A report from MacRumors provides compelling evidence that Apple has quietly acquired SMI, also known as SensoMotoric Instruments, a company specializing in eye-tracking technology.
Using VR to Diagnose and Treat Concussions with SyncThink
The process of diagnosing a concussion is largely a subjective process of variations of attention, focus, and balance, which means that the existing self-reporting methods are unreliable and easily gamed. Using foundational research from military research, SyncThink has created a portable concussion diagnostic tool that uses a tablet and either a Gear VR or Oculus Rift DK2 fitted with an SMI eye tracker. They claim to be able to objectively detect symptoms of a concussion within 60 seconds through subtle variations of attention and an impaired ability to make predictions of a moving dot within VR. I had a chance to catch up with SyncThink CTO Dan Beeler at TechCrunch Disrupt SF in September 2016 to talk about the science and technology behind their EYE-SYNC product.
Watch: ‘Ancient Amuletor’ Brings Multiplayer VR Tower Defence to PSVR, Launches 27th June
Tower defence title Ancient Amuletor from TiGames is launching for PlayStation VR tomorrow sporting multiplayer co-op and an adorable art style. Here’s a look at the launch trailer.
‘Vive N Chill’ is a Cooling Solution for HTC Vive Users With Sweaty VR Faces
ViveNchill is a new bolt-on cooling system comprising two angled fans that the creators claim will banish foggy, sweaty headset issues for good.
Hands-on: ‘Fallout 4 VR’ Shows Improvements, but I’m Still Not Sold
Entering the Wasteland, sneaking up on a group of raiders and shooting them down with guns in your own two hands, tossing back a Nuka-Cola, hanging out with Dogmeat; these are some the things that get fans excited about playing Fallout 4 VR. And in case you’ve been cryogenically frozen in a nuclear bunker this past year, you should know Fallout 4 (2015) is coming to HTC Vive―that and Bethesda demoed an updated build at this year’s E3, showing off an improved UI that should address some worries about porting the flatscreen game to VR headsets.
Video: Watch Valve’s New ‘Knuckles’ VR Controller in Action
Knuckles, Valve’s unique VR motion controller, is already in the hands of select developers who are no doubt designing ways to use the controller’s 5-finger tracking. In the video published by Zulubo Productions, we get a better look at just what Knuckles can do.
‘Echo Arena’ Free Beta Weekend is Live – Competitive Zero-G Multiplayer
At E3 this month we learned that the intriguing multiplayer mode of Lone Echo will be spun out into its own game called Echo Arena. While both Lone Echo and Echo Arena launch on July 20th, the latter is in open beta for this weekend only, available now.
Limited Time: Save $50 on HTC Vive, Get $50 Steam Credit & ‘Star Trek Bridge Crew’
As part of the Steam Summer Sale, HTC is offering a rare $50 discount on the Vive headset, along with a $50 Steam gift card to capitalize on VR deals during the sale. The bundle also includes the recently released Star Trek: Bridge Crew, and two older VR games.
‘The SoulKeeper VR’ Gets August 15th Early Access Release Date, New Trailer
Since our preview with the graphically impressive VR RPG The SoulKeeper VR back in April, we’ve been looking forward to the launch of the game. Developer HELM Systems has finally announced that the game will launch in Early Access on August 15th, and have a new trailer to accompany the announcement (heading this article).
Google to Bring 3D 180 ‘Point-and-Shoot’ Cameras to Vloggers this Winter
To fit alongside the company’ Daydream mobile VR platform, Google is partnering with Lenovo, LG, and YI Technology to create a new class of 180 cameras. Called VR180, the point-and-shoot video cameras create stereoscopic 180 video that can be uploaded or livestreamed to YouTube, and viewed on VR headsets.