Road to VR

Oculus’ VR Privacy Policy Serves the Needs of Facebook, Not Users

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Mar 29, 2017

oculus-research-lab-feature-2 — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg tours an Oculus research lab in 2017

nate-mitchell — Nate Mitchell, Head of Rift at Oculus

I had a chance to catch up with Oculus’ Nate Mitchell at GDC where I asked him about privacy in VR. Oculus has delegated the design and maintenance of their privacy policy to their parent company of Facebook so that Oculus can focus on providing the best VR experiences and growing the VR ecosystem. Mitchell acknowledges that there are “a lot of potential pitfalls over the future of VR and AR around user privacy” because VR has a “double-edged sword” of providing incredibly compelling immersive experiences, but that “used in the wrong way or in the wrong hands, you can be tracked probably more than you would normally expect to be.”

HTC Vive Tracker Juggling (yes, juggling) Demonstrates Impressive Performance

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Mar 29, 2017

The Vive Tracker, a ‘puck’-like device designed to attach to objects to track them in VR via the SteamVR Tracking system, went on sale this week after 1,000 units went out to developers earlier this year. One developer aptly demonstrated the tracking performance by juggling a trio of Trackers in VR.

Oculus Rift Anniversary Sale Brings Deep Discounts to Launch Titles

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Mar 28, 2017

One year ago today, Oculus launched the Rift headset after two development kits and numerous prototypes. Today the company is celebrating with discounts up to 80% on 33 titles that launched in the early days of the headset. The sale runs through April 4th.

Scarlett Johansson & Friends Play Virtual Reality Pictionary on the ‘Tonight Show’

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Mar 28, 2017

Late last year, NBC’s popular late night talk show the Tonight Show with host Jimmy Fallon debuted a new Virtual Reality Pictionary segment which uses the HTC Vive and Tilt Brush. Scarlett Johansson, Michael Che, and Dove Cameron are the latest to step into VR with Fallon.

HTC’s New ‘VR Ad Service’ Can Tell If You’ve Looked at an Ad or Not

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Mar 27, 2017

In-game advertisement (IGA) is a pretty divisive issue; on one hand it provides needed incentive to developers who otherwise wouldn’t have the funds, on the other hand its … advertisement, something most people try to avoid on principle. Now that virtual reality is coming to a wider audience, it seems the medium is mature enough to open the conversation about funding games with ads, something HTC is letting developers enable in a big way with their newly announced VR Ad Service—and VR ads are different. Very different.

Hands-on: ‘Wilson’s Heart’ Combat, Puzzle Mechanics, and April Release Date Revealed

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Mar 27, 2017

Wilson’s Heart, the much anticipated psychological thriller developed by Twisted Pixel and published by Oculus Studios, is due to release exclusively on the Rift on April 25th for $40. In a recent hands-on with the latest build of the game, I got to see how the title’s combat and puzzle mechanics will work.

HTC Vive Tracker is Now on Sale to General Public for $99

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Mar 27, 2017

htc-vive-tracker-dev-kit — image courtesy HTC

HTC’s Vive Tacker, the Lighthouse-compatible puck that promises to get more than your hands into virtual reality with a bevy of hardware applications, is now officially available for sale to anyone with $99.

HTC Invests in 33 More AR/VR Startups Through Vive X Accelerator

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Mar 27, 2017

HTC’s Vive X accelerator is a $100 million fund for AR/VR companies that the company announced last year. Today HTC is revealing the second batch of companies that will receive investments and mentorship from the program.

‘Ready Player One’ VR Content on the Way with Vive as Official Partner

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Mar 27, 2017

ready player one — photo courtesy Florian de Gesincourt

In preparation for Steven Spielberg’s theatrical adaptation of Ernest Cline’s critically acclaimed novel Ready Player One, HTC Vive and Warner Bros Pictures today announced a deal that makes the Vive an official partner for all upcoming VR content for the film. All Ready Player One VR content and experiences will be available on Viveport, HTC Vive’s digital distribution platform.

Launching April 24th: PSVR’s ‘Statik’ is an Undeniably Unique Take on the Puzzle Genre

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Mar 27, 2017

I’ve written often about the need to push creative boundaries in order for VR to find its voice. Statik is doing just that, with an undeniably unique puzzle game that takes one of VR’s weaknesses and turns it into a strength.

Doraemon ‘Anywhere Door’ Uses Simple Props for a Brilliant VR Experience

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Mar 27, 2017

‘Doraemon’ is a popular manga and anime involving a robotic cat who travels back in time to help a young boy. Among Doraemon’s many tricks from the future is the ‘Anywhere Door’ which can be opened to transport people… well, anywhere. A VR take on this idea uses simple props to make a unique VR experience.

100+ AR/VR Companies to Gather at This Week’s SVVR 2017 Expo – Save $200

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Mar 26, 2017

This week’s Silicon Valley VR Expo 2017 is set to bring together the core of the VR industry from Silicon Valley and beyond. As VR’s biggest industry event, this year’s event represents the most diverse group of companies from around the world ever to attend the conference.

PSVR Dating Sim ‘Summer Lesson’ to Get English Subtitles and Broader Release in April

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Mar 26, 2017

Summer Lesson, a rather unique offering among PSVR games, launched alongside the headset in Japan back in November. Now, come April 28th, the game will see a broader release into Southeastern Asia release with English subtitles, opening the door to enjoyment by those who don’t speak the game’s native Japanese language. Those in Western regions interested in the title may be able to download it as well.

‘Robinson: The Journey’ Executive Producer Departs Crytek Amid Company’s Struggles

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Mar 25, 2017

A little more than four months following the launch of Robinson: The Journey, Executive Producer on the title, Elijah Freeman, has departed Crytek for Virtuos, a game and asset production studio. Meanwhile Crytek attempts to get company back on track.

Now on Rift: How Harmonix Turned ‘Rock Band VR’ Into a Brand New Gameplay Experience

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Mar 25, 2017

The developers at Harmonix didn’t set out to create an open-ended music creativity tool with Rock Band VR, but once they realized how compelling it was to simulate the feeling of being a rock star on stage in VR, then they completely pivoted the production of their game. They discovered that it wasn’t as gripping in VR to force users to focus on any single gameplay mechanic, and so they focused on allowing users to look around to cultivate deep feelings of immersion and stage presence.

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