Star Trek Bridge Crew vs. Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator September 25, 2016
Views and Reviews

The Big Reveal

At E3 in 2016, Ubisoft revealed a trailer for Star Trek Bridge Crew, which is “developed specifically for VR” and takes advantage of the official Star Trek intellectual property.

The trailer video opens with voiceover by Levar Burton aka Geordi LaForge from the Star Trek: Next Generation franchise.

Then you see Levar Burton, Jeri Ryan, and Karl Urban with VR headsets playing this amazing looking “official” Star Trek game and having a blast!

Notable quotes:

If I could have imagined what I would have wanted the Star Trek VR game to be, this is it! This is what we’ve been waiting for! – Levar Burton

The team does not succeed unless everybody does their job well. – Levar Burton

You’re interacting with each other and you’re talking to each other and you’re taking orders from the captain–i mean, it’s really cool! – Jeri Ryan

… hearing who you’re playing with, you can look over and see the person, and see them doing their job and talk to them… – Karl Urban

 

It’s your own Star Trek experience in a virtual world where you can hang out with whoever you want. And that’s a pretty good deal! – Levar Burton

This was really incredible. – Jeri Ryan

Jaws dropped. Geeks squeed!

And a lot of Artemis fans had a mix of “oh wow” and “oh no…”

The Big Deal

Several things are pointed out as a big deal with this game:

  • Working as a team to succeed at the mission.
  • No imagination necessary, in that it’s a full rendered finished world you’re playing in.
  • You’re co-op with your friends on a starship!

As a fan of Artemis and a PC gamer, what I saw as the big deal: the hardware price tag! According to this PC Gamer article about building an Oculus Rift VR-capable PC for as little as possible, you’re looking at about $800 per person. Ouch. Just ouch!

What if I told you about a spaceship bridge simulator which provides an experience for much less than that?

Is Artemis Better?

Consider these features:

  • Full crew of 6 to 8 players vs. 4.
  • Single license covers all bridge positions, vs. per-copy pricing.
  • Hardware requirements quite low vs. VR-ready PC for multiple hundreds of dollars.
  • Designed for LAN party/same room play vs. uncertain Internet features.
  • Actually meeting/talking/high-fiving friends in person vs. sitting with VR headsets!
  • Physical room vs. nausea-inducing VR… ’nuff said!
  • Fighters and 6 crew positions vs. only Captain + 3.

So I would posit Artemis has an edge!

Also: I hear from friends “in the know” that gameplay in the Star Trek Bridge Crew VR setting is somewhat “restricted” due to the current state of the tech c5sm9lr. Artemis has deeper and more complex gameplay.

Bringing the Bridge to Your Living Room

One draw of Star Trek Bridge Crew is having adventures “without leaving the comfort of your living room.” How about kicking that up a notch and actually putting the bridge in your living room, including touch screens, special effects lighting, and real people?

That’s where the LTE Bridge comes in!

Though Artemis is by design its own intellectual property and does not infringe on Star Trek rights, it’s still the bridge experience leader, and the first to bring “room-scale VR” literally into your living room. Here at LTE Bridge, we can bring the cooperative hands-on experience of Artemis to your convention, party, reception, or corporate team-building event.

Contact us today, and we’ll bring the Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator to you!