HTC will announce a pair of enterprise-focused VR headsets at an event next week called Vivecon, according to a report. Ahead of the event, HTC has been doing some teasing of the coming hardware but has offered little in the way of detail. The report says the company will be launching a virtual reality headset called the Vive Focus 3 Business Edition, which is a standalone VR device.
Facebook and Oculus are pushing the Quest 2 as the pinnacle of its VR systems so far because of its versatility. While primarily a standalone headset, the Quest 2 can also run Oculus' PC-based VR content by tethering it to a desktop or laptop. The versatility, however, ends there but SideQuest now has a more mobile solution. The developers have proudly announced an Android app that brings its PC VR content to the Oculus Quest 2 without using a PC.
HTC VIVE has announced that it is teaming up with iFixit to make replacement components for its VR headsets available to consumers. Many may be familiar with iFixit. It's a place that buys new gadgets and then rips them apart to make guides on repairing devices should they need repairs in the future. HTC VIVE has announced that iFixit will offer official VR system parts and accessories to allow customers to extend the life of their devices once the warranty expires.
Japanese researchers have developed a new virtual reality program that is designed to mimic the sensation of walking. It mimics the sensation of walking by stimulating the feet while the user sits motionless. Researchers found participants in the tests of the VR system experience an enhanced simulation of walking as they experience a virtual world via a first-person perspective.
HTC is getting itself some attention this morning thanks to a leak of what's apparently a new fitness-focused VR headset. The headset, which is dubbed the HTC Vive Air, surfaced today in a World Design Guide leak that actually tells us a decent amount about it. Unfortunately, it seems like this new headset is just a concept rather than an actual product, which means that we probably won't see it head to market anytime soon.
Capcom has plenty of original IPs but Resident Evil is perhaps its most notable in terms of disturbing imagery and stories. It's a franchise that has gone beyond just games and even has its own live-action film series. In fact, it has one more coming, a reboot that will be joined by a Netflix CGI series. Those, however, weren't the only things announced at Capcom's Resident Evil Showcase, revealing details about the next major installment in the long-running series as well as its first VR incarnation.
Oculus today announced that it's now allowing developers to offer subscriptions to their apps. While perhaps not the best fit for gaming - which Oculus was centered around at the beginning of its life - the company says that by offering subscriptions, it can offer monetization options that make Quest a better fit for other types of apps. Obviously there's no one-size-fits-all solution for subscription offerings, but in today's announcement, Oculus listed several different apps that will offer them to start.
Facebook and Oculus are investing heavily in the Quest 2 VR system, pushing it as the pinnacle of the Oculus' efforts and replacing all previous headsets, both standalone and PC-tethered like the discontinued Oculus Rift S. Its launch may have been tainted by some controversy over Facebook's new requirements but, on a technical point of view, the Quest 2 is admittedly on the road to truly becoming the one headset to rule them all, especially with version 28 of the Oculus Quest system software that opens it up to new ways of enjoying VR worlds.
Virtual reality has had the reputation for being something only for games and entertainment, a perception that VR companies and advocates are trying to dispel with more serious applications. That said, there's no denying that the technology is perfect for immersive interactive content, at least the kind that puts you in the middle of the action. To shine a spotlight on that market, Facebook-owned Oculus has announced its first-ever showcase dedicated just for VR gaming, probably to help fill in the gap left by canceled in-person events since last year.
Virtual and augmented reality, collectively known as mixed reality (MR) or, more recently, "extended reality" or XR, always had the potential to make life not only more fun but also more productive. Most applications, however, may have focused too much on the "fun" aspect, making most people presume the technologies are mostly just for entertainment. These experiences can, of course, be quite interesting but Google's latest WebXR experiments for smartphones try to prove how they can be educational as well.
Consumer virtual reality systems started out in two kinds. One was completely powered by a smartphone, with the headset acting as a simple holder for the phone and lens. The other was a heavier headset that, despite the heft, still needed to offload its work to a powerful PC. The likes of the Google Cardboard have silently disappeared into the background and now it might be the turn of PC-only VR headsets, starting with the disappearance of the Oculus Rift S from main retail sources.
Apple's mixed reality headset could buck the VR trend and offer a much lighter, slimmer form-factor, according to a new analyst report, as the Cupertino firm addresses one of the biggest criticisms of AR and VR tech. Well-rumored over the past few years, Apple's augmented reality headset and smart glasses roadmap is believed to already consist of several generations of model, as the company chases the cutting-edge in affordable wearable displays.