PS VR2 games coming to PC

To VR & AR enthusiasts.

Welcome today’s edition of Futurescape - a 3x deep-dive newsletter focused on what is happening in the Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) world.

Here is what we got today:

• On PSVR2 coming to PC

• VR/AR report ( Mckinsey)

• Beat Saber on Quest

NEWS

PS VR2 games coming to PC

PlayStation VR2 launched over a year ago with 40+ games including Pavlov and Horizon Call of Mountain that I have written about in my previous newsletter.

An announcement just came out from PS blog indicating that the gaming giant is testing the ability for PS VR2 players to access additional games on PC to offer even more game variety in addition to the PS VR2 titles available through PS5.

Here is the list of games and their launch date following two that have already been released as per the State of Play; Legendary Tales and Metro Awakening.

Released 02/22/2024; The Wizards – Dark Times: Brotherhood is an action-adventure spellcasting game where you become a powerful Wizard, and thanks to the power of PlayStation VR2, you can cast a variety of spells with your very own hands.

Released 02/22/2024; Arizona Sunshine 2 free update - get ready for more multiplayer mayhem with three new Horde mode maps, dropping one each month from March to May, allowing up to four players to battle waves of zombies together.

Out March 12; Little Cities: Bigger! - You’ll feel everything from the satisfying ‘whomp’ of a well-placed mountain to the brush-stroke sensation of island sculpting with Sense controller haptics.

Out June 27; Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate - Playing as Asher Neumann, players can seamlessly time travel at will, exploring immersive worlds and experiencing exhilarating action while solving mind bending puzzles and wielding their time-traveling powers to reshape the course of history.

Out this 2024; Zombie Army VR  lets you experience the fear, thrill and spine-chilling tension of the zombie apocalypse through the immersion of your PS VR2 headset.

Out this 2024; Soul Covenant - upcoming narrative action JRPG Soul Covenant that showcase one of its core mechanics: turning fallen comrades into weapons! In a near-future Japan that sees humanity fight for survival against a mech regime, you’re tasked to take on hordes of encroaching enemies and colossal, powerful foes in tense, melee-based combat.

Quest headsets x Airplay

Meta Quest users have been complaining about the lack of support for offline downloads in apps for Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. And the Meta’s vice president of VR has heard their cries;

Aside that Netfilx is not supported by Airplay, the other apps would a huge plus for Quest users and even Vision Pro which has not integrated with it yet.

If the Meta request is approved, users will be able to AirPlay content from your iPhone to your Meta Quest headset.

Scape Bites

AR Lens for movies promotion - Ahead of the release of Dune; Part Two, Warner Bros has promoted the anticipated movie using Snapchats ‘ Augmented Reality (AR) Lens. The AR Lens dresses users in a Fremen costume from the film and makes it appear as though they’re riding a Sandworm.

AR for Parkinson's therapy - Computer scientists have developed an AR headset and software to help clinicians to analyze movement in people with Parkinson’s disease to help guide their physical therapy. Clinicians can also use their own AR headsets to immerse themselves in the reality of their patients by replaying their activities.

HARDWARE

Valve Index VR

The Valve Index VR headset is a high-end virtual reality system developed and manufactured by Valve Corporation, a renowned company known for its contributions to the gaming industry, particularly through platforms like Steam and games like Half-Life and Portal.

It was first released in June 2019, the Valve Index is designed to provide an immersive VR experience with high fidelity visuals, precise tracking, and comfortable ergonomics. Here is the headset analysis;

Price: Full Valve Index Kit costs $1,448 on Amazon.

Display and Optics: The Valve Index features high-resolution dual LCD displays offering 2880 x 1600 pixels, enhancing visual clarity. Custom-designed lenses reduce the screen-door effect for sharper images, while adjustable IPD accommodates various users for a comfortable viewing experience.

Field of View (FOV): With a wide FOV of around 130 degrees, the Valve Index provides a more immersive VR experience, capturing a larger portion of the virtual environment. This expansive FOV enhances immersion and realism by mimicking natural human vision.

Refresh Rate and Smoothness: Supporting a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, the Valve Index ensures smooth and fluid motion within VR environments, reducing motion sickness and enhancing immersion. The high refresh rate contributes to a seamless and comfortable experience for users, even during fast-paced interactions.

Tracking and Controllers: The Valve Index boasts precise 6DOF tracking with external base stations, offering accurate tracking of both the headset and controllers. The ergonomic design of the Index controllers enables natural hand movements and individual finger tracking, enhancing immersion and interaction in VR environments.

Audio: Integrated near-field off-ear speakers provide high-quality audio without the need for headphones, maintaining awareness of surroundings while enjoying immersive soundscapes. The headset also includes a 3.5mm audio jack for users who prefer using their headphones, offering flexibility in audio options.

Comfort and Ergonomics: Designed for comfort, the Valve Index features an evenly distributing strap design, adjustable velcro straps, and a rear dial for a customizable fit. Interchangeable face gaskets allow users to choose materials for improved comfort and hygiene during long VR sessions.

Compatibility and Connectivity: Compatible with a wide range of VR content on Steam, the Valve Index connects to a PC via DisplayPort 1.2 and USB 3.0 for high-fidelity visuals and responsive tracking. Backward compatibility with HTC Vive accessories provides flexibility for existing VR users, ensuring seamless integration with previous hardware setups.

GAMING

Beat Saber

Beat Saber is a unique VR rhythm game where your goal is to slash the beats (represented by small cubes) as they are coming at you. Every beat indicates which saber you need to use and also the direction you need to match. All the music is composed to perfectly fit the handmade levels. It cost $29.99 on Meta platform.

Aside existing in Quest headsets, its also available in; PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4.

Synopsis

Beat Saber immerses players into a virtual reality rhythm game where they embody futuristic warriors, armed with lightsabers, to slice through incoming beats represented by colorful blocks. With music pulsating through their headsets, players must time their slashes and follow directional cues to match the beat, all while dodging obstacles and maintaining precision.

The game primarily offers a single-player experience, featuring levels of varying difficulty levels. Each level presents a unique song and block pattern, challenging players' rhythm and coordination. Players wield their sabers—red for right, blue for left—to hit the blocks accurately, following directional arrows for guidance.

In addition to the single-player mode, Beat Saber offers various modes to cater to different preferences and skill levels. These include a campaign mode for progression, a party mode for multiplayer fun, and a practice mode for skill improvement. Players can also explore extras such as "No Fail" mode and gameplay modifiers.

Customization is a key feature, allowing players to tailor their experience with different environments, blade styles, and block colors. The game boasts a diverse music library spanning multiple genres, from EDM to pop and rock, with additional music packs available for purchase.

Moreover, Beat Saber benefits from a thriving molding community, offering custom songs, environments, and gameplay tweaks for advanced players seeking new challenges or unique experiences.

Reviews

RESEARCH

Immersive Reality report (Mckinsey)

Mckinsey & Company published a report on immersive reality technologies. below is how they describe these trends:

The most mature immersive reality use cases fall under the following areas;

Live events: Gaming, virtual workouts, and other virtual events mimicking real-life experiences such as concerts, conferences, sporting events, and fashion shows.

Product design: Creation of digital twins to enable virtual walk-throughs of a physical environment (eg, construction site) or a physical product (eg, new space satellite), enabling more efficient product prototyping and test simulations.

Learning and training: Hands-on skills and procedures training—especially useful for simulating unusual or dangerous edge cases that are difficult to simulate safely in real life, thus building muscle memory.

Overlay of data visualization enables more productive assessment of situations. An example would be Store manager observes store while wearing AR glasses that display sales data overlaid on sections and products.

The report emphasizes that leaders should pay attention on this technology reasons including; projected to hit $1.2trn by 2035 and huge VC investment ($3.5bn as of 2021) being poured into the space.

Below are the most impacted industries as per jobs stats on their potential to scale this immersive reality.

APPS

TikTok App on Vision Pro

The short videos social media recently launched their app on Apple Vision Pro. Here is what you need to know and getting started;

Features

Immersive Viewing Experience: TikTok on Vision Pro offers a more immersive viewing experience through the headset, with videos appearing suspended in front of the user for a heightened sense of engagement.

Familiar Layout: Despite the immersive interface, TikTok on Vision Pro maintains the familiar layout of the mobile app, including the "For You" feed, profile section, and standard options for engagement like liking and commenting.

Navigation: Navigating through the app involves intuitive gestures such as pinching to scroll through the feed and swiping to access specific options like comments or likes.

Limited Functionality (for now): While content consumption is available, features such as video creation and live streaming are currently absent from the Vision Pro app, with plans for their integration in future updates.

Getting started

Download the App: Head to the Vision Pro App Store and search for "TikTok." Download and install the app.

Log In: Use your existing TikTok credentials to log in.

WORKPLACE

MEME OF THE DAY

That is it for today.

Thank you for reading!

Futurespace team