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'Minecraft' might actually come to virtual reality after all
Earlier this year when the Facebook purchase of Oculus VR went down, there were more than a few detractors but none as prominent as the man behind Minecraft. At the time, Markus "Notch" Persson said that his company Mojang was in talks to bring the blocky construction set to Oculus Rift, but cancelled the deal because Zuckerberg's social network creeped him out. That's all changed now. Notch recently tweeted that he's officially over being peeved about the transaction, and was now more upset about a hole in one of his favorite socks (yes, really). That musing didn't go unnoticed by Oculus. Specifically, the outfit's chief technology officer and all-around game-industry legend John Carmack, who offered: "Say the word, ship the source and I'll make sure it runs well on you-know-what..."
Here's what Samsung's VR headset looks like in real life
Sure, you've seen a 3D render of Samsung's widely leaked virtual reality headset, but what's it like in the real world? Well, you may be looking at it right now -- The Verge has posted what it says is a photo of the Oculus-backed eyewear. It's not quite as sleek as the earlier imagery, but the basic formula lines up with what we've heard; a faceplate at the front lets you plug your phone in and use it as a screen for VR games and other apps. The biggest change from the early image is the presence of a focus dial that helps you see clearly. There's no certainty that this is exactly what Samsung will unveil at next month's IFA show, assuming it's authentic in the first place, but it wouldn't surprise us in the least to see this wearable display on stage.
You can now build Oculus Rift VR apps for the Mac
Now that the new Oculus Rift is in customers' hands, the Facebook-owned VR company has been working even harder on things like its SDK. With the latest release, version 0.4.1, the SDK now officially supports OS X computers. In other words, this means Oculus Rift owners can start using their Mac desktop or laptop to take a trip down virtual reality lane -- aka build/test applications. Oculus' SDK release notes do point out that Macs currently don't include a display driver, but that "it always works in Extend Desktop mode." You'll find all the nitty-gritty details at the source link below, and don't forget to let us know in the comments about how your experience on the Mac is going.
Facebook wants to get Hollywood directors and studios interested in the Oculus Rift
Those virtual reality tie-ins that were all the rage at Comic-Con (Pacific Rim, X-Men, Sleepy Hollow) could just be the tip of the iceberg for the Oculus Rift. Judging by the response they garnered the partnership seems like a no-brainer, and The Information reports that Oculus' new owner Facebook has been meeting with studio execs and individual directors to create special content for the headset. Even though we've already seen examples of how to bring recorded video and live events to VR from companies like Next 3D, the focus here seems to be on companion shorts to start. That's just one way Zuckerberg & Co. can recoup their $2 billion investment, the only question now is what can Hollywood dream up to take advantage of the headset's immersiveness -- and keep from wasting the opportunity as its done so often with tech like 3D and IMAX.
The second Oculus Rift headset uses the Samsung Note 3 screen, literally
Back when Oculus VR first showed off its second virtual reality development kit, the Facebook subsidiary wasn't saying anything specific about the origins of its new, higher-resolution screen. But now that that second dev kit is shipping to pre-order customers, the teardowns have begun and we have a better idea of what it's using: the screen from Samsung's Note 3. Not a similar screen, but the screen directly taken from a Note 3 smartphone -- an AMOLED pushing 1080 x 960 into each eye. Oculus VR even kept the touch module attached, though we'd strongly suggest against trying to use it while wearing the Rift headset.
David Attenborough's next 3D nature doc and new VR experiences are coming soon
The 3D hype may have died down from its peak a few years ago, but Sir David Attenborough is continuing to make use of the technology (check after the break for a video explaining some of the infatuation with it) for his critically acclaimed nature documentaries. The latest one is Conquest of the Skies 3D, and Sky has announced that the three 60-minute episodes will air around Christmas in the UK. In order to "tell the evolutionary story of flight" Attenborough and crew are using new 3D macroscopic and high-speed filming techniques, as well as 3D octocopters. What it won't have is the Oculus Rift or Project Morpheus-compatible virtual reality version that was bandied about earlier this year, but that doesn't mean the tech is on the shelf. Newly-expanding Sky has teamed up with Atlantic Productions, and Atlantic's new division Alchemy is planning to have VR experiences (that combine live action 3D footage, 360 degree video and CGI) available this fall.
The battle for virtual reality: Google, Samsung, Sony and Oculus VR
Back in June, Google revealed Cardboard: an open-source attempt at mobile virtual reality. Heck, even the "hardware" is open source -- here are instructions to make your own, right now! But the concept is more than a low-tech solution to mobile VR. It's emblematic of Google's approach to virtual reality: use the phone that's already in your pocket. Samsung's taking the same approach later this year with Gear VR, only it's also partnering with Oculus VR on the software side. This stands in stark contrast to the PC-dependent, ultra-high-res experience Oculus VR and Facebook are aiming to achieve. The Oculus Rift headset both literally and figuratively kickstarted the re-birth of virtual reality in modern technology. It remains the peak of technological achievement in virtual reality. And now, the medium is splintering into two distinct futures: one of entertainment, the other of immersion.
Pilot one of the robots from 'Pacific Rim' with Oculus Rift at Comic-Con
We're not sure how many of the new Oculus Rift VR kits have shipped out to developers already, but it looks like a healthy amount are in San Diego right now. That's where Comic-Con is happening this week and, following the X-Men VR demo we already heard about, Legendary Pictures and Oculus have teamed up for Pacific Rim: Jaeger Pilot. It lets attendees take control of the 250-foot tall Jaeger "Gipsy Danger" (no drift connection necessary) and do battle in a virtual reality combat simulator against the kaiju Knifehead (the first one you see in the movie). The whole experience is built in Unreal Engine 4 using the same assets Industrial Light & Magic worked with for the movie. Sure, you've seen the movie, and maybe even in IMAX 3D, but we're pretty sure even Guillermo del Toro's directing tricks can't add up to feeling like you're there, fighting an 8,700 ton monster off the coast of Alaska. It's all in Legendary's booth #3920 for all four days the show is open, from Thursday through Sunday. Don't have a ticket? There's a video preview embedded after the break, but it can't compare to diving into a VR world with Oculus -- maybe we'll be able to enjoy it at home by April 2017 when Pacific Rim 2 arrives.
The new $350 Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is now shipping
We were expecting to see the new iteration of the Oculus Rift arrive on developer's doorsteps earlier this month, but unfortunately it hit a couple of delays. Road to VR points out a Reddit thread where pre-orderers confirmed their credit cards have been charged ahead of shipping. Community manager cyberreality confirmed in the thread that it's happening, and the "DK2" hardware we (and Mark Zuckerberg) were so impressed by is ready to roll. The initial production run is only supposed to cover some 10,000 of the 45,000 units ordered, so for some your wait is just beginning (until next month). In the meantime, you can check out our hands-on video of the latest and greatest in virtual reality after the break (or the new X-Men related Comic-Con demo) -- hopefully Sony's Project Morpheus team responds to this as quickly as they did on Blu-ray 3D.
Facebook officially owns Oculus now
It's official: Facebook now actually owns Oculus VR, the company behind virtual reality goggles Oculus Rift. Though the $2 billion acquisition was announced way back in March, these kinds of negotiations typically take months to resolve thanks to various regulations. Now they have. Facebook and Oculus released a joint statement today that simply states: "We're looking forward to an exciting future together, building the next computing platform and reimagining the way people communicate." As for just why the deal took place, Palmer Luckey, Oculus' founder, has said that the plan is to "promote the long-term adoption of virtual reality, not short-term financial returns" and that the partnership would become the "clear and obvious path to delivering virtual reality to everyone."
This is what Samsung's virtual reality headset, Gear VR, looks like
Wondering what Samsung's virtual reality headset looks like? Well stop wondering, because when it's announced at IFA 2014 later this year, it'll look something like what you see above. That's a render straight from Samsung, care of SamMobile. Our sources confirm that, while what they've seen isn't exactly like what's pictured above, it's very similar; we're guessing the render is a closer approximation to the retail model than the developer kits currently in the wild. Keep in mind Samsung still hasn't even teased the headset we detailed last month across two reports. It remains a peripheral: You'll use it in conjunction with your phone, which plugs in via USB and acts as your screen. The hardware is built by Samsung; the software by Oculus VR -- the folks behind the incredibly impressive Oculus Rift.
Second Life's second act will be a social network for virtual reality
Eight years ago, I was slouching through my college's required mass-media course and silently groaning while my professor excitedly mapped out the promises of Second Life. That online virtual world, where players create items, clothes, buildings and more for actual sale, would replace the internet, she told us, and render the humble web page as outmoded as the Xerox machine. Her enthusiasm wasn't unwarranted for the time: The first user to earn a million dollars on Second Life had just been featured in Businessweek, and Reuters had assigned a full-time reporter to cover that digital frontier. Ebbe Altberg, CEO of Second Life-maker Linden Lab, admits the press' overblown expectations didn't match up with the early realities of the service. "There was this impression that it under-delivered," he says, speaking from the company's San Francisco office. "It was sort of unfairly overhyped and then got the backlash of the under-hype."
Oculus VR to buy design team behind the Xbox 360 gamepad and Kinect, Carbon Design
Just six months ago, we were talking about the money Oculus VR was raising from investors to get its virtual reality headset to consumers. Now, after being purchased by Facebook earlier this year, Oculus VR is making full-on acquisitions of its own: The company behind the design of the Xbox 360 gamepad and the original Kinect, Carbon Design, is joining Oculus VR. The price of the purchase wasn't given, though a few specifics were. First, Carbon "will officially become a key component of the product engineering group at Oculus," which to us sounds like the end of the name "Carbon Design." That doesn't mean Carbon -- a Seattle group -- is moving to Oculus VR's Irvine, California, headquarters, though -- the design team is set to stay in Seattle and work with Oculus' R&D group in Redmond (headed up by ex-Valve VR man Michael Abrash).
Playing 'Death from Above' with Oculus Rift
Last time we played a virtual reality game built by the folks from Chaotic Moon, we were giving a bunch of digital sharks the business with our Engadget fists of fury. Friday night at Engadget Live in Austin, we played a new game, called Death from Above, that pitted editor against editor. The game itself is fairly simple: drive a Jeep over hill and dale to the safety of a bunker while a second player attempts to bomb said Jeep into oblivion. The driver straps on an original Oculus Rift dev kit headset, some headphones and uses a Logitech racing wheel and pedal combo to pilot the Jeep, while player two rains death using an iPad and a companion app. It's a unique take on VR gameplay, and one that allows for a more social gaming experience. Also, it's a lot of fun.
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto feels a 'bit of uneasiness' about virtual reality
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto may have been an initial supporter of the Virtual Boy back in the '90s, but modern virtual reality? Not so much. The Mario Bros. creator finally tried an Oculus Rift headset at E3, and he tells Time that the experience gave him a "little bit of uneasiness" as to whether or not VR is the best solution for video gaming. While Nintendo is intrigued by the tech, Miyamoto sees it as the opposite of the social experience at the heart of the Wii U. He doesn't like the idea of a gamer strapping on eyewear and playing "over in a corner" by themselves. VR would be better suited to arcade-like public play, he says.
How I got stabbed in the chest at E3 2014 (an Oculus Rift tale)
There I was, impaled by an alien. I was carefully walking around a space station, with nothing more than my (admittedly dim) wits and a motion tracker, watching a large, terrifying alien stamp about. My only direction was to survive. "You had one job!" I failed at it. The tech demos are over: Oculus Rift's second development kit at E3 2014 isn't running any dalliances aimed at proving the tech. It's running real-ass games. Alien: Isolation was the third game I played, and it was by far the most terrifying. You're not a space marine, and you're not named Ellen Ripley. You're just some unwitting sheep running from assured death at the hands/tentacles/teeth of an H.R. Giger-designed alien. Delightful.
Oculus VR explains why mobile virtual reality won't poison the well
With all the talk of high-fidelity virtual reality coming from Oculus VR -- the virtual reality headset company that's now part of Facebook -- it's easy to believe that the only type of VR is PC-based. But that isn't the case! Beyond what we learned recently about Samsung and Oculus working on a VR peripheral that uses your phone, Oculus has been open about working on a mobile software development kit for some time now. Heck, we even spoke with Oculus CTO John Carmack about it last year. "I think you'll see the mobile SDK launch publicly before the consumer Rift comes out," Oculus VP of Product Nate Mitchell told us this week at E3 2014. Beyond Samsung, a handful of developers are "experimenting with some high-end Android devices ... building experiences and seeing what's possible." But here's the issue: Great VR requires serious horsepower. While the current range of flagship Android mobile devices are pretty powerful, they don't hold a candle to even low-end gaming PCs. In so many words, isn't Oculus worried that a subpar, Android-based VR experience could poison the well for the full Oculus Rift coming down the line? If your first experience with VR is a bad one, you may never try it again. "That's a completely fair statement," Mitchell said.
Oculus nabs co-founder of 'Uncharted' developer
More than a few people (including one absurdly rich 30 year old) think that the Oculus Rift is going to change the world. As it turns out, that list just got a little longer today: former THQ president and Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin is joining the Oculus mothership as its head of worldwide studios. What exactly does that involve? Rubin painted us a picture (with broad strokes, alas) in a post on the official Oculus blog: "I'm excited to bring together a new division dedicated to building high-quality VR content that helps define the platform and inspire others to do the same."
The man behind Words with Friends is creating a VR game, partnering with Oculus
It looks like dogfighting in spaceships isn't the only virtual reality experience being co-published by Oculus VR. The creative lead behind mobile hit Words with Friends, Paul Bettner, has a new studio, and that studio is creating a "made-only-for-VR game" named Lucky's Tale. No, not "Luckey's Tale," like the last name of Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, but some other Lucky. Besides, Palmer's already living his tale, right? Very little info about the game exists thus far; it's a third-person platforming game, apparently, which the PR (adorably) describes as, "unconventional for a VR title." Fact! We're gonna check it out next week at E3 in person, but there isn't even a single screenshot to share of the game in action.
Samsung is working with Oculus on a media-focused VR headset
Last week we told you about Samsung's unannounced virtual reality headset: a peripheral that enables VR interaction for flagship phones from the world's largest phone manufacturer. This week we've got far more details. First things first, Samsung's headset is the fruit of a collaboration with Oculus VR, the Facebook-owned virtual reality startup that both literally and figuratively kickstarted the current wave of VR products. Oculus is handling the software side of the product, while Samsung handles the hardware. The deal is a swap: Oculus gives Samsung early access to its mobile software development kit and helps develop user interface software, while Samsung gives Oculus early access to its next-gen OLED screens. And yes, Oculus is still making its own, gaming-focused, PC-based virtual reality headset; that's why it needs next-gen, high-pixel-density OLED screens from Samsung. Join us below for new details about the device itself, as well as more on the unlikely partnership between two tech giants.
