Road to VR

MAY 11, 2017

Praised as one of the greatest games ever made, the 13 year old Half-Life 2 is a lauded piece of gaming history. But soon you’ll be able to revisit the perils of City 17 using the latest and greatest VR hardware around. A reborn mod project is bringing compatibility for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive with full motion input support, remastered visuals, a made-for-VR UI, realistic weapon interactions, and more.

Controllers 279

Controllers Razer Oculus HTC 279

VRScout

MAY 11, 2017

These controllers look familiar. Microsoft brought their latest mixed reality efforts front and center Thursday at its Build conference in Seattle. On top of partner device and price announcements that challenge the likes of Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, Microsoft also unveiled new controllers as part of mixed reality headset bundles. The new controllers are part of Microsoft’s new computing platform that they refer to as “mixed reality” because of its combination of augmented and virtual reality.

Controllers 208

Controllers Microsoft Seattle HTC 208

Road to VR

MAY 11, 2017

High PC hardware requirements are one reason why VR’s initial buy-in cost is often cited around $1,500, but as GPUs get more powerful and cheaper over time, more people are ending up with ‘VR Ready’ hardware, perhaps without even meaning to. Today an estimated 25 million Steam users already have one of the most expensive parts of the VR Ready equation: a powerful GPU that meets the VR industry’s recommended specifications.

Hardware 267

Hardware Oculus Survey Education 267

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

In a keynote today Microsoft is revealing a long-awaited missing piece of its Windows mixed reality platform – motion controllers. We still don’t have many details on the new controllers beyond the fact that they are said to offer full six degrees of freedom — like Oculus Touch and Vive’s wands — but that they need to be in sight of the headset’s outward-facing cameras and sensors to be fully tracked.

Microsoft 231

Microsoft Controllers HTC Survey 231

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

To avoid awkward and sometimes disastrous learning content, instructional designers must use authentic translation in the right context to get optimal results. For example, even a simple phrase like “got milk” translates to “are you lactating” in Mexico. Can you imagine what a straight translation might do to your course? With over 317 million people in the US and over 6.7 billion potential customers in the world, personalizing training seems logical.

Mexico

Road to VR

MAY 11, 2017

Today Microsoft announced that developers in the US and Canada can now pre-order the Acer ($299) and HP ($329) Mixed Reality headsets from the Microsoft Store. Delivery of the headsets is scheduled for August 2017. In October, Terry Myerson, Microsoft executive VP of Windows and Devices announced that the company had partnered with HP, Lenovo, Dell, Asus, and Acer to make VR headsets a part of the new Windows 10 Creator’s Update.

Microsoft 236

Microsoft Canada Virtual Reality Controllers 236

Road to VR

MAY 11, 2017

At today’s Microsoft Build 2017 presentation, creators at Cirque du Soleil demonstrated a custom creative toolset on stage using HoloLens technology. The world-class theater production company says the tools can be used to greatly enhance and accelerate the set design process for future shows thanks to real-time local digital collaborative design. But, speaking to Microsoft’s self-described Mixed Reality “spectrum,” it was also demonstrated how a remote VR user could seamless c

AR 228

AR Microsoft Europe Augmented Reality 228

VRScout

MAY 11, 2017

A Drag-and-drop SDK helps developers easily monetize their VR & AR experiences. Vertebrae has officially launched beta version 1.0 of its native advertising platform for VR and mobile AR in the form of a drag-and-drop software development kit. The Santa Monica-based team delivers an platform that offers monetization options to VR & AR developers without, according to the company, interfering with the user experience.

AR 169

AR Unity Video Software 169

Road to VR

MAY 11, 2017

Today Microsoft has unveiled their Windows Mixed Reality motion controllers. The controllers fill in a major gap in Microsoft’s strategy to become the “most complete platform across the broadest range of mixed reality devices and experiences.” . While we expect to hear a lot more about the company’s VR controllers at the Build conference today, Microsoft has so far confirmed the following: The controllers will come bundled with the Acer VR headset for $400 and be available on r

Microsoft 224

Microsoft Controllers Hardware Retail 224

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

If there were ever a Steam Greenlight project that deserved the entire internet’s collective power of clicking on a “Yes” button, then this Half-Life 2 VR mod would be that project. We originally reported on the mod last month when a short teaser trailer was released by the SourceVR Mod Team on YouTube, but one of the mod’s chief creators, Worm Slayer, has now released a full features trailer, along with an actual Greenlight campaign.

Controllers 189

Controllers HTC Gaming Oculus 189

Advertisement

With a rapidly changing economy, Avangrid Renewables looked to virtual reality to develop a standardized form of immersive training in order to onboard and upskill technicians faster than ever before.

Virtual Reality

Road to VR

MAY 11, 2017

In an interesting move, Google has acquired Owlchemy Labs , makers of the multi-platform hits Job Simulator (2016) and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality (2017). As far as VR game studios go, Owlchemy Labs is not only one of the most senior, but one of the most successful out of the gate. While in no small part due to the fact that the studio’s breakout success Job Simulator was available at launch for HTC Vive, PlayStation VR and then later Oculus Touch, the company has become well-kn

Simulation 210

Simulation Google Gaming HTC 210

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

One of the first games I thought about playing in VR when I finally got my hands on the consumer edition of the Vive, with its motion tracked controllers, was Black & White. The iconic God game from Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios is renowned for delivering an immersive and satisfying gameplay loop of what it would be like to be a giant, towering, God to a society.

Gaming 188

Gaming Immersion Controllers Examples 188

Road to VR

MAY 11, 2017

Microsoft Technical Fellow and chief inventor of HoloLens, Alex Kipman, took the stage today at Microsoft Build 2017 to show off a number of upcoming mixed reality hardware and software streaming out of the company and its partners. Among the announcements—including pre-orders of Windows Holographic Headsets from Acer and HP and a new VR hand controller —was a teaser for more to come at E3 in June. “Holiday 2017 is going to be phenomenal,” said Kipman. “We have a product lineup

Microsoft 208

Microsoft Hardware Software Controllers 208

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

Virtual reality is here to stay but, at this point, it’s still trying to figure out exactly how to generate revenue. One tried and true method in Silicon Valley for turning an idea into cash is to start tying advertisements to it. Now, a partnership between the Disney-backed Jaunt and 360 advertising startup OmniVirt is going to see if the advertising model works in VR.

Virtual Reality 181

Virtual Reality China Strategy Samsung 181

Speaker: Richard Goring, Director at BrightCarbon

Remote meetings are here to stay - and many are BORING. If you are trying to engage your learners (or any audience), compelling content is critical. But trying to create stimulating content with the same tools you’ve always had is hard, right? Thankfully, wrong! Terrific tools in PowerPoint along with visual assets help you create the kind of dynamic content you need to capture your remote audience’s attention, with functions that allow for interactive sequences and navigation.

How To

Road to VR

MAY 11, 2017

Battlezone (2016), the low-poly, high-action reboot of the classic Atari game, launched as a timed exclusive with PlayStation VR when it hit shelves in October of last year. Today owners of HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and OSVR can now strap into the cockpit of the game’s sci-fi hovertanks. Designed by Rebellion to work with gamepad (and Touch controllers for Oculus Store purchases), the new PC version of the game promises higher resolution textures, shadows, reflections—basically higher reso

Oculus 196

Oculus HTC Controllers Gaming 196

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

VR headset developer kits from Acer and HP that work with Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 10 mixed reality platform will be available for pre-order today starting at around $300. The hardware of the headsets themselves likely won’t change between when these systems start shipping to developers and when they are marketed toward consumers in a push planned for the holidays this year, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft 176

Microsoft New York Hardware Software 176

Cats and VR

MAY 11, 2017

Today, Ubisoft ® announced that Hungry Shark ® VR, the seventh installment in the successful mobile franchise developed by Future Games of London, is available on Google Daydream. With five different shark species boasting unique characteristics, Hungry Shark VR takes players to the Mediterranean setting made famous by the Hungry Shark series. Players will complete three missions in total: Eat, Checkpoint Race and Rescue.

Google 101

Google Unity Controllers Virtual Reality 101

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

Creating a future where the technology imagined in books like Ready Player One and movies like The Matrix actually exists is going to take a lot more than solid virtual reality headsets. It’s also going to require insane computing horsepower and new methodologies for the creation and exploration of computer generated worlds. This is a tough problem to tackle, but one startup has just moved 500 million steps closer to what they hope is a viable solution.

Tools 170

Tools Singapore Unreal Latency 170

Speaker: Nik Gowing, Brenda Laurel, Sheridan Tatsuno, Archie Kasnet, and Bruce Armstrong Taylor

With 191 country signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement now hard at work in the race to zero carbon by 2050, much of the heavy lifting in ecosystem sustainability falls on the shoulders of the world's densely populated urban centers. This conversation considers how today's AI-enabled simulation media, such as AR/VR, can be effectively applied to accelerate learning, understanding, training, and solutions-modeling to sustainability planning and design.

Simulation

Slashgear

MAY 11, 2017

Microsoft has revealed the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, its latest big upgrade with better desktop and mobile integration, VR, and more. Announced at BUILD 2017 today, it’s the follow-on to the Windows 10 Creators Update, that began rolling out last month to what Microsoft says is now a cohort of more than 500m devices. Curious? Sure you are, and … Continue reading.

Microsoft 66

Microsoft Virtual Reality Software 66

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

After being revealed at E3 last year, Sony’s new Aim Controller, a gun-shaped, position-tracked device that supports its PlayStation VR (PSVR) headset is nearly upon us. The kit is set to launch as a bundle with anticipated first-person shooter, Farpoint next week for $75, but Sony previously promised it would work with other games too. Now we know what those games are.

Controllers 165

Controllers Gaming Sony Entertainment 165

Slashgear

MAY 11, 2017

Microsoft has unveiled its take on VR controllers, with the Windows 10 Mixed Reality motion controllers making their debut at BUILD 2017 today. Intended to pair with the Windows Mixed Reality headsets we’ve already seen announced from a number of companies, the controllers allow for better interaction in virtual 3D space. Meanwhile, there’s also news for developers hoping to get … Continue reading.

Controllers 62

Controllers Microsoft Augmented Reality Virtual Reality 62

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

Two new VR headsets joined the spec sheet fray today; Microsoft pulled back the curtain on its first two Windows 10 headsets made by Acer and HP. While both are lower in cost than the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, they present dramatically different means of delivering immersive experiences than what we’ve seen before. It’s getting increasingly harder to track which VR headsets off which features and for what price.

HTC 165

HTC Microsoft Oculus Course 165

Speaker: Treion Muller, Chief Strategy Officer at ELB Learning

Since when has learning and development (L&D) become such a negative experience with its intended learners? Could it be because learners have been conditioned by very poor learning experiences over the past two decades, combined with the kinks of technological innovation? Or is it because learning has typically been designed as a one-size-fits-all solution, despite the fact that humans are not clones?

Technology

Wired VR

MAY 11, 2017

You'll be able to buy Microsoft's new controller this holiday season. The post Microsoft Shows Off Its Own Super-Sensing VR Controller appeared first on WIRED.

Microsoft 58

Microsoft Controllers Augmented Reality Virtual Reality 58

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

You might think people with binocular vision disorders wouldn’t be able to properly enjoy the experience of VR. As it turns out, VR is actually treating people with these conditions, and the company behind it has plans for growth. Vivid Vision today announced that it had raised some $2.2 million in a seed funding round led by Jeff Clavier from SoftTech VC and supported by The VR Fund, CRCM Ventures, SOS Ventures, Anorak Ventures, and Liquid 2 Ventures.

HTC 123

HTC Course Oculus Gaming 123

Immersive Authority

MAY 11, 2017

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers networked or internet connected devices which have embedded electronics such as sensors or actuators that can exchange data, be [.]. The post A Guide to IoT and the opportunities it presents to succeed in the 4th Industrial Revolution appeared first on Immersive Authority.

Industry 49

Industry Data Immersion How To 49

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

It was just over a year ago now that Microsoft closed one of the UK videogame industry’s most respected developers, Lionhead. This week its former Studio Director has joined one of Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) teams. Stuart Whyte has signed up to Sony’s London Studio, GamesIndustry.biz reports. Whyte will serve as Director of VR Product Development at the studio, which is known for creating PSVR launch minigame compilation, PlayStation VR Worlds.

Sony 116

Sony Microsoft Augmented Reality Industry 116

Speaker: Bruce Armstrong Taylor, Co-Founder & Managing Director of SmartNations Foundation, Jimmy Jia, Venture Partner at Pi Labs, Fabienne Durand, Senior Advisor to the SmartNations Foundation, & Roger Strukhoff, Executive Director of the Tau Institute

The Climate 4.0 Economy. Climate change is here. We see it in many ways already. Weather catastrophes: Texas freezing over, the wildfires of California, the increasingly unpredictable violence and frequency of hurricanes, the rapid melting and disappearance of polar ice caps. Much more evidence all around us. What can we do in our corporate organizations, in our homes and communities, to change the current course?

Government