XR Industry News
The latest news on the XR industry. Covering AR, VR, MR, spatial computing, and the most important companies and platforms in the field.
‘Lone Echo’s’ Virtual Hands Are an Unexpected VR Innovation
Oculus had talked much about 'Hand Presence' with the launch of their Touch VR controllers last year, but few games have implemented the controllers in such a way that truly deliver on that promise. Combined with Touch, Lone Echo's impressive...
Nokia and Xiaomi Announce a Long-term Partnership to “Explore” AR and VR
The Finnish and Chinese companies today signed a cross-licensing patent deal ‘focused around the data center’, according to a CNBC report. This will allow Nokia and Xiaomi to develop new products, as they look to collaborate further in areas...
Diversity in VR: Lessons from the Oculus Launchpad Initiative
In March 2016, Oculus announced their Oculus Launchpad program with the idea that in order for VR to be successful, then there needs to be a diverse range of content created from diverse set of creators who are informed...
AR Headset Startup CastAR is Reportedly Shutting Down
According to a report from Polygon, augmented reality company CastAR is heading for a shutdown, laying off staff from the Palo Alto headquarters and its internal AR software development studio in Salt Lake City. CastAR’s consumer hardware was due...
AxonVR is Building a Generalized Haptic Display
AxonVR was awarded US Patent No. 9,652,037 of a "whole-body human-computer interface" on May 16th, which includes an external exoskeleton as well as a generalized haptic display made out of microfluidic technology. I had a chance to demo AxonVR's...
VR Developers Are Increasingly Prioritizing VR Arcades for Content Distribution
The virtual reality industry is poised for a transformative five years. While consumer VR equipment is still cost prohibitive for many, location-based 'VR arcade' businesses offer a chance for consumers to experience high-end VR equipment without a big up-front...
4 Dev Demos Showing Off Apple’s New ARKit Tracking
Showcased at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference this week, ARKit is a new core technology for iOS 11, due to launch this Fall, soon to enable augmented reality features on hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads. As the iOS...
Investing in Exponential Technologies with Andreessen Horowitz: VR, AI, & Drones
Kyle Russell is on the deal & research team for venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (aka A16z) where he's focusing on investing in technologies ranging from virtual & augmented reality, artificial intelligence, drones, and other exponential technologies like quantum computing....
Report: Magic Leap Raising Series D Investment, Could Value Company at $6–8 Billion
For a company that's showed almost no one what they're building, Magic Leap has been phenomenally successful at fundraising. The company has previously raised a staggering $1.4 billion, and if a recent report turns out to be true, they're about...
‘Audio Factory’ is a Compelling Showcase of Google’s Spatial Audio Engine for VR
Google has released a Daydream VR app called Audio Factory, a polished and even entertaining demonstrating their Spatial Audio Engine for VR. Described as “VR’s second sense”, spatial audio is a key aspect of maintaining a high level of...
Oculus Launches Improved Developer Hub, Updated Documentation
Oculus’ new developer hub website is up and running, featuring better navigation, documentation and search capabilities. The improvements address many of the requests and feedback received from the recent global developer survey, and follows an initiative to increase overall...
Half of SteamVR Tracking Course Attendees Using Tech for Non-gaming
In August of last year, Valve created the SteamVR licensing program to allow any developer to create their very own SteamVR tracked object. At that time, Valve partnered with Synapse, a Seattle-area product development firm, to provide a mandatory...
Google Acquires Owlchemy Labs, VR Game Studio Behind ‘Rick and Morty VR’, ‘Job Simulator’
In an interesting move, Google has acquired Owlchemy Labs, makers of the multi-platform hits Job Simulator (2016) and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality (2017).
As far as VR game studios go, Owlchemy Labs is not only one of the most senior, but...
NVIDIA Shows How Physically-based Audio Can Greatly Enhance VR Immersion
Positional audio for VR experiences—where noises sound as if they are coming from the correct direction—has long been understood as an important part of making VR immersive. But knowing which direction sounds are coming from is only one part...
VR Veteran Tony Parisi is Leading Unity’s AR & VR Strategy Beyond Gaming
The keynote from Unity's Vision VR/AR Summit yesterday showcased just how far Unity is reaching into non-gaming content when it comes to augmented and virtual reality. The person who is in charge of Unity's xR strategy is Tony Parisi,...



















