Valve Archives - VR World

Entertainment, Google, News, Videos, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

YouTube VR comes to Steam Early Access, issues ensue

YouTube is the biggest video distribution platform in the world, but it’s still prone to issues. Every major update to the site results in some backlash or another, and this often extends to YouTube implementations on other platforms as well. Today, that platform is SteamVR. So what happened? The YouTube VR application on Google Daydream lets users browse YouTube in a 3D space with full 360-degree visuals, allowing 360 videos to be watched in VR. This same application was ported from Daydream to SteamVR, and unfortunately, the Steam counterpart doesn’t seem to function quite as smoothly. For some users, the YouTube VR app outright doesn’t

Gaming, Hardware, Microsoft, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World, Windows

SteamVR Preview Coming To Windows Mixed Reality, Requires Higher Specs

SteamVR is essentially an extension of Steam, allowing a virtual hub for playing and purchasing VR applications. Since its release with the HTC Vive (and eventual compatibility with the Oculus Rift), SteamVR has been a favorite among VR enthusiasts everywhere. With the debut of Windows Mixed Reality headsets on PC, many were left wondering if Mixed Reality headsets could support the same software, and it looks like the answer to that question is a resounding yes. SteamVR is coming to Windows Mixed Reality headsets in an official preview state on November 15th, 2017. Full, official compatibility is somewhere further down the line, likely depending on the

Breaking, Hardware, HTC, News, Oculus, Virtual Reality (VR), Wearables

HTC Responds to Oculus, Slashes Vive Price by 25% to $599

Just as Oculus and their “time limited” summer discount for Oculus Rift + Touch at mere $399 turned into a full time pricing, HTC could not sleep in peace after seeing the tide shifting in favor of its rival, owned by Faceb00k. HTC could not afford to continue selling Vive VR headset for $799 at the time when $458.99 gets you a roomscale Oculus Rift + Touch + Sensor. Ever since its debut, HTC received many accolades and support in the gaming industry. Keeping the open approach to content and not going for exclusives proved to be a winning bet for the company which got

Breaking, Business, Google, Hardware, Mobile, Mobile Computing, News, Samsung, Smartphones, Virtual Reality (VR), Wearables, Wearables

Samsung Disables Google Daydream VR on Galaxy Phones

While Samsung always had a clear plan that Google and its Android are just some of operating systems the company ships their products with, the company never disabled features that come with Android… until now. When Samsung Galaxy S8 arrives on the market on April 21st, it will probably take the crown of the world’s most powerful Android smartphone on the market… facing a different situation. At the moment, compared to Google’s Daydream, Samsung’s Gear VR is more rounded and polished. However, users that opt for Oculus’s mobile i.e. GearVR platform won’t be able to use Google’s own VR platform, known as Daydream. Just like YouTube platform

Breaking, VR World

Are You Ready For Black Friday

Black Friday is the day that every shopping enthusiast is waiting for the whole year. Regardless of are you looking for a new gadget, computer component or a piece of fashion, Black Friday is the event to enjoy in. In fact, Black Friday even got copied in China with their “Singles Day” (does not relate to relationship status, it’s four ones in a row – 11.11.). If you are on a tight budget and want to buy something nice, then enjoy this article. Black Friday is now just a few hours away, and we will bring you few good deals that may interest you. Amazon

Breaking, Gaming, News, Promoted, Virtual Reality (VR)

Three Interesting VR Games No One is Talking About

With the ongoing rollout of VR headsets over the course of 2016, we’ve begun to see dozens of games either released to the public or demo’d for release in the near future. In some cases, these games are essentially little puzzles or creative experiences designed to test out the fundamentals of VR; in others, they’re full-fledged, action-packed games akin to what we expect on major consoles. And inevitably, many of the more ambitious games have emerged at the forefront of our discussions about VR games. But with so many titles already announced and revealed, there are some very interesting games being overlooked. Here are three

Breaking, Business, E3, Entertainment, Gaming, Graphics, Hardware, Interviews, startups, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Jake Rowell: How The best VR Experience Came to Life

After spending the past ten days in Hollywood, we met with numerous industry members who are working on next generation of Virtual Reality content. There’s little doubt that we are witnessing the dawn of a new medium, with Hollywood leading the charge when it comes to content development. As an industry, we need immersive experiences that will show what VR brings to the table and so far, there are two experiences one should go through: WeVR’s “theBlu” for HTC Vive and Crytek’s “The Climb” for Oculus Rift. For a pure enjoyment, theBlu experiences simply are the best way to immerse a person in virtual reality,

Breaking, Business, Entertainment, Gaming, News, Virtual Reality (VR)

Valve Discuses eSports and Virtual Reality

Valve Corporation is an organization responsible for not one, but two of the most popular and influential eSports franchises: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (aka CS:GO) and Dota 2. Given that Virtual Reality (VR) titles debuted strongly, and there are two VR titles in Steam’s Top 10 “Popular New Releases” category, it was a question of time before the potential of a tie-up between eSports and VR appears. Not surprisingly, VR has that potential to become the social tool like Nintendo Wii once was. In an article on Fortune, Chet Faliszek, game developer and Valve’s VR evangelist talked about the appeal of VR: “While we have The International and events where

Entertainment, Gaming, Hardware, Software Programs, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Manus VR Glove Dev Kit Pre-Orders to Open for $250

On Thursday, Manus VR said that pre-orders for the first Manus glove developer kit (DK1) will open its doors in Q2 2016. For $250, the kit will contain one pair of VR gloves, two wrist-mounted holders for the HTC Vive controller, various cables, plug-ins for the Unity and Unreal engines, an open-source SDK for five operating systems, and a demo game for each of those platforms. The kit will ship out to customers in Q3 2016. Currently compatible with only the HTC Vive VR headset, the Magus gloves will work on Android, Windows 7 and newer, Linux, Apple’s iOS and Mac OS X platforms. According

Breaking, Gaming, Microsoft, News, VR World

Free Forza Motorsport 6 to arrive in Windows 10 Store

Windows 10 Store was recently exposed to a healthy dose of criticism showing the issues customers face if they purchase games inside Microsoft’s e-tail platform. Titles such as ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ and ‘Quantum Break’ come with a list of incredible limitations that software developers will really have to remove if Windows Store is to become anything else but “Games for Windows 2”. In order to bring the platform to the level of experience delivered by Valve’s Steam or EA’s Origin, Microsoft prepared a flagship title. This game will utilize all the latest technologies offered by Windows 10. We’re talking about DirectX 12 API, high-resolution textures and support

AMD, Breaking, Gaming, Graphics, Nvidia, Reviews, Virtual Reality (VR)

Valve VR Test: AMD Wins Against NVIDIA?

Update March 17th, 2016 16:52 GMT – The AMD R9 Nano x2 was the performance achieved by Radeon Pro Duo. We have discussed the SteamVR benchmark with Valve and they are working on expanding the benchmark score to incorporate more frames. The Fidelity test will stay just that (“Crank it up to 11”), but the benchmark will be enhanced to factor in the developments of graphics hardware. We will follow up as more developments around SteamVR happen. Original Article: Over the past three weeks, we saw two VR vendors releasing their tests to check can your machine deliver an optimal VR experience or not. As it goes, one vendor (Oculus) did

Entertainment, Gaming, News, Virtual Reality (VR)

See All 12 Games from Valve Steam VR Showcase

While HTC is putting finishing touches on the Vive Pre hardware which will power Steam VR gaming platform, Valve Software is launching ‘Steam VR Showcase’, their in-house content distribution platform which is expected to feature VR games, movies and more. However, their first priority is to support game producers, regardless of how small or big they are. With Steam Greenlight program, which opened a new channel to small indie game developers – Valve almost created a new economy reality for those developers whose ideas almost always fell on deaf ears of large publishers. With the advent of crowdfunding and afore mentioned Greenlight, indie game developers got resources

Analysis, Companies, Gaming, VR World

Marc Laidlaw Retires, Half Life 3 Nowhere to be Seen?

Yes, Marc Laidlaw retired. That’s not the sad part. The guy provided us with the storyline on both the Half-Life and Half-Life 2, plus all those ‘Episode’ releases. the official reason for his departure is ‘retiring.’ Something that happens when you’ve done a job for far too long and can’t really stand the surroundings, colleagues or the work at hand. A redditor named TeddyWolf first revealed the news of Laidlaw’s retirement from Valve: “My nickname when I first started at Valve in 1997 was “Old Man Laidlaw.” The little baby level designer who gave me that nickname is now older than I was then. Imagine how

Augmented Reality (AR), Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Gaming, Hardware, News, Virtual Reality (VR), Wearables

Preview: HTC’s Vive Pre VR is a New Design

Several weeks ago, HTC came out with a statement that their Vive VR system, which is being developed together with Valve Corporation and their SteamVR platform – is being pushed back from December 2015 to April 2016. While the company kept mum on the reasons for the delay, they insisted it wasn’t related to manufacturing issues, but rather because of ‘technological breakthrough’. On CES 2016, HTC and Valve finally released the images of completed products, and we have to admit they look quite different compared to the Vive VR setup we tested in November. Under the retail product name HTC Vive Pre, the company introduced what is a third generation of

Business, Gaming, Software Programs, VR World

Valve Will Now Issue Steam Refunds ‘for Any Reason’

As much fanfare accompanies Steam’s new refund policy, some speculate that the new structure is a bad omen for indie devs.

Business, Gaming, VR World

Valve Will Pull Paid Mods Off of Steam

Much to the delight of PC gamers everywhere, Valve says goodbye to its paid mods marketplace on Steam.

Business, Gaming, VR World

Petition to Remove Paid Mods on Steam Hits 67,000 Signatures

Gamers are emphatically rebuking Valve for its decision to monetize Skyrim mods, leading to massively supported petitions to spring up.

Analysis, Gaming

The Problem With Paying For Steam Workshop Mods

By letting gamers buy and content creators sell game mods, Valve has jeopardized the very nature of mods and splintered the entire PC gaming community.

2015, Event, Game Developer Conference (GDC), Gaming, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

FeelReal Brings Sense of Smell To Virtual Reality

FeelReal has made the virtual reality equivalent of smell-o-vision with a curious mask that simulates the sense of smell and even wind breeze.

Gaming, VR World

Asus’ Steam Machine Is Called The ‘GR8S’

Asus is making a Steam Machine, and it will be called the GR8S.