An establishment was formed this week called ICVR, working with Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality over USB-C. That means that the content will reach a headset - reach the eyes of the consumer - through a USB-C cord using the DisplayPort standard. Much like we saw with LG's most recent VR headset, users would be made just a little bit more free than they'd been in the past.
If you're looking to pick up an HTC VIVE, now might be the time to do so. Though the headset isn't on sale, HTC has rolled out a new promotion that makes for a pretty tempting offer. Beginning today, all HTC VIVE purchases will come with a free copy of Star Trek: Bridge Crew.
The headset that's appeared today, made by HTC, won't necessarily be available to everyone in the world. In fact it's slated - for now - to be available only inside Japan. This headset was designed to fit one smartphone in the world - the HTC U11 - and will be able to roll with 6DOF (6 degrees of freedom) which is intense for a phone-based VR headset, if not entirely unique to this one.
Where are you in the bold new world of virtual and augmented reality? I don't mean that metaphorically, either: the question of where a user in a virtual world is physically, and how they're interacting with the real world around them, is arguably the key to making the next generation of headsets. It's something not only big names like Google and Apple are working on, but VR/AR specialists like Occipital.
It's kind of hard to imagine that Google would have much more to announce after yesterday's I/O keynote, but today the company was back for a second presentation. Today was all about VR, which stands in stark comparison to yesterday, which only seemed to make mention of VR at the end. Though there were some interesting reveals made, one of the cooler ones revolves around Chrome and its future on VR headsets.
In Google's brave new world of virtual reality, every comment troll's favorite place to spam their misspelled wares, YouTube, is getting a VR version. Announced at Google I/O 2017 this morning, YouTube VR will do away with text comments in favor of projecting 360-degree video directly into your headset. It's part of the software giant's attempts to drive adoption of virtual reality and augmented reality, preferably through its Daydream platform.
This morning Google revealed the second major iteration of their VR platform Google Daydream. This second age in the software and hardware platform includes updates in five major categories: Audio, Graphics, Performance, User Interface, and Tracking + Input. This update will be coming for all Daydream hardware - so it's not limited to only the future of the platform, but it is optimized for a couple of new processors, so watch out for that.
Google had an exciting announcement about virtual reality and augmented reality at its keynote today, revealing, among other things, that it is working with HTC, Lenovo and Qualcomm to produce standalone VR headsets. These headsets feature all of the necessary technology built into the device, eliminating the need to insert a phone or run a cable to a PC. Those who don't mind the phone-based VR, though, will soon have a new option: Daydream and the Galaxy S8.
Google has announced standalone VR, 'an entirely new type of VR device.' This is a virtual reality headset that doesn't require a separate smartphone, instead featuring all the technology needed built directly into the headset. This eliminates the external device burden, offering consumers a simple and robust VR experience that requires nothing more than putting on a headset. "No cables, no phones, no PC," Google explains, saying "it's easy to use. Getting into VR is as easy as picking the thing up."
Google is no stranger to having multiple projects related to the exact same technology, though not all of them survives. So when rumor broke out that Google is making yet another VR headset, there wasn't really much of a surprise. This headset, however, could turn the VR market on its head. If the rumors are true, the headset that Google will supposedly unveil at Google I/O this week would be one of the most advanced equipment in hat market. And it won't even need a smartphone.
Steam has added a new section on its website for VR videos, giving its customers a new way to buy and consume virtual reality content. This new section is being launched in partnership with Pixvana, a Seattle-based company, which is lending technology that will be used for the Steam 360 Video Player, a new beta offering available as of today. The 360 Video Player enables Steam customers to watch 360-degree video content using a supported VR headset, such as an Oculus Rift.
Microsoft has revealed the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, its latest big upgrade with better desktop and mobile integration, VR, and more. Announced at BUILD 2017 today, it's the follow-on to the Windows 10 Creators Update, that began rolling out last month to what Microsoft says is now a cohort of more than 500m devices. Curious? Sure you are, and we've got you covered.
