Microsoft declared today that the era of Windows Mixed Reality has begun as it kicked off an event in San Francisco with several announcements, including the acquisition of AltspaceVR, a new Samsung Windows mixed reality headset, and a SteamVR preview. Microsoft refers to mixed reality as the headsets that can produce virtual reality (the feeling...
Tag: #VR #AR
ARKit and ARCore are leaving VR in the rearview mirror
GUEST: AR/VR has become a two speed market, with mobile AR set to have over twice the number of users at launch in 2017 than the entire AR/VR headset market by 2021. Apple ARKit, Google ARCore, and Facebook’s Camera Effects Platform could have 900 million users by the end of 2018, with their launch changing the...
Vuforia 7 helps augmented reality blend into real life
Augmented reality tech company Vuforia is announcing a new version of its augmented reality platform that enables more seamless integration of AR into real-world environments. Jay Wright, president of Needham, Massachusetts-based Vuforia said that Vuforia 7 has something called “ground plane,” which enables developers to create planes that fit into the real world and help...
HTC will bundle Fallout 4 VR with the Vive headset
Virtual reality is off to a slow start, but HTC is giving it a kick today as it is announcing that it will bundle Bethesda’s upcoming Fallout 4 VR with the HTC Vive. The bundle shows that HTC is still being aggressive about pushing VR to the mass market, even as forecasters reduce their overall...
Sketchfab now supports ARKit, putting Tilt Brush and Oculus Medium works into the real world
If you’ve been following out Sketchfab Favs feature, you’ll know that the platform is home to nearly two million 3D models and artworks, made in apps like Google’s Tilt Brush, Oculus’ Medium, and Gravity Sketch as well as more traditional software. From today, these creations can be placed in the real world. Sketchfab has just updated...
Intel makes the case for wireless PC-based high-end virtual reality
Intel recently hosted a 100-year-old man at its virtual reality lab in Hillsboro, Oregon. Lyle Becker was a big fan of the VR flight simulator, which reminded him of the planes that he flew in World War II. That kind of first-time experience evokes a sense of wonder at the immersiveness of VR, and that’s why...
Mixed reality and blockchain can work together, from retail to gaming
GUEST: AR and VR will take a few years to become mainstream. The same is true for blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrency. Blockchain allows to securely exchange goods and services online independently of banks and credit card companies, and AR/VR are great visualization tools. Can the integration of two speed up the mass adoption of...
It: Float creator shares how to make a movie VR blockbuster
GUEST: As a filmmaker and movie aficionado, watching viewers delight in VR entertainment as enthusiastically as they do hit movies is rewarding, which makes it an honor to create virtual reality experiences for beloved movie franchises. But creating VR that will pass muster with passionate fans of a blockbuster franchise is not an easy undertaking....
Oculus now has a refund policy for the Rift and Gear VR
Oculus announced a new refund policy for games and apps purchased on either the Rift headset or the Samsung Galaxy Gear VR. Like the price cut over the summer, the policy is likely part of a strategy to lower the barrier of entry for folks who are new to virtual reality. By offering refunds, people might...
Stack AR is the first ARKit game to top Apple App Store’s free-to-play category
Stack launched last year for iOS and Android, but with iOS 11 rolling out to iPhones everywhere, developer Ketchapp Games rereleased the game with augmented reality. Called Stack AR, it reached No. 1 on the Apple App Store in the free-to-play games category over the weekend, according to market analyst Sensor Tower. It’s the first game...