NVIDIA’s GameWorks VR Features & Integration with Unreal Engine
NVIDIA recently announced the first steps towards supporting foveated rendering with Multi-Res Shading as well as VR SLI integration in Unreal Engine 4. I talked with Nvidia’s Tony Tamasi, the senior vice president of content and technology, at the VRX Conference about the company’s GamesWorks VR and VR specific features like Direct to Rift support, Nvidia’s research into advanced lightfield display technologies, and some of the unique graphics challenges that virtual reality has posed to GPU manufacturers.
AVADirect and Road to VR Launch Exemplar, The Benchmark PC for High-end VR
Road to VR and AVADirect are pleased to announce the launch of Exemplar, a high-end VR gaming PC designed for those who want to push the limits of immersion. Available starting today, Exemplar is made for VR enthusiasts who won’t settle for minimum specifications.
New Images for 2nd HTC Vive Developer Kit Supposedly Leaked
Having been delayed until April 2016, the HTC Vive consumer headset is still under wraps. But these images, supposedly sourced from an accidental leak, may give us a clue as to what we can expect from the forthcoming 2nd Vive developer kits, recently announced to be on their way.
The Complete Star Wars ‘Jakku Spy’ VR Experience is Now Available
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens hitting theaters tomorrow, the ILM-created Star Wars Jakku Spy is now fully unlocked for your Google Cardboard viewer on Android or iOS.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ 3D Trailer and Photos Launch with WebVR Experience
Disney has officially released the 3D trailer to Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) along with a number of 3D photos through a new web-based VR experience. Star Wars fans looking to get the full 3D effect just need a smartphone and Google Cardboard.
Sony’s Richard Marks on the Evolution of PlayStation VR
Sony is no stranger to virtual reality, having a long history of exploring the technology throughout the years. Sony’s ‘Magic Lab’ Director, Richard Marks, tells me about the company’s history with VR and the development of PlayStation VR.
‘Convrge’ Reveals Y Combinator Fellowship Participation, Gear VR Beta Coming Saturday
Convrge, the social VR platform known for ease of use and low poly style, is officially opening their Gear VR beta on Saturday, Dec 19. To add to the news, the team behind Convrge has also revealed that they have recently taken part in a fellowship program run by Y Combinator, one of the most prestigious incubators in the world.
Mozilla Launches A-Frame: VR-capable Websites Starting with One Line of Code
Mozilla today released A-Frame, an open source library for creating virtual reality web experiences without having to know the powerful (but complex) WebGL. Designed for web developers, A-Frame aims to make it easy to create high-performance and responsive virtual reality experiences that run right out of your browser.
Building the Metaverse with janusVR
James McCrae wants to lower the barrier to entry for creating virtual worlds with janusVR. He has a PhD in computer science from University of Toronto, and he’s created a sophisticated technology stack that allows front-end web developers to rapidly prototype interactive virtual worlds using a simple HTML-like markup language. These worlds are connected to each other through portals and provide an early look at what the metaverse might feel and look like.
First Look at Casino VR, Where Social VR Meets Texas Hold’em
Casino VR is an online multiplayer casino, currently hosting Texas hold’em poker games in a social VR environment. Created by a San Francisco based team, the free online casino is gearing up to not only offer more social casino games, but also a cross-compatible environment that will host Oculus Rift DK2 user and Gear VR users in the same space.
‘Star Citizen’ Alpha 2.0 Launches as Funding Passes $100M
Star Citizen, a hugely ambitious space epic, one of the first crowdfunding success stories to also pledge virtual reality support, has just launched its Alpha 2.0 release. Not only that, their total funding pot has now reached an astonishing $100M.
AltspaceVR Introduce Humanoid Avatars
AltspaceVR, the social VR platform, has always had a unique visual approach to presenting your digital self in a virtual space, but it may not have been to everyone’s tastes. Now, the company has introduced for familiar looking avatars to express yourself with.
