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Bohemia's 'Virtual Battlespace 3' Military Sim Adds Rift CV1 and Vive Support

Bohemia's 'Virtual Battlespace 3' Military Sim Adds Rift CV1 and Vive Support

VR was utilized in military simulations long before it became a cheaper, consumer-level technology, but now that headsets are in homes, one well-known simulator is going to use them.

Virtual Battlespace 3, a professional simulation experience from Bohemia Interactive Simulations, today added support for the Oculus Rift’s consumer version (CV1) and the HTC Vive as part of its v3.9.2 update. The software had previously supported the Rift’s DK2.

Battlespace 3 isn’t a game that you simply pick up from Steam, it’s a full blown simulator intended for training and professional use. The first-person experience lets you drive vehicles, get a feel for different weapons and even simulate parachute entrances and underwater gameplay. It’s essentially an FPS, though you can’t count on regenerating health or respawns to save you. It’s also not likely to be the most considered effort from a comfort point of view. If you’re looking for something more with gamers in mind, you might consider the Vive multiplayer shooter, Onward, from Downpour Interactive.

“Our customers are quickly finding clever ways to use the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive to fill gaps in existing training systems,” said Otakar Nieder, senior director of development for Bohemia Interactive Simulations in a prepared statement. One example of this provided by the company was users being able to move their heads independent of aiming when manning vehicle-mounted turrets. Others have also replaced other wide field of view display solutions with the Oculus Rift.

Elsewhere, the update adds a new night lighting system, updated vehicle models, air resistance factors and a ‘heat haze’ vision filter for designated areas.

Bohemia Interactive Simulations itself is a division of Bohemia Interactive, the developer of the ARMA franchise that’s similar in concept to Virtual Battlespace, but designed as a simulation-style computer games insteaed. The developer is also working on its own VR videogame. Earlier in the year, Bohemia Interactive used both the Rift and the Leap Motion hand-tracking sensor to showcase in-depth vehicle cockpit simulations.

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