When was virtual reality invented?
Many people assume that virtual reality is a recent arrival on the technological scene, but in fact, it goes back much further than many of us realise. There are three separate issues here which are discussed as separate articles within this section. They inclu Virtual reality timeframe These provide a framework for virtual reality which spans a period of more than 70 years. In this time we saw the development of the first simulation device, the first form of interactive multimedia theatre, and the first head mounted display (HMD) and the use of virtual reality in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). Virtual reality came to the public’s attention in the late 1980’s and 1990’s. This can be attributed to pioneering computer scientist Jaron Lanier who introduced the world back in 1987 to the term ‘virtual reality’. Research into virtual reality continued into Read More...
What is Virtual Reality?
The definition of virtual reality comes, naturally, from the definitions for both ‘virtual’ and ‘reality’. The definition of ‘virtual’ is near and reality is what we experience as human beings. So the term ‘virtual reality’ basically means ‘near-reality’. This could, of course, mean anything but it usually refers to a specific type of reality emulation. We know the world through our senses and perception systems. In school we all learned that we have five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing. These are however only our most obvious sense organs. The truth is that humans have many more senses than this, such as a sense of balance for example. These other sensory inputs, plus some special processing of sensory information by our brains ensures that we have a rich flow of information from the environment to our minds. Everything that we Read More...
Narrows Is A Swashbuckling VR Pirate Adventure From Resolution Games
Resolution Games is back with its fourth VR adventure, and it’s one for fans of swashbuckling sea shanties and shivering people’s timbers. Narrows, as the game is called, is coming soon to Google’s Daydream platform and promises family-friendly pirate adventuring. Little is now about the game yet, but Resolution CEO Tommy Palm is promising the team’s “biggest” experience yet with an intuitive control scheme and an accessible design. Based on the artwork these look like the kind of pirates that might really be nice people and not the real type that, well, yeah. It’s something of a departure for Resolution, which has so far made casual games like slapstick fishing simulator, Bait!, and carnival minigame selection, Wonderglade. Palm himself comes from Candy Crush creator King, and has a keen eye on the trends that will make VR games a hit Read More...
Skyworld Review: Kinda Like Clash Royale’s Anemic Sibling
Platforms: Rift (Reviewed), Vive, Windows Mixed Reality It seems like every other game released for VR is a wave shooter, so as a fan of myriad genres – and particularly strategy games — I was excited to jump into Vertigo Games’ Skyworld and take a spin. Most of Skyworld plays out on the overworld map as a turn-based board game. The setup is pretty standard: manage and gather resources such as iron, wood, stone and magic to build and upgrade an army and ultimately defeat the invading demons. The heart of your kingdom is the castle, which you can upgrade to add better defense and put more generals on the map to take over more regions and challenge opponents. The large, circular fantasy map is bright, colorful, cute and charming, and you can navigate around the board by turning it Read More...
Designing Safety Systems For Intense VR Games
If you’ve played physically active games like Robo Recall or Echo Area in an enclosed space you’ve probably hit a wall or two. In my latest release, The Relentless (Oculus Home, Steam) , I wanted to promote fast movement and punching so I spent time trying to come up with some solutions. I wanted these solutions to blend with the game and if I’ve got things right you won’t really think about them. I’m keen to keep improving my techniques, so if you try the game please let me know in the comments if you found the solutions useful or if you have any other ideas. The following video demonstrates most of the topics covered in the article. No guarantees If you’re going to shut off your audio and visual senses to the real world, totally distract your mind and Read More...
The Biggest Oculus, SteamVR And Windows Releases OF The Week
Welcome to our new list format! As you’ll know, Microsoft released its first Windows VR headsets earlier this month and, well, there are now simply way too many VR releases to keep up with. So we’re doing a bit of a reshuffle ourselves; here you’ll find all the biggest releases for PC-based VR headsets this week, from Oculus Rift to HTC Vive and Windows too. That’s one giant list with lots to talk about. Best dig in! The Big Releases Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab, from Alcon Interactive Group Price: Free (Rift) Jump into the world of Blade Runner once more with this intriguing free experience. It casts you as one of the titular android-hunters, but more interesingly uses volumetric capture to deliver life-like humans in a virtual space. While short, the story it tells does the series justice. Melita: Read More...
I Expect You to Die’s New DLC Level Pulls Into The Station Of Schell Games’ VR Hit
I Expect You to Die has already trapped players in a submarine, forced them to drive a car off a plane, and tasked them with neutralizing a supervirus as part of its virtual reality escape-room action. Developer Schell Games has released the new First Class level. It’s a free download as long as players own the full game, which is available at a discounted price of $20 (down from $25) for the rest of the month. It can be played on the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR. As with previous levels, you play a secret agent — one who’s taking a well-deserved vacation after foiling the plots of the evil corporation Zoraxis. You find yourself on a luxurious train in the mountains of northern India, but of course things don’t remain relaxing for long and you soon find Read More...
The Best Videos And Trailers From This Week
There were lots of new trailers and even a few new games revealed this week, and Jamie took a trip to the Dimension volumetric capture studio in the outskirts of London. Amazon Odyssey Trailer Vive Studios shows you what it’s like to jump out of a plane and parachute into the middle of the Amazon rainforest to explore the lush landscape and document rare species. UK reporter Jamie Feltham visited the UK’s newest volumetric capture studio - Dimension - and brought back this video showing what you can do with the power of full volumetric capture. The Munky revealed a big update for the game that allows you to get drunker and fightier than ever before, complete with a wedding crashing environment.
