Road to VR
DECEMBER 20, 2021
Social VR platform Rec Room has sealed another big funding round to close out the year. The Seattle-based startup today announced it’s secured a new $145 million financing round, bringing the company’s total valuation to $3.5 billion. The funding round was led by Coatue Management, with participation from existing investors Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, and Madrona Venture Group.
Next Reality AR
JULY 28, 2021
Old school media stalwart The New York Times mobile-ar.reality.news/news/new-york-times-adds-ar-its-coverage-time-for-winter-olympics-0182577/ launched its augmented reality news content in 2018 with a feature on the athletes of the Winter Olympics. However, after a solid year of AR reporting, the Times all but abandoned its AR news coverage via its mobile app, instead opting to publish AR content via the Spark AR platform from Facebook.
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Road to VR
DECEMBER 17, 2021
Social VR hangout app Bigscreen just got a bunch of improvements in a new update available now. The update brings a range of enhancements across all supported headsets, including boosting room size to 15 people. Bigscreen is a social VR hangout app that lets users bring their PC into VR to share gaming, streaming, work or, well… anything else you can do on your PC, with friends.
Road to VR
DECEMBER 20, 2021
Earlier this year the Unity Labs team shared an incredible proof-of-concept mixed reality demo that shows the power of blending the real and virtual worlds together. Now the developers behind the project say you’ll be able to get your hands on the experiment on Quest sometime next year. At Facebook Connect at the end of October, the Unity Labs team revealed Unity Slices: Table , a proof-of-concept social mixed reality app that seamlessly connects people—both local and remote—into a shared
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.
Road to VR
DECEMBER 1, 2021
In a talk at an Auckland, New Zealand area high school back in May, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell revealed they’re making “big investments in new headsets and games,” something he hopes will prepare the company for a future of brain-computer interfaces (BCI). . Newell has been living in New Zealand for the past few months, which has been comparatively unaffected by COVID-19 due to strict measures in that country.
Virtual Reality Pulse brings together the best content for VR professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Road to VR
DECEMBER 7, 2021
During an online showcase today, Sony revealed a VR headset prototype with a 4K OLED microdisplay. While it appears to be a wholly different project than the upcoming PSVR 2, the company says it expects the display itself to be “used in the entertainment field,” which could include other VR headsets. Today during the Sony Technology Day showcase the company highlighted new technology from across its various businesses.
VRScout
DECEMBER 7, 2021
It appears as though Sony is making serious progress with its VR technology. Earlier today the company hosted an online event called Sony Technology Day, revealing new information on eight different technologies revolving around the theme of “Technology that inspires emotion.” This included a prototype VR headset with next-gen visuals and low latency.
The Ghost Howls
SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
Today I made two little big discoveries about the Oculus Quest 2 that together mean that you can use this headset as an AR device whenever and wherever you want. Let me explain everything to you! Yes, I’ve also made a video about this article… you choose if reading it or watching it! Guardian disabling is now persistent. The first discovery I made is that the setting about the Guardian disabling is now finally persistent.
Next Reality AR
MARCH 2, 2021
In response to Apple's implementation of LiDAR sensors in iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro models, Google is looking to leverage the dual-camera setups in recent flagship devices as depth-sensing components. In recent updates to Google's ARCore, as well as the app that installs the AR toolkit on compatible Android devices, the company quietly added mentions of support for "dual camera stereo depth.
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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.
AR Insider
AUGUST 25, 2021
Metanomics: Building The Economy Of The Metaverse. by Theo Priestly. Firstly, the term ‘metanomics,’ in relation to virtual worlds and the economy within, is something Doug Thompson was involved in more than a decade ago and ran a show within Second Life and a series of podcasts with the same name. I’d recommend checking them out because it’s all still relevant to where we’re heading today – I’m using it purely to frame where things are likely to end up in a metaverse context because it’s a cool
ARPost
AUGUST 17, 2021
Augmented reality technology has made its way into the hospitality industry. From virtual maps to quirky digital experiences, hoteliers are creating fun and memorable guest experiences using AR. By investing in AR solutions, they hope to exceed the expectations of guests and make their stay unforgettable. Best of all, hoteliers don’t have to commit to expensive and permanent changes when they’re experimenting with AR.
The Ghost Howls
DECEMBER 31, 2021
We just had our Christmas holidays, and it is common knowledge that Virtual Reality, and especially Quest 2, had its greatest day on Christmas. Many people received a Quest as a gift, and we all developers saw a big spike in sales of our products that day. My Twitter timeline on the 25th and 26th (of December) was filled with videos of kids unwrapping their Christmas gifts, discovering a Quest 2, and being super happy about it.
VRScout
DECEMBER 17, 2021
How much would you pay to live next to your favorite celebrity in the metaverse? In case you’ve been living under a rock, NFTs are taking over the metaverse. At this point, it seems like everyone and their mother is investing in non-fungible tokens and cryptocurrency. This includes famed California rapper Snoop Dogg who—earlier this year—partnered with the blockchain-based 3D open-world game The Sandbox to launch his very own world inside the metaverse. ‘The Snoopverse
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.
The Ghost Howls
NOVEMBER 25, 2021
One of my favorite demos at AWE has been with Ekto VR boots , which have probably been the craziest devices that I’ve tried during the expo… and I totally loved them for it! Ekto VR. Locomotion in VR is still an unsolved problem. Apart from the software solutions (e.g. teleportation, smooth locomotion), there are a bunch of companies that are trying to solve the problem in the physical world, using some hardware to give the user the possibility of walking naturally in the real world to walk in V
VRScout
NOVEMBER 22, 2021
We’ve seen our fair share of bizarre VR experiments over the years, but this one might just take the cake. Last month, neuroengineer Viktor Tóth published an article entitled Rats in Doom in which he details a “VR” setup that automatically trains rodents to traverse 3D environments without the need for excessive restraints or any surgical procedures. “I built a VR setup for rodents from scratch and trained three rats in an automated fashion, without manual intervention, t
The Ghost Howls
NOVEMBER 20, 2021
There is a lot of talking about cloud rendering, and at AWE I have been able to try the solution proposed by German startup Holo-Light, and it was interesting to see that it worked quite well. Holo-Light. Holo-Light is a company working in providing cloud rendering solutions for XR. I know the company since a while, and I have finally been able to meet some of its representatives at AWE this year.
The Ghost Howls
DECEMBER 11, 2021
At Facebook Connect 2021, Meta has announced Application SpaceWarp, a new solution to boost the framerate of Oculus Quest 2 applications up to +70%. These days I have finally managed to try it, so I can tell you everything that I have learned about it: What is it How does it work How to implement it in your Unity application Pros and cons. Get ready because it will be a very interesting post if you are a developer!
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
OCTOBER 24, 2021
A new mod brings the classic Nintendo 64 action-adventure game to PC VR headsets for the first time. One of the most iconic video games of all time is now available in VR thanks to a new mod by BrianMp16. This isn’t some 20-minute tech demo; it’s a fully playable Ocarina of Time VR game. You can play the entirety of the legendary campaign from start to finish, all from an immersive first-person perspective.
The Ghost Howls
OCTOBER 27, 2021
Today Ultraleap has officially released Gemini, the fifth-version of the hands tracking runtime. I have tried it and I’m going to tell you my impressions about it! As usual, this article comes with a video version where I show you my hands-on session with Ultraleap Gemini! Ultraleap Gemini. Ultraleap is the company born from the acquisition of Leap Motion by Ultrahaptics and it has always worked towards offering optimal hands tracking solutions for the XR market.
The Ghost Howls
OCTOBER 21, 2021
If you are all-in for high-quality PCVR and you have a budget to invest for it, this is the day you were looking for: Varjo has just announced Aero, which is set to become the highest-end prosumer PCVR headset on the market. Let me tell you everything about it, starting with some fancy technical tables and then going on with the commentary. The beautiful Varjo Aero.
VRScout
SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
Finally, a headset for us lazy VR users. Japanese company Diver-X recently unveiled the HalfDive, a one-of-a-kind VR headset meant to be used in bed while laying down. The device employs a variety of features completely unique from that of conventional VR headsets, including a 3D audio system, immersive haptic feedback, and a distinctive control system.
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
NOVEMBER 16, 2021
The company’s massive collection of original IPs could make for the ultimate metaverse experience. To the metaverse and beyond! The Walt Disney Company has announced that they will be joining Mark Zuckerberg in creating their own branded metaverse by connecting the physical and digital worlds using Disney’s collection of IPs universe. This includes iconic characters like Buzz Lightyear and Princess Elsa to big franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, The Muppets, Disney Animation Studios,
VRScout
SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
ABBA returns after 40 years with new music and a unique concert experience featuring their de-aged 3D ABBAtars. ABBA, the Swedish pop group behind massive hits such as “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance On Me,” and “Mamma Mia” (you know that every part of that song is a hook!) is returning to the stage as digital avatars—or ABBAtars—to promote Voyage , their first new album in 40 years.
VRScout
AUGUST 31, 2021
Learn how to tickle the ivories with this educational VR experience powered by the experimental Passthrough API. This past July Facebook released its experimental Passthrough API into the wild, allowing developers to harness the Oculus Quest’s built-in cameras to create engaging mixed reality experiences. Since then we’ve seen a variety of interactive AR games make their way to the standalone headset, from martial arts simulator Crazy Kung Fu to VR puzzler Gravity Labs.
VRScout
AUGUST 23, 2021
Step into the role of an intergalactic city planner in this adorable city simulator coming soon to VR headsets. Brought to us by developer Moon Mode, Spacefolk City is an upcoming VR city-building game for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, and SteamVR headsets that will have you constructing complex urban environments in order to save the inhabitants of a solar system on the verge of destruction.
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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