HTC Vive Archives - VR World

Entertainment, News, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Dave & Buster’s to debut Jurassic World VR Expedition

In a partnership between Universal, VRC and Dave & Buster’s, customers will soon be able to have a Jurassic World VR Expedition. We’ll dive into more detail below. What is the Jurassic World VR Expedition? Jurassic World VR Expedition is an interactive VR experience based on the Jurassic World franchise. The VR Expedition is set to release on June 22nd, to coincide with the theatrical release of Fallen Kingdom. For those who want to go on the VR Expedition, you’re in luck! You’ll be able to do this at Dave & Buster’s. Their role in this partnership is to host the VR experience at their locations- all

Google, News, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

The first VR Google Doodle, Back to the Moon, is here

Google Doodles have existed for a long time now, but just a few days ago, the very first VR Google Doodle is finally here. The Doodles serve to spice up Google’s main page every day, and in the past they’ve been quite innovative. As of May 3rd, virtual reality has come to Google Doodles. The first VR Google Doodle: Back to the Moon You can view the first Google Doodle with compatible devices. If you have a proper VR headset and want an even better experience, head here to download it for Android, iOS or HTC Vive. Back to the Moon, in addition to being

Augmented Reality (AR), Business, China, Mobile, News, US, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

China might beat the US in AR adoption, according to forecast

According to a report from Digi-Capital, China is likely to beat the United States in AR adoption. The company posits quite a few things relating to AR/VR in its study, so let’s break them down below. About Digi-Capital’s study Digi-Capital focuses on releasing detailed reports and statistics concerning the AR/VR markets and many related tech segments. Their most recent report, for Q2 2018, provides insights, interviews, and even a database on all kinds of market information. A considerable part of this report focused on VR and AR adoption, which we’ll detail below. How China could win in AR adoption, and our thoughts According to the

Augmented Reality (AR), HTC, News, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

HTC releasing Vive Pro AR Dev Kit and Vive Pro 2.0 Kit

After releasing with just the headset, the HTC Vive Pro is now launching with a more complete 2.0 Kit and a Vive Pro AR Kit. The first of the new HTC Vive Pro kits is the Vive Pro 2.0 Kit, which includes the headset itself, two new base stations, and two of its motion controllers. Altogether, the package retails for $1399, a $600 increase from the price of the Vive Pro headset alone. The New Vive Pro 2.0 Kit is targeted at business users who want everything they’ll need in a single package, as well as enthusiasts who don’t already own an HTC Vive. More

Gaming, Hardware, News, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

SteamVR adds resolution scaling feature for HTC Vive and other headsets

A common staple of PC gaming is the ability to change resolution and other graphical settings in accordance with your own machine’s performance levels. Despite how common this is in PC gaming, it’s actually surprisingly scarce in VR gaming (PC and console alike) due to the way that most VR titles are made to target a specific hardware configuration. A new feature for SteamVR hopes to alleviate this by adding a resolution-scaling feature to SteamVR. Screenshot credit: TechRadar.com The implementation of this feature opens up possibilities in two different directions. In one direction are people on the lower-end of the VR spec (GPU especially), who

HTC, Oculus, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World, Wearables

Oculus Rift overtakes HTC Vive in Steam survey

The Oculus Rift surpassed the HTC Vive in popularity among Steam users for the first time, according to the results of the latest monthly Steam Hardware & Software Survey. The survey, which scans users’ PCs for different hardware components, found that the Oculus Rift accounts for 47.31 percent of VR headset use, compared to the HTC Vive’s 45.38 percent share of the market. Last January’s survey saw the gap between the two devices closing, with the Vive representing 46.96 percent of headset use while the Oculus Rift took 46.09 percent. Now the Rift sits in first place, just edging out HTC’s product. Windows Mixed Reality is

Microsoft, Space and Science, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Microsoft develops ‘canetroller’ device for the visually impaired

Researchers at Microsoft have developed a device they call the “canetroller”, a haptic VR controller that works with the HTC Vive headset and tracker to help people with visual impairments navigate virtual environments. The canetroller consists of five parts: a cane controller that the user sweeps and taps as they would a regular cane, a brake mechanism to be worn around the waist, a slider placed between the controller and the break to impart the physical resistance generated by the brake, a voice coil that provides the controller with tactile feedback, and a tracker that monitors the controller’s position. The actual controller is shorter than normal

Buying Guides, Guides, Reviews, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

New to VR? A beginner’s guide

Virtual reality (VR) produces a computer-generated environment–complete with realistic sights, sounds and other sensations–which a person can explore by wearing a special kind of headset and, in some cases, using certain props. Basically every VR experience will allow the user to feel as though they are in this simulated world and look around it, while more advanced systems allow for movement and interaction. While the ability of VR to provide valuable, realistic experiences without introducing real-world risks has found many fans across various industries (from healthcare to real estate), the most popular types of virtual reality content remain video games, movies and television. For those

Entertainment, Gaming, HTC, Software Programs, Space and Science, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Brain-controlled video game to hit VR arcades this year

Boston-based startup Neurable will bring its brain-controlled VR video game Awakening, which the company claims is the first of its kind, to VR arcades around the world by the end of this year. This brain-computer interface (BCI) is made possible by the attachment of an HTC Vive VR headset to a brain-scanning headband equipped with electrodes that pick up neural activity by recording electroencephalography (EEG) signals. When the gamer focuses his gaze on an object in the game, Neurable’s machine learning software recognizes the resulting changes in the EEG signal and turns this into a game command, selecting that object for use. For this to

News, Sport, VR World

Meet Black Box, the world’s first virtual reality gym

Exercise and weight loss has always been a prominent part of virtual reality. In fact, the health-seeking mission started even earlier, with games like DDR and consoles like the Wii. The gaming industry has always been searching for an exercise stimulating solution with occasional success stories, like the one of Job Stauffer, then-Telltale Games employee, who lost 50 pounds playing a VR game. So it isn’t surprising to see VR industry “work-out” (pun intended) innovations in the fitness space as well. A Boise-based company Black Box, started by Ryan DeLuca and Preston Lewis, is attempting to disrupt the way you exercise. The duo has created Black Box

Internet, Mixed Reality (MR), News, Software Programs, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Supermedium creates a browser for WebVR experiences

Supermedium advertises itself as “the virtual reality browser”, but what does that actually mean? Supermedium launched on January 31st, 2018, and at the time of writing many people aren’t totally aware of it and what it has to offer… yet. So let’s explain it. First, it’s important to clarify: Supermedium is not a web browser. It is not a VR version of Chrome or FireFox. While it is an application for browsing the web, it’s not a browser in the sense that most consumers are used to. Instead, Supermedium is a virtual reality browser that allows people to find VR experiences hosted all over the Internet. These

Entertainment, Event, News, Sport, VR World

Winter Olympics and WWE available in VR and MR

Virtual reality has changed the world of entertainment, and that isn’t limited to video games. Thanks to things like 360-degree cameras, virtual reality has found a home at live sporting events, and this year at the Winter Olympics, people will be able to watch the world’s leading athletes compete in VR. Eurosport will be capturing the entire event in VR, with apps available for Android, iOS, Gear VR, Daydream and Windows Mixed Reality. Interestingly, that isn’t the only sports-related VR announcement to come out recently. NextVR, an Oculus/Samsung-partnered service for spectating sports, has teamed up with WWE to bring your favourite wrestling matches into virtual

Hardware, HTC, News, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

HTC Vive Pro adds hand-tracking and more through new cameras

The HTC Vive Pro boasts numerous improvements over its predecessor, the HTC Vive, but its new dual cameras are particularly interesting. HTC was intentionally vague about them at CES, so it left many enthusiasts speculating. According to Vive VP Raymon Pao, the cameras are stereoscopic and only have a VGA resolution. As originally developed, they were just there as a safety feature to help people stop themselves from bumping into things. Where things changed was when developers got their hands on it. Speaking to Engadget, Pao says the cameras are able to capture depth data within two meters. An unnamed Japanese developer used the dual

Google, HTC, News, Oculus, Rumors, Virtual Reality (VR)

HTC Vive Focus ships in China, may have US debut after all

Consumer electronics company HTC officially started shipping pre-ordered Vive Focus VR headsets at an event earlier this week, in what was heralded as the “world’s first on-stage in-VR customer product delivery.” The company also announced that forty pieces of VR content, including several games, are already available for the Focus. The news comes via HTC’s China Regional President of VR, Alvin Wang Graylin. The Focus is HTC’s first stand-alone headset, and is based on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor which will power Lenovo’s Mirage Solo headset announced at CES 2018. Akin to the pending Lenovo offering, HTC’s Vive Focus also offers a 6DoF technology

Exclusive, Gaming, VR World

Top 10 VR Games Of 2017

While 2016 was the year of indie VR games launching alongside the HTC Vive, 2017 saw a huge jump forward in budget as releases from major, AAA developers and publishers shook the VR scene. Now that we’ve entered 2018, it’s time to look back at the year’s top 10 VR games. Top 10 VR Games of 2017 10. Star Trek Bridge Crew (PSVR, Vive, Rift, Windows Mixed Reality) More Info: Steam, Ubisoft Star Trek: Bridge Crew isn’t jam-packed with content, but it does offer plenty for players to do. Like many multiplayer games, the real value in Bridge Crew comes through unique multiplayer experiences, not

Augmented Reality (AR), Companies, Dell, Hardware, HTC, Microsoft, Mixed Reality (MR), News, Samsung, Sony, Virtual Reality (VR), Wearables, Wearables

VR Headset Price Cuts Lead to Quarterly Sales of More Than 1 Million Units

Virtual reality has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years – except it has not. Although the excitement about its potential to become nothing short of awesome has been discussed in great detail in the press, this hasn’t translated into sales. While people will gladly pay amounts close to $1,000 for smartphones that allow them to play real money online video casino games and others as fluidly as possible, they seem to be reluctant to invest a smaller amount into VR gear that has a similar – or often smaller – price. And while it would be a bit harsh to

2018, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality (AR), Cloud Computing, Companies, Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Google, Hardware, HTC, Mobile, News, Qualcomm, Smartphones, Virtual Reality (VR)

CES: Lenovo introduces quartet of new AR and VR technologies

Lenovo used this week’s CES in Las Vegas to highlight several aspects of their 2018 product and service lineup in the augmented reality and virtual reality spaces. These announcements spanned both consumer and commercial/industrial applications, and include the Lenovo Mirage Solo headset, Mirage Camera, C220 Smart Glasses and NBD AH Cloud 2.0. Lenovo Mirage Solo and Mirage Camera with Daydream Billed as a “new take on VR consumption and creation,” this complementary product duo is targeted primarily at consumer markets. The Mirage Solo stands as the first stand-alone headset offering that is part of Google’s Daydream platform; an ill-fated offering from HTC was announced and

HTC, News, Oculus, Smartphones, Virtual Reality (VR)

HTC ends year on sour fiscal note

Smartphone and VR headset manufacturer HTC ended the year with a steep decline in revenue, according to a news release issued by the company last week. The company announced unaudited consolidated revenue for December 2017 of $4.02 billion TWD (approximately $136 million USD), and total unaudited consolidated revenue from January to December 2017 of $62.12 billion TWD (approximately $2.1 billion USD). Those revenue numbers represent a 29% month-to-month decline and 36% year-over-year decline. Reports indicate that HTC’s yearly revenue marks its worst performance in over a decade. Some of the revenue decline may be due to aggressive price cuts during 2017, which saw both HTC

2018, Consumer Electronics Show (CES), HTC, News, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

CES: Meet the HTC Vive Pro

Thanks to their critically-acclaimed Vive headset, HTC became one of the biggest names in virtual reality two years ago. The Vive Focus, a standalone headset, was announced in 2017 but didn’t quite satiate people’s hunger for a Vive successor. Fortunately for the world of VR, HTC is pulling out the big guns at CES 2018 with the new Vive Pro. The biggest improvement from the Vive to the Vive Pro is in the display. The original HTC Vive boasted a 2160 x 1200 resolution with 1080 x 1440 per-eye. The Vive Pro’s display comes in at a whopping 2880 x 1600 resolution, with 1440 x 1600

3D, Amazon, Augmented Reality (AR), CPU, Graphics, Hardware, HTC, Internet, Mobile Computing, News, Virtual Reality (VR)

Smartphones gain PC-strength VR capabilities via new codec

NGCodec, a company that specializes in developing algorithms, silicon logic and FPGA implementations for cloud video processing, this week announced the availability of their potentially transformative cloud-based encoding technologies via the Amazon AWS Marketplace. The company’s RealityCodec acts as a low-delay H.265/HEVC encoder, which allows much of the processing load of VR video streams to be shifted into the cloud. The codec also boasts sufficiently low latency that it can reliably deliver VR streams to untethered, mobile, VR head-mounted displays. “We have worked diligently to bring our advanced video codecs to the Amazon Cloud and to demonstrate the potential for cloud media and virtual reality,”