Chiaro and the Elixir of Life is a great indie VR game seeking funding.

After 2 years of work on Chiaro, Martov Co. has launched a Kickstarter campaign to engage with the deeply passionate VR and gaming communities, and get funding for the final months of production. The campaign is live now, and will run until Tuesday, July 3rd, 2018: bit.ly/chiaroVR

Martin Bradstreet, CEO and Co-Founder of Martov Co. explains: “Anyone who’s tried virtual reality will tell you it’s absolutely world-changing. Right now, the industry is young compared to console games, but the users are hugely passionate and energized about the possibilities it opens up. Everyone I speak to at events or in the community has the same question ‘Where are the high-quality games? Where is the amazing content?’ They want to jump inside the magical worlds they loved in games like Zelda or movies like Howl’s Moving Castle. Chiaro and the Elixir of Life brings that magic to life. We can’t wait to share that experience with them, and have them help nurture this unique and exciting moment in entertainment history with us.”

Incredibly immersive and gorgeously rendered, Chiaro and the Elixir of Life transports players into the magical realm of Neverain, where they decipher puzzles and mysteries left behind by the Alchemists, the mysterious and powerful creators of the fabled Alive Machines, in the hopes of unlocking the enigma at the heart of Neverain -- the Fountain of Elixir.

Chiaro and the Elixir of Life will be released on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive in July 2018, with a potential release on PSVR planned for later that year. 

Blockchain Studios debuts CryptoCarz, collectible racing cars for VR gaming, at Consensus 2018

Today at Consensus 2018, Blockchain Studios announced the launch of CryptoCarz, the most advanced Ethereum-secured collectible asset yet. CryptoCarz are unique, limited-edition virtual cars that can be collected and then raced on a brand-new platform made for the rapidly growing eSports market.

CryptoCarz is a multiplayer, fully immersive Virtual Reality-enabled racing experience. In order to race, you will need to buy or hire a car. Each one is different in both look and performance characteristics. Ownership of each car is recorded using the Ethereum blockchain to guarantee car ownership, and can be bought and sold as a digital asset.

Twenty car models representing the top cryptocurrencies have been initially selected for the game. Each model will have a maximum production run of 650 virtual vehicles, all hard-coded and numerically-defined using a smart contract. No more of these car models will be produced in the future. Each car has different characteristics, like a physical race car would, which are designed to affect game dynamics and ensure competitiveness across each race.

Initially, the cars will be sold via the official CryptoCarz website through a series of online auctions. CryptoCarz vehicles exist on the Ethereum blockchain as ERC721 non-fungible tokens to enable easy transferring of ownership. Once purchased, a buyer will retain ownership of their car stored in their wallet. In the coming months, a dedicated CryptoCarz marketplace will open to enable users to freely trade their cars on the secondary market.

Daniele Sileri, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Blockchain Studios said: “CryptoCarz is the first platform to bring together blockchain, VR and gaming technologies. By giving gamers news options to visualize, own and adapt and race their own car, we think a new era in gaming has arrived.”

 https://cryptocarz.io/

ZONE OF THE ENDERS remaster coming to PSVR!

Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. announces today that ZONE OF THE ENDERS: The 2nd RUNNER – M ∀ RS will release on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR, and PC via Steam on September 6th. Players can pre-order the game starting today for all platforms.

ZONE OF THE ENDERS: The 2nd RUNNER - M ∀ RS is the remaster of the original title with beautifully enhanced graphics and re-engineered audio made for next-generation consoles and PCs. Players will be immersed in exhilarating high-speed mech-action combat all in third-person 4K or experience the full game for the first time in VR.

ZONE OF THE ENDERS: The 2nd RUNNER - M ∀ RS will include the following new modes and features:

• Optional “Pro Mode” controller setup allows for faster selection of sub-weapons to help engage in rapid-fire combat
• “Very Easy” difficulty setting offers an alternative option for players who wish to enjoy the cinematic experience of the game’s story or are new to VR
• Various training modules and a mini-map
• Additional VR content for an even more captivating experience:

• 3D Hangar: Interact with Jehuty in VR
• 3D Model Viewer: Explore various refined 3D models in full 360 degrees 
• Cinematic Theater: After completing the game, unlock the ability to re-watch any story sequence with the option to view cut-scenes in full VR

Players who pre-order a digital copy from PlayStation™ Network will receive a special PS4™ “Welcome to M∀RS” Theme, as well as Zone of the Enders avatars.

KONAMI will soon release a 4K and VR demo version on The PlayStation™ Store for players to offer a hands-on experience of ZONE OF THE ENDERS: The 2nd RUNNER - M ∀ RS prior to launch.

ZONE OF THE ENDERS: The 2nd RUNNER – M ∀ RS will launch on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR and PC via Steam on September 6th at an SRP of £24.99.

Pre-order now at: https://www.konami.com/games/zoe_mars/eu/.

For more information, please visit: www.konami.com/games/zoe_mars/eu/.

Former Valve writer and VR ambassador Chet Faliszek signs on with the team behind hit VR shooter Arizona Sunshine

Vertigo Games, the VR game studio behind hit VR shooter Arizona Sunshine, today announced that Chet Faliszek has joined its advisory board. Faliszek will be providing the company with strategic counsel as it enters the next phase of growth with an undisclosed VR title currently in development.
 
Faliszek was at Valve for 12 years where he was co-project lead on the Left 4 Dead series and a writer/developer on numerous franchises at Valve including Half-life, Portal, and CS:GO. As the company launched the VIVE VR system in conjunction with HTC in 2016, his role as Valve’s VR ambassador put him on the forefront of the VR industry.
 

“Vertigo was one of the first companies I reached out to when we started assembling our initial roster of developers for the Vive reveal. Their ability adapt and work on emerging technologies is amazing. I can't wait until they can start sharing what they are working on and their future plans,” said Falizsek.
 
“Chet has been invaluable to shaping today’s VR market. He helped numerous companies like Vertigo Games take their first steps in VR and we wouldn’t be where we are now without his guidance,” said Richard Stitselaar, Studio Director at Vertigo Games. “Fast forward 5 years and we are excited to have Chet join our advisory board to help take the company to the next level.”

For more information about Vertigo Games, visit http://vertigo-games.com.

STAR TREK: BRIDGE CREW BRINGS THE NEXT GENERATION TO LIFE IN NEW EXPANSION

Today, Ubisoft® announced that Star Trek™: Bridge Crew - The Next Generation, the new expansion for Star Trek: Bridge Crew, will be available for PlayStation®VR and PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, playable both with and without VR, on May 22nd 2018 for £11.99. Star Trek: Bridge Crew - The Next Generation will be available on PC on July 21st 2018, for VR players, with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality support, as well as for non-VR players. The expansion will be playable cross-platform across all devices.

Players can now continue their voyage in the Star Trek universe as they take the helm of the Galaxy Class starship, the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D, from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Players will be forced to test their combat skills against cloaked Romulan fleets and the villainous Borg in the Ongoing Voyages mode.

The Next Generation Expansion enhances the Ongoing Missions mode and offers two additional mission types, Patrol and Resistance. Patrol Mode gives players the opportunity to free roam in space, while experiencing random encounters and objectives, for endless hours of adventure on-board the U.S.S. Aegis, U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 or the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D. In Resistance Mode, players will get the chance to face a fan-favourite villain - the unstoppable Borg. Players will evade a pursuing Borg Cube and will be tasked with completing a series of objectives before battling the Borg in a final showdown.  

Additionally, the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D will introduce a new command role, Operations, which will focus on Crew Management. Those in the role will need to plan ahead and assign the correct NPC teams to each location on the ship, as each position is crucial to the success of the varied missions and to the safety of the crew.

For more information about Star Trek: Bridge Crew, please visit startrekbridgecrew.com.

PlayStation’s Editor’s Choice Award Recipient Moss gets Physical Disc Release this June

Polyarc, in partnership with Perp Games, announced today the upcoming physical disc release for Moss, the acclaimed action-adventure puzzle game for PlayStation VR. Since launching as a digital download-only game in the PlayStation Store on February 27, Moss has soared to the top of the charts to become the highest-rated PSVR game of 2018. Now, the fan favorite is coming to retail stores nationwide.

Scheduled to drop June 12, 2018, the Moss disc can be pre-ordered for $29.99 MSRP from select retailers and will be available for purchase at Amazon, GameStop, BestBuy, Target and Walmart upon launch.

“Our goal when creating Moss was to build a special, unique world people could transport themselves to and really experience the magic of VR,” said Tam Armstrong, co-founder and CEO of Polyarc. “Launching Moss as a digital-only game was a great way to introduce Quill to players around the world. And now, with the release of the Moss disc, we’re excited to share with even more players who prefer a physical copy of the game.”

Moss’s first showing during Sony’s 2017 E3 press event captured fans’ imaginations with its intuitive gameplay, creative design, and high degree of artistic polish. Since then, the game has earned more than 20 global awards and nominations and currently ranks as the top PlayStation VR game released this year on Metacritic.

“Like the rest of the world, we fell in love with Quill when we first met her during E3 last year. Polyarc combined incredible storytelling techniques with extensive development skills, and the result was outstanding,” said Rob Edwards, managing director of Perp Games. “Moss is quite simply breathtaking, and it is an honor to work with Polyarc on the physical boxed release.

BLADE RUNNER: REVELATIONS is now available on Google Daydream

Blade Runner: Revelations is now available on the Daydream platform.  From today, audiences will be able to explore a uniquely immersive and compelling new Adventure/Thriller VR gaming experience based on the award-winning Blade Runner series.  The title follows the critically acclaimed release of Blade Runner 2049 from Oscar nominated director Denis Villeneuve, starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.  Created in conjunction with Google, Blade Runner: Revelations will also be specially bundled with the debut of the Lenovo Mirage Solo headset while stocks last.  Audiences will be able to download Blade Runner: Revelations for the Daydream View or Lenovo Mirage Solo from the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alconinteractive.brvr

About The Game

Blade Runner: Revelations is an enthralling interactive story and full VR game based on the iconic Blade Runner universe, set shortly after the original film and leading up to the narrative of Blade Runner 2049.  As the last of the Nexus Six Replicants die off and the Replicant Underground Resistance goes on the offense, the city falls into a state of unrest. Players will assume the role of “Harper”, a seasoned blade runner who unravels a twisted replicant plot that threatens the delicate balance of Los Angeles in 2023.  

Key Game & VR Technology Features

From the moment players put on their VR headset, they will be instantly transported to the alluring neo-noir city of Los Angeles, where they will get to choose their fate in a multi-branching story experience. The narrative aptly explores the themes of being human in a world where technology and biology have become indistinguishable.  The game spans over two hours as fans will get to put their investigative skills to the test. Some of the gameplay includes:

• Explore seven distinct locales in your investigation, from Chinatown to the High Rise Offices.

• Embark upon eight spinner flights across the city to locate more evidence.

• Unravel the city streets for new clues through character/object interaction and suspect interrogation.

• Master gunplay and leverage esper image reconstruction to try to solve the mystery.

Developed with new Lenovo Mirage Solo headset in mind, Blade Runner: Revelations will allow players to explore new mysteries with ease and some freedom of movement throughout the world.  The VR game leverages WorldSense technology created by Google, which provides high definition PC-quality position tracking on a mobile device without the use of any additional external sensors.  Lenovo Mirage Solo’s unique “6 Degrees of Freedom” feature enables players to smoothly navigate the game, thanks to its enhanced portability, high performance graphics and clear immersion, all without the use of a smartphone device as well.

Blade Runner: Revelations is out now exclusively on the Daydream platform by Google for the Lenovo Mirage Solo.  The title is also available to fans on the Daydream View headsets. Players can download it for $8.99 on the Google Play Store.

Evil Dead Virtual Nightmare will be coming to mobile VR Devices

Following on from the successful partnership that brought ‘Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare’ to iOS and Android, indie publisher Boomdash Digital has today announced that they have brought the companies back together for an exciting new VR project.

‘Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare’ will offer fans a truly unique opportunity to fully immerse themselves within the Evil Dead universe unlike ever before. With 360 degree sound and vision the players can roam freely around the Evil Dead world. ‘Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare’ will offer players a thrilling experience in first person mode inside the infamous cabin and engage them taking on Deadites in the surrounding forest.

Scheduled for release in June 2018, ‘Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare’ will be the second publishing project that Boomdash Digital has licensed from Ghosthouse Entertainment. By bringing together industry financing specialists Tasseract and continued support from Screen Northern Ireland, ‘Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare’ will be developed in Belfast as part of the city’s growing creative scene. The deal was brokered on behalf of Ghosthouse by Striker Entertainment, Ghosthouse’s worldwide licensing agency.

“After the successful partnerships that was established for ‘Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare’, it only felt natural to bring everyone back together to collaborate on this next project. We’re excited to be working with all parties and bringing Evil Dead to the mobile VR audience. It develops further our capabilities of working with brand owners to mobilise their properties to existing and now VR audiences.” - Viktorya Hollings, Production Director at Boomdash.

Hasbro And Oculus Bring Trivial Pursuit and other gaming brands To Oculus Go

 Hasbro Inc is working with Oculus to bring Virtual Reality  experiences for Boggle, Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly to people with Oculus Go, for the first time.  The VR games will be accessible in the Oculus Store wherever Oculus Rooms is available for Oculus Go, across 23 countries.  The launch of the games is a part of a major update for Oculus Rooms, an Oculus app that allows people to spend time with friends in VR while enjoying social activities like playing games and watching TV. Oculus Go users will be able to play games head-to-head with friends in Oculus Rooms with life-like avatars in fully customizable environments.  Boggle will be the first game to launch this June; Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly will be released later this year.

“Gaming is a major strategic differentiator for our company and as gaming platforms and audiences continue to expand globally we are excited to work with Oculus to bring our beloved brands to new audiences in VR,” said Mark Blecher, SVP Digital Gaming & Corporate Development at Hasbro.  “Our consumers are technologically savvy and we strive to provide them with products that fit their lifestyle, which includes, engaging content, enhanced play experiences and digital interaction.  Bringing Hasbro Gaming experiences to the virtual world was a logical next step in this evolution.  We can’t wait to see how much fun people will have playing Boggle in VR!”

The 5/3/18 Google Doodle is a 360 animated short in honor of film pioneer George Méliès

The Google Doodle, Google Spotlight Stories, Google Arts & Culture, & Cinémathèque Française teams have collaborated to create the first-ever Virtual Reality (VR) / 360° interactive Doodle to celebrate the life and artistry of French illusionist and film director Georges Méliès. Produced by Nexus Studios.

George Méliès was a French illusionist and film director who led many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. Méliès was well-known for the use of special effects, popularizing such techniques as substitution splices, multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, and hand-painted color. He was also one of the first filmmakers to use storyboards. His films include A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904).

His work has been influential in the development of special effects and was honored by the Smashing Pumpkins in one of their music videos.

Check out the launch trailer for CoolPaintrVR, the PSVR answer to Tilt Brush

The PlayStation VR answer to the Tilt Brush will arrive on May 9th. Much like the popular Tilt Brush, CoolPaintrVR allows you to unleash your imagination and paint in a 3D space.

Use your PS Move controller like a brush, selecting from a variety of tools to express your creativity: brushes, tubes, geometric primitive shapes and particle emitters. Additionally – thanks to Wildbit Studios’ own RTSE technology – you can create a 3D model from a hand-drawn shape. It will have its own skeleton that you can manipulate, bone by bone, to help capture your desired stance.

Wildbit has designed a simple and user friendly interface that any level of artist can play around with. But for those looking for more advanced techniques, CoolPaintrVR also offers advanced features for more experienced painters: Symmetry plane, load reference images, alternate colors randomly with each stroke …you can even export your creation to a USB device so you can load it into third party 3D programs!
 

INK Stories VR Experience “Hero” awarded at Tribeca

Starbreeze Publishing has announced that “Hero,” a VR experience developed in partnership with iNK Stories was awarded the prestigious Storyscapes award at the ongoing Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

“We’re pleased that the jury chose to recognize Hero as we feel it’s not only an important story that was deserved to be told, but it also represents a huge advancement in the way VR will enable content creators to amaze and tell immersive stories in the future” said Mikael Nermark, Head of Starbreeze Publishing.

HERO puts audiences at the center of a moment of a civilian air raid in a Syrian city, where choices shape one’s own experience. In an unprecedented use of interactive technology to convey a deeper humanity––HERO features multisensory engagement touch, smell, climate, utilizing 6 tracking cameras and a 32 audio DTS channel solution featuring DTSX tools to achieve the groundbreaking, haptic sound design. hisuntethered experience powered b the HP Z VR Backpack PC allows for the full potential of virtual reality to come to life with the most powerful wearable VR PC available, giving participants an astonishingly immersive experience. The collaboration with DTS and Starbreeze redefines a location-based VR experience and takes experiential storytelling to a whole new level.

iNK Stories is the award winning, visionary studio known for bringing authentic and impactful stories to immersive entertainment such as the BAFTA nominated and Facebook’s Game of the Year Winner, 1979 Revolution. At Tribeca Film Festival ‘18, iNK Stories proudly presents the NYC Premiere of HERO––the latest in their Vérité VR Series made in partnership with Starbreeze Publishing. As the only touring exhibit of HERO, Tribeca Film Festival marks a special opportunity to catch this impactful piece. Available to the public with tickets from April 20th-28th. HERO as one of five immersive experiences in competition for the prestigious Tribeca Storyscapes Award. 

The 2018 Storyscapes Award, presented by AT&T, which recognizes groundbreaking approaches in storytelling and technology, jurors were Myriam Achard, Marcie Jastrow, and Nicholas Thompson.

HERO is part of Starbreeze Virtual Reality (VR) experiences produced under its Publishing arm to be produced for future Location Based Initiatives (LBE) in the StarVR Virtual Reality HMD. Each experience aims to push the bar far beyond what’s possible in-home use setups. 

John Travolta Stars in "SPEED KILLS VR," now available on several platforms.

Coming off a massive win for the Best Feature Film VR 2018 at Cinequest Film Festival in Silicon Valley this past month, the cinematic virtual reality episodic experience 'Speed Kills VR' has been officially released.

Staring John Travolta, Kathleen Winnick, Kellan Lutz, and many other stars, the 360 degree experience was shot alongside the feature film, which will be out in the coming months, and offers a unique perspective inside the life of a notorious speed boat builder, who at one time made the fastest boats alive used by both the US Coast Guard and drug smugglers in the late 60's, 70's and early 80's. Inspired by a true story the experience covers the rise and fall of this world champion and multi millionaire whose life showcased in VR is one of the first VR period drama's to ever be released.

Created by TopDogVR the groundbreaking experience is 8 episodes at 7-9 minutes per episode covering immersive boat racing, mobster beatings, drug running and DEA chasing in 360 degree's of action packed content. The VR series, produced by Richard Rionda Del Castro, Guy Griffithe and Travis Cloyd, was shot in Puerto Rico in the summer of 2017 to resemble Miami Beach in the early days of speed boat racing. Set to become available across the US, China, France, Korea and the rest of the international markets, Speed Kills VR provides over an hour of replayable cinematic VR content.

This award winning VR film is being delivered to a rapidly growing audience prime for mass adoption and new experiences. Especially with standalone headsets anticipated soon, the ease and comfort levels will only get better. More importantly for fans who have yet to jump into VR this film offers a high impact story with legendary Hollywood icons they've enjoyed for so many years on the big screen. In a world full of gaming and 2D content bringing entertainment and technology together to create these kind of cinematic VR experience's to marketplace will open doors to the next wave in film making and give inside access to tell stories on a spherical canvas. Just like Speed Kills VR, providing extremely top level of artistic and creative vision as well as the highest level of technical VR experience to coexist along side feature films.

Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.topdogvr.speedkillsvr
Apple App Store - https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1323048876
Oculus - https://www.oculus.com/experiences/gear-vr/1524720470974585/

Jam City brings you super cute animals with their new mobile match 3 "Wild Things: Animal Adventure"

Jam City, a global leader in mobile entertainment, providing social gaming experiences for millions of players around the world, today announced that is has developed an new, original mobile entertainment franchise: Wild Things: Animal Adventure. Introducing a cast of stunning, 3D animated animals, Wild Things: Animal Adventure sets players on a mission to help these personable creatures restore their homelands, giving purpose and personality to the gameplay. With the game coming soon to Android and iOS, pre-registration for Wild Things: Animal Adventureopens today, alongside a new trailer and a first look at the animal characters.

In Wild Things: Animal Adventure, players set out on an expedition to rebuild the animal’s natural habitats, which have fallen into disrepair. Players earn magic leaves by beating match-3 puzzles, which are used to replant trees, renew waterfalls and other tasks that rejuvenate the animal’s homelands. Meeting new characters along the way, each level combines puzzle gameplay with an animal’s unique story, entertaining players as they advance through the narrative. 

“Wild Things: Animal Adventure delivers the spectacular visual and storytelling impact of an animated television or web series to mobile platforms,” stated Chris DeWolfe, co-founder and CEO of Jam City. "With engaging characters that connect with players,Wild Things: Animal Adventure enriches Jam City’s portfolio of hit titles with a deeper, story-driven style of gameplay. Based on extremely positive feedback from consumer testing, we believe we have a one-of-a-kind entertainment franchise in the making, and we can’t wait to introduce Wild Things: Animal Adventure to the world later this year.”

In Wild Things: Animal Adventure, the puzzles themselves have a purpose, as game modes like ‘Free Parakeets’ and ‘Feed the Baby Panda’ give players a goal within each level. As the story progresses, new animal characters are unlocked, each with a unique personality and signature power-up that players earn by completing levels. Sharing their success, players can connect and compete with friends in challenging puzzles and show off the creatures they have helped along the way.

Pre-register for Wild Things: Animal Adventure at www.jamcity.com/wildthings to receive updates and information about the game, as well as a special bonus at the game’s launch.

Detroit: Become Human gets a demo on 4/24 as well as an Amazon Alexa tie in.

Developer Quantic Dream will be releasing a demo tomorrow for one of my most anticipated games this year "Detroit: Become Human". It will be available for download on the PlayStation Store starting from April 24th, 12:01 am EST. In the demo you take on the role of Connor, a hostage negotiator android sent to take control of this high-stakes situation.

As part of the Hostage demo experience, there’s also an extended Alexa Skill! Properly named “CyberLife,” the Alexa Skill will provide you guidance and additional intel about this near future android filled world. As you take on the role of Connor, a hostage negotiator android sent to take control of this high-stakes situation, the CyberLife Skill will help guide you in your decision making throughout the investigation process, while giving you a deeper look at the various characters involved within the Hostage demo. It will also give you insights on how you can best alter your decision within the experience that could result in a different ending outcome.

With the CyberLife Skill, you’ll be able to learn more about the world of Detroit: Become Human:

• Tell Me About – Get more details as you examine every piece of the crime scene.
  Try saying: “Alexa, ask CyberLife to tell me about the fish?”
• What’s Their Story? – Uncover the truth behind any character you find within the demo.
  Try saying: “Alexa, ask CyberLife to tell me about the Phillips Family?”
• Alter the Course of History – Using the Flowchart at the end of the demo, use the skill to discover alternate endings.
  Try saying: “Alexa, ask CyberLife why Connor failed to reach Daniel in time?”

  To get started, all you need is the following:
  1. Download the Detroit: Become Human Demo from the PS Store on PS4
  2. Have access to any enabled Amazon Alexa Device
  3. Download the Detroit: Become Human CyberLife Skill by saying “Alexa, enable CyberLife” or by doing a search for Cyberlife with your Amazon Alexa app (requires Alexa app and Wi-Fi internet connection). Info Via Playstation Blog

Snail Games updates ARK Park to bring players a better dinosaur VR expereience.

Snail Games, the developers of the VR dinosaur theme park simulation have been hard at work on movement systems – and the game has now been updated with free locomotion in its most recent patch. Some graphical issues from PSVR players have also been addressed and a patch that should hit around mid-May will make the graphics better according to the Snail Games team. The game has also has been discounted by 30% during the SteamVR Spring Sale :)

Standard Edition: $27.99
Deluxe Edition: $33.59

Also added is a tutorial that explains the free movement option – which is presented to players upon starting a new game. The fixes come after the Snail Games team assured press and VR fans that they would be making sure to continue improving the game in a post-GDC statement. 

“ARK Park – like the baby dinos in the game – is in its infancy. VR fans are now getting their first taste of this massive new addition to the ARK franchise. If you want more content in ARK Park, I can tell you one thing: It’s coming. This is an incredibly exciting time for us, and we can’t wait to show gamers what the future holds for them.”-Peter Kang (Director, Snail Games)

The game is not perfect by any means but still provides some magic moments in this early stage of VR. Encountering dinosaurs and my varied interactions from riding a Triceratops to encountering silly Giant Beavers brought a big smile to my face. Its hard to say the value of a game but I would say that ARK Park brought me closer to how I felt watching the original Jurassic Park than buying a $15 ticket to see Jurassic World. It is a pretty awesome game for anyone interested in both dinosaurs and VR. 

Ganbatte is a VR game in which you’re a cat competing to become the best sushi eater of the galaxy.

Ganbatte is a competitive multiplayer game for VR, about cats, in space, eating sushi. Players try to eat as much valuable sushi as they can to reach the highest score. The game is family-friendly and brings together hungry sushi cats from across the galaxy. Ganbatte is currently in development and was released as an Early Access title on April 19, 2018.

History

Ganbatte is inspired by the Nintendo 64 party game Pokémon Stadium (1998), which featured the highly addictive mini-game Sushi-go-round. With Ganbatte, Mimicry expands and reimagines this game for VR, bringing together hungry sushi cats from across the galaxy.

Features

• Quick Match, 4 players competing online
• Host & Join, multiplayer frenzy
• Single-player vs. AI, bots at easy/medium/hard
• 28 Challenges, can you complete them all?
• Step-by-step tutorial, learn at your own pace
• Friends and Global Steam Leaderboards
• Oculus and Vive cross-platform multiplayer
• 8 different types of sushi
• Combo system
• Double conveyor belt, moving in opposite directions
• Powered by Unreal Engine 4 and Steam

National Geographic partnered with Humaneyes Technologies to deploy the Vuze VR camera for the first-ever 3D 360 experience captured aboard the International Space Station

National Geographic recently launched an extension to its critically acclaimed series ONE STRANGE ROCK, with the first-ever virtual reality (VR) 3D experience captured aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Users can take an unprecedented virtual tour of the ISS by downloading ISSVR on all major VR headsets starting today or by viewing the 360-degree video on National Geographic’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

From executive producers Darren Aronofsky and Jane Root, ONE STRANGE ROCK tells the extraordinary story of Earth, told through the only people who have ever left it: astronauts. To bring the astronauts’ viewpoint even closer to those on Earth, National Geographic partnered with VR experts Humaneyes Technologies to deploy the Vuze VR camera, the first 3D-360-degree VR camera that captures professional-quality VR video and audio to make VR content creation accessible to everyone. The Vuze VR Camera was selected by National Geographic and NASA after rigorous vetting. At 244 miles above Earth, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli used the Vuze VR Camera to record everything he heard, saw and felt in the ISS’ working and living quarters along with the stunning sight from the observation deck.

ISSVR is narrated by ONE STRANGE ROCK former astronauts Chris Hadfield, Mae Jemison, Mike Massimino and Nicole Stott, and it exhibits Nespoli’s experience aboard, giving the user the freedom to look around, glide past high-tech experiments and witness astronauts at work and play as they simultaneously share how life in space has impacted their worldview.

“ONE STRANGE ROCK gives viewers an enlightened perspective of our magnificent planet, and ISSVR brings them even closer to understanding the larger, intricate forces that we are part of,” says Kyle Christensen, VP of Digital Strategy for National Geographic. “Our purpose in creating ISSVR is to draw people into what makes our experience on Earth exceptional and bring renewed excitement to science and human exploration.”

“We were thrilled when the Vuze VR Camera passed the test to go to space. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the genuinely immersive experiences the camera creates, allowing viewers to feel as if they were on the ISS themselves,” says Shahar Bin-Nun, CEO of Humaneyes Techonologies. “Plus, its lightweight, compact and durable size proved to be the perfect companion for astronauts to quickly document their day without burdening the crew with additional or complicated camera rigs.”

The WaveVR closes $6 million Series A round led by RRE Ventures and includes strategic investors from General Assembly and OK GO.

The WaveVR today announced it has closed a $6 million Series A funding round led by RRE Ventures. The round also includes top venture capital firms such as Upfront Ventures, KPCB, Greycroft VR Gaming Tracker Fund, The VR Fund, and more, with participation from strategic investors including Andy Ross from OK Go; Alex Chung, co-founder and CEO of Giphy; and Matt Brimer, co-founder of General Assembly and Daybreaker. Alice Lloyd George, investor at RRE, joins the company’s board.

With this latest infusion of capital, the company’s total funding comes to $10 million, which will allow them to expand theapp’s community tools and port to additional platforms. TheWaveVR today also opens a new Los Angeles office, where they are collaborating with top artists and musicians on a number of high profile VR concerts this year.

To secure the funds for this round, TheWaveVR team used the company’s content creation tool, ‘Wave Builder’, to create a fully interactive VR pitch deck to pitch VC’s within the TheWaveVR platform. TheWaveVR and RRE also signed the Series A term sheet in VR, which you can see in the video found here.

“When Adam and his team pitched us in VR, from within TheWaveVR itself, we saw that the possibilities could go far beyond music,” said Alice Lloyd George, principal at RRE Ventures. “It’s the most creative experience in VR today and is continually evolving. TheWaveVR is a brilliant venue for concerts, but also much more. We're already seeing users explore it for other experiences, from digital art to narrative storytelling to business meetings. We're excited about the product roadmap and their future launch onto other platforms, and thrilled to work alongside this incredible team for their next chapter.”

The funding round follows a successful collaboration with Warner Bros. that brought to life the dance club scene from Steven Spielberg’s new action adventure “Ready Player One”, in theatres now. Through TheWaveVR app - available on Steam in the U.S. - anyone can immerse themselves in the dance party scene with specially designed avatars, iconic 80s visuals and music, and experience the ability to fly in VR.

“The VR ecosystem is approaching a tipping point with the release of ‘Ready Player One’. With hardware prices coming down, stand-alone headsets like Oculus Go and Vive Focus on the horizon, and developers discovering best use cases, VR is on a sure path to become mainstream,” said Adam Arrigo, TheWaveVR CEO and co-founder. “We spent last year nailing down the format for these fully interactive concerts and proved people love our experience; this year we’re focused on how that content gets created and shared.”

For more information on TheWaveVR, visit http://thewavevr.com/. You can also follow the company on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out footage from the upcoming atmospheric VR sci-fi thriller, Downward Spiral: Horus Station ft music from Ville Valo

A sci-fi adventure in the mold of classics 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris, Downward Spiral: Horus Station is the mysterious and atmospheric sci-fi thriller 3rd Eye Studios teased in last year’s Downward Spiral: Prologue. Unlike most narrative-heavy games,Downward Spiral: Horus Station doesn’t use any cinematics or dialogue.

Instead, players will have to piece together the plot through observation and interpretation as they navigate the derelict space station, accompanied by the electronic ambient soundtrack composed by platinum selling HIM frontman Ville Valo. Players can explore the deserted Horus Station solo or with a friend thanks to the game’s 2 player online co-op.

Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a mysterious and atmospheric zero gravity thriller set in the lost and forgotten Horus Station for PC, PS4™ with optional PS VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift Touch and Windows Mixed Reality support Spring 2018. Use the ship's maintenance hardware -- like bolt throwers, rail guns, and arc welders -- to take out threats, solve puzzles and find the truth of why Horus Station has been left drifting in space, accompanied by the electronic ambient soundtrack composed by platinum selling HIM frontman Ville Valo.

Downward Spiral: Horus Station’s focus will be heavy on environmental storytelling, as the game features no dialogue or cinematics. Instead, players will have to piece together the plot through observation and interpretation as they navigate the derelict space station, accompanied by the electronic ambient soundtrack composed by platinum selling HIM frontman Ville Valo.

Additionally, 3rd Eye Studios is introducing an innovative control system that rethinks how movement works in zero-gravity. Rather than just float, players will have to push themselves off of the environment to propel themselves forward, or use tools just as they would in deep space.

The game also features a raft of options for how to experience it. Not only is it playable on both a regular screen and VR headset, the game is also playable in two player co-op, allowing players to explore the Horus Station’s deceptively immaculate, retro-futurist decor as an investigative duo. There’s also the option to entirely remove combat from the campaign for those who wish to soak up the story without enemies. In addition to Horus Station’s story campaign, there’s eight-player PvP and PvE multiplayer modes including Deathmatch, Horde and Survivor challenges.

http://www.3rdeyestudios.fi/downward-spiral-horus-station/