Extended Reality (XR) - Page 15

More than a year ago, a company called MegaDodo revealed an ambitious VR headset project called DecaGearthat would include multiple biometric sensors to make virtual reality experiences even more immersive. After several months of silent delays, the company recently revealed that it's making a pivot because of economic factors. A former employee of the company has suggested that things could be worse than MegaDodo's leadership is letting on.

In mid-November, MegaDodo's founder, Or Kurtzman, announced that his company would shift from becoming a hardware maker to a designer that licenses hardware. Development of the DecaGear headset continues, but the company is no longer planning to manufacture it themselves. Instead, MegaDodo would work with other companies who wish to license their technology. The company said it would fulfill existing pre-orders, but it won't launch the headset as initially planned.

On Wednesday, someone claiming to be a former employee at MegaDodo posted a damning message on a Discord server, subsequently shared on Twitter. The supposed employee said that multiple people have left the company due to internal changes and "exaggerated marketing." They went on to say that you should consider requesting a refund if you placed an order.

The popular city building game, Cities Skylines, has been rebuilt for VR. Cities: VR is coming to Quest next year.

Fast Travel Games announced something special on Thursday. The veteran VR developer behind top titles like Apex Construct, The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pet, and Wraith: Oblivion - Afterlife revealed that it licensed the Cities: Skylines IP from Paradox Interactive to bring the city building genre to virtual reality. The game will debut on the Meta Quest 2 in the Spring of 2022.

"Cities: Skylines is the ultimate modern city-builder, and it's an honor to bring this franchise to VR," said Erik Odeldahl, Creative Director at Fast Travel Games. "The city-building genre has huge potential in the VR market, and we couldn't wait to work on this IP. We've spent a ton of time, research, and energy to translate Cities: Skylines to VR in a way that is both approachable for new players and a new challenge for Cities veterans. We can't wait to see what players build!"

The Meta Quest 2 is the most affordable and most convenient VR headset for consumers. The Quest 2 starts at $299, with a more expensive version available for $399. When you look at the other options on the market, nothing even comes close to those prices. Not to mention, you don't need a computer to use the Quest 2, so it's a no-brainer for newcomers to the medium.

SteamVR is Valve's distribution platform for VR content and driver system for VR hardware. Valve's headset, the Valve Index, is a costly PC-connected system, which has been on the market for over two years. The Quest 2 is a much cheaper device, and it boasts many advantages over Valve's device, not least of which is the wireless streaming feature for tether-free VR.

It's no wonder that Valve's latest Steam Survey results show that Meta's Quest 2 is still gaining traction month over month. This month's survey results show that over 36% of SteamVR users enjoy their VR content with a Quest 2 headset. Pair that with the 4% that the original Quest headset holds, and you have 40% of all SteamVR users running a Quest device.

Apple changed the world as we know it over 10 years ago with the introduction of the iPhone, and no one can deny that -- but what about 10 years from now? Apple's new AR glasses will take over the iPhone in the next 10 years according to well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a new note to investors, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo teased: "Apple's goal is to replace the ‌iPhone‌ with AR in ten years". It will all begin in late 2022, where Apple will reportedly debut its new AR headset. The first-gen Apple AR headset will work on its own, without needing a Mac or iPhone, with Apple reportedly set to support a "comprehensive range of applications" that will eventually replace the iPhone.

Apple's new AR headset won't only support AR (augmented reality) content but also VR (virtual reality) with a pair of Sony 4K Micro OLED displays, which will require the silicon horsepower that Apple has inside of its M1-style SoC.

Earlier this month, Vive rolled out a handful of new features for the Vive Focus 3 standalone VR headset. Focus 3 is a business-oriented headset, and the latest updates are business-focussed. However, consumers ultimately reap the benefits of these changes because they are meant for the arcade market.

HTC shipped the Vive Focus 3 with standard Wi-Fi 6 support, but the headset came equipped with a Wi-Fi 6E module. Pending certification, HTC plans soon to unlock the full capabilities of the modern wireless chip. Wi-Fi 6E operates in the 6 GHz frequency range and offers low latency and high-bandwidth data transmission, ideal for VR devices.

HTC also revealed LBE (Location-Based Entertainment) Mode, which would enable a much larger tracking space for multi-user experiences. When the Focus 3 shipped, the maximum tracked space was 15m x 15m. That's not a small amount of space, roughly the size of a tennis court. However, the new maximum is over four times the size, at 33m x 30m. LBE Mode also removes the automatic redraw feature, meaning the headset will retain the boundary settings between users.

IO Interactive has announced that Year Two of Hitman 3 will kick off with the PC VR version of the game. Hitman 3 players on PlayStation VR have always had the option to play the game in VR. Next year, gamers with a strong enough PC and room-scale VR system will be able to experience the game in total immersion.

IO Interactive just announced its plans for Year Two of the Hitman 3 game. The developer revealed that more than 50 million people have now played the game, but so far, they haven't experienced the game with a VR headset connected to a powerful PC. That's about to change in January when the PC VR update will go live.

The developer didn't have much to say about the PC VR version, but the teaser video gives you an excellent glimpse of what to expect. The teaser showed the game played on an Oculus Rift S and a Valve Index headset. Presumably, it should work with any PC-compatible VR headset, such as an HTC Vive or a Quest 2 with Oculus Link.

Last week, a hobbyist researcher with a small YouTube channel called Basti564 uncovered a set of textures for a new Oculus headset. Over the weekend, Basti564 compiled the surfaces into a 3D model and published images and a video of their findings.

During the Facebook Connect conference, the company now known as Meta talked about an advanced headset that it's currently preparing to launch next year. The new headset, dubbed Project Cambria, is a high-end VR headset compatible with the Quest ecosystem and brings new features to the mix.

Project Cambria will have face-tracking, eye tracking, high-resolution displays, compact "pancake-style" lenses, and as previously leaked images revealed, it will have a docking station for charging. The rendered 3D model also shows that Project Cambria will have a compact faceplate and a sleek, built-in head strap that resembles the "ball-cap" design of the Hololens 2.

Valve released the October Steam Survey results, and the numbers look great for Meta. The Oculus brand has long held the largest share of the VR pie. To this day, the original Rift, which hit the market five years ago, represents a 5% slice of SteamVR users. Quest 2, however, holds more than a 35% share of SteamVR users.

Last month, Valve noted that 1.85% of Steam users connected a VR headset to their machines. That's a marginal increase of 0.05%, but when you consider Valve has 120 million Steam users, it works out to 60,000 new headsets connected to SteamVR, and roughly 2.2 million SteamVR users, total.

The top three headsets on the SteamVR survey are the Oculus Quest 2 with 35.02%, the Valve Index with 17.30%, and the now-discontinued Oculus Rift S with 16.25%. HTC's Vive Pro and Vive Pro 2 gained a small fraction of the market share, but the original Vive is losing favor with gamers, ultimately netting HTC a marginal loss in overall market share. 14.05% of SteamVR users have HTC headsets. More than 61% of SteamVR users have Oculus headsets.

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is moving away from its controversial Facebook login requirement for Oculus hardware. That change comes alongside the name change for the company and the discontinuation of the Oculus brand name.

Mark Zuckerberg and co. made some big announcements at Facebook Connect 2021. The big news is that the company is now known as Meta--a change that not everyone is pleased about. The other significant news is the Oculus brand name will soon cease to exist. Both the Facebook company and the Oculus brand are changing to Meta. One thing that sort of slipped under the radar during the presentation is that Meta will decouple Facebook accounts from VR and AR headset accounts.

When Facebook made the change to require a Facebook login for Oculus accounts, the decision was met with harsh criticism from almost everyone. Media, fans, and even politicians didn't like what Facebook was doing. And the people who got banned from their Oculus accounts after an infraction on the Facebook social media site were especially upset about this. Not to mention anyone who doesn't want a Facebook account. For nearly a year, Facebook stood its ground on the account issue.

Yesterday, Facebook announced that it would be rebranding the company as Meta to better align with its efforts to build the metaverse. Most of the company's other brands, like Instagram and Whatsapp, and even the Facebook social media platform, will keep their names and remain unchanged. Except for Oculus. That brand is done.

By next year, the Oculus brand name will cease to exist in the market. The company's AR/VR division will adopt the Meta name, and the Oculus Quest will go on to be known as the Meta Quest, and the Oculus App will change to Meta Quest App.

"We're bringing our brands and products closer to Meta, which is the umbrella for all our products and services," said Andrew Bosworth, Head of Reality Labs. "When people buy our products, we want them to clearly understand that all of these devices come from Meta and ladder up to our metaverse vision. That's why we're evolving our brand across our current lines of hardware in-market, as well as for all future products, in order to bring more consistency across the portfolio and more transparency to consumers."

Facebook Connect kicked off with a keynote presentation on Thursday, and the company had several announcements to share. Including a new company brand name, new games on the way, and some insights into its experimental work with advanced XR technology. Meta also revealed that it would release a new Oculus headset next year, but it's not the Quest 2 successor you might be expecting.

Meta revealed Project Cambria, an advanced device that will be on the market next year with a premium price tag.

"This is not the next Quest. It will be compatible with Quest. But it's a completely new, advanced, and high-end product. It will be at the high-end of the price spectrum, too, said Mark Zuckerberg. "Our plan is the keep building out this product line to release our most advanced technology before we can hit the price points that we target with Quest. "

During the Facebook (now Meta) Connect keynote presentation, the company didn't have a lot to say about upcoming content. We got a hint at a new feature for Beat Saberthat would introduce a level progression system, and we found out that Population: One has more DLC just around the corner with a Winter event announced. But the thing that stood out most is the announcement that Grand Theft Auto is officially coming to Oculus Quest.

The details about the game are all but non-existent. However, we now have confirmation that Rockstar games are finally bringing its beloved franchise to the VR medium. There are no details about the release date yet, and we didn't get any screenshots or videos of the game in action, so it's probably going to be a while. Either way, this is an exciting development for VR content.

There are now and will soon be a good selection of VR headsets on the market. Great content exists, but it's few and far between, and there aren't many recognizable franchises in VR yet. Grand Theft Auto is one of the most popular games in history. If anything will attract newcomers to VR hardware, it's a title like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

More than half a decade ago, Mark Zuckerberg saw the future when he tried the Oculus Rift prototype for the first time. The founder of Facebook quickly realized that immersive technologies would become the next computing platform. Now he's going all-in, with a new company name to show how serious he is. Today, he's so confident in the idea of the metaverse that he's rebranding his business to match his conviction. Facebook will now be known as Meta.

During the Facebook Connect keynote presentation, Zuckerberg explained his position. Facebook has always been a company that builds technology that connects people, he said. When he founded Facebook, social media was the platform available to connect people online. In the future, the internet will be much more immersive, and Zuckerberg wants Meta to have a foundational role in crafting our future metaverse.

The vision of the metaverse the Meta laid out is a vast social world that blends the real-world with different levels of the digital world. It's what the company sees as the next iteration of the internet. It will be accessible through AR devices, VR devices, and smartglasses, as well as the mobile devices that we're used to.

Pimax revealed the Pimax Reality 12K QLED VR headset today during the company's Frontier virtual event. This new headset is the most ambitious attempt at a perfect VR headset that any company has ever made. Get ready to spend some big money because this thing is incredible.

The specifications of the Pimax Reality 12K QLED don't even make sense to me. Pimax crammed two 6K mini-LED QLED panels into its new headset, which is a massive increase in resolution compared to the current 8K X flagship, which boasts dual 4K panels.

Pimax partnered with Tobii to integrate Tobii eye-tracking hardware and enable foveated rendering to achieve smooth framerates at such high resolution. The headset also had a motorized automatic IPD system, kind of like the Varjo Aero's solution.

The rumors of a new Oculus headset are starting to look very real. A set of video clips leaked from the Oculus website shows a headset with a more compact design. Could this be the rumored Quest Pro?

Twitter user Bastian (@Basti564) dropped a bombshell leak this weekend, with four new animated clips from Oculus that show different user experiences for an as-yet-unannounced VR headset. The cartoon renderings show a headset with a smaller, more compact visor that follows the contour of the lenses and nose cut-out. It also appears to have a more robust head strap with a counterweight-possibly where the battery is stored like in the Vive Focus 3.

The first video clip shows a woman trying out outfits for her avatar in front of a virtual mirror. There may be more than just a fashion aspect to this scene, though. Bastian also pointed out that Facebook Reality Labs filed for a patent covering a full-body motion tracking mixed reality solution that requires a reflective surface like a mirror.

Tobii announced a partnership with Pimax to put its industry-leading eye-tracking technology in future Pimax headsets. That is the first hint at what's around the corner from Pimax's next generation of VR headsets.

Tobii said that its eye-tracking technology would become a standard feature of future Pimax headsets. Kevin Henderson, COO of Pimax, confirmed that this partnership would make Tobii the exclusive eye-tracking partner for future Pimax headsets and that the company's entire future lineup would include eye-tracking hardware.

"We are excited by the opportunity to, together with Pimax, help push the boundaries for state-of-the-art and truly immersive VR experiences," said Johan Hellqvist, VP of XR at Tobii. "Our first collaboration on premium VR headsets for consumers is an important milestone in our path to mass market adoption, and it confirms Tobii's leadership position for extended-reality (XR) market."

Xbox head Phill Spencer has been reluctant to invest in VR hardware for the Xbox platform for years, and despite the growth in the market, he's still holding back from jumping into the mix.

Microsoft has VR headset technology, and the Xbox Series X has the horsepower to drive a VR device, but Spencer just doesn't see value for the Xbox brand right now.

Spencer sat down this week for a chat with the Wall Street Journal, during which he outlined his thoughts on the subject. Shoutout to Video Games Chronicle for the transcription.

Not even two weeks ago, Oculus released the last ever Rift-exclusive title. But you may not have even realized it because the marketing campaign was almost non-existent. Contrast Lone Echo 2's launch with today's Resident Evil 4 VR release, and the difference may shock you. It's absolutely obvious where Facebook wants you to focus.

Resident Evil 4 VR just landed on the Oculus Quest, and Oculus sure wants you to know that. The company has been playing around with social media drops and easter eggs for this game for a few weeks now. The Oculus Twitter page is plastered with RE4 content, and if you go to Oculus.com, you'll find a video of RE4 in action right on the front page.

The marketing behind Resident Evil 4 VR is really quite brilliant. Oculus put together an amazing website demonstrating what the game is like and what's possible with modern web design. I would recommend you check it out, even if you don't care about VR. It's just a really cool website experience.

Oculus just released the unlocked OS for the Oculus Go, the company's deprecated 3-DoF standalone VR headset, which will allow anyone who owns one to do anything they want with it. This should keep the Go out of landfills for a while.

Oculus dropped support for the Go nearly a year ago. The last official Go releases landed on the store in early December 2020. Since then, the Go has largely been a dead platform. The only problem with that is there is a lot of life left in these devices, and there's a good number of them out there.

Last month, John Carmack revealed that Facebook had given the go-ahead to open the platform up for people to use how they want now that it's no longer officially supported by the company. Today, Oculus made good on that promise and released the final OS build for the Go, which, as promised, is unlocked.

HP today announced an updated model of its Reverb G2 VR headset. The new device isn't a complete refresh but a revision of the first version with a handful of improvements that address some common complaints and concerns.

HP said the new version of the Reverb G2 would offer better controller tracking thanks to a 30% increase in vertical tracking volume. HP said this should reduce the blind spots above and below the visor that the original G2 suffered.

The updated headset also includes an improved face gasket and a redesigned data cable. The new face gasket includes a spacer, like you get with the Oculus Quest headsets, allowing better eye relief for people wearing glasses.