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Samsung patent application showcases AR headset design
When websites like Engadget report on patents, typically all you see accompanying the applications are line diagrams that give a faint idea of what a tech company is working on. Not so with a recently discovered application from Samsung, which includes a 3D render of an augmented reality (AR) headset. According to Galaxy Club, which was the first to spot the patent, the headset features projection screens in each lens. Additionally, one diagram depicts a wire on the right side of the device -- though the purpose of the cable isn't clear.
Robert Rodriguez releases over-the-top VR film 'The Limit'
Want to see how well Robert Rodriguez' directorial skills translate to virtual reality? Now's your chance. Rodriguez and STX have released The Limit on nearly every major VR-capable platform, including Oculus headsets, HTC's Vive line, Android, iOS, PlayStation VR and Windows Mixed Reality. Shell out $10 ($8 on phones, and half-off during the launch period) and you'll take part in a 20-minute film where you recruit a "super-assassin" (Michelle Rodriguez) to recover your identity and seek justice. To no one's surprise, this involves a whole lot of punching, shooting and gratuitous explosions. Norman Reedus also plays a pivotal role, although the trailer suggests he might not be so friendly.
Oculus will livestream its next Connect conference in VR
The VR community's biggest annual event, Oculus Connect, is just over a week away, and as you'd expect from the tech in question, you won't have to actually be there in order to enjoy proceedings. The company will livestream key OC5 moments in Oculus Venues, so you can experience keynotes, esports action and gameplay alongside other fans in the crowd, using Oculus Go or Gear VR.
Samsung is offering free Gear VR adapters to Note 9 owners
When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 9, there was no sign of an accompanying Gear VR headset, but virtual reality fans need not fear. You'll be able to use the last model designed for the Galaxy Note 8 via a free adapter. "The Note9 is compatible with your existing Gear VR, but a new Type-C adapter is required," Samsung states in its troubleshooting guide. "Current owners of the Gear VR with Controller (model SM-R325) can obtain the new adapter at no cost by contacting 1-800-Samsung."
Microsoft's AltSpaceVR lets you build a virtual hangout
Microsoft's AltspaceVR differs drastically from other social networks by letting you share the same (virtual) space with your friends. Now, it's giving you more places to hang out with custom building kits. You start with a virtual hangout based on the popular "Campfire" and "Alien Planet" spaces, then customize it by grabbing assets from a curated library of flora, structures and shapes. You can then host muliplayer social games within your space and even add custom 3D design and sound.
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.
YouTube's virtual reality app is now available on Samsung Gear VR
YouTube VR is already available for PlayStation VR, Daydream and HTC Vive. Now Google is making the app available for Gear VR users this week. The company is also introducing a new feature to let you and your friends watch videos together in a communal, virtual space.
Watch the World Cup 2018 in VR on Oculus Go and Gear VR
The Oculus Go- and Samsung VR-compatible platform Venues was introduced the back in May as an immersive VR experience placing viewers within a simulated stadium for sports games and events. What better way to kick it off than with the World Cup? Select games will be livestreamed for free in Venues courtesy of Fox Sports, starting with Germany and Mexico's game at 8AM PT on June 17th.
Oculus' mobile VR now supports paid add-ons for apps
Downloadable extras are a staple of the gaming world on PCs, phones and consoles, but not in VR. With Oculus' devices, you've either had to buy another app or hope the creator would be kind enough to throw in thew new content for free. Not anymore: Oculus has introduced beta support for paid DLC in the mobile store serving both its stand-alone Go headset and Samsung's Gear VR. If a game developer wants to expand the story, for example, they can ask you to pay a small amount instead of charging for a wholly separate app.
Samsung is making six TV series just for VR
With all the immersive games, films and documentaries available, there are plenty of interesting VR experiences for your headset. Samsung wants to make sure you'll never run out, announcing today its "Pilot Season." It's a "new initiative aimed at infusing exclusive original episodic Virtual Reality content into the Samsung VR Video service," according to the company. Starting today, you'll be able to watch pilot episodes of six new series on the Gear VR, and who knows, you may find your new favorite binge there.
Plex brings its virtual reality movie app to Gear VR with Oculus (updated)
Earlier this year, Plex jumped into VR with a Google Daydream app that puts you and up to four of your buddies into a virtual movie screening room. Now the media server company is bringing Plex VR to another platforms: Gear VR with Oculus
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.
If NBC can’t improve its VR Olympics coverage, it should just stop
If you're watching the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics on TV like a normal person, you may not realize there's another option. I viewed the opening ceremonies, skiing, curling, figure skating and other events in virtual reality on my Samsung Gear VR (2017) headset via NBC's app. I didn't expect the coverage to be as smooth as TV, but I thought it would be a cool way to watch the events as if I were a live spectator. Sadly, with one exception, the experience was spotty and disappointing.
TNT's NBA VR livestreams begin February 16th
Last November, Intel and TNT announced a partnership to bring 360-degree, 3D broadcasts of NBA games to GearVR and Daydream VR headsets. Now Turner Sports and Intel have officially launched the app that brings an immersive basketball experience via TNT's VR app and powered by Intel's True VR technology. While the current VR app is mainly a Turner Broadcasting initiative, it can only help the NBA expand its audience via the technology.
Samsung knows exactly how to sell mobile VR to the public
Mobile VR has a reputation of being a sort of cheap, underwhelming experience. Samsung is rolling into CES trying its hardest to discourage that preconception. In the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center (right next to Engadget's gorgeous stage), the company has the Samsung Galaxy Experience Zone. Here you can ski or snowboard down a virtual mountain, hurtle down a skeleton track or even fly through the air with dinosaurs. Each station is paired with additional paraphernalia, like a lateral ski trainer or rows of flight-sim seats, to bring the experience to life.
Gear VR was the 'Evolve' and 'Left 4 Dead' studio's savior
"Chaotic." That's how Turtle Rock Studios president Steve Goldstein described the 14 months between its last AAA game, Evolve, being effectively killed and now. The four-hunter-versus-one-gigantic-monster online multiplayer game struggled to retain players after it was released for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in early 2015. Last June, Evolve transitioned from a $60 game to a free-to-play one. As a result, it went from roughly 100 players per month to more than 15,000. You'd think that would have been enough to keep the lights on, but you'd be wrong. Four months later, publisher 2K Games pulled the plug, saying that while the servers would remain online for the foreseeable future, the game wouldn't be getting any more updates. "It was absolutely looking bleak, but sadly that's not unusual in our space," Goldstein said. "Everyone who works here knows that they are taking a risk, right? That's not a problem unique to us." If all you've paid attention to are headlines on gaming and tech news sites, you'd think that Turtle Rock has been on the ropes ever since. But in the last year or so, thanks to Oculus' aggressive investments in virtual reality games and other experiences, Turtle Rock has been quietly building a mobile VR safety net in case its next $100 million project goes the way of Evolve.
Facebook adds more viewing options to its 360 app for Gear VR
Facebook launched its Facebook 360 app for Gear VR in March and today the company announces some new features. Facebook says that because people want more than just 360 videos in VR, it's adding a slew of new video types to the app's available options.
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.
Hulu’s VR content is now available on Windows Mixed Reality headsets
With its latest OS update, Microsoft has officially begun to support VR headsets from companies like Lenovo, Acer and Dell and today, Hulu announced its VR content will now be available across the lineup of Windows Mixed Reality headsets. The company has also added its VR app to the Microsoft Store.
Pixar's 'Coco VR' lets you explore the land of the dead
Pixar dropped the trailer for its next film Coco two months ago, and with any release by the much-lauded studio, eyes turned toward what masterpiece it would spin out next. But they've got something else suitably modern to help promote the movie: A VR experience.
