Engineers at Volvo have created what they call the ultimate driving simulator. The driving simulator wasn't created for fun. Rather it was created to help them improve vehicle safety and autonomous driving technology. Volvo has a very long history of vehicle safety innovations.
The next software update for Oculus Quest ads some features for both Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2. For Oculus Quest 2, specifically, this update will add native support for 90Hz refresh rate "across the entire platform. The display system in the VR headset was able to support 90Hz before, but it was relegated to a few key bits of the ecosystem. Now that's gone broad.
Oculus Virtual Reality Checks (VRCs) is a set of technical recommendations "designed to help developers create more accessible VR software." The company suggested today that this set of recommendations will allow developers to make their VR apps more compelling to more people. Areas of focus include audio, visuals, interactions, locomotion/movement, and "other aspects of accessible design."
The Oculus Quest 2 is an admittedly impressive kit as far as standalone VR systems go. Its otherwise positive debut, however, has been marred by controversy, confusion, and consternation over the requirement to have and use a Facebook account to even use the previously independent product. Unsurprisingly, there have been attempts to circumvent that requirement but the most successful one so far is also asking for trouble by jailbreaking the Quest 2 that will surely force Facebook to respond in kind.
From a purely business point of view, it's no surprise really that Facebook wants to unify all its platforms under a single account. While it can't really force that on Instagram and WhatsApp, especially not while under intense scrutiny, it was able to put its hand down on the relatively younger Oculus ecosystem. Whether Facebook and Oculus really thought about it or not, it is only now that users are coming across the fine print regarding the Facebook account requirement for using Oculus devices and they're not good discoveries at all.
Microsoft Research has made progress over the years and moving towards a virtual reality experience where feelings in the VR setting are on par with the realistic visuals produced by head-mounted displays. Microsoft Research has moved beyond some of its past prototypes with a new controller called Haptic PIVOT to bring physical forces to VR controllers.
Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) works on many projects intending to make interacting with technology more approachable. Technology FRL is working on includes VR headsets and AR glasses. Hand tracking technology is particularly important to virtual reality allowing the tech to be more immersive with a "come as you are" approach to human interaction.
It was inevitable that Facebook would eventually leave a more tangible mark on its Oculus VR business but it still ruffled some feathers when it was revealed that to even use an Oculus headset, one would need to have a Facebook account. Facebook probably presumed everyone these days has one and that Oculus users, both present and future, also do. That's apparently not the case and now Oculus Quest 2 buyers are left with a temporary paperweight while waiting for their new Facebook accounts to be unblocked after being banned for practically no real reason at all.
It's no secret that exposure to nature, such as a walk at an orchard or a hike at the nearest park, offers mental health benefits, as well as some other potential benefits, including reduced cortisol hormone levels and decreased blood pressure. What about during winter when the trees are barren or during a global pandemic requiring social distancing, though? That's where television and VR come in.
Just last month, Facebook made a big splash in the VR and AR scenes with new products and a new direction for Oculus. Discontinuing its original standalone VR headset, the social media giant launched the Oculus Quest 2, boasted to be lighter both in size and price but also more powerful and more capable. Now that headset and its accompanying parts are available for anyone to buy and use. All they need is a Facebook account to get started.
A new home virtual reality treadmill could help turn your living room into a Holodeck, with the Virtuix Omni One offering a consumer version of the infinite-walk tech. Omni Pro made waves for its ability to unlock virtual environments for limitless exploration - regardless of the size of the room you're in - thanks to its omni-directional treadmill system.
For simulator fans, the latest iteration of the well-aged Flight Simulator could be the franchise's biggest release yet and in more ways than one. The complete set of launch assets spans 10 dual-layer DVDs and that's not yet including the updates that will be released in the months and years to come. It may also be the first of its line to finally reach virtual reality utopia now that the technology is pretty much ready. And if you are similarly ready with the hardware, you can try your luck in signing up for a closed VR beta tester now.