GUEST: Interfacing with our digital world through VR and AR poses many challenges to interface designers. One of the biggest problems is one that not a lot of people are discussing: straightforward text entry. I’ve been working in VR for years. In late 2013 I was reintroduced to the concept of VR by a startup...
Tag: #VR #AR
Tencent invests in film and VR maker Skydance Media
Tencent Holdings is investing an undisclosed amount of money in Skydance Media, a Hollywood entertainment studio that makes everything from Terminator movies to the Archangel virtual reality game. Skydance Media was started in 2010 by David Ellison, the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison. The company has made feature films including Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Terminator Genisys, World...
Light Field Lab raises $7 million for Holodeck-like holographic displays
Light Field Lab has raised $7 million for holographic display technologies that the company says will make you wonder whether what you’re seeing is real or an illusion. The money comes from Khosla Ventures and Sherpa Capital, with participation from R7 Partners. It’s a large amount of money for a seed round, but the startup...
6 industries on the verge of VR disruption
GUEST: The last few months have been exciting for those interested in the advancement of virtual reality technology. Two leading headsets (the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive) saw permanent price cuts, following reported sales jumps from the Rift’s temporary price cut this summer. Now, both devices are significantly less expensive than the newest iPhone, meaning...
GDC: Nintendo Switch developers are making 4 times more games this year
Game developers are in love with the Nintendo Switch, and they’re making four times as many games for the hybrid home and portable console as they were last year, according to a survey by the Game Developers Conference. The survey of 4,000 game industry professionals found that 12 percent are making the current games for the Switch...
Apple previews iOS 11.3, including battery health, new Animoji, and medical records (Updated)
In a rare step likely forced by the iPhone-slowing battery debacle, Apple today offered a public “preview” of the spring release of iOS 11.3, including a new battery health monitor and other features. Notably, the battery health functionality will come in “a later iOS 11.3 beta release” rather than the initial beta, which is scheduled...
HTC Vive Focus gets an 8K VR video player from Visbit
Virtual reality streaming company Visbit is teaming up with HTC to bring 8K resolution VR videos to viewers in China. The Visbit 8K VR Player will enable folks to stream and download high-resolution videos to the Vive Focus headset. It’s rolling out today to HTC’s Viveport marketplace, and will be free to download for a limited...
PlayStation Network is down for many gamers
Your PlayStation console is probably struggling to get online right now. Sony’s PlayStation Network service is experiencing an intermittent outage that has caused connection errors for people throughout today. Sony Interactive Entertainment has confirmed the issue, and it is trying to get PSN back up and running. “You may have some difficulty launching games, applications,...
U.S. skiers and snowboarders are using VR to train for PyeongChang Winter Olympics
For the past couple of years, virtual reality training startup Strivr has been working with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association (USSA) team to train athletes for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The startup worked with the Park City, Utah-based governing board for US Ski & Snowboard to use VR to enhance athlete preparations for competitions that take...
World of Tanks will roll into VR thanks to Wargaming and VRTech fund partnership
Wargaming’s multiplayer hit World of Tanks will soon be larger-than-life — the developer is partnering with the virtual reality venture fund VRTech to form a location-based VR company called Neurogaming. It already has 75 employees working on its projects, and its first big title will be World of Tanks VR. Neurogaming is based in Nicosia, Cyprus...