Within hours of Google’s announcement of Google Cardboard, a radically simple VR smartphone adapter, DODOcase started taking offers for a pre-made version of the kit. DODOcase says they’ve sold 15,000 of the kits so far and expect to reach 1 million by the end of 2014.
For those that recently received their Oculus Rift DK2, the unit needs a firmware update out of the box; we put together a quick guide showing you how to update the Oculus Rift DK2 firmware.
This GDC Europe 2014 session will be given by Tom Forsyth, Software Architect at Oculus VR. Road to VR Editor Paul James is at the session to bring you a liveblog.
Oculus VR today released the Oculus SDK 0.4.1 beta which brings important fixes for developers and enthusiasts alike.
With SIGGRAPH 2014 in full swing, incredible computer graphics papers and demonstrations are a’flowing this week. Microsoft Research has published a paper showing an impressive timelapse processing technique which turns jumpy first-person frames into beautifully smooth watchable ‘hyperlapse’ footage, perfect for wide angle head-mounted recordings from devices like GoPro and Google Glass. The technique may even have applications for VR content.
The Vanguard V Kickstarter is raising funds to bring the sleek virtual reality arcade shooter to a bevy of VR platforms, with the potential to support one platform that hasn’t been available for nearly two decades. Developer ZeroTransform has an audacious $1 million dollar stretch goal that’s not a joke; the team says they’re ready, willing, and able to make a version of Vanguard V for Nintendo’s 19 year-old ‘VR headset’ , the Virtual Boy.
The third VRLA community VR meetup happens this weekend on Saturday, August 16th. Among some 28 exhibitors, Oculus VR will be on hand to demonstrate the recently released Oculus Rift DK2, alongside Sony who will be present with the Project Morpheus VR headset. Presentations include talks on using Unity 5 and Unreal Engine 4 for virtual reality development. Tickets to the event are still available.
Jamie, Dave, Mark, and Ivan from VRcade join me in this episode of the Rev VR Podcast to discuss their role in the VR industry, their recent Kickstarter, and the future of VR Out-of-Home entertainment.
Virtual Reality is still so fresh, young and new that it’s likely those VR Enthusiasts around since the inception of the Oculus Rift still have only a handful of moments that they can point to that convinced them virtual reality is something worth shouting about. The new demo from Sightline developer Tomáš “Frooxius” Mariančík, is one of those moments.
Hey Rifters!
Missed the live stream? Here is the episode 29 recording with recap! This week, we checked out the latest DK2 demos released, as well as a few experiences that have been updated for DK2 including PolyRider and Euro Truck Sim 2. Quake II ended up much more comfortable and addictive than expected! Catch the video recording and written recap here.
Let’s be honest here. Back when the Oculus Rift DK1 was barely in enthusiast’s hands, the majority of content available for this new breed of VR headset wasn’t pretty. Such was the power of this new platform and the new-ness of the experience, it didn’t matter that visuals would barely have passed muster had they been released as standard monitor based PC demos. But, things change and Pollen, from Finnish developers Mindfield Games represents a new breed of games whose ambition and visuals match the expectations of the hardened VR enthusiast and the every day gamer.
The buzz surrounding virtual reality continues to grow and now at least one enthusiast is so convinced by the technology that he has opted for laser eye surgery, after 30 years of wearing glasses, to enhance the Oculus Rift experience.
The Cyberith Virtualizer Comes to the US for the First Time for Live Demonstrations
Eden River HD launches today in early-access form. While the game is pending some optimization updates before its full launch on Steam in late August, we got an early glimpse at this serene title which is being launched with Oculus Rift DK2 support.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 12 months since we last headed to the epic Koelnmesse Conference venue in Cologne, Germany to attend Europe’s biggest gaming event, Gamescom. Last year’s highlights included witnessing the Oculus Rift HD Prototype, EVE: Valkyrie, and an early Cyberith Virtualizer. Well, we’re doing it all over again this year—what exciting VR news will we see? I’ll be there to find out.
