Showing posts with label Oculus News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oculus News. Show all posts

Friday, October 23, 2015

Eight VR headsets your eyes need to see

Virtual reality is almost upon us. And no, this isn't the heavy, constrictive, poorly animated VR you might remember from the early '90s. These modern entries into the VR space are lighter and faster, and pump out the sort of fantastical 3D worlds our younger selves always dreamed of experiencing.

While some of these devices are expected to show up by the end of the year, most won't be arriving until the start of 2016. But we've had a chance to try them all. Here's the current state of the headsets (and more) that are competing for a chance to change the way we see the world.


HTC Vive

Release date: Later this year


The Vive is a blend of HTC hardware and Valve technology, an unlikely partnership that has produced one of the most exciting virtual-reality demonstrations yet. Arriving later this year in "limited quantities," the to track your position in a room. It won't be the only Valve-powered VR headset, but models from different partners have yet to rear their heads. Expect to see plenty more of the HTC Vive in 2016, when the device will be available to more folks.

Oculus Rift

Release date: First quarter, 2016

Oculus' vision of virtual reality has been in the works for years and is arguably the best-known example of what VR technology can do. While we've gotten a glimpse of the final version of the headset and have been told a tentative release date -- the first quarter of 2016 -- there's still no word on a price.


Oculus will also work with Microsoft's Xbox One console. The Rift will ship with an Xbox One controller and a camera that'll track your body's movements. You'll be able to stream Xbox One games to the Rift as long as it's connected to a PC running Windows 10. Oculus has also developed a pair of touch controllers, dubbed Oculus Touch, that offer a more tactile approach to gaming in virtual worlds.

Sony PlayStation VR

Release date: 2016


Sony's foray into virtual reality comes in the form of a slick headset with a 5.7-inch OLED display and a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution. Originally known as Project Morpheus, PlayStation VR will connect to Sony's PlayStation 4. PlayStation Move controllers and the PlayStation Camera control the action, though you can also use the PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 controller. We've had a few opportunities to take PlayStation VR for a test drive, but the most crucial details are still a mystery: there's no word on price or availability. One thing we can tell you is that we should see this headset come to fruition sometime in 2016.

Samsung Gear VR

Release date: November 2015

If you want to experience virtual reality sooner rather than later, you'll be interested in the Samsung Gear VR. The only catch? This $99 headset is limited to folks who own a newer Samsung phone. It'll work with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, and also the larger Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+.


A clever sliding mechanism keeps the phone snug in the headset, no matter its size. And the content comes from your phone, so there's nothing to plug into a PC or game console. Turn your head and a bevy of sensors will let you control the action. You can also pair your phone with a Bluetooth gamepad for something that comes close to a traditional gaming experience.

Razer OSVR Hacker Dev Kit

Release date: Available for preorder October 23


Razer is hoping to make virtual reality a tad more democratic with the OSVR Hacker Dev Kit. This headset is designed to be futzed with. You can pair it with a phone or PC, add controllers and even 3D-print your own parts. For the latest version of the device, Razer has added an OLED display and made plans for modular faceplates available, so you can build your own upgrades. But be warned that this one's primarily aimed at tinkerers, so don't expect as polished an experience as you'll find with the competition. If your interest is piqued, it'll be available for pre-order on October 23.

Google Cardboard

Release date: Available now


Samsung's Gear VR brings virtual reality to mobile. Google Cardboard brings mobile virtual reality to the masses. It's not the most impressive piece of hardware, as it's made entirely out of cardboard. Sure, it looks a little goofy. But cobble it together from a smartphone and a pizza box ( no, seriously) and you've got a tantalizing taste of what the technology has to offer.

Microsoft HoloLens

Release date: First quarter, 2016


Microsoft's HoloLens is something different entirely. It's an augmented-reality device, and it essentially superimposes text, images and objects onto your field of vision. This could mean having a Skype conversation that hovers a few feet over your head, strolling the surface of Mars in your living room or blowing up said living room to ward off a lilliputian zombie horde. At the moment it's strictly for developers. Kits are available on an invite-only basis in the US and Canada, but you'll have to pony up $3,000 for the chance to develop for HoloLens. The developer kit will arrive in the first quarter of 2016.

Magic Leap

Release date: Unknown


And then there's Magic Leap. This secretive, Florida-based company has promised an augmented-reality experience that'll rival Microsoft's HoloLens, and has financial backing to the tune of $542 million from companies such as Google, Qualcomm, and Legendary Entertainment. But the video above is purportedly a look at the hardware in action, and it doesn't fail to impress.

Learn how to have 3D Movies Entertainment on Gear VR, Rift DK2, Google Cardboard, etc. here.

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Source: http://www.cnet.com/news/vr-gear-devices-release-dates/

Monday, October 12, 2015

VR Oculus Rift 3D Movies - The Complete List

Updated compilation of VR Oculus Rift movies. As Virtual Reality is getting bigger and bigger, it’s only a matter of time till we get regular movies or cartoons made specifically for VR devices. We do not know how long they will be but as far as we know, they work best if done in short bursts.


Upcoming VR/ Oculus Rift Movies (Movies That Are Made Specifically For VR/ Oculus Rift)

1. Name: MansLaughteroculus rift movies

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Director: David Marlett

Made by: Cinemersia

Release Date: August 15, 2015

About: Five people in tangled relationships discover an extraordinary opportunity: one of them has won a $265 Million Lotto ticket and is cautiously waiting to turn it in. But delay is not his friend, nor are the other four, as it gives them time for deception, double-cross and murder in order to claim the ticket for themselves. But who will end up with the money? Pay attention all around you to find out.

In this revolutionary, original film, you’ll have a never-seen-before experience. After putting on virtual reality headgear (like an Oculus or GearVR), you’ll find yourself in a virtual world, amid a web of lies and murder. Here time is collapsed and four scenes (that would otherwise happen on different days in the real world) are happening simultaneously all around you.

2. Name: INNERDRONEoculus rift movies

Genre: Action

Director: David Marlett

Made by: Cinemersia

Release Date: Early 2017

About: Master Sgt. Marina Peters was just doing her job.  As a U.S. Army Special Forces Drone Ranger, she came to work each day in fatigues, ready to do battle, ready to assault an ISIS target, ready to save the day, ready to kill if necessary, whenever and wherever she was required to go…in Tampa, Florida.  Then she would drive home each night, half-baked, to her children and her crumbling marriage.  But when she was on base, in that contact room, Marina was a force to be reckoned with…thousands of miles away.  There, inside her assigned DX, her battle drone self, she was invincible. Or so she thought. So we all thought. Until that Tuesday at 1:16 in the morning…on that goddamned, windswept mountain in Syria.

In this gripping, first-in-the-world, hybrid framed/VR series, experience humanity and machine in a combination of traditional filmmaking and virtual reality cinema.

3. Name: ARAPAHOoculus rift movies

Genre: Unknown

Director: David Marlett

Made by: Cinemersia

Release Date: Early 2017

About: In 1852, on the Great Northern Plains of America, Black Eagle rouses his Arapaho hunters, plays with his children, and eats smoked venison strips as his sister paints his face for the hunt. When finished, he pauses to lift prayers to the Spirits. It will be three days before he and the buffalo party return, hopefully with the success he now prays for. But all know his other prayer, what weights his heart and fills his thoughts. His wife, Sun Bird, was kidnapped by a Pawnee raiding party over two moons prior and remains lost. Every ride out, every hunt, is a chance for Black Eagle to search new ground, to seek any sign of her. Today he feels she is near.

In this first-of-its-kind, virtual reality feature film, you will be immersed there on the prairie, out with the tribe, and there you will hear Black Eagle’s prayer and you will get to make that pivotal decision early in the film.  That decision will decide the fates of Black Eagle, Sun Bird, and his Arapaho tribe. If he rescues his wife, they will miss the roaming herd and one among them will be killed. If he doesn’t find her beads that lead to her, they will have a successful hunt, the tribe will have buffalo for the coming winter, but his wife will be lost forever.

4. Name: BLUE HIGHWAYoculus rift movies

Genre: Unknown

Director: David Marlett

Made by: Cinemersia

Release Date: 2018

About: After two strangers pass each other on a lonely highway, they’re each pulled over and taken to an isolated police station where they’re interrogated about a murder that maybe one or both of them committed. This immersive, surreal journey into the realms of forgiveness, despair, guilt and love is an experience that will take hold of you…and never let go.

BLUE HIGHWAY will be the first full-length, live-action, dramatic movie made for experiencing inside virtual reality.

5. Name: Lostoculus rift movies

Genre: Unknown

Director: Saschka Unseld

Made by: Oculus Story Studio

Release Date: End of 2015 

About: Lost takes the viewer on a journey to a moonlit forest inhabited by an unexpected creature.

Lost was built in Unreal Engine 4 for Crescent Bay and mixes hand animation with procedural animation to better transport the viewer. The team has been working to expand Unreal 4’s cinematic and storytelling toolset — Lost uses custom gaze controls to tailor the experience to the individual viewer, allowing for a unique pace to the story each time.

6. Name: Bullfighteroculus rift movies

Genre: Unknown

Director: Unknown

Made by: Oculus Story Studio

Release Date: End of 2015 

About: “…an experience that places you face to face with a raging bull.”

More information coming soon.

7. Name: HenryHow much does oculus rift cost

Genre: Unknown

Director: Ramiro Lopez Dau

Made by: Oculus Story Studio

Release Date: End of 2015

About: This animated movie is targeted more towards children. We enter into the story on the day of his birthday. He is all alone and he makes a wish for more friends.

When you start, you sit right there where Henry lives. By interacting in the movie (yes, it is now a thing in VR), you’ll notice that you just want to hug him.

8. Name: Dear Angelicaoculus rift movies

Genre: Unknown

Director: Unknown

Made by: Oculus Story Studio

Release Date: End of 2015 

About: “It will put you in a comic book world.”

All of these animated movies will give you a 360 VR experience you cannot try anywhere else. Although little is known how it all works and will work in the future, there is at least some level of interactivity in them. According to The Verge, some scenes may only trigger if you look at it.

But, as these films are not yet released, I can give you a list of all the movies that give you a good 3D experience (all the fake 3D movies were removed)

3D Movies That Work Well With Oculus Rift/ VR

2015 Movies:

B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldy Operations

Everest

Every Thing Will Be Fine

The Good Dinosaur

Home

Hotel Transylvania 2

Inside Out

The Martian

Minions

Pan

San Andreas

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

The Walk

2014 Movies:

Appetite for Democracy 3D

Big Hero 6

The Book of Life

The Boxtrolls

D-Day, Normandy 1944

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dolphin Tale 2

Exodus: God of Kings

Goodbye to Language

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Hunter

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar

James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge

Khumba

The Legend of Hercules

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return

The Lego Movie

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

The Nut Job

The Penguins of Madagascar

The Pirate Fairy

Planes: Fire and Rescue

Pompeii

Postman Pat

Rio 2

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Space Pirate Captain Harlock

Step Up All In

Transformers: Age of Extinction

X-Men: Days of Future Past

2013 Movies:

47 Ronin

Amazing Ocean 3D

The Banshee Chapter

Battle of the Year

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

The Croods

Despicable Me 2

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

Epic

Escape from Planet Earth

Flight of the Butterflies

Free Birds

Frozen

The Great Gatsby

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Inside the Mind of Leonardo Da Vinci in 3D

Jack the Giant Slayer

Jerusalem: Filmed in Imax 3D

Metallica Through the Never

Monsters University

Nurse 3D

One Direction Concert Movie

Oz: The Great and Powerful

Spiders 3D

Stalingrad

Texas Chainsaw 3D

Twist

Turbo

Walking with Dinosaurs

Yellowstone 3D – America’s Greatest Wonder

The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet

2012 Movies:

The Amazing Spider-Man

Bait 3D

Brave

Cirque du Soleil – Worlds Away

Dead Before Dawn 3D

The Dino King

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

Dredd

Finding Nemo 3D

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

Hellbenders

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Hotel Transylvania

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Katy Perry: Part of Me

Life of Pi

Madagascar 3

Monsters Inc. 3D

Ocean Circus 3D

ParaNorman

Piranha 3DD

Pirates! Band of Misfits

Prometheus

Resident Evil: Damnation

Resident Evil: Retribution

Rise of the Guardians

Scorpions Live in 3D

Secret of the Wings

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

Static

Step Up Revolution

StreetDance 2

Underworld Awakening

Universal Soldier

Wreck-It Ralph

WWII in 3D 

2011 Movies:

The Adventures of Tintin

Arthur Christmas

Born to Be Wild 3D

Cars 2

Cave of Forgotton Dreams

The Darkest Hour

Dolphin Tale 3D

Drive Angry

An Elf’s Story

Fields of Valor: The Civil War

Final Destination 5

Flying Monsters 3D

Fright Night (in 3-D)

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie

Gnomeo & Juliet

Happy Feet 2 in 3D

Horrid Henry

Hugo

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas

Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D

Kung Fu Panda 2

Mars Needs Moms!

A Monster in Paris

Nova Zembla 3D

Pina

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Puss in Boots

Rescue

Rio

Sanctum

Sector 7

Sex & Zen 3D

Shark Night 3D

Tormented

The Three Musketeers

TT3D

Torrente 4

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

2010 Movies:

Alpha and Omega

Animals United

The Child’s Eye

Despicable Me

How to Train Your Dragon

Jackass 3D

The Last Reef

Legend of the Guardians

Legends of Flight

Megamind

The Mortician

Natalie

The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Film

Resident Evil: Afterlife

A Turtle’s Tale

Saw 3D

Sea Rex

Shrek Forever After

Space Chimps 2

StreetDance 3D

Step Up 3D

Tangled

Toy Story 3

Tron Legacy

Yogi Bear

2009 Movies:

Astro Boy

Avatar

Coraline

A Christmas Carol

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Dark Country

The Final Destination

The Hole

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Jonas Brothers 3D

Monsters vs. Aliens

My Bloody Valentine 3D

Shock Labyrinth

Under the Sea 3D

Up

2008 Movies:

Bolt

Dolphins and Whales

Fly Me To the Moon

Hannah Montana

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Kung Fu Panda

Scar

Wild Ocean

2007 Movies:

Battle for Terra

Beowulf

Meet the Robinsons

U2 3D

2006 Movies:

The Ant Bully

Deep Sea 3-D

Monster House

Night of the Living Dead 3D

Open Season

2005 Movies:

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl

Aliens of the Deep

Chicken Little 

2004 Movies:

Ghosts of the Abyss

Spy Kids 3-D

2003 Movies:

Ghosts of the Abyss

Spy Kids 3-D 

2000 Movies:

Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man

1999 Movies:

Toy Story 2

1995 Movies:

Toy Story

How Does it Feel And How to Setup

Trust me on this one, Oculus Rift gives you a much better 3D experience than theaters and cinemas do. Even home theaters do not live up to the level of 3D quality. Now you can argue about the resolution, but since VR head-mounted displays will get better and better each year, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem for the long-term.

What Oculus Rift really takes advantage of is scale. No other device can give you this kind of experience. It’s as if you are truly there, in full size. The feeling of elephant coming closer to you, huge skyscrapers towering over you, and all the other scaled objects can give you shivers, literally. And if to add the real 3D, no layer bull****, I start to believe that Oculus Rift movies, or soon-to-be-called VR movies will conquer the world of cinema. Why would you buy an expensive flat screen TV, why would you go to cinemas? Well, actually I would go just because it’s a bit louder there, and going to cinema with friends makes more sense. But other than that, I really don’t see any other advantages.

If you also want to experience at least the 3D movies mentioned above, first you need to do is download:
  • LiveViewRift (you can try other VR movie programs).
  • Have Rift in extended mode.
  • Start LiveViewRift.
  • Press “+” and type the name of the movie you are going to watch.
  • In the Layers section set Current Layer to layer 1 (Background). Set Type to Video. If there are any other Layers delete them.
  • Drag the video file to the Video-Path/Url window.
  • Press “test” in Cam-Setup to see if the video actually plays and it is in the format you think it is in.
  • In the Environment Section set Scene = Black and check the Scene Placement
  • Check Start in Full Screen, Pacific Full Screen, Show Hud on Start Up. Uncheck Show H&S Warning.
  • Click Start and put on HMD. You should see the HUD. Look straight ahead with the head level.
Learn how to Using Your Own 3D Videos For VR Oculus Rift in Oculus Cinema here.

With the help of iFastime Video Converter Ultimate, you can transform protected and region-locked DVD/Blu-ray and other 4K/SD/HD video in any formats to VR headsets with excellent 3D effect. If its 2D to 3D conversion function doesn’t attract you. It also enables you to adjust 3D effect and reset the output video size to get better 3D movies for Gear VR, Oculus Rift DK2, VR One, Google Cardboard, etc. 

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Friday, September 25, 2015

Top 5 virtual reality games using Oculus Touch

Los Angeles: Oculus is getting touchy.

The virtual reality creator invited attendees at its second annual Oculus Connect conference to go hands on with games for the consumer rendition of its Oculus Rift headset using Oculus Touch hand-held controllers.


"The biggest challenge for us to solve was adding support for dual controllers," said Nick Donaldson, senior designer at Epic Games. "We never had the concept that the player would have more than one controller in their hands. Now, we can't really imagine it any other way."

Several of the demos on display at the three-day event this week are intended to launch early next year alongside the VR system, although Facebook-owned Oculus has yet to announce the system's price or release date.

A look at five games utilising Touch:

1. Bullet Train

The most polished of the demos on hand at Oculus Connect came from developer Epic Games, best known for the "Gears of War" series.

"Bullet Train" is essentially an interactive version of "The Matrix," where users can teleport across a train station, shoot baddies, bend time and catch bullets.

The demo flawlessly showcased the Touch controllers' ability to mirror hand movement, whether that meant gripping a shotgun or punching a soldier.

2. Surgeon Simulator

Bossa Studios' surgery simulator series ventured into outer space at Oculus Connect with an "Alien Autopsy"-inspired level.

In the wacky demo, players are space surgeons who must use various medical implements to remove an explosive organ from a big-eyed extraterrestrial.

The combination of an instinctual control scheme and some gravity-defying physics provided an extremely silly sense of presence for wannabe quacks.

3. Dead and Buried

This wild Western-themed shooting gallery put players above a canyon where everything is a target — from mine carts to lanterns.

The player is virtually armed with a pair of surprisingly intuitive six-shooters, which must be reloaded by actually flicking the Touch controllers.

"Dead and Buried" is ultimately gimmicky, but the demo's shooting controls offered a glimpse at how precise a first-person shooter could feel inside Oculus.

4. Pulsar Arena

"Tron" meets "PaRappa the Rapper" in this overwhelming rhythm game where the goal is to blast floating balls along to a pulsating beat.

It's basically a hyper take on tug-of-war set inside an hourglass-shaped stadium where players compete against a computer-controlled opponent.

With its flashy futuristic aesthetic, "Pulsar Arena" proved to be an immersive experience. However, the minimalistic gameplay won't leave any lasting VR legacy.

5. I Expect You to Die

Schell Games' quirky spy simulator strands players in a deathtrap-filled car parked inside a gas-filled cargo plane. The mission? Escape!

The controllers are mimicked in the virtual driver's seat as hands which can push buttons, grab bombs, turn keys and open the glove compartment.

"I Expect You to Die" is a maddeningly fun, tactile interactive experience, and it's proof that problem solving in VR will shake and stir Oculus users.

Also read A New Samsung Gear VR Might Be In The Works For 2016

Tips: 

Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset not only for playing games, but also a headset on which you can play your own movies using the Oculus Cinema with brilliant immersive viewing experience. Then how can we watch 3D movies on this cutting-edge development kit?

Here are related tips: 
Source: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/tech/top-5-virtual-reality-games-using-oculus-touch-1116154.html