【新闻贴】《虚拟现实》Virtual reality（Oculus Rift）

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VR游戏《ADR1FT》的非VR版本将登陆PS4

　　VR游戏《ADR1FT》将随Oculus Rift在2016年3月28日发售，成为Oculus Rift的首发游戏之一（点此查看Oculus Rift预售情报）。同时，本作的非VR版将于同日登陆Steam，本作PS4版和Xbox One版也将随后发售。目前还不清楚本作之后是否会登上PS VR。

　　在这款游戏中，玩家将扮演一名宇航员，在一场事故过后，玩家将在狭窄破碎的空间站中艰难求生。本作和《皇牌空战7》都将发售VR和非VR双版本，这让小编我想到了另一个问题，如果一款游戏同时发售VR版和普通版两个版本，在售价相同的情况下各位会依据什么标准来进行版本的选择呢?欢迎在下方评论区参与讨论。

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Palmer Luckey: "We don’t make money on the Rift"; Explains "$350 ballpark" quote



Palmer Luckey's AMA (ask me anything) over at Reddit

I handled the messaging poorly. Earlier last year, we started officially messaging that the Rift+Recommended spec PC would cost roughly $1500. That was around the time we committed to the path of prioritizing quality over cost, trying to make the best VR headset possible with current technology. Many outlets picked the story up as “Rift will cost $1500!”, which was honestly a good thing - the vast majority of consumers (and even gamers!) don’t have a PC anywhere close to the rec. spec, and many people were confused enough to think the Rift was a standalone device. For that vast majority of people, $1500 is the all-in cost of owning Rift. The biggest portion of their cost is the PC, not the Rift itself.

For gamers that already have high end GPUs, the equation is obviously different. In a September interview, during the Oculus Connect developer conference, I made the infamous “roughly in that $350 ballpark, but it will cost more than that” quote. As an explanation, not an excuse: during that time, many outlets were repeating the “Rift is $1500!” line, and I was frustrated by how many people thought that was the price of the headset itself. My answer was ill-prepared, and mentally, I was contrasting $349 with $1500, not our internal estimate that hovered close to $599 - that is why I said it was in roughly the same ballpark. Later on, I tried to get across that the Rift would cost more than many expected, in the past two weeks particularly. There are a lot of reasons we did not do a better job of prepping people who already have high end GPUs, legal, financial, competitive, and otherwise, but to be perfectly honest, our biggest failing was assuming we had been clear enough about setting expectations. Another problem is that people looked at the much less advanced technology in DK2 for $350 and assumed the consumer Rift would cost a similar amount, an assumption that myself (and Oculus) did not do a good job of fixing. I apologize.

To be perfectly clear, we don’t make money on the Rift. The Xbox controller costs us almost nothing to bundle, and people can easily resell it for profit. A lot of people wish we would sell a bundle without “useless extras” like high-end audio, a carrying case, the bundled games, etc, but those just don’t significantly impact the cost. The core technology in the Rift is the main driver - two built-for-VR OLED displays with very high refresh rate and pixel density, a very precise tracking system, mechanical adjustment systems that must be lightweight, durable, and precise, and cutting-edge optics that are more complex to manufacture than many high end DSLR lenses. It is expensive, but for the $599 you spend, you get a lot more than spending $599 on pretty much any other consumer electronics devices - phones that cost $599 cost a fraction of that to make, same with mid-range TVs that cost $599. There are a lot of mainstream devices in that price-range, so as you have said, our failing was in communication, not just price.

Reddit.com/AmA

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HTC 曝光虚拟现实头戴式装置「Vive Pre」宣传影片

　　HTC 与游戏厂商 Valve 合作日前在今年国际消费性电子展（CES）展中公开了虚拟现实头戴式装置「Vive Pre」开发者版本，今日公开新宣传影片。

　　HTC 强调，HTC Vive Pre 的全新头戴式装置拥有更加简洁的造型，搭配全新束带设计，提供更平衡、稳定且舒适的配戴感受，带领用户全然沉浸于眼前的虚拟世界。 另外，新一代视觉系统提供明亮的显示及精致的图像，带来清晰真实的沉浸式体验。 内部使用可更换海绵并加入鼻垫，可贴合用户鼻型并增添稳定度，透过简易调整可适用于各种脸型，用户可于配戴眼镜时舒适使用。

　　HTC 表示，Vive Pre 结合全新开发的前置相机，用户不需脱下头戴式装置，可轻松走向座位、拿起饮料或与朋友继续对话，增添使用时的更多可能性；另外，HTC Vive Pre 搭配符合人体工学的控制器，拥有圆滑边缘的按键，搭配握取软垫带来舒适握感。 透过全新两段式扳机按键，可使用户与物体的互动更流畅，震动时的反馈使虚拟世界中的互动更真实。 全新控制器采用可重复充电的锂电池，搭配 micro-USB 充电器单次充电可使用长达4小时。

　　HTC 指出，HTC Vive 将是首款支持 Valve 旗下 SteamVR 的装置，透过优化 SteamVR 追踪与 Chaperone 系统，可支持「Steam」平台，同时支持 PC、Linux 及 Mac 操作系统的游戏与软件。

　　新曝光的「Vive Pre」宣传影片中，HTC 希望透过 Vive Pre 以创造完全沉浸在虚拟现实的经验，来改变人们如何沟通、娱乐与学习、训练。 HTC 强调，每个组件的设计都是为了更加舒适、更符合人体工学与性能，希望未来能够创造出没有极限的世界。

   

   

　　HTC 表示，他们与 Valve 将于 2016 年起陆续推出 7000 组 HTC Vive 开发者版本，HTC Vive 市售版本将于 2016 年 4 月正式上市。

http://www.htc.com/tw/

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Sony 执行长平井一夫透露 PlayStation VR 目前已有上百款游戏正在开发中

　　索尼计算机娱乐（SCE）出身的 Sony 集团执行长平井一夫，在美国拉斯韦加斯举办的全球最大消费性电子展「2016 国际消费电子展（CES 2016）」中接受英国广播公司（BBC）访问时，透露旗下公司 SCE 研发的 PS4 虚拟现实装置「PlayStation VR」目前已经上百款游戏正在开发中。

　　平井一夫表示，目前已经有超过 200 个开发团队登记参加 PlayStation VR 软件开发，有将近或是超过 100 款 PlayStation VR 作品正在开发中，具备充足且优秀的内容支持，目标是提供玩家更优异且更具沉浸感的游戏体验。 他同时也提到 PlayStation VR 在游戏以外的影音应用潜力。

　　PlayStation VR 是 SCE 研发的 PS4 专用虚拟现实装置，透过头戴式显示器让用户体验身历其境的虚拟现实乐趣。 采用 5.7 吋 1080p 分辨率的 OLED 显示面板，提供约 100 度的视角，支持最高 120Hz 的更新频率。 除了配戴者能观看到 3D 虚拟现实画面之外，还支持额外的「社交屏幕（Social Screen）」输出功能，能同步输出第 2 组画面到外接屏幕，提供非对称的游戏体验。

　　开启这波虚拟现实消费电子产品化热潮的 Oculus VR，已经于 1 月 7 日展开旗下虚拟现实装置「Oculus Rift」消费者版本的预购，预定 3 月 28 日开始出货，但 599 美元的未税价格较市场预期为高。 Sony 在这次 CES 中并未公布 PlayStation VR 的确切上市日期与价格，仍有待后续观察。

来源 - BBC

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HTC Vive pre-orders to start on February 29



HTC will start taking pre-orders for Vive, its virtual reality headset, from February 29, its chief executive has confirmed.

Cher Wang told the Telegraph the company had chosen to refocus on virtual reality (VR) and away from smartphones, saying the company was now "more realistic".

“Yes, smartphones are important, but to create a natural extension to other connected devices like wearables and virtual reality is more important," she said.

Vive has been developed with game maker Valve, designed to fully immerse its wearer in their virtual environment while playing games. It will go on wider commercial sale in April, and will compete with Facebook-owned Oculus Rift and Sony's PlayStation VR as the technology finally enters the mainstream. Its price remains unknown.

“I think the problem was competition – Apple, Xiaomi, these companies spend tons of money on communications and marketing, they pump a huge amount of investment into the market. There are a lot of Chinese competitors.”

HTC showcased the second generation developer kit, Vive Pre, at CES in Las Vegas, a signifcant aesthetic departure from the first version which was launched with much fanfare at last year's Mobile World Congress.

The headset has been redesigned to rest more comfortably on the wearer's face, with a smaller cage and more stable head strap. HTC said the new design can be more easily adjusted to users' heads, and can still be worn comfortably by those who wear glasses.

It also contains an integrated front-facing camera, enabling you to see your physical surroundings while wearing the headset. This means you could sit down, eat and continue interacting with others without needing to remove it.

More on the Telegraph

虚拟现实头戴式装置 HTC Vive 市售版本将于 2 月 29 日展开预购

　　HTC 证实，与游戏厂商 Valve 合作虚拟现实头戴式装置「HTC Vive」市售版本预定 2 月 29 日开放预购，并将于 4 月正式发售。 目前尚未公开定价。

　　HTC 此次在国际消费性电子展（CES）展中公开了虚拟现实头戴式装置「Vive Pre」开发者版本。 HTC 董事长王雪红随后接受英国每日电讯报访问时提到，HTC 已经将其注意力开始从智能型手机领域转移到虚拟现实；她认为，智能型手机仍然是重要的，但为了连网装置如穿戴式设备的自然应用延伸，虚拟现实将会更加重要。

　　今年虚拟现实装置成为众所瞩目的焦点，由 Facebook 旗下子公司 Oculous VR 研发的 Oculus Rift 已经抢先展开预购、3 月底陆续出货，而 HTC 确定将于 2 月 29 日开放「HTC Vive」预购、4 月发售，Sony 旗下 Playstation VR 虽然尚未公开发售日期等相关消息，但官方表示为了此套装置已经有超过上百款游戏研发中。 至于三星则是结合自家手机推出新一代「Samsung Gear VR」来抢攻虚拟现实市场， 1 月 15 日将上市。

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支持HTC Vive新作《云间幻境：VR 迷你高尔夫 Cloudlands:VR Minigolf》曝光影片

　　近日在 Youtube 频道曝光了一款支持虚拟现实头戴装置 HTC Vive 的游戏《云间幻境：VR 迷你高尔夫（暂译，Cloudlands:VR Minigolf）》宣传影片。

　　《云间幻境：VR 迷你高尔夫》游戏主要是让玩家身处在高高的云朵上、一处风景优美世界中，享受虚拟现实迷你高尔夫的乐趣。

　　游戏强调将提供玩家独特的迷你高尔夫体验，藉由大炮、浮动的桥还有多样化的场景可供挑战，享受虚拟现实的趣味。

   

　　《云间幻境：VR 迷你高尔夫》尚未公开游戏上市时程。

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《Budget Cuts》结合虚拟现实与传送玩法 将支持 HTC Vive

　　Neat Corporation 研发、支持虚拟现实头戴式装置 HTC Vive 的游戏《Budget Cuts》曝光宣传影片，游戏结合了虚拟现实、传送与匿踪元素，未来将在 Steam 平台上市。

　　在《Budget Cuts》中，玩家将扮演一个神秘机构的间谍，偷偷跑过走廊、使用飞刀等武器把敌人打倒，然后将其尸体藏在垃圾桶里。

　　虽然一般来说，虚拟现实可能会有行动空间上的限制，但《Budget Cuts》却可以藉由控制器启动传送门的概念，让玩家可以点到想要的地方，然后立刻传送过去。

　　以下为《Budget Cuts》Pre-Alpha 版本的宣传影片：

   

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NASA is making a Mars Exploration experience for VR using Unreal Engine 4



The Division – Launch is Just the Beginning

NASA is already planning the first manned space landing on Mars in the 2030s. But thanks to Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4, anyone who owns a virtual reality headset will be able to explore the Red Planet in 2016.

NASA has teamed up with Fusion Media, MIT’s Space Systems Laboratory, and game developers from former studio Irrational Games to develop The Mars 2030 Experience for Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, and Samsung Gear VR in 2016. The free cross-platform virtual reality experience will also expand to Sony PlayStation VR and HTC Vive, thanks to Unreal Engine 4.

Julian Reyes, virtual reality producer for Fusion, said Unreal Engine 4 has enabled the development team to start building this experience with the highest regard to visual fidelity.

Although more details will be announced during a panel at South by Southwest 2016, the virtual reality experience will bring to life a series of mini-missions that occur within the Mars habitat as well as on the planet’s surface. Players will be able to walk on the Red Planet as well as drive the Mars Rover.

More at the Unreal Engine site

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Crytek's VR Game 'The Climb' First Dev Diary ~ Base Camp

   

Meet the team behind The Climb in our debut Dev Diary

The Climb brings alive the exhilaration and intensity of free solo rock climbing. However, the process of creating the game is a real team effort.

With that in mind, today sees the launch of the first video in our new developer diary series, in which some of the people leading our expedition into VR with The Climb share their insights into the project.

You’ll hear about how real rock climbing helped to inspire the game, and why even the earliest prototypes of The Climb had everyone convinced we were on to a winner. The team discuss those moments that really set their hearts racing, and you’ll learn about the new mindset required for creating a game in VR.

Check out the video and find out why the team behind The Climb are calling it an “intense” experience which ensures that “if you want to know what it’s like to climb a cliff face, you’re actually going to get that feeling.”

The Climb Team.

theclimbgame.com