Road to VR

Designers Prototype New Approaches to VR Headset Ergonomics and Input

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Nov 3, 2017

nonobject vr headset designs (4) — Image courtesy Nonobject

Two common types of head-mounts for VR headsets dominate the market today: the side & top strap approach, and the halo approach (which rests mostly on the forehead). Despite their abundance, there’s still a long way to go toward improving comfort, ease-of-use, and social acceptability as VR grows. Designers from industrial design firm Nonobject prototyped a range of new designs which could be viable as VR technology becomes smaller and lighter.

Pimax Ends VR Headset Kickstarter With Over $4.2M and a Truly Massive Job Ahead

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Nov 3, 2017

Pimax, the China-based company promising a few flavors of its high field of view (FOV) headset, has successfully completed its Kickstarter with $4,236,618, a good 21 times more than the initial $200,000 funding goal set at its launch back in mid-September. Now, Pimax’s road ahead will be defined by how they deliver on the plethora of ‘next gen’ add-ons promised to go along with 3 versions of their SteamVR-compatible headset.

Microsoft to Expand HoloLens Availability to 29 More European Markets in December

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Nov 3, 2017

hololens — Image courtesy Microsoft

Microsoft announced at their at Future Decoded conference in London that HoloLens, the company’s augmented reality headset, will be expanding its international availability to include all of the European Union in December. HoloLens is currently only officially available in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Amazon Brings Augmented Reality Product Previews to iOS App

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Nov 3, 2017

‘Try it before you buy it’, the old adage goes. Well, an AR preview might not exactly be ‘trying it’, but Amazon’s new ‘AR View’ function aims to help you figure out if a crock-pot clashes with your marble counters, or if that chair can really fit in that corner, adding a little more depth to the online shopping experience than you’re used to.

Logitech Using Vive Tracker to Bring Your Keyboard and Hands Into VR for Efficient Typing

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Nov 3, 2017

Logitech is creating a new system called BRIDGE which aims to make it possible to bring a properly tracked keyboard into VR while showing the user’s hands for accurate typing. Though retail plans haven’t yet been announced, the company is offering a development kit to select developers.

Hands-On: ‘Overturn’ is a Serviceable Fast-paced VR Shooter But Missing a Standout Feature

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Dominic Brennan

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Nov 3, 2017

overturn-screenshot — Image courtesy YJM Games

Described as an “action-puzzle adventure game”, Overturn’s puzzle elements play a secondary role; the game weighs heavily on fast, first-person action, combining projectile weapons and frantic melee combat with fists, shields, and blades. Overturn is available now on Steam for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift; it is also in development for PSVR.

Wind Simulation Accessory for VR Headsets Hits $30k Crowdfunding Goal on Day One

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Dominic Brennan

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Nov 3, 2017

zephrvr-rift — Image courtesy Weasel Labs

Launched on November 2nd, the crowdfunding campaign for ZephVR, a VR fan accessory that “adds realistic wind at the right moments” achieved its $30,000 goal on Kickstarter in just a few hours, with 30 days remaining in the campaign. VR hardware startup Weasel Labs aims to deliver the first ZephVR units to customers in May 2018.

‘Echo Arena’ is Now Permanently Free on Oculus Home

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Dominic Brennan

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Nov 2, 2017

echo-arena-concept — Image courtesy Ready at Dawn

After November 1st, zero-gravity multiplayer sports game Echo Arena was supposed to change from its low-low introductory price tag of exactly $0 and bump up to $20—a deal made possible by a temporary sponsorship by Intel. The standalone multiplayer spin-off from Ready at Dawn’s hit VR title Lone Echo (2017) has been available for free to all Oculus accounts since its launch in July, and in a surprise move by the studio, is now permanently free on Oculus Home with no limit in sight.

IMAX And Ubisoft Launch New Mission for ‘Star Trek: Bridge Crew’ at IMAX VR Centers

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Nov 2, 2017

HQ star trek bridge crew e3 2016 (5) — Image courtesy Ubisoft

IMAX and Ubisoft today announced that a special edition of Star Trek: Bridge Crew (2017), Ubisoft’s co-op multiplayer set aboard a Federation vessel, is launching for an exclusive run in IMAX VR centers worldwide.

Microsoft Joins OpenXR, Becoming a Decisive Backer in the Open, Royalty-free VR/AR Standard

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Nov 2, 2017

Khronos Group, the consortium behind the OpenXR project which aims to standardize the way applications communicate with AR and VR headsets, just added Microsoft to its ranks. Among its count of members, the OpenXR working group consisted of nearly every major player in the industry except Microsoft until now.

Vive is Hanging onto Steam Majority Market Share By a Thread

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Nov 1, 2017

According to the just-released October figures from Steam’s Hardware & Software Survey, the Oculus Rift has picked up an additional 0.71%, totalling 47.61% of the market share of VR headsets on Steam. With the price of the Rift dropping permanently to $400 last month, the headset has set its new record high for the fourth month in a row. The HTC Vive maintains a razor thin lead with 48.76% share of headsets in use on Steam.

‘Stranger Things’ Comes to Gear VR in Latest ‘Face Your Fears’ Update, Face the Demogorgan

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Nov 1, 2017

stranger things fyf — image courtesy Turtle Rock Studios

Face Your Fears (2016) is a collection of horrifying experiences ripped straight from your nightmares; creepy clowns, monsters in the closet, dangerous heights, and now the world of Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things.

Report: HTC to Unveil Standalone VR Headset at Vive Developer Conference in November

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Nov 1, 2017

cn-hp-banner_desktop_bg2jpg — image courtesy HTC

HTC could be showing off its standalone VR headset at the company’s November 14th Vive Developer Conference (VDC) in Beijing. As reported by YiVian, the conference has recently published promotional material featuring a veiled image of the company’s upcoming headset. To wit, HTC says it will have ‘some important announcements’ to make.

15 New PSVR Game Trailers From Paris Games Week

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Nov 1, 2017

playstation-vr — Image courtesy Sony

Paris Games Week is here and Sony has revealed a slew of new trailers showing off their lineup of PSVR games coming in 2017 and 2018. Grab some popcorn, because here’s 21 minutes of fresh footage.

‘Ace Combat 7’ Trailer Offers a Fresh Glimpse of the Game’s PSVR Mode

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Oct 31, 2017

While the game’s main campaign won’t be playable on PSVR, a new trailer gives us a fresh glimpse of what Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown’s Playstation VR mode will look like.

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