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Show off demo-ready apps with the latest Oculus update
Oculus recently slashed the price of its Rift and Touch bundle by almost $100. The Facebook-owned virtual reality firm was hoping it would seal the deal for buyers considering a leap into the world of VR. But, HTC quickly followed suit with a Vive discount of its own. Still, there's plenty of fun to be had with Oculus's headset -- which has made ground on its competitors since the launch of its Touch motion controllers last year. The wealth of updates, including support for more tracking sensors and modifications to its launcher, have also helped. The same goes for Rift's latest PC release, version 1.18. The update gives you even more control over your Oculus library and offers more mixed reality capture options.
GameChanger brings virtual worlds to the kids who need it most
I was standing in a makeshift room at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital with a couple dozen people. Some of them were young children battling cancer, others were family and friends there to spend time with them. There was a handful of hospital staff. Spread out across the room were a young woman unknowingly about to get a scholarship, a social worker who had paid for a child's cable bill so that he could have some comfort in his last few weeks of life and team members of a charity who had brought everyone there so that sick children could have a little bit of fun for a few hours. It was an event that was both solemn and uplifting, and it was all centered around video games.
VR throwback 'Duck Season' arrives September 14th
Stress Level Zero's Duck Season caught our eye for a number of reasons. It's not just a VR callback to the NES hit Duck Hunt, it's a broader celebration of '80s culture... with a horror twist, to boot. And now, you'll get to see whether or not it's as fun as it is weird. The studio has announced that Duck Season will be available on both Steam and the Oculus Store on September 14th. Yes, despite the early Vive-focused experience we saw in June, it'll be available for the Oculus Rift as well.
‘Sea Hero Quest’ hides dementia research inside a VR game
On the face of it, Sea Hero Quest could be just another mobile game. Cheerful, colorful and with plenty of bite-sized levels intended to test memory and spatial awareness. But while you're captaining your little boat along snaking channels towards checkpoints, the game is watching you. It's scoring your spatial navigation skill, one of the first innate abilities dementia sufferers experience a deterioration in. The data gathered is contributing towards a better understanding of what 'normal' looks like -- the benchmark for navigation skill across different demographics of people. The organizations behind the game are now back with a VR sequel, and the goal of advancing dementia research even further with their gamified approach.
Sony's $400 PSVR bundle finally includes the required camera
Much of Sony's advantage with the PSVR was that it was the cheapest way to get (non-cardboard) virtual reality into your home. Now that Oculus has dropped the price of its bundle, that advantage is evaporating. In response, Sony has added the required PlayStation Camera to its core bundle and kept the $399 price tag. But for the full experience, you'll need a pair of Move motion controller wands. Sony has a bundle for that as well, but it'll set you back $449 starting September 1st. And if you want the best PSVR experience, you'll need to pony up for a $400 PlayStation 4 Pro.
KFC's bizarre VR game isn't ready to revolutionize work training
Fast-food franchise KFC is known for its oddball stunts, including special smartphone editions (and wacky chicken-themed accessories). But its latest, a VR escape room cum work-training experience, is one of its oddest yet. I took the bait and accepted KFC's invitation to don a VR headset and run through its little game, which promises to teach anyone the chicken-frying basics. I walked in a skeptic and walked out with a better idea how the heartland franchise makes its bones, so to speak. But as for turning this into a proper, franchise-scalable work-training tool, there are a slew of logistical roadblocks.
‘EVE: Valkyrie’ won’t require VR come September
EVE: Valkyrie was one of the first games Oculus used to show off one of its Rift prototypes, and since 2014, the game has been associated exclusively with virtual reality. That's changing. The game's "Warzone" update will strip the VR headset requirement, allowing anyone with a PlayStation 4 or powerful enough PC to play the game. If you're keeping track at home, that means true cross-platform multiplayer is here; you'll be able to battle folks on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PC, PS4 and PSVR.
CNN will livestream the solar eclipse in 360-degree 4K
The total solar eclipse is just a week away in the US, and unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that this is an experience you simply cannot miss. But if you don't live in the eclipse path and can't travel for it (or waited until too late to make your plans), there a few options for livestreaming the event. Today, CNN revealed its plans for the eclipse: a 360-degree live stream from multiple locations along the eclipse's path.
'Rez Infinite' on PC and VR is pure digital nirvana
Rez has always been a game focused on immersing yourself in music and rhythm. Every version of the shooter, from its original launch on the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 to last year's Rez Infinite on the PS4 and PS VR, has pushed that idea of immersion forward in some way. Now it's finally available on PCs ($25 on Steam and the Oculus Store) and in VR on the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. And, not surprisingly, I found it to be a transcendental digital experience. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's the purest expression of Rez so far.
The Oculus launcher now works with Steam games
Oculus' launcher software is, unsurprisingly, focused on running VR apps from the Oculus Store. But that's probably not how you get all your apps -- you may have Rift-ready games in Steam, for instance. That won't be a problem from now on. Oculus has updated its portal to offer fast access to any Rift-compatible app on your PC, whether it comes from Steam or anywhere else. You won't have to think about removing your Rift headset just to see the full extent of your app library.
Unlock VR mode in 'Alien: Isolation,' if you dare
Alien: Isolation is a terrifying game, even before you add VR to the mix. But, for those of you dying to experience the survival horror in all its immersive (underwear-spoiling) glory, you can now play it on the current-gen Oculus Rift. An alpha version of the "MotherVR" mod that works with the original game is available to download right now. Installation is straightforward too: simply copy a DLL from the archive into the game folder and you're good to go. Just be sure you have the nerve to take it on first.
The VR successor to 'Second Life' is now in public beta
Sansar, the VR platform by Second Life creator Linden Lab, is now available for everyone to explore. The public "creator beta" follows a private "creator preview," which allowed developers and aspiring level designers to try Sansar's building tools. That period was crucial given, like Second Life, Linden Lab is banking on the community to populate Sansar with interesting experiences. Today, there are "hundreds" of places to explore, including museums, theaters and tropical temples. Some are virtual postcards, while others have games and stories inside them. Everything is free to try too, whether you're playing on a PC, Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.
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.
Funny Or Die puts you inside a robot racing toward obsolescence
It's 1982. A young boy named Dennis has just received the birthday present of his dreams. It's you -- a Japanese robot that can repeat words, although for the most part you watch silently. That's the premise of Felix & Paul Studios' 40-minute-long VR comedic feature for Funny Or Die called Miyubi, which launches in the Oculus store today. Through events happening to a family over the course of a year, it tells a bleak story of the futility of trying to outrace obsolescence. The harrowing message hits especially hard because of how effectively the show's creators use the medium, forcing you to witness times changing around you.
Disney's 'Powers United VR' puts you in the boots of a superhero
If it wasn't already clear that Disney is big on wearable gaming, it is now. It just introduced Powers United VR, and it's pretty much what you'd expect if you dreamed up a superhero virtual reality game. You step into the suit of one of multiple legendary Marvel figures (including Captain Marvel, the Hulk, Rocket Raccoon and Ronan the Accuser) and join your friends as you battle villains using your character's unique powers. And in this case, that makes a big difference -- Hulk towers over his enemies and can throw missiles back at his opponents, for instance, while Rocket makes up for his small size with firepower.
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.
Oculus Rift and Touch bundle temporarily on sale for $399
A few months ago, Oculus dropped the price of a Rift and Touch bundle to just $598, which is a good $200 drop from what it was before. If even that was too rich for your blood however, well, get ready for some good news. For a limited time only, you can get both the Oculus Rift headset and the Touch controller for just $399/£399. That puts it on par price-wise with the PSVR, which has been the cheapest pro-level VR headset to date. In short, it's a really great deal. It's all part of Oculus' "Summer of Rift" event, where it plans to announce new titles and offer discount deals on games (there was a 60 percent off sale during the July 4th weekend). And, according to Oculus, get ready for even more news from now until Oculus Connect 4, its annual developer conference, later this October. As for this Rift and Touch deal, however, you had better get on it if you want to take advantage of it. That's because the discount price is only valid for the next six weeks. So if you have your heart set on trying out titles like Wilson's Heart or Lone Echo, this $200 price drop on Oculus hardware is a great excuse to finally do so.
Google's free 3D drawing app is like MS Paint for VR
Google has released a new app that will make it much easier to create that VR experience you've whipped up in your head -- and it won't cost you a single cent. The big G's "Blocks," now out for the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, will give you a way to draw 3D objects directly in virtual reality. It's like Oculus Story Studio's Quill and Google's own Tilt Brush in that respect, except it leads to blocky, Lego-esque final products instead of painterly illustrations.
Palmer Luckey donates to software that breaks Oculus exclusivity
Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey has always railed against the idea of locking VR games to a single platform. Now, several months after leaving Facebook following controversy about his political donations to a pro-Trump group, Luckey is stepping back into the VR world in a surprising way. Waypoint reports that he's contributing $2,000 a month to the Patreon campaign for Revive, a tool that lets HTC Vive owners play games that are only available on the Oculus Rift.
Varjo promises a VR headset with 'human eye-resolution'
A Finnish company called Varjo that has been working in secret until now has unveiled a new type of VR and AR headset code-named "20/20." It supposedly has a display with "human eye-resolution" quality of over 70 megapixels versus around 1.2 megapixels per eye for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
