Good news, VR fans: Everyone attending the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week will have the chance to stop by the all-new VR Lounge and check out some of the latest and greatest VR games and experiences.
The new VR Lounge, which is sponsored and curated by Epic Games, will be open to GDC attendees all next week in the West Hall of the Moscone Convention Center to provide visitors the opportunity to get hands-on (and headsets-on) with a selection of the best VR content made for HTC Vive, PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and Gear VR.
There will also be a ton of great VR games and experiences to try out, presented by some of the leading innovators in VR design. From one of the most advanced coop VR shooters to a breathtaking VR visit to Everest and an innovative first-person VR adventure game, here's a selection of what GDC attendees will find at the VR Lounge:
- Chronos from Gunfire Games - Chronos is an atmospheric RPG for Oculus by a fantastically pedigreed team that chronicles one young hero's lifelong quest to save their homeland from a great evil. As the character ages, they become a more seasoned warrior, learning from mistakes and exploration of the labyrinth.
- Everest VR from Sólfar Studios and RVX - Climb the world's highest and most majestic mountain in one of the most visually impressive and immersive recreations of a real world destination. One of Wired's top three picks for the arrival of consumer VR in 2016 and named Best VR Experience at CES by The Verge, sample the worldwide premiere of the iconic ascent of Mount Everest's Hillary Step on Vive.
- Gary the Gull from Limitless Ltd & Motional - Just another day on the beach with your tasty lunch - and a talking seagull. One of the first interactive characters in VR, Gary responds to your gestures, gaze, and distance, just as he would in real life. GDC is Gary's world premiere, showing on PlayStation VR. Gary the Gull is directed by Mark Walsh (former Pixar writer-director), produced by Motional, and built with the Limitless VR Creative Environment. Stop by and say hello -- Gary would love to meet you!
- Giant from Milica Zec and Winslow Turner Porter III - An emotional, critically acclaimed VR film revealed at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, showing on Oculus. Drawing on director and co-creator Milica Zec's personal experiences as a child in war-torn Serbia, Giant transports the viewer into the life of a family struggling to survive in an active war zone.
- Invasion! from Baobab Studios - An enchanting animated film crafted by the director of Madagascar ushering in a new era of VR experiences. Experience this tale of aliens trying to take over the planet, but being thwarted by the Earth's meekest and most adorable creatures -- and you are one of them. Be the underdog in Oculus or Gear VR at GDC! Get in now for a sneak peak before its public debut at Tribeca.
- Paranormal Activity VR from VRWERX - Paranormal Activity VR is the first-person horror survival game based on Paramount Pictures' massively popular Paranormal Activity film franchise. Showing on Vive, this experience commands long lines, and we can get you into the first playable demo for the full game that's shipping this summer!
- Raw Data from Survios - Raw Data is a first-person, action-combat game optimized for whole-body Active VR gameplay. This demo is a co-op multiplayer experience with in-game avatars, interactive weapons, dynamic defenses and swaths of challenging enemies. Referred to by TechCrunch as "perhaps the most advanced first person shooter in VR."
- The Rose and I from Penrose Studios - a beautiful story about loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Come meet a lonely Rose living in the unlikeliest of places, and join her as she transports you to a brand new universe. Penrose will also offer extremely limited viewings of its preview teaser of Allumette, the story of a young orphan girl who lives in a fantastical city in the clouds. Both experiences are currently showing on Rift and Vive.
- The Walk VR Experience from Create VR - The Creative Arts Award-winning experience based on Sony Pictures' The Walk lets you relive the death-defying stunt featured in the movie by walking a tightrope between New York's World Trade Center buildings circa 1974.
- Thunderbird from Innervision VR - This awesome first-person adventure game is designed and created by a team of two - a father and son - showing on Vive. Thunderbird VR takes players on a fantastical journey. Winner of "Best VR Experience" at the recent Vision Summit.
So swing by, and discover leading-edge virtual reality experiences sure to inspire and entertain! And as you're putting together your GDC 2016 session schedule in the Schedule Builder, don't forget to set some time aside to check out the variety of other lounges, exhibits, and events that will be set up across the Moscone Center throughout the week.
GDC 2016 itself will take place March 14-18th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more information on GDC 2016, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.
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