I don’t attend many conferences, but when I first heard about Oculus Connect I knew it was going to be awesome. An invitation only developer conference for something as world changing as VR is just too hard to resist. Now that it is over, I have to say that it has inspired me, and put a human face on Oculus and the larger VR community. I hope they do it the same way… Continue reading
The initial pre-release is still essentially the VR Jam game I created, although cleaned up and improved significantly. The gameplay is also still simple with only a few basic exploration and treasure hunting mechanics. My plan right now is to continue improving and enhancing the foundation of the game. I also intend to rework the terrain with new shaders, revise the art pack used for the island, and put in a procedural sky system with… Continue reading
So, what does it take to utterly blow your mind? VR! It has happened twice now for me. The last time was experiencing VR for the first time with the Rift a year ago. This time it was experiencing the famous Valve demos that everyone has been talking about since the beginning of the year. I am convinced more than ever that this new wave of VR technology is going to change the world. There… Continue reading
Well, it is that time again… There has been much happening in the VR world. I guess we are now calling it the second coming of VR with all the new technology showcased at CES and of course the huge Valve announcements at Steam Dev Days. Now for a little recap… Oculus showed off the Crystal Cove Prototype at CES which has a camera based positional tracking system and a low persistence display. I won’t… Continue reading
It has been a while since my last Rift Ramblings. I was mildly burned out after pulling together Lost Loot for the VR Jam, but I have been busy developing the concepts for the successor to it. During this process I have been trying to grapple with what makes a true VR game. VR games extend beyond simply adapting current games to use a stereoscopic HMD. They also need to bring interaction closer to the… Continue reading
My entry in the Oculus and IndieCade VR Jam is taking shape. I am creating a casual treasure diving game designed specifically for VR. Here is the official description: “LOST LOOT: A casual exploration game designed for VR and the Oculus Rift. It combines relaxing gameplay with an interesting environment and a touch of adventure. Dive for lost treasure! Search submerged ruins and ancient shipwrecks for gold, jewels, and artifacts. Watch your air supply and… Continue reading
Well, it seems VR has made a comeback with the Oculus Rift HMD Kickstarter. Inspired by a dedicated hobbyist named Palmer Luckey and supported by John Carmack from Id, it seems we are going to have something very special in the coming year. The Oculus Rift is unique with a wide field of view and low latency tracking. It will be a consumer version of a true immersive stereoscopic HMD. The hype level surrounding the… Continue reading
Hi I’m Michael! I have been working with Unity and dabbling in XR for ages. I started this blog back in the Oculus DK1 era which now seems like an eon ago.
I am passionate about building immersive worlds and want to create them, explore them, and tell stories through them. I am currently developing a VR sandbox called Zotbox that is inspired by Minecraft as a platform to do exactly that!
If you need help with a project I also do freelance work. Feel free to contact me and we can chat about what you are working on and see if it's a fit.
Follow me on Bluesky for updates on everything including Zotbox and it's first mini-game Lost Loot!
 | Michael Schenck on LOST LOOT Alpha Progress… |
 | CHris on LOST LOOT Alpha Progress… |
 | Kevin Gulling on Wave Height for Unity’s… |
 | cirovenpao.science on VR Just Got Real |
 | Adam on Wave Height for Unity’s… |
