Zero Latency – Immersive Virtual Reality Multiplayer Combat Game
Zero Latency, a Melbourne, Australia based VR startup is running one of the first multiplayer virtual reality gaming center. The next generation fully immersive VR gaming experience for the future!
Zero Latency VR launched a crowdfunding campaign on Pozible back in 2014, and successfully funded $30.000 with 200 tickets sold, which surpassed the original funding goal of $25,000!
Zero Latency VR gaming warehouse Image Source: Kotaku
According to Kotaku, Tim Ruse is the face of the brand — he’s the organiser, the story writer — “if it’s not hardware or software, I’m doing it”. Scott Vandonkelaar is ZL’s coding brain — he has been modding games since the original Counter-Strike and Monster Truck Madness; the company’s first funding actually came from a corporate mobile app he wrote.
James De Colling is the game and CG producer, with a background at Atari Melbourne and Grasshopper Manufacture in Tokyo. Hunter Mayne is the computer hardware guy — he’s in charge of the network build and the design of the backpack PCs, as well as designing and fabricating the controllers on the CNC mill. Kyel Smith is the team’s hacker — anything from soldering circuit boards to welding the overhead camera tracking rig. The ZL team also includes Danny Armstrong, previously at 2K. ( Excerpt from Kotaku )
Zero Latency VR Zombie Experience Built In Unity
Zero Latency’s VR Zombie warfare game is built in Unity, kind of similar to Left 4 Dead and Walking Dead, that both involves escaping and battling with endless herds of zombies and try to survive. For Zero Latency VR, the sole mission is to turn on a set of generator and then escape safely from the zombie infested compound.
Camera-based optical tracking Image Source: Kotaku
Zero Latency Camera-Based Optical Motion Tracking
For players’ body motion tracking and room-scale location tracking, there are camera-based optical tracking system, and an array of Playstation Eye is used for location tracking.
The data feeds are rendered and send to a central game server that manipulates the game environment. According to Kotaku, a total of 128 cameras are placed in the Zero Latency warehouse for precise tracking. 128 cameras might sound a lot, but just imagine how difficult it is to track multiplayers simultaneously with low or zero latency in such broad physical space. Single player or at the max, six players can play Zero Latency VR at the same time.
Zero Latency’s advance wireless technology and solution enables layers to move freely inside the 400sqm warehouse compound. Players will need to carry a PC inside a backpack throughout the game
ALIENWARE is a gaming computer specialist.
Zero Latency VR Gaming Powered By ALIENWARE
Zero Latency VR is powered by ALIENWARE (http://www.alienware.com ). A professional music production and gaming PC and laptop manufacturer sponsors and supports the VR project. The wireless, strapped-on backpack that players are wearing is equipped with an ALIENWARE Alpha factor PC.
You might also want to read: The VOID VR Gaming Theme Park Experience In 2016
According to Kotaku crew who has tested Zero Latency, the motion and location tracking were near perfect! The player’s body motion is replicated and simulated in real-time accurately in the virtual environment.
Zero Latency seems to live up to its name, the VR Zombie game runs at 60 frames per second, the virtual and physical realities are integrated seamlessly, a truly immersive virtual reality gaming experience. We wonder how Zero Latency compares to The VOID? The full-scale VR entertainment theme park that’s about to launch in 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The gun simulator has 3 modes: Assault, Shotgun and Sniper Mode!
Zero Latency is open to public; the price is $88 per hour. Online book for the VR Zombie experience is available here: https://zerolatencyvr.com/buy-tickets.
Content Source: Zero Latency, Kotaku
