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The Vive Focus Plus is HTC’s answer to the Oculus Quest
Back in October, HTC offered a dual 6DoF controller dev kit for its Vive Focus standalone headset, in the hopes of offering a truly untethered and more immersive VR experience -- something which the original single 3DoF joystick couldn't fully simulate. As such, it comes as no surprise that the company is soon releasing a new Vive Focus Plus bundled with two 6DoF controllers, meaning you'll be able to naturally wave around -- as you do with the controllers for the PC-powered Vive headsets -- without having to regularly recalibrate.
HTC's standalone Vive Focus will soon get 6DoF VR controllers
While Facebook's Oculus Quest won't arrive until the spring of 2019, its seemingly beefier inside-out tracking plus 6DoF controllers may already pose a threat to HTC's Vive Focus, as well as to other Vive Wave-based standalone VR headsets -- including Pico's Neo (whose ultrasound-based 6DoF controllers are still missing) and the more recent G2. As such, HTC's first order of business is to release a developer kit for adding not one, but two 6DoF controllers to substitute the Vive Focus' single 3DoF controller -- one that relies on software to simulate a 6DoF feel, but also often requires re-centering.
Google tests see-through mode, better motion tracking for Daydream
Google has introduced some new experimental features for developers working with the Lenovo Mirage Solo, the standalone Daydream headset released earlier this year. First up is see-through mode, a setting that lets the user see the real space around them through the VR headset. Google says this mode plus the Mirage Solo's tracking technology will allow developers to build AR prototypes. It demonstrated an application of this feature through an experimental app that lets Mirage Solo wearers position virtual furniture in a real-world surrounding.
Facebook and RED are building a camera for 3D VR video
Most VR video isn't immersive in the truest sense. You can spin around, but you can't lean forward or step to the side to get a better view. Facebook and RED are helping to fix that -- they're partnering on an "all-in-one" camera that offers six degrees of freedom for 3D and 360-degree video capture. The team-up will combine Facebook's depth detection technology with RED's low-light performance to record all the 3D information in a scene (not just those in well-lit areas) to give you the freedom to walk around in a video.
Flying with a VR headset isn't as dorky as it sounds
As a somewhat regular flyer, I had always been intrigued by the concept of wearing a head-mounted display for some immersive in-flight entertainment. However, I never really found the "cinema" part of existing "personal cinema" headsets pervasive at all. Watching a tiny video through those headsets is like sitting in the last row of an empty theater. I'm not going to pay $800 for that. Then came the smartphone-powered VR headsets, but their three-degree-of-freedom (3DoF) tracking for just the head was never precise enough for prolonged usage. It wasn't until the Vive Focus, HTC's $630 standalone 6DoF VR device for China (about $100 of which goes to local taxes), that I finally decided to give virtual reality a chance to prove itself as a worthy alternative to those in-flight touchscreens. Luckily for me, my wife didn't forbid me from bringing this bright blue headset to our vacation, as long as it would fit into my carry-on.
NextVR lets you peek around players while watching VR sports
Watching concerts and sports in VR is great up until someone blocks the camera's view. Unlike in real life, you can't really poke your head around... or can you? NextVR wants to make that happen -- it's introducing six-degrees-of-freedom movement to on-demand VR videos. If a player or ref is getting in the way of a sweet play, you can just lean over to see what you're missing. The feature is coming sometime in 2018, and there are promises of 6DOF movement for live videos sometime after that.
Redesigned Jaunt VR app hits Windows Mixed Reality next month
Jaunt has been working on immersive VR for quite some time now. It got an infusion of Disney cash a couple of years back and has been steadily adding technology like Dolby audio to it's library of VR content. You can even check out 150 cinematic titles from the company on Oculus, Vive, Daydream, Gear VR and PlayStation VR, along with iOS and Android. Jaunt has just announced a new partnership with Microsoft, which will put an updated Jaunt app on Windows Mixed Reality by mid-October.
Stick and Rudder: Five more space sims to fill the Star Citizen void
A few months back I put together a list of my favorite space sims in an effort to pass the time remaining until Star Citizen's release. Well, that release is still a ways off, even though we are scheduled to get our grubby little space mitts on the dogfighting module next month. I'm in the mood to pew pew right now, though, and if you are too, here are a few more classic games to help fill the void.
Keen Software House announces pre-order deals for Miner Wars MMO
Czech studio Keen Software House has announced a pre-order sale for its in-development title, Miner Wars MMO. The game is described on its official site as taking place in "a post-apocalyptic inner Solar System, approximately 10 years after the destruction of Earth." Players must learn to deal with life in space with limited resources. All players control mining spaceships and can explore the galaxy, harvest valuable resources, upgrade their ships, engage in epic-scale battles, and more. If this catches your fancy, the title is currently on pre-sale for $19.99 US. But wait, just like a good informercial, there's more. If you purchase the game as part of this early presale package, "you can play the game for at least two years (guaranteed) without any subscription fees." That's right, the studio is offering to nix subscription fees for two years for anyone who throws down cash on the game right here, right now. Why, though? Well, for one, it will allow the studio to gauge interest in the project (as compared to the MMO's single-player counterpart, Miner Wars 2081) while also providing the studio with funds to "hire a larger team [to] make the game earlier and better." For the full details on the pre-order deals, just head on over to the title's official site. [Source: Keen Software House press release]
The Xsens ForceShoe watches your step, helps you walk better
The technology-laden Xsens ForceShoe might better be described as a sandal. However, if you're the type of bipedal perfectionist who wants to analyze your gait using an array of 6DoF force sensors and magnetic trackers (not to mention that cunningly-disguised wireless data transmitter), then the chances are your toenails can also stand a bit of scrutiny. In fact, although the ForceShoe is primarily designed for physio patients, we think its inventors at the University of Twente might just have stumbled upon the next-gen Nike+ accessory we've all been waiting for. Unfortunately they're not on sale, but if you're a researcher looking to measure the orientation, acceleration, angular velocity, force and torque of your feet in three dimensions, you're welcome to hop past the break for the full press release.
Robot arm takes engineers for a virtual reality Formula 1 ride (video)
As it turns out, industrial-strength robot arms are good for more than amusing hijinks and the occasional assembly line -- a team of researchers at Germany's Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics have turned a KUKA KR 500 into the ultimate Formula 1 simulator ride. Outfitting the six-axis, half-ton lifter with a force-feedback steering wheel, pedals, video projector and curved screen, the newly-christened CyberMotion Simulator lets scientists throw a virtual Ferrari F2007 race car into the turns, while the cockpit whips around with up to 2 Gs of equal-and-opposite Newtonian force. There's actually no loftier goal for this particular science project, as the entire point was to create a racing video game that feels just like the real thing -- though to be fair, a second paper tested to see whether projectors or head-mounted displays made for better drivers. (Projectors won.) See how close they came to reality in a video after the break, while we go perform a little experiment of our own. [Thanks, Eric]
Microsoft algorithm uses six-axis motion sensors to fix blurry snapshots, inadvertently pimping your ride
Trying to snap a shot of your cherry red Mazda, but can't keep your hands still? You'll find all the tech you need to smooth things out in an iPhone 4 or (MotionPlus-equipped) Nintendo Wiimote. Experimenting with 6DOF inertial measurement sensor packages, scientists at Microsoft Research have developed a software algorithm that literally records your exposure-destroying shake via accelerometer and gyroscope, then magically removes the blur by canceling it out. While the technique still isn't perfect -- spot ghostly line above some of those background cars -- the Microsoft researchers compared their results to other in-progress algorithms, and we think you'll agree this new solution presents the best results by far. It's a shame Microsoft doesn't say when we'll see the tech in a spiffy DSLR attachment, or better yet a cameraphone. See before and after animated GIFs after the break, and find high-res comparison images and much more at our source link.
SandioTech 3DGame O' laser gaming mouse reviewed
It might be difficult to hold back your astonishment, but it looks like yet another input peripheral maker is offering up a "gaming mouse" to hopefully hook buyers who'll try (and buy) anything to gain an edge. Incredibly, SandioTech's iteration somehow manages to differentiate itself from the hordes of alternatives already out, but this somewhat positive attribute was also its biggest pitfall according to DragonSteelMods. Reviewers tested the 2,000dpi laser mouse out in a variety of circumstances, and immediately noted how unique the "six degrees of freedom movement" system was, but also felt that it catered more towards RTS gamers and macro-lovers than your average FPS guru. Swamped with programmable joysticks and buttons, the relatively large mouse was deemed versatile and full of potential, but the high learning curve and somewhat specialized layout could be a turnoff for the casual fan. Still, the mouse garnered a four out of five rating overall, but unless you spend the majority of your life tackling pixelated monsters in an MMO, we'd suggest looking elsewhere.
