness should always be approached on a case-by-case. Despite having spent countless hours in VR, there are still several games and experiences that leave me feeling ill, such as Pistolwhip and a couple of levels in Audio Trip. Some attendees may find zero discomforts when it comes to Miranda’s on-rails locomotion.

One question, in particular, came to mind during my viewing: Why didn’t the producers use an existing platform like Engage, VRChat, or AltSpace to deliver their Miranda VR experience? Each has worked very hard to eliminate VR sickness, and any one of them would allow producers to build out a virtual stage for actors to perform in. Plus there is already a large community of users who would be more than willing to support a project like this. Perhaps it came down to issues regarding full-body motion capture.

Like any new idea, we need to give the live VR theater industry space to grow, evolve, and adapt. After all, look at how VR experiences, in general, have changed. We’ve gone from basic 360 videos of roller coasters to sci-fi flight sims like Star Wars: Squadrons.

I do think the producers of Miranda are on to something, and I hope they continue to explore their version of live theater. Even with the audio glitch and VR sickness, the producers as well as the actors should all be very proud of what they’ve accomplished. With the team over at The Under Presents working on their own live VR theater experience, we could be looking at the beginning of a new era in remote entertainment.

Image Credit: Tri-Cities Opera, LUMA, Opera Omaha

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Dynamic VR Film ‘Agence’ Lets You Play God With Tiny AI Creatures

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 18:22:26 GMT

Developing a god complex never felt so good.

Ever wonder what it may feel like to play god? To exhibit total control over an environment and its inhabitants using a series of god-like abilities? What kind of omnipotent being would you be? Kind and nurturing, or cruel and unforgiving?

Available now via Steam and Oculus Rift/Rift S for $2.99, Agence, an interactive VR film developed by Transitional Forms and the National Film Board (NFB) of Canada, offers you the chance to answer these questions for yourself, granting you complete and total control over an adorable race of AI-powered creatures, “Agents,” scattered across a series of tiny planetoids.

As the supreme being to these three-legged Pikmin-like critters, you’re free to either guide and support or meddle and obstruct their tiny existence. Break up fights between Agents or stir up trouble. Stop them from running off the edge of the planet or sit back and watch as they tumble into oblivion. Plant magical glowing flowers that dramatically alter Agents’ attitudes and enjoy the ensuing chaos; the choice is yours.

Some of these Agents have received training by human engineers using reinforcement training. As such, they’ll react to more realistically to your interactions based on your past behavior. They can even learn from your actions. According to Pietro Gagliano, creator of Agence and Transition Forms, the “dynamic film” is as much a social experiment as it is entertainment.

“I think the core artistic vision of this is to cause people to question humans’ role in artificial intelligence, both in its creation and interaction right now,” said Gagliano. “These are virtually living creatures that are learning. They’re learning from us and we’re teaching them. This is a moment that I hope that we look back on in time as, you know, we made the right choices. And we decided to empathize with these creatures that didn’t ask to be born.”

The official Steam listing states that each of the Agents is capable of expressing “fear, curiosity, boredom, or excitement using vocalizations and facial reactions.” Even the remorseless sociopath would have difficulty tossing these cuties into the abyss.

Agence premiered earlier this month at the Venice International Film Festival and is available now for download via Steam and Oculus Rift/Rift S for $2.99.

Image Credit: NFB / ONF

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Design And Race Your Own Car With NASCAR Mobile AR Racing

Sun, 27 Sep 2020 15:40:47 GMT

Compete in AR races against 16 playoff drivers across 10 playoff tracks.

It’s no secret that professional sports have been hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to some smart decision-making on behalf of the NASCAR organization, however, the company has managed to draw big numbers with the iRacing Pro Series, a PC-powered virtual racing series composed of real NASCAR drivers following the actual NASCAR schedule.

And while the American racing league has since returned to its regular format, albeit with strict new policies regarding coronavirus, NASCAR is far from done with its virtual offerings. In honor of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the company has launched an interactive AR racing experience that allows fans the chance to customize their very own race car and test their luck on the virtual pavement.

Available now via the official NASCAR mobile app, NASCAR Mobile Playoffs AR features two game modes: Practice mode and Game mode. “Practice mode” lets you test your newly-crafted racecar on the track to get better accustomed to driving in AR. Once you’ve got a handle on steering, you can head to “Game mode” to compete against NASCAR pros with a playoff-based difficulty system of Levels 1-16.

You can race against all of this year’s 16 playoff drivers across all 10 playoff tracks as they appear in the series. At the time of this writing you can engage in AR races in Darlington, Richmond, Bristol, Las Vegas, Talladega, and the Charlotte Roval, with plenty more still to come:

Monday, Oct. 12 – Kansas, Texas, and Martinsville.
Monday, Nov. 2 – Phoenix.

“Augmented reality is helping us revolutionize the way that NASCAR fans engage with the sport,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR senior vice president and chief digital officer. “Our goal is to bring fans as close to the sport as possible, and AR is an ideal medium to help us accomplish that as we look to engage the NASCAR fans of both today and tomorrow.”

To access NASCAR Mobile Playoffs AR, simply download the free NASCAR mobile app on iOS or Android and select the Mobile Playoffs AR prompt. Then it’s just a matter of allowing the app access to your smartphone camera and scanning a flat surface to place the racetrack.

NASCAR has also released an AR burnout experience that allows fans to perform virtual burnout with official NASCAR vehicles. This can also be accessed via the existing NASCAR mobile app.

Image Credit: NASCAR

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Pinfinity Partners With Star Wars, Marvel, Capcom On AR-Enhanced Pins

Sat, 26 Sep 2020 18:32:22 GMT

Upgrade your wardrobe with animated AR pins of Transformers, Pac-Man, Dungeons & Dragons, and more.

There’s nothing more powerful than a well-placed pin and or button. Whether you’re looking to express your interest in a film or television show, show your support for a specific political candidate, or simply raise awareness for a particular cause, these nifty little accessories have stood the test of time as a powerful form of self-expression and individuality.

The team over at Pinfinity understands this better than anyone, which is why they’ve launched an impressive catalog of enamel pins based on some of the biggest entertainment brands and pop culture icons. But there’s a twist. Unlike your average everyday pin, these digitally-enhanced pins come paired with an official smartphone app that brings each accessory to life with animation, sound, and other interactive elements using the companies proprietary augmented reality platform.

Over on the Pinfinity website, you’ll find an extensive catalog of AR-enhanced pins to collect, from the most popular video game franchises and TV series to individual artists and various other well-known organizations. The following list features just some of the current partnerships as provided by Pinfinity:

Licensed Products
- Hasbro (My Little Pony, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Power Rangers, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering)
- CAPCOM (Street Fighter)
- Bandai-Namco (Pac-Man)
- Henson Studios (Labyrinth, Farscape, Fraggle Rock, Dark Crystal)
- LINE Friends (Brown & Friends)
- Jay and Silent Bob
- Tetris
- Bethesda (Fallout, DOOM, Elder Scrolls)
Special Projects
- Niantic
- Game Mechanic Studios
- We Are Nations
- Manga UK

“I used to make pins for fun and put them on Kickstarter. I noticed more and more pins popping up in retail and online, so I started thinking, how can I take pins to the next level? Then it clicked,” explains co-founder Caleb Paullus.

“With AR, we can utilize our pins to unlock a variety of experiences and as AR grows in complexity and new features (there are some cool ones in the pipeline for our app) we can offer those experiences to the fans!”

Head over to pinfinityar.com now to check out the full catalog of AR-enabled enamel pins. Be sure to download the free Pinfinity AR companion app on iOS and Android in order to access the AR feature.

Image Credit: Pinfinity

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‘Walkabout Mini Golf VR’ Review: Simple & Addictive VR Putt-Putt

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 18:23:51 GMT

Now that’s what I call virtual mini-golf.

Available now on Oculus Rift/Rift S and Oculus Quest for $14.99, Mighty Coconut’s Walkabout Mini Golf VR offers a unique VR putt-putt experience complete with a wide range of uniquely crafted courses, tight putting controls, 5-player multiplayer functionality, and a heap of hidden collectibles to discover.

With over 70 unique holes to conquer, this arcade experience features no shortage of physics-based minigolf content to enjoy. Whether you’re a hardcore putt-putt enthusiast or simply looking for a relaxing sports experience, Walkabout Mini Golf VR features a little something for everyone.

THE ENVIRONMENTS

Walkabout Mini Golf VR features four 18-hole courses in which to complete, each centered around a different theme/environment. There’s Tourist Trap, a sun-baked beachside paradise complete with a shipwreck and torch-lit cavern; Cherry Blossom, a Japanese-inspired hideaway featuring gorgeous cherry blossom trees and Koi ponds; Seagull Stacks, a cliffside sanctuary littered with ancient architecture; and Arizona Modern, a midwestern locale surrounded by large canyons and towering cacti.

Whereas Pro Putt by Topgolf, another VR putting experience, strives to provide the most realistic putting simulation available on headsets, Walkabout Mini Golf VR focuses more on the courses themselves, much like an actual miniature golf range. Each location features its fair share of ramps, tunnels, and various other unique obstacles to overcome. Once unlocked, each locale can be played at night, offering extensive replayability.

THE GAMEPLAY

Putting in Walkabout Mini Golf VR feels incredibly tight. While the interactivity itself is fairly simple (you can teleport throughout the map, pick up hidden collectibles, and snap directly to your ball), impressive physics-based gameplay offers a realistic putting experience that’s as frustrating as it is satisfying. Unlike Pro Putt by Topgolf, however, Walkabout Mini Golf VR features little in the way of help or guidance.

Other than a simple tutorial, you’re pretty much on your own when it comes to figuring out the best angles and routes to take for each hole. So while Walkabout Mini Golf VR may feature more interesting environments and obstacles, Pro Putt by Topgolf is arguably the better option for those looking to improve their real-world putting skills.

THE COLLECTIBLES

Scattered throughout each and every hole is a unique golf ball just waiting to be collected. That’s over 70 balls to find and collect. While I found the collectible golf balls to be an overall forgettable addition at first, I quickly found myself searching high and low for every hidden ball throughout my initial playthrough. There’s just something immensely satisfying about sinking an Eagle and rewarding myself with a new ball. My personal favorite is the old-school Jolly Roger.

That being said you’ll need to keep your eyes open if you hope to collect each and every one. While the hiding spots are fairly obvious at first, the search becomes increasingly difficult as you progress further into the game; or maybe I’m just terrible at hide-and-seek, who knows.

Developed by Lucas Martell and published by Might Coconut, Walkabout Mini Golf VR is available now on Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift/Rift S for $14.99 with support for cross-buy. Plans for an official SteamVR release are currently in the works.

In the future, I’d love to see the addition of new courses and locales; perhaps even a dedicated level designer similar to the one featured in Cloudlands 2.

*This review was conducted using the Oculus Quest*

Image Credit: Mighty Coconut

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Oculus VR Founder Palmer Luckey Backs Unofficial Quest App Store ‘SideQuest’

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 17:45:41 GMT

Everyone’s favorite indie store front raises $650K in funding.

If you own an Oculus Quest headset than chances are you’ve heard of SideQuest, an immensely popular VR app store that allows independent developers a chance to showcase games and apps that have been rejected for publishing on the Oculus Store due to the company’s notoriously strict application system.

Though the project began as a sort of island for misfit apps, the platform has quickly expanded into a full-fledged store complete with both free and paid apps, customer reviews, badge systems, wishlists, even developer awards. Creators Shane and Orla Harris sought to provide an alternative to Oculus’ carefully-curated storefront, one that didn’t require users to jailbreak their devices; users simply need to set their headset to Developer Mode, a quick and easy process.

Credit: VRScout

While speaking to TechCrunch, co-founder Orla Harris stated that roughly 800 new apps have launched on the SideQuest platform within the span of just six months. All this success has caught the attention of some big names within the industry. In an effort to expand their team, the Harris’ recently participated in the BoostVC accelerator, raising an impressive $650,000 towards hiring engineers, a community manager, and a designer.

Among these investors is Palmer Luckey, the original founder of Oculus VR. According to TechCrunch, SideQuest aligns with Luckey’s grand vision of an open VR ecosystem in which no one company maintains a “stranglehold” on the industry: “No HMD manufacturer should have a stranglehold on the VR ecosystem or unilateral control over what people run on their VR headsets, and when I look at Sidequest, I see the spirit of Oculus Share.”

Credit: Orange County Business Journal

Unlike the official Oculus Store, developers who release their games and apps on SideQuest receive 100% of the cut. Add in the ability to crowdsource game testing without the fear of rejection, and you have one hell of an attractive platform for independent developers.

Image Credit: SideQuest

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Oculus Quest 2 VR Cover Now Available For Pre-Order

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 16:51:48 GMT

Keep your new headset looking fresh with an easy-to-clean facial interface.

Look under the hood of the new Oculus Quest 2 and you’ll find a new Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 2k per eye resolution with adjustable optics, and seven onboard cameras. On the outside, Facebook’s new-and-improved standalone headset features a new all-white design that, while futuristic, will no doubt attract its fair share of grime and sweat with use.

Thankfully, the team over at VR Cover is launching its own Oculus Quest 2 facial interface and foam replacement designed to keep your new headset looking pristine no matter how sweaty the session. This all-new facial interface features a variety of nifty features; passive air vents for improved airflow and less humidity, a removable noseguard for less light leakage, and exchangeable foam pads.

Much like the original Oculus Quest VR Cover, the Quest 2 interface will feature two interchangeable PU leather foam replacements. The “Standard” replacement places your face closer to the lenses, creating a larger FOV. “Comfort,” on the other hand, adds additional padding for a more comfortable in-headset experience.

You can pre-order your facial interface now via the official Oculus website for $29.99. Those who sign up for the official newsletter can also score a free lens cover.

In addition to VR Cover, Facebook has also announced a partnership with Logitech to bring a new line of VR-focused headphones to the Quest 2 as well as select keyboards for its Infinite Office platform. Facebook is also offering its own accessories, such as the Elite Strap, Carrying Case, and Oculus Link cable, all of which available for pre-order.

Image Credit: VR Cover

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Fight For Your Chance At A Free Copy Of Team-Based Shooter ‘Frostpoint VR’

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 19:00:44 GMT

You’ll need to move quickly if you want to score one of the 3,000 free copies.

Thirdverse Inc. and inXile Entertainment’s Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds is an upcoming 10v10 multiplayer VR shooter set across an abandoned military base located in the frozen desert of Antarctica. In addition to the PvP combat, players will also need to be on the lookout for a horrifying biomechanical threat looming behind the shadows.

Battles take place across a variety of scenic environments set throughout the isolated compound. Players will have access to a dozen pistols and rifles at launch, each of which featuring their own unique sci-fi design, as well as several other tools and power-ups, including grenades, health packs, tracking upgrades, turrets, and armor upgrades.

Ahead of the games launch this later this year, Thirdverse Inc. and inXile Entertainment are launching a free open beta September 28th to October 10th on Oculus Rift and SteamVR headsets. If you move quickly, however, you may be able to earn yourself a free retail copy of the full game as part of a unique ‘Play to Own’ campaign running throughout the beta.

In order to enter the running, you’ll need to pair your Steam or Oculus account and complete 10 multiplayer matches in a single week. The first 3,000 players to meet these qualifications will be rewarded with a free key for the full retail copy of the game when it launches late 2020.

Next week’s open beta will feature more weapons and tools, additional enemies, and two new maps. A brand new game mode, “Attack and Defend,” will also launch sometime later in the beta.

Visit here to sign up for the free open beta.

“The world in Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds is vast, while the action is dense,” said Kiyoshi Shin, Co-Founder of Thirdverse Inc in an official release. “We want players to be challenged to experiment and find the right combinations of gear and weapons to survive and level up their skills to be effective in this punishing yet highly enjoyable game. We’re looking forward to seeing how audiences respond to Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds’ gameplay in the next several months.”

For more information on Frospoint VR: Proving Grounds visit inxile-entertainment.com/frostpointvr.

Image Credit: Thirdverse Inc. & inXile Entertainment

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VR Multiplayer Shooter ‘Grapple Tournament’ Takes Aim At VR Esports

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 15:57:17 GMT

Improve your teamwork skills through fast-paced vertical combat.

Believe it or not, esports got its start in the ’60s when members of MIT’s “Tech Model Railroad Club” battled each other in a game of Spacewars, a game where players pilot a spaceship crippled with limited fuel and ammunition while attempting to outwit their opponents until there’s only one ship left standing. To make matters worse, players had to do this while navigating their spaceship against the gravitational field of a nearby planet.

This moment is considered by many to be the very first eSports event, and since then, the industry has absolutely exploded.

Since then esports have expanded into one of the fastest-growing competitive sports in the world, currently on track to surpass $1.5 Billion in 2023. But as the global pandemic decimated most live sporting events (though that market is slowly coming back with limited attendance), eSports continued to move forward showing 25% growth during COVID-19.

One VR company looking to ride the wave of eSports is indie developer studio Tomorrow Games with Grapple Tournament, a vertical PVP experience that’s as much fun to watch as it is to play.

Grapple Tournament is a VR arcade shooter where you must leverage quick thinking and physical movements to outwit five other opponents while moving in and out of a 3D arena. Oh, and did I mention you have a powerful grappling hook you can use to launch yourself into the upper levels of the arena? You’ll also have dual-wielded multifunctional weapons at your disposal to take on your opponents in a variety of multiplayer game modes and co-op missions.

Underneath the surface of this high-speed FPS shooter, however, lies an educational team-building activity that could prove immensely useful in a learning environment. Featuring up to six players at a time, teams will take on numerous challenges that require a considerable amount of collaboration, team building, and problem-solving; just some of the many skills you need to survive at work and school.

Three multiplayer game modes will be available at launch:

Free For All: Everyone against everyone, up to 6 players. It can be messy and chaotic and the game isn’t over until only one player is left. Can you outwit your classmates who are coming at you in all directions? If you lose, can you learn from your mistakes for the next round?
Team Deathmatch: Fast-paced, frantic 3 versus 3 combat. Get your weapons and defeat the enemy team with pure skill and finesse. Teamwork is essential here: shield your allies, assist in attacks and if one of your teammates is down, you can use your grapple hook to get to them and heal them! It’s about sharing your resources to help others.
Capture Point: Strategic point capture mode to spice up 3 verse 3 team battles. Stay in the point areas to capture them and utilize all your arsenal to keep them at all costs. The team with the most points walks away victorious! This is where the accounting department can face off against the mobile sales team. Learn strategy and come up with a plan on the fly.

To keep things interesting, you will visit a plethora of carefully-crafted arenas, both outdoors and indoors, for an all-terrain grapple experience. From sci-fi factories and expansive cave systems to Japanese temples or Greek monuments, there’s no shortage of colorful locales in which to shoot your buddies. To help you navigate these environments, players can find special 3D maps scattered throughout each arena. Work smarter…not harder!

Once you master your grappling hook, your enemies (like Kyle in communications or that kid who didn’t pull his weight on the group science project) will never know what hit them! Combine that with the plethora of weapons at your disposal, and you’ll be unstoppable.

Grapple Tournament will be released in Early Access for Steam supporting all major VR headsets around late October 2020 with Oculus and Viveport versions soon to follow.

If you want to apply for the beta test, click here. Join their Discord for more information.

Image Credit: Tomorrow Games

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Where To Pre-Order The Oculus Quest 2

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 18:22:43 GMT

Those in the US will have to wait until late November to get their hands on the new Quest.

To no one’s surprise, pre-orders for the recently announced Oculus Quest 2 VR headset are already backordered on the official Oculus website.

Those in the US who’ve yet to reserve their headset, whether it be the 64GB or 256GB model, will now have to wait until Monday, November 2nd, three weeks after the original October 13th release date.

Meanwhile, those in Canada are looking at a month-long backdate. UK customers fair a little better with the 64GB and 256GB now available October 20th and October 27th respectively. According to research by RoadtoVR, Germany and South Korea are straight out of luck when it comes to availability.

If you’re comfortable purchasing your headset from a third-party source, you can still grab a Quest 2 at launch from several different retailers. At the time of this writing, both Best Buy, as well as Amazon, are still shipping at launch, though there’s no telling how long that will last.

As for accessories, the new Elite Strap ($49) has been pushed back to Sunday, November 8th, the Fit Pack ($39) to Sunday, October 25th, and the Carrying Case to Sunday, October 18th. Amazon is also offering a Quest 2/Carrying Case bundle ($348 for 64GB and $448 for 256GB).

While speaking to RoadtoVR, Facebook said it’s making “many more” units of the Oculus Quest 2 compared to the Oculus Quest, which is good new considering how difficult it was to purchase the original. Considering the $299 pricetag and overall bump in power, I’m sure we can expect additional delays moving foward as more and more people seek to get their hands on this new-and-imrpoved hardware.

Image Credit: Facebook

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Microsoft To Purchase ZeniMax Media, Parent Company Of Bethesda

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 15:59:33 GMT

Microsoft’s acquisition will cost a reported $7.5 billion.

Microsoft has announced plans to acquire American video game holding company ZeniMax Media, owner of numerous high-profile game publishers, for a reported $7.5 billion.

This includes Arkane Studios (Dishonored, Prey), id Software (DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein 3D), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within), mobile game publisher Alpha Dog (Monstrocity: Rampage!, Wraithborne), MachineGames (Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot), Roundhouse Games, formerly Human Head Studios (Rune, Dungeon Defenders II), and Bethesda Softworks (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout).

The acquisition means an additional 2,300 employees and a sizable list of legendary franchises now under the control of Microsoft. In addition to flatscreen gaming, the company now finds itself in possession of a diverse collection of VR properties, including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, DOOM VFR, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, and Fallout 4 VR.

“Bethesda’s games have always had a special place on Xbox and in the hearts of millions of gamers around the world,” stated Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, in an official blog post. “Our teams have a close and storied history working together, from the amazing first DOOM, and its id Tech engine, innovating games on PCs to Bethesda bringing their first console game to the original Xbox, the groundbreaking The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Over the years I’ve had many deep conversations with the creative leaders at Bethesda on the future of gaming and we’ve long shared similar visions for the opportunities for creators and their games to reach more players in more ways.”

Great! I think Microsoft has been a good parent company for gaming IPs, and they don’t have a grudge against me, so maybe I will be able to re engage with some of my old titles. https://t.co/GijQGEL4tZ
— John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) September 21, 2020

“This is a thrilling day for this company, our employees, and our fans. We have enjoyed a close partnership with Microsoft for decades, and this deal is a natural progression of those years working together,” said ZeniMax Media’s Chairman and CEO Robert A. Altman. “The big winners today are our fans. We are continuing to develop our slate of AAA games, but now with Microsoft’s scale and entire Game Stack, our games can only get better.”

According to Microsoft, the deal is expected to close sometime in the ladder half of 2021 and that the “structure and leadership” of Bethesda will remain unaltered.

Image Credit: HTC Vive

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‘Minecraft’ Arrives On PlayStation VR Tomorrow

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 21:35:50 GMT

The free patch update will be available to all PS5 Minecraft owners.

Earlier this month developer Mojang Studios announced that it’s legendary survival crafting game Minecraft would be heading to PlayStation VR sometime near the end of September as part of Sony’s PlayStation VR spotlight.

Tomorrow the company will make good on its promise, launching a free update available to all Minecraft owners that will allow them to access the full Minecraft experience in VR via their PSVR headsets. Players will have access to two game modes: Immersive and Living Room. Unfortunately, PlayStation Move support will not be available at launch. As such players will be using their standard DualShock 4 controllers to explore, craft, and fight their way across everything from frozen tundras to vast underground caverns. Still, there’s nothing quite like experiencing the world of Minecraft from a headset.

Minecraft comes to #PSVR tomorrow! Details on the free update: https://t.co/4ANfdSnLwp pic.twitter.com/Ks8kgpOoLl
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 21, 2020

“It’s been a brilliant team effort and we’re so excited for PlayStation VR’s players to get to experience a gorgeous, immersive version of Minecraft!” stated Robert Carpenter, Mojang Studios Executive Producer for Minecraft, in an official release.

Tomorrow’s free update is available to all owners of Minecraft for the PlayStation 4. Simply download the update and connect your PSVR headset to get started.

Minecraft is available for $19.99 via the PlayStation Store.

Image Credit: Sony PlayStation

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Social Deduction Game ‘Among Us’ Is Here To Ruin Friendships In VR

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 20:51:20 GMT

Rec Room brings the internet’s latest obssession to life in VR.

Developer InnerSloth’s multiplayer party game Among Us has been absolutely dominating the internet as of late, offering players a unique social deception experience that’s quickly testing the limits of friendships around the globe.

It’s a fairly simple premise: Teams of 4-10 players must complete a series of objectives as they attempt to prepare their spaceship for departure. Meanwhile, one or more players will attempt to hinder the group’s efforts by sabotaging the ship, seeding mistrust among the crew, even killing innocent players. Players can accuse one another in emergency meetings and vote on who to eject into space.

It can be a pretty nerve-wracking experience at times; constantly having to watch your back while completing objectives, defending your innocence in emergency meetings. And now you can enjoy all that stressful debating in VR thanks to a custom Rec Room environment built using the apps extensive room-creation tools.

As shown in a video by HairyManLegs, this VR mod drops players into a large interactive spaceship where they are tasked with completing a series of objectives scattered throughout the ship. Sometimes this means frantically smacking a keyboard in order to transfer important data; other times it means activating a scanner to record your biometric data. Meanwhile, one player serving as the Imposter will be skulking in the shadows ready to strike. Imposters have the ability to travel through the ship’s air vents as well, allowing them to travel quickly and quietly throughout the ship.

Once someone discovers a clue or a body, they can then declare an emergency meeting. Here players, are able to talk freely to one another and discuss clues, make accusations, or request a vote. Those suspected of treachery are then ejected from the ship via the airlock which—unlike the adorable original—is slightly more unsettling in first-person. If the Imposter manages to kill every other player then it’s game over.

You can check out the free Among Us VR mod now via Rec Room on Oculus and SteamVR. Those interested in the original 2D game can pick it up for $5 on PC via Steam. There’s also a free mobile version available on iOS and Android.

If you enjoy this VR adaptation, you may like another VR mod of the popular online party game, Fall Guys. Players have gone out of their way to create custom VR renditions in both Rec Room as well as VRChat, allowing players the chance to develop a genuine case of vertigo in a safe environment.

Image Credit: HairyManLegs

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Mini-Doc Debuts Of Brooklyn Juneteenth March Captured In 360 Degrees

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 16:53:31 GMT

The revolution will be documented… in 360.

June 19th (a significant holiday in the United States denoting the end of slavery) this year was both a moment to pause and to celebrate, as well as strike up protests and marches across the country in demand of a better world.

2020 has been fraught with political discord at local and national levels, undeniably upsetting many, especially those bringing attention to the cause of equity for Americans of color. Two creators, Max Noir of FXG Technology of America, and Edwin Rogers, founder of VRvideo, sought out one particular gathering in Brooklyn this summer, hosted by the March For Our Lives organization, and documented the experience as a first-hand account of the intensity and energy at the event.

The educational testimony of this mini-doc features speeches from New York politicians, Senator Zellnor Myrie and Assemblywoman Diana C. Richardson, and showcases how peaceful, spirited, and organized the march was months ago.

VRScout spoke with the creators of the aptly titled, Brooklyn Juneteenth 360 Experience, to hear about their creative process, political standings and the technical aspects regarding the shoot.

Why did you do this project?

Max Noir: “This Juneteenth march was already such a historic moment in itself. We wanted to capture that exact moment where people were coming together to speak out and being activated. By capturing this day through immersive 360 video, it would enable people who were looking back on this day in history, to experience it on an entirely different level. The added layer that 360 video brings lets people think they were part of this time in history.”

Edwin Rogers: “VRVideo.TV is a 360° video channel I have been developing. As a startup founder of color, I have been interested in creating immersive content around the Black Lives Matter movement. My first immersive journalism project was of the Eric Garner Protest in 2015 and I wanted to create another immersive protest video that showed how the protests have evolved. This time around we chose to use a 12K resolution 3D 360° video camera and to shoot the Black Lives Matter Protest in Brooklyn on Juneteenth. Protests were taking place in many parts of New York City on Juneteenth but as a Brooklyn native, I wanted to broadcast the voices in my community.”

What kind of hardware did you use?

Max Noir: “We used two different cameras. I’m not sure what Edwin used, but I used an FXG ET-2. It was shot in 4K stereoscopic. It really demonstrated the short shooting distance, which is 30cm for this camera..which allowed me to get some of those shots like the closeup painting and other closeups.”

Edwin Rogers: “We used custom-built 12K stereoscopic 360° 3D cameras to capture the Black Lives Matter march in Brooklyn on Juneteenth because of its amazing picture quality. Our work can be enjoyed in any VR headset as well as smartphones, tablets, and computers.”

What are your hopes?

Max Noir: “I have multiple hopes. One of them would be that people around the world who couldn’t be there that day could view this film and immerse themselves into that exact moment and feel like they were there. The other is that I hope it will help activate all of the people around the world who are feeling a bit passively empathetic. They care about the Black Lives Matter movement, but not activated enough to really participate or take actions. By putting yourself in a more immersive first-person type of view of those events that day, it places you at the protest and makes you feel this sense of community and, hopefully, you’ll exit the film wanting to be part of the movement.”

Edwin Rogers: “The news and media industries have made a profession of telling viewers what to think and I wanted people to experience history in a new visceral and unbias way. Max and I wanted to showcase the Black Lives Matter Protests that were happening in Brooklyn with the hope that anyone would be able to relive these events and feel what it was like to be there. 360° video allows the viewer to choose their own perspective. It is perfect for capturing historical news. Most major news outlets are afraid to innovate and produce journalism using new technologies. We at VRVideo.tv thrive on creative VR, AR, and XR innovation and hope to be a new source of amazing immersive content. In the future, we plan to live stream immersive news and events directly to phones and headsets.”

What does the Black Lives Matter movement mean to you?

Max Noir: “I guess it means living in a world where people are racially equal and privilege no longer becomes privilege. Instead, it becomes something that everyone has a right to. It’s always hard to talk about these things in a way that feels both completely accurate, sensitive, and from the heart but it also needs to feel truthful to you and it has to feel bigger than yourself.”

Edwin Rogers: “Black Lives Matter is a simple statement of truth created in response to the killing by police of unarmed Black men and women. To me, this movement means Black Unity around this truth and the protests send a clear message to the world. Attack one of us, deal with all of us and our allies.

I remember back in 2015 when Eric Garner was choked to death by Staten Island NYPD police officers. Black Lives Matters was one of many slogans on the hand-drawn posters and those protests but it stuck. Looking back at that work in hindsight I realize that 360° video has the power to transport viewers to see how the movement began.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made group protests even more dangerous, nevertheless, we wanted to march and share this experience. In the pandemic area, this is a social-distance safe way of experience a group event. Some people may be unable to attend the marches in NYC but now they can be there without risking their health.”

In a 360 VR experience, the viewer can become the director, per se; they can focus their attention where ever they’d like. Do you think that kind of personalization has a much deeper impact on the viewer?

Max Noir: “With 2D storytelling, you are only shown what the director wants you to see. Through 360 journalism. It’s the most unbiased type of video journalism that you can conduct. You can choose what you’re filming, but you can’t choose what’s going on around you. The audience is able to choose to fixate on a single subject or a single corner of the film if they wish and follow that. That enables them to view the experience over and over and over again, and by choosing a different subject each time, they would see different aspects of the film they didn’t see the first time.

In the end, they are in the middle of a protest and they chose to be there. Experiencing this moment in VR is a safe place for someone who maybe is not feeling activated. You have activated people already taking action. They’re already going to protest, making donations, reading books, and educating themselves. Then you have people who aren’t taking action. So by giving them this safe environment to put a headset on and have this experience without actually showing up, I think it gives them a lot of space to sort of figure out how they feel.”

Edwin Rogers: “Immersive filmmaking is a new art form that allows the viewer to receive made different experiences from the same content. You can watch it over and over again from a new perspective and notice something you missed. We want to create 360° videos that make you feel like you are a part of the event or walk in the shoes of another.”

What is next for your Juneteenth experience?

Max Noir: “This isn’t just a single project, this will be a series where we continue to film Black Lives Matters protests and capture as many stories as we can and have a YouTube series. But we’d also like to get this outside of the VR community and as many news outlets as we can. I would also love to get it into museums and classrooms.”

Edwin Rogers: “My next project will be focused on Black Lives Matter and other immersive news events. My goal is to use VR Video. TV as a platform to showcase stories of diverse backgrounds and to feature over-ignored in high-tech innovators.”

Feature Image Credit: FXG Technology of America

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