‘Sprint Vector’ Gets February 8th PC Launch Date, Feb 13th for PSVR

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image courtesy Survios

Having just celebrated a successful closed beta, which showed off some of the game’s new mechanics and solo challenge mode, Survios now says its infectious footracer Sprint Vector is set to launch on HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on February 8th. PlayStation VR players will have to wait until February 13th to join in the fun.

Google ‘Blocks’ Update Matures Tools for Even Easier 3D Modeling in VR

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images courtesy Google

Google Blocks, the 3D object creation tool for VR/AR app developers, just got a big update that includes new environments, improved object snapping, and a number of experimental features that the company says makes Blocks “more powerful and even easier to use.”

Positron Closes $1.4 Seed Funding to Develop Next Gen of Its VR Motion Chair

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image courtesy Positron

Positron, a Los Angeles-based VR technology studio, announced at Sundance that it closed a $1.4 million seed funding deal to further develop the next generation of the company’s VR motion chair, Voyager. Funding was provided by Lazar Ventures co-founders Cathleen Ihasz and Nicole Ihasz, and OWC.

Xiaomi Mi VR to Support Oculus Mobile SDK, 100% Rev Share in 2018 for Localized Apps

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Image courtesy Xiaomi, Oculus

Back at CES, Oculus announced that Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi would exclusively  bring its own branded version of the standalone Oculus Go headset to China. The headset will support the Oculus Mobile SDK, meaning existing Gear VR and future Oculus Go apps can be packaged up for sale to the Chinese VR market through Xiaomi’s Mi VR store.

Oculus Hiring Spree Suggests Facebook is Accelerating VR/AR Plans

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Image courtesy Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook

Starting toward the end of 2017, the number of listed job openings at Oculus has nearly tripled, with the current number of openings floating around an all time high.

‘Sprint Vector’ Closed Beta Shows New Modes & Mechanics, Impressive Polish

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Image courtesy Survios

Sprint Vector, the upcoming VR footracing game from Raw Data (2017) studio Survioswent into closed beta last week. Now with a few multiplayer matches under my belt and a number of solo challenges (and possibly some overextended elbows), it’s clear the studio’s so-called “adrenaline platformer” is aiming to impress with a number of new modes, some new mechanics and a thick coat of polish.

Indie VRMMO ‘OrbusVR’ Now on Oculus Home and Steam With Cross Play

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Image courtesy Orbus Online

OrbusVR, the indie VR MMORPG, is now on Oculus Home, allowing for crossplay between it and the Steam version which launched last month.

‘Star Wars: Jedi Challenges’ for Lenovo Mirage AR Gets First Content Expansion Since Launch

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Image courtesy Lenovo

If you haven’t touched your Lenovo Mirage AR headset since Christmas, now may be the time to jump back in for the latest content expansion to the lightsaber-intensive Star Wars: Jedi Challenges.

5 VR Backpack PCs at a Glance

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Image courtesy HP

One of the current barriers to immersion for high-end VR headsets is being tethered to a powerful PC. For now, there are two options if you want to eliminate that pesky cable: a special wireless adapter, or a backpack PC to let the rendering happen directly on your person. Here we take a look at a range of VR backpack computers and what they offer.

Kaleidoscope VR on the Funding Landscape for Cinematic VR

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Photo by Kent Bye at Kaleidoscope VR's FIRST LOOK market

rine-pinnellAfter talking to a lot of independent VR storytellers, Kaleidoscope VR’s René Pinnell identified that funding was one of the biggest blockers for continued experimentation. Cinematic VR pieces do not have many established distribution channels yet, and so a lot of the funding has come from larger headset manufacturers like Oculus and select brands like Intel.

A Glimpse of the New Vive Pro Controllers & SteamVR Tracking 2.0 Base Stations

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Image courtesy Alvin Wang Graylin

While HTC is planning to launch the Vive Pro headset itself starting in Q1, the full package including the headset, controllers, and new SteamVR Tracking 2.0 base stations won’t come until later in the year. Until then, here’s a glimpse that comes to us from Alvin Wang Graylin, HTC’s Vive China president, who recently took the kit to a Vive developer meetup in the region.

Oculus Research Reveals New Multi-focal Display Tech

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Oculus Research, the company’s R&D division, recently published a paper that goes deeper into their eye tracking-assisted, multi-focal display tech, detailing the creation of something they dub a “perceptual” testbed.

Studio Behind ‘SUPERHOT’ Looking for More VR Developers

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image courtesy Superhot Team

It’s amazing how well SUPERHOT (2016), the unforgettably stylized action game, worked when translated to virtual reality. Now, the developers at SUPERHOT Team are looking to get more hands on deck as they dive deeper into the world of VR development.

Light Field Lab Announces $7 Million Investment to Develop Light Field Displays

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image courtesy Light Field Lab

Light Field Lab, a company founded by ex-Lytro veterans, announced the successful completion of a $7 million seed funding round that will help the company further develop a light field-based holographic display. The seed round was led by Khosla Ventures and Sherpa Capital, with participation by R7 Partners.

The Key Technology Behind Varjo’s High-res ‘Bionic Display’ Headset

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Image courtesy Varjo

Varjo is a relatively new name to the VR scene, but the company is certainly making a buzz, having quickly raised some $15 million in venture capital touting the promise of delivering a VR headset achieving retina resolution at the center of the field of view. But how exactly does it work? A new graphic shows the key tech behind the company’s headset.

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