VTime

vTime is Samsung Gear VR’s first Social VR app. Developed by Liverpool-based studio Starship, vTime is a social network that allows anyone, anywhere in the world to socialize with friends and family in Virtual Reality. Release on December 21, 2015, vTime allows the user to connect with others in virtual locations with just a smartphone and a VR headset.

vTime was released for Google Cardboard on March 11, 2016. vTime was released for Oculus Rift CV1 and DK2 on June 9, 2016.

Features

Organized like a social network, vTime allows you to search other users by name. The users have the ability to send friend requests to others and once the request is mutually accepted, the users can chat with each other face-to-face in their preferred location in VR.

The app features an intuitive, gaze-based User Interface (UI), which makes it very user-friendly. The navigation is easy and the users have numerous options for customization. You can have themed chatrooms, shared viewings of 360 degrees still images and customized avatars. In order to access the social network, you can download the free vTime app from the internet or use the online web portal of vTime. You can register to vTime in a similar manner like Facebook or Skype.

The difference between vTime and other existing apps and social networks is that it allows the users to communicate and experience a variety of different virtual environments and navigate the menu interface by moving their heads while wearing the VR headset. The themed chatrooms in vTime currently allow 4 users at a time and the customized avatars are confined to their predetermined seats with no in-room navigation.

The users can personalize their experiences by customizing the chatrooms to be a beautiful masterpiece of nature or some modern building. Users can share photos, videos and music among themselves and the newcomers can expand their networks by using vTime search which matches users based on their interests. Users who do not possess a VR headset, can also be part of conversations by using mono mode which is a 2D window in the vTime metaverse.

Future of vTime

While vTime is currently under development, it still has thousands of users globally. Currently, vTime has limited input methods but its developer is planning to add motion control and haptic feedback to this virtual sociable network.

Compatibility

vTime is free to use and is available for Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard. In the future, it will be compatible with multiple VR headsets including the Rift].

About the company

Starship is a company that deals in VR/AR tech based in Liverpool, UK. The company was founded in the year 2013 and has created more than 100 apps and games. Starship has created innovative and high quality products such as CyberCook Taster for Samsung Gear VR.