Apple’s ‘Gather Round’ product event took place today, and while the company is predictably heavy on the new hardware iterations, including Apple Watch Series 4, the A12 Bionic chip, and new iPhone X versions, the company is still plugging its AR capabilities with two featured ARKit 2.0 apps. Taking the stage was NEX Team, which showed off an updated version of their HomeCourt basketball app, and Directive Games, which debuted Galaga AR, an upcoming augmented reality multiplayer version of the classic arcade game.
High-flying Adventure ‘Windlands 2’ Now Available on Oculus Rift
Windlands 2 (2018), Psytec Games’ sequel to their high-flying, first-person platformer adventure, is now available on Oculus Rift.
The VOID is Developing 5 New Disney & Marvel VR Experiences, ‘Ralph Breaks VR’ Coming in Fall
The VOID, an out-of-home VR destination that melds wireless VR with real warehouse-scale environments, has partnered with Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB to bring five new Disney and Marvel experiences to their growing number of VR facilities.
VR Car Assembly Simulator ‘Wrench’ to Hit Steam Early Access Fall 2018, Trailer Here
If preparing cars for motorsports in VR sounds like your idea of a good time, indie game Wrench is one to keep an eye on. Showcased in this recent ‘prototype trailer’, Wrench features painstakingly detailed car parts which the developer hopes to use in a rewarding, problem-solving car shop game.
Jaunt Acquires Personify’s Volumetric Capture Tech & Talent to Build Out XR Platform
Jaunt was once a cinematic VR company which produced high-quality 360 video, and to boot even a professional-grade 360 camera dubbed NEO. Taking a step in a decidedly more AR direction with its recently revealed volumetric video capture solution, Jaunt further announced it’s also acquired both Personify’s ‘Teleporter’ volumetric video streaming tech and the engineers behind it.
‘Guided Meditation VR’ Makes Great Use of Carmack’s 5K Playback Tech on Oculus Go
Earlier this year Oculus CTO John Carmack revealed a new video playback technique designed to bring high-resolution video to mobile headsets like Oculus Go. Oculus released a sample of the system and developer Cubicle Ninjas saw a perfect opportunity to adapt the code to their Guided Meditation VR app, resulting in a vastly improved visual experience.
‘Windlands 2’ Review: The True Starting Point For a High-flying Series
As one of the first full-length games for VR, Windlands (2016) pioneered a movement scheme that sends you soaring high into the air, using your grappling hooks to swing from bush to tree in the desolate world that was fractured and destroyed after a planet shaking conflict. The latest Windlands isn’t simply a continuation of the hunt for all-important power crystals and Easter eggs though, now boasting enemies, multiplayer co-op, races, and a classic gaming-inspired story that confronts players with the disastrous forces that wrecked the once prosperous world; it feels like the true beginning of the series.
Meta Forced to Furlough After Chinese Lead Backs Out of New Investment
Meta, makers of an AR headset dev kit, was close to raising a new round of funding before a Chinese lead investor backed out, Bloomberg reports. The Chinese investment firm had reportedly put up $20 million for the deal. Meta claims that the Chinese government urged the investment firm to reconsider the deal following trade tensions brought on by the Trump administration.
‘Everybody’s Golf VR’ Slated to Land Exclusively on PSVR in 2019
The long-standing golf series Everybody’s Golf is getting a PSVR game, developed by Clap Hanz in association with Sony’s Japan Studio. Announced today as a part of the pre-Tokyo Game Show ‘PS Lineup Tour’, Everybody’s Golf VR is coming exclusively to the platform.
‘Dark Souls’ Developer to Launch PSVR Story Adventure ‘Déraciné’ in November
Déraciné, an upcoming VR story adventure from Dark Souls and Bloodborne developer FromSoftware and Sony Japan Studio, is coming exclusively to PSVR in November.