Tom’s Hardware Giveaway – Elite Dangerous: Deluxe Edition

[Jsimenhoff]

General Info on How To Enter

Spoiler

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  ■ These giveaways now span 2 full weeks instead of 1. This means there's more time for you to enter!
  ■ There are now two ways to enter to win! Each person can only win once.
  • 
    1. Enter the raffle via the gleam widget. All we ask for there is a name and a contact email. There will only ever be 1 copy of the game up for grabs with this method.
    
    2. Take part in the discussion in this thread! A discussion prompt will be provided each time. Just answer the prompt to be eligible to win! Eligible participants will be randomly selected to receive a copy of the game.

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Hey everyone! We've got another great Steam giveaway for you!

This round, we're bringing you three (3) copies of Elite Dangerous: Deluxe Edition! As always, one will be awarded via the raffle (found below) and two will be given away to participants in the discussion.

Elite Dangerous is one of those unique PC games that supports both regular and VR gameplay. The Deluxe Edition comes with Horizons Season Pass, Pilot Starter Pack, and VR Support! With that in mind we have a VR focused discussion prompt:

If you could ask a VR developer one thing, what would it be? Do you have any feature requests or ideas for VR game development? Keep in mind we will be using these questions and answers in an upcoming indie VR developer roundtable!

The contest will run until 12 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 27. The game will be awarded to the winner as a Steam gift. A Steam account is required to receive the prize and play the game.

Good luck and happy gaming!

 

[nimbian]

My question to a developer would be what if any peripherals are in development. The HTC Vive's wands are neat but if I'm playing a shooter I would want the feel of a rifle in my hand. Or in skyrim a sword and shield. Which then would bring in haptic feed back. To feel the kick back of a gun or the strike of a sword would complete the VR experience IMHO.

 

[Simthaniel]

My question to a developer would be what if any peripherals are in development. The HTC Vive's wands are neat but if I'm playing a shooter I would want the feel of a rifle in my hand. Or in skyrim a sword and shield. Which then would bring in haptic feed back. To feel the kick back of a gun or the strike of a sword would complete the VR experience IMHO.

I am an independent engineer/inventor and I have been trying to come up with ways to complete the VR experience and create something that could simulate things like that and more including different ways of moving around in game

 

[Simthaniel]

I would ask will there be a cheaper way to play VR games without having to have expensive hardware and VR headsets, such as maybe having a cloud computed game that is computed live on some kind of cloud server that is assisted by personal computer hardware and having cheaper headsets

 

[thinkspeak]

I would ask will there be a cheaper way to play VR games without having to have expensive hardware and VR headsets, such as maybe having a cloud computed game that is computed live on some kind of cloud server that is assisted by personal computer hardware and having cheaper headsets

Lag would be a major issue I would imagine unless you were using a local server/pc to offload the work onto

 

[thinkspeak]

As someone learning Unreal, what are your thoughts on integrating neural networks or things like Tensorflow into game AI?
Is it worth the extra work or is the normal AI building method more practical?

 

[pasow]

If some sort of feedback system could be implemented to give better physical presence, even if only to the hands. (sort of like haptic feedback)

 

[Geekwad]

I have seen companies working on 'olfactory rift' ideas (which is interesting), but simple tactile feedback with something as simple as desk fans brings deeper immersion for a tiny price. Switching on a fan during The Climb is super simple, and really adds to the experience.

Would be nice to see devs add something like this where off the shelf fans could be plugged in easily to a controlled strip, and things like movement and explosions could give this simple tactile feedback.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

what peripheral developments are being worked on right now?

gloves with spacial recognition and/or pressure sensitivity?
feedback options like gamepad's rumble motors?
there are existing USB powered desktop fans. may something like this be developed for gaming?

 

[MiGhTy_Mech]

If I could ask a VR developer one thing, it would be this: how are you taking advantage of the differences between a normal two-dimensional PC screen and platform and that of a VR headset to create a more compelling game (as opposed to just slapping a VR view onto a game like a car sim that was not specifically designed to take advantage of its abilities, ie motion controllers)?

A game idea that I have is an online multiplayer game where two players duel each other with an array of medieval weaponry. The problem with this is that there is no haptic feedback when the weapons collide with each other, so my idea to fix that would be to create a system where when the weapons would hit each other they become "harmless" in the game world for a certain amount of time. It is kind of poorly thought out, but in general a medieval fighting sim, specifically made for VR.

 

[WildCard999]

My question would be...Would it ever be possible that create a VR system that would have backwards compatibility to allow users to play older games in VR?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

My question would be...Would it ever be possible that create a VR system that would have backwards compatibility to allow users to play older games in VR?

i imagine that would be a similar situation to 3D availability now. there are 3rd parties(TriDef, Nvidia, etc) that have created 3D profiles for many older and new games that were not developed for 3D initially. a lot of them run in perfect 3D modes.
TriDef is in the process right now of doing just this for VR and have pretty much stopped their development of regular 3D profiles.

 

[Psychobagger]

I would ask if there is any chance in the foreseeable future of VR-ready bodysuits and gloves that will follow your bodies most precise movements, like fingers. The bodysuits could also allow impacts to be felt via small shocks, like when a character in game is shot/hit.

 

[computers_are_freaky]

My question:
How long do you think it will be until people will truly be able to live in VR (bodily functions aside)?
When will something like the sword art online technology become a reality, and will it be in our lifetime?

 

[Laabsher]

My question would be: "When will VR Technology be like the VR in Sword Art Online?"

 

[Shockracer]

Is there plans to make a Sims or Sim City type game for VR?

 

[toiletloo]

When will we have better resolutions for VR?

 

[ultraglorious]

I would ask them what experience convinced them to develop for VR.

 

[santiagof4]

What unique features in VR do you use to differentiate in this market?

 

[mrmotion]

With gaming seeming to lead the way into the VR revoultion, what are you doing or planning to do to bring this technology to the corporate world? Any 3D cad modeling software interactions? It would be nice to build a fixture and "touch-feel it, see it" in a 3D space before you send it out to build or to show a customers your models.

 

[nukemaster]

I would ask if there is any chance in the foreseeable future of VR-ready bodysuits and gloves that will follow your bodies most precise movements, like fingers. The bodysuits could also allow impacts to be felt via small shocks, like when a character in game is shot/hit.

Would be pretty expensive, but cool.
It may be best to start with gloves and some arm/leg pads(and a chest pad like armor so you can feel the shots) that have sensors and feedback.

Come on holodeck!

 

[greendude123]

What was the biggest technical challenge in developing market-viable VR technology?

 

[Mostafa morsy]

how close are we to VR playgrounds

just imagine a replica of dust 2 with foam covered walls vr headsets on all the player and much more fun that laser tag

 

[mjsharma]

My question: With Hololens having a great future in everyday life and scientific areas how will VR compete against it? VR has good future in gaming and adult movie industry but for everyday life and scientific & engineering applications it is not going to be that great as it obstructs normal vision.

 

[Alex-Nigma]

Is there a usable wireless VR gear in the near future?