This week the folks at Hyperbolic Magnetism are probably pretty pumped up about all the press they're getting for Beat Saber. They first started development for this game back in 2016, and between then and now it's been tested by hundreds of users. In its first couple weeks on the Steam VR store and Oculus Store, Beat Saber's become a sort of shock hit.
Today we're taking a look at the first round of HTC VIVE Pro reviews from a variety of publications. What we've found is a whole lot of "this is very expensive" and "not for the average user" - which is pretty much what we could have safely assumed would be said. What's not so obvious is judgement on the intended audience - on who HTC assumed would be buying this device in the first place. We're looking at everything.
While most Elder Scrolls fans are probably wondering when Bethesda will finally reveal The Elder Scrolls VI, it turns out the company isn't quite finished with its long line of Skyrim ports. This new port, however, is worth getting excited about, as Bethesda has revealed that it's bringing Skyrim VR to Steam. The launch happens next month, too, so the Steam version of Skyrim VR is just a couple short weeks away.
This afternoon HTC revealed the HTC Vive Pro, a next-level experience for virtual reality gamers. This device takes what the HTC Vive is and ramps every aspect up another notch. This includes audio, display, and hardware design. This device is the premium experience missing from the VR market today - up to the next level in every way.
We're now in the midst of one of the three Steam Sale events leaked recently in a Reddit forum. The other is, of course, Thanksgiving's own Black Friday, followed by a Winter Sale. Generally the Winter event is one of the bigger two of the year - but the one we're in right this minute isn't too shabby itself.
In this corner, you have virtual reality, with the likes of Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve, and Samsung leading the army. In this other corner, you have augmented reality, with the likes of Google and Apple among its champions. And right in the middle, as arbiter and conqueror, is Microsoft with its Mixed Reality platform based on, what else, Windows 10. Today at its Reactor venue in California, Redmond is revealing just how large its Mixed Reality territory really is, and how larger it is becoming, with new allies filling up its ranks.
Some will argue that smartphone-based VR platforms like Cardboard and Daydream can’t give justice to what virtual reality is really capable of. While smartphone hardware has improved by leaps and bounds, they still pale in comparison to VR PC rigs. On the other hand, headsets like Vive, Oculus Rift, and PS VR are prohibitively expensive and tied to a specific headset or iteration of that headset. That is why ZEISS has come up with the VR ONE Connect to try and bring the two worlds together, letting you enjoy PC-grade SteamVR experience on your phone.
One of the remaining problems with VR, AR, and MR platforms is input. All of them use one form of stick or another, and none of them currently emulate the feel of a hand moving and grasping in the real world. Valve, however, might be coming close to a solution without having to resort to gloves or exoskeletons. The "Knuckles", Valve's nickname for the next gen Steam VR controller, does this by having nearly a dozen capacitive sensors in it.
Smartphone makers are jumping on the virtual reality train and most of them, unsurprisingly, put the smartphone at the center of it. That’s true even for Samsung, even though it has gone its own path rather than get behind Google’s Cardboard, and now Daydream, platforms. LG is finally following suit but it is following HTC’s lead instead and in more ways than one. Not only is it aiming for a PC-powered VR experience, it is also using the same SteamVR platform as the HTC Vive.
Virtual reality equipment, especially the big, standalone ones, is no small matter, both in size as well as in price. The headset kit alone, which usually comes with controllers and sensors, costs upwards of thousands of dollars. That’s still not counting a VR-ready PC rig, if you don’t have one yet. That is partly why VR is pretty much still an exclusive club that very few can afford. Reducing the build costs of equipment goes a long way in making such equipment more accessible. Which is why Valve is working on a next gen base station for its SteamVR platform that will not only be smaller but also cheaper.
HTC's latest financial report for the three months ending on December 31st, 2016 show the company in flux. The first several financial highlights the company made in this call were of positive revenue but an operating loss and a net loss after tax. Revenue for this quarter sits at NT$22.2 billion with a gross margin of 10.5%, while HTC's quarterly operating loss was a cool NT$3.6 billion with an operating margin of negative 16%.
The folks at Ilium want to create a device that'll be tracked in virtual reality to make the reality of shooting games in VR more real. What could possibly go wrong with this situation? If they're able to create this accessory in a limited fashion and keep it supported through the largest platforms available - very little could go wrong. Of course they need to get some funds for it, first.