I Finally Tried Virtual Reality and It Brought Me to Tears

guest · Mar 16, 2019

This guy spent an entire week in VR and didn't completely lose his mind
March 16, 2019
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-guy-spent-an-entire-week-in-vr-and-didnt-completely-lose-his-mind/

Not too long into a 168-hour VR marathon session, Jak Wilmot admits the monotony got to him. Wilmot, who is the co-founder of Disrupt VR, also says this experiment is "quite possibly the dumbest thing" he's ever done. So, why do it? For science, of course.

I can't imagine immersing myself in a virtual world for a full week, nonstop night and day. Wilmot did it, though, for the most part—he allowed himself 30 seconds to switch VR headsets when needed, and 30 seconds without a headset on to eat, if required. Other than those small breaks, he spent every other moment in VR.

There doesn't seem to be some big takeaway from this experiment (aside from, perhaps, don't drink coffee while playing VR), though one thing I also found interesting was his integration back into the real world when the experiment was over.
"I have never appreciated the smell of outside air so much. One thing we cannot replicate is nature. We can do it visually and auditorally, but there is something about the energy of outside that is amazing," Wilmot observed.
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guest · Mar 19, 2019

HP built a better version of the Oculus Rift
March 19, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/19/hp-built-a-better-version-of-the-oculus-rift/

HP isn’t generally a brand most associate with being at the cutting edge of new technologies, but the company’s new HP Reverb is probably the best PC-powered consumer VR headset out there, when balancing price and feature set.

This thing looks A LOT like the Oculus Rift. Between the velcro straps, the on-ear headphones and the overall design, HP really cloned the Rift here, but made some key improvements along the way. The headset is even lighter and more comfortable.
The big difference with what HP has built is that the displays on this thing are amazing.

While the first batch of Windows Mixed Reality headsets offered little differentiation from each other aside from small cosmetic deviations from Microsoft’s reference design — HP launched a headset then, it was nothing special — now it seems the company has made a significant bet on becoming the premium option for virtual reality enterprise users.
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guest · Mar 20, 2019

Oculus unveils the Rift S, a higher-resolution VR headset with built-in tracking
The successor to the original Rift, made in partnership with Lenovo
March 20, 2019
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/20/...ounced-pricing-release-date-features-gdc-2019

Oculus VR unveiled its next-generation Rift headset today, a higher-resolution pair of virtual reality goggles that remove the need for external cameras by incorporating built-in tracking. The name of the device, as rumored by numerous reports over the last 12 months, is the Oculus Rift S.
In a surprise twist, it’s been developed in partnership with Lenovo. Oculus says it struck a deal with the Chinese electronics giant to help it speed up manufacturing and to improve upon the design of the original Rift.

In another twist, both the Quest and Rift S device will cost exactly the same at launch: $399, with the same pair of slightly modified Touch motion controllers included and the same integrated audio system (plus a headphone jack for external audio).
We don’t have release dates for the Rift S or the Quest just yet.
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guest · Mar 26, 2019

Sony has sold 4.2 million PlayStation VR headsets since launch
March 26, 2019
https://www.techspot.com/news/79367-sony-has-sold-42-million-playstation-vr-headsets.html

Why it matters: Sony has managed to sell more than 4.2 million PlayStation VR headsets in less than two and a half years. It's an impressive feat and one that'll help to ensure that modern VR gets a fighting chance. The future is still very much unknown but availability of devices like this certainly won't hurt the movement's cause.

Sony’s success in the space likely makes its headset the best-selling premium VR device on the market. According to market intelligence firm IDC, Sony shipped an estimated 463,000 headsets during the fourth quarter compared to 300,000 Oculus Rifts and 230,000 HTC Vives.
The Japanese gaming giant also announced a smattering of new VR titles headed to the PlayStation 4 this spring [...]
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guest · Mar 30, 2019

Valve has developed its own high-end VR headset called 'Index', set for May reveal
A high-end competitor with all sorts of features
March 29, 2019
https://www.techspot.com/news/79432-valve-has-developed-own-high-end-vr-headset.html

Why it matters: A new teaser site has popped up online, with an image, a name, and a date. Meet the Valve Index, to be unveiled in May this year. After a brief dip into the VR market with SteamVR in 2016, Valve is going all out with their own headset, controllers and a trio of full-fledged games.

First spotted by Ars Technica, the Valve Index website reveals just enough about the headset to merit some serious excitement. For starters, it’s got two big wide-angle cameras, implying that it will support inside-out tracking so that either external tracking stations are optional, or so that tracking is better all-round.

"Right now we're building three VR games," said Newell. "When I say we're building three games, we're building three full games, not experiments."
While we don’t know exactly what will arrive in May, be it a full release or an announcement, Valve’s certainly picked an interesting time. The Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest and the HTC Vive Focus Plus will all be launching around that time – can the Valve Index steal the show?
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guest · Apr 12, 2019

Facebook accidentally shipped ‘tens of thousands’ of VR controllers with hidden messages like ‘Big Brother is Watching’ and ‘The Masons Were Here’
April 12, 2019
https://www.businessinsider.de/facebook-weird-messages-oculus-touch-controllers-2019-4?r=US&IR=T

Facebook accidentally shipped "tens of thousands" of virtual reality (VR) controllers with bizarre hidden messages, including "Big Brother is Watching" and "The Masons Were Here."

"Unfortunately, some 'easter egg' labels meant for prototypes accidentally made it onto the internal hardware for tens of thousands of Touch controllers," the tech executive wrote.

The messages on final production hardware say “This Space For Rent” & “The Masons Were Here.” A few dev kits shipped with “Big Brother is Watching” and “Hi iFixit! We See You!” but those were limited to non-consumer units. [2/3] pic.twitter.com/po1qyQ10Um
— Nate Mitchell (@natemitchell) April 12, 2019
Mitchell added: "While I appreciate easter eggs, these were inappropriate and should have been removed. The integrity and functionality of the hardware were not compromised, and we've fixed our process so this won't happen again."
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ronjor · Apr 17, 2019

Fraunhofer demonstrates 5G virtual reality video streaming software

Jeremy Horwitz@horwitz April 17, 2019
Known worldwide for its contributions to the MPEG format — the compression technology used in MP3 audio files and MP4 videos — Germany’s Fraunhofer has recently turned its attention to the next frontier in media: virtual reality. After unveiling affordable VR headset microdisplay hardware last year, the company is now showing off next-generation video compression software using the new MPEG-OMAF standard, the first VR specification enabling 360-degree videos to stream over 5G networks.
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guest · Apr 18, 2019

The best Oculus Rift games available today
April 8, 2019
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-oculus-rift-games/

The Oculus Rift had a tough go of it out of the gate. Delayed shipments and a sparse library of games made its first six months on the market rocky.

It’s now well into its life span, and the Oculus Rift continues to impress with a steady stream of solid experiences. From first-person shooters to frightful psychological horror games to quirky puzzlers to co-op games, the platform has something for everyone. We’ve combed through its library to compile the best Oculus Rift games available on the VR headset today.
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guest · Apr 28, 2019

Far from glitzy tech hubs, Chinese city bets big on VR
April 28, 2019
https://apnews.com/a7dfb8061bc64be182cf9d57fe88e13b

“It feels like reality,” Liu said after shooting down robots in a virtual fighter jet, strapped to a spinning gyroscope lit in purple. “It’s just like you’re riding in a plane.”
Enthusiasm for VR has cooled somewhat after years of hype, but China’s leaders are trying to drum up excitement, hoping to take the lead in a technology they expect will eventually gain wide use.

Nanchang’s VR Star park offers 42 rides and exhibits, including VR bumper cars and VR shoot-’em-ups. It’s the highlight of Nanchang’s “VR base,” a sprawling complex of mostly still empty, futuristic glass-and-steel offices.
Officials hope that one day it will be a world-class hub for virtual reality.

Stopping by the Nanchang VR park, he was still unimpressed.
“The image quality isn’t refined, and it’s hard to operate,” he said after a virtual flume ride.
Even if it’s a gamble, analysts say China’s state-led push into VR could pay off in the future.
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guest · May 3, 2019

NYPD Will Be Using Virtual Reality For Training Drills
May 3, 2019
https://www.ubergizmo.com/2019/05/nypd-use-virtual-reality-training/

It seems that such a training system is now being used by the NYPD where in a pilot program, it will use VR to train police officers on how to handle active shooters.

According to NYPD Counterterrorism Deputy Chief John O’Connell, “It adds another whole component. You can change the scenarios. You don’t need that much space. So we’re taking a good look at.”
NYPD Counterterrorism Officer John Schoppmann adds, “I get more scenarios in, in a much shorter time… you get really immersed. There’s a lot of heart pounding and it’s very realistic.”

There are also the added benefits of the entire training drill being recorded digitally, meaning that data can be gathered and used to provide feedback and improvements. You can watch the video above if you’d like to see what the training drill looks like.
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guest · May 28, 2019

Oculus Quest Sold Out Across Multiple Retailers
May 28, 2019
https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/oculus-quest-sold-out-1203227173/

Facebook’s new Oculus Quest virtual reality (VR) headset seems to be a hit with early adopters, causing inventory shortages at a number of retailers. A week after its official launch, the headset was sold out at Amazon, Walmart and Newegg Tuesday.
A Facebook spokesperson acknowledged the inventory issues in a statement sent to Variety: “We’re so glad to see the excitement and interest in Oculus Quest. While some of our retail partners are temporarily out of stock online, we’re working to restore availability in all channels as soon as possible. [...]"

It’s still too early to say what these inventory issues mean for absolute Quest sales numbers, and the impact the device may have on the VR market as a whole.
What’s more, first-week sales of the device are likely driven by VR early adopters, and Facebook is expected to sell many more Quest units during the holiday shopping season.
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guest · May 29, 2019

Varjo teams up with Volvo to enable safe driving with AR headsets
May 29, 2019
https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/29/...olvo-to-enable-safe-driving-with-ar-headsets/

Varjo has announced a partnership with Volvo to enable safe driving with an augmented reality headset that you could eventually wear while operating a vehicle. It can give you visual alerts, using computer graphics to highlight hazards on the road.

Wearing a headset on your face while you’re driving may sound nuts. But Volvo’s Casper Wikman, technical leader for R&D, said in an interview that the company has already done tests with people driving on roads in Scandinavia while wearing the headsets.
“We press a button and you see the wire frame. Then we press another button and it becomes a real car. You can see a semi-transparent heads-up display that Volvo is testing.”

But I did not get a chance to drive a car with headsets on it, and it may be a long time before many people are able to do that.
For the first time, users can also switch seamlessly between mixed reality and full virtual reality modes. The depth sensors in XR-1 allow mapping of real-life objects and environments to build natural occlusion.
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hawki · Jul 9, 2019

"Pentagon Looks to Virtual Reality to Prepare Troops for Nuclear War...

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency on Tuesday began seeking information on virtual reality training systems that would allow troops to rehearse different scenarios involving “radiological threats.”

The agency, which focuses on countering weapons of mass destruction, could one day use the tech to train troops to intercept radiological weapons on the battlefield, respond to radioactive contamination and even prepare for full-fledged nuclear war, officials wrote in the solicitation...

...[T]hey would expose troops to more training exercises than they could ever experience in the real world. Physical training is expensive and time-consuming, but through virtual reality, troops could run through more exercises more frequently and at a lower cost...

This wouldn’t be the first time the Pentagon turned to virtual platforms to train troops for real-world scenarios:

Last year, Microsoft won a $480 million contract with the Army to adapt its HoloLens augmented reality headsets for use in military training and combat operations. The headsets would be outfitted with artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities, and provide troops with “ncreased lethality, mobility, and situational awareness...."

https://www.defenseone.com/technolo...-nuclear-war/158245/?oref=defenseone_today_nl

guest · Jul 30, 2019

Best VR headsets for 2019
The best doorway to another world: via PC, game console, phone or standalone
July 30, 2019
https://www.cnet.com/news/best-vr-headsets-for-2019/

There are plenty of perfectly good VR headsets you can buy now. Whether you need to is another matter. Depending on who you ask, VR is either alive and well (and might just help keep you healthy), it's dead, dead, dead, or, at the very least, a promise still unfulfilled.

VR is still evolving, into possibilities that could eventually stun us even more: totally standalone headsets already exist, like the Oculus Quest, and they're amazing.
Fully standalone, self-contained systems seem like the future, but so do low-cost, lightweight devices that plug right into phones.

But There are some amazing things you can do in VR now, though, and some new VR headsets that are worth considering. [...]
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guest · Aug 5, 2019

Virtual reality shows new promise for some kinds of surgical training
August 5, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/05/v...-promise-for-some-kinds-of-surgical-training/

A recent validation study conducted by the David Geffen School of Medicine indicates that virtual reality could provide significant benefits to surgical training.
The study, which was financed by the virtual reality surgical training startup Osso VR, indicates that participants who used the company’s training methods improved their overall surgical performance by 230%.

Still, the “Randomized, Controlled Trial of a Virtual Reality Tool to Teach Surgical Technique for Tibial Shaft Fracture Intramedullary Nailing” takes the first step at providing evidence to back up the long-held assertions that learning in virtual reality has benefits that accrue in real-world scenarios.
The promise of virtual reality training is its “anytime,” “anywhere” applicability according to Osso VR, and the results of this study indicate that in certain controlled scenarios, the company may be right.

“As an orthopaedic surgeon, it’s critical to me that our technology is evidence-based. As we roll out a completely new way to train, we want our users and customers to continue to see this platform as effective and reliable,” said Justin Barad, MD, CEO and co-founder of Osso VR, in a statement.
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guest · Aug 14, 2019

British Airways is offering VR entertainment on flights
First class passengers between London and New York get their own cinema in the sky
August 14, 2019
https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/14/british-airways-is-offering-vr-entertainment-on-flights/

British Airways is set to trial VR entertainment on select first class flights from London Heathrow to New York JFK. From now until the end of the year, customers on these flights will have their own 3D cinema in the sky, and will be able to watch a variety of films, documentaries and travel shows in 2D, 3D or 360° formats.
The line-up also includes a range of expertly-selected therapeutic VR experiences, such as guided meditation and sound therapy, specifically designed for those with a fear of flying.

British Airways is certainly not the first airline to adopt VR entertainment -- Quantas trialled it back in 2015 and Alaska Airlines did the same last year -- but it is the first UK airline to do so, and it's a massive name in the air travel biz, suggesting that in-flight VR could soon become an on-board norm.
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guest · Aug 18, 2019

FundamentalVR adds eye-tracking to its VR surgery sim
August 17, 2019
https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/17/fundamentalvr-adds-eye-tracking-to-its-vr-surgery-sim/

FundamentalVR is on a mission to make VR surgery simulation as robust, convincing, and efficient as possible. Recently, it made a small but significant step toward that goal with eye-tracking.

“We track your eye-movement and your surgical sight gaze. Being able to track that with the precision of your eyes as opposed to the movement of your head which is what we’ve been doing so far is just a great step forward.”
Now with HTC’s Vive Pro Eye, though, you can quickly glance at your desired option out of the corner of your eye and then look back. It’s still not as seamless as, say, human interaction in real-life scenarios, but it is indeed a step forward.

For now, though, FundamentalVR seems to be expanding in the right areas. This remains one of the best examples of the good VR is doing out there in the world.
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guest · Aug 23, 2019

These Lenses Work Better Than The Human Eye, Can Revolutionize VR/AR Headsets, Cameras
August 23, 2019
https://www.ibtimes.com/these-lense...n-revolutionize-vrar-headsets-cameras-2816772

A technology that can revolutionize the lenses used for cameras, VR/AR headsets and eyewear has just been created.
Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) unveiled their new creation that could revolutionize the lenses of today used in cameras, VR/AR headsets, and eyewear. The electronic lens that the research team created functions as effective as and in this case better than the human eye.

The electronic lens works like a human eye in the sense that it has the capability to focus in real-time. The Harvard research team describes it as working better than the human eye as it is capable of adjusting for astigmatism. The lens can also adjust blurry visions caused by two variables as well as to image shift.
This technology that revolutionizes the use of a lens in cameras, VR/AR headsets and eyewear prevents vignetting as it is now large enough to cover a camera sensor. It is capable for use in modern applications.
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guest · Aug 27, 2019

Businesses Are Using VR To Learn How To Best Fire People
August 26, 2019
https://www.latimes.com/business/st...l-reality-vr-technology-fire-simulator-future

Today, the dream of goggle-wearing masses has deflated, and investment in the tech has dwindled. But VR companies like Talespin have found a growing market in simulating the least entertaining content imaginable: our jobs. Consumers may not yet feel the pull of visiting fantasy worlds in their free time, but for businesses that need to train their workers, better tools are a necessity, not a luxury.

In his work in the lab and with Strivr, which started making VR training modules for professional athletes before moving to corporate clients such as Walmart and Verizon, Bailenson has seen how the psychological realism makes VR more memorable than other training methods.
Behind the goggles, I could run the program as many times as I liked, trying different approaches without boring my virtual partner or worrying that I was too harsh, or slow, or timid.
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guest · Sep 2, 2019

Dutch virtual reality can help reduce teacher shortage worldwide
September 2, 2019
https://www.computerweekly.com/news...ty-can-help-reduce-teacher-shortage-worldwide

Stan van Ginkel, a lecturer and researcher at the Archimedes Institute and the Intelligent Data Systems professorship at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, researches the use of virtual reality (VR) glasses as a means to reduce teacher shortages.

In his initial study, Van Ginkel found that three out of seven design principles have to do with feedback, so he set up experiments on this subject.
Virtual reality offers valuable student feedback
Then the opportunity arose to incorporate virtual reality in the experiments.

“VR is a very good way to simulate real-life situations and the technology can be used to give real-time feedback to a student,” said Van Ginkel. His team set up a VR lab and conducted experiments within the existing oral presentation skills course.
One of the advantages of this personal way of learning is that students don’t have to wait until a course is on the curriculum.
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guest · Sep 7, 2019

VR can help meet the challenges of an aging population
September 7, 2019
https://venturebeat.com/2019/09/07/vr-can-help-meet-the-challenges-of-an-aging-population/

Last month, Sol Rogers, CEO and founder at REWIND, marked World Senior Citizen’s Day by featuring five companies that are using VR to improve the lives of seniors.

“From reducing loneliness to transporting the infirm to far-flung places, without the need to travel, VR is enhancing the lives of senior citizens across the globe.” wrote Rogers.
Indeed, the use cases in which VR is proving to make a real difference for the elderly are beginning to pile up.
As effective as the real thing
That VR is a practical and effective alternative that offers similar improvement and adherence rates as real world training is what a study published last month on Dove Press journal, entitled “Clinical Interventions in Aging” illustrates.

Another study published in July, entitled “The effectiveness of virtual reality for people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia” reports that “VR offers cost-effective, accessible, flexible, and comprehensive interventions for patients who have difficulty attending outpatient appointments due to distance, lack of transport, or disability.”
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guest · Sep 12, 2019

HTC Vive Cosmos consumer VR headset ships on October 3 for $700
September 12, 2019
https://venturebeat.com/2019/09/12/htc-vive-cosmos-ships-on-october-3-for-700/

HTC is launching a new high-end consumer virtual reality headset, the HTC Vive Cosmos, and it will ship on October 3 for $700. Preorders are open today.

The new VR headset is going to feel like a new generation of VR, perhaps the second or third since the first modern VR headsets launched in 2016. While the price is high, it’s still less than the $800 price that the original HTC Vive debuted at in 2016.
Vive Cosmos is HTC’s premium PC-based VR system created with a focus on making virtual reality more accessible, easier to use, and higher quality.
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guest · Sep 12, 2019

Hulu Discontinues VR App for Google’s Daydream Headset
September 12, 2019
https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/hulu-dyadream-vr-discontinued-1203333624/

Hulu has dropped support for Google’s Daydream VR platform: The video streaming service quietly removed Daydream support from its Android app in recent weeks, making it impossible for most Daydream users to watch Hulu videos on Google’s Daydream View VR headset.

“The VR experience with Google Daydream is no longer supported for Android mobile devices running version 3.55 or newer of the Hulu app. That said, it is still available on Daydream-capable Android devices running version 3.54.1 or older of the Hulu app.”

Launched with much fanfare as Google’s answer to Samsung’s Gear VR headset in 2016, Daydream never really caught on with consumers, or the industry itself for that matter.
Google nonetheless pressed forward, releasing a second version of the Daydream viewer and announcing plans for standalone devices from multiple manufacturers based on Daydream in 2017.

One of those partners, HTC, jumped ship even before releasing its standalone device. The other, Lenovo, did release its Daydream-based Mirage Solo VR headset in May of 2018 — the same month that Facebook began selling its Oculus Go VR headset for half the price.
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guest · Sep 22, 2019

Melbourne Metro VR simulator tunnels into RMIT
Stepping into the virtual construction site
September 23, 2019
https://www.itnews.com.au/news/melbourne-metro-vr-simulator-tunnels-into-rmit-531095

RMIT University’s property, construction and project management students are getting hands-on experience in Melbourne’s off-limits Metro Tunnel sites by repurposing the developers’ virtual reality platform.

“Our virtual reality experience is designed to to take inexperienced workers into an environment that carries high risk and let them understand those risks before we take them to the physical underground space,” CYP D&C workforce development and training manager Jacinta Lanigan said.
To make the most of the university’s proximity to the station, a partnership was struck up between RMIT, CYP D&C and the Melbourne Metro Interface Project Team (IPT) to give students access to the VR platform.

“It is new technology to us, and it’s being embraced by both design and construction companies throughout the industry.”
Based on the early success of the VR platform, the uni plans to continue making the program available to students.
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guest · Sep 23, 2019

Porsche wants to take passengers on a virtual reality experience
September 23, 2019
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/porsche-virtual-reality-holoride-technology/

Porsche on Monday shared its latest virtual reality technology and the various experiences it can present for passengers. Those riding along in a Porsche equipped with the technology from startup Holoride can choose from 2D or 3D experiences, and for the programs in VR, sensors mimic the car's movements.
Having the VR follow the vehicle's motions can also help cut down on motion sickness, the automaker said. Porsche and Holoride said the technology could be used for entertainment and educational purposes, though, so don't expect all fun and games, kids.

This isn't a Porsche exclusive; Holoride is playing the open-source game, so any automaker can take advantage
The company wants to put the technology into production in 2021, and with Porsche as an early adopter, if all goes well you can bet you'll see the systems in the German luxury cars.
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