Sony and Grammy Award winning Selfie fanatics The Chainsmokers colab for FREE Playstation VR interactive musical experience.

Grammy winning dance music duo, The Chainsmokers have a free Playstation VR app out now. A collaboration between Sony and The Chainsmokers, the free Paris.VR Virtual Reality Music experience is currently only available in North America and getting some good reviews on Reddit with user feedback being one Reddit user saying, “Whether you’re a fan of EDM or not, I highly recommend checking this thing out!”
 

You can Influence new remixes of the hit song ‘Paris’ based on the choices you make throughout the experience. Structures and objects activate new audio elements simply by looking around. Choose a new path each time you enter the experience, and let the music engulf you as you lean into the experience, or simply lean back and enjoy the ‘Paris’ daydream.

The Chainsmokers came to my attention with their tonuge in check video for their song "Selfie" and have come quite a way to now be considered established creative talents. I look forward to checking out Paris VR.

CatsAndVR.com

Will Tekken 7 Playstation VR mode be fun? Here are Tekken 7 producer Katsuhiro Harada's thoughts.

At an event last week, Tekken 7 producer Katsuhiro Harada spoke a little about Tekken 7's exclusive PlayStation VR (PSVR) content adding he does not think it will be fun in the traditional sense for Tekken players but will still have some value.

"If you could imagine that you have some kind of a martial artist or pro boxer or something come and do shadowboxing right in front of your face, you can then probably begin to see how that’s not a very entertaining or enjoyable experience. Added to that, you’d be knocked into the air for, like, an aerial juggle or whatever – it’s really jarring and not very fun."

Harada went on to detail what we can expect from Tekken 7's VR mode. 

We ended up focusing more on the character elements of it, where you can customize your character and look at it from various angles, or with a fight against a CPU opponent slow down the match, and change the camera angles so you can see the game like you’ve never seen it before. These are the kind of things that make Tekken a more enjoyable experience in VR.

Personally I am looking forward to Tekken 7 in VR as the Tekken franchise is my favorite fighting game series. I am also looking forward to customizing King into to a cuddly cats.

catsandvr.com/blog/

Star Wars HoloChess inspired Augmented Reality Game HOLOGRID: MONSTER BATTLE now has a VR version launching for Gear VR and a tournament to celebrate May the 4th.

Award-winning independent game studio HappyGiant and Tippett Studio today announced their ground-breaking augmented reality game HoloGrid: Monster Battle has made the transition to virtual reality, and is coming out on the next-generation Samsung Gear VR. In celebration of the upcoming “Star Wars Day” (May the Fourth), the game is now available for download on the Gear VR website and App, and will be available at a limited-time discounted price of $2.99 USD (regularly $4.99 USD).

In addition, HappyGiant will mark the occasion with a three-day HoloGrid virtual “tournament”, in which participating players have a chance to win prizes such as t-shirts and vintage prints signed by famed VFX artist Phil Tippett. Beginning at 12:01 AM EST, May 4, and ending Midnight EST Sunday, May 7, players who accumulate the most multiplayer match victories will be placed into a pool to receive prizes. Contestants must fill out the tournament form HERE.

Launched in December as a physical goods mobile AR game, HoloGrid: Monster Battle VR is one of the first Gear VR games to incorporate the use of the platform’s new GearVR Controller and add Oculus Gear VR Avatar support with VOIP so players can talk to their opponents during games. The tactical strategy game, which combines elements of board games, collectible card games, and digital games, has been reimagined for VR and set inside a deep space game arena.

Built in Unity, the title has added a new single-player AI mode and supports multiplayer matches. With gameplay similar to that of games like HearthStone or Magic: The Gathering, HoloGrid: Monster Battle isthe first augmented and virtual reality cross-platform game . VR players will be able to challenge players of the AR mobile version and vice versa.

Inspired by the Star Wars HoloChess scene, created by Phil Tippett for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope forty years ago, and then recreated for 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens,HoloGrid: Monster Battle brings the monsters of Tippett to life for the first time in a game. Captured through a process known as photogrammetry, where actual hand-crafted 3D models are filmed from all angles and then used to build digital models used in the game, the creatures literally roar to life and into the digital game.

“It’s been a dream come true to work with Phil Tippett, who inspired myself and so many others,” said HappyGiant CEO and Creative Director Michael Levine. “AR and VR tech has given us a whole new playground in which we can interact and create our own vision and worlds that previously only existed in fiction. We can’t wait to see what people think of HoloGrid in VR!”

HoloGrid: Monster Battle VR is available today on the Gear VR site and app for $2.99 USD (regular price $4.99). The mobile AR version is available for iOS and Android on both Amazon and the HappyGiantwebsite for $24.99 USD. Next gen AR and VR platforms, including but not limited to Microsoft HoloLensand Google Tango are also being explored.

For additional information, please visit www.hologridmonsterbattle.com .

Bundle Stars launches a $4.99 Virtual Reality games bundle just in time for the weekend.

Are you the proud owner of a HTC Vive or Oculus Rift ? Are you looking for enjoyable new games to play, without breaking the bank?

Immerse yourself in 10 great Steam games for your Windows PC, with the first ever virtual reality bundle from Bundle Stars ( https://www.bundlestars.com ). The Pure VR Bundle ( https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/pure-vr-bundle ) is available now, with 10 VR-compatible Steam games for just $4.99. That’s a discount of more than 90% off the normal retail price of the games.

All the games are officially licensed from their respective developers, and have racked up a highly respectable combined Steam user review score of 87%.

That’s not all. Everyone who buys the Pure VR Bundle receives a Bundle Stars discount voucher, granting an extra 20% off selected VR games in store. Eligible games include the brand new Batman Arkham VR,which is already discounted, making this an absolute steal!

So what’s in the brand new bundle? Get ready to become an archer defending your tower from incoming waves of skeletons and demons, in God of Arrows VR. Or become the monster in King Kaiju, throwing cars through the air, eating pedestrians and breathing fire at helicopters. Take being evil to the next level!

Pure VR Bundle includes the following 10 Steam games. 

God Of Arrows VR, VR Ping Pong, King Kaiju, Thirst VR, Hoops VR, VRNinja, Bomb U!, Tower Island: Explore, Discover and Disassemble, Sky Jac, and Felt Tip Circus. All games are VR-only, except Felt Tip Circus.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Explore new worlds, play 3D table tennis, protect a train from marauding gun runners, throw bombs at opponents in online multiplayer mayhem, and much, much more.

Be sure to grab your Pure VR Bundle now. You only have 2 weeks before this treasure trove of VR games is gone forever: https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/pure-vr-bundle

CatsAndVR.com

Starbreeze releases info on upcoming immersive Virtual Reality experiences for StarVR

Starbreeze AB today presented its next in line Virtual Reality experience shorts 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 beyond what’s possible in home use setups. You can watch the presentation at the 1:03:30 mark in the above video. 

Bo Andersson-Klint, StarVR Chairman of the Board and Starbreeze CEO, as well as Brooks Brown, Starbreeze Global Director of VR, presented the following solutions and upcoming titles on stage during Next@Acer in New York:

PRESENZ is a revolutionary technology for immersive VR cinema made by Belgian company Nozon. PresenZ allows for interactive parallax in virtual reality and delivers high quality blockbuster computer graphics (CG) with true immersive feeling. Interactive parallax is a technique to enhance viewers’ perception of perspective and view depth, adding to the immersive feeling.

THE RAFT takes players on a thrilling cinematic adventure and comes from RED Interactive Agency. Lured by an ancient treasure, a brave band of explorers make their way down an ominous river. Players must work together to navigate and protect their raft, but keeping it afloat is the least of their worries. As they venture deeper into the mysterious jungle, various creatures will be attacking them and wreaking havoc to the raft.  Only resourceful, coordinated teams will reach the prize, while others will be lost forever to realities unknown. The experience aims to leverage larger than normal playing space tuned towards LBE setups.

HERO – From the award winning studio that brought us 1979 REVOLUTION: Black Friday, iNK Stories creates an electrifying first-person rescue experience that throws players into the volatile streets of the civilian warzone in Syria — where survival is secondary to saving the lives of others. An idyllic day is split open as the sound of sirens fill the sky as the F16s above you continue their bombing campaign on your home town. Suddenly a bomb hits the side of an apartment building. As a volunteer rescue worker, alongside your trusted canine companion, you are called upon your own journey. Put on the headset and ask yourself - What does it really mean to be a Hero?

APE-X - From Lucky Hammers, Fight for your survival and freedom atop a towering building. Feel the rush of hanging 500 meters above City Street as a 12-ton cyber APE named, Big Mike. Forced to disconnect from his virtual “Happy Place” to take action. Big Mike has nothing but a ledge beneath his feet and an antenna to grab onto. Witness the breath-taking view of the city below and the sounds of the metropolis coming from all angles...and how quickly it’s interrupted by the all too familiar buzz of the laboratory guard drones. Listen closely to the Doctor’s instructions in order to survive this ordeal and finally gain your freedom. With 360 degrees of mobility around the peak of the high rise, the player has to shuffle around the building ledge in order to avoid being spotted. The inevitable confrontation lets the player discover the extent of their capabilities in Big Mike’s cyber body as you blast and swat guard drones out of the sky.

PROJECT GOLEM lets users take control of a giant robot mech to fight off an alien invasion threatening the world. Desert Owl games will be creating a fresh new way to bring the fight to the alien hordes, Golem uses the extensive technology of the STARVR platform to finally give players a very physical, 1:1 way to fight. Be prepared to defend the Earth!

ELEMENTERRA is a social VR world-building puzzle game, that takes place amidst a cosmic event of the cataclysmic sort. The player will be able to take on the role as a god-like deity and assist the population of the universe to rebuild the planets.

CatsAndVR.com

As Seen At VRLA Spring Expo: Archangel for Rift, Vive, and PSVR

Archangel, the first original title by Skydance Interactive, is an action-packed, story-driven shooter that was created exclusively for virtual reality. In the game, players are dropped into the cockpit of a six-story-high war-machine, a one-of-a-kind weapon that must stop a tyrannical corporation from taking over a post-apocalyptic America. Through stunningly detailed graphics, engaging storytelling techniques, and explosive action, Archangel delivers state-of-the-art VR gameplay like no other. The title will be made available on the leading VR platforms, including Oculus, Steam, Viveport, and Playstation this summer.

This is the EXO SQUAD game I always wanted- Bobby Venom CatsAndVR.com

“Our goal is to deliver on the promise of VR by giving not only aficionados and fans but even newcomers compelling and cutting-edge content that they can experience through a headset,” said Skydance Interactive President Peter Akemann. 

About Skydance Interactive

Skydance Interactive creates and publishes original and IP-based virtual reality experiences and video games. Skydance Media launched the division following its acquisition of The Workshop Entertainment, a leading game developer and outsource studio. Its successful franchise and genre-defining work includes "Gears of War 4’s” motorcycle chase, “XCOM 2” for PS4 and Xbox One, next-gen graphics for “Fallout 4,” “The Evil Within” for PS4 and Xbox One, “Borderlands 2: Mr. Torgue’s,” and "Sorcery” for PS3, among others.

CatAndVR.com/blog

The Awesome VR Content Creation Platform MINDSHOW gets a HUGE Update!

As the Mindshow team heads into their upcoming open beta they have released a HUGE update for early adopters. 

First up the team has introduced starter scenes to provide a little creative inspiration!

Starters help you create shows very quickly because they come with half the story - it's up to you to complete the scene by adding your own personality!

Currently their are three starter scenes: Mile High Hug, Made Up News, and Bad Doctor. You can look forward to seeing even more starters as they head towards Open Beta! 

Here is the CatsAndVR take on the Bad Doctor starter scene

The Dev team has also added in some great camera improvements with a fixed camera, a stedicam, and also doubling the size of video exports to 1080!

BUT WAIT THERES MORE!

New Characters and scenes make the platform well worth going back to if you have not touched it in a while.

Now you get to play as: Doctor Cleo, Scientist Franklin. Reporter Carlita, Lenny the Pilot. and Surgeon Clark. 

Operating Room:
Perform surgery on a piñata and other life saving scenarios!

Mindshow Nuze TV Studio:
Shoot your own news segment in VR!

Mindshow is quickly becoming the darling of the LA VR scene and a must play expereience. 

Cosmo and the Mindshow team are hard at work heading into the open beta, if you are currently in the Alpha I suggest you jump back in ASAP. If you have not tried Mindshow yet go learn more about this amazing VR experience and all the new updates here.  https://medium.com/@Mindshow/4-26-update-31e1516bad2e

Omnigames announces VR MMORPG Age of Heroes VR for Vive and Rift.

Have you ever faced down World of Warcraft's Lich King and wished you could be in the action yourself? Now you can with Age of Heroes VR, an all new multiplayer action RPG focused on taking on MMORPG style raids in virtual reality. Set in a fantasy world, Age Of Heroes pits players against challenging enemies in multiplayer raids. Utilizing actual body movement, players can sling fireballs, summon creatures and heal allies in an engrossing multiplayer virtual reality experience.

In development by Omnigames who are avid fans the MMORPG genre, Age of Heroes looks to capture the raid combat experience in a VR setting allowing players to experience adrenaline-pumping combat in VR alongside their friends. "With Age of Heroes, we integrated the traditional role-playing features and first person boss battles into the VR genre to create an immersive and refreshing game experience. We look forward to receiving player feedback in the upcoming closed beta and then sharing the game with the world upon full launch.” Said YongMing Wang, the senior producer at Omnigames.

Closed beta dates will be announced soon with registration sign-ups beginning shortly.

Introducing Actual Body Movement...

 Age Of Heroes VR is set to include life-like body movement for combat to help the combat experience feel more natural, reduce motion sickness and increase immersion into the game world. "We were thinking about how to make the combat more immersive and thrilling in VR. One of the answers is Actual Body Movements: you are not only playing the game with VR controllers but also using your own body." Said Omnigames. "In Age of Heroes, you need actually move your body like squatting or quickly side-stepping to avoid attacks and boss abilities. If you worried about room size or other problems, you can set different game configurations to finish all these movements in a slight body reaction. It will be fun and feel real!"

CatsAndVR.com/blog

Twisted Pixel's dark and very well casted Oculus Touch game Wilson's Heart now available.

Twisted Pixel has always been a favorite for me with really vibrant fun games with great mechanincs like The Gunstringer and LocoCycle. The team now has a very dark VR game out exclusively for Oculus Touch. 

Wilson's Heart is an immersive first-person psychological thriller set in a 1940's hospital that has undergone a haunting transformation. In this original VR adventure, you become Robert Wilson, a patient who awakens to the shocking discovery that his heart has been replaced with a mysterious device.

As the hospital hauntings intensify, you and your fellow patients must traverse increasingly maddening corridors, overcome frightening environmental hazards and work together to defeat the sinister inhabitants in your pursuit to reveal who stole your heart… and why.

Wilson's Heart leverages an eccentric cast of characters, compelling narrative, striking visuals, and the immersive nature of Touch to bring you into an interactive adventure of mystery unlike any other game.

Add in award-worthy performances from Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Top Five), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2, Raiders of the Lost Ark), and Peter Weller (RoboCop, Star Trek Into Darkness)—plus even more high-caliber performances to share at launch—and Wilson’s Heart is destined to raise the psychological thriller genre to terrifying new heights.

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1225484597472435/

Zen VR Puzzler Symphony of the Machine Available Now on PlayStation VR, HTC Vive

 Symphony of the Machine , a VR puzzle game where players revitalize a post-apocalyptic world by influencing the weather with a mysterious tower, is now available for PlayStation VR and HTC Vive in North America. It will launch across Europe and Oceania on April 26 and in Asia on April 27.

Set in a desolate landscape ravaged by an unknown catastrophe, Symphony of the Machine is centered around the scattered remnants of a lost civilization and an enigmatic tower. There, at the spire’s summit, awaits a series of tranquil puzzles that players can solve utilizing intuitive motion controls by bending, splitting or filtering light emanating from the arcane device.

This light can be redirected to symbols in the surrounding area which allow the player to summon the elements. Only with the correct mixture of precipitation, sunlight, wind and other effects can fauna atop the tower and the planet as a whole be restored and spring to life once more.

Symphony of the Machine provides an environment of discovery where players are unburdened by exposition and traditional cinematic storytelling. Without heavy-handed narrative dictating the experience, players can freely explore Story Mode, learning what happened to this world and how to fix it, or enter Sandbox Mode, where players are free to construct and expand upon their will, shaping and discovering new features and content long after the initial story has concluded.

“ Symphony of the Machine provides a soothing atmosphere to encourage discovery, creativity and experimentation,” said Vee Pendergrast, managing director, Stirfire Studios. “Players are free to set their own pace when uncovering the mystery behind the apocalyptic catastrophe and how to reverse the disastrous effects it’s had on the environment.”

Symphony of the Machine supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Korean, Russian and Brazilian Portuguese. The game is priced at $19.99 USD and €19.99.

CatsAndVR.com

As seen at VRLA Spring Expo: Tender Claws' Virtual Virtual Reality made me want to believe in Google Daydream.

During VRLA 2017 Spring Expo I ran into Jonathan Krusell, former Executive Producer at Mindshow and now Producer for Google Daydream. Last year Jonathan helped me skip the line to check out Mindshow so I appreciate talking to him any chance I get. I told Jonathan that the Google Daydream booth at GDC kind of bored me and I was not impressed by Ubisofts Rabbids VR game demo. I basically said that if this was my first time using Daydream it was not the best impression I would want. 

Just a tad bit bored with Google Daydream at GDC.

Jonathan took this in stride and vouched for the development team and explained somethings that made me want to take a second look at the Rabbids game in the future. I was then informed by him about a really rad Daydream experience that I missed at GDC and was tucked away at VRLA. That game happened to be Virtual Virtual Realty and blew me away as the best game on Daydream and one of my favorite VR experiences thus far.

Virtual Virtual Realty made me question what is my purpose? The best way to describe Virtual Virtual Reality is a Half Life 2 cinematic developed into its own experience with a dash of Twin Peaks mystery and Portal 2 aesthetic. The game mechanics keep you engaged with a narrative that is built with those fun interactive mechanics in mind as part of the whole. 

In Virtual Virtual Realty you put on VR headsets in a VRinception sort of way in order escape your manager and explore deeper realities of your purpose.  This two hour game provides a great value at $8.99 with an excellent art style and game play that will put an immediate smile on your face and then follow up with a sense of real uncertainty. 

Virtual Virtual Reality in a tongue in cheek way questions the very pedestal people like myself place on VR in showing both the beauty and bleakness of the escapism VR evangelists seek to make the current VR movement seem real.

A game about VR, AI, and our collective Sci-Fi hallucinations the developer Tender Claws has made a must play game that truly showcases VR for its immersive potential. Excellent voice work, beautiful settings, and once again 2 HOURS of gameplay make this a must experience VR experience. Since I have access to multiple VR devices I did not want to invest in a Pixel phone yet, however after playing a short demo at VRLA showcasing the modular nature of the game I ran to find someone with a Google Daydream so I could sit down and continue the immersive fever dream that is Virtual Virtual Reality.

So for me V-VR is the killer app for Daydream and one of my favorite VR experiences. I want to thank Jonathan for introducing me to the rad Tender Claws team, a team that truly highlights the level of creativity and passion coming out of the L.A. VR community. I do hope Tender Claws build on what they did with VVR and takes their charm, game mechanics, and overall love of VR to other platforms but for now they have helped to win me over to give Daydream a chance.

The V-VR Story: In the near future, most jobs have been automated. What is the purpose of humanity? Activitude, the Virtual Labor System, is here to help. Your artisanal human companionship is still highly sought by our A.I. clients. 

The Dev Team: 10 years ago, media artists Danny Cannizzaro and Samantha Gorman began collaborating on projects as diverse as webart of a medieval manuscript to virtual reality poetry. Recognized by the MacDowell Colony, they were given a residency to rethink how story and tech could meaningfully merge. This time spent in a cabin in the woods would eventually become PRY. Tender Claws has grown in size to take on new challenges and commissions, while remaining true to its origins in creating hybrid, interactive experiences.   Tender Claws' first release PRY (http://prynovella.com) was named by Apple as one of the top apps of 2015 and was a finalist for the "Excellence in Narrative" IGF Award and "The Future of Storytelling Prize" before touring film festivals including the New York Film Festival and Slamdance.

http://tenderclaws.com/

Arcade style drone fighting game DroneFightersVR Launches on Steam

Drone Fighters is an arcade style drone fighting game in virtual reality from SurrealVR Game Studios, an HTC ViveX company. Customize your fighter, arm your battle hungry drones with awesome weapons and dominate your opponents in epic cage fights set in futuristic arenas.  

Drone Fighters is a community driven, cross platform title targeting the e-sports enthusiasts that are exploring virtual reality. Available now as an Early Access title for $9.99 with a 30% launch discount, Drone Fighters will explore the many exciting directions that the game offers, prioritizing player input from the very start.  The game will retail for $14.99 after the initial discount.

While the Early Access audience blasts away, Surreal VR is working on new drones, new weapons and features ranging from spectator mode and drone fighter team versus play and live tournaments with rating systems for fighter analysis, to building your own drones from scratch and co-op solo missions.

Drone Fighters is a challenging game, making full use of VR controllers for unique motion controls, and offering a hand-eye coordination fighting system that makes the game different than any other title out there. Solo missions and practice levels teach players how to master the controls in no time, and when you practice, you feel that you are learning something new and different. Your reflexes are getting sharper and you observe the game stage better and better. Almost like learning how to drive a car. Game elevates you to a new level and your drone becomes a part of you.

CatsAndVR.com/blog

Events like VRLA Spring Expo are helping to shape the universe of VR for the dreamers of the future.

“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” -Carl Sagan

In a world where both tech industry insiders and consumers seem to flip flop on VR as both the next big thing and just a fad, VRLA is a place that solidifies what VR is to me.  VR is growth, VR is creative freedom, VR is the future. One can simply look at the growth of VRLA and see that the team behind this event will not just leave this new industry to chance but rather push it forward to the promises of the Sci-Fi novels that shaped our visions.

Look at the growth of #vrla2017 @vrlosangeles That small #redbox was the first. #vr #growth. pic.twitter.com/Imz5b13uu4

— CatsAndVR (@CatsAndVR) April 15, 2017

I started CatsAndVR.com last year in order to throw myself full force into the VR ecosystem. During the VRLA Summer Expo last year I was actually able to use my VR experience to get a job in VR. For me the VRLA events are a bit different than VR events in the Bay Area as there is a more dream like quality in presentation and outlook. For me VRLA is a refresher to remind me why exactly I want to be involved in this industry.

For me one of the best thing about VRLA events are the people and I recenlty got to chat with one of my favorite in the industry, Jonathan Krusell. Last year Jonathan helped me skip the line to check out Mindshow and this year I returned the favor and made sure I checked out some great stuff on Daydream from L.A. Devs.

"Whats amazing about VRLA and VR in L.A. is that there are so many amazing developers here in town. There are so many folks coming from different mediums converging in VR bringing their strengths and experiences."- Jonathan Krusell, Google Daydream

Cofounder of VRLA Cosmo Scharf killed it with his opening VRLA remarks showcasing an almost Steve Jobs level of charm in telling the tale of why VR is important to him. 

Wow @cosmoscharf dropping knowledge #VRLA2017 Dystopia @vrlosangeles #world view shift. #TaxMarch #vr pic.twitter.com/QvSzosF5x1

— CatsAndVR (@CatsAndVR) April 15, 2017

The VRLA Saturday keynote by Justin Roiland of Squanchtendo and Rick And Morty fame was also riveting and added to the unique charm of the VRLA events not found elsewhere. 

VRLA showcases that the future of VR is bright and its events like these as well as groups such as VRLA and Upload provide the pickaxes and shovels for the true seekers of VR Gold.

The Future Of VR is bright!

Of course I can't do VRLA post without a dash of Mindshow. Check a little Mindshow sketch I did at VRLA

CatsAndVR.com/blog

Dungeons & Dragons-themed Dungeon Chess is out now for Oculus Rift and coming soon on Samsung Gear VR.

Virtual reality developer Experiment 7 announced that Dungeon Chess is out now for Oculus Rift and will come soon on Samsung Gear VR. 

Dungeon Chess, a Dungeons & Dragons-themed animated chess game, is the first title developed by Experiment 7 in its partnership with Wizards of the Coast.

From fire-breathing dragons to death ray-blasting beholder rooks and beyond, Dungeon Chess players command a lineup of iconic D&D creatures as they engage in classic chess matches against custom AI opponents, VR users from around the globe or their real-world friends. Each game is played in stunning and customizable rooms, like the Forgotten Realm’s legendary Yawning Portal Tavern or the Warm Study, where players compete in front of a crackling fire.  

“As huge D&D fans ourselves, it was a dream come true to be able to work on Dungeon Chess," said Co-founder and Creative Director of Experiment 7, Geoffrey Zatkin. "We've created what we believe is a killer VR game worthy of D&D enthusiasts, chess fans and the VR community’s attention. We can’t wait to do the same for our next VR project with Wizards of the Coast.”

“Combining the power of storytelling in Dungeons & Dragons with virtual reality is really fascinating, and we're excited to take this first step with Experiment 7 and Dungeon Chess,” said Nathan Stewart, Brand Director for D&D. “As with all of our partners, we've been working closely with their development team to make sure the beholders, dragons and mindflayers are all distinctly D&D-flavored and we think that hard work paid off. I can't wait to see the Yawning Portal come to life in virtual reality!”

CatsAndVR.com

Happy 420! The Rick And Morty VR game is out I am celebrating by NOT writing about it...check out this Justin Roiland/Squanchtendo Keynote.

Today is the launch of the brand spanking new Rick And Morty VR game and I wont be getting high and playing it today since I am on a work trip for my day job http://store.steampowered.com/app/469610/

Everyone should go out and buy this game and support this excellent work of Owlchemy Labs (Job Simulator).

Since I can't play the game and really write about it cause I did not get review copy I will give you some highlights from Justin Roiland's VRLA Squanchtendo Keynote. I escaped to a Starbucks long enough to write this.

 Happy 420 everyone...smoke weed erryday and stuff. Check out some highlights of Justin's excellent VRLA keynote where he talks about the state of VR, the future of VR,and some of the exclusive games coming from Squanchtendo including Miyamote's Toes.

If you are a UE4 developer Squanchtendo wants you.

Actual 3D model of a Squchtendo Fan.

CatsAndVR.com/blog

Check out Herocade, a $15 bundle of 9 VR games for the Playstation VR.

Lucid Sight, Inc. has released a budget  9-in-1 collection VR collection of games for the PSVR.

Race on the mean streets of LA, pilot through exotic alien worlds, hunt prehistoric beasts, defend against alien invaders, solve whimsical puzzles, save civilians from zombie hoards, survive a paranormal experience, escape from a treacherous labyrinth, train for the turkey apocalypse, and solve the mystery of your past as Player One in HeroCade!

HeroCade includes two award-winning titles available for the first time on Playstation: Dreadhalls (Proto Awards’ Best Sound Design) and Sisters (Sundance 2016's New Frontier Selection).

Featured Games

• PolyRunner 

• Space Bit Attack!

• Gumi no Yume

• Z-Strike

• Turkey Hunt

• 405 Road Rage

• Jurassic Survival (HeroCade exclusive)

• Dreadhalls (Proto Awards’ Best Sound Design)

• Sisters (Sundance 2016's New Frontier Selection)

CatsAndVR.com/blog

Subdream Studios launches its debut VR title, Mega Overload.

Subdream Studios, launched its debut VR title, Mega Overload. Bringing the best of retro arcade action to Virtual Reality, Mega Overload enables players to blast their way through the Mega Bots in an endless wave shooter. Each player wields dual blasters and shoots a variety of mischievous MegaBots, each with unique attacks, defenses, and flight patterns, in their quest to the top of the leaderboard.

Throughout the course of the game, players can choose a safe and steady playstyle or aggressively spend lives to upgrade their weapons for a bot blasting bonanza.

Mega Overload also features an online co-op mode, doubling the guns and doubling the fun. Players stand side by side and take out the troublemaking robots together. Each player still retains an individual score, so bragging rights will remain intact. Two player mode is perfect for VR arcades, where friends can play side by side in an exciting quest for bot domination.

“Mega Overload is a game that every player will immediately enjoy, and enjoy even more when playing with their friends online,” said Jikhan Jung, CEO of Subdream Studios. “Our goal is to create engaging social VR gaming experiences based on Mega Overload's intuitive cooperative action game style.”

Mega Overload includes exciting features such as:

● Shoot down endless waves of enemy robots!

● Collect power-ups and upgrade your weapons!

● Team up with a partner in online co-op!

● Recreates the challenging difficulty of classic arcade games!

● Climb to the top of leaderboards!

● Unlock over 20 achievements!

Mega Overload will be available on the Steam store for $14.99, but players can get a

limited time 15% discount during launch week.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/613130

About Subdream Studios

Subdream Studios is a recently formed and well-funded virtual reality game developer and publisher backed by major industry players, including HTC's ViveX Accelerator. Subdream is focusing on multiplayer experiences as the future of VR gaming. The company enables unique and fun multiplayer games to all major virtual reality platforms and offers inclusion in its under-development social hub for multiplayer games.

VR creation application Mindshow gets date for open beta, a new website, and a new trailer at VRLA.

The Mindshow team announced today at VRLA that the Mindshow Open Beta will be available for the HTC Vive Q3 2017. The team celebrated with a brand spanking new website and official Mindshow trailer.  http://mindshow.com/

Mindshow lets you make animated movies in VR with your body and voice! Become 3D cartoon characters and act out all the parts. Create with your friends by passing scenes back and forth, then share your shows in VR and on social media. 

I tried Mindshow for the first time at VRLA Summer Expo and it was my favorite demo, I would eventually join the closed beta community and these are my thoughts. Mindshow is a product built from a passion for VR. Not just because VR is cool but because we were promised the future when we were kids and still seeking it. 

Mindshow is Walt Disney. Mindshow is Jim Henson. Mindshow is Steve Jobs. Mindshow is the spark in humanity that made them create characters out of the stars. Mindshow are the muppet babies playing make believe come to life. 

CatsAndVR.com

The WaveVR officially launches on Steam...and lives up to the months of anticipation to be perhaps a Killer VR app.

If you have been reading CatsAndVR you know that I am a fan of The WaveVR. The team behind it are talented and looking to make one of the KILLER apps of the future of VR. The WaveVR has been endorsed by several members of the VR community from Kent Bye to Reggie Watts and anytime someone has tried it they have been blown away. The first experience of The WaveVR for me came in 2016 at SVVR when Grimecraft demoed to me as a DJ simulation with great visuals. Well several conferences and lots of development later The WaveVR has now come to Steam as a robust full featured social experience. I joined the fun yesterday to several happy avatars awaiting Grimecraft playing a set. 

TheWaveVR is a VR platform for people who love music, enabling them to view, host and socialize in live and recorded shows worldwide, anytime, anywhere.  TheWave creates a VR venue where artists can perform live music by simply importing their tracks, customizing the visuals of the venue, and sharing virtual shows. 

The UI and UX are on point, the interactivity is there, people were communicating, and there was enough of a Burning Man element to make me smile a bit. 

But in the immortal words of Lavar Burton in Reading Rainbow "Dont' take my word for it" go try it out for yourself http://store.steampowered.com/app/453000/

Oh and also here what these people much cooler than me have to say about it to.

“TheWaveVR is building music experiences that can only exist in virtual reality. They're giving musicians superpowers they've never had before, and allowing listeners to experience performances in ways that have never been possible. We're excited to help them build this platform that will forever change the music industry,” said Anjney Midha, founding partner at KPCB Edge.

"As all of my VR experiences so far, exhilarating, great, thought and idea provoking and left me wanting for more!"
-Darude

"TheWave is the first VR experience that captures the excitement of a live performance in a totally original way. While many people are chasing an emulation of a nightclub, The Wave is pioneering an entirely new compelling platform that is playful, social, and fun to use.”
-Morgan Page, Two time Grammy-Nominated Electronic Artist

Visbit Launches the First All-In-One 360-Degree Virtual Reality Video Streaming Service in Open Beta

Following a successful closed beta period that began in December 2016, VR and 360-degree video streaming company Visbit is releasing their service into open beta, marking the industry’s first official availability of an end-to-end platform offering streaming of 4K and above resolution VR 360-degree videos over regular Wi-Fi and LTE for mobile VR devices.

The company’s all-in-one service, which includes a publisher portal, VR cloud and VR player SDK, leverages its patented Visbit View-Optimized Streaming (VVOS) technology so content creators and publishers can simplify the management and delivery of Ultra High Definition (UHD) content to viewers at reduced bandwidth.

“Offloading the handling of video streaming and downloading, and the ability to stream high quality content on cellular connections is very helpful,” said Justin Lutz, lead innovation technologist at Primacy, a full service digital agency. “Visbit’s SDK is straightforward and simple to use, making it that much easier for us to deliver a quality video experience.”

From content publishing to transcoding, hosting, streaming and playing the video, Visbit  provides a complete end-to-end solution that cuts development time and cost, allowing content creators and producers to focus on creating immersive experiences. The company’s move to open beta showcases a number of additions to the service, including:

“Thanks to the feedback from our closed beta users and initial testing, we’ve made a number of tweaks and additions to make our all-in-one streaming service more robust and available for broader adoption,” said CY Zhou, Visbit co-founder and CEO. “We continue to push the limits of what is possible – evident in our recent industry-first 12K streaming breakthrough and support for live streaming – and are looking forward to integrating these features, and more, into our service in the near future.”

CatsAndVR.com