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Facebook wants Quill to be a one-stop shop for VR animators
Facebook's Quill is a tool that helps artists create virtual reality illustrations and animations, and the latest version will offer them more ways to realize their visions. Quill 2.0 has additional features allowing animators to make their creations entirely within VR, from their initial concept sketches through to a completed project.
Oculus put privacy-mocking jokes inside Touch controllers
Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell said tens of thousands of Touch controllers have jokes mocking privacy printed on an internal component. The so-called easter eggs include "This Space For Rent" and "👁Big Brother is Watching👁," though Mitchell said the latter and a joke reading "Hi iFixit! We See You!👁" were limited to non-consumer developer units. Another message that made it into the production model read "👁The Masons Were Here.👁"
Oculus' major Core 2.0 update officially arrives in October
Amid a string of announcements at Oculus Connect 5, including the standalone Oculus Quest headset, Facebook revealed some updates to the Rift Core 2.0 platform, which is moving out of beta and will be available for everyone in early October. If you don't want to wait, you can access it through the Public Test Channel starting Wednesday.
Oculus Rift requires Windows 10 for new features
When Oculus upgraded its system software to Rift Core 2.0, currently in beta, it added a redesigned Home experience, multitasking for apps and windows in Dash and mirrored Oculus Desktop monitors. These are heavy-resource features, according to Oculus, and need Windows 10 to support them. That's why the company is recommending Windows 10 across the Oculus platform (Rift, Touch and core software). You can still use Windows 7 and 8.1, but you won't get the new features as they appear.
'Defector' on the Oculus is basically VR spy training
While I may be a rather incompetent assassin, it turns out that I'm not a half-bad secret agent man. At E3 on Thursday, I was afforded the opportunity to don an Oculus headset and play through a level of Twisted Pixel's upcoming espionage simulator, Defector. I only blew my own cover twice!
The best gifts for the PC gamer in your life
Of the more than two dozen sections in our massive holiday gift guide, the PC gaming is one of the largest. That's because there are so many directions you can go in here: You can splurge on a laptop (we recommend three here) or pick up any number of accessories like headphones, a mouse, keyboard, mic or webcam. Or, you know, you can pick up some actual games. Find all that in our guide at the link below, and while you're there, check out the 100-plus other items in there.
The best VR headsets and games to give as gifts
Virtual reality headsets were once so expensive that they would have only made suitable gifts for early adopters and serious gamers. By now, though, prices have dropped across the board, and there are enough compatible games that we're willing to recommend these headsets to a broader audience. The VR section of our holiday gift guide includes items at both the budget end of the spectrum (think: Samsung's Gear VR and Google's refreshed Daydream View) alongside higher-end offerings like the PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift and Touch bundle. Need some games to go with it? We suggest Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Fallout 4 VR, Superhot VR and Rez Infinite. Need some accessories for someone who already owns a headset? Try the PSVR Aim Controller Farpoint bundle or the HTC Vive Deluxe Audio Strap.
Oculus Rift and Touch bundle gets a permanent price cut to $399
That summer sale on the Oculus Rift and Touch combo must have paid dividends. Oculus has announced that the price of a Rift and Touch combo has permanently dropped to $399/£399. That still isn't trivial, but it's inexpensive enough that you can get a high-end VR experience on your PC without paying as much as you would for a high-end video card. And now that the Rift bundle costs $200 less than the HTC Vive, it's safe to say that Oculus has the price advantage in VR outside of some Windows Mixed Reality headsets -- it may be tough to consider anything else until competitors offer price cuts of their own.
'Arktika.1' shooter arrives on Oculus Rift October 10th
Oculus Rift's next big exclusive -- Arktika.1 -- from the team behind the Metro shooters will be released October 10th. That's right, over a full year after its debut at Oculus Connect 3, folks at home will finally be able to give the motion-controlled shooter from 4A Games a spin. Pre-orders are up and at least for now, the game is marked down 10 percent off its standard $29.99 price tag. And here you thought that all of today's news was going to be about $1,000 iPhones.
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.
Oculus permanently discounts Rift and Touch bundle to $499 (updated)
If you can't spare $399 for the Oculus Rift and Touch bundle while it's still on sale, don't worry. The Facebook-owned company is permanently dropping the all-in-one package's price to $499 once the sale ends in around six weeks. A bundle would've cost you almost $800 when the VR headset first became available until it got a $200 price cut (repriced to $598) in March. Another $99 off is a pretty sweet deal if you really can't buy the package anytime soon, considering a standalone Rift and a pair of Touch controllers will already set you back $400 and $99, respectively.
Explore the world with Google Earth VR on Oculus Rift
The Google Earth revamp isn't just focused on the web and mobile crowds -- there are a few perks for virtual reality fans as well. Google has updated Earth's free VR experience to support the Oculus Rift headset and its Oculus Touch controllers. You no longer need HTC's Vive to fly over landscapes, including 27 new ones like Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle or South Africa's Table Mountain. It'll no doubt seem familiar if you've tried it before, but there is big interface update to go along with the widened hardware support.
Climb Mount Everest in VR on your Oculus Rift
You no longer need an HTC Vive to scale Mount Everest in VR on your PC. Sólfar Studios and RVX have released Everest VR for the Oculus Rift, bringing the virtual ascent to Facebook's headset. It'll be familiar if you've tried the Vive version, but a few things have improved since the original launch. There's a new sequence (the Lhotse Face), and an expanded God Mode lets you see the Himalayas from perspectives that aren't possible for a mountaineer. Logically, Oculus Touch support is present if you'd prefer a more hands-on approach.
'Knockout League' brings cartoony boxing to virtual reality
The Nintendo Switch has Arms and now the VR-minded folks at Grab Games and Vive Studios have dropped Knockout League onto Steam's Early Access label. The arcade-y boxing game's in-development version only has four cartoony pugilists for now, according to VentureBeat, but each one has a different fighting style. And some aren't even human. Like Sir Octopunch, a mustachioed octopus with a stance like an old timey English boxer. Sure!
'Superhot VR' is about to get much more challenging
Superhot VR is an immersive, intense take on an already fun game, but there's no question that it's short when you can run out of things to do in just a few hours. Never fear, though: the creators are preparing the Forever update, which promises a number of good reasons to keep coming back to the Oculus Touch shooter. You can try to beat your best scores in both the usual bullet time mode as well as real time, and face opponents with quicker reflexes. You'll also find a few challenges that ramp up the difficulty if the very act of dodging bullets isn't enough for you.
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on the Oculus Touch
The Oculus Rift VR headset went on sale back in March, but it was only this month that the optional motion controllers arrived. Better late than never, though. In fact, if you already own the Rift, you're going to want to spend an extra $199 on the Oculus Touch: It's comfortable to use, works well as a game controller and allows for smooth, precise motion control. Also, there's already a robust selection of games that support it, with even more to come. As that score of 88 suggests, we have very few complaints, but if we could change one thing, we'd like to see a rechargeable battery in future iterations. Even so, having to periodically swap out the AA battery is a small trade-off for the experience you get.
Oculus' Touch controllers are well worth the wait
The Oculus Rift proved that high-end VR has a place in your home, but so far it's lacked one major feature: motion controls. That's something both the HTC Vive and Sony PlayStation VR offered from the start, and it's gone a long way toward helping those platforms deliver more immersive virtual-reality experiences. Now with the long-awaited $199 Touch Controllers, Rift users can finally join in on the fun. Sure, it's taken nine months for Oculus to actually put motion controls in the hands of consumers, but it's clear that the company hasn't been twiddling its thumbs. Instead, it's delivered one of the most refined game controllers I've ever held.
53 Oculus Rift titles will support Touch controllers at launch
We're less than a week away from the December 6th release of the long-awaited Oculus Touch controllers, and it looks like lucky Rift owners will have plenty of reasons to use them. Oculus just announced that they'll be launching with 53 supported titles. That includes existing games like The Climb and Job Simulator, as well as new entries like the magic multiplayer fest The Unspoken and the graffiti simulator Kingspray. Check out our coverage of those games, along with plenty of other intriguing Oculus Touch titles, from the company's developer conference last month.
You can now pre-order Oculus Touch controllers for $199
At last week's Oculus Connect, the virtual reality company revealed that its Touch motion controllers would arrive December 6th. You don't have to wait until then to make your purchase though, Oculus is now accepting pre-orders ahead of that date. If you also pre-ordered and purchased a Rift headset from the company's website, using the same email will allow you to jump to the front of the line for the accessories if you commit before October 27th.
'Luna' is a whimsical puzzle game that takes place in the stars
Not every VR game involves battle or fighting. Some titles, like I Expect You to Die or Fantastic Contraption, are more fun puzzles than violent shoot-em-ups. At the Oculus Connect event last week, I played around with Luna, a game that's more reminiscent of the former. It's a title by Funomena, a San Francisco-based independent studio, and even though it was on display at PAX a couple of months ago, this was the first time I've seen it in person.
