Jaunt has been working on immersive VR for quite some time now. It got an infusion of Disney cash a couple of years back and has been steadily adding technology like Dolby audio to it's library of VR content. You can even check out 150 cinematic titl...
Gaming’s seen quite a marvelous evolutionary journey from then to now. The next step’s obviously VR. Oculus redefined immersive gaming, and HTC Vive took it a step forward. Shadow VR shows that the future is still incomplete. VR is nothing without reality, and Shadow VR brings that into play. Designed to provide an experience that is so state of the art, it seems unbelievably natural, the Shadow VR is more than a headset and controllers. The entire kit is highly immersive, containing everything from a depth camera that maps your surroundings, smart wristbands with electromyographic sensors for accurate gesture tracking and control, a CPU mounted on your shoulders so that you can forget about wires, gear with force-feedback tech for tactile feedback, and even a vibration module for enhanced haptic feedback. All this is packaged in an absolutely WICKED setup that allows you to look like an Assassin’s Creed warrior from the future!
What sets the Shadow VR apart from every other VR gaming experience there is how natural this is. When you sword-fight, does it feel natural holding a sword in your hand, or a game controller? The former, I’m guessing. Shadow VR allows you to interact naturally with your environment. Clench your fists and swing your arm when you want to throw a punch. There’s no button for that. Force Feedback will actually allow your hand to feel resistance when your fist hits the virtual enemy. It’s that sophisticated.
Shadow VR also boasts of a MR or Mixed reality mode. That basically allows you to switch to Augmented Reality, allowing you to actually see virtual elements interacting with the stuff around you (like Gal Gadot reading a magazine on your living room sofa). Bachelor fantasies, I say! Shadow VR is definitely the future I look forward to!
Designers: Antoine Beynel, Markus Wierzoch, Shaun Choi & Ben Collette.
I love games where you get to battle it out with giant robot mechs. I grew up on MechWarrior and loved that game. However, I have never been a console gamer, which explains why I have never heard of Steel Battalion. The 2002 Xbox game was a mech fighting game that is perhaps best known for its massive controller rather than the game play.
That controller looks awesome with dual joysticks and lots of toggles you need to flip. David Shuff didn’t think the game was hardcore enough with the giant controller alone, so he built a gigantic custom rig to house the controller and it may be the coolest thing I have ever seen.
The rig is called the B.S.B.B. or Big Steel Battalion Box Mk II. It looks like a giant mech cockpit, complete with flashing lights, and a red hotline phone. The whole thing is enclosed in a box to add to the sense of realism, and has external video monitors and a pilot camera so spectators can see what’s going inside the cockpit.
I want to play this thing so bad. Check out the video and then head to its builder’s website to learn more about the rig and lust after it with me.
[via Kotaku]
A few months ago we found out about the Durovis Dive, a virtual reality gaming headset for Android smartphones. A similar device called vrAse is now looking for funding on Kickstarter. The company behind it claims that future versions will be compatible with all smartphones.
Like the Dive, vrAse uses your smartphone to display 3D content. vrAse is also highly customizable. For instance, you can change its case or its optics to fit your needs. In its default state, its optics can emulate a 200-inch movie screen, though they don’t specify what distance that would be viewed at. Most of all, you can easily upgrade its “hardware.” All it takes is to swap in a better phone.
Pledge at least £48 (~$74 USD) on Kickstarter to get a vrAse case as a reward. But before you pledge know that the Kickstarter release of vrAse will only be compatible with six smartphones: the iPhone 5, the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z, the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
I’m excited to see 3D gaming being more and more affordable, but I don’t think we can compare vrAse to the Rift. First off, the vrAse is only compatible with media and games that are in Side by Side (SbS) format. Second, it doesn’t seem to have its own head-tracking software, which is a big part of what makes the Rift so immersive. Perhaps developers can integrate head-tracking into their games or apps if vrAse takes off. Finally, the Rift has a distinct advantage in terms of hardware, because PCs are more powerful than even the latest smartphones. Still, I think many people would love to enjoy immersive 3D video or mobile games for the right price. Perhaps Dive and vrAse are on to something here.
[via DVICE]