Virtual & Augmented Reality and 3D - Page 15

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.

Varjo announced the Aero headset, a cheaper version of its enterprise-focused VR hardware that doesn't carry an annual licensing fee. The hardware is not really meant for consumers, but you can buy one if you have the money.

Varjo makes some of the most advanced VR headsets available on the market. Its claim to fame is its proprietary bionic display, which incorporates a micro OLED display embedded inside a larger mini LED display panel. Varjo's flagship headset, the $5000 XR-3, includes dual Lidar cameras for lifelike passthrough AR experiences. The Varjo Aero is much cheaper because it doesn't have either of those technologies, but it's still an impressive piece of tech.

"We've heard the demand from leading-edge VR users such as aviators, creators, and racing simulation enthusiasts to bring our highest-fidelity devices to everyone, not just enterprises," said Urho Konttori, founder and CTO of Varjo. "As a result, we are proud to bring to market Varjo Aero, the best VR headset that anyone can get. This device, together with our Reality Cloud platform, continues our mission to make a true-to-life metaverse accessible for all."

Cybershoes on Wednesday announced that its locomotion solution is now integrated into a handful of new titles. The company also revealed that the hardware is now available on Amazon.

Cybershoes is a VR locomotion system that integrates a 360-degree swivel stool and a pair of shoe covers that track your foot movement. The company makes a version for PCVR and a version for Oculus Quest, and now there's a new list of games that support the controller.

Until You Fall from Schell Games, Contractors VR from Caveman Studio, Grapple Tournament from Tomorrow Games, and Death Unchained from Superbright have all recently received updates that enable Cybershoes support.

Facebook is making some dramatic moves these days. The company is preparing to hire 10,000 people to help create the metaverse. It's also reportedly about to change names. Huh?

Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has never been coy about is his belief in the future of VR and AR technology. He famously threw down billions of dollars to buy Oculus years before the VR industry was even on its feet. In 2014, Zuckerberg believed that VR would be the "next computing platform."

Since then, his company has invested billions more in developing the hardware, software, and general technology to bring VR to the market and create the foundational tech needed for consumer AR devices. Now, it appears that he's betting the farm on the future of immersive computing technology.

Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple is facing production delays around its upcoming enterprise-class VR headset. The headset was thought to be going into production in mid-2022, but apparently, the advanced design of Apple's headset is too challenging to make.

According to 9to5Mac, who claims to have seen Kuo's investor note, the cause of the production delay is not a shortage of components. Kuo said that Apple's design requirements are "much higher than competitor's products," suggesting that manufacturers are not yet prepared to meet those standards.

Earlier leaks about Apple's upcoming XR headset indicate that the company is going after the upper end of the XR market. The headset could cost as much as $3,000 and will almost certainly be an enterprise-class device. If word of the delay is accurate, it would be disappointing to wait longer, but it's also good that Apple is taking hardware manufacturing so seriously.

HTC released the Vive Focus 3 over the summer. It is one of the most advanced standalone headsets on the market today, and it just got even better. HTC has finally enabled native hand tracking and made it available for developers to experiment with the feature.

The Vive Focus 3 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR-2-powered standalone VR headset with high-resolution displays and 6-DoF inside-out tracking with motion controllers. The Focus 3 is a lot like the Oculus Quest 2, but more bells and whistles, including an active cooling system, fully adjustable IPD, and a MicroSD slot for memory expansion.

At launch, HTC said the Focus 3 would support hand tracking, but the feature wasn't quite ready yet. The next version of the Focus 3's operating system will have hand tracking enabled and offer full finger tracking support. According to Alvin Graylin, China President HTC Vive, the feature will automatically engage when you put the controllers down.

The cat was out of the bag on Tuesday, but today is the official reveal of HTC's latest VR device, Vive Flow. HTC designed this compact, lightweight, portable headset for wellbeing, not entertainment.

The HTC Vive Flow is a new type of VR device that targets a whole new segment of customers. Most VR headsets are either designed for gamers or intended for business use. Vive Flow is meant for casual users who want to escape reality for a little while.

"With VIVE Flow, HTC is taking technology in a new direction, focusing not on what we do but on how we feel. Maintaining our wellness has come to the forefront in the last few years, with so many millions feeling stressed every day, so it has never been more important to take time out to calm our minds, and VIVE Flow provides the perfect opportunity to escape our four walls and immerse ourselves in our ideal ambience," said Cher Wang, Chairwoman, and CEO of HTC. "Meditation, gentle stretches, brain training, streaming our favorite shows, or even meeting friends or coworkers in VR with VIVE Sync can all be enhanced by a device light and compact enough to fit in our pocket. VIVE Flow represents the next evolution of technology, as we take a more holistic view of how we can make life better."

The Oculus Quest 2 has been on the market for one full year now, and to celebrate, Oculus is offering deep discounts on nearly 30 of the most popular titles. You can save upwards of 40%.

Facebook released the Oculus Quest 2 on October 13, 2020. Since then, it has become the most popular VR headset on the SteamVR platform and probably the most widely owned VR device ever released. As a token of appreciation to all the early adopters of the Quest platform, Facebook is having a big sale to give you a chance to pick up a few more games.

Some of the best titles on the Quest platform are heavily discounted. You can save 27% off The Climb and 20% off The Climb 2. Until You Fall and Zero Caliber: Reloaded are 12% off right now. Many titles, including Arizona Sunshine, Real VR Fishing, and Contractors, are more than 30% off. And if you really want to save some money, Red Matter, Death Horizon: Reloaded, and Journey of the Gods are all carrying discounts of at least 40%.

It's hard to believe that Sony's PlayStation VR is five years old, but it is. That makes Sony's headset the longest-running VR headset on the market. The original Rift and the original Vive have long since been deprecated. In fact, Oculus discontinued four headsets in that timeframe.

In the world of VR headsets, if your device stays on the market for two years or more, you've got a winner on your hands. That must make Sony's headset the ultimate champion in this market.

To be fair, Sony has the VR console market cornered, with Xbox completely ignoring this space right now. You could make an argument that Oculus is competing in the VR console market with its Quest 2 standalone headset, but it's a little bit different and Quest has only been around for two years, and the Quest 2 dropped one year ago. We're still probably a year away from the PlayStation VR 2, so PSVR owners should look forward to continued support.

Mark Zuckerberg and Andrew Bosworth sure know how to make a VR fan jealous. The company founder and Facebook Reality Labs leader both posted images of themselves playing with prototype Oculus VR headsets. That enthusiast in me is crying a little bit today.

Zuckerberg announced on his Facebook profile that he spent that day with the Facebook Reality Labs research team testing out next-generation hardware. The picture that he shared is of himself trying a prototype headset with "retina resolution." It's hard to tell from the image, but it looks like this is in a standalone headset like the Oculus Quest. This could be the Quest prototype with 2784 x 3000 per eye OLED microdisplays that Brad Lynch uncovered in a recent kernel analysis.

Bosworth shared two images. One of a futuristic headset that looks more compact than anything Oculus has ever produced before. The visor resembles a pair of ski goggles, and it seems an awful lot like the leaked images of HTC's new Vive Flow. Amusingly, Alvin Graylin, the President of HTC Vive China, offered to trade one of his company's new "production quality devices" for the prototype. You can probably guess what Boz said.

October is turning into a spicy month for VR fans. No less than four major VR events are happening in the next two weeks from some of the most prominent players in the XR space. Pimax is the latest VR company to announce an event.

As the anticipation for Facebook Connect heats up, more and more VR companies have jumped in on the October announcement bandwagon. Thursday, we have an HTC event with the official reveal of the Vive Flow, and next week, Varjo has a big announcement planned. It seems that Pimax didn't want to be left behind in this exciting news cycle. The company is preparing its own announcement on October 25.

In an invite email sent to press, Pimax said the Pimax Frontier 2021 event would showcase a new device referred to as "code name 'Reality.'" For the full reveal, we'll have to wait until January at CES 2022. For now, Pimax intends to give us a glimpse of its "vision for VR3.0," a device it says is "several generations ahead of anything on the market."

Magic Leap's CEO, Peggy Johnson, announced on her LinkedIn account that she would be a guest on CNBC's PowerLunch today. Along with the post, she shared a screenshot of the company's next-gen AR headset, Magic Leap 2.

Magic Leap has not shared details about its next headset. The company has said that it will be an enterprise-focused device and plans to launch an early-access program in Q4 2021. The company also said the new headset would be smaller, lighter, faster, and cheaper. Now that we're well into October, we expect that details about Magic Leap 2 to come soon.

In the meantime, we can learn a bit of Magic Leap's new design language from the screenshot that Johnson shared today. The new headset appears to be a much sleeker device than the original Magic Leap headset. The first one had a bizarre shape that was sort of bulbous and goofy looking. The new design is much more modern, with sharp edges and sleek features.

Facebook revealed a new name for Horizons. The as-yet-unreleased virtual world-building platform will now be known as Horizon Worlds. Along with the rebrand, the company is dumping more financial support into developing Horizon Worlds' content, with $10 million earmarked for creators and developers over the next year.

Facebook launched the invite-only closed beta of Horizon last summer, and to this day, it remains closed to the public. Over the last year, Facebook has added more features and included more content creators and developers. Now the company is ready to pour some gas on the fire to inspire creators and developers to bring more rich content to the Horizon Worlds platform.

Facebook plans to distribute the $10 million Creator Fund through a variety of opportunities. There will be competitions for world creators with prizes of up to $10,000 for the top three entries for each category.

Varjo just revealed that it would be announcing a new product later this month. The company hasn't revealed any details at all, but it is making it seem like this will be a big deal.

Varjo is a long-time player in the enterprise XR space. The company is best known for making headsets with some of the most advanced technology available. They're also known for making headsets that cost as much as $10,000 per unit. Varjo's claim to fame is its bionic display technology, which embeds a micro OLED screen inside a larger LCD for incredible image clarity in your central focus area.

Varjo's most advanced device is the XR-3 headset, which includes dual Lidar cameras for stereoscopic passthrough and depth scanning. We have no idea what Varjo's upcoming announcement is, but the event signup page makes it seem like we're looking at a forthcoming headset announcement.

Varjo is building mixed reality tools that can bring physical objects into view in virtual experiences through its flagship XR-3 headset. The blending of reality with the virtual unlocks new possibilities for training and entertainment.

Varjo this week showed off a new real-time masking feature for its XR-3 headset, which will be part of the company's upcoming Varjo Lab Tools update. Varjo's real-time masking feature makes it possible to blend any physical object with a virtual experience to create new immersive interactions.

The next Varjo Lab Tools update will give developers the ability to map 3D vertices to physical objects to create a passthrough mask for the lidar cameras on the headset. The company's Varjo Marker tool enables you to anchor the traced mask to the object's physical shape, which allows you to move it around and have the passthrough camera track the changes.

The Oculus Quest 2 is one of the best-selling VR devices ever, and it's arguably the best thing that's happened to consumer VR. On the other side of that token, Facebook's integration with the Oculus platform and its walled garden is arguably the worst thing that has happened to consumer VR. With Oculess, you can have the best of both worlds.

Oculess is a free utility that you can download from Github that enables you to break your Quest 2 free from Facebook's clutches. The utility allows you to log out of Facebook to disable the Oculus Companion, disable telemetry, and disable future updates. Thank you, user basti564, for the contribution!

The idea of severing ties with Facebook's servers will undoubtedly appeal to many people. However, it's important to note that doing so comes with sacrifices. If you run Oculess on your headset, you will lose access to the Oculus storefront. You will need to sideload all of your content from other sources, like SideQuest. You will also lose the social features of the Quest 2. PC VR will still work through Oculus Link, but you will need to sign in to the Oculus desktop app for that to work.

The Kickstarter campaign for the Lynx R1 AR/VR headset went live on Tuesday, and it's off to a great start. The company nearly met its goals in less than 12 hours.

The Kickstarter campaign for the Lynx R1 AR/VR headset is almost fully funded and it has been less than 12 hours.

The Lynx R1 is a new standalone headset from a France startup that offers virtual and augmented reality technology. The R1 is powered by a Snapdragon XR2 SoC, which puts its potential performance on par with the Oculus Quest 2, Pico Neo 3, and Vive Focus 3 headsets. The headset includes 6GB of memory, 128GB of storage, and a microSD card slot for expansion.

HTC Vive's next digital event is coming up on October 14, and it looks like the company has something special to reveal. Could it be an update to Project Proton?

The VR and XR markets are starting to heat up lately, with leaks and announcements coming left and right. Oculus is grabbing lots of attention lately as it leads up to the Facebook Connect conference, but HTC's event is coming first, and the company doesn't want you to forget about it.

Earlier this week, HTC Vive's Twitter account shared a crudely photoshopped image of a black cylindrical case sitting on a desk next to someone using a laptop. The post said only 10.14.21 vive.com #gowiththeflow.

Facebook is about to breathe new life into its discontinued Oculus Go headset. The company is getting ready to release an unlocked build of the Go's operating system so tinkers and hobbyists can keep these headsets out of our landfills.

Facebook discontinued the Oculus Go headset nearly two years ago, and it stopped accepting new app submissions for the platform at the end of last year. Until this week, it seemed like the Go was destined to become nothing but e-waste very soon. However, there's a fresh start ahead for the Oculus Go.

On Friday, John Carmack, Oculus Consulting CTO, revealed that Facebook would soon release an unlocked version of the Go OS to give developers and hobbyists a chance to keep the party going for 3-DoF VR experiences long after the Oculus servers are shut down.