Microsoft, Oculus, Samsung and Strategy

Microsoft’s Meandering XR Strategy Could Lead to Another Zune Moment

Road to VR

JUNE 22, 2023

At least from the outside, it appears Microsoft isn’t actively competing for a seat at the XR table, which is fairly odd coming from a company that pioneered enterprise AR while simultaneously wrangling some of its top OEM partners to make a fleet of PC VR headsets for consumers in 2017. If Microsoft goes in half-cocked, maybe.

Strategy

Strategy Microsoft Magic Leap Apple

Report Casts Doubt on HoloLens 3, Microsoft Says AR Headset is “doing great”

Road to VR

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Microsoft’s enterprise-focused HoloLens 3 may be dead in the water, as a recent report maintains that internal divisions have hobbled the company’s efforts to release its next AR headset as planned. Alex Kipman wearing HoloLens 2, Image courtesy Microsoft. Microsoft Responds.

Microsoft

Microsoft AR Samsung Magic Leap

The XR Week Peek (2020.01.27): Samsung may be working on a new headset, Half-Life: Alyx will ship on time and much more!

The Ghost Howls

JANUARY 27, 2020

Image by Samsung, taken from Upload VR). Samsung may launch a next-gen Samsung Odyssey. A recent filing at the Chinese IP offices makes us speculate on a new PC VR headset in the works by Samsung. Or that Microsoft is working on a new reference design that fixes the issues of the first one? Top news of the week.

Samsung

Samsung Survey Unity Oculus

VR is Getting an Official ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Game from ‘Demeo’ Studio

Road to VR

JANUARY 24, 2024

While the studio says the game is set to be built exclusively for VR, digital strategy and licensing chief at Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Eugene Evans calls Resolution Games “an ideal partner to bring a new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS video game to life in VR and beyond,” which could possibly point to a non-VR release coming as well.

Gaming

Gaming Strategy Samsung Microsoft

With Facebook’s ????, Oculus Is Fending off Old Enemies, Former Friends, and New Foes

Road to VR

OCTOBER 30, 2017

At Oculus Connect, the company’s annual developer conference, we got fresh insight into where Oculus is heading, and a new look at how Facebook’s money is funding battles on all fronts of the industry’s increasingly competitive landscape. Oculus Rift + Touch Price Cuts in 2017. Old Enemies – HTC. Launch – $800.

Oculus

Oculus Samsung Microsoft Hardware

Facebook Surges in U.S. Patent Rankings Due to Mounting AR Strategy

Road to VR

JANUARY 16, 2020

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC. Patent Rankings Due to Mounting AR Strategy appeared first on Road to VR. Here’s a quick look at the top ten in comparison to Facebook, courtesy of Fairview Research: Organization. 2019 Grants. 2018 Grants. Rank Change. International Business Machines Corp.

Head Mounted Display

Head Mounted Display Strategy AR Machine Learning

Community Download: Are Oculus and HTC The Apple and Microsoft of VR?

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

JANUARY 29, 2017

For every Nintendo there is a Sega and for every Apple there is a Microsoft. There are a handful of major players already cutting their teeth in VR including Google, Sony and Samsung; but the two titans sitting at the top of the heap are Oculus and HTC. Oculus/Apple . HTC/Microsoft .

Microsoft

Microsoft HTC Apple Oculus

The XR Week Peek (2020.05.25): new rumors on Apple Glasses, Oculus Quest anniversary, HP Reverb G2 and more!

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. We’ll see….

Oculus

Oculus Apple Hand tracking Magic Leap

Trends and predictions for XR in 2024

The Ghost Howls

MARCH 1, 2024

I don’t know how many of them will prove to be true, but for sure they all can be something that can inspire you to define your XR strategy for this year. Apple has unveiled the Vision Pro, while Google has announced a mixed-reality headset that is being built together with Samsung and Qualcomm.

Trends

Trends Apple Google Unity

Xbox Game Studios Has (inadvertently?) Acquired Heaps of VR Development Talent

Road to VR

JUNE 18, 2019

A year ago, in response to Sony consistently delivering high-quality exclusives for PS4, Microsoft made a commitment to rejuvenating its first-party game development efforts and went on a shopping spree, acquiring a handful of respected studios to bolster its first-party game development talent under the Xbox Game Studios banner.

Gaming

Gaming Microsoft Industry Sony

AltspaceVR Releases New World-Building Kits

VRScout

AUGUST 9, 2018

Microsoft just announced new tools to make it easier for users to build and share their own virtual spaces. The two new world-building kits are based on Altspace’s most popular environments: Campfire and Alien World / Origin but Microsoft says they’re aiming to release more kits soon, as well as allwing for more customization options.

Microsoft

Microsoft Tools Strategy Samsung

AR’s Remote Work Moment: A Conversation with Spatial

AR Insider

JUNE 4, 2020

This timing prompted Spatial to launch on Oculus Quest and make its PRO tier free. Starting at the beginning, the Spatial user experience (UX) is the first thing you’ll notice when entering the app (I accessed via Oculus Quest). This is by design says VP of BD and Strategy, Jacob Lowenstein. Here’s the deep dive.

Strategy

Strategy AR Google Oculus

The XR Week Peek (2020.01.20): Oculus Go price cut down to $150, Mojo Vision teases AR contact lenses and much more!

The Ghost Howls

JANUARY 19, 2020

Oculus Go price cut down to $150. Facebook has permanently cut down the price of the Oculus Go to $150 , the same price that made it sell incredibly well on Amazon during the Cyber Monday. More info (Oculus Go price cut) More info (Xiaomi laying off the team dedicated to Go). Microsoft admits display problems on HoloLens 2.

AR

AR Oculus Magic Leap Microsoft

Building New Worlds in Virtual Reality

Tech Trends VR

AUGUST 20, 2018

Recently unveiled updates to Microsoft’s social VR platform will allow anyone to build customizable VR spaces. The two new world-building kits are based on Altspace’s most popular environments: Campfire and Alien World / Origin but Microsoft says they’re aiming to release more kits soon, as well as allowing for more customization options.

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality Trends Strategy Microsoft

Google: Daydream Has ‘More Than 150 Apps’

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 21, 2017

Facebook and Samsung have not shared how many apps are in the Gear VR store, but a quick count shows the number is around 1,000. Like Microsoft , Google is facing an uphill battle in VR. In January, Google started letting developers submit their Daydream VR apps to Google Play. But the number of apps is only one measure of success.

Google

Google Strategy Conference Samsung

Updates on the Decentralized Metaverse: WebXR, A-Frame, & ‘Supermedium’

Road to VR

APRIL 12, 2018

Marcos has since left Mozilla in order to work on the Supermedium WebVR browser, which creates a desktop VR browser designed for the Vive or Oculus to easily go in and out of viewing WebVR content as a seamless VR experience. spec include Firefox Release 55, Oculus Browser, Samsung Internet, & Microsoft Edge.

Oculus

Oculus Google Strategy Conference

The XR Week Peek (2021.06.21): Facebook experiments with VR ads, PSVR 2 to come at the end of 2022, and more!

The Ghost Howls

JUNE 21, 2021

We all know that Microsoft too is waiting before introducing VR for the Xbox because the VR market is too little for them, and Sony seems to follow a similar strategy, not investing too much until next year. Together with this piece of news, Bloomberg also reported that PSVR 2 will feature an OLED display manufactured by Samsung.

Sony

Sony Training Gaming Oculus

U.S. Department of Education Embraces VR/AR With $680K EdSim Challenge

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

NOVEMBER 3, 2016

That means apps that demonstrate genuine use cases for VR and AR in the classroom, be it through an Oculus Rift or a HoloLens. Official criteria for the finalists selection includes content that considers learning outcomes, engagement, commitment, implementation strategy, and scalability and expansion.

Education

Education AR Government Simulation

These Are The Stocks You Could Buy To Invest In The VR Industry

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

NOVEMBER 4, 2016

Facebook – NASDAQ: FB – Oculus VR, VR headset, VR Camera, VR content, VR platform. Samsung – KRX: 005930 – GearVR (partnership with Oculus VR) and 360 Camera. Microsoft – NASDAQ: MSFT – VR operating system, VR platform, VR headset. billion from companies listed below like Google and Qualcomm. Unconfirmed.

Industry

Industry Magic Leap Samsung Amazon

VRTUOLUO talks about its FBEC event and the VR ecosystem in China

The Ghost Howls

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

Through comprehensive media services (mainly including media coverage, expert consultation, data research, and event and public relation management), it helps entrepreneurs with idea incubation, financing, strategy consultation, and publicity. and covered more than 80% of the XR pioneers as communities members.

China

China Industry Government AR

Apple Mum on AR/VR for iPhone 7, but Here’s How We Know They’re Still Working on It

Road to VR

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

As an electronics company, Apple’s general strategy seems to be to wait until a market is well established before joining it, then attempt to create an Apple-idealized product for that market. Apple is infamous for its patent strategy and you shouldn’t be surprised to find that they’re well into it in the AR/VR space.

Apple

Apple AR Head Mounted Display Augmented Reality

Apple Vision vs. Meta Quest: The New iPhone Vs. Android?

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.

Apple

Apple California Wearables Hand tracking

The XR Week Peek (2022.02.07): Meta has invested more than $10B on XR, Hololens 3 may have been canceled, and more!

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. Some magazines reported this news as a sign of the failure of Meta’s strategy about the metaverse. A report from Insider states that Microsoft may have canceled its plans for HoloLens 3.

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality Microsoft Data Machine Learning

All the most important AR and VR news from the GDC 2018

The Ghost Howls

MARCH 26, 2018

This business strategy of selling to few people for a high price has completely sense , considering that all the device has been conceived to add all the features that could make it compelling mostly for professionals. Oculus Go showcased. The Oculus Go (Image by Oculus). Vive Focus comes to the west.

AR

AR Magic Leap Oculus Virtual Reality

Top 9 Virtual Reality Influencers You Should Be Following

VeeR VR

APRIL 10, 2018

Alan's business has worked with companies like Samsung, HBO, Techweek, Microsoft, Comcast, and many more. He is the youngest AR developer in the world to be sponsored by Microsoft to develop for the Microsoft HoloLens. Carmack is the CTO of Oculus and an American game programmer and the co-founder of ID Software.

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality Augmented Reality Microsoft Tourism

The Ghost Howls’s VR Week Peek (2019.12.02): Facebook acquires Beat Games, Valve gets the Index sold-out and is maybe working on Left4Dead VR, and much more!

The Ghost Howls

DECEMBER 1, 2019

This acquisition signs a new course for Facebook strategy in XR: after having just partnered with external studios for the development of its top-notch exclusive titles (e.g. Upload has published a shopping guide for your Oculus Link. Ready At Dawn, Sanzaru Games, etc…), Facebook has actually started incorporating game studios.

Gaming

Gaming Czech Republic Microsoft AR

The New 3D Apple Arriving at WWDC

Robert Scoble

MAY 15, 2021

When I worked at Microsoft I got in trouble with the lawyers over patents so they made me sleep with a lawyer (true story, that was my punishment). I also am invested in Apple competitors, Qualcomm, Snap, Microsoft, Amazon, and about 50 other companies in a diverse portfolio. Why am I so confident? Disclaimer.

Apple

Apple Google Amazon Augmented Reality

My predictions for augmented reality in 2021

The Ghost Howls

JANUARY 22, 2021

This trend will continue in 2021 : the new LiDAR sensor, which is rumored to be installed in all future iPhones, will for sure be copied also by Android phones (Samsung?) Didn’t work (Image by Microsoft). while we have seen the complicated life of Oculus hands-on booths at Best Buy. Sounded good.

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality Magic Leap AR Apple

Venture Capitalists Contemplate How Much Exuberance Is Good for VR Investing

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

To get some insight into those numbers, I moderated a panel on investing in virtual reality and augmented reality at Greenlight Insights’ recent Virtual Reality Strategy conference in San Francisco. Above: The Oculus Touch controls let you navigate independently with each hand in VR. Image Credit: Oculus.

Strategy

Strategy AR Technology Trends

The XR Week (2022.01.24): Google AR headset is “Project Iris”, Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard, and more

The Ghost Howls

JANUARY 24, 2022

Image by Microsoft). Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7B. The biggest news of the week has been the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft for $68.7B. With it, Microsoft acquires many popular games like Overwatch, Starcraft, Call of Duty, and even Candy Crush. Other relevant news.

Microsoft

Microsoft Google AR Virtual World

Star Wars HoloChess inspired Augmented Reality Game HOLOGRID: MONSTER BATTLE now has a VR version launching for Gear VR and a tournament to celebrate May the 4th.

Cats and VR

MAY 1, 2017

Award-winning independent game studio HappyGiant and Tippett Studio today announced their ground-breaking augmented reality game HoloGrid: Monster Battle has made the transition to virtual reality , and is coming out on the next-generation Samsung Gear VR. USD (regularly $4.99

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality Gaming Virtual Reality AR

SteamVR Tracking Could Be 2017’s Most Important VR Technology

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

JANUARY 9, 2017

5 million Gear VRs sold is a major milestone for Facebook and Samsung, as is $3 million in sales for Job Simulator , a best-selling room-scale game. Even the Oculus Rift’s largest “ experimental ” room-scale setup is smaller than what’s possible with the HTC Vive, which uses Valve’s tracking system.

Technology

Technology HTC Controllers Hardware

The Tantalizing Promise Of Augmented Reality Games

UploadVR Between Realities podcast

JANUARY 14, 2017

GB: Mike Abrash, formerly of Valve, now at Oculus, their chief scientist, he made this interesting observation about Moore’s Law. Above: Microsoft’s HoloLens in action. Image Credit: Microsoft. But then the software is also accelerating. Hit the power button, flip the board open, and have your experience. It’s been great for us.

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality Gaming AR Machine Learning

The Down-Low on What You Need to Know (To Be Competitive in XR), with SuperData’s Carter Rogers

XR for Business Podcast

AUGUST 19, 2019

Started covering those areas when they were very tied to games, especially when the original Oculus Rift was launched. Oculus Go came out with this $199 headset – this really inexpensive headset — and they sold millions of these units. Outside of that, we’ve worked with companies like PayPal, Microsoft, Accenture.

Training

Training AR Data Augmented Reality

The Down-Low on What You Need to Know (To Be Competitive in XR), with SuperData’s Carter Rogers

XR for Business Podcast

AUGUST 19, 2019

Started covering those areas when they were very tied to games, especially when the original Oculus Rift was launched. Oculus Go came out with this $199 headset – this really inexpensive headset — and they sold millions of these units. Outside of that, we’ve worked with companies like PayPal, Microsoft, Accenture.

Training

Training AR Data Augmented Reality

The Down-Low on What You Need to Know (to be competitive in the XR field), with SuperData's Carter Rogers.

XR for Business Podcast

AUGUST 19, 2019

Started covering those areas when they were very tied to games, especially when the original Oculus Rift was launched. Oculus Go came out with this $199 headset – this really inexpensive headset -- and they sold millions of these units. Outside of that, we've worked with companies like PayPal, Microsoft, Accenture.

Training

Training AR Data Augmented Reality

Editorial: Facebook, its DNA, and the VR ads

The Ghost Howls

JUNE 20, 2021

What Facebook said fits perfectly in its strategy and I personally think it is just one step, and many others are coming in the future. First, they acquired Oculus and said that nothing would have changed for the startup, and they promised Palmer that no Oculus Rift would have required a Facebook account.

Data

Data Google Hardware Government

Three Decades of Medical VR, with Stanford’s Dr. Walter Greenleaf

XR for Business Podcast

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

He’s currently a distinguished visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Media X program at Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab and the Director of Technology Strategy at the University of Colorado National Mental Health Institute Center. Alan: [laughs] I happen to have three copies of this magazine.

Machine Learning

Machine Learning Technology Virtual Reality Healthcare

Three Decades of Medical VR, with Stanford's Dr. Walter Greenleaf

XR for Business Podcast

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

He's currently a distinguished visiting scholar at Stanford University's Media X program at Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab and the Director of Technology Strategy at the University of Colorado National Mental Health Institute Center. Walter: [laughs] That doesn't surprise me. And that's really changing the game.

Machine Learning

Machine Learning Technology Virtual Reality Healthcare

Three Decades of Medical VR, with Stanford’s Dr. Walter Greenleaf

XR for Business Podcast

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

He’s currently a distinguished visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Media X program at Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab and the Director of Technology Strategy at the University of Colorado National Mental Health Institute Center. Alan: [laughs] I happen to have three copies of this magazine.

Machine Learning

Machine Learning Technology Virtual Reality Healthcare

Top 50 Asian Virtual Reality-Augmented Reality Leaders,Evangelists, Investors & Influencers

XROM

JULY 18, 2021

Billion & mind you i haven't added the overall population of #asia.Ignore us at your own risk #facebook #microsoft & the curators of those lists. Has been at the forefront when it comes to XR, earlier he was VP, Platform Strategy & Dev Community at #HTC and is currently working at Facebook Reality labs. 16- Vinay Narayan.

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality Virtual Reality India Asia

Microsoft’s Meandering XR Strategy Could Lead to Another Zune Moment

Report Casts Doubt on HoloLens 3, Microsoft Says AR Headset is “doing great”

Trending Sources

The XR Week Peek (2020.01.27): Samsung may be working on a new headset, Half-Life: Alyx will ship on time and much more!

VR is Getting an Official ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Game from ‘Demeo’ Studio

With Facebook’s ????, Oculus Is Fending off Old Enemies, Former Friends, and New Foes

Facebook Surges in U.S. Patent Rankings Due to Mounting AR Strategy

Community Download: Are Oculus and HTC The Apple and Microsoft of VR?

The XR Week Peek (2020.05.25): new rumors on Apple Glasses, Oculus Quest anniversary, HP Reverb G2 and more!

Trends and predictions for XR in 2024

Xbox Game Studios Has (inadvertently?) Acquired Heaps of VR Development Talent

AltspaceVR Releases New World-Building Kits

AR’s Remote Work Moment: A Conversation with Spatial

The XR Week Peek (2020.01.20): Oculus Go price cut down to $150, Mojo Vision teases AR contact lenses and much more!

Building New Worlds in Virtual Reality

Google: Daydream Has ‘More Than 150 Apps’

Updates on the Decentralized Metaverse: WebXR, A-Frame, & ‘Supermedium’

The XR Week Peek (2021.06.21): Facebook experiments with VR ads, PSVR 2 to come at the end of 2022, and more!

U.S. Department of Education Embraces VR/AR With $680K EdSim Challenge

These Are The Stocks You Could Buy To Invest In The VR Industry

VRTUOLUO talks about its FBEC event and the VR ecosystem in China

Apple Mum on AR/VR for iPhone 7, but Here’s How We Know They’re Still Working on It

Apple Vision vs. Meta Quest: The New iPhone Vs. Android?

The XR Week Peek (2022.02.07): Meta has invested more than $10B on XR, Hololens 3 may have been canceled, and more!

All the most important AR and VR news from the GDC 2018

Top 9 Virtual Reality Influencers You Should Be Following

The Ghost Howls’s VR Week Peek (2019.12.02): Facebook acquires Beat Games, Valve gets the Index sold-out and is maybe working on Left4Dead VR, and much more!

The New 3D Apple Arriving at WWDC

My predictions for augmented reality in 2021

Venture Capitalists Contemplate How Much Exuberance Is Good for VR Investing

The XR Week (2022.01.24): Google AR headset is “Project Iris”, Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard, and more

Star Wars HoloChess inspired Augmented Reality Game HOLOGRID: MONSTER BATTLE now has a VR version launching for Gear VR and a tournament to celebrate May the 4th.

SteamVR Tracking Could Be 2017’s Most Important VR Technology

The Tantalizing Promise Of Augmented Reality Games

The Down-Low on What You Need to Know (To Be Competitive in XR), with SuperData’s Carter Rogers

The Down-Low on What You Need to Know (To Be Competitive in XR), with SuperData’s Carter Rogers

The Down-Low on What You Need to Know (to be competitive in the XR field), with SuperData's Carter Rogers.

Editorial: Facebook, its DNA, and the VR ads

Three Decades of Medical VR, with Stanford’s Dr. Walter Greenleaf

Three Decades of Medical VR, with Stanford's Dr. Walter Greenleaf

Three Decades of Medical VR, with Stanford’s Dr. Walter Greenleaf

Top 50 Asian Virtual Reality-Augmented Reality Leaders,Evangelists, Investors & Influencers

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