A new way to experience comics — in vivid grand scale and comfort
Get Supermedium on SideQuest Download a free demoWe're building a post-screen world to improve how we interact with technology
Utility apps in one space, designed for VR and AR
A comfortable and focused environment
Productivity via freedom from small screens
is a space of immersive utilities beginning with a way to read comics
Comic pages as striking life-sized murals
Sync your library with our wireless desktop app
Comfort by not having to hold anything up to face
Immerse in a distraction-less environment
Colors of the sky shift to match the comic
Detailed and sharp to almost appear 3D
Available for the by installing through Sidequest
Read and transfer your comic library wirelessly with the Supermedium companion app
Open the app on your PC, add folders, and yours comics will be available in VR to read and download.
First issues of these amazing indie comics are featured for free in Supermedium.
Blackbird by Sam Humphries and Jen Bartel. In this neo-noir fantasy, Nina Rodriguez is positive that a secret magic world ruled by ruthless cabals is hiding just beneath the veneer of Los Angeles.
The Weatherman by Jody Leheup, Nathan Fox. The future’s only hope has a zero percent chance.Nathan Bright had it all: an awesome girlfriend, a kick-ass dog, anda job as the #1 weatherman on terraformed Mars. But when he’s accused of carrying out the worst terrorist attack in human history, an event that killed nearly everyone on Earth, Nathan becomesthe target of a manhunt that spans the galaxy. Can Nathan truly beresponsible for such a horrific crime? And why can’t he remember? A full-throttle, wide-screen, science fiction epic from Jody LeHeup(SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER!) and Nathan Fox (Dogs of War) aboutthe damage done in the name of justice and what it truly means tobe redeemed…you don’t want to miss THE WEATHERMAN! Instagram and Twitter.
Read and purchase more issues of Blackbird and The Weatherman on comiXology if you enjoy them!
We are continually posting updates to craft the best comic reading experience possible for you. Purchase and become a part of our development process!
September 16 2020
VR App Update (Antialiasing)
September 12 2020
New Version Released (PDF Support)
August 30 2020
New Beta Versions Released
August 26 2020
Updates, Still Working on Polish and Rough Edges
August 19 2020
Currently Improving PDF Support
August 15 2020
Companion App Speed Boost, PDF Support
Why are you building a comic book reader?
Our “grand vision” is a VR space of immersive utilities centered around comfort, focus, and freedom from small screens. We started with a comic book reader because we saw some excitment out of our early prototypes of utilities that we built (e.g., a book reader and Reddit client). In the end, we want to build something that makes a VR headset worth putting on daily.
What is the difference between the demo and the full version of the app?
In the demo, you can read one high-quality featured comic for free and read the first ten pages of of your own digital comics. With the full version, you can read from our library of free comics and fully read all of your own comics.
How do I add my own comics?
Install the Supermedium companion app to your computer. The app acts as a Plex-like local media server where you point it to your comic folders. They will be magically available to browse, read, and download from your Oculus Quest. No need to configure, the Quest will discover the companion app if they are connected to the same Wi-Fi.
What file formats are supported?
.CBR and .CBZ. You can create your own .CBZ files by zipping up a folder of images, and renaming the .ZIP extension to .CBZ.
Supermedium supports .PDF as well, making it also a VR PDF reader!
Support for adding .epub, and folders of images will come soon.
Is the desktop companion app free?
Yes, the desktop companion app can be used for both the demo and the full version. The app is free to download under the demo section on itch.io since that’s the only place to put a free file download on itch.io.
Does the desktop companion app support Mac / Linux?
We will support this soon. We have a work-in-progress as we continue to work on the companion app itself.
Can Supermedium read comics from the Quest storage?
The desktop companion app is the supported way to wirelessly transfer comics to your Quest storage. You don’t have to plug in a cable or enter developer mode. When a comic is opened in VR, it is downloaded to the Quest, and can be deleted from storage as well from within VR.
We will support transfering comics via cable through the companion app, but it will require Quest is in developer mode, which may not be viable long term once we get into the Oculus Store.
Where can I get comics?
Can you read by picking up the comics with your hands?
We are starting with a hands-free “waterfall” style where the comics flow vertically with the thumbstick. We think this is much more natural and comfortable where you can read while laying down and wiggling your thumb.
Picking up comics from a bookshelf and manually flipping pages would make use of 6DOF, but we don’t think it’d lend itself to a better core reading experience. An advantage of reading in VR is not having to hold anything up to the face. But we are open to anything.
Is there a side-by-side reading mode?
We can add a setting for this. We started with the “waterfall” style because it is a natural reading flow (just scroll down) versus the skeumorphic two-page system which requires more panning back and forth left, right, down, and back up.
Are there full 3D environments?
We will eventually add more environments. We started with a relaxing background that gently shifts to match the hues of the comic. Full environments may be distracting or clashing.
We are adding dark mode and will add more dynamic abstract backgrounds, even shifting to imported music. Later, environments that are custom to the content.
How does this app make the most of the Quest?
We use Oculus compositor layers and tons of optimizations to present the pages of the comic as ultra-sharp and vivid murals, making Supermedium one of the sharpest image rendering VR apps. Better resolution and GPU allows us to continue to push it further. And being untethered is vital to be able to read in bed or on the couch.
Why is there no hand tracking?
There is intentionally no hand tracking at the moment until we have a feature that needs it. We are focused on comfort and convenience; by only needing the thumbstick and buttons, Supermedium can be used in bed or on the couch, with arms resting by the side, without needing to stand or wave arms around. This is also good for low light rooms where hand tracking is less stable.
When will this be available on the Oculus Store?
We hope we can get in! Leave us a review on SideQuest to help us make the case.
Where is Supermedium: The Browser for the VR Internet?
We wanted to shift our focus to building something useful everyday in utilities versus a general VR platform for the Web. It’s difficult to build something people use in VR daily, we want to try to achieve that directly. If you’d still like a copy of the VR browser executable, email us!
We are a team of two developers that have been focusing on VR since 2014.