I Finally Tried Virtual Reality and It Brought Me to Tears

guest · May 15, 2020

mood said: ↑

Facebook kills software updates for Samsung Gear VR
April 5, 2020
https://venturebeat.com/2020/04/05/facebook-kills-software-updates-for-samsung-gear-vr/
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Samsung is killing its VR applications now that Gear VR is dead
The company's XR service will shut down on September 30th
May 15, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/samsung-is...tions-now-that-gear-vr-is-dead-181025444.html

Samsung will slowly shut down its XR service applications over the next few months until they’re completely gone by September 30th. The tech giant says it’s ending the service, because it’s “rethinking its immersive video distribution” method, “especially given that Gear VR is no longer available.”

The tech giant has already suspended 360-degree video uploads and premium video purchases, and it won’t be rolling out any further updates. Oculus devices will no longer support the Samsung VR Video app starting on June 30th, and the Facebook-owned company will remove the application from its store, as well.
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Finally, Samsung will disable all XR user accounts and delete their data on September 30th. On the same day, Samsung Gear VR and Windows Odyssey headsets will stop supporting the company’s VR video app. Android devices will also stop supporting the XR mobile app.
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Samsung: Samsung XR End of Service

May 11, 2020
Samsung XR is ending service for its XR applications across web, mobile, and headset platforms. The service will terminate on September 30, 2020. In the meantime, users will see the following changes roll out across key dates: [...]
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hawki · May 15, 2020

"Apple acquired NextVR, suggesting it still harbors VR ambitions..."

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...tvr-suggesting-it-still-harbors-vr-ambitions/

guest · May 15, 2020

NextVR Android app pulled from Google Play hours after Apple confirms acquisition
May 15, 2020
https://9to5google.com/2020/05/15/n...-play-hours-after-apple-confirms-acquisition/

Within hours of that public confirmation, NextVR’s Android app was quickly pulled from the Google Play Store.

Mark Gurman pointed out on Twitter that a direct link to the NextVR app in the Google Play Store brings back an error message saying that the app was not found. Of course, that also means NextVR can’t be found in Play Store search. You may still be able to pull up the listing from an Android phone, but you won’t be able to install the app.
Still, it’s telling that NextVR has already pulled its Android app from the store because the same treatment hasn’t been given to other platforms.

The iOS, PlayStation, Oculus, and Steam listings are all still live at this time. Eventually, though, those apps will likely be pulled simply because NextVR is not in place.
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guest · May 18, 2020

Oculus Quest unwraps hand-tracking updates for its first birthday
Apps and games will start introducing hand-tracking on May 28 and play boundaries can now recognize objects
May 18, 2020
https://www.cnet.com/news/oculus-quest-unwraps-hand-tracking-updates-for-its-first-birthday/

Facebook hasn't announced any new version of the Quest yet (or any price drops), but there's one big change rolling out -- many upcoming games and apps will work with your hands without any controllers at all.

The Oculus Quest's hand-tracking technology was revealed last October and became available as an experimental tool at the end of last year, but it's now becoming a real part of the software.
Apps and games will be able to incorporate it starting May 28.
The Quest's hand-tracking capabilities, using the onboard headset cameras, works surprisingly well but isn't a full replacement for physical controllers.

The Oculus Quest's play boundary system, Guardian, is getting an enhancement that will recognize objects in the room, too.
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Hand-tracking and room boundary improvements could help polish it even further and build some tools for a next-gen headset when it's ready.
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Oculus Quest to Get ‘Playspace Scan’ Feature to Detect Objects Intruding into Guardian

In honor of Oculus Quest’s first anniversary today, Facebook announced that the popular standalone VR headset is getting a new ‘Playspace Scan’ feature to make its Guardian system capable of detecting objects that could trip you up during gameplay.

Facebook has been making strides to fill out the feature set of Quest since launch in 2019, adding in experimental hand tracking, which is consequently soon to leave beta.
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guest · May 24, 2020

Facebook’s Oculus Enterprise Platform is now available to all
May 23, 2020
https://mspoweruser.com/facebooks-oculus-enterprise-platform-is-available-now/

Last year Facebook announced Oculus for Business, an all-in-one enterprise platform to support companies deploying VR in the workplace.
The service has been in beta testing since, and today Facebook announced that Oculus for Business platform is officially out of closed beta and generally available.

The platform is taking on Windows Mixed Reality’s last remaining niche by offering a feature-rich platform which can be used to expand training programs, boost productivity, and empower distributed workforces.
The Johnson & Johnson Institute, an early Oculus collaborator, is using the platform to train surgeons.

“We are now able to provide VR surgical training at a scale that we could previously only dream about,” says Tim Mauri, Director, WW Professional Education Technology & Innovation. “Our goal is to train more surgeons in 2020 than we did in the prior three years combined.”
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guest · May 26, 2020

Queensland fire service adopts virtual reality technology to train new recruits
May 26, 2020
https://www.zdnet.com/article/queen...ual-reality-technology-to-train-new-recruits/

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), together with Deakin University and Queensland University of Technology, have teamed up to develop augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) video training programs to help train new firefighting recruits and SES volunteers.

Speaking to ZDNet, QFES inspector Bruce Budge explained how the 360-degree VR training programs use a combination of technologies, including large projector screens, VR headsets, and haptic feedback devices, such as heat vests and hose reels, to provide recruits with realistic-like training before they are exposed to fires in real life.

"We're looking at a way people to introduce people who have no previous firefighting experience to fires," he said.
The QFES also touted that using VR and extended reality is a more cost-effective way to train its firefighters.
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ronjor · May 26, 2020

Former HTC top exec announces a 5G-enabled social VR headset

By Cal Jeffrey 26 May 2020
You will use the device to navigate a virtual world called Manova with friends and strangers
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guest · May 26, 2020

What does Apple want from a VR events company?
Patents? Livestreamed concerts? Maybe both.
May 26, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/apple-glass-next-vr-230029581.html

Since 2009 a startup called NextVR has been developing proprietary cameras and striking deals to bring live events [...] the company failed to raise a third major funding round, forcing it to layoff nearly 40 percent of the workforce at its Newport Beach headquarters. The writing was on the virtual wall -- until Apple swooped in with a check.

9to5Mac reported last month that Apple had acquired the company in a deal valued at around $100 million, and Apple latest confirmed the acquisition — though not the price — to Bloomberg just recently. To mark the occasion, NextVR shuttered its website not too long ago.
Now, it just thanks people for joining them for the ride and mentions that NextVR is “headed in a new direction.”
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Of course, this all leads us to a hefty question: What's Apple going to do with a VR company?
The short, obvious answer is no one knows for sure, but with all this news still visible in the rearview mirror, this seems like a good time to take stock of Apple’s interest in virtual reality and see what that tells us.
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guest · May 28, 2020

mood said: ↑

↑ HP built a better version of the Oculus Rift March 19, 2019
↑ HP teases a “no compromise” Windows Mixed Reality VR headset March 23, 2020
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HP announces Reverb G2, the world’s highest resolution VR headset
May 28, 2020
https://mspoweruser.com/hp-announces-reverb-g2-vr-headset/

Back in March 2019, HP announced Reverb, a new VR headset powered by Windows Mixed Reality. HP Reverb had 2160 x 2160 panel per eye and an incredible 114-degree field of view. It also had integrated headphones with spatial audio and smart assistant compatible dual microphones for a greater immersive experience.

As we reported last week, HP today announced Reverb G2, the next generation Virtual Reality headset that was developed in collaboration with Valve and Microsoft. HP promises that this headset delivers an immersive, comfortable and compatible VR experience. HP also claims that Reverb G2 is the world’s highest resolution VR headset among major vendors.
[...]
The HP Reverb G2 VR Headset will be available from Fall 2020 for $599.
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Press Release: HP, Valve, and Microsoft Removing Distance Barriers with Next-Gen Virtual Reality Headset

Today, HP Inc. unveiled its latest virtual reality (VR) headset, the HP Reverb G2, in collaboration with industry leaders Valve and Microsoft. The HP Reverb G2 is the world's highest resolution VR headset among major vendors, delivering cutting-edge optics, inside-out tracking, spatial 3D audio, natural gestures, long-wearing comfort, and plug and play support for Windows Mixed Reality and SteamVR.
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guest · May 31, 2020

This German town replicated itself in VR to keep its tourism alive
May 31, 2020
https://thenextweb.com/syndication/...cated-itself-in-vr-to-keep-its-tourism-alive/

Tourists may soon be able to explore the picturesque cross-timbered houses and historic churches of Herrenberg via virtual reality (VR), thanks to a digital twin developed with the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS).

There are now plans to develop the emerging area of virtual tourism for the town, which has a population of around 31,000.

“We have a very beautiful city center so tourists can explore it in a digital way with VR glasses before they come to Herrenberg, which is an interesting benefit for the future,” Reith said.
Just the beginning for city digital twins
Dembski told Cities Today the use of digital twins by cities is “only at the beginning” but is progressing quickly, especially in Asia.

“A digital twin can be a great help in reducing complexity for cities, assessing measures at an early stage, and explaining interrelationships. But there are many aspects that are deeply human and cannot be reproduced in digital copies, such as culture, interpersonal relationships, joy, and happiness. A digital twin is a tool, not a solution.”
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guest · Jun 1, 2020

A Tokyo Hospital Is Livestreaming Surgeries in Virtual Reality
May 29, 2020
https://futurism.com/neoscope/tokyo-hospital-livestreaming-surgeries-virtual-reality

In order to protect medical students and doctors during the coronavirus pandemic, a hospital in Tokyo has started livestreaming surgical procedures in virtual reality for students stuck at home.

At Tokyo Women’s Medical University, which is known for experimenting with medical robots and AI algorithms, surgeons are now performing operations under the watchful eye of a giant, 8K virtual reality camera. That way, medical students who can’t personally attend classes due to medical concerns can put on a VR headset and tune in from home.

“Especially in the current situation, we believe that VR live streaming is very useful because you can share an immersive experience while avoiding human contact,” Naotaka Fujii, CEO of the VR company Hacosco that set up the system, said in a blog by the camera manufacturer Insta360.
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guest · Jun 13, 2020

Developer blames VR for severe eyesight damage
You might want to hold off on the VR revolution until headsets prioritize health
June 13, 2020
https://www.techspot.com/news/85618-developer-blames-vr-severe-eyesight-damage.html

A hot potato: It's not uncommon to experience strain and a tinge of nausea during your first VR experience, but it’s generally assumed that you adjust quickly. But one developer, who’s spent four years in a virtual world for work, suspects the opposite: the brain can try so hard to adjust that it gets caught in a half-real half-virtual purgatory that causes permanent discomfort.

Danny Bittman is a twenty-five-year-old Creative Director and Artist who works almost exclusively in VR, and he recently took to Twitter to evaluate his eyesight problems.
Since childhood, Bittman’s had a previously-undiagnosed condition called exophoria, a type of heterophoria. It causes his eyes to unfocus and drift apart [...] he says the severity “has multiplied by 10 since 2016.” His optometrist, a VR user, believes this was caused by VR overuse. [...]

“I may be wrong about which aspects of VR caused this. But there is without a doubt direct correlation to my VR usage and what I’m experiencing.”
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guest · Jun 17, 2020

NHS finds VR training boosts coronavirus frontline worker performance
June 17, 2020
https://venturebeat.com/2020/06/17/...sts-coronavirus-frontline-worker-performance/

Virtual reality showed great potential for medical training well before the coronavirus pandemic, letting surgeons practice on digital patients while students experimented in virtual labs. As hospitals across the world rushed nurses and doctors into the fight against COVID-19, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) invited VR training company Virti to join its innovation accelerator program , commissioning a study to quantify VR’s value in educating hospitals’ frontline workers.

Today, Virti released early results from the study, spotlighting the strong use case COVID-19 created for VR medical training, and hinting at its potential for broader adoption across other enterprises.
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According to Virti, the study confirmed significant improvements when using VR rather than traditional training: 92% of the VR participants were deemed to adequately understand infection control measures, compared with only 16% of the control group, while post-training performance increased by over 230% for the VR group, versus 16.75% for the control group.
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guest · Jun 24, 2020

Facebook discontinues the Oculus Go VR headset
Convinced that 6DOF is "the future of VR," Oculus is ending sales of the low-end virtual reality headsets
June 23, 2020
https://www.zdnet.com/article/facebook-discontinues-the-oculus-go-vr-headset/

Facebook this year is ending sales of the Oculus Go, the low-end virtual reality headsets that deliver 3DOF (three degrees of freedom) tracking. It's abandoning the relatively cheap devices because users have made it clear "that 6DOF feels like the future of VR," the company said in a blog post Tuesday.

Moving forward, Facebook will no longer ship new features for Oculus Go. After December 4, it will stop accepting new apps or app updates for the headset. The company plans to maintain the system software with bug fixes and security patches through 2022.
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guest · Jun 29, 2020

SteamVR gets an open-source upgrade as Valve transitions to the OpenXR API
...no fear of losing access to your games
June 26, 2020
https://www.windowscentral.com/steamvr-gets-open-source-upgrade-valve-transitions-openxr-api

When SteamVR first launched some four years ago, it carried the standard for VR development through a development interface known as OpenVR. Despite the name, however, the OpenVR API wasn't actually open-source and, over the years, has received a bit of backlash from various members of the development and enthusiast communities.
The death of OpenVR began earlier this year when Unity pulled official support for the API, signaling that a huge change was about to begin. This move should help improve what's become quite a fragmented market.

So what does this mean for gamers? If nothing, it means that it'll continue to be easy to choose the VR headset you want without fear of losing out on important releases like Half-Life: Alyx.
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guest · Jun 29, 2020

Steam add-on makes VR games more accessible
WalkinVR Driver adjusts VR controls to make games easier to play
June 29, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/walkinvr-driver-vr-for-disabilities-143316404.html

As good as VR gaming can be, much of it assumes full mobility — and that risks leaving behind people with physical disabilities who’d love to play. That might not be an issue in the future for at least some games. 2MW has released WalkinVR Driver, a free Windows app that makes SteamVR games and apps more accessible.

WalkinVR Driver works with any headset that supports SteamVR. While that does limit the compatible software, it still opens many games and creative apps to a section of the population that would otherwise have to be content to watch.
The software may also encourage developers to be more accommodating with VR, for that matter — you could see more games with accessibility built-in.
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guest · Jul 6, 2020

SpaceVR offers a new perspective on Earth – from a tank in Brooklyn
July 4, 2020
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/space-vr-technology

During Nasa’s Apollo 11 mission, astronaut Michael Collins looked back at the Earth and was surprised by how delicate and vulnerable the planet looked from space.
[...] Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the planet and the environment.

Now, anyone can experience these emotions for themselves – not in space, but in Brooklyn, New York. White is now an advisor to US start-up SpaceVR, which promises to recreate the overview effect by putting customers inside a flotation tank with a waterproof virtual reality headset, and showing them footage of the Earth as seen from space.
The company has spent the last few years prototyping and testing, and is now rolling out the experience worldwide.
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Users wear a 4K VR headset which has been specially designed to protect the electronics inside from the corrosive saltwater of the tank. It currently uses pre-existing video footage of the Earth from space, but this summer, it will launch its own satellite – a small cubesat built by Pumpkin Space Systems at a cost of around $1m – to capture its own space video to use in the flotation tank.
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guest · Aug 1, 2020

UK schools embrace VR to prepare children for class during pandemic
July 31, 2020
https://siliconangle.com/2020/07/31/uk-schools-embrace-vr-prepare-children-class-pandemic/

A school district in the United Kingdom is embracing virtual reality technology to provide virtual tours of its classrooms and video introductions to bridge gaps in the face of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In a report covered today by The Eastern Daily Press, the Norwich Opportunity Area in conjunction with Norfolk Early Years Service in Norwich has produced 3D virtual tours of 18 Norwich primary schools, with videos to help students who will be coming to school in the fall.

“These tours really are an invaluable resource that can help lower the anxieties and worries of our preschool children and their families,” said Ashley Cater, Early Years Service project manager. “So many children have missed out on that transition period, normally they’d have loads of days visiting their new teachers and exploring classrooms.”
The interactive VR tours are provided by Insight Media, a studio that makes 360-degree VR tours for exactly this sort of purpose.
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guest · Aug 12, 2020

Virtually identical: Grounded Japanese try 'foreign' holidays with a difference
August 12, 2020
https://ca.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idCAKCN258179-OCATC

Japanese businessman Katsuo Inoue chose Italy for this year’s summer vacation, and he enjoyed the trimmings of a business class cabin and soaked up the sights of Florence and Rome - without ever leaving Tokyo.

Inoue, 56, and his wife “flew” as clients of Tokyo entertainment company First Airlines, which is tapping into a growing virtual reality travel market for Japanese holidaymakers grounded by coronavirus restrictions.
Grounded travelers sit in first or business class seats in a mock airline cabin where they are served in-flight meals and drinks, with flat panel screens displaying aircraft exterior views including passing clouds.

Virtual reality goggles provide immersive tours at destinations including - as well as Italy’s cities of culture - Paris, New York, Rome and Hawaii.
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hawki · Aug 18, 2020

"You’ll need a Facebook account to use future Oculus headsets...

Oculus will soon require all of its virtual reality headset users to sign up with a Facebook account. The Facebook-owned company says it will start removing support for separate Oculus accounts in October, although users can maintain an existing account until January 1st, 2023..."

https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/18/...t=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

guest · Aug 31, 2020

HP is working on a new VR headset with Eye tracking and Facial imaging
August 30, 2020
https://mspoweruser.com/hp-is-working-on-a-new-vr-headset-with-eye-tracking-and-face-camera/

HP appears to be working on a new Windows Mixed Reality headset, the HP Reverb Omnicept Edition.
The device, uncovered by ALumia, is a more advanced version of the HP Reverb G2, with additional eye tracking and face view camera sensors.

The as-yet-unannounced HP Reverb Omnicept Edition Headset with eye-tracking would allow more detailed foveated rendering (with reduced the rendering workload by greatly reducing the image quality in the peripheral vision ), while facial imaging would allow for expression tracking and creating more realistic avatars, useful for VR-based video conferencing.
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No official information of the headset has been released, but the HP Reverb G2 headset supports Windows Mixed Reality and Steam VR, and we assume the next version will offer the same feature set.
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guest · Sep 5, 2020

Facebook halts Oculus Quest sales in Germany amid privacy concerns
Headset’s Facebook-login requirement may fall afoul of GDPR’s “coupling ban.”
September 3, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020...quest-sales-in-germany-amid-privacy-concerns/

Facebook subsidiary Oculus says it has "temporarily paused" sales of Oculus Quest headsets to customers in Germany. Reports suggest the move is in response to concerns from German regulators about the recently announced requirement that all Oculus users will need to use a Facebook account by 2023 to log in to the device.

"We have temporarily paused selling Oculus devices to consumers in Germany," Facebook writes in a brief message on the Oculus support site. "We will continue supporting users who already own an Oculus device and we're looking forward to resuming sales in Germany soon."
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Breaking up a coupling?
In a statement provided to Heise Online, the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HCDPFI) said, in part:

"The obligation to create a Facebook account [to access an Oculus headset] is legally extremely questionable, at least for those who have already bought a headset. Whether this also applies to new customers is definitely open to discussion. That should largely depend on the design of the contract, which we do not have."
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guest · Sep 14, 2020

Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 will have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2, according to a leaked promo video
September 14, 2020
https://www.xda-developers.com/oculus-quest-2-leaked-facebook-promo-videos/

Leaked promotional videos have revealed Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, which could be available as early as this week. The videos were accidentally published to Facebook Blueprint, the company’s e-learning platform, before they were taken down (via The Verge).

Information shared in the videos reveal the new headset will be a major upgrade over the original Oculus Quest. One of the big updates will include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 platform, which was designed specifically for AR and VR hardware.
What’s unclear from the new videos is whether the Oculus Quest 2 will feature a 90Hz or even 120Hz display, which Oculus had reportedly been testing; the original featured a display refresh rate of 72Hz.

Renders of the Oculus Quest 2 first leaked in July, revealing a VR headset that carried over a similar design to the previous version. This time, however, the USB-C port and headphone jack have seemingly been moved to the left side, with the power button being moved to the right side.
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guest · Oct 2, 2020

mood said: ↑

Google discontinues Daydream VR
October 15, 2019
https://venturebeat.com/2019/10/15/google-discontinues-daydream-vr/
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Google's Daydream is over — the VR platform is dead
Support officially ends with Android 11
October 2, 2020
https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/10/02/googles-daydream-is-over-the-vr-platform-is-dead/

You probably barely remember what Daydream is, or rather was, and no-one will blame you for that. Google launched its VR platform back in 2016 and even introduced its own View headset to the market, which it also updated about a year later.

After officially killing its Play Movies & TV app for Daydream in June 2019, and losing support for Hulu about a year ago, Google is waking up from its Daydream and officially announcing the platform is dead.
The company confirmed it will no longer update the software, and that Daydream may not even work on Android 11. Third-party apps could still work with the headset, which isn't available for purchase anymore, but you shouldn't expect these to continue to be maintained either.
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Google: Daydream service update

guest · Oct 13, 2020

The $299 Oculus Quest 2 VR headset starts shipping today
Facebook’s new standalone headset
October 13, 2020
https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/13...ok-vr-headset-availability-price-shipping-now

The Oculus Quest 2, Facebook’s new virtual reality headset, has started shipping today. The Quest 2 is a cheaper, revamped version of the original 2019 Quest. It’s got the same untethered standalone design but with a new chipset and a big bump in screen resolution and controller battery life. And it’s starting at $299 for the base 64GB model and $399 for a 256GB version, a $100 drop from the original Quest.

Quest 2 preorders have been open since September, and it’s available through Oculus’ own site and stores like Best Buy and Walmart, with a full list of retailers in Oculus’ announcement post.
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