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. The headsets planned from HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer will use what’s known as “inside-out” position tracking.

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The Ghost Howls

MAY 25, 2020

OMG, it’s almost 3 years that I write these roundups… the first week peek was exclusive for my blog subscribers and it featured as best news the release of Google Blocks and in the other news something about Samsung Gear VR… how much time has passed since then! Image by Oculus). The Oculus Quest is now one year old.

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The Ghost Howls

APRIL 20, 2020

Last Oculus Quest update shows hints of an Oculus MR ecosystem. Facebook is continuously updating the Oculus Quest , its most successful device, and this week it has rolled out the runtime v16. I think that this update, together with the last ones, marks the beginning of a mixed reality ecosystem that is being built by Oculus.

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The Ghost Howls

DECEMBER 23, 2019

Besides that, it is also hiring key figures to make this AR dream a reality : the operating system project will be supervised by Mark Lucovsky, a former Microsoft engineer who co-developed Windows NT. Oculus releases hands tracking SDK, official Link cable for Quest and more. Other relevant news.

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Oculus Hand tracking AR Unity 208

The Ghost Howls

JUNE 23, 2020

Ready At Dawn was already collaborating with Oculus since various years, so this is not surprising. Content is the king, and Facebook knows it needs great content of its own to fight Microsoft, Sony, and the other big brands for the domination of the VR sector. Google experiments on Lightfields streaming. News worth a mention.

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Apple Magic Leap Gaming AR 275

The Ghost Howls

SEPTEMBER 22, 2019

Considering that Facebook is very smart also in leaking misleading info (as it has happened with the “Monterey” headset ), this can also be a move from Menlo Park to create hype for the upcoming Oculus Connect 6 and the AR glasses that will be teased there. The Oculus Connect 6 is coming! Other relevant news. Image by Martin Hajek).

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ARVR

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

We’ve seen various flavors over the years such as Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D , and of course Google Earth and Street View. Speaking of Google Earth, its VR edition is an immersive dive into 3D cities around the world. Winning Bet One question that arises from all of the above is if Realworld can compete with Google Earth VR.

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The Ghost Howls

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Oculus official side distribution platform is coming soon. Last year, Facebook announced that it was going to release in 2021 a new side content distribution platform for the Oculus Quest. Google makes Tilt Brush opensource. Google has just announced that the VR painting program Tilt Brush has been put opensource on GitHub.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 2, 2020

To make you understand how these features are incredible, Qualcomm has stated that “the [XR2] reference design has 2x the CPU and GPU performance, 4x more video bandwidth, 6x higher resolution and 11x AI improvement compared to our current widely adopted XR platform [the Oculus Quest ]”. Image by Microsoft). News worth a mention.

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The Ghost Howls

APRIL 13, 2020

On the other side, this is massive for Apple, that mixing the data of Apple Maps together with all these point clouds detected by the rear cameras when in use, will be able to create an AR Cloud ecosystem probably even before Facebook, Microsoft, and Google. Let’s see if Facebook will be a worthier opponent than Google.

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VRScout

DECEMBER 26, 2018

While hardware advancements such as the HTC Vive Pro and Oculus Rift have solidified at-home VR as a viable option, those looking for next-level immersion will still find the most success with location-based VR installations. LOCATION-BASED VR. Of course we can’t talk about standalone VR without bringing up the HTC Vive Focus.

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ARPost

APRIL 11, 2023

Companies like Google, Microsoft, Lenovo, and Vuzix are developing smart glasses to enhance the AR experience. VR-Enabled Online Shopping Experiences VR creates an immersive visual environment, including 360-degree videos, photos, product demos, and complex experiences using devices such as the HTC Vive or Oculus Quest.

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The Ghost Howls

DECEMBER 13, 2021

Microsoft and Samsung may be partnering for an AR device. According to Korean media, Samsung Electronics is working with Microsoft on a new augmented/mixed reality project “involving HoloLens”. This gives more power to Google Glass, that are not doing that bad in the enterprise environment after a total disaster as a prosumer device.

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The Ghost Howls

AUGUST 25, 2019

At Disney D23, people got the first preview of Vader Immortal 2, the sequel of the very successful game for Oculus Quest. More info (Vader Immortal 2 description) More info (Vader Immortal 2 hands-on session). Image by Oculus). But honestly, I think this is bad news for Oculus. Other relevant news. has been released.

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The Ghost Howls

OCTOBER 26, 2020

While Oculus is getting all the glory for the Quest, its competitors are not sleeping. Huawei has upgraded its sleek VR glasses and now they support 6DOF movement and 6DOF controllers that are very similar to the Oculus Touch. Notwithstanding all this hate, the Oculus Quest 2 is selling very well. Other relevant news.

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The Ghost Howls

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

These are huge numbers for VR: if you look at the most recent SteamVR survey, you get that Oculus headsets are now at 67% of the whole PCVR market. A report from Insider states that Microsoft may have canceled its plans for HoloLens 3. It’s basically a monopoly. But there is also bad news to talk about. Some updates on Meta products.

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The Ghost Howls

OCTOBER 19, 2021

Vive Flow is a 6DOF headset that works with your Android phone as a 3DOF controller (hands tracking is coming in the future). HTC advertises it as a headset for relaxation and productivity because it wants to position it as a different product than a gaming machine like Oculus Quest 2.

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The Ghost Howls

JANUARY 11, 2022

To showcase its functionality, HTC showed some videos of the tracker in use to improve the performances of hands tracking and also with the tracker installed on external props. The gloves can be so thin because they feature no tracking technology, and they rely on the hand tracking system of the headset (e.g.

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VRScout

AUGUST 17, 2016

Project Alloy stands alone among the current lineup of technologies available because it isn’t tethered to a desktop computer like HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, nor does it use a smartphone like Google Cardboard, Gear VR or Google Daydream. It is so precise that it tracks down to individual finger movements.

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VRScout

AUGUST 17, 2016

Project Alloy stands alone among the current lineup of technologies available because it isn’t tethered to a desktop computer like HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, nor does it use a smartphone like Google Cardboard, Gear VR or Google Daydream. It is so precise that it tracks down to individual finger movements.

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Head Mounted Display Hand tracking Leap Motion Virtual Reality 150

The Ghost Howls

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

(Image by Microsoft). According to Reuters, Microsoft’s executive vice president Harry Shum took the stage at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai and said that the HoloLens 2 will be released sometime in September of this year. My review of Google Hand tracking library. >> More info.

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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. Valve Index and Oculus Quest were on sale again. Image by Oculus). Who knows….

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AR Insider

JANUARY 18, 2021

The experience will debut this winter on PSVR and Oculus. The product increases and improves upon haptic feedback, form factor, and hand tracking to enable a user’s feeling of shapes, textures, and resistance in VR. The company is currently developing an email service to compete with Google and Microsoft.

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Las Vegas Haptic AR Healthcare 279

The Ghost Howls

NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Oculus brands disappears. And most importantly, the Oculus brand will disappear and will just become Meta : Oculus Quest will be the Meta Quest (yes, it sounds terribly, I know). He says that “We all have a strong attachment to the Oculus brand, and this was a very difficult decision to make”, but I don’t believe him at all.

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The Ghost Howls

MAY 11, 2020

Image by Oculus). Facebook is working on a new version of the Oculus Quest. According to a report by Bloomberg, Oculus is working on a new Oculus Quest model, and it has already done prototypes that are lighter and more powerful than the current device. Top news of the week. Mechanical IPD is confirmed.

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Upload VR

JUNE 9, 2023

Google chickened out , Microsoft got distracted , and it's totally understandable if you lost interest in VR when they did. Yes, Google might still be resurgent with Android, powered by Owlchemy's insights and Samsung's hardware , and other companies might surprise with a novel strategy too. This is happening.

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The Ghost Howls

JANUARY 22, 2021

As a long-time AR enthusiast, and one of the first to have tried Google Glass in Italy, I have to admit that I will consider AR mainstream only when it will be on glasses that we will wear all day , when we’ll live in a completely shared mixed reality world (the AR Cloud). Didn’t work (Image by Microsoft). Sounded good.

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Augmented Reality Magic Leap AR Apple 477

The Ghost Howls

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

This has been the week of the OC6, but, believe it or not, I have been able to find some other interesting news that don’t regard Oculus. Image by Oculus). Oculus bets on Oculus Quest at OC6. Well, the top news of the week is, of course, the Oculus Connect 6. Do you want to read them? Top news of the week.

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ARPost

APRIL 22, 2022

The XRA is an industry organization founded by Google , HTC VIVE , Microsoft , Oculus , and Sony Interactive Entertainment. The world-facing cameras on XR devices that enable world-tracking in AR and hand-tracking in VR contribute to what some are calling “the era of constant reality capture.”

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 9, 2020

This week, the damn coronavirus has caused the cancelation of three super-important events: GTC (that will be substituted by the streaming of the sessions), SXSW and Google I/O. More info (GTC canceled) More info (SXSW canceled) More info (Google I/O canceled) More info (Facebook & working from home).

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Video Nashville Oculus AR 201

The Ghost Howls

JUNE 15, 2020

Late to the party after Oculus and Microsoft already released prototypical implementations, but finally Valve has implemented OpenXR into its runtime SteamVR. Someone is working on a Linux driver for the Oculus Rift. Indie developer Thaytan is working on a Linux driver for the Oculus Rift. Other relevant news.

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The Ghost Howls

DECEMBER 21, 2020

Facebook has found a way to provide very robust hands tracking. A paper by FRL Research shows a new algorithm that Facebook has found to provide optimal bimanual hands tracking. More info (Use Google Translate). Oculus is shipping again the Elite Straps. Microsoft Flight Simulator comes to VR.

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The Ghost Howls

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Image leaked from Oculus runtime). The design of Oculus Quest 2 Pro and controllers has been leaked. The negative reputation could stick with the social network, but not influence products like Oculus headsets, for instance. Aero still features an impressive resolution and pixel density, and also integrated eye-tracking.

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The Ghost Howls

SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Oculus Quest 2. The biggest announcement of the event has been for sure the Oculus Quest 2, that Facebook has not only revealed but also launched. Oculus Quest 2 is a great piece of technology. Then Oculus will move the whole experience to 90Hz. The magic of the Oculus Quest 2 (Image by Facebook). Specifications.

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The Ghost Howls

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Image by Google). Google completely opensources Cardboard. With a surprise move, Google has announced with a blog post that it ha opensourced completely Cardboard. Google affirms that Cardboard has been a huge success to introduce people into VR, and more than 15 million headsets have been distributed.

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The Ghost Howls

JULY 24, 2023

Luckily there is AR that is still strong, and we can hope to wear Google AR glasses soon… ah no, they are dead too. For me this is not a fortunate sentence: this is what Alex Kipman said about the HoloLens, a few weeks before the whole Microsoft Mixed Reality division was disbanded and he was fired from the company.

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Apple Survey Machine Learning AR 291

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. Of course, it will exploit the already awesome Microsoft platform.

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