VRScout

MAY 19, 2017

There’s no party like a VR dance party. With Google I/O coming to a close, the three day developer conference saw its fair share of annoucements around VR and AR. Reveals included everything from a new standalone VR headset , updates to Daydream , and a more social YouTube. But among all the night’s pizza parties and live music, tucked away in a tent on the sprawling Mountain View grounds, sat a dance pool party like no other.

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Road to VR

MAY 15, 2017

Oculus Research, the VR and AR R&D division of the company, today announced a new display technology that they’re calling the “Focal Surface Display.” The display aims to improve the vergence-accommodation conflict that plagues today’s VR headsets. The company calls the work “groundbreaking.” Oculus Research’s Focal Surface Display prototype | Photo courtesy Oculus.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 18, 2017

Chrome is one of the first internet browsers to fully embrace WebVR, allowing you to head to certain web pages and then put on a Cardboard or Daydream headset to instantly access VR content. But what about WebAR? Such a concept doesn’t actually exist — at least not yet — but Google is starting to look into the idea. Today, the company is releasing an augmented reality API for Chromium.

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Slashgear

MAY 17, 2017

Google had an exciting announcement about virtual reality and augmented reality at its keynote today, revealing, among other things, that it is working with HTC, Lenovo and Qualcomm to produce standalone VR headsets. These headsets feature all of the necessary technology built into the device, eliminating the need to insert a phone or run a cable to a PC.

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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.

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VRScout

MAY 15, 2017

The virtual reality industry has a huge opportunity. While the VR/AR space is forming, we have a chance to do things differently. It is a sad state of affairs in the technology industry at large. Women make up less than 20% of the tech space, and only 3% of female students say they would consider a career in tech. In the venture capital space, it is even worse.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 17, 2017

Google today confirmed what we’ve long suspected; Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 smartphone will soon support Google’s Daydream mobile VR ecosystem. The news was announced on-stage at the Google I/O developer conference today. Both the S8 and S8 Plus will get a software update this summer that adds Daydream support. That means you’ll be able to pair the handsets with Daydream Ready headsets like Google’s own Daydream View and the upcoming device from Huawei and then access

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Cats and VR

MAY 19, 2017

The Spanish indie studio Vertical Robot has just launched their first VR title: Daedalus , a part platformer, part exploration game set in a spectacular oneiric and surreal world developed for Samsung Gear VR. Daedalus, architect and creator of fantastic mechanical artifacts, was imprisoned by the king Minos to prevent him from sharing his knowledge of Creta’s Labyrinth with others.

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VRScout

MAY 18, 2017

Create an avatar and experience YouTube VR content with friends. YouTube has been thinking about immersive video and the future of viewing experiences for awhile. The video platform became one of the first major players to allow 360° video sharing in 2015. Soon after, YouTube became the largest VR video platform over night by supporting playback within VR headsets like Google Cardboard.

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Road to VR

MAY 17, 2017

Google today announced that standalone VR headsets are coming to Daydream , the first of which will be made by HTC and Lenovo. Supporting these new devices is an inside-out positional tracking system that the company is calling ‘WorldSense’, which “dramatically” improves tracking over previous Daydream devices. WorldSense is a positional tracking system from Google that’s ‘inside-out’; that means it doesn’t need any external sensors or beacons to t

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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

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 19, 2017

All major console manufacturers have flagship first-party characters that define their systems and audience. For Nintendo it’s always been the colorful cast of the Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda franchises. For Microsoft it’s the Halo and Gears of War games. But for Sony, it’s changed with each console generation. The PS1 had Spyro and Crash Bandicoot, the PS2 had Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, and Kratos from God of War.

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Cats and VR

MAY 19, 2017

Virtual reality has changed how we create. From games and movies, to experiences and tools—we’re just beginning to see what’s possible. But what happens when you take traditional artistic methods and transfer them to VR? This Saturday Magik Gallery will bring together some of the most innovative artists and admired immersive creators in virtual and augmented reality art for an exposition featuring a collection of painted worlds, invisible sculptures, immersive illustrations and interactive narra

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VRScout

MAY 17, 2017

Google Expeditions expands services to include educational AR for students. Joining the list of announcements made during the first day of the 2017 Google I/O conference are plans to further expand the company’s Google Expeditions , helping to bring augmented reality experiences into classrooms across the U.S. Coming to schools this fall, the immersive applications will allow students to collectively experience an active volcano, explore a strand of DNA, inspect the Statue of David or ev

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Road to VR

MAY 18, 2017

Google has revealed a new ‘surface light-field’ rendering technology that it’s calling ‘Seurat’ (after the famous Pointillism painter). The company says that the tech will not only bring CGI quality visuals to mobile VR, but it will do so at a miniscule filesize—a hurdle that other light-field approaches have struggled to surmount.

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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.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 17, 2017

Looks like the rumors are true; Google just announced it’s working on its very own standalone VR headsets at its I/O conference. Meet WorldSense. Google’s VP of VR Clay Bavor introduced this new initiative towards the end of the conference. These devices are being made with partners, a little like Microsoft works with partners for its Windows 10 headsets.

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Cats and VR

MAY 15, 2017

Baskhead Training is pretty interesting take on VR Basketball. In this game you will be able to to play basketball like never before: this time you’re not the player but the hoop! Your goal is to become the best hoop on earth! It sounds pretty ridiculous but it is actually quite fun. The game has two modes, a Story mode where you will have to face 20 entertaining levels with the help of hoopmaster, your coach.

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VRScout

MAY 18, 2017

Now your friends won’t miss out the next time you’re in VR. Part of the latest Daydream Euphrates update announced at Google I/O Wednesday, you’ll soon be able to share what you’re seeing while in VR, as well as cast your virtual world right onto the screen in your living room. Daydream Cast. The first Daydream sharing update brings the ability to select “Cast” and choose where you want your VR session to be broadcast, whether a nearby Chromecast or smart TV.

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Road to VR

MAY 19, 2017

During an interview at the Game Developers Conference at the end of March, head of Oculus’ PC VR division Brendan Iribe stated that the Rift will remain the company’s flagship VR headset for “at least the next two years”. The report by The Verge also discussed the company’s future direction for inside-out tracking and glove-free hand tracking.

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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

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 18, 2017

Before my demo at Google I/O, Google’s head of VR Clay Bavor outlined a series of caveats and expectations for what I was about to experience. First, he said, I was going to use a generation older hardware from internal prototypes that likely would be improved upon in practically every way before its release as a reference design to developers and eventually to consumers (Google hopes at least HTC can achieve consumer release in 2017 with its first standalone headset).

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Cats and VR

MAY 18, 2017

“Exterminator Extraordinaire” Dick Wilde blasts onto PSVR today after his initial launch on Oculus and Vive last month. The madcap shooter will be compatible with both the PlayStation Aim and Move controllers. New London-based publisher, PlayStack, is pleased to announce the PSVR launch of their first VR game, Dick Wilde, after it’s launch on Oculus and vive on April 30th.

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VRScout

MAY 18, 2017

A German student is combining AR technology with an 80’s ultrasound to display scanner data in real-time. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. That must have been the thought going through Victor Skobov’s head as he began converting the output of an ultrasound machine found in a dumpster into a real-time augmented reality overlay. A regular at Shackspace in Stuttgart, Germany, Skobov came across the obscure hardware after a fellow hacker happened upon the device while diving throug

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Road to VR

MAY 13, 2017

In a recent interview, HTC Vive General Manager Daniel O’Brien provided a carefully-worded answer when asked specifically about a ‘Vive 2’. HTC’s current VR headset is now over year old; PC VR hardware cycles are anticipated to last somewhere between 1 and 3 years. “We’re always continuing to listen to developers, what they think is the most beneficial next-generation improvements and that’s how we’re solving the next headset and when that will come to market”, O’Brien said in response to a ques

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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

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 19, 2017

Gear VR got a massive refresh recently. Not only did a new version of Samsung and Oculus’ mobile VR headset release with a new motion controller , but there were updates on the software side, too. These updates were delivered with the help of the new React VR framework. When the new Gear arrived, so too did a new version of the Oculus Home hub that Gear VR users enter every time they boot the headset up, much like they do on Rift.

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Cats and VR

MAY 15, 2017

Award-winning game developer and publisher EnsenaSoft has announced the worldwide release of VR Chair Games for HTC-Vive and Oculus Rift, a fantastic collection of seven challenging VR games suitable to VR enthusiasts of all experience levels. Each game within collection has a duration of four minutes with the ultimate goal of achieving the highest possible score for each gameplay session.

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VRScout

MAY 15, 2017

Nike is stepping feet first into the future. With the help of Dell and Meta, the global athletic wear company just released an “aggressive” video showing the potential for VR, mixed reality, and more in the future of design. Using Dell’s Canvas tablet computer, the video highlights Nike’s innovative vision for the future of design, including voice control, mixed reality, and haptic technology to streamline the footwear design process.

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Road to VR

MAY 19, 2017

Google’s newly announced Seurat rendering tech purportedly makes use of ‘surface light-fields’ to turn high-quality CGI film assets into detailed virtual environments that can run on mobile VR hardware. The company gave Seurat to ILMxLab, the immersive entertainment division of Industrial Light and Magic, to see what they could do with it using assets directly from Star Wars.

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Speaker: Micah Eppler, Account Executive for Rehearsal of eLearning Brothers

Did you know that companies such as Paychex, 3M, and Honeywell are getting better results by incorporating video-based practice and coaching within their L&D strategy? From sales pitches to soft skills, learners are becoming top performers by applying and validating knowledge transfer using the unique benefits of video. Whether used as a stand-alone application or integrated with a learning platform, video-based practice and coaching platforms give learners the ultimate opportunity to repeatedly

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