Snapchat to Raise $1 Billion to Further Build Content, Gaming, and AR
Snap Inc, the company behind the ever popular Snapchat, plans to raise $1 billion in short-term debt to further develop the content, gaming, and AR features of its platform.
‘DiRT Rally 2.0’ Finally Gets VR Support for Rift, Index, & Vive; ‘No Plans’ for PSVR
An update to DiRT Rally 2.0 (2019) today has finally brought VR support to the game. Now available for $60 on Oculus and Steam, the game offers support for Rift, Index, and HTC Vive, though developer Codemasters also confirmed that PSVR support won’t come to the PS4 version of the game.
UCLA Surgical Training Study Shows VR Beats Traditional Training by 130%
A randomized study conducted at UCLA to test the difference between VR and traditional surgical training found that medical students trained in VR scored significantly better than traditional methods.
Massless VR Stylus Now Open for Pre-order; Release Date & Price Revealed
Rift & Rift S Now Account for Half of Headsets Used on Steam
With the Rift S launching just two and a half months ago, on Steam the headset has already nearly surpassed all Windows VR headsets in use on the platform. With the original Rift and Rift S, Oculus headsets now make up half of the headsets used on Steam.
Iconic VR Film ‘The Matrix’ to Return to Select Theaters for 20th Anniversary
Yes… it’s already been 20 years. 1999’s The Matrix is perhaps the most iconic film involving VR ever made, and later this month it’ll return to to select theaters in the US for one week.
Delighting Users with Rich Interactions is Key to Making VR Engaging & Effective
VR software has introduced many new challenges to developers. Among these challenges, rich interactions are at the very core of all the new elements VR software designers need to consider when creating games or general applications.
Valve Cancels VirtualLink Adapter Accessory for Index, Cites Technical Issues & Laptop Adoption
Alongside the company’s new Index headset, Valve offered an optional VirtualLink adapter which would replace the three plugs on the end of the headset’s tether with a single VirtualLink port for use with compatible GPUs. This week the company canceled the adapter and offered refunds, citing technical issues and a lack of adoption of the VirtualLink port on laptops.
Applications for Oculus Launch Pad Developer Program Now Open
Applications are now open for the fourth annual Oculus Launch Pad, a program designed to help empower developers and creators from diverse backgrounds. Applications are being accepted until August 23rd, 2019.
“Weeks” Turn to Months for Release of Indie Gem ‘Vanishing Realms’ Expansion
Indie VR title Vanishing Realms brought Zelda-esque room-scale RPG action to SteamVR all the way back at the launch of the first PC VR headsets in 2016. The game is one of the top rated titles on SteamVR, but remains in Early Access more than three years after launch. Development updates from the title’s sole indie developer have been extremely sparse, but recently it was confirmed that a “full expansion” for Vanishing Realms would be coming “in a few weeks.” Now weeks have slipped toward months with no new indication on when the expansion will ship.
NetEase’s Online VR RPG ‘Nostos’ Release Window Set for Q4 2019, Beta Confirmed
Nostros, the upcoming online RPG with VR support in development by NetEase Games, is now has a release date window of Q4 2019.
Sci-fi Adventure ‘Red Matter’ Coming to Oculus Quest in August
Red Matter (2018), the sci-fi puzzle-adventure from Vertical Robot, is slated to launch on Oculus Quest on August 15th.
Vive Cosmos Listed for £700 at Major UK Retailer
Vive Comos, HTC’s upcoming PC VR headset, is confirmed to launch at some point in Q3 2019, meaning any time between now and September 30th. While the company has been tight-lipped on the headset’s pricing and exact launch date, as well as a few remaining specs, major UK retailer Argos seems to have not only listed Vive Cosmos, but appended the specific price of £699.99.
Facebook Launches ‘Quill 2.0’ with Enhanced Features Making It a “self-contained storytelling tool”
Facebook today announced and launched Quill 2.0, bringing overhauled VR animation, audio, and narrative tools to make the app an all-in-one pipeline for storyboarding, drawing, animating, and storytelling.
ILMxLAB to Preview Episode 2 of ‘Star Wars Vader Immortal’ at D23 Expo
