Virtual & Augmented Reality and 3D News - Page 7

Keanu Reeves really, really doesn't want Facebook (or Meta now) to think it was the creator of the metaverse... The Matrix Resurrections star made some big comments about the metaverse, and Facebook (sorry, again... Meta) and their role in creating the future.

When asked about the metaverse by The Verge in their interview with The Matrix Resurrections stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, Keanu said: "can we just not have metaverse be invented by Facebook".

He was asked by The Verge "you're not a fan?" to which Keanu replied: "No, but just the concept of metaverse is like way older than that. It's like a way older, and so for that moment to get to... I'm just like, 'Come on, man'".

Keanu Reeves is a major character in Cyberpunk 2077, which is all about the future: technology, implants, future vehicles and cars, VR, AR, and everything in between.

But does Keanu Reeves have a VR headset? Yep. Does he use it? Nope. In a recent interview between The Matrix Resurrections stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, Reeves talked about VR headsets, VR for the world, and even VR porn. The part you need to watch begins at around 16:04 into the video.

The Verge asked if Keanu had a VR headset, to which Reeves said: "I do, and I don't. I know that any VR technology that I'm using is 5 years old and lame. I'm sorry, never used to be lame, it's probably now modernly lame, but there's so much kinda data collection tools that are in these experiences to help make the product better".

Keanu Reeves is famously in Cyberpunk 2077 and was asked during his recent sit down with The Verge if he played video games, to which he said no... he does own a VR headset, but doesn't use it, but is very interested in the world of VR porn.

The discussion got there as he was asked about the fact that online, gamers wanted to be able to have sex with Keanu Reeves' character in Cyberpunk 2077, but developer CD PROJEKT RED couldn't do that because it would be breaching Reeves' contract. You can watch the VR porn part of the video at the 16:50 mark.

But Keanu's thoughts on it were: "Oh my God, it's always nice when it's nice. Think of how much money is in porn, right? So you could not even have to be there, and people could have digital sex with your digital avatar. What's that, what's it called right now (probably referring to OnlyFans)? For a members-only you could do a whole thing".

Innersloth, the team behind the insanely popular Among Us, made a surprise announcement at the Game Awards. With the help of Robot Teddy and Schell Games, Among Us is being rebuilt into a virtual reality multiplayer experience.

"We are grateful to the community who continues to share our game with friends and family and support us," said Victoria Tran, Community Director at Innersloth. "Schell Games has a legacy of creating award-winning virtual reality titles, and we couldn't be more excited to create a brand new Among Us experience for our existing fans and new players. We can't wait for players to become crewmates in a first-person environment."

"This new 3D experience will place you and our suspicious spacebeans in the heart of the Skeld, with all of the core mechanics of teamwork and betrayal you know and love. The VR edition will continue to support the multiplayer experience too, of course! Now you can really have an emergency meeting together."

The latest release of the Oculus SDK includes experimental access to a new feature called Spatial Anchors, which allows the Quest to use points of reference in your room that persist between sessions. The new SDK also includes the Voice SDK API.

Earlier this week, Meta released the Oculus SDK 35.0, and with it comes two new features for developers to experiment with. The Voice SDK API allows developers to add voice controls to their games and apps. The Voice SDK includes support for automatic speech recognition, has 50 built-in intents, entities, and traits, and comes with a Unity plugin to facilitate integration.

The new Oculus SDK also includes an experimental version of the Spatial Anchors feature, which allows the Quest 2 to retain tracking orientation between sessions. With Spatial Anchoring enabled, the Quest 2 can identify environmental features as persistent marker points to maintain the tracking orientation even after rebooting the headset.

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.