Road to VR

Facebook Update Adds 4K 360 Video Streaming Support to VR Headsets and More

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Jul 25, 2017

gearvr-360-video — image courtesy Facebook

Facebook today announced new updates coming to their 360 streaming service including live 4k streaming support to VR headsets, image stabilization and a number of features that puts VR-ready 360 video more in line with the company’s standard streaming video service. Facebook also released a list of vetted 360 cameras and software suites so prospective content creators can jump straight into the 360 deep end with full knowledge that what they’re doing conforms to the company’s 360 streaming standards.

Using Google Earth VR to Study Awe – Towards a Virtual Overview Effect

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Jul 24, 2017

google-earth-vr — Image courtesy Google

One of the unique affordances of virtual reality is its power to convey the vastness of scale, which can invoke feelings of awe. Denise Quesnel is a graduate student at Simon Frasier University’s iSpace Lab, and she has been studying the process of invoking awe using Google Earth VR. She was inspired by Frank White’s work on The Overview Effect, which documented the worldview transformations of many astronauts after they observed the vastness of the Earth from the perspective of space.

HoloLens 2.0 to Put a Custom A.I. Chip at the Heart of Its On-board Processor

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Jul 24, 2017

hpu microsoft hololens — image courtesy Microsoft

Microsoft has undoubtedly been working on the next version of HoloLens, the company’s AR headset, but now we know a little more about what’s going into the next iteration: a Microsoft-built custom AI chip designed to carry out low-latency computer vision tasks.

10 Oculus Exclusives HTC Vive Owners Should Play Using Revive Hack

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Jul 24, 2017

Thanks to ReVive, a hack that lets SteamVR-compatible headsets play Oculus Rift exclusives, anyone with an HTC Vive can enjoy a number of unofficially supported games from the Oculus Store. Here we take a look at 5 of the games you shouldn’t miss—of course with the appended “buyer beware” warning that the Revive hack caries with it.

Oculus’ Nate Mitchell on the Fate of ‘Rooms’ and ‘Parties’ on Rift

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Jul 24, 2017

nate mitchell (2) — Nate Mitchell on stage at Oculus Connect 2 | Image courtesy Oculus

VR is in many ways awesome, but still in many ways lacking. Ease-of-use, especially when it comes to playing in VR with friends, is presently a huge pain point for the experience. Oculus’ solution to that pain point—announced more than seven months ago—launched on Gear VR where it was welcomed with open arms. Bizarrely, the same features remain painfully absent from Rift, Oculus’ high-end VR platform, especially in the face of major improvements to multiplayer VR gaming on SteamVR. Nate Mitchell, Head of Rift at Oculus, offers an update on the fate of Rooms and Parties on the Rift.

Acclaimed ‘Racket: Nx’ Getting Major ‘Early Access 2’ Update This Week

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Jul 23, 2017

racket-nx-early-access-2-update-screenshot — Image courtesy One Hamsa

Racket: Nx is an impressively polished and physical VR arcade sport which plays like a mashup of futuristic racquetball and pinball. Currently in Early Access (and rated 99% positive), the game is due to get a major ‘Early Access 2’ update on July 27th that brings with it a host of improvements from physics to gameplay to music.

‘Ready Player One’ Film Gets First Teaser Trailer

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Jul 23, 2017

Ready Player One, the upcoming film directed by Steven Spielberg based on the VR-centric novel by Ernest Cline, just saw its first teaser trailer, released at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

ARKit Project Shows Turn-by-Turn Directions in AR, Giving a Glimpse into Future of AR-enabled Maps

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Jul 22, 2017

What’s that building in the distance? Where’s the nearest Starbucks? How do I get to there from here? These are questions you’d likely find answers to in your smartphone’s map application—but with Apple’s ARKit, one developer showed it could be even easier with a recently revealed project that demonstrates the practical application of turn-by-turn directions and basic landmark-based orientation displayed in augmented reality.

HTC VR Survey Offers Vives & Gift Cards as Prizes, Aims to Understand VR Users

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Dominic Brennan

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Jul 22, 2017

A survey sponsored by HTC America is currently open on SurveyGizmo, with the option to enter a prize draw, which includes three Vive systems and seven gift cards worth $100 – $150. The sweepstakes is open to US residents, ending August 4th; full terms and conditions are detailed on the official Vive blog.

MMO-like Dungeon Combat Game ‘Age of Heroes’ Launches From Vive X Portfolio Company Omnigames

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Jul 21, 2017

Omnigames, among one of the first companies to join HTC’s Vive X accelerator, has launched their “multiplayer combat VR game,” Age of Heroes, on Steam.

Get ‘EVE: Valkyrie’ Free When You Purchase Rift + Touch Bundle from Best Buy

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Jul 21, 2017

oculus rift Valkyrie — image courtesy Best Buy

Oculus’ massive price drop that saw the cost of Rift + Touch slashed to only $400, is still going on for the next 4-5 weeks—but if you purchase through BestBuy.com, you can get EVE: Valkyrie, normally costing $40, for free.

VFX Master Phil Tippett Brings His Grotesque Creations to HoloLens in ‘HoloGrid: Monster Battle’

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Jul 21, 2017

hologrid monsters — image courtesy Happy Giant

Game studio HappyGiant and Tippett Studio, the production firm founded by stop-motion guru Phil Tippett, has launched HoloGrid: Monster Battle (2017) on Microsoft’s HoloLens platform. First appearing on Samsung Gear VR, the tactical strategy game combines elements of chess, board games, and collectible card games—of course with the grotesque HoloChess-style monsters spawned from the mind behind visual effects of the original Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park (1993), and RoboCop (1987).

‘Lone Echo’ and ‘Echo Arena’ Now Work on HTC Vive with ReVive Hack

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Jul 21, 2017

Platform exclusivity is a divisive issue in VR; on one hand, big financial backing helps create awesome games like Lone Echo [9/10]—on the other hand, if you chose the ‘wrong’ headset, you’re boxed out of what might otherwise become one of your favorite games. Thanks to ReVive, a free hack which allows Vive users to play games from the Oculus platform, you can now play both Lone Echo and it’s free multiplayer companion game Echo Arena with an HTC Vive.

Google Tests Interactive Learning with VR Espresso Machine, “People learned faster and better in VR”

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Jul 21, 2017

Daydream-Labs-Teaching-Skil — image courtesy Google

The team behind Daydream, Google’s mobile VR platform, is currently conducting experiments with the aim of broadening virtual reality’s usecase to include more interactive learning. With an experimental VR espresso maker at the ready, the team says “people learned faster and better in VR” than by watching training videos when put to the test on how to brew the real thing.

‘Casino VR Poker’ Holds Tournament with Real Prizes, Oculus Rift + Touch Bundles for Top 3 Players

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Jul 21, 2017

Casino VR Poker (2016), online multiplayer casino hosting live Texas hold’em, is offering real prizes in their ‘High Rollers’ poker tournament taking place on 20th August including multiple Oculus Rift + Touch bundles, hundred of dollars worth of gift cards, and Casino VR swag like t-shirts and playing cards.

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