SteamVR

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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%.

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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.

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Despite serving the biggest user base of PC gamers, Valve’s Gabe Newell has never been a big fan of putting all his eggs in the Windows basket. After all, that’s how the Steam OS and Steam Machines were born. So it isn’t exactly surprising to hear that Valve is working on making its SteamVR available on macOS and Linux as well. At least according to Valve developer Joe Ludwig, who says that such support might be due in just a few months. At least in beta form.

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One of the biggest problems with consumer virtual reality products today is input. While the headset immerses you in a world that almost looks real, the illusion is shattered when you try to reach out for something with your hands. Because you can't, unless you're wearing one of those expensive or experimental (or both) gloves. The HTC Vive's and Oculus Rift's controllers are basically sticks that make you feel like you're holding a wand or a sword. Which, in retrospect, actually makes it perfect for a game like Fruit Ninja. You (or someone else) asked, and they heard. Fruit Ninja is now on VR!

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Our understanding of the next generation in Google's Nexus smartphone line has become a bit more clear over the weekend. HTC's newfound experience with virtual reality may be playing a big role in Google's approach with the next several generations in Nexus smartphones. Word back in March could end up proving entirely truthful, coming in two forms, at least one per cycle, all made with Android's Daydream technology built-in. Of course Daydream requires only minimal specifications, and HTC's already got them on a device elsewhere.

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Brickbreaker for virtual reality - the first iteration of brick-breaker, you might call it. That's what Cyberpong VR is. This game was developed by the folks at developer studio Colopl NI, who suggest that it "takes the core experience of classic paddle ball games and brings it to life in an immersive and futuristic game world fully controlled by the player." That it does indeed.

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Today we're going to talk briefly about what we're doing in virtual reality - specifically in attempting to capture what it's like to be IN the virtual realm. It's not enough, we think, to just show the flat feed - though we've had to do that already several times. It's also not enough just to show two screens - flat feed and a real view of the user with a VR headset on. That shows what's going on, certainly, but it doesn't go far enough in showing what the user is seeing, hearing, and experiencing.

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It's now under a day before the HTC 10 is revealed, complete with what we expect will be an iconic build and new software to boot. This device will be the second big-name release of the year, coming in right beside the surprise home run in the HTC Vive, a virtual reality headset that runs with Valve's SteamVR. The handset may not have as epic a set of VR tendencies itself, but the details in the release are vital to the image HTC will be projecting from here on out. A video leaked today seems to show the future.

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