‘Pokémon Sun And Moon’ Accessible To New Trainers

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Pokémon turned 20 this year, and Nintendo’s new games—Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon—are designed with an expansion of the fan base in mind.

Japanese game developers, Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori joined Nintendo for its annual, E3 Treehouse presentation today, offering insight into the themes and features of the game, as audiences watched an on-screen demo. Set on a tropical island chain called the Alola Region, Masuda explained that Pokémon Sun and Moon convey a theme of “life force overflowing.” This applies to the locale, the diversity of Pokémon and the elemental power of the Earth’s sun and moon.

This also applies to the existing, passionate fan base and those trying their hand at training “pocket monsters” for the first time.

Attracting New Trainers

The most significant addition to the franchise is localization for Chinese, currently the largest gaming market for mobile. Although this demographic covers mobile devices like phones and tablets, the Nintendo 2DS and 3DS are certainly handheld devices. Masuda explained that a lot of fans from China had expressed a desire to play, which led to their decision. This is the first time in the franchise that Chinese will be available, in addition to the existing seven language options.

While experienced players will understand the more intricate nature of collecting, trading and battling Pokémon, Sun and Moon offers newcomers a little help. An upgraded interface uses universally recognizable colors, symbols and movements that transcend language and age groups. There are other touches as well, to help keep track of stats and the effectiveness of attacks against specific opponents. Normally, trainers would keep track of this information in their heads, so being able to access the data with a simple tap of the touch screen will assist in formulating strategies.

Pokemon trainers

Honoring Veteran Trainers

When revitalizing a brand for a new generation, it’s imperative to honor the legacy that made said brand a success to begin with. For Pokémon Sun and Moon, veteran trainers will be treated to additional features to keep them coming back for more. Customization of trainer appearance, as well as improved proportions as they relate to trainer and Pokémon encourages immersion into the game world. The new Pokédex indicates when there are more creatures to collect, encouraging players to keep searching to collect them all. The E3 demo revealed three new Pokémon native to the Alola Region, as well as existing ones from outside the region to add to players’ collections.

Bringing All Trainers Together

Nintendo introduced “Battle Royale,” a 4-person multiplayer mode that pitches trainers against each other in a free-for-all battle. Each trainer can enter the arena with up to three Pokémon in their arsenal. The first trainer to lose all their Pokémon loses, and at the end of the battle, points are tallied to determine the winner. This new element, along with new players joining from China, will encourage trainers worldwide to interact.

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will be released for Nintendo 2DS and 3DS on November 18 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the franchise.

Nintendo Unveils Massive ‘The Legend Of Zelda’ E3 Experience

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This morning, Reggie Fils-Aimé, president and COO of Nintendo of America, appeared on a livestream directly from the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) show floor to present viewers with a first look at what’s in store for The Legend of Zelda franchise. Nintendo has prided itself on making each year’s E3 presentation unique, and it is going the extra mile this year by dedicating almost 30,000 square feet to immerse visitors in a single game.

Fils-Aimé points stated, “three decades ago, the first Zelda changed the way millions of people thought about video games. And this week, you’ll discover a game that could change that thinking again.” Then a reveal trailer was shown, revealing the full title of the new game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Breath of the Wild is an entirely new format for a Zelda game, featuring a vibrant open world where getting from place-to-place may become an adventure of a lifetime. As Fils-Aimé explains, “this is easily one of the biggest experiences ever created by Nintendo,” and E3 attendees will be exploring “a wide-ranging plateau” environment on the show floor. The highlighted portion of the game may seem immense—in fact, Fils-Aimé claims that, “no one here this week will be able to explore all of it”—the show floor booth only represents a small portion of the full game map.

Almost the entire day of Nintendo Treehouse coverage will be dedicated to the one environment. In future, fans will learn more about the story, characters and “the way the boundaries of all previous Zelda titles are being broken.”

The Nintendo Treehouse livestream was then handed to Breath of the Wild game designer, Eiji Aonuma, who commentates on a gameplay demonstration before the doors open to the Zelda E3 experience. Presenters also remind viewers that special Zelda-themed items will become available in Miitomo today.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is expected to release sometime next year for the Nintendo Wii U and NX console systems.

GamerSaloon Is Betting Big On ESports With ‘Madden Pro League’

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GamerSaloon is a platform that allows video game enthusiasts to compete online against other in their favorite video games to win cash and other prizes.

Gabe Rubin, founder and CEO of GamerSaloon, joined [a]listdaily to discuss their how they’ve paid out $35 million in prizes over the last 10 years, their new “Madden Pro League,” and the necessary steps they’re taking to work with game titles like FIFA and NBA 2K as official partners.

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GamerSaloon facilitates video game tournaments for cash prizes. Can you explain how this process works for those that are unaware of your platform?

A user signs up for free, creates a profile, and funds their account. They then find an upcoming tournament to join or create an on-demand tournament and invite challengers to participate. All entry fees are collected securely by GamerSaloon and held in escrow until the outcome of the tournament is verified. Matches are played on the user’s console, PC or mobile device. Typically, the winner of each match will report the results of the match to the site. The loser then has a time window to verify or dispute the reported result. If the loser doesn’t respond the reported results are verified by default. Once the results are a verified, applicable prizes are awarded.

You’ve dished out over $35 million in prizes since operating in 2006. What are the most popular titles gamers play through your platform?

The most popular game titles are Madden, NBA 2K, FIFA, MLB: The Show, and NHL.

How is the business model for GamerSaloon structured? Who gets paid what?

GamerSaloon.com takes a service fee on every tournament entry. The service fee can vary but the average service fee is 14 percent.

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How are you generating serious interest for the “Madden Pro League?” What were your key takeaways from your $15,000 live tournament in Las Vegas earlier this year?

The GamerSaloon $15,000 Madden Community Championship in Las Vegas reinforced the demand for Madden as a competitive eSport and solidified GamerSaloon as reputable tournament organizer. Top players from the community attended the event and provided valuable insight for future live events and online action. In fact, it was through our open dialogue with players that we decided to launch Season 1 of the GamerSaloon ‘Crew-v-Crew Madden Pro League.’ Teams of three players competed individually each week to earn wins for their team and the chance to play in the finals for $1,500. The first season was such a success that we recently launched the second and have brought two sponsors on board, including Title Sponsor, StockX, and JerkyXP. The action is streamed every Wednesday night on the GamerSaloon Twitch channel with play-by-play coverage, similar to the RedZone channel. We’ve created a full Crew-v-Crew portal that includes real-time standings, player profile cards, past videos, and upcoming matches. Team and player rivalries are already running deep and drawing interest from all sides. As an official Twitch Partner, GamerSaloon is working with Twitch to feature the final stream for the officially named ‘StockX Madden Crew-v-Crew Pro League.’ We’re actively looking for strategic partners and sponsors to help grow the Madden community.

What steps are you trying to take to work with Madden, and others titles like FIFA and NBA 2K, as official partners? What needs to happen for this to become a reality?

We have had previous talks with TakeTwo Interactive, the developer of NBA2K, as well EA. Both are actively pursuing eSports as a means to increase gameplay of their respective games. We’re currently focusing on running high-quality live events, facilitating consistent online gameplay, and creating a deeper layer of content around the competitive scene. Our main goal is to continue to grow the sport eSports titles and extend gameplay throughout the year. We’re very open to working with game developers to do so.

The proliferation of daily fantasy sports has made some serious headlines over the last year. How are you regulating gambling?

What we offer is not considered gambling in most jurisdictions. We offer skill-based contests, similar to a golf, fishing, bowling, or billiards tournament in the physical world. If a video game relies predominantly on elements of chance to determine the outcome such as card games or dice rolls, we don’t offer contests in those games.

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You have over 1,000,000 registered members. How are you engaging and interacting with your community?

We have a very strong community. We’re actively engaged with our members through social media, email and internal site messaging. Our community relationship department has an excellent relationship with the Madden, NBA and FIFA communities. Our team is constantly listening to our community to ensure that we provide our members with an amazing experience.

What’s the No. 1 lesson you’ve learned since being in business?

The No. 1 lesson that I’ve learned since being in business is that execution and focus are crucial in creating a successful company.

How do you envision this space progressing in the future?

Over the past 10 years, I’ve witnessed the eSports space evolve from something that was considered to be underground to mainstream. Everyone is talking about eSports and trying to figure out where this space is going. I think that over the next three-to-five years, there’ll be even more growth within the industry. Live events, streaming and corporate sponsorships are all areas that I see gaining tremendous growth.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

Sony E3 Press Conference: The New, The Remastered And The VR

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Sony’s PlayStation E3 Press Conference started strong with a live orchestra playing a majestic, but unknown theme. Those in attendance (or watching from afar) soon learned that the music was for a much-requested game from Sony’s Santa Monica Studio…

God Of War

Fans cheered as a grizzled warrior stepped into the light and revealed his tattoos. In God of War, Kratos teaches his son to hunt in a hostile, Nordic wasteland and along the way, proves to audiences that he’s “still got it.” The soundtrack we heard at the start of the conference was written by famed composer, Bear McGreary (The Walking Dead). God of War is currently in development exclusively for PlayStation 4.

Days Gone

This open-world, post-apocalyptic adventure game by Bend Studio follows the story of Deacon St. John (Sam Witwer), a “drifter and bounty hunter who rides the broken road, fighting to survive while searching for a reason to live.” In addition to the above announce trailer, viewers were treated to a demonstration of anxiety-inducing gameplay in which Deacon battles swarms of creatures that resemble Golem from The Lord of the Rings. Days Gone is currently in development exclusively for PlayStation 4.

The Last Guardian

The Last Guardian is the story of a young boy who befriends a giant griffin-like creature, Trico, and the two work together to evade guards that are after them both. Controlling the boy, players work with Trico by calling it or luring it with food to assist in navigating the terrain or solving puzzles. The game has been stuck in “development hell” since its announcement at E3 2011, but will finally see a release date of October 25.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Revealed at E3 2015, Horizon: Zero Dawn tells the story of a young hunter named Aloy who must leave her tribe to learn the truth about her world of mechanical creatures. This open-world action role playing title is being developed by Guerrilla Games (Killzone) and is scheduled for release on February 28, 2017.

Detroit: Become Human

Heavy Rain developer, Quantum Dream revealed additional gameplay for their previously-announced tite, Detroit: Become Human. Set in a futuristic Detroit where androids have no rights, a self-aware droid named Connor must make the hard decisions in each choose-your-own-adventure scenario. This game is currently in development and is schedule to release sometime next year.

Resident Evil 7: biohazard

Capcom’s iconic survival horror brand returns to its suspenseful roots in this VR experience coming to PlayStation 4 on January 24, 2017.

Death Stranding

Hideo Kojima took to the stage with thunderous applause. “I’m back!,” he smiled. Following the cancellation of Silent Hills, Kojima continued working with Norman Reedus on a new game: Death Stranding. No release date or additional details have been announced.

Farpoint

Farpoint is a space thriller coming soon to PlayStation VR.

Spiderman

Marvel’s web-slinging hero returns in his own game, currently in development for PlayStation 4.

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The latest Star Wars film gets a LEGO parody for PS3 and PS4 in the coming weeks.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Fans were treated to some gameplay from the upcoming Call of Duty: Infinited Warfare.

Remastered Classics

Crash Bandicoot 1, 2 and Warp are being fully-remastered for PlayStation 4. Additionally, Crash will make an appearance as a playable character in the upcoming Skylanders: Imaginators. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will also receive the remastered treatment for next-gen consoles.

Coming Soon To Virtual Reality

PlayStation VR already has over 50 games lined up for its launch, and Sony showed off a few of those games, including Batman: Arkham VR, Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing Mission and Final Fantasy XV VR Experience.

“PlayStation’s heritage has been built around innovation and ground-breaking gaming experiences, and today’s reveals of new PS4 and PS VR content speaks to our continued commitment to this evolution of gaming,” said Shawn Layden, President of SIEA and Chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios. “From the reimagining of God of War to the brand new world of Days Gone, this E3 marks one of the best content line-ups in PlayStation history. With the launch of PS VR on the horizon, innovation also has never been stronger at PlayStation, as developers, from smaller independent teams to larger studios, have been able to quickly leverage the technology and create unique experiences that truly embody VR’s potential.”

‘Assassin’s Creed’ Movie Will Combine New And Familiar Elements

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Historically, video game movies are not well received by fans, but the Assassin’s Creed franchise is all about changing history. As an interactive medium, it’s not just video game characters and stories that filmmakers adapt—it is how the game made each player feel. Since this experience is greatly varied from person to person, fan reception is not always kind.

Producing the Assassin’s Creed film is Frank Marshall, who has worked on such films as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Back To The Future. “I’m always looking for a good story,” he said during the Sony E3 press conference today. “I thought that the Assassin’s Creed universe really had all the elements that could make a great movie.”

For those not familiar with the franchise, Assassin’s Creed involves the eternal struggle between Assassins and Templars, with gameplay involving both historical and modern times. Using an interface called Animus, descendants of Assassins are kidnapped by Abstergo Industries (modern-day Templars) and forced to relive their genetic memories. While this concept remains intact for the upcoming big-screen adaptation, the writers didn’t want to “repeat history,” as it were.

“It was our goal as filmmakers to stay respectful to the DNA of the brand, and bring something new to the franchise that can be experienced in movie theaters,” said Marshall. “We have a new story, we have a new hero, dynamic supporting players and characters, we mixed a little bit of the old and the familiar up with a new element.”

He added, “It’s the multi-layered mythology that we have that comes from the game and putting you into the story. We have a real story and it has an arc that goes all the way util the end. [It’s] being able to have the same wish fulfillment as you have in the game.”

While the Assassin’s Creed movie tells an all-new story set in Ubisoft’s world of parkour and stealth, fans of the game franchise should keep an eye out for a plethora of easter eggs throughout the film, which premieres December 21.

PlayStation VR Has Over 50 Games Lined Up And Counting

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Live from the PlayStation E3 2016 press conference, Sony Chairman Sean Layden declared that 2016 is a seminal year for virtual reality. “The time has finally come for everyone to enjoy VR in their own home,” Layden stated. “At PlayStation, we have a combination of the necessary processing and graphics power already built into 40 million PS4s that have been sold worldwide.” That’s a huge installed base, and Layton announced that the official US launch date for the PlayStation VR (which costs $399) is October 13, giving millions of PS4 owners a chance to experience VR.

One of the more stunning VR announcements of the evening included how Resident Evil 7 will be playable from beginning to end in PlayStation VR when it releases on January 24. There will be over 50 games releasing for PlayStation VR this year, with some being exclusive originals. A few more games were added to the list tonight, and they include:

  • Farpoint
  • Star Wars Battlefront X-Wing VR Mission
  • Batman Arkham VR
  • Final Fantasy XV VR Experience

It’s clear that the PlayStation VR has an incredible line-up of games to support its release this fall, making it a major contender among the premium VR headsets.

All Ubisoft E3 2016 Press Conference Announcements

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Ubisoft is famous for pushing the boundaries of entertainment, and that includes being among the first developers to take on virtual reality and developing games that others might consider strange. Of course, not everything is experimental, and huge AAA productions like Ghost Recon Wildlands make up some of the main highlights of the Ubisoft E3 Press Conference. This is an especially big year for the publisher, since it marks its 30-year anniversary. To celebrate, Ubisoft is giving away a free game every month until the end of the year.

This year’s press conference included six new game announcements, which are:

Just Dance 2017

The Just Dance series has been an annual release since the first game launched in 2009. Today’s press conference kicked-off with an elaborate dance number, complete with a variety of costumes and props to announce Just Dance 2017. The game will come to all consoles and the PC in October, and is the first Ubisoft game to be announced for Nintendo’s NX console.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

Ubisoft is developing the very first Star Trek-themed VR game, Star Trek: Bridge Crew. To announce the milestone game, the developers gathered actors Levar Burton, Jeri Ryan and Karl Urban—who have all starred in Star Trek shows and movies—to team up and play the game for themselves. All the actors were blown away by the experience, and got viewers psyched for the game’s release this fall for all major virtual reality platforms.

Trials of the Dragon Blood

Two Ubisoft developers took to the stage wearing very loud pink tracksuits with tiger stripes to announce that the popular stunt/puzzle game Trials Fusion and the trippy ’80s sci-fi action shooter, Far Cry Dragon Blood, were having a baby together. That child is Trials of the Dragon Blood, a game full of bright and crazy stunt tracks for players to master. Best of all, the game launched for consoles and the PC on the same day it was announced.

Grow Up

The charming game featuring a wobbly red robot riding giant plant vines, Grow Home, is getting a sequel called Grow Up. Developed by Ubisoft Reflections, the game will feature the return of the robot named B.U.D., who will make his way all the way to moon, but this time without the guidance of a mothership computer. The game will release for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in August.

Watch Dogs 2

First revealed last week in a livestreaming event, Watch Dogs 2 is one of the biggest game announcements of the Ubisoft press conference. The sequel takes the gameplay features introduced with the original Watch Dogs to a whole new level, this time turning the city of San Francisco to a hacker’s playground. Related announcements included a reminder from Sony VP of marketing that a Watch Dogs movie was in the works, and that Ubisoft was strengthening its partnership with the PlayStation 4 by releasing all Watch Dogs 2 DLC content 30 days before it comes to other consoles. If that’s not enough incentive to pick up the game, then maybe the collector’s edition might sway you. It’ll come with its very own toy remote controlled robot.

Steep

Always pushing the boundaries of entertainment, Ubisoft announced Steep at its E3 press conference. It is the first open world extreme sports game, where players can snowboard, flying using wingsuits, and traverse a mountainside however they like. Inspired by the Alps, the game will feature hundreds of activities and challenges. Steep will release later this year for consoles and PC.

‘Watch Dogs 2’ Hacks Ubisoft’s E3 2016 Press Conference

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Watch Dogs 2 was officially unveiled last week when Ubisoft livestreamed an extensive gameplay demonstration, showing how the sequel will take place in San Francisco, and players will be able to hack and control virtually everything. That includes people’s personal devices and taking remote control of cars.

Audiences got an even deeper look at the game at Ubisoft’s E3 2016 press event. Host Aisha Tyler’s introduction is suddenly interrupted when the screens behind her start to glitch before showing the Dedsec hacker group logo. Then the lights go out as Tyler leaves the stage, and a hacker activist character takes over the screen. The character talks about how big corporations have taken control of a popular social media network, and is manipulating feeds so that its users will be tricked into voting for their puppet politician, Congressman Mark Thruss. The character even calls the social network, “the most powerful population control tool ever created,” and urges viewers to join Dedsec to take back their democracy.

The hacker takeover transitions straight into a gameplay video, and that’s when Ubisoft Montreal’s creative director, Jonathan Morin, takes to the stage to present the game’s features and how San Francisco will become the player’s new hacker playground. Players will take the role of Marcus Holloway, a brilliant hacker who is on a mission to take control back from the establishment.

Watch Dog 2‘s demonstration switches to a mission, where the player must find a way to break into Congressman Thruss’ heavily guarded apartment to steal evidence using a variety of tools, including drones and a zapper the incapacitates guards. Of course, the stealthy approach doesn’t last forever, and the Marcus soon finds himself in a gun fight, showcasing the high-action gameplay, before making a daring escape.

Once the gameplay demonstration was concluded, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was welcomed to the stage, and he talked about how the success of 2012’s Watch Dogs was largely due to the partnership the company had with Sony. Ubisoft is continuing that partnership with the sequel by inviting Sony’s president of global sales and marketing, Jim Ryan, onto the stage to state how there is a Watch Dogs 2 movie in the works. Given the hype behind the upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie, Ubisoft’s second major motion picture could end up making a huge impression too. Additionally, as a show of how deep this partnership goes, PlayStation 4 owners will have access to all Watch Dogs 2 DLC content 30-days before they are released on any other platform.

Watch Dogs 2 releases on November 15, and the collector’s edition includes a remote controlled model of the security robot that’s seen in the game.

Bethesda Continues To Rule With Pre-E3 Floor

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Last year, Bethesda found some good traction with its community through the debut of its own press conference, highlighting games like Doom and Dishonored 2, amongst a handful of others. This year, however, it decided to go all out with yet another showcase, this one focusing more on its fans with a fun get-together following a night of highly anticipated reveals.

The company first ushered people into the L.A. Hangar, where bags of popcorn and bottled water were waiting. Then, the company began its presentation, where it showcased a number of forthcoming games like Quake Champions and Prey, as well as content for its established hits like Fallout 4 and Doom.

Following that, however, the publisher made good on its promise with a big after-party, featuring turkey legs, drinks and other snacks for attendees to enjoy, as well as the opportunity to check out its Bethesda VR properties (including Fallout 4, announced for 2017) as well as a first hands-on with Quake Champions.

Closing out the night was rock band Blink 182, which performed a who’s who of its best songs for fans, sending them home happy as they picked up collectible shirts on the way out.

This year was a noticeable difference in terms of Bethesda doing more for its community, as 2015’s presentation was held at the Dolby Theater with no post-show to speak of, whereas the Hangar provided more room for attendees to sit, as well as a handful of goodies, from food to collectible gear. The chance to go hands-on with a number of its forthcoming hits also gave fans the chance to see their work in action, well before their estimated release date.

Of course, Bethesda has always been a publisher about the community, as its yearly QuakeCon event (set to take place this year in Austin this August) draws thousands of both devoted PC players and regular fans that come to see the best that the company has to offer. This year, both Prey and Quake Champions are expected to be tremendous draws, amongst other titles like the multiplayer-oriented Battlecry and the downloadable content for Fallout 4 and Doom.

Bethesda has definitely shown progress with its E3 showcase – and next year is likely to be even better.

Razer Unveils New VR Headset, $5 Million VR Development Fund

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Razer and Sensics, co-founders and organizers of Open Source Virtual Reality (OSVR), unveiled the second Hacker Development Kit, the HDK 2. The $400 HDK 2 features an upgraded display (2160×1200) for a visual experience on par with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. It will be available in July for $400 at the Razer online store with plans to expand sales to Newegg and physical retailers later this year.

The HDK 2 will be available to demo at Razer’s E3 booth this week with games such as RedOut, Theme Park Studio, Infinite, A-10, and The Hum: Abductions, alongside the Gloveone motion tracking gloves from Neurodigital Technologies. Upon public release, the gloves will be available as a controller option for the HDK and all OSVR supporting head-mounted displays in the open ecosystem.

“The HDK2 is the next iteration in the headset we’ve had out for a year,” Jeevan Aurol, product marketing manager of software at Razer. “This headset displays images at 90 frames per second and offers a 110-degree field of view, as well as a diffusion film screen to reduce screen effect. This screen was built for VR with custom optics and a larger eye box, making it more comfortable to wear. It pumps out clear, vibrant visuals.”

Aurol said the HDK2 was designed for both developers and consumers. The basic package includes the positional tracking hardware (infrared camera and mount) and the HMD.

“We designed it to be flexible,” Aurol said. “Developers can innovate the way they want to bring cool new products and software into the OSVR ecosystem. As a consumer, I gain unrestricted access to innovations as they roll out like brand new controllers.”

Gamers will have unrestricted access to open source platforms such as SteamVR. Aurol said any content built for Vive will work on the HDK2 and the HDK1. The platform also supports Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4 and Unity Technologies’ Unity 5 game engines.

Aurol said Razer will continue to sell the HDK1 for $300 for people who want to get into VR without spending as much money.

“We’re building an open source VR ecosystem with over 320 hardware and software companies,” Aurol said. “The software development kit unites everyone into a single ecosystem, which will ultimately help VR succeed.”

Aurol said consumers benefit from OSVR because they can choose from a variety of HMDs and controllers without worrying about compatibility, building their custom dream VR rig.

“It’s about giving consumers a choice and the ability to optimize what we have in VR today,” Aurol said.

Razer is also launching a $5 million Developer Fund created to bring more VR content into the ecosystem.

“Our take is the industry is very young and one of the current issues its facing is lack of content,” Aurol said. “Mainstream consumers need to adopt VR for it to succeed and we need content on all hardware. We’ll have 10 headsets in the market by next year. If other hardware vendors enter the market, and they don’t have access to content, they’ll die out quickly. If you’re introducing a new HMD or controller, you need to have content to attract mainstream interest and help the entire industry. The VR industry is only as strong as its weakest link.”

Razer is sponsoring the $5 million, but Aurol said it will constantly grow through the support of OSVR partners. The fund will support both hardware and software makers.

“If you’re hardware developer we’ll help you with marketing support, public relations, and other business initiatives,” Aurol said. “If you’re a small or large developer you can apply now. An OSVR fund member will review it—Razer is currently overseeing applications because it’s investing the initial $5 million—and look at the quality of the content, and then if it passes we’ll approve it and the developer gain funding.”

Aurol said this funding is very different from the traditional model because Razer is helping to kickstart content sales for the developer from the start.

“When they release content, we’ll buy the game keys—the number of game keys we buy depends on the negotiations,” Aurol said. “We can offer a minimum guarantee in sales. We’ll have promotional activities when we buy the game keys, passing them to press for reviews for press and bundling them with hardware promotions.”

And Razer will help developers gain exposure.

“We’ll offer marketing and promotional support to help generate more awareness of the content. For example, we’ll invite developers down to our E3 booth and allow them to sell content through the SDK and talk to press and attendees. It’s a great way to gain awareness.”