Social XR Collaboration Platform ‘Spatial’ Now on Oculus Store for Quest
The VirtualLink Single-cable Headset Connection Standard Has Been Abandoned
VirtualLink was an open standard that defined a USB-C based connection protocol that was “developed to meet the connectivity requirements of current and next-generation VR headsets,” and backed by major VR industry players. The goal was to make a single, thin cable the norm for connecting VR headsets to PCs, instead of having multiple connectors (USB, video, and sometimes additional power) at the PC-end of the cable. Unfortunately the standard didn’t gain traction and appears to now be abandoned by the group that created it.
Facebook Wants to Build an AR Headset to Supercharge Your Hearing, Create a Custom HRTF from a Photograph
The Facebook Reality Labs Research team shared some of its latest audio initiatives today. The group aims to build technologies into an AR headset that will supercharge your hearing by making it easy to isolate the sound of your conversation in a noisy environment, and to be able to reproduce virtual sounds that seem like they’re coming from the real world around you. A custom HRTF (Head-related Transfer Function)—a digital version of the unique way each person hears sound based on the shape of their head and ears—is key to delivering such experiences, but the process is time consuming and expensive. The team is investigating a scalable solution which would generate an accurate HRTF from a simple photograph of your ear.
‘Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit’ Brings AR Kart-racing to Your Living Room Floor with Switch
You simply never know with Nintendo. One year they’re bringing out a full VR Nintendo Labo kit for Switch, and the next they’ve mashed AR into a remote-controlled car for at-home Mario Kart races. One thing is for sure: Nintendo’s latest is bound to be this year’s holiday must-have for Switch owners.
Hands-on: ‘Eye of the Temple’ is a Clever Room-scale Puzzler That Lets You Become Indiana Jones
Eye of the Temple is an upcoming VR game that takes full advantage of the room-scale abilities of your VR headset, letting you walk, dodge, and duck your way through a vast temple complex. You use your own two feet to make your way through, which really brings you closer to the feeling of truly being Indiana Jones. Oh, and there’s a torch and whip. And a hat.
‘Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR’ Beta Updates Hint at “Upcoming hardware releases”
Updates to the beta version of Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR, the official integration which allows Windows VR headsets to be used with SteamVR, hint at “upcoming hardware releases.”
Facebook Halts Sale of Rift & Quest in Germany Amid Regulatory Concerns
Facebook has halted sales of all Oculus VR headsets in Germany, something the company says will be temporary during its ongoing talks with German regulators.
Jon Favreau’s ‘Gnomes & Goblins’ Coming to PC VR Later This Month, Trailer Here
We’ve been waiting almost exactly four years now to see what would become of the enchanting, but decidedly short Gnomes and Goblins Preview, which was published on Steam back in September 2016. Now, XR developers Wevr says PC VR users will finally get the full experience later this month.
NVIDIA Announces GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs, Claims “Greatest Generational Leap” in Performance
NVIDIA announced its latest GPUs, the GeForce RTX 30-series, based on its ‘Ampere’ architecture. The company revealed the price and release date for the RTX 3070, 3080, and 3090, with the first of the cards launching in just two weeks.
‘Echo VR’ Launches Out of Beta for Quest, Including Rift Crossplay
Echo VR, the zero-G multiplayer game from Ready at Dawn, is now out of beta for Oculus Quest. Although it only includes Echo Arena, the zero-g team sport and not the team shooter Echo Combat, the free game seems to have struck a chord with Quest users since it launched into open beta back in March.
Neuralink Demonstrates Rudimentary Limb-tracking via Brain-interface in Live Pigs
In a presentation showing the latest developments on Neuralink’s brain-computer interface, Elon Musk revealed that the company has implanted prototype devices in live pigs, and was able to achieve rudimentary limb-tracking by monitoring activity in the brain.
Walmart Product Listing May Point to Quest 2 Pricing & Storage Sizes
An ostensibly premature Walmart product listing may point to both the price and available internal storage sizes for the upcoming Oculus Quest 2.
‘Star Wars: Squadrons’ Gameplay Trailer Reveals More Single Player Action
There’s almost a month to go before before Star Wars: Squadrons lands on PSVR and SteamVR headsets, and you may be wondering how the space dogfighter will appeal to people who aren’t strictly coming for its online multiplayer. EA has published a new trailer that shows off some of the game’s single player mode now as well.
In ‘Horizon’ Facebook Can Invisibly Observe Users in Real-time to Spot Rule Violations
Facebook Horizon is shaping up to be an interesting social VR offering with powerful building tools that will allow players to create and share their own worlds. But equally powerful are tools the company has baked into Horizon for monitoring users and enforcing Facebook’s version of appropriate behavior.
‘Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond’ Gets New Action-packed Trailer, Launching This Holiday
The highly anticipated Oculus exclusive, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is finally due to launch this holiday. A new trailer shows the game’s emphasis on both action and narrative.
