VR Superdad uses his powers to make his daughter smile and his cat annoyed.

VR Superdad Toby Newman used his VR super powers to put a smile on his daughters face. His latest experiment using a Ricoh Theta and an HTC Vive gives his child an idea of what the world looks like from the point of view of the family cat. A harness, a 360° camera, and a VR headset lets my daughter take a ride around our house on our cat. The cat has a harness that holds a 360° camera. The camera is fed the feed from the saddle-camera to a VR headset. Toby's  daughter uses her Lion King plushy to get an immersive cat experience.

This VR Superdad has also used his powers to shrink his daughter down and put her into her dollhouse. Check out the video below as well as 360 photos of the dollhouse.

Toby is using his powers for good and I hope he and his family have a great life in Virtual Reality and Reality Reality. He is also an inspiration for me to use my Ricoh Theta more. 

CatsAndVR.com

Disney fans can now experience a tale as old as time in a new medium with this Beauty and The Beast VR experience.

Disney fans can now experience a tale as old as time in a new medium. The Beauty and The Beast VR tie in Lumiere’s Dress Rehearsal is now available for Rift and Touch on the Disney Movies VR app as a an interactive VR experience. 

Lumiere’s Dress Rehearsal puts you into the dining room of Beast’s enchanted castle, as Lumiere voiced by Ewan McGregor prepares for a special feast in Belle’s honor.  

The interactive experience is currently available to Oculus Rift and the full interactive experience will be available for Gear VR next month. For now Gear VR users will have to settle for a 360 Video experience. 

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1437254706307136/

CatsAndVR.com/blog

Bobby Throne Saves The World may be the next killer disruptive VR app, eSport, and social networking platform people in highly populated tech sectors of America are looking for.

"Games are about learning, you learn muscle memory, history, communication, stories, and so much more. If games are about learning then I’m here to teach. So what better place to share my ministry with than at the wonderful PAX East show where everyone is learning. I look forward to introducing myself to all these new minds and see them transform right before my eyes… forever."- Bobby Throne

I first took notice of Bobby Throne Ministries when my former roommate at the House Of Dtoid SF and my favorite MTV reality show personality Jonathan Holmes did a post about it on Destructioid. My first thoughts were wow this guy is still writing, my second was hey my name is Bobby too, I should write about this upcoming VR expereience.

Bobby Throne Ministries is a show (Twitch Stream?) that will be part of the vision of SnowRunner Productions new game Bobby Throne Saves The World. You keep contact with the audience and perform a sermon for a crowd. You can even unlock sermons!? The killer VR app we are looking for? The next eSport?

William Brierly of SnowRunner Productions describes the gameplay mechanics as very similar to Rock Band VR and other stuff he has never seen before.

The game is inspired by Will's fascination with Televangalists and also his time as a proffesional magician. 

Will and his brother have been working on this game ever since their big time indie hit Soda Drinker Pro recived critical and financial success. https://www.destructoid.com/review-soda-drinker-pro-358097.phtml

It does look like the SnowRunner Productions team has invested a lot of the money they received from the success of Soda Drinker Pro into Bobby Throne. They had a huge gaming booth at PAX East where they gave out coins. As you may have heard precious metal prices have gone up since the election of President Bannondorf. As you know silver bullets have great power against dark forces. 

Though they are indie darlings the SnowRunner Productions team has taken a page out of the books of major brands like Wal-Mart and Circuit City and used their new found gaming wealth to hire social media influences and strategic brand managers to brand their manage.

Boy ~ "Are you gay?" @BobbyThrone ~ "That doesn't even matter."

True story.https://t.co/qMz0GCZCq0

— Jonathan Holmes (@TronKnotts) March 15, 2017

The true goal of Bobby Throne Saves The World is to teach us to see the multiple realities around us and see how someone can influence us with words and shinny things.

VR.............?

CatsAndVR.com/blog

The Future is Meow with the World’s First VR Tracked Cat!

The team behind the super rad BAFTA nominated VR game Unseen Diplomacy is truly pushing the future with the World’s First VR Tracked Cat!

To be honest the first time I actually thought of the possibility of a Vive Tracker attached to a cat is when I was crawling on the floor playing Unseen Diplomacy at the opening of the new Unity office in SF.  The advancement of Cat VR tech could not be in better hands. At Triangular Pixels, all the employees have cats!

 Katie Goode of Triangular Pixels, the team behind Unseen Diplomacy posted up images of this cat/vive tracker cyber animal hybrid. 

 
The team modded a Mynwood Cat Jacket for this cute critter. His jacket is an excellent fit, with nice wide bands forless pressure on his under legs. The elastic cords allow for easy slip it on and off and it stays in place for purrrrfect tracking.

The teams goal is to give players a warning of unpredictable pets/children when they enter the space, and the potential to of course – actually see their companion in games. I see a valuable future in this to help people who are disabled play with their pets in VR.

Please support the team in their Cats And VR development. 

Donate towards future development and material costs via paypal.me/TriangularPixels

catsandvr.com/blog/

Compete in the First VirZOOM vSports Event sponsored by HTC, AMD and Fitbit!

VirZOOM, HTC, AMD and Fitbit are launching vSports next weekend! You can now compete in VirZOOM vSports competitions at local venues and win prizes if you sit atop the leaderboards at the end of the weekend! vSports is real, physical competition on VirZOOM.  From March 17th-March 19th anyone can compete in the first ever vSports event at 30 venues in the U.S. (For participating venues, please visit http://virzoom.com/vsports.html)

vSports competitions will take place every 2-3 months and feature a different VirZOOM game. The first game will be “Tank: Winterstan”. 

Prizes

1st Place: AMD VR-ready PC, HTC Vive VR Headset and a VirZOOM VR Bike + Games

2nd Place: Fitbit Charge 2

3rd Place: $100 Amazon gift card

If you are in the Bay Area there is an event happening at Virtual World Arcade this weekend.

http://www.virtualworldarcade.com/

CatsAndVR.com

Capcom is making me feel like a kid again with the launch of The Disney Afternoon Collection ft my all time fav NES game Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers.

Funny story this one time at science camp I told the teacher I love video games. She asked me which one, I said Chip And Dale. She lost her mind, I would not realize that she thought I meant Chippendales till later on in life. At the time I thought she was just a Disney hating commie. Well any way. WOW! Capcom you just made my day.

Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced  The   Disney Afternoon Collection, a compilation of six games that feature beloved Disney TV characters from the 80s and 90s in fun-filled adventures. The beautifully restored classic games feature crisp 1080p HD support and include all-new modes that can be enjoyed by first-time players and long-time fans.  The   Disney Afternoon Collection will be available as a digital download across North America and Europe for $19.99 / £15.99/ €19.99 starting on April 18, 2017 on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC.

Players will be able to relive their childhood afternoons with Disney and explore these pieces of gaming history with classics including:

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers  – This classic lets players team up with a friend in co-op play as they assume the roles of the mischievous Chip and Dale as they take on memorable villain Fat Cat and attempt to solve the mystery of a missing kitten.
Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2  – Fat Cat has escaped and his plans are even more dastardly this time. The titular heroes and supporting cast Monterey Jack, Gadget, and Zipper must stop Fat Cat from his evil dream of world domination!

Darkwing Duck  – Play as the original caped crusader and fight a city full of criminals from the infamous F.O.W.L. organization in this action-packed platforming epic.

DuckTales  – In this iconic platforming adventure, players help Scrooge McDuck fill his feathery pockets with vast riches from across the world.
DuckTales 2  – The sequel to the original game comes jam-packed with more action and an even bigger caper set in new locations like the Bermuda Triangle and Niagara Falls!

TaleSpin  – Take to the skies as Baloo the bear navigates his plane through exotic and dangerous locations in this side-scrolling shoot-em-up.
 

All six games are new and improved HD versions of the originals and feature a number of filtering options that replicate a classic retro look and feel. This collection also offers new ways to play with Boss Rush and Time Attack modes for each game. In Boss Rush mode, players battle through challenging boss encounters consecutively, while Time Attack mode encourages time-based gameplay and provides online leaderboards that track the fastest times for each game. A new “Rewind” feature makes these challenging titles more accessible for newcomers, with the option to rewind time and enjoy a swift recovery from blunders. Additionally, the in-game Disney Museum will provide history buffs with a wealth of content to celebrate the era of the original releases, such as concept art, advertisements, character art, and music – all preserved in their original glory.

Thanks Capcom for making me feel like a kid again.

The fate of a Slugcat is in your hands in Adult Swim Games platformer, Rain World.

Torrential rains are approaching and you, lonely little Slugcat, must scour the industrial wasteland for nourishment and shelter from the downpour. But be wary, you’re not the only creature trying to survive the storm. You are a nomadic slugcat, both predator and prey in a broken ecosystem. Grab your spear and brave the industrial wastes, hunting enough food to survive, but be wary— other, bigger creatures have the same plan... and slugcats look delicious

Preorder Rain World on the Playstation Store today for $19.99 USD, with a 20% discount for PS Plus members!

Inspired by the aesthetics and simplicity of 16-bit classics, this survival platformer requires fast-paced sneaking. Climb through the ruins of an ancient civilization, evade the jaws of vicious predators, and discover lands teeming with strange creatures and buried mysteries when Rain World releases on Steam, PS4, and Xbox One March 28.

Add Rain World to your wishlist on Steam.

ewww slugcat don't roll in the slime, that's gro-- NO DONT PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH UGHH #gamedev #slugcatlife pic.twitter.com/MAhGapTqqp

— Rain World (@RainWorldGame) August 15, 2016

Follow Rain World  on Twitter and Facebook  for the latest updates.

About Adult Swim Games

Adult Swim Games oversees the production, publishing and marketing of original games created by independent developers from around the world. With more than 200 games across PC, mobile, web, console and VR, Adult Swim Games’ unique offerings have received numerous industry accolades — including four #1 rankings in the App Store and a finalist for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at IGF. Popular titles include Robot Unicorn Attack , Pocket Mortys , Duck Game , and the upcoming Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove . 

Cat And VR

Real-time collaboration in EditorVR for Unity now available through Scene Fusion.

VR game development on the Unity platform just received a massive productivity boost. Today, KinematicSoup Technologies announced that Scene Fusion now officially supports EditorVR. The announcement was in response to Unity Technologies’ latest update to the platform, released on March 11 th, 2017.

Scene Fusion is a Unity plug-in that adds real-time collaboration for level design to the Unity engine, which reduces the amount of time it takes to build and ship a game by up to 33%. With the growing popularity of VR, the decision to support it in Scene Fusion was an easy decision for Justin McMichael, CEO of KinematicSoup.

Unity launched the first publicly available experimental build of EditorVR for Unity, on December 15, 2016. Since this launch, the team at KinematicSoup has made efforts to ensure Scene Fusion builds have supported the continuous development of EditorVR, and plans to continue this trend.

Justin McMichael, CEO, KinematicSoup- “Our goal is to provide complete interactivity to game developers so that they can bring games to market sooner and work more efficiently. We see VR as a natural next step to the evolving landscape of game development. The benefits of real-time collaboration have never been greater than they are in VR. Being able to have people in and out of VR interact together on a single scene creates a very fast and efficient workflow that results in faster game development.”

Scene Fusion has been in development since 2015 and has since become popular among many Unity-based game studios.

KinematicSoup Technologies Inc. aims to provide game developers with innovative tools to enhance collaboration, reduce development time, and increase ROI. Their Scene Fusion platform is designed to deliver a high impact collaborative development environment within the Unity editor. For more information on KinematicSoup visit their website: https://www.kinematicsoup.com/

Clear the cat out the way cause SAT-BOX just launched its VR Sports title for the HTC Vive.

Japanese Developer SAT-BOX just launched its its  multi sport VR title for the HTC Vive.

VR Sports is designed to be a full-body VR experience for all ages and skill levels.

According to developer SAT-BOX

*This game is a full-body VR experience. Before playing make sure your surroundings are clear of all friends, furniture, children, spouses, cats, dogs, long-lost siblings, and important equipment entrusted to you by your clients."

Choose from a variety of sports

Bowling:Select from bowling balls that vary in weight, color and control; Bumper option for bowling beginners

Homerun Derby:Great stress reliever and work out!  Knock it out of the park and into the stars!
Soccer:Defend your goal from multiple opponents.  Beware of the gold ball...

Basketball:Using a classic 3-point contest format, rack up your score in the given time limit.  Hit the money ball shot for extra points of course!

Japanese Archery:Kyudo.  An ancient Japanese tradition.  Hold your breath for maximum accuracy and aim for the bulls-eye.

Clay Shooting:The classic Olympic sport now in VR!  Test your shot as you aim for the flying clay pigeons.  Easy to play but requires skill to master!

Boxing:Defeat 3 different opponents by dodging, throwing body shots, and landing blows to the face!  Shake the controllers to get up if you fall ;)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/593240

The game is currently 25% off on Steam.

CatsAndVR.com

Ahead of their May 9th Boxing match in Las Vegas, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Canelo Alvarez try out VR Boxing.

Ahead of their May 9th boxing match in Las Vegas, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Canelo Alvarez tried out  Knockout League, Grab Games VR Boxing title for the HTC Vive. Knockout League is a arcade style VR boxing game but its intuitive gameplay involves moving and dodging with your body and 1:1 punch movement that lets you attack how you want.

Alvarez and Chavez both took turns using the HTC Vive to take swings at a VR boxer on the Univision show Republica Deportiva. Canelo did seem a bit more comfortable while playing Knockout League, leading me to believe this is not his first time with an HTC Vive.

Real boxers using our VR boxing game to showoff their skills before the big fight - this is incredible https://t.co/IaWAUzcCE3

— Joel Breton (@naturlborngamer) March 2, 2017

Personally I think that VR can go beyond gaming and actually be a great training tool for Boxing. My belief is that it would be a complementary tool for an MMA fighter that may be more skilled in things other than boxing. I actually had an experience studying former UFC champ Luke Rockhold in VR. http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/silvrthread

Grab Games, the studio that developed Knockout League, has hinted at using the Vive Tracker to add a real Boxing glove element to the game for added realism, 

CatsAndVR.com

Faceware provided the awesome VR facial animations for Resident Evil 7 and Paranormal Activity VR, they also had dinosaurs and a tiny MR. T at their GDC booth.

Faceware is the leading facial animation solution provider for clients such as Double Negative, Digital Domain, Blur Studios, Activision-Blizzard, Rockstar Games, Microsoft, 2K Sports, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Sega, Sony, Bethesda, Motion Theory and Moving Picture Company. Faceware’s product consists of the Faceware GoPro and Pro HD Headcam and Tripod Capture Systems; Faceware Analyzer, which allows clients to analyze and process their own performance videos; Faceware Retargeter, an Autodesk plugin which allows users to create facial motion capture data at a much faster rate than traditional methods; and Faceware Live, the real-time facial capture and animation solution

They also had a GDC booth filled with a tiny Mr T and Dinosaurs. Seriously It felt like I just walked into an acid trip. Check out my interview with the Faceware team at GDC and seriously check out the Faceware demo reel, this team is perhaps one of the most valuable resources in gaming today and very under the everyday gamer radar.

They are responsible for some of the best faces in gaming today including the "how the hell did they pull this off on this hardware" hit for PSVR, Resident Evil 7.

The team also recently worked on the facial animations for the upcoming Paranormal Activity VR game. 

"We were truly lucky to have Faceware as a partner on Paranormal Activity:The Lost Soul, especially as it was our first experience using the technology,” said Bradan Dotson, Production Manager on the new Paranormal Activity VR game. “The team came in and supported us throughout the mo-cap process, guiding us through exceptionally quick and seamless setup process. From that point on Faceware was always available to answer any questions we had – they were a wealth of knowledge.

Our FAV #PAVRGAME reaction video EVER!!! pic.twitter.com/KPAF3pMa4E

— PAVRGAME (@pavrgame) December 31, 2016

Faceware’s solutions have been used across a wide variety of digital entertainment products, from NBA 2K titles to the latest in the Call of Duty franchise, each time ensuring that the digital faces we see on screen feel completely convincing.
 

CatsAndVR.com

Morph 3D and VRChat at GDC!

At GDC17 I got a chance to check out Morph3D's Ready Room platform and see first hand how well their avatar creation system and platform works with one of my favorite social VR platforms, VRChat. 

VRChat will use Morph 3D’s Ready Room platform to allow its users to easily create unique and personalized avatars for their virtual identities. VRChat joins the fast-growing group of networks employing Morph 3D’s platform to enable users to maintain their identities in a persistent way across multiple VR environments.

“We are big fans of what VRChat is doing to revolutionize social VR, and are thrilled to help their users express themselves,” said James Thornton, CEO of Morph 3D. “At the heart of social VR is the ability for us to communicate and enjoy shared virtual experiences with people all over the world. The starting point of this experience is being able to create a virtual identity that best reflects who you are, just as you do in your day-to-day life.”

Previously, creating a personalized avatar wasn’t an option for those without advanced 3D skills. As social VR continues to evolve, Morph 3D expects that users will want to represent themselves with more personalized avatars and will need easily accessible tools and content to do so. Morph 3D’s Ready Room integration with VRChat lowers the barrier of entry for their users to create and manage their virtual identity.

“As one of the leading platforms in social VR, we are very selective in identifying partners that align with our vision,” said Graham Gaylor, Founder and CEO of VRChat. “Our avatar system is state of the art, featuring dynamic lip sync, eyes that track, hand gestures, full-body IK and speech that uses spatial audio. Morph 3D was a natural fit from the beginning because they take full advantage of these systems. We love that their tools and content offer our users an unmatched level of avatar personalization.”

CatsAndVR.com

Make a guess who will be doing one of the voices for Telltale Games and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy game. You know this one.

If you guessed Nolan North you probably like to play video games. 

Award-winning developer and publisher, Telltale Games, along with Marvel Entertainment, today shared the world-first screenshots and cast details for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series , set to premiere digitally this Spring on consoles, PC, and mobile devices. 

The series will feature a star-studded cast of voice talent, including  Scott Porter ( Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series) as Star-Lord,  Emily O'Brien ( The Young and the Restless, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor) as Gamora,  Nolan North (the  Uncharted series,  Pretty Little Liars) as Rocket,  Brandon Paul Eells ( Watch Dogs) as Drax, and  Adam Harrington ( The Wolf Among Us, League of Legends) as Groot. 

Premiering this Spring, the series will also be coming to retail as a special season pass disc, which will include the first episode in the season, and will grant access to the subsequent four episodes as they become available for download via online updates. Specific platform details are yet to be announced.

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series is a brand new story of the universe's unlikeliest heroes: Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. In the wake of an epic battle, the Guardians discover an artifact of unspeakable power. Each of them has a reason to desire this relic, as does a ruthless enemy who is the last of her kind, and who will stop at nothing to tear it from their hands.

From Earth to the Milano to Knowhere and beyond, and set to the beat of awesome music, you wear the rocket-powered boots of Star-Lord in an original Guardians adventure, where your decisions and actions drive the story you experience

CatsAndVR.com

TVR's Ancient Amuletor, Reborn, and Lighting End will be coming to PS VR this year and playable at PAX East.

Independent studio Time of Virtual Reality (TVR) has announced it will bring the virtual reality game Ancient Amuletor to PlayStation®VR* this summer. This action tower defense title throws players into the ancient world to battle magical creatures, monsters and other legendary threats in both single-player and cooperative multiplayer for up to four players.

Developed for VR with Unreal Engine 4, Ancient Amuletor is designed to deliver pick-up-and-play arcade-style thrills. Players can swap between multiple distinct heroes, including the archer, mage, gunner and puppeteer, at any time as the changing tide of battle dictates.

Ancient Amuletor will be publicly playable alongside two other upcoming VR titles from TVR during PAX East at booth 22127:

The action game Reborn, coming to PlayStation®VR this year, as well as HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in the future.

The colorful puzzle game Lighting End will also be arriving on HTC Vive this summer and PlayStation®VR later this year.

All 3 games will be playable at PAX East and coming to PSVR soon. 

For more info about Ancient Amuletor visit:  http://amuletor.com/

CatsAndVR.com

CATOMIC is not just another match-3 mobile game, IT HAS CATS IN SPACE!

Catomic is not just any old match-3 game, but a match-3 games featuring CATS!

Game studio On5 is preparing a their new title “Catomic” for launch on March 15. In this free to play game the player needs to join objects by three or more in order to get more advanced objects. As the player progresses, the cats’ space program develops.

The space exploration starts with zeppelins, then flight on machines heavier than air (by Whisker brothers), and commercial airlines. Earth’s artificial satellite “Mittens I” will be launched, the cats will land on the Moon, and an orbital station will be established by Cat Space Agency. A private company CatX will develop Ocelot reusable booster rockets, and a huge spacecraft called Puss will be constructed.

As the player joins and upgrades the objects, the ground infrastructure grows too. The cats graduate from schools and universities, found Capple, Catsla, Cat Space Agency, and train astronauts. Pesky mice and raccoons try to impede the progress, but they can’t stop the goal oriented felines.

The game will be available for iOS and Android on March 15th.

This one goes out to all my fellow Space Cats.

CatsAndVR.com

March is full of Power Rangers stuff including Qualcomm's VR Experience out March 8th, a Power Rangers mobile fighting game, and a CatsAndVR PR giveaway.

The much anticipated Power Rangers movie reboot hits theaters on March 24th and there are 2 VR experiences and one cool looking mobile brawler to get you ready for it.   

First up launching sometime on March 8th you will get a chance to immerse yourself in the world of Power Rangers with Qualcomm's experience created specifically for mobile VR, the 2 minute Power Rangers: Zords Rising.  

I had a chance to check it out at GDC and to be honest it is really short but really damn good looking for mobile VR. This marks production company Reel FX VR's third collaboration with Lionsgate, following the partnerships for Insurgent: Divergent Series VR and The Hunger Games VR. Legit I waited in line to get Power Rangers swag at GDC and really enjoyed the short but FREE experience.  I am sure it will only tease you for what I am hoping will be an awesome movie.

Next up Lionsgate will be holding a virtual reality Q&A session with the cast on March 9 at 1:30 PM PT to promote the new Power Rangers. This session will take place in the High Fidelity VR platform and will require either an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. There is only room for a total of 100 HTC Vive and Oculus Rift users wil who in turn be able to join the live Q&A virtually. A few VR attendees will be able to hang out and play VR games with their favorite Ranger. For non VR fans the event will be live streamed on Youtube.

 Event Details 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfD0AbBIlzKTKQX6OYOeezyJ3TXok0j8COaVTFTnkDsn7Hf1A/viewform

We also will be getting a pretty rad mobile fighting game launching the week of the movie release. Seriously the old Power Rangers fighting games for the Genesis and Game Gear were some of my favs growing up. I have not been this excited for a mobile game in a while.

Lastly the biggest Zord of them all, Power Rangers will be coming to theaters on March 24th.

In celebration I am giving away a classic Megazord T-Shirt & Pink Ranger Funko Pop to those who follow @CatsAndVR on Twitter and share this post. Make sure to tweet @CatsAndVR when you share. 

San Jose Sharks and Zeality Team Up For Cutting Edge VR Fan engagment content.

The San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) and Zeality Inc. announced  the arrival of an innovative and unique 360-degree, VR fan experience that will allow fans to get a closer, in-depth look at the action, thus enhancing the fan experience. The two companies collaborated to design and implement an immersive and engaging experience for Sharks fans around the world. The Sharks Immersive media experience will be available in the Spring of 2017 through the San Jose Sharks app. The Sharks app is available for download now in the Apple and Google Play app stores by searching San Jose Sharks or visit sjsharks.com/app.

“We are pleased to find in Zeality a partner that aligns with our core values and methodologies to undertake this unique opportunity,” stated Flavil Hampsten, Executive Vice President, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at the San Jose Sharks. “The mobile strategy of the Sharks is to provide fans with an app that not only delivers game-day functionality but also exclusive and innovative content. Zeality’s cutting-edge approach allows us to deliver an experience unlike any other in Sports.”

The San Jose Sharks virtual reality experience is designed with the Immersive Media Engine technology, spearheaded by Zeality. Zeality’s Immersive Media Engine (IME) is the industry’s most complete cloud based platform, offering a full suite of socially engaging and viral features for VR and 360° content.

This new functionality will give fans a unique insight into the San Jose Sharks, the SAP Center and more. Fans will be able to virtually walk through the Shark head and experience skating onto the ice before the home game; or get an in-depth look into the locker room and how the team prepares for a game. Fans will also be able to record and share their viewing experience within 360 and VR content by way of Zeality’s Re/Lives technology.

“The Immersive Media arena is evolving into an ecosystem that fans around the world can experience,” stated Dipak M. Patel, co-founder and CEO at Zeality. “Our capabilities combined with the content and deep fan base of the Sharks presents a fantastic opportunity to boost the overall experience Sharks fans can get. We are thrilled to work with the San Jose Sharks to make the vision of Immersive Media a reality.”

Info Via Business Wire

CatsAndVR.com

Mad scientists Outer Brain Studios bringing the horrific Silent Hill esq VR title ORGAN QUARTER to life. Support their Kickstarter to suffer nightmares!

I know what you are thinking. Does the world need more VR Horror games. Well what I have learned from the success of Resident Evil 7 in VR is that if you make a damn good one people will eat it up like a zombie eats brains. Delray Beach, Florida  based Outer Brain Studios is using there shared love of Silent Hill 2 to bring a very David Lynchesq VR survival horror to our dark world. It looks friggin sick as Fu. I suggest checking out the demo and the kickstarter. I would love to see what evil lurks in a game with a chiller name like ORGAN QUARTER.

The  Kickstarter campaign for Outer Brain Studios’s  VR survival horror experience ORGAN QUARTER is nearly complete The Kickstarter campaign features 9 pledge tiers and is being run primarily to fund the developers’ living costs for the remaining development period.

Organ Quarter is a VR survival horror adventure. Its pre-alpha demo currently has a 98% overall rating on Steam (‘Very Positive’). The game is focused on capturing what made survival horror great: labyrinthine environments, resource management and well-balanced puzzling. We'd love to pay homage to the slow, methodical survival horror experiences of the '90s – this includes building a compelling world and universe as well as making a great adventure.

The Kickstarter wraps on 10 March and the team are targeting July 2017 for the final game’s launch.

CHECK OUT THE ORGAN QUARTER DEMO

CATSANDVR.com

A look at Montana 17, a licensed VR Football experience for Google Daydream from small town Florida kid done good Damon Grow.

So last week was a pretty busy week for me with GDC17, Stanford Sports Innovation Expo, Starters VR In Sports, and general work week things. That all being said I decided to make one more trek into the world of VR networking to check out the VR Gaming Summit put on by SF Beta. As much as I like VR networking it was not what I wanted to do with both Resident Evil VR and Breath Of The Wild at home. 

Well I am glad I went because Damon Grow CEO of Superstar Games really delivered one of the best gaming presentations I have seen from a smaller scale VR event.

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In about 30 minutes Damon went through the transition from console to mobile to VR, the value and caution of working with "Valuable" intellectual property, the importance of branding and finding the right partners, and the future of VR monetization including his own strategy for the upcoming Montana 17. Originally a GearVR title, Montana 17 will now be an important title for Google's Daydream VR platform. I am actually hoping Google supports the team as Superstar Games have done some excellent biz dev to get to this point. 

Damon said it was very difficult to get a full NFL license due to the relationship with EA and the NFL due to a up and coming game called Madden. I know these issues first hand from my own experiences working on a VR Football Fan Experience in the past. http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/catsandvrsuperbowl

However Damon and his co-founder Joe "F'N Legend" Montana, were able to make some very biz savvy moves and get get Montana 17 to be the first VR game to be licensed by the NFL Players Association. This is a big deal and allows for  NFL superstars like Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Odell Beckham Jr, and one of my my favs Carson Wentz to be involved. In the video above you can see some of the players who got to try out Montana 17 and the great reaction it got from them.

I have a little expereience myself demoing VR to NFL stars and from first hand expereience I know they are very excited to see where the tech goes. 

My point is I have a vested interest in VR and Football from a business and a gamer perspective and Damon's presentation made me believe in his company and product vision.  No wonder Superstar Games has raised $2.3 million from investors like New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, former Electronic Arts CFO Stan McKee, and several ex-Zynga executives in order to be first to market with a full featured VR Football game. 

“We are happy to team up with Superstar Games and Joe Montana to license this game so that a new generation of gamers can connect with their favorite players in a unique and authentic way,” -NFLPA VP of Licensing and Business Development Steve Scebelo

That is some strong hustle from the Superstar Games team, even the way Damon Grow and Joe Montana started working together is a bit funny and lucky. Damon tells a little of it in the video at the top of the post. 

From a press side I have heard that Superstar Games did not get the best press out of GDC16 but I was very surprised to not see them at the Daydream booth during GDC17 given the fact that having strong product with a great potential would have helped a Google Daydream booth I felt was lacking a Killer App. I'm not saying that DaydreamVR will not succeed I am just saying you may need something stronger that Rabbids to hold my attention. I am not a Stanford MBA or anything but I do think the millions of people who enjoy the Super Bowl would probably be more open to Montana 17 as a first time VR experience. I know this from experience.  I hope Google is helping the Superstar Games team out quite a bit. 

Me being really bored with the Google Daydream selections. 

The team may be taking an under the radar approach but I respect them with the lead that they are taking to take on the EA cartel (inside joke) and the strangle hold on American Football in gaming that they have. The gaming press might say what they want about the final Montana 17 game when they get it but from first hand experience I tell you NFL players, young kids, and those just getting into VR will find it as a palatable first step. I wish the Superstar Games team well with Montana 17 and know that 18 and 19 just like the future of VR will continue to innovate and impress as time goes on. To be buzz wordy with my paradigm shifting, Montana 17 is actually something disruptive in VR as a first to market full featured VR Football game featuring players.

Disclaimer: Superstar Games CEO Damon Grow is from Port St. Lucie, Florida. I went to High School there, no way would I not want his game to succeed. #HustleHard 

catsandvr.com/blog/

The SVVR GDC Party: Good Friends, Good Music, & Holy Shit MicroDose VR is F'N Dope!

So due to work obligations I had yet to set foot on the GDC floor when I arrived at the SVVR GDC party. I want to thank Karl and the SVVR team for the invite cause it helped me to put things in perspective and keep my sanity. That being said, Android Jones's Microdose VR is dope and is a must try experience for those into "dance" culture.  How have I not tried this yet. 

Seriously I went to check it out because Zack from SubPac has never let me down with a demo ever since he showed me the Run The Jewels 360 video. What I didnt realize is that it actually would make me feel like I was on acid. I mean the visuals are there but I guess you can say you can get that with Tilt Brush but in Microdose VR I legit felt a mental elevation that my eyes were closed and I was in my own head seeing these visuals. You can check out more in the video including the great DJ set featuring Microdose VR visuals and a 15 second interview with Android Jones. 

But enough about my really just wanting to take acid at festivals...wait I mean SVVR was a great place for people to just relax and enjoy that they are in the early stages of the future of immersion. We may all end up stuck in the Matrix but for now it is really fun. The SVVR party made me just want to take it all in right now. Enjoy it while its here.

We are going to look back at these times as the glory days. Some of the people attending the party maybe the future millionaire and billionaires of the industry. I took it all in and thought long and hard about the future.

Predictions...sort of.

1. Enflux Smart Clothing will be a very successful company in the sports training world. Why?    That team never stops demoing, in fact they demoed to me twice that night. 

2. Zach from SubPac will help adoption of VR through the visibility of strategic media    partnerships. Probably use that power for good.

3. Greg Gopman will use that chip on his shoulder to prove the VR world something? I don't know what it is. Probably use that power for good. That dude can take a societal punch. 

4. Music not gaming will be how we can really get to the next step in VR . Where would the iPhone be with out the iPod first?

Check out more from SVVR in the video below, its short cause the one above is long. Peace.

CatsAndVR.com