Virtual reality is undoubtedly an immersive feast for the eyes, and accompanied by surround sound headphones that pump in realistic high-def sounds to our ears, users are pulled into a digital world.

But what about our other senses? What about those who actually want to smell their digital universe?

The attachment is a novel idea, but as you can see it’s a rather bizarre piece of hardware that traps your visage in a claustrophobic mask that looks quite uncomfortable.

The FeelReal Mask is a curious VR peripheral that aims at injecting more “reality” into your virtual reality sessions by simulating the sense of smell to virtual reality (yes, really). It will also deliver minor temperature fluctuations to simulate hot air, wind and even water mist.

It’s rightly labeled as a “mask” considering when you strap it on to VR hardware you’re pretty much obscuring your entire face, trapping your features in a bizarre claustrophobic contraption for the sake of “total immersion”.

The FeelReal Mask as showcased at GDC 2015. (Photo Credit: The Verge)

Since you’re mouth will be completely covered up, the mask features a Bluetooth microphone to ensure you’re not completely vocally cut-off from the outside world.

It seems like a novel concept from the start, but once you see what you have to go through to get your senses doused in the “full VR presence”, the FeelReal Mask will most likely scare everyone off. Smell is an inherently important sense, and is more closely tied to memory than any other of our five senses, so successfully tapping this reservoir could lead to potential interactive gold.

But how does the mask work? Loaded with a cartridge that produces seven unique smells that waft through “odor generating vents”, the oddity is tethered to the headset by Bluetooth and powered by a battery with a four-hour life cycle.

Hot and cool air are funneled through dual-sided vents along your upper cheekbones to simulate wind and the like, whereas the water mist lightly sprays at separate dual-sided vents along your cheeks.

The “odor generator” is right under your nose–like literally right under your schnozz while wearing the headset–and delivers the following scents:

• Ocean
• Jungle
• Fire
• Grass
• Powder
• Flowers
• Metal

The mask is attachable to just about every piece of VR tech out there including the Oculus Rift, Project Morpheus, Valve’s Vive headset and even Zeiss VR One.

The Verge tried out the hardware at GDC 2015 and likened it to “smell-o-vision” for VR.

The publication described it as “strapping a foam block over your mouth and nose, putting yourself at the mercy of its air vents,” and saying that it’s basically a “gas mask arranged into a little smiling face.”

While the FeelReal Mask is certainly a unique specimen in terms of adding smell to VR, we’ve seen other peripherals that aim to bring total immersion to the virtual world.

Hardware like the Dexmo exoskeleton from Dexta Robotics and the mo-capping CyberGlove are helping bring the sense of touch to virtual reality, laying the framework for technologies that could very well introduce hardware of Lawnmower Man-like proportions.

But I think senses like smell (and taste for that matter) are best left to the real world.

The post FeelReal Brings Sense of Smell To Virtual Reality appeared first on VR World.

The Japanese battleship Yamato is regarded as one of the largest warships ever built. Though it was eventually defeated, this flagship’s legacy serves as an inspiration to our modern age. In fact, one Japanese crowdfunding project is about to relive its most glorious days.

Japanese indie game designer Mutsuya Nishino had recently opened a project at Japan’s crowdfunding website CampFire. Named as the Yamato VR Restoration Project, it detailed rebuilding the historical battleship Yamato, albeit in virtual reality. The basic outline of the project is to completely reconstruct the battleship inside and out, with users getting a personal tour of the entire naval vessel using the Oculus Rift.

Sounds pretty simple right? While designing the interior of the vessel is already a challenge unto itself, much of the project’s hurdles lie on making the virtual battleship fully functional. Its gargantuan 45 Caliber Type 94 guns for example need to mechanically work like the real thing. The engine room must be period accurate, and it must have the overall feel of a classic World War II warship cruising towards the heat of battle. The project even proposes the use of NPCs, dressed for the proper time period of course, to guide users around the ship.

For the time being, there aren’t any sample images to show just yet, but the developer guarantees that the project is no ordinary crowdfunded undertaking. The outline of the project even discussed the possibility of porting the simulator to be compatible with Sony’s Project Morpheus VR headset, should the campaign prove successful.

Interested individuals in Japan may have the basic VR data package by pledging at least 5,000 yen ($41.00). A bigger 20,000 yen ($166.00) would give the user an additional option to tour the ship as part of its crew (nameplates, decals, records, etc.). A much heftier 150,000 yen ($1250.00) is required for the captain’s seat, which would also include every single extra of other previous packages, a number of other exclusive perks, and a full 3D model of the user.

The project is scheduled to start around February 2015, after it achieves its target funding goal.

Update: The project is now currently funded at 865,000 yen ($7,500.00) which now very near to the project’s target funding (1,000,000 yen).

The post Japan’s Largest Historical Warship Gets a VR Refit appeared first on VR World.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind may be generally popular as a Japanese animation classic, but it also inspired technology, the Möwe glider being one of its iconic symbols. While there is already an ongoing project to build the real thing, one Japanese folk have decided to just settle on the next best thing: a virtual Möwe glider powered by Oculus Rift.

The Möwe (pronounced as mehve in the movie) glider is generally seen in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind as a wide, tailless glider, with its rider at the top of the vehicle (rather than inside or under it). The VR glider of the Möwe Flight Simulator is essentially the same; the user is strapped to a custom built platform where the rider stands, while traversing the virtual skies with the Oculus Rift headset. It was introduced a few days ago during the Maker Faire Tokyo 2014 event, where visitors of its booth were given the chance to try it out, and see the skies as did the royal protagonist of the original title.

Positioning of the virtual glider is adjusted using accelerators installed on the actual platform, while fans in front provide the “wind” as the virtual glider moves. A motor underneath also gives the sensation of a working rotor, increasing the overall level of immersion. Of course, with the Oculus Rift, you can get a 360-degree view of the virtual skies, so you might even see a bird or two flying along with you as you glide away.

The concept, as well as the entire setup and software for the Möwe Flight Simulator were developed by Wada Takahiko, and he has publicly made the program source code and schematics available at his own developers website. As it is a privately-built project, it is unlikely that a commercial version will be available soon.

But who knows, maybe the concept might spark an entirely different idea for a new immersive Oculus Rift-based game.

The post Oculus Rift Brings Life to Anime-Based Glider appeared first on VR World.

For as immersive as Oculus Rift is, the fourth wall — the boundary between what’s virtual and what’s reality — breaks when the user is forced to use a game controller to interact in the virtual space. Now, one project called Nimble Sense seeks to add a level of immersion to virtual reality by allowing users to use their hands to navigate through and interact with virtual reality.

The Nimble Sense is a camera-based system from San Francisco-based startup Nimble VR with hand tracking technology, in some ways similar to the Microsoft Kinect for Xbox. It attaches to the top of the Oculus headset and has a 110-degree field of view. Nimble VR, the company backing the project, says it will also be compatible with PCs allowing the user to have a Minority Report style control over their apps.

“The power of virtual reality puts you into a different world, and now with Nimble Sense you can bring your hands with you” said Robert Wang, a Founder of Nimble VR, in a press release. “Anywhere you look you will be able to see and use your hands with a new generation of games and applications designed to let you naturally interact in virtual reality.”

“This degree of interactivity is essential for experiences like Ethereon where puzzles are the backbone of the game design and require an intricate level of interaction,” added Tony Davidson, developer of the VR game, Ethereon now on Kickstarter. “With only a few basic commands I’m able to define the interactions needed for a given puzzle by using the provided SDK – no other technology offers the ease of use or more natural form of interaction than the Nimble Sense – for both user and developer.”

The Nimble Sense camera system and a bracket for attaching to an Oculus Rift DK2 are now available on Kickstarter for $99 to early backers. Nimble VR is seeking $62,500 to make the device a commercial reality.

The post Nimble Sense Tries to Break Through the Immersion Gap in VR appeared first on VR World.

The Oculus Rift presents many possibilities in the realm of entertainment, and one particular interesting application is the transformation of static visual media, such as movies and shows, into dynamic, almost tangible environments. The concept might feel surreal, but if you’re curious as to what a 360-degree movie might look like this way, then wonder no further, because Zero Point is about to show us what it is all about.

Zero Point is the creation of Condition One, and is a 15-minute documentary that details various information about virtual reality, how it started, and how we came to the level of VR immersion that we have today. First announced last week, this documentary is advertised as the very first movie that would incorporate the free 3D VR elements of the Oculus Rift. That’s right, it means that you can fully explore and view the virtual world around you as the documentary goes on.

Completing the short documentary required a slightly different approach to standard filming. Aside from using a custom 360-degree VR camera to shoot the film, the documentary also used 3D sound techniques. The level of immersion allows the viewers of the documentary to feel the locations as if they are actually there.

In virtual reality, video games and simulations are one thing, but VR movies and shows are completely different, in the sense that it has a modified level of freedom (at least compared to what the previous two applications can offer). The viewing immersion is there, however it would conceptually feel as if someone is leading you, rather than you taking the steps yourself, which makes for a rather bizarre experience, something that we might just see in Zero Point.

Zero Point works on both Oculus Rift DK1 and DK2. The documentary is finally out now, and if you’re interested to catch the 360-degree movie viewing experience, you can head on right over to Steam. It is currently on sale for about $11.99 until November 3, and about $14.99 after the promo period.

The post Zero Point is a VR Themed Documentry You Can Watch in VR appeared first on VR World.

Didn’t get a chance to watch Oculus’ Oculus Connect conference? Well, now you can watch the most important parts of the conference online thanks to Oculus’ own YouTube channel. There are hours and hours of Oculus Connect content below, so be prepared to watch a lot of Oculus Connect, however, a lot of people anticipated John Carmack’s keynote which is over an hour and a half long. There are also keynotes from Oculus’ CEO Brendan Iribe as well as their Oculus Chief Scientist, Michael Abrash.

This is all possible thanks to Oculus selling 100,000 developer headsets to over 130 countries and enabling the VR industry. Oculus really believes that the future of VR is still going to be built around games and gaming thanks to 3D game engines. Oculus Connect’s goal is to enable both PC and mobile VR developers to get the best possible content and realism in VR. Part of this was also enabled by the newest version of the Oculus VR Rift Headset codenamed Crescent Bay. They also enabled such a broad developer base by doing things like open sourcing their original developer kit, the DK1 on Github.

The Oculus Connect videos provided below, compliments of Oculus’ YouTube Channel will appropriately fill you in on the state of VR right now from Oculus’ perspective and where they are going.

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Continual use of HMD’s (head mounted displays) can be rigorous.

Frequent users can be plagued by the all-too-common ails of “sweaty Rifts”, not to mention cheekbone chafing from the tight fit.

But an aptly named Kickstarter called About Face aims to make strapping a virtual reality headset to your face a lot more comfortable.

Crafted by neuroscientist and VR developer Eric Greenbaum, About Face is centered around two main goals: to make extended use ofvirtual reality more comfortable and clean.

Using an ergonomic foam accessory that’s molded to fit HMD’s like the Oculus Rift, the product provides a padded barrier between the user’s face and the peripheral.

It also wicks sweat from your face.

As Greenbaum states in the Kickstarter, About Face was something that was “born out of necessity” to meet a very real need of the VR community.

“The About Face project was born out of necessity.  My first foray into VR development was a mountain biking exercise simulator called Project Singletrack.  While experimenting with that system I quickly ran into issues with my Rift getting sweaty.

” Around the same time, I founded the NY VR Meetup and noticed that sweaty Rifts were not just a problem for VR exercise but for the VR community at large.  

“In thinking about the problem, I realized how important HMD ergonomics and hygiene were going to be for widespread adoption of VR technology.”

The liners themselves are made of “microfiber encapsulated dual foam layers” that are scientifically designed to ergonomically distribute pressure evenly to the major points of a person’s face. As for comfort, the foam inserts provide “soft, luxurious wicking contact surface for your skin” and are washable.

The project is a great leap forwards for virtual reality in terms of ease of use and accessibility. With products like these on the market, users will see the peripheral as a more inviting experience, rather than a daunting tirade of fatigue and discomfort.

The project is also pioneering a movement to meet the “unmet human needs” of the VR community with the ergonomic system, and is directly contributing to the growth of the emerging platform.

Form factor and ease of use are major elements to the launch of any interactive product, and About Face looks like it ticks all the right boxes.

So far the Kickstarter has met half its $12,000 goal with 29 days remaining, proving that gamers and VR developers are keen on the idea. It’ll be interesting to see how much funding is raised over the next few weeks and whether or not About Face will adapt a solution to other HMD’s in the future.

About Face is currently compatible with the Oculus Rift DK1 and DK2 models. For more information be sure to drop by the product’s official website.

The post About Face Aims to End Sweaty Oculus Rifts Once and for All appeared first on VR World.

This past weekend at its Oculus Connect event in Los Angeles, Oculus unveiled its Crescent Bay headset which offers enhanced resolution and better tracking when compared to the current generation Developer Kit 2. Unfortunately for those interested in purchasing the headset Oculus is not planning to make it available anytime soon.

When contacted by potential buyers interested in purchasing the headset, or exchanging their second-generation Oculus devices for the new headset, Oculus said that the Crescent Bay prototype demonstrated at Oculus Connect was not for sale.

Oculus’ Crescent Bay headset promises better resolution, enhanced tracking, as well as improved audio. Though it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s said that the resolution of the new headset will be 1440p. Reports from the floor at the Oculus Connect conference say that the immersive experience with the Crescent Bay headset is much greater than previous generations.

Oculus, however, is accepting cancellations and offering refunds for users that may wish to wait until Crescent Bay is available to make a purchase.

The final version of Oculus Rift does not yet have a release date, but Iribe has previously said that over 100,000 developer kits have been shipped to developers in 130 countries. Though that date may be getting closer as at Oculus Connect the company’s CEO, Brendan Iribe, announced that both the Unity and Unreal Engine would support Oculus. However, no game support has been announced.

The post Oculus’ Next-Generation ‘Crescent Bay’ Headset is Not For Sale appeared first on VR World.

Oculus’ industry conference, Oculus Connect, kicks off this weekend in Los Angeles bringing developers and Oculus engineers together for a weekend of collaboration.

This conference comes at a time where Oculus’ stranglehold on the consumer VR market is slipping. At one time the company had a near monopoly on the market; for the last few years consumer level virtual reality effectively equaled Oculus Rift. Now, the market is getting more and more crowded as Sony, Samsung and Google (which is equally focused on augmented reality) make plays with their own VR solution.

To try and figure out where the augmented and virtual reality is going, VR World recently sat down with Simon Solotko, founder of All Future Parties, a consultancy and accelerator that partners with companies working on products that blend augmented and virtual reality.

Below is the first part of our interview. Check back in the coming days for part two.

VR World: What can we expect from the Oculus Connect conference?

SS: A lot of people are going just because they know that it’s the nexus of the emerging virtual reality revolution. What’s interesting is that there’s so much going on in the emerging ecosystem that has spawned the path that was laid by the Oculus Rift kickstarter and what has followed — the wave of other companies that are utilizing the same technical solutions to arrive at novel variants or simply copycats.

What is interesting about VR right now is that you have both the influence of major players like Oculus and Google as well as Valve who are pushing the envelope in terms of technology and thought leadership. And then you have a hotbed of community innovation — and it really is community innovation — as you have a large set of small companies that are in intellectual and geographic proximity to one another creating a garden of VR solutions and what will become ecosystem ramp into consumer VR.

With regards to Oculus Connect, what is interesting is that it’s now like a “gentlemen’s tea party” in the middle of the wild west.

VRW: During the early days of Oculus, it effectively had a monopoly on the consumer VR market. Fast forward to the present day and you have a number of very competitive VR products from a number of big players.  What gives Oculus an advantage over these companies?

SS: Right now everything is more intertwined than that characterization. Oculus has “done the dance” with Samsung on their emerging head mounted display.  And that dance that we see in public is playing out in some fairly specific ways within the supply chain for displays amongst other things. At the same time you have fairly closed door technical conversations happening between all of these companies. Everyone is one step away from one another and knows one another by first name.

Sony, Oculus, Samsung — they are all swirling around the same tight knit community and the same related sets of ideas and technologies.

The Leap controller, paired with an Oculus Rift DK2, is used to recognize gestures

Right now, as I said, Oculus is about to throw the “gentlemen’s tea party” and has been working on a lot of stuff in the background. They are really working very hard on technology development. A lot of it is playing out in public, and I think Oculus has championed the idea to take relatively early hardware and putting it in the hands of enthusiasts and developers (to jumpstart development).

I think Oculus Connect will be a real signalling point where Oculus shows that VR will be coming soon to real consumers and the ecosystem can be moved forward.

Having said that, whereas Oculus had the early thought leadership lead, the burgeoning ecosystem is potentially huge and also heterogeneous.

VRW: Could you give us an overview of what you see as the disruptive forces in this ecosystem?

SS: Right now you have Oculus, which is the technology and supply chain leader of providing high-quality head mounted displays to the market. You also have a number of emerging players creating what I call mobile specific solutions where either they’ve got some specific hardware or content creation.

You also have the control path. You’ve got a number of companies that are working on ways to stay inside the 3D environment.  You have companies championing a number of different methods. You’ve got companies championing the hand control method; from a controller perspective you’ve got companies like Sixense — they were early to VR and were able to catch the wave faster than any existing company prior to Oculus.

All of these things together form what I call the pillars of VR. It’s not clear what pillars are, we know what some of them are, but not all of them. There are probably a few more pillars that will emerge. These will potentially form disruption among all categories. In addition, there are new categories of solutions that will emerge and there are also new technical solutions that will emerge.

There’s also the disruptive force of augmented reality. The energy and power of virtual reality  is taking augmented reality by storm. It’s a powerful and disruptive force. In other words: VR is taking AR by storm. As ultimately it all becomes just another set of tools developers can use to create interesting experiences. All it comes down to is software developers having a different set of tools for media interaction at their disposal. All of these things will create opportunities for developers to create experiences that defy any one category.

A player fights the Sith with a virtual lightsaber using the Sixsense controller.

Motion control is another major category of innovation and leadership. Sixense is the leader in motion control wih the STEM which provides remarkably accurate full motion control making light sabre battles and precise manipulation possible in 3D and VR. But there are many emerging ways to interact in VR. Threegear is a young company looking at using structured light for precise hand tracking. And Stompz has created a new low cost solution for tracking feet and kinematic motion wirelessly. Both PrioVR and Perception Neuron have created full body tracking systems. I will note none of these is generally available yet, but Sixense’s solottion is widely anticipated to become available soon.

Locomotion is a major category and innovations like Birdly, a VR bird simulator, and the Virtualizer is an innovative omnidirectional treadmill that makes it possible to run, jump, crouch, and interact while standing in VR.

Together these solutions, head mounted display, motion control, and locomotion provide what I call the pillars of VR. It’s not clear what all of the pillars are and there more pillars that will emerge forming the ultimate foundation upon which VR software and experience sap can be constructed and marketed.  These will potentially form disruption among all categories. .

There’s also the disruptive force of VR intersecting adjacent technologies. The energy and power or virtual reality is taking augmented reality by storm. Right now VR has market momentum and is driving a lot of hardware and software solutions and these are moving into the traditional realm of augmented reality and computer vision. This collision will ultimately create a new generation of tools that developers can use to create interesting experiences that defy characterization. software developers will have different set of tools for media interaction at their disposal and a market of consumers equipped with head mounted display to enjoy them.

VRW:  What are some case studies that show the disruptive power of AR and VR?

SS: A company called SeeBright is building a head mounted display which uses a VR paradigm of a head mounted display to provide an AR experience at a really low cost.  You have existing AR players that are going a more direct path of providing something like a full-frame Google Glass, and that’s a really expensive solution. With the influence of VR the idea is now “let’s just create an inexpensive headset and give it to everybody.”

That’s just one kind of example where VR is going to disrupt the headmount opportunity in augmented reality. In addition, you have some technologies that are efficiently used in augmented reality which are being appropriated by VR. One of those being SLAM. SLAM is a set of computer vision technologies for mapping real space in real time, but it turns out that SLAM is really useful if you want to track a headmount.

Another disruptive force is structured light. Structured light is very powerful for mapping real space. It can be used to track head mounted displays. It utilizes infrared light as a means to provide better structured illumination of a space and to provide depth data for real time mapping. For the second version of the Kinect Microsoft built their own structured light solution, and in the process probably built the most powerful computer vision chip in the business.

Right now these structured light solutions require a lot of power and are not quite mobile ready. But a technology that could provide real-time awareness of a room space, could be useful in AR and also VR for head tracking. The grand unification theory of augmented and virtual reality is computer vision coming to the head mounted display in the form of structured light and SLAM to provide tracking and spacial awareness to drive both VR and AR.

Head-mounted displays for VR need things like structured light and computer vision, and as a  result the world is [going to get] to augmented reality for free.

VRW: Thanks for your time.

The post Where Are Virtual Reality And Augmented Reality Going? appeared first on VR World.

Virtual reality is now the next big hype in consumer tech, and it is definitely proved by Samsung’s big announcement.

Samsung unveiled a new flagship phone at the IFA 2014, which is the long awaited Galaxy Note 4. Aside from the new phone however, an even more interesting announcement came in the form of a new VR headset, the Samsung Gear VR, which the company also promptly presented at the event.

The Gear VR is a VR headset that basically uses the Galaxy Note 4 as it base. It is very reminiscent of the Google Cardboard, where the unit is strapped in front of 3D lenses, though this one is designed as a dedicated unit. The 3D viewing experience is expected to be quite fascinating, and the concept very much picks up on what the Oculus Rift can do in terms of 3D virtual reality immersion. In fact, its software was actually designed in collaboration with Oculus, though this one has its own perks that differentiate it from what was already designed.

Since the entire software is on the phone itself, the Gear VR does not need wires or any other wireless connection (aside from the mounted Note 4 unit). As reported earlier, it uses the phone’s sensors to provide directional orientation to user. There are also various adjustment controls on the headset that lets the user fix viewing settings, or give the user access options. Compatibility with game controllers seems to be a given, though no information is yet available on games that would provide such an option.News and rumors regarding the Samsung Gear VR was already circulating around the web a few months earlier. However this is the only time that Samsung presented the actual working unit that testers could really try out and work on.

There is one flip side to the otherwise enticing VR offer by Samsung. The Gear VR is actually only compatible with the Galaxy Note 4, which means that you’d definitely have to purchase the entire set before you can experience Samsung’s version of a virtual reality experience.

The Samsung Gear VR is slated to be available later this year, though its price is still yet to be announced.

The post Samsung Unveils The Note 4 ‘Powered’ Gear VR Headset appeared first on VR World.

The Oculus Rift has undeniably spawned so many new ideas and innovations in the way we explore virtual 3D environments. Japan also has its fair share of ideas for this VR headset, and here are a few of the notable ones that might just have the potential to take those current ideas even further.

Sidonia Knights Launcher Simulator

Coming first on this short list is the realization of the space launch sequence from the Japanese comic series Sidonia Knights (Shidonia no Kishi). The presentation of the concept is part of the Anime Festa event that is currently held in Tokorozawa, Saitama. As for the look and feel of being inside a cockpit in space, it is very reminiscent of the previously unveiled EVE: Valkyrie, which has the same fantasy sci-fi setting and also lets the user play as a space pilot (though this time you’re riding mechas instead). Sadly, the demo isn’t even playable, as it is simply a launch sequence. The short experience is nevertheless still quite exciting however, especially when the unit shown in the sequence starts to accelerate faster and faster.

Hanzo

The next one is Hanzo, an upcoming arcade-style game for a shop attraction in Osaka. The basic premise of the game seems to let the player jump around and travel through ancient Japan as a ninja. There is very little information about the game right now, but the introduced mechanics suggest that you’ll be flicking away shurikens to hit targets via Kinect-like controls, while looking at your 360-degree environment with the Oculus Rift. As it is still currently under development, in-game screenshots are still quite scarce.

Titan

Another interesting Oculus Rift innovation in Japan is the Unity Engine-based indie game Titan. The game is partly inspired by the massively popular comic/anime series Attack on Titan. The same titan slaying action is there, however the player uses chains to swing around buildings instead of the iconic 3D Maneuver Gear. It is also set on a rather unique and modern landscape, instead of the pre-industrial-esque environment that the series is originally set on. The game is still largely unfinished however, and the only version available for download seems to be a very short demo. It looks very promising in terms of game mechanics, but beware; swinging around buildings might be very disorienting to the eyes.

Tonari no Totoro Oculus VR

On a final note, Red of Paw’s Tonari no Totoro Oculus VR experience also takes special mention here. The concept isn’t actually Japanese, but the characters used in the concept are from one of Studio Ghibli’s most famous Japanese animated films. The idea presented here is simple: a recreation of one of the scenes in the movie can be explored by the user in full 360-degrees. It is quite notable because reproducing scenes this way somewhat makes the comparison of Oculus Rift to a certain more futuristic VR tech a whole lot more understandable. Both are still very far away from each other however, and for now, we’re going to be stuck on whatever’s visible on the headset’s screen.

The post Oculus Rift Meets Japan: Ideas and Innovations appeared first on VR World.

The Oculus Rift has undeniably spawned so many new ideas and innovations in the way we explore virtual 3D environments. Japan also has its fair share of ideas for this VR headset, and here are a few of the notable ones that might just have the potential to take those current ideas even further.

Sidonia Knights Launcher Simulator

Coming first on this short list is the realization of the space launch sequence from the Japanese comic series Sidonia Knights (Shidonia no Kishi). The presentation of the concept is part of the Anime Festa event that is currently held in Tokorozawa, Saitama. As for the look and feel of being inside a cockpit in space, it is very reminiscent of the previously unveiled EVE: Valkyrie, which has the same fantasy sci-fi setting and also lets the user play as a space pilot (though this time you’re riding mechas instead). Sadly, the demo isn’t even playable, as it is simply a launch sequence. The short experience is nevertheless still quite exciting however, especially when the unit shown in the sequence starts to accelerate faster and faster.

Hanzo

The next one is Hanzo, an upcoming arcade-style game for a shop attraction in Osaka. The basic premise of the game seems to let the player jump around and travel through ancient Japan as a ninja. There is very little information about the game right now, but the introduced mechanics suggest that you’ll be flicking away shurikens to hit targets via Kinect-like controls, while looking at your 360-degree environment with the Oculus Rift. As it is still currently under development, in-game screenshots are still quite scarce.

Titan

Another interesting Oculus Rift innovation in Japan is the Unity Engine-based indie game Titan. The game is partly inspired by the massively popular comic/anime series Attack on Titan. The same titan slaying action is there, however the player uses chains to swing around buildings instead of the iconic 3D Maneuver Gear. It is also set on a rather unique and modern landscape, instead of the pre-industrial-esque environment that the series is originally set on. The game is still largely unfinished however, and the only version available for download seems to be a very short demo. It looks very promising in terms of game mechanics, but beware; swinging around buildings might be very disorienting to the eyes.

Tonari no Totoro Oculus VR

On a final note, Red of Paw’s Tonari no Totoro Oculus VR experience also takes special mention here. The concept isn’t actually Japanese, but the characters used in the concept are from one of Studio Ghibli’s most famous Japanese animated films. The idea presented here is simple: a recreation of one of the scenes in the movie can be explored by the user in full 360-degrees. It is quite notable because reproducing scenes this way somewhat makes the comparison of Oculus Rift to a certain more futuristic VR tech a whole lot more understandable. Both are still very far away from each other however, and for now, we’re going to be stuck on whatever’s visible on the headset’s screen.

The post Oculus Rift Meets Japan: Ideas and Innovations appeared first on VR World.