Facebook Launches New Camera Tools as a Foundation for Advanced Augmented Reality

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Photo courtesy Facebook

F8, Facebook’s yearly developer conference, is here again for a two-day info blast from the world’s biggest social platform. Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage today during the keynote address to announce a new initiative that will bring about the beginnings of the company’s augmented reality (AR) platform, an “open platform” called Camera Effects that he says will form the basis of Facebook’s AR future.

Watch: Video Calling, 3D Drawing, and Shared Experiences Inside Facebook’s Social VR App

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Oculus says that Facebook’s newly released social VR app, Facebook Spaces, “takes some of the best features of Facebook and brings them into your VR space,” but it also lets you do new things that you could never do on Facebook before. These three videos show some of Facebook Spaces’ most interesting features.

Facebook Launches Social VR App ‘Facebook Spaces’ in Beta for Rift

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Photo courtesy Facebook

On stage at Facebook’s F8 conference this morning, CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the company will today launch their first social VR application.

Gear VR Controller Review

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Sometimes a good idea is a good idea, even if your competitor had it first. Well over two years since the first Gear VR headset was launched (but just a few months after Google’s Daydream VR headset launched) Samsung is launching a motion controller for Gear VR which adds a new layer of interactivity and brings the headset’s input scheme in line with Daydream.

Report: Lenovo’s Windows MR/VR Headset to Launch Mid-August or Earlier

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image courtesy The Verge

One of the first in a line of Windows Holographic powered immersive devices, Lenovo’s first mixed reality headset will be here in time for US “back to school”, according to Lenovo’s North America VP of Consumer Products Mike Abary.

‘Alien’, ‘Blade Runner’ Director Ridley Scott Launches VR Film Division

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Photo courtesy 20th Century Fox

Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), the film production company of famed director Ridley Scott, is launching RSA VR, a new division dedicated to the production of high-end immersive films using VR, AR, and mixed reality. Scott and co. is known for work on acclaimed films such as Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Gladiator (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), and more throughout his career as a director now going on 40 years.

This Drone Broadcasts 6k 360 VR Video Wirelessly up to 5 Miles

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360 Designs have revealed a new drone which carries the company’s 6k 360 VR video camera and a payload capable of broadcasting that imagery “over 5 miles” from a companion base station, which the company says means live-streamable, “broadcast quality” aerial 360 video is now a possibility.

Ricky Gervais Says Magic Leap Will “Change the World,” as Company Courts Celebs

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Photo courtesy Ricky Gervais

Known as a brilliant comedian and capable writer/director, but not quite for his tech insight, Ricky Gervais has high praise for what he has ostensibly seen at Magic Leap. Gervais’ statements come as the company seems to be courting celebrities.

Hands-on: Latest StarVR Upgrades Highlight Ultra-wide FoV & Nearly Invisible Pixels

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Photo by Road to VR

StarVR is a VR headset in development by Starbreeze Studios which aims to excel in two places: field of view and resolution; presently offering a whopping 210 degree field of view and 5120×1440 resolution. The latest version of the still in-development headset adds low-persistence to keep the image sharp even during head movement, better emphasizing the impressive pixel density which makes for a nearly invisible screen door effect.

Studio Behind ‘Star Wars Battlefront VR Mission’ Working on “Something awesome in Battlefront II”

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Criterion Games, the EA studio that developed the PSVR-exclusive Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: VR Mission, could be working on new VR experiences for the upcoming Battlefront II.

‘Starfigher Inc.’ Kickstarter Successful, Hitting Stretch Goals in Final 24 Hours

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Starfighter Inc. concept art | Photo courtesy Impeller Studios

Impeller Studios’ crowdfunding goal of $150,000 was reached with around 40 hours to go, meaning the Starfighter Inc. project has the resources to complete in a timely manner. Stretch goals are now being hit, starting with new pilot and ship skins.

‘Mindshow’ Creative App to Launch Open Beta in Q3 2017, Watch New Trailer Here

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Mindshow, the app from Visionary VR that lets you make animated movies in VR with your body and voice, has revealed they are launching into open beta sometime in Q3 2017.

VR’s Trippiest Social-Music Platform ‘TheWaveVR’ Launches on Steam, Adds $4M in Seed Funds

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image courtesy TheWaveVR

Social VR platform TheWaveVR is now in open beta and delivering weekly DJ sets in its wild and weird environment filled with psychedelic interactive art. Distributing free of charge on Steam Early Access for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, the platform lets you watch, host, and socialize in shows while music is mixed live.

Flying in VR: How Mindride’s Airflow Takes Immersion to the Next Level

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mindrideOne of the most immersive VR flying experiences that I’ve had a chance to try so far is Mindride Airflow. I got to experience it last fall at VRLA 2016, and the weightless harness combined with a variety of different wind speeds gave me a deep sense of immersion and presence beyond what I would’ve expected.

Global Virtual Reality Industry to Reach $7.2 Billion in Revenues in 2017

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In a new Virtual Reality Industry Report, Greenlight Insights forecasts modest VR industry growth in the short term, growing into a major global content marketplace by 2021.

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