oculusrift
Latest
The auto industry is head over heels for VR
Virtual reality and augmented reality are all over the North American International Auto Show floor. Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen are all using the tech to show off their latest cars and concepts. During the industry preview days (the show is open to the public through Sunday, January 28th) lines to try the experiences stretched around each booth. The value to prospective customers is directly tied to the quality of each experience, though, and that quality shifts dramatically from one automaker to the next. Instead of thoughtful experiences that work within VR's current limitations and are simultaneously informative and entertaining, more often than not, the VR implementations felt like cheap amusement park gimmicks with little regard for the user's comfort.
Darren Aronofsky-backed VR series 'Spheres' lands a 7-figure deal
If you want evidence that VR is maturing as an entertainment medium, you just got it. CityLights just bought the rights to Spheres, the three-part VR black hole series written by Eliza McNitt and produced by Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures, for a "seven-figure" amount at the Sundance Film Festival. That might not sound like much by Hollywood standards, but it's the first-ever seven-figure VR purchase at the event. It was slated to reach the Oculus Rift in 2018 (Oculus and Intel backed the project) and should get wider distribution as a result.
Oculus Rift bundle discounted to $379 until December 20th
After permanently slashing the Rift and Touch combo price to $399/£399, Oculus is at it again. With Christmas fast approaching, the VR headset bundle is now the cheapest it's been since Black Friday, at $379/£369. (Heads up that Amazon UK is still honoring the £349 Black Friday price for now, though.) The price cut means the device is fast approaching the more affordable Windows Mixed Reality gear on the market. But, the limited time deal is only up until 11.59PM (PT) on December 20th, so you'll have to be quick. You can grab the kit online via Oculus' website and in select stores, including Best Buy, Amazon, and Newegg.
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
It's crazy to think how far VR has come over the past few years. While the technology made its big consumer debut in 2016, with the launch of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, we also spent plenty of time anticipating its arrival. It promised to be the biggest technological shift since the rise of smartphones -- and potentially since the dawn of the internet. This year, VR headsets got cheaper, simpler (especially with Microsoft's new Mixed Reality platform) and more worthwhile, thanks to the launch of new immersive titles like Rez Infinite. We've gone from having too few VR options to having too many. These are the best.
Oculus Rift Core 2.0 update is now available in beta
Today, Oculus announced that its Rift Core 2.0 VR interface, as well as its redesigned companion desktop app, are available in beta through a free software update -- you just need to opt into the Public Test Channel if you haven't already. This is the first major software update for Rift , and it's a complete overhaul of the existing system.
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.
BBC launches VR division with ISS spacewalk experience
The BBC is getting serious about VR content production. Today, the broadcaster has released a spacewalk experience and formally announced a VR team that will work with filmers, showrunners and "digital experts" on new pieces. Home — A VR Spacewalk was developed by the BBC and digital production studio Rewind for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift last year. It's based on NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) training programs — yes, the same ones used by astronaut Tim Peake — and takes you through a repair on the outside of the ISS. It's been shown at various film festivals but hasn't been available to the public before today.
Oculus' reworked VR interfaces will be ready to test in December
If you happen to have an Oculus Rift headset and want to try its big interface makeovers, you won't have to wait long. As promised, Oculus has confirmed that both its Rift Core 2.0 VR interface and the companion desktop app redesign will be available in public beta form sometime in December. Rift Core 2.0 is unsurprisingly the most conspicuous update -- it's reworked to center around Oculus Touch control, and adds a dashboard you can access from virtually anywhere. You can use Rift 2.0 on Windows 7 or later, although you'll need Windows 10 if you want the dashboard to overlay on top of running apps or to give your desktop apps a virtual display.
'Your Hands Are Feet' puts you inside a psychedelic egg yolk
Sarah Rothberg is obsessed with the bright-red silicone sponge she bought at Sur La Table. As a sponge, it's worthless -- it's too flimsy to be abrasive, and you can forget about it absorbing liquid -- but when you rub its tiny bristles together the sound is strangely familiar. It's the sound of shaving a giant's leg.
PSVR, one year later
PlayStation VR hit the market with a bang in October 2016. It debuted at $400, without the PlayStation Camera or motion controllers. By February, Sony had sold 915,000 headsets -- far surpassing the combined number of HTC Vive and Oculus Rift units estimated to be out in the wild. Sony Interactive Entertainment head Andrew House went on a press tour to brag about the numbers, telling The New York Times PSVR sales were on track to outpace the company's internal goal of 1 million in the first six months. That would have been mid-April. "The company will almost certainly surpass that forecast," The New York Times wrote.
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.
Oculus' VR avatars are coming to Daydream and Steam in 2018
Oculus' virtual reality avatars are clever stand-ins, but they have a few glaring problems: most notably, you can't see them outside of Oculus' own platform. Thankfully, they're being set free. Oculus has revealed that the avatars will have cross-platform support in 2018, including Steam VR and Google's Daydream. Whether or not there are any limitations to use on other platforms isn't clear, but Oculus is promising tangible upgrades to the avatars themselves.
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.
Facebook is working on VR 'Venues' for live concerts
Mark Zuckerberg wants virtual reality to be less isolating, so Facebook is working on "Venues." Think of them like VR social spaces where you can meet up with friends to watch concerts like the ones Live Nation is pumping out. Venues make a lot of sense when you consider Facebook's push for live video, sports and putting things like VR streams and 360-degree photos and video into the News Feed. Zuckerberg said that Venues will also play host to movie and TV premieres as well.
Watch the Oculus Connect keynote right here at 1PM ET!
Guess what today is? If you said "Oculus Connect 4 keynote day" you were right. You also probably knew what day it was before reading this post. But I digress. Assuming you aren't in San Jose for the event, you'll need a place to watch it come 1 PM Eastern. Well, that's what the embed window below is for. And, if you have a Rift or Gear VR, you can watch the keynote address that way too. Speaking of, maybe expect a new Rift headset to be announced, and perhaps an update on the wireless one teased last year. Oh, and an awkward social VR demo is all but guaranteed. Catch y'all in the asynchronous-spacewarped metaverse.
Oculus open sources Rift DK2 hardware ahead of its next reveal
Three years ago, Oculus made the source code for the Oculus Rift DK1 open to all. Now, with the fourth Oculus Connect on the horizon, the company is doing it again with the Rift DK2. It has released the Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2) to the public; Oculus's intention is "to preserve and share what we learned about VR in the early days, and to let anyone use the design in their own projects."
You can get a refund on Oculus Rift and Gear VR games and apps
Buying games and apps digitally is less risky when there's a solid refund policy in place. Apple offers refunds for purchases through its iTunes app store and Microsoft has a self-service system. PC distribution portal Steam allows for refunds within 14 days of purchase if you've played a game for two hours or less. Now virtual reality company Oculus has made it clear that you can get a refund for an app or game purchased digitally for the Rift or Gear VR.
Google Earth VR gets new Street View images
Google announced today that it's adding Street View to the Google Earth VR experience. With a new update, users can check out Street View images from 85 countries provided by the Street View team as well as pictures shared by others from around the world. To get there, while in Earth VR, zoom down closer to the street level and see if your controller says there's Street View imagery available. If so, you can then view the area within a 360 degree photo.
'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.
