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VirZoom’s VR exercise bike technology has a sleek new look at GDC. If you don’t mind looking weird, then it’s better to fight cars in the cold and rain.
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The 3DRudder translates foot pressure into in-game movement in three dimensions. We found it more than a little nauseating to move around in VR without actually moving our feet.
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Whirlwind VR markets a fan that simulates the airflow you should feel when you move around in VR. We’ll stick with the draft from the AC vent for now.
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We haven’t been able to try out this combination hand tracker and haptic feedback bracelet, and not just because the idea of ”multi-channel electro-muscle stimulation” to “control finger and wrist movements” leaves us a bit skeptical.
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AVA Direct markets these Sixense magnetic field tracking solutions, but they aren’t quite as compelling as current Vive controllers.
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The M-ORB controller provides haptic feedback by simply pushing the thumb button in one of four main directions. It was probably the dumbest idea we saw on the entire show floor.
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Gameface VR markets its standalone headset as “the world’s first wireless head-mounted virtual reality console”. We think Samsung’s Gear VR is probably eager to talk to them (smartphone guts or not).
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Virtuix showed off the final version of its Omni VR treadmill, which looked a bit more streamlined than the early prototypes… just a little.
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These Manus VR glove prototypes combine finger flex sensors with a wrist-mounted Vive controller for tracking. It was an intriguing demonstration, but far too heavy to be comfortable in its current form.
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Google’s Project Tango uses a tablet mounted on a giant orange gun to demonstrate its ability to create an accurate 3D map of a room from camera data.
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Nexperience markets this moving chair as a compact way to create full-fledged VR simulator rides. Expect them at Disney World in a week (not really).
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Instead of a head-mounted display, “The Igloo” projects 3D images onto a 360-degree screen that surrounds groups of users.
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The inside of The Igloo, with only part of the view surrounding users.
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It wouldn’t be the GDC show floor without a man in a mocap suit dribbling a basketball. Seriously, it wouldn’t.
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This may look like a motion capture demonstration, but it’s actually a mind-reading device that shows the deepest desires of this burly man.
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I like to imagine a very small person silently screaming in that cat costume.
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When you think of intelligent app discovery, think of free popcorn.
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When you think of skill-based mobile gaming competitions for cash, think of free beer.
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When you think of Google Adwords, think of childhood delights like the Etch-a-Sketch and Connect Four… for some reason.
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Why give away branded squishy stress balls when passersby can let them win in a crane game?
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This part of the Clash of kings booth reminded me of one of those “Which figure is taller” optical illusion puzzles.
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This man who screen-printed “Never Forget” David Bowie T-shirts at an app analytics booth was consistently the happiest person on the show floor.
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We’re a little concerned that PlayStation VR will always display in dark, cavernous environments where bright lights can’t interfere with tracking.
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You know the cloud that everyone in technology is always talking about? I think we found it.
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I couldn’t get anyone to explain to me why life-size cutouts of celebrities littered the Mint’s booth, but they let me put this photo in this gallery. So mission accomplished, I guess.
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If all you can think of is a field of grass gnomes, your imagination is limited…
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I think it’s best if we don’t give context to this gallery-closing image.
In the midst of all the tech talks and indie game demos at the Game Developers Conference, you’ll find the show floor, a place where serious companies try to get your attention in decidedly non-serious ways. Every year as the GDC comes to a close, we like to tour the show floor to see what new techniques middleware companies are using to capture the attention of showgoers. This year’s show floor, in San Francisco’s cavernous Moscone Center, did not disappoint.
A number of companies have done their best to capitalize on the emerging virtual reality trend with new controllers and accessories. These aren’t the well-funded, big-name head-mounted displays from the likes of Valve or Oculus, but they’re often gimmicky prototypes that try to put a new spin on the way you interact with virtual reality.
Ars checks out VR at GDC
Many of these startups will be gone by the time GDC rolls around next year, so we thought we should at least document their existence while we can. (Updating(Now with video from some of the VR platforms that Sam Machkovech and I also encountered.) Enjoy this visual tour of the most entertainingly weird products and companies offering their wares this year.