On July 5, a new massage center will open in Los Angeles, but it won't resemble the type of spas you're familiar with. Called Esqapes, the center will combine automated massaging technology with virtual reality to transport customers into a different, more relaxing environment. The company calls this an 'immersive relaxation experience,' one that is like 'a mini vacation' without the high cost.
This week the folks at HTC revealed more details on the release model for HTC Vive Cosmos, their newest VR headset. This machine has a "flip-up halo design" so users can pop in and out of VR without removing the entire unit. It's also got a new vented front design that "keeps air flowing so users can stay in VR for longer without fatigue and stay cooler."
In January of this year we got a look at the then-newly-revealed HTC Cosmos VR (for PC) headset. Fast forward to now, June of this same year, and we're getting another look at the headset, and it looks ever-so-slightly different. Now the device has two additional cameras, both attached to a faceplate that'll come standard with the headset when it's released, presumably soon.
Google has quietly retired the Google Play Movies and TV app for its Daydream VR platform, fueling speculation that the company plans to shift away from virtual reality in favor of augmented reality. The company confirmed the app's removal in a statement on Thursday, saying that other Google apps already available on Daydream will remain. Device owners can still watch their purchased content.
After a period of hype, the VR market seems to have gone a bit quieter. Some might take it as a sign of stagnation but others will most likely argue that it's simply maturing behind the scenes. One sign of that maturity is perhaps the adoption of VR technology and hardware in the potentially more lucrative enterprise market. And that's exactly the market that the HTC Vive Pro Eye is launching to in the US and Canada. For a hefty price, naturally.
We seem to be a screen-obsessed society these days, be it on phones or on computers. Truth be told, if we could have more screens, we would jump on them without a second thought. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, there are only so many screens you can afford and squeeze in a physical location. One solution would be to have an almost infinite number of virtual windows you can place anywhere in virtual space, which is exactly what Microsoft's Mt. Rogers research project is proposing you do.
Oculus and Vive may be competing head to head in the VR space but, outside of those two, not much else is happening with other companies. Google has not mentioned Daydream even once at I/O last month and OEMs that have made the first batch of Windows Mixed Reality headsets have mostly fallen silent as well. Despite that, Samsung isn't yet calling it quits and suggests multiple AR and VR products are coming this year, whether you like it or not.
Given how the previous Nintendo Labo DIY kits worked, it was a pleasant surprise that Nintendo announced updates to existing games that brought in support for its latest Labo VR Kit. The "VR experience", if you could call it that, wasn't exactly perfect but it was still an entertaining experience to see some games from a different point of view. Even more surprising, then, is Nintendo's unannounced update that brings the same new VR twist to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The Nintendo Labo VR headset is a pretty cool accessory on its own, but after launch, Nintendo upped the ante a little bit by rolling out VR modes for both Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It looks like those games aren't the only ones getting VR modes, with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate apparently slated to get one next. Yes, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, of all games, is about to get the Labo VR treatment.
There's a cool headset capable of both AR and VR, and Qualcomm's at the helm. They've created this "Qualcomm Snapdragon Smart Viewer Reference Design" as a sort of guide for other manufacturers to make their own, to sell to you. As such, you probably won't be using this headset specifically, but the resulting headsets made by brands you've heard of before. Cross your fingers for soon.
With a new generation of VR headsets seemingly upon us, Logitech has decided to launch a rather interesting accessory for virtual reality: a stylus. Dubbed the VR Ink Pilot Edition, this stylus will allow users write or create either on a 2D surface or in 3D at room scale. The idea, it seems, is to give end users a degree of precision when working in VR that they otherwise may not have.
Sony's PlayStation VR system is well and away the easiest form of non-mobile virtual reality in the world at the moment. With the introduction of VR to the console world came the possibility that there'd be more than a couple splits in content - and usability. Interaction with the 3D content in a virtual reality, from your couch, in your living room - that's the true dream. Now add a pair of pants.