Monthly Archives: February 2021

You can now satisfy that travel bug, even during the pandemic. With the help of Peterborough-based virtual reality company, AVROD, you can visit historical hubs around the globe, without leaving home.

We have 40 sites from all over the world, including some here in Canada, said founder Jeremy Brooks.

You can explore sites from almost 20 countries. We have Teotihuacan in Mexico, the temple of the Feathered Serpent. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Colosseum, we have a T-Rex skeleton, a Pillbox bunker from World War II and things like that where you can jump around and explore.

READ MORE: Virtual reality archeology pitch wins Cubs Lair young entrepreneurs competition

AVROD is short for Archaeological Virtual Reality Online Database. Brooks started to develop the platform while studying Archeology at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., as a way to explore dig sites from afar. Now, the team is hoping to connect people to history, preserve the past and expand to bridge the gap in travel and tourism left by COVID-19 restrictions.

Story continues below advertisement

We really want to bring it into a space where people are in their homes, but really feel like they are standing in awe of the history and archeology that is out there in the world and show people that even now, in a pandemic it is accessible, said Brooks.

The virtual sites are created using images taken of the real-world location. That series of photographs is turned into a 3D replica. To visit the virtual locations you need a VR headset, a streaming app and an internet connection.

READ MORE: Toronto non-profit bringing virtual reality to seniors for chance to relive memories

Trending Stories

Brooks said AVROD would soon be launching for the Oculus Store and for Oculus Quest VR headsets.

These days, one of those stand-alone headsets will set you back about $400. The cost of your virtual ticket to the Oval Office, an archeological site in Mongolia or maybe the Cave of Hands in Argentina.

Story continues below advertisement

You can stand there, hold your hand up against this wall against the handprints from pre-history, and really even feel a connection to those people, said Brooks.

He said they are working to achieve that connection in other ways as well.

Were creating a platform where people can interact with each other, share ideas, look at an object and create a comment in 3-dimensional space, which has never been done before, he said.

READ MORE: Halifax virtual reality company ramps up software testing to respond to the pandemic

While the technology takes you all over the world, AVROD is based in Peterborough, Ont. The platform was developed at The Innovation Cluster, a startup incubator that has a virtual reality makers space.

Innovation Cluster CEO, Michael Skinner, said he thinks we will see significant growth in online platforms.

Because of the pandemic I think we will see a lot more virtual reality, he said. The pandemic has definitely put a lot more focus on it and at the end of the day you have a lot of people sitting at home, unable to travel and I think they are looking for something else and virtual reality could be a key piece to that.

Story continues below advertisement

Skinner said the resources available at the Innovation Cluster will be significant for entrepreneurs looking to break into that market.

It allows developers the ability to test their program on a number of different platforms without that significant initial investment, he said.

READ MORE: Peterborough company Kavtek Software launches AR/VR platforms for real estate and consumers

Brooks said along with the historical sites and tourism potential they have also applied the technology to create nursing simulations for Trent University, using VR to create life-like practice scenarios.

He said they also have other ideas in the works, but that he couldnt disclose the details just yet.

What I can say is that we are constantly expanding to new destinations, he said. These technologies exist, the platforms exists and now its just our job to provide that for Canadians and people all over the world so they can get out and explore the world from home.

2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Excerpt from:

Travel the world without leaving home, thanks to Peterborough virtual reality company - Global News

Apple is rumored to be working on a virtual reality headset for launch as early as next year, and The Information today reported on some potential features to expect, based on information shared by a source with direct knowledge of the device.

The Information said it viewed internal Apple images of a "late-stage prototype" of the headset from last year, which show a "sleek, curved visor attached to the face by a mesh material and swappable headbands."

The report claims one headband would feature spatial audio technology like the AirPods Pro for a surround sound-like experience, while another optional headband would provide additional battery life on the go. Similar to AirPods Max replacement ear cushions, it is possible that the headbands will be offered in a variety of colors as well.

Apple is said to be developing multiple ways to control the headset, including a "thimble-like device to be worn on a person's finger." The headset would also be able to respond to the wearer's eye movements and hand gestures, the report claims, while one prototype of the headset also had a physical dial on the visor's side.

Apple has internally discussed pricing the headset around $3,000, according to the report, which would place it within the ballpark of Microsoft's mixed reality HoloLens 2 headset, which retails for $3,500. This price would certainly make Apple's headset a high-end, niche product, with the company apparently setting an internal goal of shipping only 250,000 units of the headset in the first year of its release.

Some of these details have been previously reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, CNET, and other sources, and The Information agrees that the headset will likely be released in 2022 at the earliest. Apple is also rumored to be working on a pair of sleeker, more affordable augmented reality glasses, but those are not expected until 2023 or later.

Read more from the original source:

Apple's AR/VR Headset Said to Feature Dual 8K Displays, Eye Tracking, Swappable Headbands, and More - MacRumors

The Immerse customer base focuses on enterprise training, including industries with urgent response times, from pharma and life sciences to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), energy, and more, all who must reskill and upskill for peak performance, especially to meet the more than 1 billion jobs that could be transformed by technology(source, OECD).

The company's growth trajectory is further buoyed by the pandemic, given that teaching can be done remotely, en masse, is visually stimulating and precise, a mere fraction of the cost, and results in 75% higher knowledge retention*. Those being taught in VR also demonstrated 340% more confidence to employ what they learned versus traditional e-learning methods at 10% (source PwC, 2020).

Joining the global team in the U.S. office to focus on expanding its operations include XR tech futurist, Cathy Hackl, as global strategic advisor, and Johnathan Sutherlin, an XR/VR/AR business expert as a business development manager. They will join Bill Finegan, North America executive vice president to accelerate the growth of their global strategic relationships and through its Immerse Platform, empower organizations to revolutionize their employee experiences with boosted engagement, an upskilled workforce, and increased performance and retention.

"I'm delighted to welcome Cathy and Johnathan and see our U.S. team expand to meet rapidly increasing needs, says Tom Symonds, Immerse CEO. "Research reveals that only 14% of major companies are not engaged in the utilisation of VR/AR at some level. These skills will help us meet the need of solutions rising up the priority list for global companies. We look forward to even greater growth in 2021."

Hackl brings a wealth of expertise as a globally recognized tech futurist and business leader in AR, VR and spatial computing. She's worked with some of the biggest names in technology including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Magic Leap and HTC VIVE. She also is one of 2020's 10 most influential women in tech by BigThink, and on LinkedIn's prestigious Thinkers50 Radar list, a management thinker's global ranking. Her passions lie in the importance of reskilling and upskilling, diversity and inclusion.

"I am really excited to join at such a pivotal time for enterprise VR. Major companies and reports show evidence that effective training is key to supercharging workforces and future-proofing businesses," notes Hackl.

Sutherlin is a well-respected industry thought leader with extensive knowledge of VR technology and with over a decade of leadership strategy and operational achievements, he understands what drives customer engagement. In his previous role with HTC Vive, he helped introduce immersive technologies to organizations across a range of industries, including architecture, engineering, construction, education, training/simulation, entertainment and healthcare.

About ImmerseImmerse is a virtual reality technology company headquartered in London that has developed the Immerse Platform. Built for enterprise from the ground up, the Immerse Platform enables companies to create, scale and measure virtual reality training.

With clients in a wide range of industries such as FMCG, oil and gas, pharma and life science and power and utilities, using the Immerse Platform enables companies to train and assess their employees in radically new ways maximizing human performance and the employee experience.

* Source: The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Soft Skills Training on the Enterprise PWC, June 2020

SOURCE Immerse

More:

With a Massive Spike in Virtual Reality Training, Immerse Expands US Operations - PRNewswire

SME developer Kingswood Homes is revolutionising the way people buy new homes by enabling viewers to create their own internal floorplans using virtual reality technology whilst standing in their potential new property.

Buyers at Kingswood Homes developments in Lancashire and Devon can don a VR headset and see walls shift and rooms appear and disappear as they walk through the completed shell of a property, as part of the companys ground-breaking Shape Your Home concept.

It allows buyers to customise the interior layout of a property to match their own lifestyle and see in real time how the home would look with various floorplan configurations.

Kingswood Homes managing director Paul Jones, said: We launched Shape Your Home during lockdown, recognising that not everyone wants the same interior layout. The layout of a home is hugely personal yet is currently determined largely for the convenience of the developer not the customer.

We have reversed that and the VR technology allows customers to walk through an actual property and see how the different layout options would suit them. Rather than trying to make an existing floorplan meet their needs, our customers can now specify a design they have experienced which perfectly suits them from day one.

For example, one option is to turn a four-bedroom property into one with three en-suite bedrooms. Another would be to open up the ground floor to create vast open-plan living space. Its hard to visualise from a floor plan, but we can now let customers stand in the shell of a house and see it transform in front of their eyes.

It is remarkable technology but the point of it all is to give customers the best possible experience and help them create the home of their dreams.

Kingswood linked with established digital technology and VR specialists Animmersion UK to create the bespoke real time viewing technology.

Utilising gaming engine technology most commonly found powering the latest PC and console games, Animmersion UKs solution delivers experiences across multiple digital channels including VR, interactive touchscreens and online virtual tours.

The VR option links to an external tablet device to enable agents to support customer wearing the headset, guiding them and sharing the experience from outside the virtual environment.

It also aligns the VR space with the real world allowing the user to walk around the physical space safely, overseen by the agent, while experiencing the enhanced virtual presentation of their potential new home.

Samuel Harrison, Managing Director of Teesside-based Animmersion UK, said: Virtual Reality and VR headsets are becoming increasingly popular for leisure and business purposes and the technology is evolving at a rapid rate. This is enabling us to develop specialist immersive content for new applications like this project for Kingswood Homes that give users a very unique experience adapted to their specific use case.

Working closely with Kingswood Homes we have been able to push the boundaries to build a solution that combines technologies with a simple, easy to use and engaging experience for their customers. It also enables their agents to manage the experience with their customers from outside the VR to make it both an immersive and collaborative approach for choosing a bespoke new home.

Read the rest here:

Innovative housebuilder takes virtual reality to the next level - Business Up North

AURORA, Colo. Aurora Public Schools is using a unique virtual reality program to help teachers engage with students.

The district is the first in Colorado to partner with Mursion, a virtual reality simulation for teacher development. The program allows teachers to interact with a group of digital students, controlled by a human simulation support person.

Students constantly need to be engaged and you need to be asking them the right questions and giving them the right answers to keep interest levels up, said Andrew Salzillo, a science teacher at Mrachek Middle School.

In a demonstration of the software, it was clear the realistic responses from the digital students helped Salzillo shift gears when students became distracted.

APS Director of Professional Learning Jennifer Sheldon said the district plans to use the Mursion simulation primarily for newer teachers in their first five years. The district also plans to create different scenarios to practice serious discussions about educational equity, social justice and restorative justice.

Read more here:

Aurora Public Schools partners with new program to bring virtual reality to teacher development - The Denver Channel

Dublin, Feb. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Amusement and Theme Park Market: Size & Forecasts with Impact Analysis of COVID-19 (2021-2025 Edition)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global theme park market has showcased high growth during the previous years and projections are made that the market will rise progressively in the forecasted years i.e., 2021-2025.

The theme park market is expected to increase due to growth in urban population, increase in GDP per-capita, rise in middle class population, increase in international tourism expenditure, etc. The market faces some challenges such as, foreign exchange rate fluctuation, regulatory changes, threat of terror attacks, seasonal nature of industry, etc.

Moreover, some of the latest trends in the market are: surge in adoption of Internet of Things (IoT), rising prominence of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, budding Augmented Reality (AR) technology and innovations.

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the global amusement park market by value, by segment and by region. The report provides an analysis of amusement park market of the following regions: America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East and Africa.

Growth of the overall global theme park market has also been forecasted for the period 2021-2025, taking into consideration the previous growth patterns, the growth drivers and the current and future trends.

The competition in global theme park market is fragmented with several small players invading the market. However, the key players of the theme park market are Walt Disney Company, Merlin Entertainment PLC and Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. These key players are also profiled with their financial information and respective business strategies.

Regional Coverage

Theme parks can be segregated on the basis of category into international destination theme parks and regional destination theme parks. The theme parks can also be segregated on the basis of types into family theme parks, regional theme parks, property theme parks, educational theme parks, etc.

Theme parks have different admission policies that includes, pay-as-you-go and pay-one-price.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction2.1 Amusement Parks: An Overview2.1.1 Classification of Amusement Parks2.2 Theme Parks: An Overview2.2.1 History of Theme Parks2.2.2 Theme Parks by Category2.2.3 Types of Theme Parks2.2.4 Admission Policies of Theme Parks2.2.5 Admission Policies of Theme Parks: Advantages & Disadvantages2.2.6 Theme Park Lifecycle

3. Global Market Analysis3.1 Global Amusement Park Market: An Analysis3.1.1 Global Amusement Park Market by Value3.2 Global Amusement Park Market: Segment Analysis3.2.1 Global Amusement Park Market by Segment (Theme Park, Water Park, Arcades and Parlors)3.2.2 Global Theme Park Market by Value3.2.3 Global Water Park Market by Value3.2.4 Global Arcades and Parlors Market by Value3.3 Global Amusement Park Market: Regional Analysis3.3.1 Global Amusement Park Market by Region (America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East and Africa)

4. Regional Market Analysis4.1 America Amusement Park Market: An Analysis4.1.1 America Amusement Parks Market by Value4.1.2 North America Theme Parks Market by Attendance (Top 10)4.2 Asia-Pacific Amusement Park Market: An Analysis4.2.1 Asia-Pacific Amusement Park Market by Value4.2.2 Asia-Pacific Theme Parks Market by Attendance (Top 10)4.3 Europe Amusement Park Market: An Analysis4.3.1 Europe Amusement Park Market by Value4.3.2 Europe Theme Park Market by Attendance (Top 10)4.4 Middle East and Africa Amusement Park Market: An Analysis4.4.1 Middle East and Africa Amusement Park Market by Value

5. Impact of COVID-195. 1 Impact on Global Amusement Park Market5.1.1 Impact on Global Theme Park Market

6. Market Dynamics6.1 Market Trends6.1.1 Surge in Adoption of Internet of Things (IoT)6.1.2 Rising Prominence of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology6.1.3 Budding Augmented Reality (AR) Technology6.1.4 Innovation

7. Competitive Landscape7.1 Global Amusement Park Market Players: A Financial Comparison7.2 Global Top 10 Theme Park Groups by Attendance; 20207.3 Global Theme Park Operators by Theme Park Opportunities Identified in North America, 2017-2022

8. Company Profiles8.1 Walt Disney Company8.1.1 Business Overview8.1.2 Financial Overview8.1.3 Business Strategy8.2 Merlin Entertainment PLC8.2.1 Business Overview8.2.2 Financial Overview8.2.3 Business Strategy8.3 Six Flags Entertainment Corporation8.3.1 Business Overview8.3.2 Financial Overview8.3.3 Business Strategy

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cx44bs

Visit link:

Outlook on the Amusement and Theme Park Global Market to 2025 - Rising Prominence of Virtual Reality Technology - GlobeNewswire

Like most business tools, professional development has seen a massive shift to the online world in the past year. People are working from home on a global scale like nothing weve ever seen before, and large in-person meetings are a distant memory.

Of course, eLearning isnt new. Weve been using digital tools to effectively train workforces for more than 20 years. Most corporations now recognize that a blended approach of online, instructor-led, pre-recorded, interactive and micro courses are the best way to teach skills and concepts to an increasingly mobile workforce.

As eLearning moves towards ubiquity, savvy CEOs and HR managers are on the lookout for better ways to integrate technology into their corporate learning model. Enter virtual reality.

People learn better by doing. Virtual reality helps to achieve the feeling of real-life experiences in situations where those experiences arent easy to replicate.

It also increases retention in learners. In 2016, a study of students in Beijing showed a VR-enhanced curriculum increased student test scores by as much as 20%. In the right circumstances, VR training can really fine-tune a business corporate learning program.

See Also: Study: Virtual Reality More Engaging for Students Than Traditional Educational Materials

Despite all of the benefits of VR training, many businesses arent sure how to get started. Virtual reality feels complicated, expensive and out-of-reach.

In reality, integrating a VR element in corporate training strategies isnt that different from any other style of learning. Contrary to perception, expensive headsets and other equipment is not needed. VR courses are compatible with everyday devices workers already have, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktop computers.

That just leaves finding appropriate VR content. With modern tools, content creation for virtual reality isnt as daunting as it seems.

There are three ways to go about itoutsource the creation, build it in-house, or curate great content from what is already available. Any one of these choices, or a combination of all three, is a fast-track to joining the world of VR training.

The easiest way to get started with VR training is to hire an experienced course designer. Depending on the bandwidth of the organization, taking time out to create an entire course from scratch VR or otherwise may not be possible.

An instructional designer comes with the expertise and skills to put together a custom course with all of the right materials and elements to be effective. They can take something mundane, like compliance training, and turn it into a presentation, story or game that engages learners and helps them remember the material.

Letting professionals take the lead usually produces content that is useful, professional and done on time. If the budget allows, outsourcing the creation of a VR course is a great way to get started with practical VR training.

For some smaller businesses, or for training managers who are very interested in the process, creating content from scratch makes the most sense. Its a common misconception that virtual reality content is expensive or that it requires specialized equipment. This is simply not true.

Building a VR course only requires the right application and a smartphone. To be successful, VR content needs a 360-degree digital environment, interactive elements and assessment tools.

Almost any cell phone has the capability to create a 360 photo. If the option isnt embedded in the camera function, multiple free or low-cost third party apps like Google Street View, Panorama 360, or Cycloramic will get the job done. Using a tripod produces the best results.

Once the 3D environment is uploaded, integrating interactive elements is as easy as dragging and dropping. It may take some time to arrange everything in a logical, workable manner, but with the right tools, its a very simple process.

In the process of building, results should not be an afterthought. How will the learners progress be measured? Quizzes, follow up courses and leaderboards are all popular options.

For routine corporate training like workplace safety, harassment prevention or sales, a variety of VR content already exists. If a custom solution isnt required, one of these off-the-shelf courses is a great way to test out the concept of VR training. The results will show whether or not investing further is worth it.

Buying a pre-built course doesnt mean surrendering the organizations goals and identity. Many off-the-shelf courses feature content libraries that allow for deep customization, so that individual courses can be edited to reflect the training programs specific needs. Branding can also be incorporated into most off-the-shelf VR courses.

Many course libraries offer a free trial period, making it possible to test drive VR content before rolling out a virtual reality module to all employees.

Curating training modules from existing VR content is one of the fastest, most cost-effective solutions available.

See Also: Leading Through Uncertainty VR Training Modules for Leaders Facing Crisis Situations

No matter which option fits into the budget and timeline, what is clear is that leaving VR training out of the rotation is a bad decision. More than one third of large companies are already using VR in training programs, including some of the largest Fortune 500 brands.

Virtual reality is cost-effective, low-risk, and a great teaching tool. Beyond that, with all of these simple options, getting started with VR is not as difficult as it sounds.

Virtual reality is here, not something that has to wait five or ten years to benefit every kind of business. Savvy training managers will recognize that now is the perfect time to invest in the future of their workforce.

About the Guest Author(s)

Andrew Townsend

Andrew Townsend is a leader, storyteller, photographer, marketer, indie film director, author, and father. His areas of expertise include digital media, marketing, and VR integration. He leads the eLearning Brothers Rockstars community, produces webinars, and shares tips on creating immersive video experiences. Andrew has over 20 years of leadership experience in both the workforce and his community. He can often be found hiking with his two sons and wonderful wife while taking pictures of the beautiful Wasatch mountains.

See the original post here:

Getting Started With VR Training Is Easier Than You Think | ARPost - ARPost

Experts are just beginning to understand how mindfulness can improve the lives of people living with chronic disease, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Promising new research shows that virtual reality (VR) can be an extremely useful tool for helping kids and young adults practice mindfulness. The technology is becoming more available in childrens hospitals, and at-home headsets will expand access even more.

Researchers from Stanford University in California set out to determine how VR technology could be used to help children and young adults manage symptoms associated with IBD. They focused on short sessions centered on mindfulness and asked participants to rate their pain and anxiety before and after the session. They presented their findings at the 2020 Crohns and Colitis Congress.

RELATED: Mindfulness Meditation Reduces IBS Symptoms and Anxiety, Study Finds

The small study included 52 IBD patients ages 10 to 25 years old, all of whom were being treated for IBD at an outpatient clinic. They were asked to record their pre-session levels of pain and anxiety, and then strap on a VR headset. The session lasted just six minutes. First, users were immersed in a scene that helped them focus on their breathing. Their awareness was then shifted to a meadow with a waterfall. With some guidance, they used their senses to focus on different parts of the scene. At one point, a butterfly landed on a flower, then lifted itself back in the air and repeated the movement, bringing the persons attention around the scene and reminding them of the pace of their breathing. For the final part of the experience, the scene shifted to dusk, and the aurora borealis moved in the night sky. Participants could see their breath in front of them, both giving the illusion that the temperature had dropped and reminding them once again to focus on their breathing.

On average, participants reported feeling half as anxious following the experience. Pain, which was present in some but not all participants before the treatment, was reduced by an average of two-thirds.

According to Ana Wren, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Stanford Childrens IBD Center, who led the study, the team was glad to see that VR-based mindfulness appeared to be effective in reducing pain and anxiety in young IBD patients, but that wasnt the only information they found helpful.

What we were most excited about was the deep interest the participants expressed. They were so eager for this to be more accessible to them outside the clinic and they had a lot of useful feedback regarding how they would like to use VR-based mindfulness as part of their IBD treatment, says Dr. Wren.

Participants thought the intervention would be helpful in de-stressing and curbing anxiety before colonoscopies, having labs done, or during infusions. They really wanted it during or before any kind of pokes, and that was most interesting to us, says Wren.

According to Stephen Lupe, PsyD, a clinical health psychologist at Cleveland Clinics digestive disease and surgery institute, VR likely has a place throughout patient care. We can incorporate biofeedback, for example. People can practice lowering their heart rate and then see that reflected in the VR imagery, such as slowing down a waterfall, says Dr. Lupe.

In addition to improving a persons outlook on living with chronic disease, mindfulness has been shown to be an effective way to reduce stress, which is strongly tied to ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease flares, though stress does not cause either disease, according to the Crohns and Colitis Foundation. Our brain and our gut are very connected, and when you have more inflammation in your body that can lead to more stress, it goes both ways, says Wren.

According to Lupe, managing all triggers is key. Its like a mixing board connected to a speaker. Stress is one dial, and if enough dials get turned up stress, environmental conditions, natural hormone cycles in the body, diet its like the speaker blows, or the person goes into a flare. By managing the overall volume of all those dials, we can manage flares, he says.

According to Wren, while VR-based mindfulness can benefit people of all ages, she and her team wanted to focus on how it can be used in a pediatric IBD center, since the technology is already widely available in that setting, and children are typically very open to using technology in new ways, having been born into the digital age. The intervention can also be given without a trained therapist present, further improving accessibility. And it holds their attention, says Wren, a key factor in practicing effective mindfulness.

Lupe notes that the way patients are treated is changing across the board, including in IBD.

We are understanding there is no such thing as just physical and just psychological. We are whole beings, and interdisciplinary care, working with a team of specialists from psychologists to nutritionists, is how we are going to do things moving forward, he says.

Read the original post:

Can Virtual Reality Help Reduce Abdominal Pain in IBD Patients? - Everyday Health

PlayStation announces a new exclusive PlayStation VR game, Winds and Leaves, a contemplative simulator developed by Trebuchet Studio.

PlayStation has announced a brand new PS VR game headed exclusively to the device in the near future. Winds & Leavesis currentlybeing developed by Trebuchet Studio, the team behind the Steam and PS VR game Prison Boss VR.

In both a YouTube announcement trailer and a blog post, PlayStation today announced Winds & Leaves,a PS VR exclusive. In the game, players are stranded in a barren landscape, but through exploration and experimentation, the world can be built up by planting vegetation; therefore bringing life.

RELATED: VR Game Ryte: The Eye of Atlantis Gets Launch Trailer

While some PS VR games provide parkour funand or fast-paced action, Wind & Leaves--which is set to be released in Spring of 2021--looks tobe very much laid back. The game is described as beingcontemplative and as a simulation in its design. Players will grab tools, pick up fruit, dig holes in the ground, plant seeds, and watch plants and trees grow to maturity. The barren wasteland soon becomes a deep forest. It is all also designed to feel like second nature with the PS VR and the controls of the PS Move.

Trebuchet Studio also got creative with movement in the game, as players use wooden stilts to get from point A to point B. According to the developer, the mood of the game is influenced by an animated short film named "The Man Who Planted Trees," which is an old French-Canadian piece about an old man who spends his whole life growing a forest; planting one tree at a time. 2020 was a strong year for VR video games, but 2021 is shaping up to be a nice year as well. Winds & Leaves has an opportunity to supplant itself as a contender among the top VR titles.

Winds & Leaves is headed to PS VR in spring of 2021.

MORE:It's Time for PlayStation VR 2

Resident Evil is Releasing Hints About Village on Twitter

Read the original:

New Virtual Reality Game Winds and Leaves Coming to PlayStation VR - GameRant

Families with teens looking for something exciting to do will want to check out Zero Latency, the new VR arcade, located in Wagner Mall, where Nature's used to be. Although opening of the free-roam virtual reality game has been delayed due to COVID, pre-bookings are underway. I recently had the pleasure of testing out the VR arcade and the experience was incredible!

After a brief introduction where they tell you the do's and don'ts, they strap on a sort of computer backpack and give you headphones and a VR headset. Then you step into an empty, well-lit room where they calibrate your headset. Once you put the headset over your eyes, you are in! It was like stepping into another worldlike what you imagine the future will look like. You're in a sort of waiting lobby where particle effects are swirling around you.

I expected to feel disoriented or dizzy, but throughout the whole experience, I found myself experiencing none of that. After everyone was calibrated, they started the first game. This was a sort of head-to-head battle where you try to rack up points by killing the most zombies. You get three weapons: a long-range crossbow, a medium range assault rifle and a short-range shotgun. Man, was this one fun!

The map was vibrant and colorful, while still having a dystopian feel. It was definitely visually realistic, but what I didn't expect was the real fear I felt as the zombies closed in. Turning around in VR and having a zombie horde attacking you from behind actually produced a very real fear response.

Once that segment was over, they loaded up a different, but similar, zombie game, where instead of trying to get the high score, you had to work together to survive the zombie waves, kind of like the video games, Left 4 Dead or Call of Duty Zombies. I felt the art style wasn't as polished as the first one, but it was fun, nonetheless.

After we finished, we exited the play area and all I could think was, I have to come back! There is wonder and amazement from the moment you first load upeven just the lobby is incredible.

Read more:

Free-Roam VR Unleashed - The Source Weekly