Thanks to our wonderful community of travelers for the feedback during beta-testing and early-access for our v1.4 PCVR update! We're happy to officially announce its release today!
This update features twelve new spots across eight beautiful new locations (many of which are international) and a special remaster of the crowd-favorite The Wave. This update also showcases new features like our AI Travel Assistant to help you learn even more about your surroundings, along with many more improvements.
This marks our fourth FREE content update for all existing users as we continue growing BRINK Traveler to share more of the amazing places of the world with everyone. We have lots more in store in the coming months, so join our Discord Community - to keep in touch with the team and other travelers to help guide the direction of BRINK Traveler!
New Locations:
Aoraki (Mt Cook) in New Zealand
Bardenas Reales in Spain
Landmannalaugar in Iceland
Marseille in France
Navagio Beach in Greece
Peña Ezkaurre in Spain
Redrock State Park in USA
The Wave in USA (Remastered with 2 new additional spots!)
AI Travel Assistant:
The big new feature of this update is your very own AI-powered Travel Assistant! If you've ever wanted to learn even more about the amazing places you visit - just ask! Simply speak into your virtual walkie-talkie to ask your questions, and you travel assistant will respond with relevant contextual information spoken back to you. We're introducing this as a beta feature for now as it only supports the English language, but we're eager to expand its capabilities and languages in future updates!
Other Improvements:
Public multiplayer now groups people regardless of location they're currently in, making it much more likely to find others online.
Newly updated and improved introduction tutorial.
Three locations are now included in the initial download so users can start exploring faster.
Updated previous locations with additional plants, dynamic effects like water, and auroras.
Smoother hand movement while interacting with objects, especially in Smooth movement mode.
Coming soon: Fall Update!
Hello Travelers!
We've been hard at work wrapping up another big update for BRINK Traveler - featuring twelve new spots across eight beautiful new locations (many of which are international) and a special remaster of the crowd-favorite The Wave. This update will also showcase new features like an AI Virtual Assistant to help you learn even more about your surroundings, along with many more improvements. This update will mark our fourth FREE content update for all existing users as we continue growing BRINK Traveler to share more of the amazing places of the world with everyone. We're aiming for a November release!
We have lots more in store in the coming months, so join our Discord Community - to keep in touch with the team and other travelers to help guide the direction of BRINK Traveler. See you soon!
Here's a sneak peak at what's coming your way very soon:
New Locations:
Aoraki (Mt Cook) in New Zealand
Bardenas Reales in Spain
Landmannalaugar in Iceland
Marseille in France
Navagio Beach in Greece
Peña Ezkaurre in Spain
Redrock State Park in USA
The Wave in USA (Remastered with 2 new additional spots!)
AI Travel Assistant:
The big new feature of this update is your very own AI-powered Travel Assistant! If you've ever wanted to learn even more about the amazing places you visit - just ask! Simply speak into your virtual walkie-talkie to ask your questions, and you travel assistant will respond with relevant contextual information spoken back to you. We're introducing this as a beta feature for now as it only supports the English language, but we're eager to expand its capabilities and languages in future updates!
Other Improvements:
Public multiplayer now groups people regardless of location they're currently in, making it much more likely to find others online.
Newly updated and improved introduction tutorial.
Three locations are now included in the initial download so users can start exploring faster.
Updated previous locations with additional plants, dynamic effects like water, and auroras.
v1.4.1 now in Early Access!
FEBRUARY UPDATE: The v1.4.1 update is now available for open testing in Early Access! To try it today, just switch your release channel by right clicking BRINK Traveler in your Steam library -> Properties... -> Betas -> Early Access channel from the betas dropdown.
While we work to iron out any last issues for this release, please help us by reporting your successes or issues on our Discord Server and we'll help with any issues you may encounter!
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Hello Travelers!
We've been hard at work wrapping up another big update for BRINK Traveler - featuring twelve new spots across eight beautiful new locations (many of which are international) and a special remaster of the crowd-favorite The Wave. This update will also showcase new features like an AI Virtual Assistant to help you learn even more about your surroundings, along with many more improvements. This update will mark our fourth FREE content update for all existing users as we continue growing BRINK Traveler to share more of the amazing places of the world with everyone.
We have lots more in store in the coming months, so join our Discord Community - to keep in touch with the team and other travelers to help guide the direction of BRINK Traveler. See you soon!
Here's a sneak peak at what's coming your way very soon:
New Locations:
Aoraki (Mt Cook) in New Zealand
Bardenas Reales in Spain
Landmannalaugar in Iceland
Marseille in France
Navagio Beach in Greece
Peña Ezkaurre in Spain
Redrock State Park in USA
The Wave in USA (Remastered with 2 new additional spots!)
AI Travel Assistant:
The big new feature of this update is your very own AI-powered Travel Assistant! If you've ever wanted to learn even more about the amazing places you visit - just ask! Simply speak into your virtual walkie-talkie to ask your questions, and you travel assistant will respond with relevant contextual information spoken back to you. We're introducing this as a beta feature for now as it only supports the English language, but we're eager to expand its capabilities and languages in future updates!
Other Improvements:
Public multiplayer now groups people regardless of location they're currently in, making it much more likely to find others online.
Newly updated and improved introduction tutorial.
Three locations are now included in the initial download so users can start exploring faster.
Updated previous locations with additional plants, dynamic effects like water, and auroras.
Developer News
Hello Travelers!
Hope you’ve been enjoying the winter update we released in December. We’re hard at work preparing lots of great new locations and features for later this year, and in the mean time we wanted to quickly share some news about our plans for the app.
We launched BRINK Traveler a year and a half ago, and back then it was still a big unknown whether there would be enough interest for this type of content in VR - especially in a medium dominated by gaming. Thankfully, the response from you all has been enormous! We received such a wonderful outpouring of ratings, reviews, stories, and feedback from all over the world that we became the top-rated virtual travel experience and have been able to keep focused on growing the app and our team.
Since then, we’ve released three FREE content updates for all users; doubling the locations you can visit, including many new international locations, adding full text & audio localization for eight major languages, and many more new features like social multiplayer and experience customization. We've come a long way thanks to your support, and we’re still just getting started! We want to continue thanking you for your support, while enabling us to reach the next goals we have planned for the experience.
So we’re announcing two things:
Users of BRINK Traveler will continue receiving FREE content updates as we release them. We have no plans to charge for additional DLCs of new content!
Accordingly, we’ll be raising the price of the app to $14.99 on May 15th for new users. This doesn’t affect anyone who already owns the app!
We feel this is the best way to reward our amazing community of Travelers with continued free content updates without charging for additional DLCs, all while newcomers still pay a great price for a now much larger and still-growing app. We hope this makes everyone happy while sustaining us to add lots of new features and locations to make BRINK Traveler the best possible virtual travel experience!
So if you haven't already given it a try, now is a fantastic time to jump in before the price increase, and it's also a great time to gift to friends & family as an ideal first experience in VR. We've heard countless stories about how we’re the go-to way to show newcomers how cool and immersive VR can be. We hope you continue to enjoy traveling with us, and please don't hesitate to reach out on Discord with any feedback - we love hearing from you!
And as always, help spread the word and remember to leave a rating or review if you've been enjoying the experience. It really helps us continue growing! Cheers!
Earth Day 2023!
🌎 100% of Earth Day sales donated to the environment. ⛰️ 1% of yearly sales donated to environmental charities. 💸 Over $10k raised for charity partners to date!
Happy Earth Day travelers! Seeing the amazing places of the world is the inspiration behind our work on BRINK Traveler, and we believe that everyone should be able to experience the great outdoors - both in our apps and in the real world. Our mission relies on ensuring these wonderful places remain protected and preserved for all to enjoy, so to that end we're once again donating 100% of our sales on Earth Day (Apr 22) to some great environmental charities we've partnered with!
Together we've raised over $10k for these charity partners thanks to your support! And that's just the start - BRINK XR is also a proud member of 1% For The Planet - a global network of businesses and nonprofits committed to putting people and the planet over profit to tackle pressing environmental issues. We donate a minimum of 1% of our yearly earnings towards environmental protection charities - ensuring that we do our part to protect the planet not just on Earth Day, but every day of the year.
We're excited to keep exploring ways that virtual travel experiences can have a real and lasting impact in preserving the wonderful places of the world. If you want to help, please spread the word! Join us on Discord to suggest other great causes that deserve support, and consider this Earth Day as a great time to gift BRINK Traveler to your friends and family! Not only will you be giving them an unforgettable virtual travel experience, but you'll also supporting some great environmental charities along the way.
Let's explore the world, protect the planet, and have a great time doing it together!
Winter 2022 Update - Early Access open now!
To get the Early Access build of the Winter 2022 Update:
Right click on BRINK Traveler on your Steam Library list.
Select "Properties..."
Select "Betas" from the menu on the left.
Enter the beta code "WelcomeToBrink" and press "Check Code" to unlock the Early Access channel.
Select "EarlyAccess" from the dropdown to begin downloading the update!
Hello again travelers! We're so excited to announce another great content update for BRINK Traveler releasing soon for Steam VR! Please join us in Early Access to provide feedback on your experience before the official release.
This update marks the first batch of diverse and international locations we've been focusing on now that international travel restrictions have eased around the world. We have 8 breathtaking new sights to see in this build, along with a lot of improvements and fixes throughout the entire experience. And once again (for the third time now!) we're releasing this as a FREE UPDATE available for all existing users!
Here's the rundown of the new features available now in BRINK Traveler v1.3.0:
NEW LOCATIONS
Pulpit Rock in Norway features two breathtaking overlooks of iconic Norwegian cliffs and fjords.
Ulsanbawi in South Korea features the incredible sunrise majesty of Seoraksan National Park.
Mount Sunday in New Zealand features one of the most icon filming spots from Lord of the Rings.
Bryce Canyon in USA features two unique hoodoo-lined canyons of Navajo Stairs and Wall Street.
Pilat Dune in France is features a massive ocean-side dune surrounded by forests on all sides.
Sand Dune Arch in USA fills out the last featured natural arch hidden away in Arches National Park.
IMPROVEMENTS
Cross-Platform Multiplayer is here! Travel with friends and family regardless of platform: - SteamVR compatible headsets (in early access!) - Quest 1 & 2 - Quest Pro - Rift
Find other users easier in Multiplayer by looking for player icons on Postcards in social mode.
Crouching now works in Multiplayer.
Full face and eye tracking support for Quest Pro devices.
New 'sitting' option in settings to raise your height to improve comfort for seated users.
Country markers for each postcard to easier identify where locations are worldwide.
Lots of fixes and improvements throughout the entire experience.
We hope you continue to enjoy the experience, and we cant wait to share more of the world with you in the coming year! If you've been enjoying the app, help us continue growing the experience by leaving a rating or review on the store page, gift the app to friends and family, and help spread the word and your saved pictures on social media!
Join us on Discord to submit ideas, feedback, bug reports, and request to join early access to new updates - or get in touch with us directly at contact@brinkxr.com. Thank you for your continued support, it really means the world to us. Here's to continuing the journey!
Hello again travelers! We're so excited to announce another great content update for BRINK Traveler releasing soon for Steam VR! Please join us in Early Access to provide feedback on your experience before the official release.
This update marks the first batch of diverse and international locations we've been focusing on now that international travel restrictions have eased around the world. We have 8 breathtaking new sights to see in this build, along with a lot of improvements and fixes throughout the entire experience. And once again (for the third time now!) we're releasing this as a FREE UPDATE available for all existing users!
Here's the rundown of the new features available now in BRINK Traveler v1.3.0:
NEW LOCATIONS
Pulpit Rock in Norway features two breathtaking overlooks of iconic Norwegian cliffs and fjords.
Ulsanbawi in South Korea features the incredible sunrise majesty of Seoraksan National Park.
Mount Sunday in New Zealand features one of the most icon filming spots from Lord of the Rings.
Bryce Canyon in USA features two unique hoodoo-lined canyons of Navajo Stairs and Wall Street.
Pilat Dune in France is features a massive ocean-side dune surrounded by forests on all sides.
Sand Dune Arch in USA fills out the last featured natural arch hidden away in Arches National Park.
IMPROVEMENTS
Cross-Platform Multiplayer is here! Travel with friends and family regardless of platform: - SteamVR compatible headsets (in early access!) - Quest 1 & 2 - Quest Pro - Rift
Find other users easier in Multiplayer by looking for player icons on Postcards in social mode.
Crouching now works in Multiplayer.
Full face and eye tracking support for Quest Pro devices.
New 'sitting' option in settings to raise your height to improve comfort for seated users.
Country markers for each postcard to easier identify where locations are worldwide.
Lots of fixes and improvements throughout the entire experience.
We hope you continue to enjoy the experience, and we cant wait to share more of the world with you in the coming year! If you've been enjoying the app, help us continue growing the experience by leaving a rating or review on the store page, gift the app to friends and family, and help spread the word and your saved pictures on social media!
Join us on Discord to submit ideas, feedback, bug reports, and request to join early access to new updates - or get in touch with us directly at contact@brinkxr.com. Thank you for your continued support, it really means the world to us. Here's to continuing the journey!
Our passion for the amazing natural places of Earth is the guiding light of our work on BRINK Traveler.
We believe that everyone should be able to experience the great outdoors - both in our apps and in the real world. Our mission relies on ensuring these wonderful places are protected and preserved for future generations. With that in mind we're incredibly proud to make two announcements:
BRINK XR joins 1% For The Planet!
We've pledged to donate at least one percent of our total annual sales to charities focused on environmental protection. 1% For The Planet is a global network of businesses, individuals and nonprofits committed to putting people and the planet over profit to tackle pressing environmental issues.
100% of sales on Earth Day will go to environmental charities!
We're really excited to keep exploring ways that virtual travel experiences can have a real and lasting impact in preserving the wonderful places of the world. If you want to help us with our mission, please spread the word! Get in touch if you know of great causes you think we should support, consider gifting BRINK Traveler for friends and family to enjoy, and please remember to leave a rating or short review on our store page - it really helps us to continue growing and release more great content in the future!
NEXT STEPS
Speaking of the future, we're hard at work growing our team and preparing the next update to BRINK Traveler - which is looking to be a big one featuring new and diverse international locations, social multiplayer, language support for Japanese / Korean / Chinese, and lots of other new features and improvements. We'll have more news on that in the coming months as we get closer to release, so we appreciate your patience as we work to bring you the update as soon as possible!
Thank you for the continued support - it really means the world to us. Join us on Discord if you'd like to communicate with us directly, suggest new locations or features, and get early access to releases. And if you're interested in joining our team, check out our careers site for open positions.
Here's to continuing this journey together! -Akin, Brandon, and Florian (BRINK XR)
Winter Update Now Available!
Hello Travelers!
It's an exciting time! BRINK Traveler successfully launched in September to some really great reviews and press. The app has also been named one of Quest's Best Apps of 2021 for Exploration!
We're eager to keep building on this strong start, and we're excited to release our Winter Update today as a FREE UPDATE. Our main focus of this update is to begin growing the experience with more spots to visit, adding language localization, allowing for greater settings customization based on user feedback, and readying the framework for more updates we have planned in 2022.
Here's a quick rundown of all the new things in the BRINK Traveler Winter Update (v1.1.0):
NEW SPOTS
Corona Arch has been added to the Arches National Park location.
Mesquite Flat Dunes has been added to the Death Valley South location.
Glen Canyon is debuting as a brand new location.
LANGUAGE LOCALIZATION
Text AND Audio Narration is available in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish!
Asian languages COMING SOON with Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (Traditional & Simplified).
Full subtitles are now available throughout the entire experience.
LOCOMOTION & EXPERIENCE OPTIONS
We've totally redesigned and expanded the Settings Panel with lots of new options to customize the experience just how you'd like it - based on your valuable feedback!
Expanded Locomotion options:
Terrain-follow is now on by default, so any joystick movement will keep you level with terrain.
Snap, Step, and Smooth modes for movement & turning. Step mode is now default for comfort.
Slow, Medium, and Fast speed settings for movement & turning.
Head or Hand based joystick forward movement direction.
Movement Acceleration can be Enabled / Disabled.
Ability to 'crouch' at any time by pressing in the joystick button.
Experience Customization:
Ability to skip the intro tutorial at any time by pressing in both joysticks for 5 seconds.
Enable / Disable subtitles.
Enable / Disable music.
Enable / Disable walkable boundary overlay.
Enable / Disable haptic feedback.
IMPROVEMENTS & BUG FIXES
There are some great visual and audio improvements including:
Greatly improved Night Mode with realistic atmosphere and moon glow.
Realistic dynamic Sun glare that reacts to the environment and objects.
Very subtle cloud and stars movement.
Better wind audio spatialization and presence.
We've also overhauled our location delivery system:
The new system will enable Location downloads to be more efficient from this release onwards. Those updating from v1.0.0 will need to update each previously downloaded location at their full size, but any further updates after this release should be much smaller and faster to download due to the new system. (Apologies for those on slow internet connections - we feel your pain and will always have you in mind - this change was absolutely necessary for future growth of the app!)
Points of Interest are now included with location downloads to make for easier offline usage.
And of course, squashing bugs:
Fixed rare instances where users could get stuck in the tutorial if the app was prematurely exited before completion.
Fixed rare instances where the watch would stop working if used within the first 5 seconds of traveling to a new location.
Lots of small details polished throughout the experience.
And there you have it! We're eagerly continuing to build what we envision as the perfect VR & AR travel app. Lots more great things are in the works for 2022, like Multiplayer and more diverse International Locations. We cant wait to share more of the world with you all this year!
Join us on Discord or Reddit to submit ideas, feedback, bug reports, and request to join early access to new updates. Thanks for your continued support! Here's to continuing the journey!
