Google today announced the next iteration of their Daydream View headset for virtual reality on Android. We highlighted the changes and improvements in our announcement article, but how does it handle in practice?
Today at an event in San Francisco, Google revealed the second version of their Daydream View VR headset which makes comfort improvements across the board, including new, custom lenses with a wider field of view. Interestingly, this passive device even makes your phone run faster for VR.
Google Daydream, the company’s mobile VR platform, is compatible with a number of flagship smartphones from various manufacturers. Growing to a total of 15 Daydream-compatible phones by the end of the year, we take a look at the mobile VR machines you can buy now so you can start daydreaming.
Exclusive to Pixel smartphones is an experience called ‘AR Stickers’. Built into the camera app, this enables creative use of augmented reality objects and animated characters giving users new ways of capturing unique video moments to express themselves.
At today’s Google hardware event in San Francisco, the company previewed various augmented reality apps built using the ARCore SDK, including a League of Legends AR map and a Lego AR model builder. ARCore is Google’s equivalent to Apple’s ARKit – supported by their new flagship Pixel 2 smartphone, and coming to many other high-end Android devices.
Google’s event today saw the unveiling of its newest smartphones, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. According to the company, the Pixel 2 camera has been “factory calibrated and optimized for AR.”
According to Google “There’s something new to love on October 4th,” as the company is slated to unveil its newest smartphone today, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Watch here for suspected updates surrounding the company’s AR/VR aspirations.
As first to market with a robust augmented reality function baked right into its mobile operating system, the various projects we’ve seen using Apple’s smartphone-based AR platform have tended to range from the useful, to the artful, to the downright silly. Targeting the ‘downright silly’ category is Pigeon Panic, a deliciously strange game from AR studio Combo that lets you chase virtual pigeons through the park, making everyone around you wonder what the hell you’re doing with your life.
Announced during the main press briefing at Microsoft’s event held in San Francisco, Intel will be bringing a ‘Windows Mixed Reality experience’ for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. This forms part of a multi-year technology partnership between Intel and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The first VR Innovation Lab for Behavioral and Brain Health takes place on October 7th at Brainstorm, Stanford University’s new VR/AR startups laboratory. Selected finalists will pitch their innovative solutions for behavioural health problems to the audience and a panel of expert judges, culminating in a Grand Prize Award and Audience Award.
Gunfire Games’ upcoming FTL-inspired shooter From Other Suns now has an official street date after celebrating a successful open beta last weekend. The co-op shooter is expected to launch November 14th.
Microsoft and Samsung formally announced the Odyssey Windows VR headset today, positioning it as the “premium” option among the Windows VR headsets, with a range of features not found on the other headsets, and the top price point. The headset became available for pre-order today and will launch on November 6th (a few weeks after the rest of the Windows VR headsets).
Today Microsoft revealed the Halo: Recruit experience, launching on October 17th for Windows VR headsets. I got to go hands-on with the experience during an event today at the company’s San Francisco developer hub.
Microsoft’s special Windows “Mixed Reality” event today saw the unveiling of its latest addition to the VR family, the Samsung HMD Odyssey, and also announced that all VR headsets slated to ship before holiday season are currently in pre-order. With a fresh advert, the company is delineating just how portable and easy to use their new class of VR headsets are in comparison to competing room-scale PC VR headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
We learned back in August that Microsoft was planning to bring content from the iconic Halo series to the Windows “Mixed Reality” VR headsets, and now the company has announced that its coming sooner than expected.
