Virtual & Augmented Reality and 3D - Page 4

When Apple announced the Apple Vision Pro during the WWDC event in June last year one of the big features it showed off was the spatial video feature that allows people to capture videos and then watch them in 3D on the headset. Later in September, it was confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max would be able to capture the videos, as well as the headset itself. However, there was a limitation.

Apple's Camera app does indeed support capturing spatial videos but only at 1080p and 30fps. The limitation was a disappointing one, and with the videos only playing in standard 2D on everything other than the Apple Vision Pro it led some to have to choose which videos to capture in 3D and which to record in the standard 2D but a higher resolution and frame rate. Now, that decision is easier.

The Spatialify app was already capable of recording spatial videos like the official Camera app, but now it's gained additional functionality with a version 1.3 update.

The Apple Vision Pro went on sale in February but only in the United States. We're expecting the company to unveil the headset in new countries later this year and Apple's own website has confirmed that it intends to take the spatial computer global in 2024. However, it hasn't been more specific than that and we still don't know for sure which countries Apple has in mind. However, we have seen various hints.

Recent indications have suggested that Apple has a few countries that it is leaning towards including Australia, Canada, the UK, Japan, and others. Now, there is more indication that Apple is going to launch the Apple Vision Pro in France sooner rather than later.

That's after a WatchGeneration report noted that Apple has been inviting employees from its retail stores in France to a special Apple Vision Pro training program this summer.

Sony's PlayStation VR2, currently exclusive to the PlayStation 5 console, will soon add official PC support. In an official PlayStation Blog post, Sony announced it was "currently testing the ability for PS VR2 players to access additional games on PC." Progress looks like it's well underway, with iVRy posting on X that the latest PSVR 2 firmware update adds support for NVIDIA GeForce hardware - previously limited to AMD and Radeon GPUs.

iVRy is a platform that enables non-PC VR headsets and devices to be used with Steam. After cracking PSVR 2 hardware authentication, it made an adapter available to those wanting to use the headset on a PC - specifically SteamVR. The PSVR 2 headset is impressive; for $549 USD, you get a 4K OLED display with a per-eye resolution of 2000 x 2040 pixels, up to 120 Hz support, and a wide field-of-view (FOV) of 110 degrees.

Official PC support will undoubtedly increase the device's sales; however, recent reports indicate that Sony has halted PSVR 2 production due to lackluster sales.

The Apple Vision Pro is currently only available to buy in the United States but the Apple website says that it intends to launch the headset in new countries before the end of the year. So far the company hasn't said which countries, but we now know that China will definitely be among them.

That's the news after Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed as much to China's state media during a recent visit to the country. Cook was in China to celebrate the opening of a new Apple Store in Shanghai as well as to speak with local officials and supply chain partners. According to a Reuters report, Cook was asked about the Apple Vision Pro and when it would arrive in the country. The report says that the Apple Vision Pro will go on sale in China this year.

There is currently no firm information on when that will happen but previous reports had suggested that Apple could launch the Apple Vision Pro in new countries before the June WWDC event. other countries are also expected to be part of the 2024 lineup but as yet Apple has not confirmed which ones will be included.

The Apple Vision Pro has been on sale for a couple of months at this point but a new report claims that there could already be a big change in the works, and it might arrive sooner rather than later. If the report is true, Apple is already testing a way to use the Apple Pencil with the Apple Vision Pro, but quite how that will work is yet to be confirmed.

The report comes via unnamed sources speaking with MacRumors and it's said that Apple has already tested a new Apple Pencil with visionOS support. It's thought that the new support would allow people to use an Apple Pencil with artistic and creative apps like Freeform and Pixelmator software, it's thought.

In terms of how that will work, it's been suggested that users will be able to draw or write using an Apple Pencil on a desk or similarly flat surface and then have the strokes appear in an app running on the Apple Vision Pro. The move could make it easier to write notes and whatnot, much like what can be done on an iPad, but while using an Apple Vision Pro instead.

The Apple Vision Pro is Apple's big bet on the future of spatial computing, but right now it's only available in one country. The Apple Vision Pro went on sale in the United States in February with no word on when a global launch would take place other than it happening later this year. Now, we might have a better understanding of which countries the headset will launch in.

Apple previously began advertising for a new role in the UK for a so-called Briefing Experience Specialist. The role has now also appeared in three additional countries; Japan, Australia, and China. The move has led some to believe that those countries, likely along with the UK, will be the next to receive an Apple Vision Pro launch.

The job Apple has now started to advertise appears to be one that will see the successful application promote the Apple Vision Pro to businesses and other professional settings. They'll inspire customer investment in the visionOS platform as well the Apple Vision Pro specifically, the job description says. In some ways, the role appears to be some sort of evangelist, but there is also a business component here as well.

NVIDIA announced its new Blackwell B200 AI GPUs at its GPU Technology Conference (GTC) event this week, with news that the company is bringing OpenUSD-based Omniverse enterprise digital twins to Apple's new Vision Pro headset.

NVIDIA announced a new software framework built on Omniverse Cloud APIs, which allows developers to send their Universe Scene Description (OpenUSD) industrial scenes from their content creation applications, to the NVIDIA Graphics Delivery Network (GDN). NVIDIA's global network of graphics-ready data centers are capable of streaming advanced 3D experiences to the Apple Vision Pro headset.

The company showed a demo off at GTC 2024 that included an interactive, physically accurate digital twin of a car streamed at full quality to Apple Vision Pro and its high-resolution displays. The demo featured a designer wearing the Apple Vision Pro, using a car configurator application called Katana, developed by CGI studio, powered by NVIDIA's own Omniverse platform.

By all accounts, the Meta Quest 3 is an excellent VR headset. Adding RGB video pass-through for an immersive mixed-reality experience adds a new layer to the virtual experience. The only real problem is that the Meta Quest 2, with its recent official price cut, looks to be the more popular option for those picking up a Quest.

$249 USD for the 128GB Meta Quest 2 compared to $499 USD for the 128GB Meta Quest 3 represents a 66% increase for the newer model, so Meta is looking to launch the Meta Quest 3 Lite in 2024. The new 'Lite' model is expected to retain all the improvements made to the displays and additional processing power of the Meta Quest 3.

The big difference and reason for lowering the price from the current $499 USD is the removal of the two RGB cameras - one of Quest 3's biggest draw cards.

The Apple Vision Pro has now been on sale for a few weeks and the headset is reportedly expected to debut in additional countries beyond the United States within the next few weeks. This being such a new product for Apple the headset continues to undergo a number of changes with the latest being a new way for people to browse its App Store.

Previously, the only way to browse Apple Vision Pro apps and the App Store's various stories and promotions was to buy an Apple Vision Pro, something that isn't always viable for a variety of reasons. Now that's changed after Apple released a web-based version of the visionOS App Store for people to peruse at their leisure and on any device of their choosing. 9to5Mac was the first to spot the addition of a web-based App Store.

Visiting the visionOS App Store via a web browser gives you quick access to everything that you would likely need including a rundown of all of the new apps as well as the ability to go through a collection of curated apps as well as categories. Each app page includes screenshots and all of the details that you would expect to find, too.

The Apple Vision Pro definitely isn't an impulse purchase for most people thanks to its $3,499 starting price. But that price could well turn out to be cheap when compared with the price that will likely be charged for a special 18-karat special edition version that is already being offered by Caviar.

Caviar is of course the Russian outfit that has built itself a reputation for launching custom phones and other devices the likes of which few can realistically afford. The company takes high-end iPhones and covers them in gold and leather as a matter of course, but things have been taken to a whole new level with this special Apple Vision Pro.

This Apple Vision Pro is what Caviar is calling a Rolls-Royce experience thanks in part to a new headband that is made from the legendary Connolly leather, the same outfit that supplies the British Royal Court and yes, Rolls-Royce. That leather is apparently soft yet durable and is considered by some to be one of the finest that money can buy. And now you can get it attached to Apple's spatial computer.

The Apple Vision Pro has been on sale for a few weeks now which means that it isn't quite the huge story that it was not that long ago. But it's still a big product for Apple and the mixed reality headset market as a whole and now one person who knows a thing or two about that market has weighed in on Apple's so-called spatial computer.

Hugo Barra is the former VP of Android at Google but most recently he was the head of Meta's Oculus headset brand. Now, he's published a post on his blog that looks at Apple's headset and where it currently fits in a market that has so far been mostly Meta's for the taking.

Notably, Barra has once again ignited the complaint that the Apple Vision Pro is nothing more than a devkit, or a device that Apple needed to make and sell in order to give developers something to work with while they fill the visionOS App Store with apps. Barra backs that claim up, saying that the heavy weight and other factors are a reason that the headset is a "high-quality devkit" that is designed to capture the attention of everyone. It's certainly done that, with YouTube and other platforms full of influencers and reviewers and legitimate owners sharing clips of themselves using the headset in various different settings.

The Apple Vision Pro has now been on sale for a few weeks having finally been released to the public on June 2. But the mixed reality headset, or in Apple's parlance the spatial computer, is only available to those in the United States right now. That's expected to change sooner or later, and a new report claims that it might know which countries will be next up on the release calendar.

According to that report, there are nine new countries that could potentially see an Apple Vision Pro release next. That's based on code that describes the addition of new languages to the Apple Vision Pro's visionOS software keyboard. Currently, only the English (US) and Emoji keyboards are offered in visionOS 1.1, but new ones are thought be be on the way according to code discovered by MacRumors.

According to the report, the following languages will all be added:

N64 expert and programmer James Lambert is back doing the impossible. The developer who successfully ported Valve's iconic first-person puzzle game Portal and got it running natively on Nintendo 64 hardware is shifting to modern VR on the N64. Virtual Reality was a big deal in the 1990s. However, products like Sega VR for the arcades were the VR Stone Age compared to where we are today.

The Nintendo 64 never got a VR peripheral, nor was one ever in development (Nintendo's Virtua Boy device is a different story), but in bringing "modern-day" VR to the system, James Lambert's project involves getting the Oculus DK1 (the development kit precursor to the Oculus Rift) to communicate with the N64 a custom USB adapter.

The reason for using the Oculus DK1 is its simple tracking, fewer sensors, and access to the source code, making it easier to port over to the Nintendo 64. From there, the HDMI port on his modded N64 sends the video signal back to the Oculus DK1, creating a nice little VR loop. Simple.

The Apple Vision Pro isn't just for having fun around the house or out in public, it has practical uses within hospitals, according to a recent report from Business Insider.

The report details a success story of surgeons at London's Cromwell Hospital using Apple's first-generation product to assist in two micro spinal procedures, which has been deemed a first in the UK and Europe. The two surgeons, Mr. Fady Sedra and Mr. Syed Aftab, used the eXeX software, which is an AI program designed for surgical organization and workflow optimization to enable hands-free access to important documentation on the patients and about the procedure.

According to Aftab the experience with working with the eXeX software greatly improved the way the surgeons were "able to deliver care to our patients" and the software provided a seamless interaction that has led to "improved efficiency within the Complex Spine team". This achievement highlights the potential for the Apple Vision Pro within workplaces and the multitude of use cases Apple's spatial computing software can provide users.

VR gaming is here to stay, but the technology still feels like it needs a few elements to become a 'must-have.' That said, playing in a true virtual space can be transformative even while using the most affordable solutions. As fans of the technology, we've followed the development and progress of Virtuix's Omni One, which delivers a "full-body VR gaming system."

Per the name, the Omni One is an omnidirectional treadmill that gives you 360-degree movement so you can walk or even run in a virtual environment without having to worry about what's going on in the real-world. Freedom of movement for VR gaming is one of the reasons why thousands have pre-ordered the complete Omni One system (priced at $2,595), which includes a customized Pico 4 Enterprise headset.

With all pre-orders to be fulfilled during Q1 and Q2 of this year, the Omni One system is set to launch in late Q2 2024. With that, Virtuix has announced the full launch lineup for the Omni One, 35 games in total, including the well-received Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord and Breachers.

A team of NHS surgeons at private Cromwell Hospital in London used Apple's new Vision Pro headset during an operation, a first for the UK.

The team at Cromwell Hospital used the new Apple Vision Pro during an operation on a male patient and his spine, navigating the surgery using augmented reality. A scrub nurse used the Apple Vision Pro headset to keep track of the process and choose the right tools.

The AR headset allowed the nurse to see the real-world with virtual screens displaying important information, with Suvi Verho, the lead scrub nurse at London Independent Hospital, told the Daily Mail that Apple's Vision Pro headset was a "gamechanger" and that "It gives you confidence in surgery," adding "It eliminates human error. It eliminates the guesswork".

Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset is a powerful, high-end device with cutting-edge microOLED display technology. It can deliver incredibly immersive visuals with unmatched clarity. Apple's claims that Vision Pro gives you the equivalent of a single 4K TV per eye is backed by a recent iFixit teardown of the device, which details that each pixel on each tiny display is the size of a single red blood cell.

With leaked 'Bill of Materials' reports indicating that it costs Apple around $456 to obtain the two microOLED 4K display panels from Sony, it's not hard to see why the Vision Pro is sold for $3,499 USD. Sony is Apple's only supplier of microOLED panels, which could be the case for a while because Samsung is predicting that it will take at least three to four years for the tech to become commercially viable.

"The market potential of micro OLEDs installed in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is considerable, but I think the market will start in earnest around 2027 to 2028," Samsung Display CEO Choi Joo-sun said at a recent Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) event.

If you're the proud owner of an Apple Vision Pro you now have Apple's first major software update available for download. The update, visionOS 1.1, has been in beta testing for a little while now and today Apple made it available for everyone who wants it. The Apple Vision Pro is currently only available to those in the United States of course so there's no global release here.

The new software update can be installed by opening the Settings app on the Apple Vision Pro before selling the General option and choosing Software Update. The headset will need to be removed in order for the update to progress but don't worry, a progress bar will appear on the outside of the headset so that you know how things are getting on and when the update is complete.

This new visionOS 1.1 software update brings with it a number of improvements, not least to the Persona feature. Still in beta, this new update improves how hair and makeup appear while the neck and mouth have also received some attention. Apple also says that the rendering of eyes for EyeSight has been improved while the option to enroll a Persona hands-free has now been added to the configuration options.

Before it was Meta, it was Facebook; before it was the Meta Quest, the popular VR headset was known as the Oculus Quest. After Facebook rebranded to Meta, it also removed all Oculus branding and moved to a single Meta/Facebook account for logging into the VR platform.

Moving Oculus-only accounts to Meta took place a while ago, with all digital purchases, details, and other information carried across. However, several users have still not made the transition, and for those VR users, their Oculus accounts (with all data, info, and purchase history) will be deleted at the end of this month.

Meta is sending notifications to those who haven't migrated their accounts, warning them of the cut-off date. "On 10/31/22, we emailed you regarding your Oculus account and the need to migrate to a Meta account," the notification states. "Your Oculus account is now scheduled for deletion on 3/29/24."

The Apple Vision Pro virtual and augmented reality headset is now on sale across the United States with prices starting at $3,499. That gets buyers the 256GB model while anyone who needs additional storage can choose to pay more for the 512GB or 1TB models. But with the prices so high, you might be wondering how much it costs Apple to build such a product. And now we might have the answer.

Apple obviously makes plenty of profit on such a device, but that doesn't mean that the Apple Vision Pro is cheap to make - far from it. Featuring two 4K HDR displays and an array of sensors and cameras, the Apple Vision Pro is a complex bit of kit. And according to a new report, it costs a cool $1,542 to build.

That's according to a CNBC report citing research firm Omdia, at least. The report says that the bill of materials for the headset is a costly one, with those 1.25-inch Sony microLED displays accounting for a good chunk of the money. The report notes that each display costs Apple $228 which means that each headset is full of $456 worth of displays alone.