Tag Archive

Developer nDreams Brings Bloody Zombies to Xbox One, PS4, Oculus and HTC Vive This September


Posted on August 4, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

I probably lost you at the headline… Zombies and Virtual Reality? Is there a combination of things that been overdone in the past few years than immersive goggles and the undead? Well nDreams’ Bloody Zombies isn’t your typical wave based Zombie FPS title that has risen to flood the steam store as of late. It is more of a VR enhanced title with a cartoony art style and from the promotional trailers and materials looks like it will be one to keep an out on.

Bloody Zombies is a cel-shaded 2.5D brawler with colorful cartoony graphics reminiscent of Cel Damage HD or 2002’s XIII. It looks more like a gruesome over the top vibrant work of art come to life than it does the grey/brown mess other “realistic” zombie titles have adopted (is it fair to call a Zombie game realistic when it involves corpse reanimating themselves?) In this side scrolling beat ‘em up you and four friends get to explore a post apocalyptic London – finding new ways to re-murder the undead before they turn you into one of the shambling hordes. VR and non-VR players battle side by side with VR players being able to unlock hidden secrets for the rest of the party.

Anthony White, co-founder of Paw Print Games had this to say about their latest title in a recent press release:

“We’re massive fans of brawler games and have spent countless hours analyzing the genre, crafting Bloody Zombies in to a modern interpretation of the classics. VR adds a new twist to what is already a great TV experience; enhancing the gameplay and visuals and adding a wow factor. We can’t wait for people to get their hands on Bloody Zombies…”

Bloody Zombies is available for pre-order on both the PlayStation Network and Steam store front. It is currently priced at $15.19 CDN (including a pre-release 10% discount) on Steam, no official pricing is available on the North American PlayStation Store as of press time. It will launch worldwide on September 12th.


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Batman Arkham VR Coming To PC On April 25th


Posted on April 3, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Warmer Bros Interactive Entertainment will be bringing its’ first person VR simulation of the dark knight to Windows when Batman Arkham VR launches on HTC Vive and Oculus Touch on April 25th. Arkham VR will support the Oculus Tocuh controllers and HTC VIVE wands for motion enabled gameplay such as putting on the famous cowl or hurling baterangs.

Batman Arkham VR was originally released on PlayStation VR during the Fall of 2016 and allows players to experience life as both the Bat and Bruce Wayne. On PlayStation it was priced at $29.99 USD, no word yet on what pricing may be on PC.

Here’s the debut trailer:


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GDC 17: Hands-On With VR Sports & Front Defence


Posted on March 1, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Vive Studios will introduce three brand new entertainment experiences for the HTC Vive this spring for owners of the headset. During the first day of the Games Developer Conference I got the chance to sit down with Joel Breton to discuss the three new products – VR Sports, a collection of room scale enabled mini games. Make VR, a tool that helps bridge the gap between Virtual Reality and the real world by bringing support for 3D printers into the virtual space. Finally, Vive Studios also announced Front Defense, a World War II inspired shooter that uses Valve’s room scale technology.

The ten-minute demo of VR Sports and Front Defense that I tried at GDC was my first experience with room scale. Previously I had played Elite Dangerous in VR at E3 2016, set up my own sitting VR experience with motion controllers and played a few demos that used the Xbox 360 controller but this was my first time being able to move freely in the real world while strapped to a VR headset.

VR Sports is exactly what the title implies– table tennis using both room scale and the HTC Vive motion controllers. I was able to use one of the Vive wants to position the ball in front of me and smash it with the paddle in my other hand. It took me some time to adjust to the Vive wands and I found myself smashing the ball just a little hard, sending it flying out of bounds. After a few attempts and some coaching from the helpful HTC staff I was finally besting my computer controlled opponent. While the VR Sports demo at GDC17 was limited against an AI opponent the final game will also support online multiplayer against friends who also have HTC vive setups.

The second, and last, demo that the Vive team had on display was the tutorial level for Front Defence. In this World War II inspired first person shooter players have to fight off waves of enemy soldiers after learning the ropes against stationary cardboard targets. Front Defense gives provides players with a number of different tools of destruction to defeat their enemies – a standard machine gun is wielded in the right hand and reloading is performed by gripping the ammo clip with the left controller and then grabbing a replacement clip from your belt and inserting it into the gun. Rocket launchers also make use of a similar reloading mechanic where I had to reach down and grab a new projectile from an armored case on the ground and then insert it into the back of the rocket launcher. All of these movements added to the immersion and realism that you just don’t get when playing with a standard controller. It did take me some time to adjust to the idea of moving around a virtual space when using the HTC Vive but this is not a limitation of the platform and more getting used to not having to control my movements with an unnatural input device.

I’d like to thank Joel and the Vive Studios team for letting me go hands-on with their upcoming games. For my fist taste of room scale, the GDC demos showed me how impressive premium VR could be with technology as immersive as room scale. Make sure to watch my interview with Joel Breton in the embedded player below:


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Shift Controller To Offer Room Scale Like Experience Without Sensors


Posted on December 28, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Virtual Reality motion controllers can add to the immersion of an interactive experience but setting up various base-stations and sensors can be a daunting task for the less hardcore among us. The Shift cross-platform controller purports to offer a simpler solutions for VR physical presence with a set of motion controllers linked to a pair of sensor armbands worn on the upper arm. Produced by San Francisco based start-up Finch, the Shift is said to match the functionality of the much more expensive HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

How does Finch achieve  these results without the need for multiple sensors in the users physical space? By employing the “inside-out” tracking technology that wraps multiple sensors inside of a device, a technique that is being used by Microsoft & partner’s upcoming line of affordable VR headsets. A player’s hand position are monitored through a set of IMU sensors – similar to the technology already found in the PlayStation Move, Wii Remote and smart phones for gyroscopic movement. By the end of 2017 Finch says that they will launch a “PC – Smartphone bridge” allowing players to use the cameras and sensors in their smartphone to provide room scale equivalent experience.

Developers and early adopters can already pre-order the Finch Shift controller DK1 (developer kit) for $179 USD on their website, with an expected shipment date of Feb 2017. Finch will be launching KickStarter for the controller with the consumer version aiming for a Q3/Q4 2017 launch. They’ll be showing off the controller at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show next month as well.

According to their website the Finch Shift controller will support a number of platforms & engines including Google Android, Samsung GearVR, Unity 5.x, Unreal Engine 4.x, Steam VR, Oculus Home and Microsoft Windows. We’ll have more information on the Shift as it becomes available.

Want to see the Shift controller running in real-time on a Google Cardboard set-up? Here’s a video of one of the developers using an alpha version of the hardware:


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Snakebyte Announces A New Range of Controller Solutions & Accessories


Posted on August 11, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Having a reliable controller is one of the most important aspects when it comes to an immersive gaming experience. Hardware vendor Snakebyte announced a trio of products today that are aimed at bringing a new level of control to the emerging world of Virtual Reality, as well as aiding PlayStation 4 players in the endeavors and lastly facilitating communication regardless of platform of choice.

First up is the VR: Controller which is designed with Virtual Reality in mind – compatible with a number of different devices via Bluetooth the VR: Controller will work wirelessly with devices like the Samsung Gear VR. Android TV Set-top boxes, Amazon Fire TV and smartphones / tablets.  For PC gamers who might use the VR: Controller with an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive but with no Bluetooth connectivity the VR: Controller comes equipped with a packed-in mini-USB cable. When connected with the USB cable the VR: Controller will be read as a standard HID device by Windows.

Snakebyte_VR

Honestly the inclusion of Android specific Back, Home and Menu buttons sets the VR: Controller apart from its contemporaries.  For gamers using a Samsung Gear VR the inclusion of these buttons could easily make it the controller of choice for mobile VR.

On the PlayStation 4 front Snakebyte is prepared to bring what looks to be a solid alternative to the official Dualshock 4 controllers in the form of the Game Pad 4. Offering all of the standard buttons that players expect this controller is 100% compatible with existing PS4 apps and games according to Snakebyte’s marketing materials.

Snakebyte_PS4

Lastly, SnakeByte also announced a mono headset that bridges the gap between Sony and Microsoft’s latest console offerings. Head:Set is a mono headset aimed at easy chat communication that works regardless of your console of choice. If you own both systems having a headset that will work with both consoles is a huge win, especially if you’ve been shouting into your Kinect to send voice messages.

If you want to know more about Snakebyte’s hardware offerings check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

The above images were provided by Snakebyte via marketing materials. 

 


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HTC now shipping Vives within 72 hours of placing an order


Posted on June 8, 2016 by Fionna Schweit

HTC is all caught up (im looking at you Occulus) with their orders for the Vive and are now shipping them with in 48 hours of them being ordered. uploadvr.com is reporting that the HTC group has today announced that it’s stepping up shipping of the HTC Vive. Orders placed through the official Vive site will now ship within two to three business days to any of the 24 countries that the kit is available in.  Well shit, Occulus still hasn’t even gotten their headset out to most of the world and here HTC is just stepping it up, like you want an HMD you can have one in 48 hours practically anywhere in the world. Not only that but the Vive is now available to buy at select retail sites including some Microsoft Stores, GameStops, and Micro Centers. So if you want one in a many places in the US you can just drive down to the local computer store, or Game Stop and get one!

In addition to that over 100 US locations of those stores will be getting demo units in the near future, allowing the common public (like my self) who could never afford a VR HMD to go and take a look at how the other half lives! This can mean nothing but good for HTC whom have clearly come out with an early lead in the VR wars.

HTC’s vive offers whole room vr, with touch controllers, while the Occulus is still having logistic issues with shipping preventing any new orders from going. Occulus does cost less, but they also dont have the whole room VR and the touch controllers are not included. Which one do you prefer? Leave us a comment and let us know.


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Oculus Driver V1.4 Breaks Popular Cross Platform Game Solution ‘RIVIVE’


Posted on May 21, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

A new update to the Oculus Home platform, driver version 1.4, breaks the community created cross-platform enabling RIVIVE modification. RIVIVE allowed owners of the HTC Vive to play Oculus home exclusive titles like EVE: Valkyrie and  Lucky’s Tale without owning an Oculus device.

It appears, according to CrossVR’s research as posted to Reddit, that the latest Oculus Home Update adds a new DRM check that checks whether or not the users Oculus headset is connected to their online platform. While RIVIVE is able to spoof the presence of a headset locally, it does not communicate with Oculus’ servers meaning there is no current way to circumvent the new DRM present in driver 1.4.

Here is the full post from CrossVR:

New Oculus update breaks Revive from Vive

Some users like StarGateCommand have speculated that this new DRM scheme could be part of a long-term plan onthe part of Oculus to  fracture the market.

oculusRiftCV1

Personally, I am all for open standards in VR, as the medium is so new and there are so many different competing standards I can’t help but worry that millions of people will invest in platforms that could be dead within a couple of years.  As it stands right now, this early on, Oculus is kind of the defacto “VR Company”. For non hardcore / enthusiasts users surely the name Oculus carries more weight than VIVE, Google Cardboard or OSVR. Here is hoping that in the long run VR developers can decide on a set of open standards or we could quickly see the death of a number of platforms as exclusive games become walled off behind one VR platform or another.

What are your thoughts on VR exclusivity and walled gardens when it comes to emerging technologies like Virtual Reality?


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Marble Mountain Rolls in | Review


Posted on April 11, 2016 by Erika

Marble Mountain Logo

When I first looked at Marble Mountain, it reminded me of a game that I used to play back in my Commodore 64 days: Marble Madness back around 25 years ago. For people not familiar with that game, the goal was to guide the marble to the exit. Simple, right? With small pathways to navigate and obstacles that deliberately tried to knock you off, along with a very short timer proved many a gamer wrong. Lose enough marbles and you’ve lost the game while probably in a mood to throw a controller due to how difficult the game was. While this game looks deceptively easy to start out in, the difficulty ramps up decently quickly. Thankfully, this game gives some considerations and doesn’t have a lives limit, nor a strict time limit. Billed as combining the gameplay of Marble Madness and Super Monkey Ball (both game series I’ve played before), and giving a cinematic experience of Indiana Jones, Marble Mountain does a good job of conveying those concepts.Read More


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Rumor: PlayStation VR Will Cost $1100+ CDN, Stealth Launch Next Week?


Posted on March 8, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Could the PlayStation VR, formally known as Project Morpheus, make its’ way to retail as early as next week? According a report filed by the Uk’s Daily Mail Sony has sent out invites to an exclusive event centered around the technology for next Tuesday.  This event which is clearly aimed at the tech enthusiast press just so happens to coincide with the 2016 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Citing a retail listing that briefly appeared on Amazon.ca, the Daily Mail estimates that the add-on will be priced at approximately $1125 CDN (or $800 USD). Where things kind of really jump off the rails, so to speak, is their assertion that device will have a stealth launch right after the press event next week.  Not since the disastrous launch of the SEGA Saturn in 1995 has a major gaming company attempted to pull the now famous “and one more thing”, launching a product at the end of a press presentation. While it might work for Apple (repeatedly), would it be the right move for Sony’s fledgling VR technology?

Sony’s major competition in the VR space, the Oculus Rift, launches later this month on the 28th for a suggested retail price of $600 USD. HTC and Valve’s first VR kit, the HTC Vive, will ship a week later on April 5th, and is already available for pre-order at a staggering $799 USD price point. Do you think Sony will beat them all to the punch, even if they launch the PSVR in select markets?

Whatever happens, BrokenJoysticks will be sure to bring it to you. While we have yet to receive an invite for this specific PlayStation event we will have staff on the ground at GDC 2016. VR is sure to be the talk of the show and with just a few short days until the doors open who knows what surprises GDC has in store for us!

PS VR

 


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HTC Vive Pre-Orders Go Online @ $1200 Canadian


Posted on February 29, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

HTC Vive

The impressive VR system that is aware of your movements across an entire room, the HTC Vive is now available for pre-order and they ship to Canada! If you’ve got $1200 dollars laying around then you too can be one of the first to experience consumer ready Virtual Reality.

HTC VIVE Canada

In terms of hardware specs the Vive’s head mounted display contains two 1080×1200 displays each set for 90Hz – meaning your VR games should no at no less than 90 FPS for an optimal experience. Your movement in 3-D space is calculated thanks to an onboard camera and a separate “lighthouse” sensor pods that is placed within your room.

Anyone have a spare $1200 I can borrow?

Here are the official minimum specs for the HTC Vive:

HTC Vive

  • Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 or better
  • CPU: Intel Core i5 4590 or AMD FX 8350 or greater
  • RAM: 4GB or more
  • Video port: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2, or better
  • USB port: 1 USB 2.0 or faster port
  • Windows 7 SP1 or newer

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