Video: Here's how HTC showed off Mixed Reality on the Vive during E3

Mixed Reality footage is awesome because it best conveys how it feels to be in VR. At E3, HTC was making great use of the technique.

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I'm unfit to be a space pirate, that much is clear. And HTC has the video to prove it. Call it performance anxiety, but my virtual pew-pew skills were sorely lacking at E3. What wasn't lacking was the cool factor of stepping into a small green screen studio, strapping an HTC Vive onto my head, and knowing that within seconds of finishing the demo, there'd be a cool clip waiting for me.

Mixed Reality footage is a cool trick pioneered by Northway Games (for Fantastic Contraption) and perfected by Valve and HTC. There's no denying how magical that launch trailer for the HTC Vive was, particularly because it best conveyed how it felt to be in VR, surrounded by the game world, short of actually donning headset and going for it.

Video: Here's how HTC showed off Mixed Reality on the Vive during E3  03

At E3, HTC had attendees step into their makeshift Mixed Reality studio and play a few minutes of Space Pirate Trainer VR. They pointed a secondary camera on them and utilized capture cards and free software like OBS to blend the two realities together. Seemingly within seconds of finishing my session, screenshots and the above footage was ready for me to download.

Video: Here's how HTC showed off Mixed Reality on the Vive during E3  01

This is brilliant beyond just the cool factor. It's brilliant because it's cheap and easy marketing and spreads the VR love around. "Here, do this awesome thing and share it with your friends on social media." (Or at TweakTown!) I hope this becomes easier for the average home VR user in the near future, because it sure is fun to watch, and we'd love to start streaming our VR experiences on Twitch using Mixed Reality techniques.

Video: Here's how HTC showed off Mixed Reality on the Vive during E3  02

Jason has been creating compelling content for the internet since 2004, beginning with the award-winning Insomnia Radio Network. More recently, his writing has graced the virtual pages of Forbes and PCWorld. Jason has built up his community by approaching tech coverage from a fun and conversational vantage point, with the goal of making it both educational and entertaining. In 2014 the magical, transformative power of modern virtual reality captivated him, and he's been hopelessly in love with the platform ever since. As TweakTown's resident VR Editor and evangelist, Jason brings his unique voice and experience to the table to add another exciting dimension to an already robust destination.

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