Move over Arkham VR, a more beloved Batman is about to get his time in the VR spotlight.
It was almost two years ago now that OTOY announced it was working on a new VR experience based on the classic Batman: The Animated Series. The 90’s cartoon has been adored by fans for over two decades now, making it quite an exciting announcement. While the LA-based company has continued to work on impressive light field rendering techniques, however, this project has settled back into the shadows like the Dark Knight himself. That changes today, as OTOY has announced a partnership with Mattel to finally bring the project to its View-Master headset.
Developed in collaboration with Warner Bros. and its Blue Ribbon Studio, the project will be the first in a series of new VR experiences that OTOY will bring to Mattel’s device. It offers a full 360 degree experience that immerses you in the world of the animated series. OTOY at first hoped to release the experience sometime in 2015, but now it’s due for launch during this fall. We’re not sure why the project has been delayed for so long, nor if it’s changed in any way during its time.
Excitingly, the original cast of the show will be returning for the experience, including Kevin Conroy as Batman, Loren Lester as Robin, Tara Strong as Batgirl and, yes, Mark Hamill as The Joker. The experience will be running on OTOY’s own ORBX player and was developed on the company’s OctaneRender 3 software.
The View-Master itself is sort of like a reimagining of the classic toy of the same name. First released back in the 1960’s, the original product allowed you to see a series of stereoscopic 3D images through a pair of lenses. Refreshed for a new generation, the new View-Master is essentially a Google Cardboard VR headset for kids, housing an iOS or Android smartphone and giving them access to a wide range of VR apps.
This isn’t the only VR project to feature the caped crusader; the launch of the PlayStation VR headset next month will be supported by Batman: Arkham VR from Rocksteady Games. A continuation of the developers popular Arkham series, the experience will actually allow players to become the Batman using PlayStation Move controllers.
Batfans are going to be well served for VR this fall.
