'VRChat' Is A Social Platform, A Dev Sandbox, And A Step In The Right Direction
VRChat Inc. announced a new virtual reality (VR) game that is both a social platform and a developer sandbox, bringing community and creation together in an impressive and immersive application called VRChat.
VRChat is a new VR social platform designed for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift that features full-body avatars with audio lip sync, eye tracking and blinking, and complete range of motion. The character models approximate where your arms and joints would be, based on the position of your tracked hand controllers, and your point of view is adjusted to the appropriate height and perspective of your avatar (short skins will make other players appear enormous, larger character models will make others look tiny).
A main area simply known as “The Hub” features several portals throughout the room that lead to player and developer-created Worlds. You can also navigate to different Worlds, change your avatar, adjust graphics and locomotion settings, and more using the main menu, which will appear in your hands when you open it. (This is achieved in different ways, depending on your HMD and controllers.) You can watch a YouTube video with your friends on the moon, walk on the surface of Mars, go to a virtual bar, enjoy a campfire in the woods, or play several games, including Bowling, Capture the Flag, Battle Discs (which resembles a fight scene from Tron), and a “cops and robbers” team-based multiplayer shooter called Steel n’ Gold.
VRChat is also a developer sandbox, and you don’t have to be a partner with the company--as is usually the case with similar platforms--to dabble with developer tools in the Unity engine using the company’s SDK. VRChat even made several YouTube tutorials on how to create and upload your own avatars, and there are many more community-created tutorials that show you how to build your own worlds and create interactive environments. Although the company said it was moving towards an easier way to create your own avatar within the VRChat environment (think in-game create-a-character feature), anyone can pick up a free edition of Unity, download the SDK, open an online video tutorial, and try their hand at making their own character skins, worlds, and features.
We like the concept of a VR social platform, like what we’ve seen from AltspaceVR, but incorporating an open developer community sets VRChat apart from similar communication applications by giving developers of any level (even complete noobs) an outlet to create their own virtual space, avatars, and experiences. Creating more content is essential to the growth of the VR marketplace, and VRChat is an ideal way for anyone thinking of getting into Unity development to try to learn the ropes from a supportive community of VR enthusiasts and developers.
VRChat is available now on the Steam store, and it’s free to play.
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Derek Forrest was a contributing freelance writer for Tom's Hardware. He covered hardware news and reviews, focusing on gaming desktops and laptops.
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Jeff Fx This could take a big chunk of AltSpace's users if devs build some compelling content.Reply
AltSpace would only have the advantage of their celebrity appearances, which tend to happen too late for people who aren't on the west coast anyway. -
kewlguy239 Reply19239411 said:This could take a big chunk of AltSpace's users if devs build some compelling content.
AltSpace would only have the advantage of their celebrity appearances, which tend to happen too late for people who aren't on the west coast anyway.
Actually, VR Pill had mentioned that Justin Roiland made an visit to VRChat earlier this week. If celebrity appearances is all it takes to entice you, they got it ;-) -
bloodroses This looks similar to what Second Life was. That was an ambitious project that ended up a flop. We'll see if the addition of VR to the formula makes the difference.Reply -
Jeremy_NM Second Life is already making a new version for VR which they call Sansar. Not sure why that wasn't mentioned in this article considering how committed they have been to making social VR and open community driven development through their tools.Reply -
Georg Rauh This is sooooooo superior to AltSpace it's not even funny. It's NO CONTEST, not even remotely. The advantage that AltSpace has is simply that they coded for cross-platform, aka that they get all the mobile and GearVR users which currently the large majority of VR users.Reply
I really don't want to talk "bad" about AltSpace, but the few times I am still on A/S, like when there is a good music event etc and I see new people coming and being all overwhelmed, I wonder what those people would say seeing VRChat. I guess it would blow their mind. It has blown mine because it is really, really excellent. -
Georg Rauh This is sooooooo superior to AltSpace it's not even funny. It's NO CONTEST, not even remotely. The advantage that AltSpace has is simply that they coded for cross-platform, aka that they get all the mobile and GearVR users which currently the large majority of VR users.Reply
I really don't want to talk "bad" about AltSpace, but the few times I am still on A/S, like when there is a good music event etc and I see new people coming and being all overwhelmed, I wonder what those people would say seeing VRChat. I guess it would blow their mind. It has blown mine because it is really, really excellent. THIS alone is worth getting a Rift or Vive. (And believe me, I have seen MOST what is out there already for VR and this includes VR social apps).