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Breaking, Event, Facebook, News, Oculus, Virtual Reality (VR)

Facebook F8 Day 1: Oculus Venues makes VR theater a reality

After launching their Oculus Go headset, it was the perfect timing for Oculus to show off their VR theater concept and TV service. There have been whispers abound for a while now about Oculus revolutionizing the VR format by creating a VR theater, and now we know how they’re going to do it. Meet Oculus Venues, which allows users in to view live-streamed events with a large number of other users – all done in VR, and powered by NextVR, a company known for providing sporting events in virtual reality. Venues are also partnered with various musicians, artists, and even Lionsgate, which makes a true VR

Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality (AR), Breaking, Event, Facebook, News, Social Media, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Facebook F8 Day 1: AI being used to create VR Memories and 3D Photos

Have you ever wanted to revisit your childhood home, or have 3D photos? Using the power of artificial intelligence, AR and other technologies, Facebook is making both of those things possible soon. 3D Photos is a new feature announced at Facebook F8 Keynote. These aren’t 360-degree videos or photos: rather, they are photographs that shift objects in the foreground and background as you scroll to provide the illusion of depth. It’s not an extremely-advanced feature, but it does make good use of the technology. Huh, Facebook is also working on “3D Photos” for News Feed, kind of hard to tell from the keynote screen but

Breaking, Event, Facebook, News, Oculus, Social Media, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Facebook F8 Day 1: Oculus Go announced for surprise release

Oculus Go is the first standalone VR headset from those at Oculus, and at the first day of Facebook’s F8 2018 conference, its surprise release date was announced. As of today, May 1st, 2018, the Oculus Go is being shipped. At a relatively low price of $199, it’s likely to be many people’s first VR device, and if it’s able to provide a good enough experience, it’ll get many more people hooked on VR. Entry-level virtual reality has always been a concern in the industry, due to the prohibitive cost of high-end VR experiences, but a $199 standalone headset from Oculus may just change the

Augmented Reality (AR), Breaking, Event, Facebook, News, Social Media, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Facebook F8 Day 1: Instagram AR is here, VR roadmap revealed

Today at Facebook’s F8 conference, the company announced new AR camera features for Instagram. Users can use augmented reality lenses and effects while sharing photos, videos and stories. These include AR face filters, which can do such things as project shades onto your face. In addition to basic AR functionalities, the Camera Effects Platform is coming to Instagram, in a closed beta for now. Camera Effects are user-developed filters and augmented reality effects that people can easily share with others. You can even use these new AR effects just by viewing an Instagram post utilizing them. Naturally, Facebook Messenger is also receiving new augmented reality

Facebook, Hardware, Mobile, News, Oculus, Virtual Reality (VR), Wearables, Wearables

First look at Oculus Go via Twitter and Reddit

Photos of what is perhaps the most hotly-anticipated VR headset of 2018 appeared today on Twitter, only to quickly be removed — but not before at least one image ended up on Reddit. According to multiple sources, at least two developers tweeted snapshots of Oculus Go devkits that they received today, with one of those photos making it to Reddit. The Oculus Go is intended to be an ultra-affordable, all-in-one VR solution, with units pricing in at a $199 US MSRP. Distribution of devkits also suggests that Oculus is on track to deliver the headset according to their “Early 2018” timeline. Moreover, if product photos

Augmented Reality (AR), Facebook, HTC, News, Oculus, Virtual Reality (VR)

Facebook Spaces now available on Vive, other platforms pending

Facebook has brought its beta social VR app, Spaces, to users of the HTC Vive. First announced in April, Spaces had previously only been available to users of the Oculus Rift. Spaces is among a handful of apps that combine social media with an immersive VR experience. Using the app, users can meet in VR; go Live; play games; make video calls; and create and share 3D objects, videos, and photos. These features are identical to those available to Rift users. Interestingly, however, the Spaces app is not available via the Steam store, and is instead being offered for direct download via Facebook’s website. “VR

Artificial Intelligence, Companies, Facebook, Internet, News, Software Programs, Technology Security

Facebook Will Find You Even if You Are Not Tagged on Photos

Did you maybe, but just maybe noticed that you are tagged in some of the photos on Facebook your friend took? Even though you told them not to tag you because you’re drunk as hell and you don’t want your little sister to see it? Well, don’t take on your friend so soon. There is a quite big possibility that Facebook did it – on its own. In Tuesday, Facebook introduced new facial recognition features that will automatically notify users when their photo is posted on the social network. “Now, if you’re in a photo and are part of the audience for that post, we’ll

Android, Augmented Reality (AR), iOS, Mobile, News, OSx, Smartphones, Social Media, Tablets, VR World, Windows

Lens Studio lets anyone create AR effects for Snapchat

Snap, the company behind prominent messaging app Snapchat, has released Lens Studio, a software for producing augmented reality effects for still photos and videos. What used to be an in-house application is now in the hands of all who want to dabble in creating their own AR experiences for use in Snapchat. Lens Studio is Snap’s second app, and it’s available on Mac OS X and Windows. The release of this design platform is actually the most recent in a series of similar stories: Facebook opened its AR platform earlier this week, as well as Amazon earlier this month. With Lens Studio opening up to advertisers

Augmented Reality (AR), Facebook, News, Social Media, VR World

Facebook’s AR Studio opens for all developers

In April of this year, Facebook opened up the AR Studio platform for in-house development of augmented reality applications. AR Studio boasts many features for developers, including face-tracking, real-time data integration, 3D rendering and more. Yesterday, the company finally opened the studio to all third-party developers who want to utilize it. If you aren’t too deep into the world of development, you may not immediately know why this matters. To put it in simple terms, big tech companies like Facebook opening up their tools to developers worldwide makes development cheaper and easier, especially for independent developers or studios that couldn’t otherwise afford to make these

Apple, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality (AR), Business, Companies, Facebook, Fintech, Google, Intel, Microsoft, News, Nvidia, Virtual Reality (VR)

Investors Guide: Investing in AI and AR Stocks is the New Gold

The year is coming to an end and if you were thinking about investing in tech companies – now may be the right time. The bullish market still lasts (eighth years in a row now), and this year was pretty good for investors despite the threats of a nuclear or potential trade war and/or crypto currencies rising . Through the end of November, the S&P 500 Index gained 21%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 25%, and the Nasdaq Composite surged 27%. Big technology companies in the Nasdaq 100 Index, tracked by the popular QQQ ETF, have jumped 32% since January. Take AR for

Companies, Entertainment, Facebook, News, Oculus, Virtual Reality (VR), Wearables

Facebook’s Oculus Home gives you your own VR mancave

Facebook’s VR subsidiary started offering a pre-release version of Oculus Home, a virtual room that you can outfit pretty much however you want. Think of it as a computer-generated IKEA catalog which now turns to a fully customizable environment that you can decorate with furniture and various interactive objects. You’ll have a catalogue of several hundred items to pick from, but some will need to be unlocked by completing in-game achievements or other challenges. You will also be able to visit friends’ space, and Oculus says it’s working on a real-time hangouts feature for multiple users to build together. Oculus announced that Rift Core 2.0

Artificial Intelligence, Business, Companies, Education, Facebook, News

Facebook: New AI could prevent suicides

Facebook says it has successfully tested a computer program that can help keep users from taking their own lives. The social media network now says it will expand the use of the pattern recognition software to other countries. In a Facebook post this week, Mark Zuckerberg announced the company is deploying artificial intelligence software that will detect possible suicidal intent among users, which it says it built in consultation with suicide prevention groups. The software will use pattern recognition to identify potentially at-risk individuals, and then alert human Facebook staffers, who will assess the situation and contact emergency responders if needed. “In the last month alone, these A.I. tools have helped us

Artificial Intelligence, Business, Companies, Intel, News, VR World

Intel Partnering Facebook in Conquering AI

Intel is ready to ship its long awaited computer chip used to power artificial intelligence projects by the end of the year. The chipmaking giant is partnering with Facebook and other internet titans investing heavily in artificial intelligence to create the first in what will be a family of “Nervana Neural Network Processors” tailored to the needs of the emerging technology. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich explained the chip-maker’s foray into the red-hot field of artificial intelligence Tuesday and said that Facebook has assisted the company in prelude to its new chip’s debut. “We have a goal by 2020 to be 100 times better than the best AI systems out

Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality (AR), Business, Companies, Entertainment, Event, Facebook, News, Oculus, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Facebook to Open AI Lab in Montreal

Facebook announced that in the future, they want to replace clicking buttons and tapping on screens with natural conversations. The idea, according to Mike Schroepfer, Facebook’s chief technology officer, is that users could ask Facebook for an update on a family member, the news or even to suggest a friend they haven’t seen in while they might want to catch up with. “I think of it as a full-time, 24/7 personal assistant that helps me stay connected with all the things I care about in the world. That is beyond the reach of current technology” Schroepfer said. Now, a Montreal-based team will be working to

Augmented Reality (AR), Breaking, Business, Companies, Facebook, Mobile, News, Oculus, press releases, Social Media, Sony, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World, Wearables, Wearables

Zuckerberg Introduced new $199 Oculus Go

Facebooks very own CEO, Mark Zuckerberg introduced a new $199 headset, Oculus Go, and permanently cut the price for the flagship Rift to $399 as he talked up VR’s potential. “At every step along the way, the future is built by people who believe it can be better” he said. In a blog post, the company said the new price for its immersive headset will be available for a “limited time” as part of a summer sale. In January, Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey said that even at the initial $599 price tag, the Rift headset didn’t offer Oculus a profit. This isn’t the first price drop

Augmented Reality (AR), Companies, Facebook, News, Oculus, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World, Wearables

Mark Zuckerberg: It feels like We are Really in Puerto Rico

A cartoon version of Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, visited hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico on Monday, in a tone-deaf livestream that was part disaster tourism, part product promotion. The Facebook CEO conducted a brief, live 360-video broadcast in which he and Facebook’s head of social VR Rachel Franklin promoted the company’s upcoming Oculus Rift developer conference while also talking about the company’s humanitarian efforts. Cartoon avatars make plenty of sense for the typical use of Facebook Spaces, which is mostly just meant as a digital hangout spot for early adopters of the Oculus Rift. But not everyone seem to approve that kind of way to discuss hurricane relief efforts. “It feels like we’re

Apple, Augmented Reality (AR), Business, Companies, Google, HTC, Microsoft, News, VR World

Digital marketing will grow to more than $162 billion

According to an International Data Corporation report, the digital reality market will grow from $5.2 billion last year to more than $162 billion in 2020. Corporate CEOs in any field would be hard-pressed to find a multibillion-dollar industry with an anticipated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 181.3% over the 2015–2020 forecast period in any sector other than digital reality. Also, established by HTC earlier this year, the Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance, or VRVCA, is an organisation comprising of VR-invested firms and companies who believe VR is the next big medium. With HTC at the forefront, the VRVCA has set aside US$12 billion to grow VR, with investments

Augmented Reality (AR), Companies, Entertainment, Facebook, News, VR World

Snapchat Launches AR Art Platform

Snapchat plans to launch a new art initiative aimed at using augmented reality to feature art installations around the world. A countdown clock magically appeared, and a snippet of javascript underlying the page appears to confirm that the reveal is a collaboration with renowned artist and big Snapchat fan Jeff Koons. The only piece of art on the site is a photo of Central Park in New York City with people sitting about in an open lawn. However, dogged software engineer and Twitter user Jonah Grant uncovered the secret by setting his clock ahead. According to the screenshots, Snapchat is calling on artists to submit

Android, Audio/Video, Breaking, Hardware, iOS, Mobile, Reviews, Software Programs, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE 360 Camera Review

Xiaomi is slowly opening itself and their products to the west. The Chinese smartphone giant is expanding its availability on global markets thanks to its e-tailers. One of their leading partners is turning out to be GearBest, who recently sent us the Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE 360 Camera. I took the camera to the city of Varazdin in Croatia and checked the real world performance. Given the price of mere $255, can Xiaomi’s 360 degree camera offer the ultimate price / performance ratio? First off, I have to admit that setting the camera was a real pain in the behind, trying to figure out how to install phone

Augmented Reality (AR), Breaking, Business, Cloud Computing, Event, Gaming, Mobile, Mobile Computing, News, Smartphones, Software Programs, startups, Tablets, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

UNITE Los Angeles 2016 Brings Cool Gaming News

UPDATE November 2nd, 2016 18:02 GMT: We received note from the PR team that the date for the release of EditorVR has shifted to “middle of December”, thus disregard what was said during the keynote video. Original Story Following the Unity Training Day on Halloween, October 31st, Unity launched pretty awesome features during the opening keynote for Unite Los Angeles 2016 conference. From Unity to Facebook we could hear a lot about new tools and features to provide enhanced graphics, performance, and production processes across console, mobile, VR and AR development, including Timeline, a new video player, and Octane Render. Also we found out more about New and