Virtual Reality Sword Art Online Game - The Beginning

[Skip Class]

I'm sure a bunch of you would have heard about this by now:

IBM held a press event for its "Sword Art Online: The Beginning" virtual reality demonstration on Thursday. Japanese game news websites Inside Games and 4Gamer posted photos of the demonstration area, as well as the virtual reality demonstration itself. Inside Games posted two videos of the players playing the demonstration.

Sword Art Online: The Beginning is currently in production with an Alpha test starting this weekend for 208 lucky fans. IBM will be leading the game's development and the results will pave way to more unique Virtual Reality experiences.

Virtual Reality Sword Art Online Game TeasedBy Swaps4 | Anime, Images, Info, Japan, News, Video | 21 March 2016 | 5 Comments
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IBM held a press event for its "Sword Art Online: The Beginning" virtual reality demonstration on Thursday. Japanese game news websites Inside Games and 4Gamer posted photos of the demonstration area, as well as the virtual reality demonstration itself. Inside Games posted two videos of the players playing the demonstration.

Sword Art Online: The Beginning is currently in production with an Alpha test starting this weekend for 208 lucky fans. IBM will be leading the game's development and the results will pave way to more unique Virtual Reality experiences.

The game itself will serve as a prequel to the Sword Art Online game in the series. IBM will be co-developing the experience using their Cognitive Systems, that powers IBM Watson, to produce the game. It will be automated alongside their new cloud technology titled SoftLayer.

Virtual Reality Sword Art Online Game TeasedBy Swaps4 | Anime, Images, Info, Japan, News, Video | 21 March 2016 | 5 Comments
11
IBM held a press event for its "Sword Art Online: The Beginning" virtual reality demonstration on Thursday. Japanese game news websites Inside Games and 4Gamer posted photos of the demonstration area, as well as the virtual reality demonstration itself. Inside Games posted two videos of the players playing the demonstration.

Sword Art Online: The Beginning is currently in production with an Alpha test starting this weekend for 208 lucky fans. IBM will be leading the game's development and the results will pave way to more unique Virtual Reality experiences.

The game itself will serve as a prequel to the Sword Art Online game in the series. IBM will be co-developing the experience using their Cognitive Systems, that powers IBM Watson, to produce the game. It will be automated alongside their new cloud technology titled SoftLayer.

The VR systems uses the Oculus Rift DK2 model, branded as the Nerve Gear, with additional sensors in conjunction with a multidirectional treadmill. A Xbox One Kinect is also used to help with tracking player movement.

Trailer:


In-game footage:



EDIT: MORE DETAILED VIDEO OF PEOPLE TESTING


Someone who tested it:




It's cool that they're actually making this a thing. Since it's only in alpha phase at the moment, can't wait to see where they go from this and when they refine more things.
Thoughts?

 

[Tiliath]

I'm going to wait for regular consumers to post their experiences and reviews online before I truly decide what I would like to do. Not many of the games look like they would have enough replay value for me.

I will be more interested once we are in the era that VR is good enough to host a gorgeous MMO and competitive multiplayer. That said, SAO Beginnings looks like it's heading in the right direction. It looks like it will start like how Guild Wars 1/.hack fragment works, with instancing or limited channel spaces to not break immersion.

 

[donavannj]

Let me just move this on over to the Video Games section here, since this is more about the SAO game than anything related to its anime.

I can't help but think that I've seen more impressive tech demos out of other companies, though 208 players being able to experience it, presumably simultaneously, is quite impressive for the tech.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

The only thing that can save VR.

 

[saifors]

It looks pretty good for an alpha stage, depending on how long development will take we might see it adapt to the improvements to VR we'll likely see in the near future.
It does look a little clunky but that's probably going to change later on in development.
(also I think that, instead of certain movements, an attack would be better of determined if the player just swings around their arm in a line and at a certain speed, of course that's assuming it's possible)

 

[Fannie]

Assume I'm a bit of a spaz. Would this game only be playing with a VR headset and not have the option to let you play with a controller?

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

Assume I'm a bit of a spaz. Would this game only be playing with a VR headset and not have the option to let you play with a controller?

Honestly, I hope this game is VR only. If VR is to gain any kind of traction, this is the perfect game/anime to jumpstart on. SAO in itself was a virtual world accessed via VR, so I think it makes sense to make a game that fits that description.

 

[Fannie]

Honestly, I hope this game is VR only. If VR is to gain any kind of traction, this is the perfect game/anime to jumpstart on. SAO in itself was a virtual world accessed via VR, so I think it makes sense to make a game that fits that description.

That's true. If that's the case I hope VR headsets will be more affordable by the time this game comes out. I'm forever skint.