AltspaceVR

From Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Information icon1.png This page is a stub, please expand it if you have more information.
AltspaceVR
Altspacevr1.jpg
Information
VR/AR VR
Developer AltspaceVR, Inc.
Publisher AltspaceVR, Inc.
Platform SteamVR, Oculus Rift (Platform)
Device Oculus Rift DK2, Gear VR, Oculus Rift CV1, HTC Vive, Leap Motion, Microsoft Kinect, 3DTV, PC
Operating System Windows
Type Full Game
Genre Casual, Free to Play, Massively Multiplayer, Simulation, VR
Input Device Tracked motion controllers, Gamepad, Keyboard / Mouse
Play Area Standing, Room-Scale
Game Mode Single Player, Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer, Co-Op, Online Co-Op, Cross-Platform Multiplayer
Language English
Review Very Positive
Release Date Apr 1, 2016
Price Free
App Store Steam
Infobox Updated 09/15/2016

Introduction

AltspaceVR is an social VR app/platform founded by Eric Romo, Gavan Wilhite and David Gudmundson in 2013. Its communication software allows users to share content and experiences. Users can participate in various activities such as browse the web, watch videos, play games and attend events in 3D virtual environments. AltspaceVR will allow developers to create their own content with javascript and three.js and convert pre-existing 2D javascript content into 3D virtual worlds with minimal changes.

Open Beta for AltspaceVR launched in May 2015.

Features

  • Cross-playform connectivity. Oculus Rift CV1, HTC Vive and Gear VR users play together.
  • Voice Communication with 3D positional sound
  • Shared and synchronized web viewing which includes YouTube, Twitch and Netflix
  • Embedded web browser (chromium based), which is customized to improve readability
  • Web browsing within the virtual environment
  • Interaction with 3D web content
  • Nonverbal communication, enhanced by Perception Neuron, Leap Motion or Kinect V2
  • 2D mode for users without the VR headsets
  • Exploration of virtual environments customized and built for AltspaceVR
  • FrontRow - allows thousands of people to view an event together in VR.

FrontRow

FrontRow intelligently mirrors select users from one instance of a virtual room into many others simultaneously. To the users who are actually in the room, the mirrored user looks and sounds identical to any other real user in that room. Instances of the virtual rooms are added automatically as more users join the event. For example, during a concert, the singer is mirrored to hundreds of virtual rooms with zero added latency. This method solves the problem of cramming hundreds to thousands people in a single space.

Altspace says that FrontRow can support up to 40,000 users for a single event.

V20

A fantasy tabletop role-playing game within the AltspaceVR 3D virtual environment. Players can take on the roles of Game Masters, adventurers or observers.

Gameplay Introduction

AltspaceVR is a platform that combines many different social activities that are achievable in Virtual Reality (VR). It is a shared VR experience that provides a communication platform focused towards intuitive User Interface (UI), real-time sharing of 2D and 3D content and natural communication between users. The social activities that AltspaceVR include web browsing, watching videos on YouTube or some other streaming platforms, gaming, meeting, sharing different experiences and having conversations with friends and strangers. The users can perform all these activities while moving inside the virtual environment within the AltspaceVR.[1]

AltspaceVR has developed numerous virtual places for its users include a desert island, a futuristic movie theater and a Zen-inspired tea garden. Once a user logs in to the AltspaceVR system, he or she is represented by an avatar in the virtual environment. The user is then able to meet other people and talk using the Oculus Rift or some other VR headsets.

The developers of AltspaceVR are trying to find out specific events and games which make sense to the people and which they would like to collaborate on. The focus of AltspaceVR is to provide the most natural communication in VR.

Description

Share experiences with other people in virtual reality! Discover and attend events, stream videos on gigantic screens, play games, and hang out with friends, family, and people you meet in AltspaceVR.
Feel free to watch, communicate, explore, and browse with AltspaceVR!
We feature:

  • Voice Communication with 3D positional sound


* Regular and varied events to attend, and the ability to create your own
* Non-verbal communication, enhanced by Leap Motion, Kinect v2, or Perception Neuron
* Click-to-Teleport system for maximum mobility and comfort
* Embedded web browser based on Chromium, customized for readability in VR
* Abilty to share and synchronize web content with others in real time
* Shared and synchronized web viewing, including Netflix, Youtube, and Twitch
* 2D mode for those with no VR headset (yet!)
* 3D web content based on three.js in volumetric web browsers
* Unique environments to explore, made from the ground up for VR


System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements

2D Mode

Part Spec
CPU Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ 3.2 GHz
RAM 4 GB RAM
GPU 512 MB DirectX 9 compatible graphics (dedicated GPU required)
Hard Drive 500 MB
OS Windows or Mac OS

VR Mode

Part Spec
CPU Intel core i5 4590 or AMD FX9590
RAM 8 GB RAM
GPU Dedicated GPU, NVidia GTX 970 1 GB or AMD 290 1 GB
Hard Drive 500 MB
OS Windows

Recommended System Requirements

Part Spec
CPU Intel core i5 4590 or AMD FX9590
RAM 8 GB RAM
GPU Discrete GPU, NVidia GTX 970 1 GB or AMD 290 1 GB
Hard Drive 500 MB
OS Windows or Mac OS
DiretX 11

Setup Instructions

About the Company

AltspaceVR is US-based company located in Redwood City, California. Eric Romo is the founder and CEO of AltspaceVR

History

2014: AltspaceVR has raised 5.2 million dollars in venture capital from likes of Google Ventures and Tencent.

May 2015: AltspaceVR launches Open Beta.

June 29, 2015: AltspaceVR raised another 10.3 million dollars in Series A Venture Capital.

February 4, 2016: AltspaceVR launches on Gear VR.

April 29, 2016: AltspaceVR has incorporated Slack, a popular team collaboration tool.

July 2017: AltspaceVR announced that they are shutting down.

October 3, 2017: AltspaceVR was acquired by Microsoft and will no longer shut down.

Images and Videos

References

  1. http://techcrunch.com/2016/02/04/altspacevr-social-platform-launches-on-samsung-gear-vr/