As with all immersive hardware and platforms, the success (or otherwise) of Magic Leap will hinge on whether it can attract creative developers to make awesome content to bring its technology to life.

The idea of seeing something come into your environment, that alone has a magical quality to it
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That’s why it’s so exciting to see people like veteran VR Storyteller Robin Hunicke getting on board.

“What struck me about it was that this was not so much an entertainment technology, but a future technology, and from that moment I was pretty much hooked,” says Hunicke, who’s the CEO and Co-Founder of Funomena. The Independent game studio just launched its first title for the Magic Leap One Creator Edition, called Luna: Moondust Garden.

The success (or otherwise) of Magic Leap will hinge on whether it can attract creative developers to make awesome content to bring its technology to life
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This is an extension of the IGF-finalist VR fairytale Luna, which was launched back in 2017 for PC and VR, and was Funomena’s first commercial release. It uses Magic Leap’s scene room scanning scene reconstruction technology, together with spatial audio (music plays an important part in building this storyscape) to create an experience that feels very intimate and full of wonder.

“With Luna we wanted to take those same sort of concepts – building, constructing, playing with space and causing your friends to emerge and building a little narrative that was specific to the Magic Leap,” Hunicke explains.

Your task is primarily to go around collecting magic moondust, which you can sprinkle on plants and flowers to get them to grow and transform beautifully in front of your eyes. Rather simple, really, but you’re given extra motivation by a very sweet storyline, whereby an owl and a bird cannot get their friend the fox to come out and play with them, as the poor creature is feeling rather down in the dumps (we’ve all had days like that).

Luna is a little different because you’re kind of put in a different world it’s not your living room, it’s sort of this ether
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So what you do is build a happy world around the sad little thing, by planting beautiful flowers and trees, and filling it with colours, music and sensory delights until you’re finally rewarded with the sight of this extremely cute fox frolicking around like a puppy. I challenge you not to laugh out-loud at that point.

“Luna is a little different because you’re kind of put in a different world it’s not your living room, it’s sort of this ether. With magic leap you’re still in your world, but your toys are coming alive, and that’s really incredible,” muses Funomena’s Art Director Glenn Hernandez.

Magic Leap were very enabling partners, who encouraged them to bring their existing ideas on board
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Just the idea of seeing something come into your environment, that alone has a magical quality to it,” adds Senior Producer Eddy Ortega. “So instead of worrying about “how can we make this feel magical” what we kind of learned is that we can focus on the feeling that we’re trying to create,” he says, adding that Magic Leap were very enabling partners, who encouraged them to bring their existing ideas on board and gave them the freedom to do so on their terms.

“They were kind of like, just have fun with it, see what you can do, and if it doesn’t work, then we figure out how to execute our ideas a little bit better,” agrees 3D artist Meghan Auer.

Tadhg Kelly, Senior Account Manager, developer relations at Magic Leap, says they were keen to work with Funomena because of their track record of making experimental apps that really try and push the boundaries the platforms they worked with. “All the sort of things that a new device can maybe do, they’re the kind of studio that really wants to try and push it and make it do that.”

If you fancy trying it out, Luna: Moondust Garden is now available for download in Magic Leap World for $4.99 USD

This article originally appeared on VRScout

Magic Leap’s Latest Experience Is An Interactive Fairy Tale via @alicebonasio https://t.co/PfODg0GTmj pic.twitter.com/IqzUD3RURd

— VRScout (@VRScout) December 19, 2018

For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies our VR Consultancy service offers comprehensive support in strategic deployment of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Growing a Mixed Reality Magic Garden appeared first on Tech Trends.

Virtual Reality is perfect for creating beautiful space simulations, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t educate as well as entertain us.

There is definitely a growing trend towards space-based VR experiences, From outlandish ideas involving sensory deprivation chambers housed inside a Burning Man art installation to the location-based VR experience launched as a partnership between NASA and Samsung in commemoration of the Apollo program’s 50th anniversary, to multiplayer moonwalks and actual astronaut training simulation tools. Part of the reason for this space-fever is that VR really is at its best when it allows you to experience something that would be impossible otherwise, and free-floating through the rings of Saturn certainly fits into that category.

There is definitely a growing trend towards space-based VR experiences
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I was doing that when trying out Overview this morning, an experience that takes you on a journey to the limits of our galaxy and beyond (in about 30 minutes) all narrated in a soothing and informative documentary style.

It was produced by Orbital Views, a Virtual Reality studio based in Paris, France, with a strong emphasis on research, science and education. In 2016, they became the first company to use Virtual Reality headsets in parabolic flights, for private passengers and professional astronauts.

Overview features several interactive activities, allowing viewers to scale all the way from planet Earth to the confines of the known Universe
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Overview features several interactive activities, allowing viewers to scale all the way from planet Earth to the confines of the known Universe. It includes a fully accurate model of our Solar System that viewers can fly through, with all planets, moons, asteroids and comets known today, made to scale with accurate orbits.

After demoing it myself, I also got my seven-year-old niece try it, and even though by now she’s a bit of a VR veteran (using your family members as guinea pigs is standard practice in my household), the experience still had her shouting out in excitement, and – most tellingly – incorporating space exploration themes into her play afterward. It is clear that such tools have an important role to play in sparking interest in STEM subjects, as it brings a sense of fun and a real connection to the science.

Written and directed by up-and-coming French VR Director Paul Mezier, Overview has been available since March on HTC Vive but now launched on Oculus Rift as well, Available on the Oculus Store, Viveport and Steam for $9,99. It has since been shown at festivals such as Cannes.

Such tools have an important role to play in sparking interest in STEM subjects, as it brings a sense of fun and a real connection to the science
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The content was created and produced by Amaury Solignac, who has a PhD in Submarine, Antarctic and Space Psychology. Solignac used to lecture at NASA and the European Space Agency and was on the selection board of the most recent group of European astronauts.

The content was created by Amaury Solignac, who has a PhD in Space Psychology and used to lecture at NASA
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“Featuring data and photorealistic images from NASA, ESA and other scientific agencies, Overview is the most accurate representation of space in Virtual Reality available today,” says Solignac.

“This unprecedented representation of cosmic scale is intended to create a sensation of awe in the mind and eye of each and every viewer,” adds Mezier.

It’s therefore not surprising that they were awarded “Best Education Experience” at this year’s GDC in San Francisco. Other VR applications developed by Orbital Views include lunar gravity simulators, professional training systems and VR-based physical rehabilitation tools.

Overview was awarded “Best Education Experience” at this year’s GDC
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Judging by my niece’s reaction, it’s also a way of getting kids inspired by connecting them with a sense of wonder for the universe we live in, which has to be a good thing.

This article was originally published on VRScout

Take A Virtual Tour Around The Solar System With ‘Overview’ via @alicebonasio https://t.co/mCqORy8T73 pic.twitter.com/TEefarIxWI

— VRScout (@VRScout) July 31, 2018

To find out how to leverage VR/AR/MR in your enterprise, Tech Trends offers bespoke Virtual Reality Consultancy support

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Spinning Around The Solar System in VR appeared first on Tech Trends.

John Cusack and Christina Ricci have their VR debut with the Distorted Experience.

To complement the theatrical film release of Distorted on June 22nd, Minds Eye Entertainment and SkyVR have partnered to produce “Distorted Reality,” a scripted, live-action cinematic VR distributed through OneTouchVR on Google Daydream, Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, and iOs. The content will also be available in stereo 3D through the Littlstar app on Sony’s Playstation VR, Google Daydream, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR and more.

The story stars John Cusack, Christina Ricci and Brendan Fletcher in their virtual reality debuts. It was written & directed by Rob King, and produced by Josh Courtney, Travis Cloyd, Kevin DeWalt, Danielle Masters and  Rob Bryanton.

The story stars John Cusack, Christina Ricci and Brendan Fletcher in their virtual reality debuts
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In the experience, you follow a woman (Ricci) suffering from bipolar disorder as she comes to suspect the proprietor of the state-of-the-art ”smart apartment” she and her husband just moved into is using the building’s residents as unwitting guinea pigs for a ”synthetic telepathy” brainwashing plot with dire global ramifications.

Watching it in the new Oculus Go I really enjoyed the intimacy of the scenes, where you felt really up-close and personal with the actors. It also cleverly uses spatial audio to mimic the effect of having maniacal voices whispering all around, and even inside your head.

Watching it in the Oculus Go I enjoyed the intimate feel of the scenes
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“We are a throwback to the star-driven days of the movie business in this new hyperactive medium. In order to drive audience engagement and increase awareness, we believe we must bring together compelling narratives with marketable stars in order to bring VR to the masses,” said VR Producer Travis Cloyd who also worked in John Travolta’s VR debut Speed Kills. “We are excited to be one of the only groups facilitating A-list film star debuts in virtual reality, and we hope that others will follow our lead.”

Cloyd also explains that getting the right crew on board was crucial to delivering the VR experience without interfering with the filming of the actual feature.

“I love the team we assembled and the feeling when everything comes together. There was a lot of chemistry working with the producers at MindsEye and investors at Bridgegate and Invico Capital for my third project with all of them. The main highlight was working with Director Rob W. King. This was my second film where I got the chance to collaborate again with him on both the main feature and also the VR segment. He owned this new format and really took charge. Having a director on board who controls all aspects of both the main format and the 360 experience makes for not only a better all around product, but a smoother process. We adjusted the script, coordinated schedules as a team, and knew exactly and efficiently when we had the most time to shine. Never once was the main feature affected, which is the most important asset. More importantly, having one central voice who communicated with the cast made it easier on talent to participate and excel in both formats.”

Using 16 synchronized GoPro Hero4 cameras the experience was filmed with the GoPro Odyssey under Jump which is Google’s professional VR video solution making 3D-360 video production scalable and built for automated stitching and seamless VR video production.

I look at VR like gaming and not like the average filmmaking
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The experience was filmed using 16 synchronized Hero4 cameras with GoPro Odyssey under Jump - Google’s professional VR video solution
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Working in VR, according to Cloyd, presented a set of very unique challenges, not only in making the experience but in actually getting people to watch it as the medium is not universally pervasive yet:

“I look at VR like gaming and not like the average filmmaking. We go from inception to market delivery. Unlike film where you finish a final product and then it’s halftime. The real hard work begins when you have to distribute, market, and sell a movie. I like to say with VR, we conceptualize, write, create, produce, edit, and build custom environments for the film to be viewed on all VR applications, then drive market awareness through all platforms. It’s a full spectrum of services all the way through delivery to consumer.”

This article was originally published on VRScout

John Cusack & Christina Ricci Make Their VR Debut In ‘Distorted Reality’ via @alicebonasio https://t.co/BQiQRD1Mm4 pic.twitter.com/RR4p8UOtfT

— VRScout (@VRScout) June 19, 2018

For companies looking to leverage Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR Tech Trends offers a comprehensive range of Virtual Reality Consultancy Services.

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Distorting Virtual Reality appeared first on Tech Trends.