The first Oculus Rift games bode well for VR’s future (update: full game list)

I hid behind a stack of wooden crates in the saloon, trying to hide from the bullets flying at my general direction. Panicked, I frantically reached for the pair of revolvers by my side, pointed them at my assailant and fired repeatedly. She went down, but so did my ammo. Soon, her partner showed up to take me out and without even thinking, I grabbed the dynamite that magically appeared in front of me and threw it at him. Boom. Unfortunately, my first victim came back to life, and before I could take aim again, she lobbed something at me and I was blown to smithereens.

Of course, I wasn’t actually a gunslinger in the old West; I was simply playing a video game. But the difference here is that instead of mashing the A button on a control pad, I had my knees on the ground with my arms held out in front of me, Oculus Touch controllers in each hand, an Oculus Rift strapped to my head and my entire body in a crouched position. I was playing Dead & Buried, a multiplayer VR title developed and produced by Oculus Studios, at an Oculus Game Day event this past Sunday. And yes, the game was that immersive. Jason Rubin, Head of Oculus Studios, said that when he played it for the first time, he actually split his jeans because he dropped to his knees too quickly to hide from enemy fire.

That wasn’t the only game I played that day. In fact, I spent nearly eight hours playing 15 out of the 40-plus titles that were at the event. With all that ducking and weaving and arms flailing, I was physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the day. I also had an absolute blast of a time and came out of the event wanting a VR rig more than ever.

Before I get too far in detailing some of my more favorite games, let me touch a little bit on the Rift. If you don’t already know, the consumer-edition of the Rift is much more compact and lightweight than its previous iterations. The front panel is nice and smooth, much of the hardware is covered in a mesh-like breathable fabric and the goggles are padded along the inside rim. It’s been redesigned to accommodate glasses, though I still found it most comfortable to wear it without. The velcro-lined adjustable head straps feel pretty snug and there’s also a little dial that’ll let you adjust for the distance between eyes. It also comes with integrated headphones — which I rather like — but you can always supply your own.

As for the optional Oculus Touch controllers, well, in my opinion, they’re almost mandatory. They add vital gesture control to certain games that make them more immersive than without. In the aforementioned Dead & Buried game, for example, shooting at my rival with an index finger poised on the trigger button is way more life-like than a thumb mashing on a button.

Now, the games. As I said, I played 15 titles at the event, but you’ve likely heard about most of them before. So for the purposes of this post, I’ll focus on just a few highlights. Aside from Dead & Buried — which is my clear favorite — I’m also in love with Ubisoft’s Eagle Flight. Here, you’re a bird of prey flying above the city of Paris 50 years after the disappearance of humans (who knows what happened there). Changing directions in the game is as easy as tilting your head to the left or to the right as you’re mimicking the movement of flight.

I had a chance to play in a multi-player setting, where a team of three eagles went up another team of three to bring a dead rabbit to their corresponding nest. Even though we were all wearing headsets pretending to be birds in a made-up world, we were soon shouting at each other to either help or hinder the other players. It was immersive, fun and surprisingly social, which goes against the notion of VR being a solitary experience.

Other favorites include High Voltage’s Damaged Core, where I acted like a virus and jumped from cyberbot to cyberbot, and Schell Games’ I Expect You To Die, where I was a spy trying to solve a get-out-of-this-room puzzle. The latter was especially a delight because it made use of the aforementioned Touch controls, and allowed me to pick up objects and manipulate them. The only downside is that I wished I had finer motor control — for example, I wish I was able to use my thumb and forefinger to pick up objects, instead of relying on a rather ham-handed fist technique of handling items. I also liked Fantastic Contraption, where you can take different objects and put them together to solve a particular objective. Why yes, I do like puzzle games, I’m sure you can tell.

That’s sort of the surprising thing about VR, at least for me; that it lends itself to so many different game genres. From the ones that require whole body movement like Dead & Buried to more puzzle-type games like Owlchemy Labs’ Job Simulator or Robot Invader’s Dead Secret, being fully immersed in the world makes a big difference as far as your level of engagement goes. Instead of just pretending to be a detective in a crime, for example, you are the detective, however momentarily. I remember trying to feel my way out of a trapped car in a game, saw that there was a seat next to me, and thought I could just rest my hand on it for support. Of course, there was actually no seat there at all and I ended up almost falling over to the side. (Pro tip to not play VR alone lest you hurt yourself while doing so!).

There were a few games here and there that I didn’t like too much — Studio HG’s Smashing the Battle was too much like an old-school button-masher, Slightly Mad Studios’ Project CARS seemed like a traditional race car game and playing Rock Band in VR felt just like playing regular Rock Band (To be fair, the latter hasn’t been optimized for VR just yet. You can read more in our post here). But even they made me feel immersed enough in their respective worlds.

“The future of VR is wide open,” said Lindsay Jorgensen, one of the artists behind Fantastic Contraption. “It’s really cool that there’s all these normal things that you can do and then make it a little weird.” Normal things that are just a little weird. Maybe that’s what I like about VR the most.

Update: Oculus today announced the full list of launch titles. All told, there will be 30 games available when the Rift comes out on March 28th.

You’ll need an Oculus Touch to play ‘Rock Band’ in VR

We already knew Rock Band VR was coming to the Oculus Rift, but now we have a bit more information about the project. In a gameplay demo at an Oculus Game Day event recently, we learned that the game will essentially require that you attach an Oculus Touch to a guitar controller via a clip adhesive (seen above), which confirms what we saw in the promo video that Oculus and Harmonix released a few months ago. That’s essentially how the game will communicate your movements and controls to the computer. We also learned that all Bluetooth controllers should work with the VR version of the game, as would Xbox, PS3 and PS4 controllers.

I tried a brief demo of Rock Band in VR, but it was still mostly restricted to normal gameplay and not the full VR treatment. There was a tiny bit of immersion though: I was told by a disembodied voice to turn on the amp, check my audio levels and wait for a cue from my drummer and then there I was, in front of an eager crowd at a concert venue — all of which adds to that stagefright feel. But then once the music started, there was that same ol’ familiar note highway at the bottom and that was what I ended up staring at most of the time.

“That’s definitely our biggest challenge” said Josh Harrison, Harmonix’s social and community lead. “We want VR to get you fully immersed. We want you to live out that rock star fantasy.”

According to Harrison, we’ll see a more immersive version of VR gameplay at E3, where he says we would no longer be slave to the note highway and be able to rock out for real. Oh, and apologies to drum lovers — it looks like, at least for now, Rock Band VR is just for lead guitars. And no bass guitars either. Only guitar god wannabes may apply.

The nostalgic joy of playing ‘Pinball FX2’ in VR

I associate pinball with family, partly because my father convinced me it was cool when I was a kid, just like he did with The X-Files, Mystery Science Theater 3000, ping pong and a handful of other quasi-nerdy necessities from the ’80s and ’90s. Plus, one of my uncles had a room packed with pinball machines — yes, he had the Addams Family table — and as a pre-teen I’d revel in playing them late into the night every New Year’s Eve. Now that I’m an adult, it’s my turn to show these family members what’s cool (or simply how to use Gmail), and virtual reality is absolutely on that list.

I’m not saying VR will take off commercially or change the world, but it is definitely a cool thing. And now, there’s a clear way for me to introduce it to my dad, uncle or anyone with an affinity for those rapid-fire flippers: Pinball FX2 VR on the Oculus Rift.

Pinball FX2 VR launches for the Oculus Rift on March 28th and includes three tables, each controlled with the Xbox One controller: Epic Quest, Secrets of the Deep and Mars. All of these are housed in the VR version of a menu screen, which in this case is a beautiful beachside living room. It’s a large, circular space with windows on all sides and comfy-looking, retro-futuristic furniture — and three pinball tables, of course. Turn your head to locate each table and, as you select one, the room shifts into the appropriate theme.

Virtual reality is all about atmosphere and creating a believable sense of place. Pinball FX2 VR manages to do this within and around the tables themselves.

Epic Quest features the cartoonish knight, Max, who comments on the game while sitting astride his wooden horse next to the table. Tiny versions of Max crawl around Epic Quest’s ramps and bumpers as you flick the ball around their winding passageways with the Xbox One controller’s trigger buttons. The Mars option features an interstellar landscape outside of the room’s windows and a brilliant sun burning directly behind the table. As you play, comets hit the tile and tiny drones fly in and out, sometimes helping dislodge the silver ball as it flies around under the virtual glass. Selecting the Secrets of the Deep table fills the room with water and adds a great white shark.

Full disclosure: I’m terrified of sharks. In fact, I accidentally selected this table as I was messing around in the living room space, looking around the VR room willy-nilly. I nearly tore the Oculus Rift off of my face, but that probably would have broken my glasses. Instead, I turned my back on the vicious, man-eating monster floating in front of me and selected the Mars table. The dense vacuum of space was a welcome relief.

The two tables I actually played, Mars and Epic Quest, were satisfyingly solid in the VR world. Flipping the triggers on the Xbox One controller is an acceptable facsimile for a real-life pinball experience and the game’s physics have been honed over nearly 10 years of tweaking by creator Zen Studios.

Nothing will ever beat playing a real-life pinball machine in a dark, sticky-floored arcade, but Pinball FX2 VR is a close, gratifying second. It may not be the “killer app” needed to push sales of Oculus’ new headset, but it’s a welcome addition to the hardware. Plus, it’ll save you a ton of quarters — after you drop $600 on the Rift, at least.

MediaTek’s 10-core mobile chip hits the market next month

As a believer of the old “quality not quantity” saying, Qualcomm backed away from octa core in favor of just four custom-designed cores for its Snapdragon 820 chipset. MediaTek, being the pioneer of octa-core mobile CPU, simply shrugged and teased its upcoming 10-core, tri-cluster Helio X20 last May. So where is it now? Well, at today’s Shenzhen event, MediaTek co-COO and EVP Jeffrey Ju told Engadget that the first Helio X20 devices will finally be hitting the markets next month. To heat things up a little, MediaTek also announced the Helio X25 which is just a faster version of the Helio X20: 2.5GHz instead of 2.3GHz for the Cortex-A72 performance cluster, and 850MHz instead of 780MHz for the Mali-T880 MP4 GPU. This will also be getting to consumers’ hands soon after the Helio X20, according to the exec.

While MediaTek didn’t mention any device brands, Meizu president Bai Yongxiang took the liberty to announce that the Helio X25 will be exclusive to its next flagship smartphone, the Pro 6, for a few months. As to when this will arrive, we’ll just have to wait and see; the sooner the better, obviously.

MediaTek’s Helio X20 family is seen as a direct competitor of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820, and while the latter easily stands out with 14m process, 4K display output plus LTE Cat 12/13 radio, MediaTek’s high-end chips have the advantage of spreading across a wider range of price tiers. In the case of the earlier Helio X10, it’s featured on both the HTC One M9+ (initially about $770, now $550) and the Redmi Note 2 (about $125), so we can expect the same game plan for its successor. With its new tri-cluster design, the Helio X20 also claims to consume 30 percent less power than conventional dual-cluster CPUs, while offering 15 percent more computational power than the competition.

Other cool features on the Helio X20 series include SilkSwipe which boosts touchscreen response (as shown by the above comparison between a MediaTek prototype and the Mate 8 powered by Huawei’s very own Kirin 950 chipset), Imagiq ISP which supports both 3D camera sensors (including live Bokeh effect for video recording) and RWWB sensors (with greater light sensitivity than conventional RGB sensors), MiraVision CrystalView which delivers slick 120fps video for much better VR experience, and MiraVision Chameleon Display which adjusts the screen’s color temperature and brightness according to the phone’s surroundings (though a separate RGB light sensor is required). That’s quite a handful to look forward to.

Via: Engadget Chinese

Source: MediaTek

SanDisk’s 256GB Flash Storage is Possible Option for iPhone 7 Plus

Following a rumor that Apple may sell an iPhone 7 Plus with 256GB storage, Italian website HDblog has shared pictures of a SanDisk 256GB NAND flash memory chip that could be appropriate for the next-generation smartphone.

SanDisk’s 256GB NAND flash chip (top) and older 64GB chip (bottom)
Apple has used SanDisk flash memory chips in a number of previous iPhone models, including the iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus, while other models have used NAND flash chips from Samsung, SK Hynix, and Toshiba.

SanDisk has managed to reduce the size of its 256GB flash memory chip to be smaller than its 64GB counterpart, which makes it a viable option given rumors that the iPhone 7 lineup could be up to 1mm thinner with a larger 3,100 mAh battery.

It remains unclear if the iPhone 7 Plus will still have 16GB base storage, which has been a highly contested option in recent years, or if Apple will opt for larger storage sizes such as 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB at existing price points.

Other rumored iPhone 7 series changes include a faster TSMC-built A10 chip, Smart Connector, dual-lens camera, stereo speakers, Intel 7360 LTE modem, no 3.5mm headphone jack, waterproofing, wireless charging, relocated antenna bands, and more. iPhone 7 Plus models could have 3GB of RAM.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: SanDisk
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AliveCor Announces Apple Watch ‘Kardia Band’ for Medical Grade EKG Analysis

Medical smartphone accessory company AliveCor today announced that it will bring “the first medical-grade EKG band” to the Apple Watch with the “Kardia Band,” in addition to a new smartphone app for users of its heart-rate reading devices. The company already sells a few “mobile EKG” products in its online store, including cases for the iPhone 6/6s and iPhone 5/5s that have users place their fingers on metallic plates to get sufficient heart-rate readings.

The Kardia Band for Apple Watch will function in a similar way, with a small, integrated metal sensor in the band communicating with the company’s new app to take wrist-worn EKG readings. All users will have to do is navigate to the Apple Watch-compatible Kardia app, start a reading, place their thumb on the sensor, and wait for the 30-second analysis to complete. During this time, users can also speak into the Apple Watch’s microphone to detail any palpitations, shortness of breath, or dietary habits that could be linked to heart-rate fluctuations.

Users can record a single-lead EKG by simply touching Kardia Band’s integrated sensor that communicates with the Watch app, Kardia by AliveCor™. The Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Detector then uses Kardia’s automated analysis process (algorithm) to instantly detect the presence of AF in an EKG, the most common cardiac arrhythmia and a leading cause of stroke.

Also included is the Normal Detector, which indicates whether your heart rate and rhythm are normal, and the Unreadable Detector, which tells you when to retake an EKG so physicians receive only the highest quality recordings.

The collected recordings are stored and can be viewed in the iPhone version of the Kardia app, and even sent to a patient’s preferred doctor if any suspicious activity is gathered during a reading. AliveCor said that the app can also connect to Apple’s stock Health app, so users can integrate their EKG readings into established fitness data like step count and calorie intake to further bolster an overall assessment of their well-being.

The Kardia Band is currently undergoing clearance approval by the Food and Drug Administration, and can’t be sold until it does so, but AliveCor believes the device will be available to purchase as soon as “late spring.” The updated Kardia by AliveCor app [Direct Link] can be downloaded today, however, and works with the company’s re-branded Kardia Mobile device as well as the line of iPhone cases.

AliveCor encourages those interested to sign up on its website to be the first to know when the Kardia Band will be for sale and at what price.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Waze Introduces ‘Planned Drives’ Scheduling Based on Live Traffic Conditions

Waze, the largest community-based traffic and navigation app on iPhone and iPad, has been updated today with a new “Planned Drives” feature that enables users to schedule an upcoming drive and receive a reminder to leave on time. Estimated drive times are updated based on live traffic conditions in the area.

Now you’ll always know when to go! Enter the time and date you need to arrive and Waze will recommend the best time to leave. You’ll also receive a reminder closer to your event with an updated departure time based upon real-time road conditions. Just set it and forget it.

“Planned Drives” can be accessed by entering a destination or tapping the Waze icon in the bottom-left corner of the app on version 4.3.0 or later. Users can then set a starting location, destination, and the time and day they plan to leave, and then tap “save” to confirm. Tap on the trip at any time to begin receiving directions.

The latest version of Waze also includes some smaller improvements:

* The Waze Traffic Bar now shows the reason for a jam (if one is known) like an accident or object on the road
* Waze now mutes automatically during an incoming or outgoing phone call
* Bugs and stability fixes

Waze is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.

Tag: Waze
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Moto X Pure Edition down to $299 at B&H, includes free microSD card

If you missed out on Motorola’s Moto X Pure Edition promotion, fret not, as B&H is selling the 16GB model for $299, $100 off its retail price. You also get the retailer’s Photo Video Smartphone Photo Bundle for free, which is valued at $60.

The bundle includes a SanDisk Ultra 32GB class 10 UHS-1 microSD card, Xuma Mobile LED lights — consisting of 48 LED lights that put out 46 lumens of light, a Joby GripTight XL mount that can accommodate phones up to a width of 3.9 inches, Magnus MaxiGrip Flexible Tripod for long-exposure shots, and a microfibre cleaning cloth.

The deal is available on the black and white/bamboo variants of the phone, and is valid until 11:59PM, March 19. Interested? Head to the retailer from the link below to place your order.

See at B&H

MasterCard brings virtual reality, payments and wearables to the golf course

Just when you thought golf couldn’t get any more exciting, MasterCard has teamed up with this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill to showcase a new VR experience. Enlisting the help of professional golfers Graeme McDowell and Harris English, the experience will enable consumers to really feel like they’re there by standing on the 17th hole, and even purchase items within the virtual world.

Those rocking a MasterCard on the course will be able to take advantage of payment-enabled golf gloves, which is a result of a partnership with Callaway, part of their Commerce for Every Device program. The piece of clothing allows golfers to order refreshments without fetching for their wallet or even interrupting play. MasterCard Qkr! will also be present with support for both iOS and Android – all proceeds go to Amie’s Army.

Sony PlayStation VR game trailers: Sony reveals the PS4 gaming future for 2016

Sony will be releasing its PlayStation VR for the PS4 in October 2016 and with it a heap of games built for the virtual reality world.

Now Sony has begun showing off trailers of the immersive gaming worlds we can look forward to using the PlayStation VR.

The virtual realm of PlayStation VR is going to be home to all types of games. From driving games like DriveClub to VR specific thrillers like Golem, every title will be honed to make the virtual reality experience a part of the game.

Sony has begun unveiling what we can expect with a selection of trailers for these games. While viewing them on a 2D screen probably doesn’t do them justice they’re exciting enough to take a look at anyway.

RIGS Mechanized Combat League

Designed purely as a VR experience this battle-racer puts you inside a mech suit while you go to war with other similarly armed robo-fighters. The beauty here isn’t just total immersion, where you can see your suit around you, but the speed at which you’ll be able to lock on while moving thanks to head movement controlled aiming. This should make first person shooter gaming faster and more intense than ever.

Robinson: The Journey

Built on the Crytek engine this VR experience looks stunning. The trailer shows you appear to be stranded in the Jurassic age with dinosaurs that you have to dodge to survive, while following your flying robot butler, complete with Enligsh accent of course.

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood

This aptly named horror title should get your heart racing. The trailer doesn’t give much away but we imagine poking about in the dark with evil lurking will be on a whole new level when strapped into the PS VR. The makers say decisions affect the story but we doubt you’ll be thinking calmly enough to do much picking, more panicking we expect.

Battlezone

If Tron were converted, graphically at least, into a battle game it would likely look very much like this. The fact that it’s a virtual reality experience is just the sweetener. Use the PS4 controller for attacking and ship movements while you can get a full view by simply moving your head, this is what VR is meant to be all about.

PlayStation VR Worlds

This is your typical new hardware megamix of mini games to help you feel like you’re getting playable content with the kit. There’s Downhill Luge, Dangerball that’s like squash using your head as a racquet, Into The Deep where you go virtual diving in a cage, The London Heist where you live like a gangster, and Scavengers Odyssey for spaceflight alien destruction.

Golem

This trailer is almost a trailer for the virtual reality experience as a whole. It shows off the main female character who is in virtual control of a stone golem. This is one of many Golems she has access to, allowing her to traverse jaw-dropping landscapes moving heavy pillars as if they weighed nothing. That’s what you get to do as a VR user. Little else is revealed about the game’s content or story at this early stage.

Rez Infinite

This classic shooter has been reimagined for a virtual reality world. The results looks like a more immersive experience where targets expand beyond the usual field of view which should make for a heart-pounding experience.

Ace Combat 7

If there were ever a game that was perfect for virtual reality, it’s Ace Combat 7. Imagine darting about in the clouds while actually sighting enemy fighter planes just as a real pilot would, by looking around your cockpit. This one could end up being a real neck workout.

Eagle Flight

This game was developed by a division at Ubisoft Montreal to work on all VR experiences available. The game lets you take to the skies of Paris flying as an eagle. The result should be an immersive experience with some amazing views. The game is set 50 years after humans have left the city and nature is taking back the land. The game is single player or multiplayer with up to six others in flight. It’s unclear what the goals are in the game other than enjoying the views.

Job Simulator

This might sound like the most dull game ever. While there’s coffee and doughnuts in this virtual office you can’t eat or drink them. But the trailer makes it look more fun than it sounds. Firing off staples can activate buttons and move objects. Finished your coffee? Launch the mug at the rest of the office. It could be a fun way to feel liberated in an otherwise boring office environment. How this will become a full game experience is unclear.

The Modern Zombie Taxi Co.

The apocalypse has come about at the hands and teeth of the zombie hoards. But that doesn’t mean cab drivers will be out of a job, the walk-pace-only undead need to get about in a hurry sometimes. You control the taxi in a virtual world where running over the undead is a guilt-free experience. Launch bodies into football goals, fire guns off the car bonnet and supercharge the motor for racing – this looks like a fun, freeing VR experience.

READ: DriveClub on PlayStation VR preview: The future of driving games, full stop