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Ziplining and VR headsets make a weird couple
Hailed as the next big thing a few years ago, virtual reality has yet to truly make its mark. Perhaps there'll never be one killer use for VR, and it'll remain a minor player in many niches: gaming, entertainment, education, therapy, enterprise, art and others. Some of the more unusual experimentations mix the virtual world with the real. VR roller coasters, for instance, blend physical movement with elaborate virtual settings to create a unique experience. Zip Now in London is trying something similar: ziplining with a VR twist.
Walmart test lets customers shop a curated, virtual apartment
Walmart announced this week that it's introducing a new way to shop on its site. Starting today, customers can take a virtual shopping tour of an apartment that includes around 70 items sold by the retailer. The various products, from both national brands and Walmart's own labels, are noted by a dot. Hover your mouse over it to see what it is and a link will take you right to its product page. You can explore the curated rooms on your computer or check it out in VR with your phone and Google Cardboard or a Samsung Gear VR headset.
Netflix is taking a wait-and-see approach to virtual reality
Netflix was one of the first video-streaming services to adopt VR in 2015, when it introduced a 360-degree app that let users step into a virtual room to watch movies or TV shows on a Gear VR. Then, a year later, it launched a version of that application for Google's Daydream headset, but the company has been relatively quiet in the VR space ever since. The reason for that, simply put, is that Netflix doesn't see the technology as a priority -- at least not right now. Speaking at a media event inside the company's Hollywood headquarters, Chief Production Officer Greg Peters said that Netflix is only focused on seeing how VR systems evolve at the moment.
Samsung and NYX want to sell you makeup with VR tutorials
It's not just video games -- virtual reality has lots of potential to change the way we experience information. You can experience what its like to walk in space with the BBC's ISS app for Oculus, watch every NBA game this season with your VR headset or lean back and experience the globe without ever leaving your house via Discovery channel's VR travel series. The trendy new tech is unavoidable, like in a new advertising campaign featuring NYX makeup and Samsung Gear VR.
Intel and TNT will give NBA fans another VR streaming option
Intel has announced that it's partnering with Turner Sports to broadcast select NBA on TNT matchups using its True VR technology. Fans will be able to watch 360-degree, 3D broadcasts on both Samsung GearVR and Google Daydream headsets via apps downloaded from the Oculus and Google Play stores. You'll also be able to see more of its Matrix-like "volumetric" freeD video tech that can freeze highlights and spin around them in 360 degrees.
Watch NYT's immersive stories on Samsung Gear VR
Virtual reality is proving an accommodating medium for the art of storytelling. Even beyond gaming, a diverse pool of creatives (including award-winning filmmakers) and companies are exploring this brave new world. Among them The New York Times, which became one of the first major news outlets to launch a VR push in 2015. Two years later, its app for all things virtual is now heading to the Samsung Gear VR. Owners of the headset can grab it from the Oculus Store right now. According to the Times, most users will be able to watch the films in 4K resolution.
The best VR headsets and accessories for dorms
We'll be the first to admit that a virtual-reality session isn't terribly conducive to bonding with new friends in the dorm. But, hey, a few of us here at Engadget are introverts, so you don't need to explain to us the value of strapping on a headset and momentarily blocking out the stress of classes and meeting new people. Included in our back-to-school guide are many of the usual suspects, like the Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR and Daydream View. We also recommend the optional Rift and Gear VR controllers, as well as games like Rock Band VR and Farpoint. Enjoy your escape from the real world, but remember to take a social break from time to time.
ESPN's X Games will stream live in VR on Samsung headsets
Next week at its July 13th to 16th Minneapolis competition, the X Games will livestream its first event in VR. Thanks to its partnership with Samsung, though, it seems you'll only be able to watch it on a Samsung Gear VR headset through its dedicated app. Feature segments and commentary will be spliced between coverage of three events -- Skateboard Vert, BMX Street and Skateboard Street Amateurs -- and broadcast to Gear VR headsets in 48 countries.
PGA Tour will livestream a single iconic hole in VR
Golf officials are building out their 4K broadcasts and even starting to livestream smaller events in VR, but the sport's biggest tournaments are taking awhile to try out the new broadcasting tech. After testing the waters with a handful of virtual reality videos exploring its Phoenix Open course last year, the PGA Tour is livestreaming its upcoming The Players Championship in VR. Let's hope you like the vantage from TPC Sawgrass' penultimate fairway: Cameras are only recording the Florida course's iconic 17th hole.
AccuWeather now lets you look at the forecast in virtual reality
Checking the weather report is usually a colorless, simple experience -- a glance at an app to see the five day forecast or check the news for any major storms or events. If you have a Samsung Gear VR device, however, your daily forecast could soon be an experience. AccuWeather's new VR experience promises to offer immersive weather news, innovative forecasts and 360-degree video of severe weather events. o of severe weather events.
VR headset attachment promises to manage stress and sleep
Some VR experiences could be relaxing on their own, but there's a VR accessory that was designed to make sure you get some well-deserved R&R. That accessory, which attaches to a VR headset's strap, is called Kortex created by medical device maker Fisher Wallace. The company says it stimulates your brain into producing more endorphins, serotonin for mood balance and melatonin for healthy sleep, while also lowering the stress hormone cortisol.
Biggest names in VR band together to create industry standards
The world's most popular virtual reality headset makers have assembled. Google, Oculus, Sony, HTC, Samsung and Acer have come together to create a non-profit organization called the Global Virtual Reality Association (or the far snappier GVRA, for short). The association's goal is to "promote responsible development and adoption of VR globally," according to its website, and members will do so by researching, developing and sharing what it believes to be industry best practices.
Xbox controller support is coming to Samsung's Gear VR headset
Last month, Microsoft announced plans to bring Xbox Wireless tech to PCs and other gaming accessories starting with Lenovo's IdeaCentre Y710 Cube. Today, the company went a step further with controller support for Samsung's Gear VR headset. That's right, the Xbox Wireless Controller will soon work with Samsung's phone-driven virtual reality device. Minecraft: Gear VR Edition will be the first game to make use of the feature, but eventually you'll be able to use it on any Gear VR title with controller support.
Of course EE's hyping wireless headphones on iPhone 7 day
EE's Add to Plan scheme lets anyone taking out a two-year smartphone contract walk away with accessories in exchange for a couple of extra quid tacked onto their bill each month. Launched last year, EE today announced a slight change to the T&Cs. Instead of the cost being spread over 18 months and customers paying a premium for the convenience, they'll now square it away in 11 and pay out no more than the retail price. A wider product range will soon be offered, too, including wearables from Fitbit (from £8 per month), smartwatches and Samsung's Gear VR headset (also £8 per month).
Google's plans for VR are even more ambitious than we thought
In 2014, Google introduced Cardboard. It was literally just a cut-out piece of cardboard outfitted with Velcro strips, a pair of lenses and magnets. Insert your smartphone and voila, you got your very own VR View-Master. Though it seemed pretty silly at the time, Cardboard was Google's very first foray into virtual reality. Fast forward two years, and there's a whole cottage industry of Cardboard-compatible viewers -- not to mention lots of content made just for it. More than 5 million viewers have shipped and over 50 million Cardboard apps have been installed, as Google said at its keynote yesterday. Now, however, the company is ready for the next stage in its grand plan. Yesterday, Google announced Daydream, a platform that represents its most serious push yet into VR.
Oculus highlights over 1 million Gear VR users with new content
While full-fledged VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive have gotten a lot of press lately, it's worth remembering that Samsung's Gear VR has been around for a lot longer. And due to its lower price and the fact that it only requires a phone, it's also a whole lot more accessible. That could explain why just six months after the consumer Gear VR launched, over 1 million people have used Gear VR in the past month alone, Oculus revealed today. The Facebook-owned entity took this milestone opportunity to not only introduce a slew of new video content but also give us an update on how mobile VR is progressing.
'Minecraft' arrives on Samsung's Gear VR headset
Last month, during GDC 2016 in San Francisco, we learned about Microsoft's plans to release Minecraft for Gear VR. Still, details such as pricing and availability were unknown at the time. But that's changing today: Oculus has announced that the open-world hit is now available on Samsung's virtual reality headset. Officially dubbed Minecraft: Gear VR Edition, the game is said to support the same features as the Pocket Edition, including its creative, survival and multiplayer modes, as well as the character skins your familiar with.
Samsung's 360-degree camera will arrive on April 29th
Samsung unveiled its 360-degree camera, aptly called the Gear 360, earlier this year at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Today, the company announced its ship date. The tiny ball-shaped camera will be available for purchase on April 29th this year. As a reminder, the Gear 360 packs in two F/2.0 fish-eye lenses, with a 15-megapixel sensor on each. It'll capture 3,840 x 1,920 video at 30 frames per second and still images at a rather large 7,776 x 3,888 resolution (that's 30 megapixels). It doesn't have on-board storage, but there is a microSD card slot that can accommodate up to 128GB of storage. The Gear 360 is just the latest in Samsung's VR efforts. Its Gear VR headset has been very popular and the company gave a hint at its developer's conference that a standalone headset (usable without a phone) is also in the works. "VR is amazing, but the industry is still in infancy," said Injong Rhee, Samsung's executive VP for Research and Development, adding that the camera is for consumers in addition to professionals. "We're enabling more people to create more VR content." Update: We've learned that the Gear 360 will be available only to select regions, including Korea, where it'll be available for 399,000 won (that's around $347 USD). US pricing and availability is still to be determined.
NCAA to stream Final Four and championship game in VR
Streaming sports in VR isn't that novel these days, but that's not stopping the NCAA from employing the tech this weekend in Houston. The collegiate sports governing body announced plans to livestream the Final Four and National Championship games in virtual reality Saturday, April 2nd and Monday, April 4th. This is the first time a VR stream will be available for the culmination of March Madness, offering 180-degree views of the action on the hardwood. The stream will be available on Samsung's Gear VR through the March Madness Live app in the Oculus Store. If you don't have a headset, there will be a 2D 180-degree livestream on the March Madness website alongside 360-degree game highlights.
Microsoft is opening up the world of 'Minecraft' to Gear VR
The Oculus Rift isn't the only virtual reality platform getting a piece of Minecraft's pie. Today, at a GDC 2016 event, Microsoft and Oculus are set to announce that the open-world phenomenon is also coming to the Gear VR, a spokesperson for the companies confirmed to Engadget. For many people, Samsung's headset is a far more accessible option than the consumer Rift, so this is good news for anyone who wants to play Minecraft in VR without breaking the bank.
