GUEST: With 2018 getting underway, it’s an ideal time to reflect on a handful of emerging trends in mobile app monetization that have real potential to take off next year. These have each proven effective in small ways to date, but are replicable, scalable, and ripe for further innovation. Reward now, watch later When Featherweight...
Tag: #VR #AR
Steam January hardware survey: Oculus Rift and HTC Vive virtually tied for VR headsets
The first Steam hardware survey of 2018 is in, and it shows Oculus Rift and HTC Vive use at practically a tie. This month sees HTC Vive as 46.96% (a 0.3% decrease from last month’s 47.26%) of the overall usage, while Rift is at 46.09% (a 0.05% decrease from 46.14% in December). Steam designates HTC Vive...
WebVR is becoming WebXR to make a simple, unified framework for all devices
GUEST: WebVR being a game-changer for the VR industry is a message that I’ve been eager to spread for the past couple of years. The JavaScript API that enables you to load VR experiences on your browser enjoys all the benefits that the open web has to offer an emerging tech (like no friction or...
Pokémon Go studio Niantic acquires AR firm Escher Reality
Niantic Labs announced today that it has acquired Escher Reality, an augmented reality and computer vision startup that’s building technology for persistent, cross-platform, multiuser augmented reality experiences. Escher is exploring the intersection of digital and physical worlds through AR and computer vision. Niantic has generated huge audiences and more than $1 billion in revenues for its Pokémon Go...
GoPro’s spectacular implosion reveals brutal reality facing tech hardware startups
While the recent earnings warning from GoPro was seen as a disaster, it’s quite possible that the situation for this briefly high-flying camera company is even worse than it appears. But GoPro’s fate is also an indicator of a larger problem that’s sweeping across independent hardware startups. Just since GoPro took its pratfall in early...
Google’s web AR announcement is a boon for advertisers
GUEST: Google recently announced that it’s bringing AR technology to desktop and mobile browsers to push “augmented reality on the web, for everyone.” Users will be able to interact with 3D objects that are embedded into sites and place said objects into their own environment (via tablet or phone cameras) straight from the browser without...
5 things to expect from VR headsets in 2019
At CES in Las Vegas we saw a collection of next-generation technologies. Wireless, super high resolutions and eye-tracking all showed potential to dramatically improve future VR headsets. Each of these technologies, however, was shown in separate demos. What happens when a company like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon or Apple starts to put all these things together? If they can lower...
Elton John announces his final tour with a VR video
Elton John will soon be ending his decades-spanning career, but he’s immortalized his work in VR before he goes. Yesterday the legendary artist hosted a special livestream on YouTube where he announced the Farewell Yellow Brick Tour, a three-year-long event in which he’ll play his final live shows. While the stream was available in standard...
Sony’s patent could be new PSVR controllers
Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) is a great headset with arguably the strongest library of any VR device out there, but it’s no secret that the PlayStation Move controllers hold it back somewhat. We’ve heard rumors that a new controller may be on the way and now a new patent might give us our first look...
Vive controllers get actual joysticks thanks to 3D printing
Hands-down my biggest issue with the HTC Vive as a platform is the lack of a thumbstick (or joystick or control stick or whatever you want to call it) on the Vive wand controller. While acceptable in most cases, the touchpad just doesn’t get the job done for some games. Moving across Fallout 4’s Boston...