MixCast VR allows for mixed reality streaming

Communicating the magic of VR to someone without physically strapping a headset to them remains a challenge – but a new software tool could prove to be a big help.

VentureBeat reports that Canadian developer Blueprint Reality has launched a tool called MixCast VR that allows VR players to stream a mixed reality video that better demonstrates their in-game experience.

Those who stream VR titles now typically broadcast the image being pumped into one of the two lenses into a VR headset. Basically, this looks like any regular first person game. Normally the streamer would then add-on a boxout image of themselves so users are able to correlate the in-game action with the real-world movements of the player.

This is pretty inelegant, however. Mixed Reality instead superimposes the player within the 3D game world, allowing viewers to see them interacting with the game they are playing in real time and is if they were there. This can already be done, although the setup is very complex. MixCast VR hopes to significantly ease the process.

It can be used with a static camera or a tracked mobile camera, allowing for some potentially quite dynamic footage of the in-game action.

The MixCast VR software development kit (SDK) is available for developers on the Unity Asset Store, and the application for end users is available on Steam.

The software could be another vital tool in VR’s quest to spread understanding of the experiences it can offer to broader markets, and increase adoption of the technology – which still remains prohibitively expensive at the high end.

Mixed Reality is the best way to communicate what’s happening inside the virtual world via traditional 2D broadcast media,” Blueprint Reality CTO Ben Sheftel said. Our goal with MixCast VR is to provide an intuitive system for developers, designers, reviewers, presenters, educators, and other end-users to share and broadcast in a simple yet powerful way.”

CEO Tarrnie Williams added: Mixed reality is the best way to share your experience in virtual reality with the people around you, or through a video. We’ve created MixCast VR to avoid all the complex setup, multiple steps, or expensive setups. MixCast VR enables fast and easy mixed reality for developers and gamers alike.”