Extended Reality (XR) - Page 32

Valve just revealed three meaty gameplay videos for its new VR-exclusive Half-Life game, which looks to be VR's must-have killer app.

On the heels of Half-Life: Alyx's launch later this month, Valve has released over 10 minutes of new Half-Life: Alyx gameplay footage that shows just how incredibly dynamic the game actually is.

The big features shown off are locomotion and basic first-person shooter mechanics. The game looks admittedly wonky insofar as an FPS. But that's to be expected as VR sensors are tracking your movements and translating in-game. Alyx can crouch, hide behind walls as cover, and use nearby objects as weapons. All in all the game looks like it could give you serious anxiety and the fights are pretty tense--especially with the total immersion of VR projecting you in the creepy Half-Life universe.

The global coronavirus infection continues disrupting critical technology supply lines, and this time Valve's proprietary Index VR headset is affected.

With the VR-exclusive Half-Life: Alyx on the way, everyone wants a Valve Index virtual reality headset. But there's just one problem: They're completely sold out, and have been for months. Now Valve says Index supplies will remain scarce due to the coronavirus, which sees China forcibly closing manufacturing facilities and plants in an effort to curb the contagion.

Valve confirmed the news to UploadVR with the following statement: "With Half-Life: Alyx coming March 23rd, we are working hard to meet demand for the Valve Index and want to reassure everyone that Index systems will be available for purchase prior to the game's launch.

HTC is on a roll today, unveiling their new prototype Vive Proton headset -- but also detailing 3 new versions of its Vive Cosmos VR family of headsets.

The new VR headsets that HTC unveiled at the Vive Cosmos Play, Vive Cosmos Elite, and Vive Cosmos VR -- each of these headsets will join the Vive Cosmos family. Each of the new Vive Cosmos headsets have the same make up as the original Cosmos, including the flip-up, head-mounted design, 1440 x 1700 resolution LCD displays with hardware IPD adjustment, and more.

Vive Cosmos Play - $500

HTC is working on a totally new headset, something the company has teased today as its Vive Proton -- a prototype headset that seems to combine virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality into a bug-eyed looking headset.

The new Vive Proton headset is built for the future of 5G smartphones, and is an all-in-one XR headset that packs the displays, cameras, and speakers inside of a glasses-like design. It looks like you'll be walking around like a big ant, with a bug-eyed style design but inside I'm sure it's using leading technology and features.

HTC wants to see its new prototype Vive Proton headset powered with high-end visuals and audio, where off-loading the CPU and GPU required for that is a big help -- this is where the 5G connectivity comes in. 5G gives huge speeds (both up and down) to handle the transmissions needed for high-end XR experiences. But... HTC won't be putting a crazy-fast 5G chip right next to a users head, either -- so what's the solution there?

It wasn't too long ago that we saw some renders of Samsung's new 2020 Odyssey mixed reality headset that is planned for 2020. Now, leaked images have surfaced that back up that rumored design.

The first renders we saw of Samsung's 2020 model of their Odyssey headset was back in late January. Let'sGoDigital found some patents from Samsung for their new model, and created some render images based on those patents. What we saw from those renders was a new bug-like design that came with a larger head-strap, no rotary wheel, and a complete lack of wires.

The new leaked images have been sourced from UpdaterNews, who claim that they have received this leak from a source they have worked closely with for a while now. While that isn't an official confirmation of the design, these new images do back up the rendered design that was created from the patents. All of the images are located in the entirety of this article.

A bit ago VR developer Immersive VR Education said a next-gen PSVR headset would accompany the PlayStation 5's launch in 2020. This was a mistake, and the company is now walking back its claims.

Sony may not release a new PlayStation VR headset along with the PlayStation 5's in holiday 2020 after all. At least there's no confirmation of it from Sony or other developers. Immersive VR Education CEO David Whelan clarifies the firm's previous statement and says it was an error based on supposition.

"That statement was picked up in error from a trading update sent out to our investors," Whelan told UploadVR in a statement. "We mentioned to our investor relations company that we intend to fully support the PS5 with our current suite of software. We are not confirming that there is a PSVR Version 2 in the works. Our investor relations company picked it up as a new headset for PS5 which might not necessarily be the case."

Half-Life is a tremendously powerful force in gaming. It's so strong that it could propel VR gaming, a niche market, into mainstream mass audiences.

The new VR-exclusive Half-Life: Alyx sparked a massive sales spike in VR headsets, especially with Valve's own proprietary Index HMD, which has been sold out for weeks now. But we haven't had any actual numbers to illustrate what I'd like to call the Half-Life Effect...until now that is.

According to analyst firm SuperData, Valve sold a massive 103,000 Index headsets after revealing Half-Life: Alyx. That's an absolutely incredible amount of VR hardware sales in little over a month's time, and total HMD purchases doubled from Q3 to Q4 after the game was announced.

Valve's new VR-exclusive Half-Life game promises to deliver tons of freedom, reactivity, and immersion.

The reveal trailers and gameplay footage has already show just how interactive Half-Life: Alyx is. Gamers can pick items off of shelves and throw them at enemies, scour nearby ruins for materials for makeshift high-tech weaponry, and even search drawers for ammo. Everything looks realistic and more importantly reactive to what players actually do, throwing them into chaotic gunfights where twitch reflexes are just as important as Portal-esque experimentation and environment manipulation (those gravity gloves look amazingly fun).

Now in a recent Reddit AmA, Valve reveals more pieces of the dynamic puzzle that is Half-Life: Alyx. VR brings a new dimension of immersion by simply virtue of the medium itself, but the new Half-Life game was built specifically for the platform and should be virtual reality's killer app while also representing the culmination of Valve's SteamVR efforts.

Samsung has filed a new patent for its 2020 model of its Odyssey mixed reality headset. Based on the patent, Let'sGoDigital has created some images of what it looks like.

The report states that Samsung Electronics filed the patent in China with China National Intellectual Property Administration or CNIPA. The filing was dated back to early 2019, and then the CNIPA approved the patent on January 17th, 2020.

The patent included eight images of the new design, which show some clear changes when compared to Samsung's older mixed reality headsets. Right off the bat, we can see that the new patent designs for the 2020 model come with a larger, more robust head strap, no rotary wheel, and adoption of a mesh-like material. The patent also included two separate colors, which can be seen in the images.

Oculus is ringing in the New Year with some new fresh pricing on its Oculus Go VR headset, with new $149 and $199 pricing.

The Oculus Go 32GB is now just $149 down from $199, while the 64GB version is down to $199 from $249 -- both receiving a $50 price cut for 2020. This isn't a high-end VR gaming headset, but rather an entry-level VR headset.

You won't be playing Half-Life: Alyx or anything on it, but if you wanted to consume media in the virtual world, then the Oculus Go would be your go-to headset. Apps like Netflix, YouTube, and others work beautifully in the all-in-one VR headset. This is something I've personally tested on a plane, and it works pretty damn well. Now, Oculus Go starts at just $149 making it even better.

CES 2020 - CES this year has been non stop with announcements, and Panasonic is here with another one.

Introducing, the world's first Ultra HD virtual reality (VR) glasses capable of displaying High Dynamic Range content. Above you can see that Panasonic's new VR glasses aren't the same as conventional ones on the market now, they are slimmer, more goggle-like and resemble a more traditional pair of glasses.

Panasonic gave a detailed overview of the new product in a press release, saying that the glasses are "UHD high-quality images device capable of displaying HDR images" and, "Equipped with a micro OLED panel co-developed by Kopin Corporation and Panasonic". The glasses also "Achieved natural and smooth images without "Screen door effect", which is a visual artifact of displays, where the fine lines separating pixels become visible in the displayed image".

CES 2020 - Pimax didn't make too many waves at CES 2020 with its new Pimax 5K SUPER headset, but it really should have -- it is a new VR headset with dual 1440p displays at an insane 180Hz.

Pimax's new 5K SUPER is the world's first VR headset with a display re fresh rate of 180Hz, with the dual 2560 x 1440 displays that Pimax have used being LCD RGB stripe matrix panels with low latency and low Screen Door Effect (SDE). The dual 1440p displaiys have a 200-degree FOV diagonally, 170-degree FOV horizontally, 115-degree vertically, and lower FOV modes depending on the use.

The new Pimax 5K SUPER can run all the way through to 180Hz refresh, but it can also drop down to 160Hz -- down from there, it can drop to 120/90/72/64Hz modes. Pimax has full SteamVR 1.0 and 2.0 6DoF tracking support, with a built-in 3DoF gyro sensor.

If you want the most insane VR setup imaginable, it would have to be a full-body VR suit and VR gloves -- thankfully, Teslasuit has your back, and well, every other part of your body.

Teslasuit has just announced its new Teslasuit Glove, a new physical pair of gloves that you wear that detect the movement of its user (or in this case, wearer) and provide them with tactile feedback. You can use the glove on its own or with the full VR suit, if you want the full experience.

Teslasuit explains that with its new Glove, wearers can even feel virtual textures thanks to its packed-in "haptics, motion capture, biometry and force feedback". Teslasuit can see its future full-body VR suit and gloves used in tele-control systems or for medical rehabilitation, which the company adds it can even monitor wearers' stress levels and heart rate in real-time, too. I can see these being used for next-gen paintball matches, without the physical pain (or at least much less) of paintball exploding on your body.

It seems like 2020 could be the year of VR hitting the mainstream, with both the Oculus Quest and Valve Index headsets both backordered through to February 2020.

UploadVR is reporting that Facebook has told customers ordering Oculus Quest headsets that they won't get their new all-in-one VR headset until February 2020, while other online stores are out of stock. The higher-end Valve Index is no different, where even if you buy it from Steam direct, you won't receive it until February 2020 -- just in time for Half-Life: Alyx.

Could it be that 2020 is the year VR really takes off? With both the Oculus Quest and Valve Index headsets effectively sold out until February 2020 in the United States, it seems so. Has the hype of Half-Life: Alyx driven VR headset sales this much? I would dare say so, and even as an Oculus Rift and HTC Vive owner, I'm wanting to pull the trigger on a new Valve Index just for Half-Life: Alyx alone.

Magic Leap has burned through its $2.6 billion in funding so far without a consumer AR headset on the market, with the super-secretive startup recently signing over its IP to JPMorgan Chase as collateral. But now Magic Leap has made another... er... leap, from consumers to businesses with its AR headset.

The company is launching a new Enterprise Suite that will include the Magic Leap 1 headset itself, two years of dedicated support, device management tools, fast AR headset replacements and extended warranties. There will be a bunch of AR-friendly apps from third-party developers that will work on the Magic Leap AR headset, too.

Magic Leap is wanting some of those real Benjamins right away, charging $2995 per headset for its Enterprise Suite. Magic Leap is thus shifting focus (at least for now) away from consumers and its Magic Leap 1 headset, over to businesses with the flex in the Enterprise Suite and a $2995 per headset charge.

Half-Life: Alyx might be VR's biggest game yet. Although it's entirely in VR, it won't be a radical departure for the series--the same linear focus will be intact. That doesn't mean the game won't be massively replayable, though.

Half-Life games have always been replayable experiences, mostly due to multiplayer. Half-Life: Alyx won't have any multiplayer, but it will have the staying power of VR that offers a new dimension of interactivity. VR isn't just about playing, but how you play and actually engage with the environments around you. It's much more pronounced than the different chaotic anything-can-happen mechanisms in place for a static FPS; you're actually in the frenetic gunfights, you're actually involved and not just a player sitting behind a screen. In this way Half-Life: Alyx will be a fundamentally replayable game despite having the traditional beginning, middle, and end structure of any singleplayer experience.

In a recent interview with The Verge, Valve confirms that Half-Life: Alyx is indeed a linear game. There's no funky live elements here or online hooks. Just a straight campaign that tells more of the expanded Half-Life story.

Beatsaber, the virtual reality game that pits players against a whole bunch of different musically generated blocks, has had its developer bought by Facebook.

According to a new tweet by the official Oculus Twitter account, Beat Games Studio will now be joining Facebook's Oculus Studio as an independently operated studio in Prague. Oculus further welcomes Beat Games to Facebook on their blog post that says "what the community has come to love about Beat Saber will remain intact" and that "Beat Games will continue to ship content and updates for Beat Saber across all currently supported platforms, now with even more support from Facebook."

Mike Verdu also commented on what they assumed to be the most FAQ's. Some of the answers are in regards to mods being available on Beat Saber. Verdu says that both Beat Games and Oculus know the value of mods for Beat Saber players and will continue to support them if they fall under their legal guidelines and policies. "We're going to do our best to preserve the value that mods bring to the Beat Saber player base". If the mod is found to breach any of their now updated policies, it will be removed.

Ever thought about animals wearing virtual reality headsets? I haven't, but some farmers clearly have as reports are coming out about cows wearing VR.

Farmers in Moscow strapped their cattle up with some modified VR headsets to examine whether or not they have an impact on the cow and the milk they produce. The farmers programmed the VR headsets to show a simulation of summer fields, and tuned the colors that were being shown to be appealing to the cows eyes. The farmers were testing whether the simulated summer fields had an impact on the cow when the landscape they were actually in were just a normal farm.

The findings, while they are quite basic are still findings. The cows appeared to have less anxiety and were much more relaxed. Unfortunately, it wasn't discovered if the VR headsets combined with the now higher level of relaxation caused the cows to produce more/higher quality milk. Since the study was conducted there are more experimental plans set in place to find out if VR headset wearing cows produce more milk being or if the overall quality is increased.

After help revolutionizing virtual reality as we know it today, John Carmack is stepping back to focus on AI.

Today John Carmack announced he'll no longer be a full-time employee at Oculus, and is instead moving to a consultant Chief Technology Officer position. In this role Carmack will still have a say in future Oculus VR technology development, but he won't be as hands-on as before. This reveal comes shortly after Carmack expressed frustration in the relatively slow pace of VR's development compared to its potential.

"Starting this week, I'm moving to a "Consulting CTO" position with Oculus. I will still have a voice in the development work, but it will only be consuming a modest slice of my time," Carmack said.

Microsoft has just launched its new HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset, succeeding the now previous-gen HoloLens headset from 2016. Microsoft's new HoloLens 2 headset costs an eye watering $3500, but packs all sorts of improvements under the hood.

The new HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset costs $3500 so it's not going to be aiming at competing wtih the VR headsets from HTC and Oculus, but it is built for enterprise use. The military, education, medicine, and other markets all use and will use Microsoft's new HoloLens 2 which has some big upgrades worthy of new attention.

Microsoft's first-gen HoloLens had a diagonal field of view of just 34 degrees, but the new HoloLens 2 has its FOV boosted up to 52 degrees. Qualcomm powers the HoloLens 2 with its own Snapdragon 850 which is joined by Microsoft's own custom holographic processing unit (HPU) 2.0 chip -- both of which improve performance across the board on HoloLens 2.