Sony to ship 9 million PS VR headsets in 2016
Sony is expected to ship up to six million units of PlayStation VR (PS VR) headsets in 2016, accounting for 67% of the global VR HMD market, according to a Chinese-language Liberty Times reports, citing data fromTaipei-based Topology Research Institute.
5 Things the RIGS Developers Learned from VR
With all the PlayStation VR news coming out of GDC this week, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to give you a little insight into how we’re approaching development of our upcoming PS VR arena shooter RIGS: Mechanized Combat League.
It’s a real honor to be at the vanguard of VR game development, but being first to the plate has not been without its challenges! Read on to learn about some of the surprising things we’ve learned about making video games for virtual reality…1.) New Rules
Early on, we found out that you can’t just take existing elements, put them in VR, and expect them to work well. You need to build the experience from the ground up and most of the time apply design techniques that haven’t even been written yet.
Simple 2D menus, for instance, simply don’t work in VR. So how do you present information to the player in VR? That was quite a challenge for us and in the end we created some very nifty ways in which the player can not only navigate the game but also interact.
For example, with traditional 2D screens everything is flat and you don’t have to refocus when you switch between gameplay and HUD elements. In VR the sense of depth is so much greater that switching requires you to refocus your vision. The more details on the HUD, the more information you need to process. So, for example, we are using a charge bar for ammo instead of a counter.
2.) Being There
RIGS is a game where you pilot six-meter tall RIGs, but how do we make sure you actually feel like you are piloting one of these huge machines around the arena?
One of the ways we tell you that you’re actually inside a RIG is that you don’t start the game inside your RIG. You start in the garage looking up at your RIG towering above you.
The other example is that once you are inside the RIG, you will see your teammates being lifted inside their respective RIGs. It all comes down to the sense of presence and that is a key element of developing for PlayStation VR.3.) Sound
Talking about presence and how important it is that you feel like you are controlling a six-meter tall RIG, a major component of that is sound. With PlayStation VR we can use 3D positional audio to help.
This allows us to let you hear where the danger is coming from. Not only will you be able to hear a missile approaching, you will hear where it is coming from and have an idea of how far it is away from you. This helps the immersion and the gameplay of RIGS.
4.) Comfort
RIGS is a fast-paced multiplayer arena shooter in which it is vital that you are able to react quickly to what is happening around you. PlayStation VR has no noticeable latency, so movement is fluid when looking around. This is very important to us and really benefits the experience.
Another plus is that PlayStation VR sits very comfortably. After playing for a few minutes you hardly notice that you are wearing it, which is a huge boost to immersion. When playing RIGS we want you to have the most comfortable experience possible.5.) Playing is Believing
One thing we found out early on is that the best way to explain VR is to actually experience it. We’ve taken RIGS around the world and been to as many game shows as possible to give people a hands-on experience. In the end, there really is no substitute for getting hands on and trying PS VR for yourself.
Be sure to keep an eye on our Twitter account to get the latest info on where we will be next showing RIGS: Mechanized Combat League.
It’s a real honor to be at the vanguard of VR game development, but being first to the plate has not been without its challenges! Read on to learn about some of the surprising things we’ve learned about making video games for virtual reality…1.) New Rules
Early on, we found out that you can’t just take existing elements, put them in VR, and expect them to work well. You need to build the experience from the ground up and most of the time apply design techniques that haven’t even been written yet.
Simple 2D menus, for instance, simply don’t work in VR. So how do you present information to the player in VR? That was quite a challenge for us and in the end we created some very nifty ways in which the player can not only navigate the game but also interact.
For example, with traditional 2D screens everything is flat and you don’t have to refocus when you switch between gameplay and HUD elements. In VR the sense of depth is so much greater that switching requires you to refocus your vision. The more details on the HUD, the more information you need to process. So, for example, we are using a charge bar for ammo instead of a counter.
2.) Being There RIGS is a game where you pilot six-meter tall RIGs, but how do we make sure you actually feel like you are piloting one of these huge machines around the arena?
One of the ways we tell you that you’re actually inside a RIG is that you don’t start the game inside your RIG. You start in the garage looking up at your RIG towering above you.
The other example is that once you are inside the RIG, you will see your teammates being lifted inside their respective RIGs. It all comes down to the sense of presence and that is a key element of developing for PlayStation VR.3.) Sound
Talking about presence and how important it is that you feel like you are controlling a six-meter tall RIG, a major component of that is sound. With PlayStation VR we can use 3D positional audio to help.
This allows us to let you hear where the danger is coming from. Not only will you be able to hear a missile approaching, you will hear where it is coming from and have an idea of how far it is away from you. This helps the immersion and the gameplay of RIGS.
4.) Comfort RIGS is a fast-paced multiplayer arena shooter in which it is vital that you are able to react quickly to what is happening around you. PlayStation VR has no noticeable latency, so movement is fluid when looking around. This is very important to us and really benefits the experience.
Another plus is that PlayStation VR sits very comfortably. After playing for a few minutes you hardly notice that you are wearing it, which is a huge boost to immersion. When playing RIGS we want you to have the most comfortable experience possible.5.) Playing is Believing
One thing we found out early on is that the best way to explain VR is to actually experience it. We’ve taken RIGS around the world and been to as many game shows as possible to give people a hands-on experience. In the end, there really is no substitute for getting hands on and trying PS VR for yourself.
Be sure to keep an eye on our Twitter account to get the latest info on where we will be next showing RIGS: Mechanized Combat League.
PlayStation VR: Launching October for $399
With the annual Game Developers Conference in full swing, I’m pleased to give you an exciting update on PlayStation VR. Today, we are announcing that the PlayStation VR headset will launch in October of this year for a suggested retail price of USD $399 / CAD $549.
That is a bit later than the timeframe we previously stated, and I want to thank everyone for their patience and continued support. PlayStation VR represents a transformative experience in gaming, and we wanted to take the time needed to launch with a broad variety of content and a sufficient supply of hardware. We are beyond excited to deliver to consumers the amazing experience that PS VR offers.
I’m also pleased to reveal the final consumer version of PS VR, including all of the contents that will come in the package.
Today more than 230 developers are building content for PlayStation VR, from smaller independent teams to larger studios at the industry’s top publishers. We expect to have more than 50 games available from launch in October 2016 until the end of the year. Of course, the full promise of PlayStation VR will continue to grow over time as talented developers create new experiences and new genres that wouldn’t be possible outside of VR. The future looks bright indeed.
Additionally, The Playroom VR, from our very own Japan Studio, will be available as a free download from PlayStation Store for all PS VR owners at launch. The Playroom VR will include six games that can be enjoyed with friends and family, demonstrating why we believe VR can also be an impactful experience when it’s shared.
With PlayStation VR, the future of gaming is almost here. We’re excited to share more with you as we head into launch later this year.
PlayStation VR Worlds Combines Five VR Experiences Into One Game
Hello there. London Studio is extremely excited to finally announce our new game, PlayStation VR Worlds. We are pleased to have this opportunity to tell you a bit more about it.
PS VR Worlds is a collection of five different VR experiences that have all been built from the ground up exclusively for the PS VR headset. When we started out to make this game we wanted to create the very best collection of varied experiences, each to showcase VR in different ways and show how incredible VR can be as a media.
In PlayStation VR Worlds you will be treated to incredible visuals as your dive beneath the waves, tackle 360 combat as you fight off alien hordes from all around you, or end up in a face-to-face interrogation with a deranged and furious mobster. All brought to you with the immersion that makes VR so unique. You may have seen snapshots of some of these experiences before as demos, others are being revealed for the very first time.
So what are these five experiences that make up the game?
The London Heist puts you straight into a gritty gangland thriller where you get to unleash your inner gangster. The London Heist is best controlled by dual PS Move controllers but you can also play with a DualShock 4 instead with intuitive controls that make it surprisingly easy to pick up and play. You will feel highly immersed as you undertake an audacious robbery and then try to make your escape.
Into The Deep (working title) puts you to work as a deep sea salvor. It’s an emotional underwater roller coaster. Not only do you get to see fantastic marine life all around you but as you descend through the ocean layers to the inky depths you will experience the true terror of something going horribly wrong.
VR Luge lets you step into the jumpsuit of an illegal street racer. Thunder down a beautiful Californian hillside, only inches off the ground in a position that only VR can put you in. You will truly feel the exhilaration as you dodge cars coming at you with horns blaring or when you slide underneath a massive 18-wheel truck.
Danger Ball is a futuristic sport where you must win or die. Use your head to strike and spin the ball in this intense, fast paced, game. Each rival has unique abilities to use against you as you make your way through the tournament to become champion.
Finally we have Scavenger’s Odyssey. In this cab based sci-fi adventure you play an alien treasure hunter. With your agile craft you can leap huge distances, climb walls, hurl debris with your Scavenger beam, and pummel alien critters with your twin pulse cannons. With your unique vehicle you will be able to make your way through a dangerous, infested environment of giant ravaged ships, smashing asteroids to reach an ancient and legendary artifact.
There is more to reveal about the game and each experience within it. We look forward to coming back in the future to tell you more about PlayStation VR Worlds.
PS VR Worlds is a collection of five different VR experiences that have all been built from the ground up exclusively for the PS VR headset. When we started out to make this game we wanted to create the very best collection of varied experiences, each to showcase VR in different ways and show how incredible VR can be as a media.
In PlayStation VR Worlds you will be treated to incredible visuals as your dive beneath the waves, tackle 360 combat as you fight off alien hordes from all around you, or end up in a face-to-face interrogation with a deranged and furious mobster. All brought to you with the immersion that makes VR so unique. You may have seen snapshots of some of these experiences before as demos, others are being revealed for the very first time.
So what are these five experiences that make up the game?
The London Heist puts you straight into a gritty gangland thriller where you get to unleash your inner gangster. The London Heist is best controlled by dual PS Move controllers but you can also play with a DualShock 4 instead with intuitive controls that make it surprisingly easy to pick up and play. You will feel highly immersed as you undertake an audacious robbery and then try to make your escape.
Into The Deep (working title) puts you to work as a deep sea salvor. It’s an emotional underwater roller coaster. Not only do you get to see fantastic marine life all around you but as you descend through the ocean layers to the inky depths you will experience the true terror of something going horribly wrong.
VR Luge lets you step into the jumpsuit of an illegal street racer. Thunder down a beautiful Californian hillside, only inches off the ground in a position that only VR can put you in. You will truly feel the exhilaration as you dodge cars coming at you with horns blaring or when you slide underneath a massive 18-wheel truck.
Danger Ball is a futuristic sport where you must win or die. Use your head to strike and spin the ball in this intense, fast paced, game. Each rival has unique abilities to use against you as you make your way through the tournament to become champion.
Finally we have Scavenger’s Odyssey. In this cab based sci-fi adventure you play an alien treasure hunter. With your agile craft you can leap huge distances, climb walls, hurl debris with your Scavenger beam, and pummel alien critters with your twin pulse cannons. With your unique vehicle you will be able to make your way through a dangerous, infested environment of giant ravaged ships, smashing asteroids to reach an ancient and legendary artifact.
There is more to reveal about the game and each experience within it. We look forward to coming back in the future to tell you more about PlayStation VR Worlds.
Tumble VR Revealed for PlayStation VR
Hi there, I’m Simon Harris. I’m an Executive Producer at Supermassive Games responsible for our PlayStation VR titles. Today, following our announcement last October of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, I am very happy to reveal another of our VR titles in development, Tumble VR, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Tumble VR is an accessible, fun, engaging, and immersive puzzle game. When you pull the PlayStation VR headset on it places you in a virtual arena specifically designed to test your physical dexterity and mental skills. Working your way through a gauntlet of tests from simply building a tower to creating bridges, or even working out fiendish puzzles, Tumble VR will push your skills and brainpower to the limit.
Taking the original, much loved PS3 game, the team at Supermassive has rebuilt it from the ground up for PlayStation VR. We’ve designed a load of new levels to make best use of the VR environment and have added some great new modes as well.
Alongside the new levels and visuals for Tumble VR, we have also added new cooperative and competitive modes using the PlayStation VR Social Screen feature that allows a second player not using a PlayStation VR headset to play together with the VR player.
We’re excited to talk about this more in the future as it’s great to see how VR gaming can also be a social experience.
Tumble VR is an accessible, fun, engaging, and immersive puzzle game. When you pull the PlayStation VR headset on it places you in a virtual arena specifically designed to test your physical dexterity and mental skills. Working your way through a gauntlet of tests from simply building a tower to creating bridges, or even working out fiendish puzzles, Tumble VR will push your skills and brainpower to the limit.
Taking the original, much loved PS3 game, the team at Supermassive has rebuilt it from the ground up for PlayStation VR. We’ve designed a load of new levels to make best use of the VR environment and have added some great new modes as well.
Alongside the new levels and visuals for Tumble VR, we have also added new cooperative and competitive modes using the PlayStation VR Social Screen feature that allows a second player not using a PlayStation VR headset to play together with the VR player.
We’re excited to talk about this more in the future as it’s great to see how VR gaming can also be a social experience.
Xing: The Land Beyond Coming to PlayStation VR
Xing: The Land Beyond is the PlayStation VR game that will make you never* want to take off your headset.**
Xing: The Land Beyond in Virtual Reality
In our previous PlayStation.Blog post, we outlined howXing: The Land Beyond is a go-at-your-own-pace puzzle-adventure game. This play style works great in VR, as you can really take your time to soak everything in.
We are always designing with VR in mind: from the way players interact with objects, to the scale and atmosphere of each level, to the overall menu construction. Each of the puzzles is thoughtfully integrated into the environment surrounding it, which helps to make everything flow nicely together.
Why did we choose to support PlayStation VR?
Our trip to PlayStation Experience last year proved to us that Xing has a home on PlayStation, and it’s nice to know that supporting PlayStation VR will let players experience something new within an environment they love.
Our team is having a great time developing for PSVR, and is continually amazed at the potential VR brings to video games. Plus, the PlayStation VR headset is very comfortable to wear and looks totally rad. We are mainly excited that it will allow more people to be able to experience Xing in VR, and explore the detailed and vibrant world we have created in a whole new way.PlayStation Move
Speaking of a whole new way — we are also excited to announce PlayStation Move controller support in conjunction with PSVR! In addition to natural object interaction and throwing mechanics, we’ve implemented the use of these versatile motion controllers to move around the game. Either way, you will have the option of using a DualShock 4 or using Move controllers — whichever you prefer!
Our priority is, and has always been, to create a magical and entertaining experience. With PSVR and Move support, we hope to give players who are interested in the cutting edge a fantastic new way to play.
Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave us any comments or questions you have about the development of Xing: The Land Beyond and PlayStation VR.
*You will actually need to take off your headset.
**No seriously, you will have to go back and face reality eventually.
Xing: The Land Beyond in Virtual Reality
In our previous PlayStation.Blog post, we outlined howXing: The Land Beyond is a go-at-your-own-pace puzzle-adventure game. This play style works great in VR, as you can really take your time to soak everything in.
We are always designing with VR in mind: from the way players interact with objects, to the scale and atmosphere of each level, to the overall menu construction. Each of the puzzles is thoughtfully integrated into the environment surrounding it, which helps to make everything flow nicely together.
Why did we choose to support PlayStation VR? Our trip to PlayStation Experience last year proved to us that Xing has a home on PlayStation, and it’s nice to know that supporting PlayStation VR will let players experience something new within an environment they love.
Our team is having a great time developing for PSVR, and is continually amazed at the potential VR brings to video games. Plus, the PlayStation VR headset is very comfortable to wear and looks totally rad. We are mainly excited that it will allow more people to be able to experience Xing in VR, and explore the detailed and vibrant world we have created in a whole new way.PlayStation Move
Speaking of a whole new way — we are also excited to announce PlayStation Move controller support in conjunction with PSVR! In addition to natural object interaction and throwing mechanics, we’ve implemented the use of these versatile motion controllers to move around the game. Either way, you will have the option of using a DualShock 4 or using Move controllers — whichever you prefer!
Our priority is, and has always been, to create a magical and entertaining experience. With PSVR and Move support, we hope to give players who are interested in the cutting edge a fantastic new way to play.
Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave us any comments or questions you have about the development of Xing: The Land Beyond and PlayStation VR.
*You will actually need to take off your headset.
**No seriously, you will have to go back and face reality eventually.
Introducing Gary the Gull on PlayStation VR
Hello, my name is Tom. I’ve been playing games for almost all of my life, and I started writing my own when I was a kid. I spent 11 years at Pixar making characters for animated films (Finding Nemo, Cars, Up, and a few more), and then four years at Bungie making characters and cinematics for Destiny. And now I’ve started a Virtual Reality company to take two things that I love — movies and games — and blend them into something new.
At GDC this year we’re showing Gary the Gull — a Virtual Reality “interactive movie.” It tells a story like a movie, but it’s interactive like a game. You start on a beach with a cooler full of tasty food in front of you, and because it’s in Virtual Reality it looks and feels like you’re actually there.
Then a seagull lands next to you — and starts talking! You can respond to him — you can talk back, answer his questions by nodding or shaking your head, or just ignore him. He tries to distract you by making you look away, and if you lean in too close he’ll jump back. Because Virtual Reality makes him like he’s there in front of you, it feels natural and fun to be part of his story just like he is part of yours.
Gary the Gull was particularly fun for us to make because we didn’t do it alone! We partnered with our friends at Motional, a VR creative company founded by Mark Walsh — an ex-Pixar writer-director/animation supervisor who made movies for 18 years at Pixar and directed the Partysaurus Rex Pixar short film.
We want as many people building great Virtual Reality content for PS VR, so we’re making the interactive character technology used in Gary the Gull available to other game developers through our Limitless VR Creative Environment, built by a team of ex-Pixar and ex-Bungie devs.
We’d love for you to meet Gary in person! We’re showcasing for the very first time in the VR Lounge at GDC running on Playstation VR. And if you can’t make it to the conference, we’re excited to release it on PS VR later so you can enjoy it on your PS4 at home.
This is our first step in making characters in VR games feel engaging and real. We’re excited to hear what you think and what we can do to make the next set of games and interactive movies even better!
At GDC this year we’re showing Gary the Gull — a Virtual Reality “interactive movie.” It tells a story like a movie, but it’s interactive like a game. You start on a beach with a cooler full of tasty food in front of you, and because it’s in Virtual Reality it looks and feels like you’re actually there.
Then a seagull lands next to you — and starts talking! You can respond to him — you can talk back, answer his questions by nodding or shaking your head, or just ignore him. He tries to distract you by making you look away, and if you lean in too close he’ll jump back. Because Virtual Reality makes him like he’s there in front of you, it feels natural and fun to be part of his story just like he is part of yours.
Gary the Gull was particularly fun for us to make because we didn’t do it alone! We partnered with our friends at Motional, a VR creative company founded by Mark Walsh — an ex-Pixar writer-director/animation supervisor who made movies for 18 years at Pixar and directed the Partysaurus Rex Pixar short film.
We want as many people building great Virtual Reality content for PS VR, so we’re making the interactive character technology used in Gary the Gull available to other game developers through our Limitless VR Creative Environment, built by a team of ex-Pixar and ex-Bungie devs.
We’d love for you to meet Gary in person! We’re showcasing for the very first time in the VR Lounge at GDC running on Playstation VR. And if you can’t make it to the conference, we’re excited to release it on PS VR later so you can enjoy it on your PS4 at home.
This is our first step in making characters in VR games feel engaging and real. We’re excited to hear what you think and what we can do to make the next set of games and interactive movies even better!
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