This afternoon the developers at Cyan revealed a new version of the classic PC game MYST. This game is a "brand new version of Myst, completely re-imagined for modern game systems and - for the first time for any game in the Myst series - including optional VR support!" If you're a fan of the original MYST series, please feel free to flip out with happiness.
Virtual reality has always carried the stigma of being more of an entertainment-centric technology. With Facebook at the helm of one of the two biggest VR platforms today, that identity seems to get even more cemented, just with a dash of social networking on top. At Facebook Connect, what was previously and lovingly called Oculus Connect, the social media giant unveiled a new Infinite Office feature that is clearly trying to say that VR is for serious work, too.
Amid its various virtual reality announcements today, Facebook revealed that Oculus users will soon get access to fitness-tracking features, capitalizing on the growing trend of exercising with a VR headset strapped to your face. With these features, users will be presented with a simple record of their activity, including the information they want the most like calories burned and minutes (or hours) spent active.
Oculus announced today that they'll discontinue the Oculus Rift line of VR headsets entirely. The only current Rift device available from Oculus is the Oculus Rift S, but that'll soon be over as Oculus focuses all its efforts on single headset: Oculus Quest 2. This does NOT mean that there'll be no PC-based VR.
The Oculus Quest 2 was revealed today with a redesigned body, next-generation Touch controllers, and a new higher-resolution display. This version of the Oculus Quest was released for approximately $300 - or $100 less than the launch price of the original Oculus Quest. Pre-orders for this headset are open as of today, and shipping begins on October 13, 2020.
It seems that Facebook is starting the work week off with an unexpected bang. Earlier today, the company published a couple of videos about the Oculus Quest 2, revealing a decent amount of information about the upcoming VR headset. This definitely isn't the official reveal Facebook is likely planning, and indeed, there are a few key details about the Oculus Quest 2 that these videos leave out.
When Microsoft acquired Minecraft creators Mojang, some might have presumed the company would be restricting the highly popular game to its own platform and other "friendly" platforms. Few probably predicted that Microsoft would actually expand Minecraft's reach not just to other platforms, including its PlayStation rival, but would also take the open-world sandbox games to places and use cases its original creators probably never imagined. That said, one platform remains absent from Minecraft's list but that will finally change this month when Minecraft lands on PlayStation VR.
Oculus Connect 2020 is now no longer an event, as the name of the event has been changed to Facebook Connect. Facebook introduced "the new Facebook Reality Labs" at the same time as they've announced a re-naming of the annual Oculus developer event. This new event will begin in a "virtual" format - though not entirely in the virtual reality realm.
The VR company Oculus was acquired by Facebook, which means Oculus is owned by Facebook. There's been a bit of worry lately, and pretty much since the acquisition was made, that Facebook might envelope Oculus and dissolve the VR brand. That worry transformed recently when Oculus revealed that all Oculus VR headsets would move away from Oculus accounts, and would instead require Facebook accounts for full functionality.
Oculus announced that Facebook accounts will be required for all Oculus devices in the future. There'll be two waves of requirement, starting this year for NEW users - all will need to work with a Facebook account right out the gate, starting in October. The second wave comes in 2023 when all Oculus users accounts will be merged with Facebook.
DARPA has revealed its plans for the final of three AlphaDogfight Trials, a competition that will -- this time around -- take place entirely online. Anyone will be able to register and stream the competition, giving them a chance to see the latest and greatest artificial intelligence algorithms compete against each other in fighter jets, as well as against a human fighter pilot who will use a simulator.
Today we're taking a peek at a new set of images of the next Oculus virtual reality headset. This newest headset has not yet been unveiled officially, so we're working with a limited set of leaked details. What we DO have is some rather vivid imagery of this headset from a couple of key angles.