The Ghost Howls
MARCH 27, 2020
Yesterday, I finally finished Half-Life: Alyx. It has been a very long ride, and I had a lot of fun. I am now ready to write you a full review of this game. Some days ago, I have written a first impressions article on this game, and it made some people unhappy because I somewhat criticized this game. Have I changed my opinion? Does Alyx live up to the hype?
VRScout
MARCH 23, 2020
The new collaborative feature shows how XR can help keep things going in the age of coronavirus. Vancouver-based start-up Precision OS just introduced a new multiplayer feature for VR surgical training platform. This means that surgeons and nurses can work together in the same operating room even if they are physically thousands of miles apart. The functionality allows up to five avatars at a time, with the collaborative feature bringing multiple users into a single virtual Operating Room (OR).
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ARPost
MARCH 27, 2020
As augmented reality moves out of an app and into an app-less experience more and more companies are utilizing this technology to provide more information in tight spots, like direct mail. Direct mail is confined to its corners but often people want more information about the offer. You have a few different response mechanisms to choose from but there is only one that enhances the mail moment – augmented reality.
AR Insider
MARCH 26, 2020
“Trendline” is AR Insider’s series that examines trends and events in spatial computing, and their strategic implications. For an indexed library of spatial computing insights, data, reports and multimedia, subscribe to ARtillery PRO. We recently speculated if the virtual office is AR’s killer app. Though a further-off reality and bit of future-gazing, it was prompted by then-recent comments from Mark Zuckerberg about AR-fueled remote collaboration to reduce pollution, stress and economic
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.
The Ghost Howls
MARCH 25, 2020
These days, I’m playing a lot of hours a day to write a review of Half-Life: Alyx ( here you can read my first impressions , in the meanwhile). Inspired by the work of TESTED, I’ve decided to do an experiment, and play Alyx with all the headsets that I’ve taken home from the office , asking feedback to some friends (like the ergonomics expert Rob Cole ) on other headsets I don’t own.
Virtual Reality Pulse brings together the best content for VR professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Road to VR
MARCH 27, 2020
Resolution Games, the studio behind Acron: Attack of the Squirrels (2019) and Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs (2019) , today launched their latest game on Magic Leap 1. Called Glimt: The Vanishing at the Grand Starlight Hotel , the detective game arrives today on Magic Leap World for free. Glimt is Resolution Games third AR game and was created as part of Magic Leap’s Independent Creator Program.
ARPost
MARCH 23, 2020
One of the most highly anticipated potential fields for practical AR application is navigation. Patients and visitors navigating hospitals could use their phones or glasses to find their ways instead of relying on signs. “Digital twins” of real locations could be used to test disaster scenarios. People visiting a new city could have a personal navigation system that worked outside of the car, and hands-free.
The Ghost Howls
MARCH 21, 2020
The VR ergonomics expert Rob Cole of immersivecomputing.org has tried for us the VR Cover headset covers for the Valve Index , and had reviewed it for us. I’m very glad to host in this blog his professional impressions on this VR accessory , that it’s very informative for all the VR community. Considering that very soon there will be the launch of Half-Life: Alyx , all people owning a Valve Index are for sure interested in anything that can improve the comfort of their VR headset.
VRScout
MARCH 25, 2020
Linden Labs will instead refocus its efforts on the legendary Second Life platform. Linden Labs confirmed in an official blog post yesterday that the company has sold the rights to its enterprising VR social platform Sansar to San Francisco-based start-up Wookey Project Corp. “We are proud to have given birth to this amazing platform for creativity and live events, and encourage our community to continue the process of supporting Sansar as it shifts to new ownership”, states the comp
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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.
Road to VR
MARCH 25, 2020
There was a lot riding on Half-Life: Alyx. Not only is it Valve’s first Half-Life game in more than a decade, it is also the studio’s first full fledged VR title. By the measurable reactions from critics and players alike, the game seems to have delivered against the odds. There was so much pre-release hype surrounding Half-Life: Alyx that I was personally worried that expectations had become entirely unrealistic.
ARPost
MARCH 26, 2020
By now, you’ve probably heard that the Game Developers Conference has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As GDC is usually one of the highlights of the tech year, different companies are finding ways to adapt. All last week Oculus announced their VR news through the Facebook Game Developers Showcase. The three-day event featured videos and special blog posts.
The Ghost Howls
MARCH 23, 2020
Half-Life. A legendary game for us millennials. A myth for all the Web, that was waiting for years for a new episode. And then, when we thought to have lost the hope, Half-Life: Alyx came in, bringing the genre we love to the technology that we love: virtual reality. Today, March 23rd, it is the historical day of the launch, and at 6 pm CET we were all there trying to playing the VR game of the century.
VRScout
MARCH 24, 2020
Not even an alien invasion can stop this teacher from educating his class. Half-Life: Alyx offers plenty of incredible moments throughout its roughly 10-15 hour campaign. Exciting gunfights, creepy subterranean exploration, unique puzzles sequences, and the list goes on. Surprisingly, however, all players seem to care about is a dirty window and set of markers.
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.
Road to VR
MARCH 23, 2020
After years of quiet development, Half-Life: Alyx is finally here. With hype on all sides—as Valve’s first full-fledged VR game and the first Half-Life game in more than a decade—does it deliver? Read on to find out in our full Half-Life: Alyx review. Half-Life: Alyx Details: Developer: Valve Software. Available On: Steam (Index, Vive, Rift, Windows VR).
Tech Trends VR
MARCH 24, 2020
The new collaborative feature shows how XR can help us keep connected during the coronavirus pandemic. Vancouver-based start-up Precision OS just introduced a new multiplayer feature for VR surgical training platform. This means that surgeons and nurses can work together in the same operating room even if they are physically thousands of miles apart.
ARPost
MARCH 25, 2020
One of the most significant breakthroughs of technology is the invention of AR and VR. Some people are not aware of the difference between these two terms. For those who are not familiar with the terms, here’s an article that clarifies that. AR is Becoming a Part of the New Tech Revolution. Experts are convinced that this decade, the 2020s, is going to get us a revolution in technology like we have never seen before.
VRScout
MARCH 21, 2020
The headset, code-named ‘Del Mar’, will supposedly use a ‘Jedi’ controller. According to leaked documentation recently discovered by a handful of Oculus developers, it appears as though Facebook has already begun development on its next VR headset. Code-named ‘Del Mar’, the device was referenced briefly in an infobox posted on the official Oculus website.
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.
Road to VR
MARCH 26, 2020
Would you wear the same pair of underwear multiple months in a row, sitting in the flaked remains of your dried sweat and bodily detritus which has justifiably ejected itself from your filthy human body? Don’t answer that! Whatever your personal hygiene regime, your VR headset is probably a hotbed of disease and petulance. And it must be cleansed.
AR Insider
MARCH 23, 2020
Data Point of the Week is AR Insider’s dive into the latest spatial computing figures. It includes data points, along with narrative insights and takeaways. For an indexed collection of data and reports, subscribe to ARtillery Pro. Clues continue to roll in for Oculus Quest sales levels. These come straight from the source in Facebook public disclosures.
ARPost
MARCH 24, 2020
When many casual users think of extended reality, they think about big glasses and funny controllers. However, one application of this technology – autonomous vehicles – requires neither of those tools. XR enthusiast and author Stephen Black took some time to talk with me about XR, GeoPose, and autonomous vehicles. Spatial Computing: Locations as Inputs.
VRScout
MARCH 26, 2020
A new report shows a customized HTC Vive Focus controller and “crosswalk bowling game” Back in 2018, rumors began circulating that Apple was in development of a hybrid VR/AR headset. This past November a discussion lead by Apple VP Mike Rockwell during an internal group presentation suggested a potential 2022 release date for the mysterious device.
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?
Road to VR
MARCH 26, 2020
A small patch to Half-Life: Alyx has added continuous turning, made adjustments to a key gesture for Windows VR users, and squashed a few bugs. While continuous turning is never a default in VR games because it makes many people dizzy, there are those who find themselves unaffected by smooth turning and prefer to play that way for enhanced immersion.
Tech Trends VR
MARCH 25, 2020
By Gabe Paez Founder & CEO of The Wild. With social distancing now in effect, the barrier between our professional and personal worlds is breaking down before our eyes. This week, I had Zoom calls with a product manager in Israel, a CEO in New York, and a designer in Chicago, and we all took those calls from our houses. By necessity, the world is opening up to the idea of what working from home really means.
ARPost
MARCH 26, 2020
Press release. Boston, March 26, 2020 — Considering the global Covid-19 / Coronavirus outbreak, XR Intelligence would like to inform you of important changes to their 2020 event calendar. XR Europe 2020: Cancelled. After carefully monitoring the coronavirus situation in Europe, gathering feedback from participants, health organisations and governmental bodies, XR Intelligence made the difficult decision to cancel XR Europe 2020 , which was due to take place on April 28-29 in London.
VRScout
MARCH 23, 2020
City 17 has never looked so good. I’m walking alongside a set of train tracks stretching through a decrepit railyard. Turning the corner, I spot a pack of barnacles perched above me, just waiting for some poor unsuspecting soul to wander within reach of their deadly tongues. I pick up a nearby barrel with both hands and huck it at their sticky appendages, distracting them long enough to sneak past.
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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