A common challenge for VR/AR apps is social features, but Ubiquity6 is changing that in a big way. Progress has been made prior, to be clear. VR has gotten applications like VRChat, while AR games like Pokemon Go benefit from encouraging an outdoors, real-life MMO gaming experience. The big difference is that, until now, neither AR or VR apps have effectively managed to pull off the same kind of social experience as this. What is Ubiquity6? Ubiquity6 is an AR app that maintains consistent AR environments across multiple devices. Most AR experiences are tied to a single device, so nobody will see the same thing
North Star from Leap Motion is the next level of AR interface
Years ago, Leap Motion made headlines when they released footage of their intuitive Leap Motion device. For those not familiar with their namesake, this peripheral allowed users to control everything on their PCs with intuitive motion controls and gestures, as seen in the video below. In the years since that video’s release, Leap has successfully released that product and used it to supplement VR controls and development. While they haven’t released anything else since, they’ve been working hard in the background on AR and VR, and through Project North Star, they’re hoping to take AR interfaces to the next level. When most people think augmented
Star Wars Ray-Tracing Demo and Google’s Maps API at GDC
In this Stories You Might’ve Missed segment, we’ll be covering the final week of March, from the 25th to 31st. Quite a few interesting stories broke in this time, so buckle up while we run you through them. (Also, Skyrim VR launched for PC yesterday if you’re interested in checking it out.) Unreal Engine shows off a stunning Star Wars real-time ray-tracing demo If the video above looks visually-pleasing, get this: it’s rendered in real-time. Visuals like this used to take hours, if not days, to render. So how is this possible? Through a technology called real-time ray-tracing. Nvidia is pushing real-time ray-tracing for its
Let’s go to the Theatre – AR Version
Google Glass managed to make AR and it seemed inaccessible with limited applications and maximum privacy concerns. Now, simple AR apps like Pokemon Go and Snapchat have brought down consumer walls and made us see the fun side of the technology. Now that ARKit has launched on iOS 11 and Apple has effectively created a huge platform for AR on the iPhone overnight we can only see it expanding in terms of depth and breadth. Just to remember, ARKit is an augmented reality framework Apple introduced at WWDC ’17 that is compatible with iOS 11 iPhones and iPads. ARKit lets developers place digital objects in the real world by blending the
Apple iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X will Boost AR Market
At the very first event in Steve Jobs Theater at its new headquarters, Apple Inc. announced a series of devices, including the new smartwatch “Watch Series 3”, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus (realistically, these are iPhone 7S and 7S Plus) refreshments, and the king of the event – a $1000 iPhone X (pronounced ten), with X marking 10th anniversary since iPhone 2G came to market. All three phones are powered by a powerful A11 Bionic SoC processor, bringing a set of next-generation features to all three phones, with Augmented Reality and FaceID perhaps being the most impressive ones. Augmented Reality, in that way, superimposes digital
Silver Lake Invests $400 Million in Unity
Private equity firm Silver Lake has agreed to a $400 million investment in Unity Technologies, said John Riccitiello, chief executive officer of the gaming software maker. The investment values the San Francisco-based company, which makes development tools for video-game creators, at $2.6 billion, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction. Regulators still need to approve the deal, Riccitiello said. The financing follows on the heels of the company’s last round, closed just 10 months ago, in which the company had raised $181 million from investors led by DFJ Growth. Other of Unity’s earlier investors include China Investment Corporation, FreeS Fund, Thrive Capital, WestSummit Capital, serial entrepreneur Max
Pokémon Go Is a Game-Changer, What Can Augmented Reality Do Next?
With Pokémon Go recently breaking a financial milestone – reaching one billion USD in revenue, it may finally be time to say that Augmented Reality (AR) is now reaching mainstream acceptance and acknowledgement. Before the game’s release in July 2016, the words “augmented reality” probably didn’t mean much to the average consumer. Despite being an emerging concept for the last few years, Google’s April Fools-joke-turned-into-reality made the technology a mass hit. According to the numbers, Pokémon Go has a database of more than 500 million, with an average of 20 million players in the US alone powering up the game every day. Although official revenue
Five Smartphone Games You Should Play
As the week progresses, there are numerous applications wying for your attention. Commuting to and from work, running errands all saw the removal of “idle time”, with us being engulfed with different applications on mobile phones. As smartphone displays have improved, game developers have taken advantage of the latest technology to add beautiful graphics to their creations. If you like playing smartphone games that mix beauty with fun, you’ll want to download these five titles to your mobile device. We list the five mobile experiences you should experience, including some AR and VR experiences that are on the way. Pokémon GO Price: Free, but in-app
Perkins Coie Survey Reveals Obstacles to VR and AR World
Talk about the expansion of VR and AR content is great but the question beckons… How big is the access to funds needed to accelerate the production of VR/AR content? Perkins Coie tried to provide an answer with the survey among industry executives. The survey reveals some interesting, if not troublesome signs. Perkins Coie LLP is a legal firm providing a full array of corporate, commercial litigation and intellectual property legal services. It was ranked #42 among the highest-grossing U.S. legal firms and named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” for 14 consecutive years by FORTUNE magazine, 2003–2016. They teamed up with Upload VR, one
The World of Mobile VR After Pokemon Go
Virtual Reality Gaming isn’t coming, it’s already here. With the introduction of Google Cardboard and the Daydream VR platform, Oculus and HTC discrete VR headsets and GearVR headsets for even smartphones like the Samsung’s Galaxy S7, the first tentative steps towards virtual reality gaming are being taken. With Facebook announcing its buy-in of virtual reality technology for a whopping $2 billion, Google has responded with its own VR system, a simple piece of cardboard that can turn your Android phone into a neat virtual reality headset. This all proves that VR gaming is here to stay. Already, the range and quality of available games is encouraging.