The Ghost Howls

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

The past week has been a pretty interesting one for the tech world: between Microsoft Ignite, Unity Unite, and the OpenAI drama, there has been a lot to follow. I’ll try to summarize all of that, especially for what concerns the announcements related to our XR space.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 8, 2021

Microsoft announces Mesh, an XR collaboration platform. Alex Kipman promised us a Microsoft Ignite conference with an amazing level of immersion , and he kept his word. But since Microsoft owns one of those studios (and using it costs around $100K/day if I remember well!), You are all fantastic! Here you are my flower for you!

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 1, 2024

This would be pretty disruptive, because up to now every standalone headset has been a walled garden with its own store and hardware, with the only exception being HTC trying to distribute its Viveport store to some other Chinese devices. Basically, Google could try to be for standalone devices what Steam has been for the PC VR ones.

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Trends Apple Google Unity 420

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

OCTOBER 26, 2016

Microsoft’s play for command of next generation personal computing can be seen today with the announcement of a series of Windows-powered VR headsets starting at $300. This is not the case with the headsets on the way from Microsoft’s partners. An example of the Windows Holographic user interface.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

AUGUST 31, 2022

Like Meta, Microsoft has quickly emerged as one of the leading innovators in the XR space. As a giant in the technology space, Microsoft understands the value of keeping people secure in any digitised environment. HTC VIVE’s technology ecosystem leverages enterprise-level features for everything from immersive visuals to security.

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Unity Tools Microsoft HTC 77

Road to VR

MARCH 19, 2021

Major VR stakeholders—including Oculus, Valve, HTC, Microsoft, Unity, and Unreal Engine—now offer full or partial support for the standard. Sony’s next-gen VR controllers | Image courtesy Sony. Image courtesy Khronos Group. After years of development, the OpenXR 1.0 Sony, however, remains an odd one out.

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XR Today - Virtual Reality

JANUARY 1, 2024

Here are some of the VR vendors making waves in the industry as of 2024: RealWear Meta Apple Goertek Pimax Pico HP HTC Vive Samsung Varjo Lenovo Valve Index Vrgineers RealWear Exploring various aspects of the immersive technology landscape, RealWear produces sensors, apps, and hardware for the XR space.

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VRScout

APRIL 13, 2018

Equipped with custom-designed suits that integrate a complex light system with unique wireless controllers, Light Balance blends expert synchronization of music, neon lighting and choreography with breathtaking performances. Rikard Steiber, President Viveport and SVP of Virtual Reality, HTC Vive.

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The Ghost Howls

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

David of Upload says that thanks to its big boost in specifications , PS5 can offer an amazing flat screen experience : better resolution, better framerate, better graphics, better load times, better controller. Image by Microsoft). Microsoft ramps up distribution of HoloLens 2 and Kinect For Azure. Other relevant news.

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The Ghost Howls

FEBRUARY 11, 2021

In my unboxing video, you may see that I’ve found an additional Leap Motion v1 controller + Leap Motion mount for RealMax + USB-C cable for Leap Motion. This is because the company sent me a special version of the device with already the necessary setup to use it with the Leap Motion Controller to exploit hands input.

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XR Today - Virtual Reality

MARCH 27, 2023

Users benefit from a streamlined and lightweight form factor, crisp visuals, and self-tracking controllers with access to haptic feedback capabilities. Developed in collaboration with other leading XR companies like Microsoft, the HP headset is compatible with a range of platforms.

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Hypergrid Business

JANUARY 18, 2017

One of the devices that generates the greatest interest among the tech community at the moment is Microsoft HoloLens. Development: Unity , Vuforia , Microsoft Visual Studio , Windows 10 SDK , HoloLens Emulator (if you do not have a device). Unity helps developers to manipulate this HoloLens feature in many ways.

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The Ghost Howls

JANUARY 27, 2020

Or that Microsoft is working on a new reference design that fixes the issues of the first one? While in all past years the answer had always been “HTC Vive”, now the king is Oculus, with both the Rift S and the Oculus Quest getting the majority of answers (especially the Quest). Unity changes how it handles XR Plugins.

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The Ghost Howls

AUGUST 24, 2020

Facebook already had full control of my Oculus and Facebook accounts, so it had already my XR data. That’s why Avi Bar-Zeev in a tweet on this topic talked about “the illusion of control” of our data : actually, Facebook already had it all. Zuckerberg wrote in a letter some years ago that he wants full control of the XR platform.

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The Ghost Howls

JUNE 1, 2020

The Reverb was already a very good headset (as you can read in my hands-on impressions ) with good comfort and an astonishing resolution, but it had some problems with the display (mura, red smearing) and with the controllers (classical mediocre WMR tracking). built in to headband Controllers ?—?6DOF pounds (0.55kg) Cable Length: 19.5

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VRScout

MARCH 14, 2018

Whether it’s the controlled, sterile environment of the once-dead Altspace , or VRChat, the very embodiment of chaos, the current social options provided are all unique in their own rights. Sinespace was built using the Unity game engine allowing for an easily customizable as well as upgradable experience.

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Road to VR

AUGUST 24, 2016

This project uses Kinect depth cameras to the fuse virtual and the real to produce real-time mixed reality footage with no green screens required, all using Microsoft’s depth camera Kinect. No mean feat. You can read in detail all about the project over at the team’s YouTube channel here.

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Road to VR

APRIL 26, 2018

Industry-leading companies sponsoring this year’s expo include Intel, Dell, Qualcomm, VIVEPORT, Microsoft, Neurogaming and OptiTrack, as well as a full lineup of innovative companies shaping the future of immersive tech. Rikard Steiber, President Viveport and SVP of Virtual Reality, HTC Vive.

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The Ghost Howls

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

But in China, they are very famous, and now they are also organizing a big event about XR called FBEC with hosts from all the major VR companies (HTC, Unity, Alibaba, Huawei, etc…). For example, we invited senior executives from HUAWEI, JBD, HTC, Alibaba, iQIYI, Qualcomm, Microsoft, and so on.

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The Ghost Howls

JUNE 30, 2019

Actually, there is no much more to say apart from what we already knew about the Index : the visuals are astonishing, especially because of the 120 Hz refresh rate; the audio is a next-gen one; the controllers allow for a new kind of interactions; the headset is very comfortable; there is a very handful guide on how to setup it on Steam website.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 2, 2020

The coronavirus is also impacting the production of all the major VR headsets : we’re at the point that Valve’s customer service has no more left controllers to give to people for RMA. The only company not much affected by it is HTC, that manufacturers its headsets in Taiwan and not in Mainland China. Image by Microsoft).

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ARVR

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Here are just some of the tech stocks many are looking at right now (in no particular order): Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) For the people who brought you the Hololens 2, probably the most sophisticated pair of mixed reality smart glasses out there to date.

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Virtual Reality AR Augmented Reality Google 130

The Ghost Howls

APRIL 5, 2021

It’s a good read , full of interesting anecdotes, like when it is written that Beat Saber became the testbench for the tracking of the Quest controllers , or that Asgard’s Wrath, in the beginning, was a tower defense game. Microsoft signs a $22B deal with the US Army. Well played, Microsoft. More info. (And

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The Ghost Howls

JANUARY 2, 2019

On the contrary, Microsoft has worked a lot on the platform, to make it more appealing to enterprise customers. It has released experiences like Microsoft Remote Assist, that let different teams in a company work together to solve maintenance problems. During 2019 we will also see support for two controllers of the headset.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 16, 2020

And while this is anyway a good result for a startup (developing an AR headsets means spending billions in R&D), targeting the consumer market has been a suicide move , that let Microsoft get full control of the profitable enterprise market. The VR route is instead being pursued by HTC (with its VEC event happening soon) and IEEE.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

NOVEMBER 5, 2016

Matt Wilburn, the company’s chief operating officer, said in an exclusive interview with GamesBeat that Morph 3D has created the Ready Room, a VR space where you can customize your own VR character using an HTC Vive VR headset. You have shaping controls to morph them to your own interests,” Frei said.

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The Ghost Howls

APRIL 27, 2020

We’re looking for a Unity dev for a freelance gig lasting 1–2 months, ideally from Italy or a nearby country (for easier management). It is in Italian, but basically it says that we’re looking for a Unity dev with preferred experience with VR and/or multiplayer games. Unity Reflect its a great XR tool for enterprise customers.

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Course Magic Leap AR Oculus 260

The Ghost Howls

MAY 17, 2021

Image by HTC Vive). HTC launches Vive Focus 3 and Vive Pro 2. In the end, the rumors were correct and HTC launched two headsets at VIVECON: the Vive Pro 2 and the Vive Focus 3 Business Edition. base stations) Controllers : Vive Wands. Then, the price is a bit high , and this is very HTC. Top news of the week.

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VRScout

MAY 7, 2018

Brought to us by immersive and interactive design studio Cutmod, VR Massage is a trip, out-of-body experience which involves a VR headset, a Microsoft Kinect camera and a real-life massage therapist. Upon first entering the exhibit i was instructed to lay on a specially-designed massage table fitted with an HTC Vive headset at the face rest.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

JUNE 13, 2023

This could actually be quite beneficial for Meta, Microsoft, and Magic Leap. It was great to see that the device would be controlled using our hands, instead of external controllers, meaning that it is far more intuitive for people to use and should ensure success when the product is released.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 26, 2018

HTC has finally revealed the price of the Vive Pro : it will cost $799 just to have the headset (no controller and no base stations, so you must already have a Vive 1 kit) and will be available for pre-orders since April, 5th. But, as Road To VR has stated, maybe HTC should have clarified that in all its marketing material.

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VRScout

MAY 3, 2017

PlayStation looks to an arcade rollout, Shazam goes augmented, AMD wants to go wireless, HTC Viveport’s new subscription service, the investment & funding wrapup, and more… You can enjoy the full audio recording below: IT’S NOW WAY EASIER TO COMBINE 360 VIDEO AND ANIMATION. ICYMI: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM FACEBOOK’S F8 CONFERENCE.

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360 Video Video Augmented Reality Unity 150

XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

The firm’s first XR headset is due soon, and with it comes a spatial computing ambition that draws similarities and differences to Lenovo, Microsoft, Meta, HTC VIVE, and other XR headset vendors. Apple is gearing up for the Vision Pro debut.

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The Ghost Howls

APRIL 26, 2021

This week has mostly been in the sign of Oculus, with many news and updates from the brand controlled by Facebook. Before leaving you to the best news of the week, I would like to highlight two notable things about my work: My crazy trolling game “The Unity Cube” has been featured in a video by Upload VR!

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The Ghost Howls

OCTOBER 2, 2023

The new controller, the Touch Plus, seems also to track very well, and has the interesting feature that they have better tracking performances than Quest 2 ones around the torso of the player. On October 17th people will be able to buy the new Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses starting from $299.

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The Ghost Howls

DECEMBER 28, 2023

Later during testing, I received the SteamVR “lighthouse” faceplate , letting me enjoy the precision of sub-mm room-scale tracking, whilst enabling the use of Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Pimax Sword controllers, as well as Vive and Tundra trackers. It felt very cool to be detached from the tether.

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VRWorld

JUNE 22, 2016

As an industry, we need immersive experiences that will show what VR brings to the table and so far, there are two experiences one should go through: WeVR’s “theBlu” for HTC Vive and Crytek’s “The Climb” for Oculus Rift. VR should be considered as ‘liquid dreaming’, a dream you can control.

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