VRScout
MARCH 23, 2017
This is the first piece in an ongoing series about writing, storytelling, and critique in VR, in partnership with Galatea , a writing and narrative design management tool for immersive stories. We’re nearly a half-decade into this new Immersive Renaissance—somewhere in the neighborhood of half a decade depending on who you talk to—and we’ve learned a boatload of lessons about producing virtual reality experiences.
Road to VR
MARCH 2, 2017
According to UBS analyst Steven Milunovich , Apple could have over 1,000 engineers working on Augmented Reality technology in Israel, mostly at its major R&D centre in Herzliya. Milunovich maintains Apple might introduce AR features similar to Google’s Tango in the next iPhone. AR and VR technologies are in their infancy, but well past the proof-of-concept stage, and rival technology giants already offer consumer or developer products—such as Google’s Tango, Cardboard, and Daydream, and Micr
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UploadVR Between Realities podcast
MARCH 6, 2017
Developed by Epic Games and with a budget that nearly matched the original Gears of War , Robo Recall [ Review: 7.5/10 ] is probably the Oculus Rift’s biggest exclusive so far. But a new mod is making sure HTC Vive owners don’t miss out. You may well have heard of CrossVR before. He’s one of the developers behind Revive, a hack that allows Vive owners to play games available on Oculus Home, including exclusive Rift content funded by Oculus itself.
Next Reality VR
MARCH 14, 2017
Google and Samsung have been leaving Apple in the dust when it comes to virtual reality gear. However, as the market grows and becomes more impossible to ignore within the tech world, Apple may be forced to play catch up. This could account for the new Apple patent that was granted today. Actually, this patent is a continuation of a patent already approved in August 2016, and shows a VR headset to be compatible with iPhones.
Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions
To avoid awkward and sometimes disastrous learning content, instructional designers must use authentic translation in the right context to get optimal results. For example, even a simple phrase like “got milk” translates to “are you lactating” in Mexico. Can you imagine what a straight translation might do to your course? With over 317 million people in the US and over 6.7 billion potential customers in the world, personalizing training seems logical.
Slashgear
MARCH 3, 2017
Although it already has its Gear VR platform, co-developed with Oculus, Samsung may have more ambitious plans for its virtual reality push. Behind closed doors at MWC 2017, Samsung was reportedly giving select partners a demonstration of prototype VR headsets, ones that don’t need a smartphone or a PC to function. These standalone headsets, instead, carried their own processing power … Continue reading.
Virtual Reality Pulse brings together the best content for VR professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
VRScout
MARCH 6, 2017
Patients can explore new worlds away from the hospital thanks to VR. VR is being put to use at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse with the help of Samsung Australia and Start VR. Chemotherapy patients at the Australian not-for-profit cancer treatment center, many of whom are no longer physically able to travel, now have the chance to go to a far-off, exotic destination through the use of a Gear VR headset.
Road to VR
MARCH 8, 2017
In a reverse engineering exercise, two students at Utah State University have hacked positional tracking onto a Gear VR headset using SteamVR Tracking technology. Mobile VR solutions like Samsung’s Gear VR currently employ rotational tracking only. The popular forms of mobile VR headsets, such as the Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream View and Cardboard, are currently limited to rotational head tracking, meaning that you can look around comfortably from a single vantage point, but movements of
UploadVR Between Realities podcast
MARCH 3, 2017
Whew, what a week. Can we sleep now? With each passing year the Game Developers Conference (GDC) becomes more and more important to the VR industry, and 2017’s iteration was no different. There have been a frankly ridiculous amount of announcements over the past six days and we wouldn’t blame you if you’d missed a few of them. So we’ve gathered what we’d consider to be the nine biggest stories of the show, representing the need-to-know information.
RealVision VR
MARCH 25, 2017
Graduated Stereo falloff in 360 – How to do it right: As far back as 2014 (that’s like 10 in VR dog years), I’d described how graduated stereo falloff, could be used as a narrative storytelling tool for Cinematic VR. It’s safe to say that in 2014 everyone was learning VR. Even then, what I specifically had in mind is – you fade to black or cut to the next scene as your on-screen talent moves toward the 180 degree mark.
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With a rapidly changing economy, Avangrid Renewables looked to virtual reality to develop a standardized form of immersive training in order to onboard and upskill technicians faster than ever before.
Slashgear
MARCH 2, 2017
Faithful Mac users might have to wait a bit longer to get their fair share of the virtual reality pie. That is, unless Apple suddenly comes up with its own VR platform and headset within the next six months. That’s because Oculus, one of the three biggest VR companies, doesn’t yet have macOS in its sights. Not even within the … Continue reading.
VRScout
MARCH 28, 2017
This post is part of an ongoing series about writing, storytelling, and critique in VR, in partnership with Galatea , a writing and narrative design management tool for immersive stories. The trailer for Rose-Colored , Adam Cosco’s upcoming 360° film, just dropped—and one glimpse offers an immediate understanding of why Adam Cosco has become one of the most distinct and compelling voices in virtual reality today: I first encountered Cosco at VRTO last summer, where Knives was on debut.
VRScout
MARCH 22, 2017
For the first time in Norway, students at a primary school have experienced one of the Microsoft HoloLens’ greatest applications — education. The science lesson, presented by Pointmedia , took kids at Åssiden Elementary School to outer space to learn about our Earth and Solar System. “It was a little strange,” student Casper Hansen said. “I could see asteroids.
VRScout
MARCH 20, 2017
Dad builds insanely cute VR simulation for insanely cute daughter. This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about super parent Toby Newman. The VR hobbyist, and recipient of VRScout’s 2017 highly-coveted (not really) Dad Of The Year Award , has already made waves on the web for his work creating a virtual reality tour of his daughters favorite dollhouse.
Speaker: Nik Gowing, Brenda Laurel, Sheridan Tatsuno, Archie Kasnet, and Bruce Armstrong Taylor
With 191 country signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement now hard at work in the race to zero carbon by 2050, much of the heavy lifting in ecosystem sustainability falls on the shoulders of the world's densely populated urban centers. This conversation considers how today's AI-enabled simulation media, such as AR/VR, can be effectively applied to accelerate learning, understanding, training, and solutions-modeling to sustainability planning and design.
VRScout
MARCH 8, 2017
The Samsung Gear VR app features 360 photos and videos. As Facebook continues to emphasis video within the newsfeed, the tech giant has also made a commitment to embracing new formats like 360° photos and video. Now Facebook is doubling down on the immersive medium with the launch of the Facebook 360 app for Samsung Gear VR. The first dedicated VR app from Facebook, you can download it now to start exploring 360° photos and videos posted to the platform.
VRScout
MARCH 21, 2017
You may want to answer this call. Have you ever dreamed of strapping on a proton pack and letting your charged particle beam loose? Maybe give that troublemaker Slimer a taste of his own medicine with a strategically placed trap to the Containment Unit? Well now you finally can—in VR. Sony has answered our call, bringing the first in a series of VR Ghostbusters episodes to PlayStation VR today.
VRScout
MARCH 28, 2017
The New Zealand Fire Service has burned down an abandoned home to create a virtual reality experience called Escape My House , hoping VR immersion will help prepare homeowners for the worst. Producers remotely filmed the blazing house with fireproof 360-degree camera rigs the country’s fire service started testing last year. In the app, you’re given options on how to escape the home, along with explanations on why some exits — like a painted shut window — aren’t safe.
VRScout
MARCH 30, 2017
Recapping the top stories covered on the VRScout Report , a weekly podcast discussing the best in VR, hosted by Malia Probst. BMW uses VR to build cars faster & cheaper, Disney uses VR for research for theme parks, get set for Ready Player One in VR, a VR survey, and the investment & funding wrapup, plus much more. You can enjoy the full audio recording below: BMW USES VR TO BUILD CARS FASTER & CHEAPER.
Speaker: Richard Goring, Director at BrightCarbon
Remote meetings are here to stay - and many are BORING. If you are trying to engage your learners (or any audience), compelling content is critical. But trying to create stimulating content with the same tools you’ve always had is hard, right? Thankfully, wrong! Terrific tools in PowerPoint along with visual assets help you create the kind of dynamic content you need to capture your remote audience’s attention, with functions that allow for interactive sequences and navigation.
VRScout
MARCH 29, 2017
The VR segment returns to The Tonight Show with new A-list competitors. . Jimmy Fallon made waves back in December when he first introduced the latest Tonight Show segment dedicated to pitting celebrities against each other in bizarre ways, VR Pictionary. Audiences were treated to a hysterical contest as Michael Che of SNL’s Weekend Update and Andrew Rannells of HBO’s Girls used the popular VR art tool Tiltbrush to battle each other in a round of three-dimensional Pictionary.
VRScout
MARCH 30, 2017
Play the role of private eye and investigate new episodes with AR that’ll make you scream, “Holy s snacks!”. Since its premiere eight long years ago, Archer has cemented itself as one of the funniest adult animations to ever hit television. Along with its bold comedic-style, raunchy dialogue and memorable characters, much of the shows popularity could easily be attributed to whichever genius is behind the promotional content.
VRScout
MARCH 13, 2017
Pollutants become monsters in this HTC Vive clean water educational game. It seems like there’s been a surge in environmental awareness VR Content recently, but it’s never been done quite like this. Non-profit organization Water is Life, known for creative campaigns including Hashtag Killer and Kenya Bucket List, has taken activism VR to new heights with brand new game, Hidden Dangers.
VRScout
MARCH 3, 2017
Acer will be first to ship a $300 mixed reality headset for Windows developers. Microsoft is showing some commitment to the idea of Windows Mixed Reality (formally known as Windows Holographic) with not just a single headset, but with five headsets. Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo are all on board with Microsoft to put mixed reality into the hands of the consumers when Microsoft launches Project Scorpio , a high-end, 4K capable version of the XBox One.
Speaker: Treion Muller, Chief Strategy Officer at ELB Learning
Since when has learning and development (L&D) become such a negative experience with its intended learners? Could it be because learners have been conditioned by very poor learning experiences over the past two decades, combined with the kinks of technological innovation? Or is it because learning has typically been designed as a one-size-fits-all solution, despite the fact that humans are not clones?
VRScout
MARCH 7, 2017
Get a taste of what it’s like to play this classic NES game on the Vive. It seems like indie VR developers are in overdrive this month, reimagining some of our favorite childhood NES games in VR. We were already having a great time coming across a demo of Duck Hunt for the Oculus Rift, with grenades and all. Now Konami’s run and gun classic, Contra , has popped up on the interwebs — and you can download it right now for the HTC Vive.
VRScout
MARCH 15, 2017
Is this the new Samsung Gear 360? FCC filing suggests the consumer 360 camera is on its way. We are two weeks out from Samsung’s March 29th Unpacked event where the company is expected to launch their new Galaxy S8 mobile device. But at the same time, we could see the unveiling of an updated Gear 360 camera according to a new FCC filing published today.
VRScout
MARCH 30, 2017
We saw the first hint of 360 live streaming back in December when Facebook partnered up with NatGeo to launch Live 360 from the Mars Desert Research Station facility in Utah. Then we here at VRScout followed suit the following month for the second ever 360 live stream , capturing President Obama’s Farewell Address. Now Facebook has opened up Live 360 to everyone (Profiles and Pages).
VRScout
MARCH 12, 2017
All the fun of being an astronaut, minus the nauseating trip up to space. At some point I feel as though everyone dreams of being an astronaut. So it’s only natural that we obsess over the mysterious dark void we find ourselves drifting through on an enormous, rotating ball. Unfortunately for most of us, the standards for becoming an astronaut are unbelievably rigid and the competition is beyond fierce.
Speaker: Micah Eppler, Account Executive for Rehearsal of eLearning Brothers
Did you know that companies such as Paychex, 3M, and Honeywell are getting better results by incorporating video-based practice and coaching within their L&D strategy? From sales pitches to soft skills, learners are becoming top performers by applying and validating knowledge transfer using the unique benefits of video. Whether used as a stand-alone application or integrated with a learning platform, video-based practice and coaching platforms give learners the ultimate opportunity to repeatedly
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