virtual reality |

30,000 Free Loop VR Headsets from OnePlus

May 25, 2016 By David Crozier Leave a Comment

: Free 30,000 of These Loop VR Headsets from OnePlus

Smartphone maker OnePlus gave 30,000 Loop VR headsets ahead of the launch of its next big product launch, the OnePlus 3 smartphone. Don’t get excited about snatching yourself one because they were out of stock virtually minutes after the news was fresh out.

The China-based company has partnered up with AntVR, the VR specialists, to create 30,000 limited edition OnePlus Look VR headsets and give them away for free until the stock would be all out.

This move is not their first. Last year, the smartphone company gave away 30,000 Google Cardboard-style VR headsets to have fans watch the launch event of OnePlus 2 in virtual reality.

The cost difference between 30,000 $5 VR goggles and a high-tech Samsung Gear-style viewer is absolutely substantial, and these free OnePlus Loop VR headsets will probably become collector’s items, as the company itself has noted.

OnePlus has gained attention particularly thanks to their low priced high-spec smartphones; the OnePlus 2 last flagship smartphone has generally received positive reviews.

Similar to the previous launch, if you’re one of the lucky thirty thousand who got their hands on the Loop VR headset, you can slide your smartphone into the headset and watch OnePlus 3’s launch in VR. The Loop VR headsets are compatible with most five and six inches screen size smartphones.

For OnePlus, the sky doesn’t seem to be the limit. Co-founder Carl Pei said its company, OnePlus, and the tech industry as a whole have just “scratched the surface of what can be done” in virtual reality; being inspired by a fan, the company’s team sees itself having moved the OnePlus headquarters in space.

There’s no official launch date for OnePlus 3, but the company is setting a trend with these VR launch events. Similarly, the Korean giant Samsung launched in VR at the MWC, Barcelona, its latest flagship Galaxy smartphone but it did so at an actual, physical event. Until they reach that financial potential, OnePlus will continue its marketing stunts in the virtual realm.

Although, with the cash it took to build thirty thousand Loop VR headsets, they could have probably hosted a traditional event. Maybe they just want to “think different” and stand out from the crowd.

Image Source: Trusted Reviews

New StarVR from Acer and Starbreeze

May 16, 2016 By Brandi McCants Leave a Comment

The new StarVR headset

A new VR headset called StarVR will be the “shared-custody brainchild” of Acer and Starbreeze’s partnership.

In a joint release sent out this Sunday, the game maker Starbreeze and the PC maker Acer, will form a partnership to manufacture, launch and sell a new virtual reality headset called StarVR.

This new move could bring positive change for the PC maker’s overall ailing business, or it could create a disaster. The numbers will show; it must be known, however that since 2011 Acer is on a continuous PC market sliding slope.

Starbreeze, the relatively small Sweedish Company, announced the StarVR headset a year ago, but giving its fierce giant Facebook, Sony and HTC rivals and its personal $10 million 2015 sales, they needed a partner.

Starbreeze needed leverage to reach the level of manufacture and distribution of Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and Vive; they needed help to be able to compete fully with these powerfully marketed headsets.

Nevertheless, the product is believed to be one of the best VR headsets to enter the market. Its standout feature is a 210-degree field of vision, a view that mimics much better what someone sees in real life than the 110-degree vision field of Oculus and Vive.

Although Acer is in freefall with the sales growth, the company’s annual sales reach $1.2 billion. This means that Acer has the money and engineering capacity to scale Starbreeze’s StarVR. More important than that, Acer has the immense computing power needed to deliver the deeply engaging 3D video experience of the virtual reality.

Acer’s bet on Starbreeze might, in fact, be a smart one because PC makers are almost absent from the virtual reality business and everybody – see Amazon or Alibaba – are investing in VR connecting platforms and software.

Acer will likely capture a good portion of the VR market profit.

The advisory firm Digi-Capital says that by 2020, up to “40% of all VR sales will come from hardware.”

To have a virtual reality experience you must have the hardware, yes, but the profit doesn’t stem just from the hardware, it comes from the virtual experience as well.

Therefore, Acer’s partnership with Starbreeze is no chance. With StarVR, Acer will be at both ends of the VR rope: both software with Starbreeze, and its personal computing power and hardware.

Image Source: Everythingvr

Combining VR with Real Roller Coaster Adventures

March 7, 2016 By Daniel Giordano Leave a Comment

The idea of simulating a roller coaster and transposing it into virtual reality has represented one of the very first steps of virtual reality applications. But take it up a notch and imagine a real roller coaster that makes use of VR in order to create an even more intense experience, and what do you get?

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is bringing virtual reality to no less than nine theme parks this month alone.

But this is not an initiative that Six Flags has undergone by themselves. As a matter of fact, this comes as a result of the partnership they sealed with Samsung Electronics America, who agreed to start integrating the mobile version of the Gear VR device into virtual reality roller coaster rides. Imagine the potential of a real roller coaster ride that sets you in an entirely different scenario, where a starship war is going on or where you’re riding the train through a volcano.

And because we’ve had such a huge increase in the sheer amount and ease of obtaining when it comes to VR headsets, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is just one example of many other companies that begin investing in virtual reality and aiming to find other uses for it than just gaming.

VR is believed to one day serve more than just entertainment purposes, though. Despite the fact that at the current time, gaming has been its go-to ‘attraction’ and maybe also the ease the transition into an age of virtual reality, there are plans for using it in more than just that. Education is one of the areas where specialists are most enthusiastic about when it comes to the application of virtual reality.

According to Sam Rosen, vice president of ABI Research, the VR ecosystem is slowly opening up to permit other fields of making use of this type of technology. He sees a lot of room for development in what 360-degree video is concerned, various engineering applications, advertising, film, construction and so many more.

For the time being, nevertheless, developers are still just flirting with all the entertainment capabilities the VR technology is capable of. Out of the 9 VR roller coasters that are in the plans on behalf of Six Flags, six have already been dubbed with a new title – New Revolution Virtual Reality Coasters – thanks to the theme that has been decided for them: “a futuristic battle to save planet Earth from an alien invasion”.

The first VR application of roller coasters will be available at the Shock Wave roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, on March 10^th. However, it will only be a preview.

Image Source: 1

The Implications of the Virtual Reality Age

March 1, 2016 By Mary Duncan Leave a Comment

This is certainly a time when we can start speaking of the virtual reality age; even if the very first VR headset that you can take and use in the confines and comfort of your home is not even yet released, virtual reality and experience is an element you clash with wherever you go. Companies are trying to adopt it, game developers believe it is the future. Tech giants are hurrying to hop on the bandwagon of developing their own take on virtual reality and finding VR solutions for virtually anything they can.

So whether we’re ready for it or not, the age of virtual reality is slowly being ushered in, and chances are it will develop much faster than one may expect. One of the reasons behind that is the fact that tech giants such as Facebook have been working on this kind of technology for years already. And chances are that once the VR technology hits the shelves and an appropriate number of individuals start adopting it, it will quickly be assimilated as a part of our lives.

After that, it will quickly advance right before our eyes.

In a matter of months, we will have several devices of this family in circulation, the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and the Google Cardboard – which has already been on sale as a budget VR alternative for a while – being a few of the names. But the Microsoft Hololens, the PlayStation VR and many more are still in the works, and each is attempting to come with a little more. Just recently, Google added a dedicated VR section to its Google Store which means that preparations are undergoing for aggressive expansion.

So all that being said, where is the world heading to as this age of virtual reality is just beginning to dawn on us?

For the amount of hype and excitement that is elicited from the public on the theme, there is an equal amount of concern regarding a world where virtual reality shares an equally large place with the actual reality. Health issues are being discussed by numerous individuals in either verbally expressed fears or the more light-hearted internet memes such as the photo of Mark Zuckerberg walking down the aisle in a room filled with people wearing virtual reality headsets.

It is already known that immediate effects of experiencing VR can include vertigo, confusion and even nausea, but the amount of experimentation that has been done so far in the field does not offer a proof of what the long term effects are. Numerous science fiction pieces or fantasy stories – Matrix and the anime series Sword Art Online to list a few – depict a world where we’re so heavily cut off from the real world that the physical and psychological effects are incredibly severe.

Eye strain and temporary disorientation are some of the effects already known and attempted to be handled by those designing VR devices. But in the absence of a study regarding long-term effects of experiencing virtual reality, are we treading into a dangerous and rather unknown territory?

Image Source: 1

Porn Is Now Available in VR

January 10, 2016 By Brandi McCants Leave a Comment

Naughty America has released two VR-ready adult movies.

You may not believe it, but, porn is now available in VR. So, if you were planning on not buying a VR-ready device, like Oculus Rift or Samsung Head Gear VR, then think again, because you don’t know what you’re missing.

Naughty America, probably the biggest adult movie producers in the United States, have stated, in a couple of official comments, that users are now able to take advantage of their VR headsets in order to view steamy adult flicks.

All you have to do is strap on (not the best choice of words) the VR-enabled head-gear and enjoy the steamy action brought by the best actors from Naughty America. The new VR-ready movies have been tested with the Samsung VR head gear.

According to the testers, it would seem that with the help of the VR technology, the user can jump right in the middle of the action. Moreover, it would seem that the characters featuring in the adult clip are real-life actors and not computer generated characters.

After putting on the VR headsets, the viewer can easily adjust his point of view. This means that you can view the movie from hers or his point of view (which is disturbing at best).

Porn is now available in VR with the courtesy of Naughty American and some very talented and promiscuous actor.

But, as promising as the new asset may seem, it does come with a couple of limitations. First of all, in order to view these glamorous flicks you need to have a VR-ready devices. Samsung VR headset works with most Samsung phones. As for the Oculus Rift, I think you need to ask NASA to borrow their computer in order to plug-in the device.

Second, the movies are not free. If one wishes to engage in a first-person VR sexual fantasy, he needs to cough up 25 dollars per month. Yes, I’m afraid you got it right. Want VR porn? Then you must buy a monthly subscription.

Let’s say you did all those things, and more, but you may be in for quite a surprise. According to Naughty America, their official website features only two VR-ready movies. But the adult movie producer promised that more will be on the way.

Whatever the case may be, VR headsets are true marvels of technology. It was expected for the porn industry to move in order to use the new piece of technology.

Porn is now available in VR. Users must pay a monthly subscription fee of dollars to Naughty America to view the VR related content.

Photo credits:www.wikipedia.org

Oculus Rift Hits the Market in 2016

December 31, 2015 By Daniel Giordano Leave a Comment

The VR device will ship out with two cool games.

Well, it may be old news, but here we are, confirming that Oculus Rift VR headset will soon come to cure us of the VR-eebie-jeebies. According to official statements, Oculus Rift hits the market in 2016 and the device won’t come alone.

As stated, 2016 will now be known as the year when our perception on reality and virtual reality will change forever. Oculus Rift, the crowning achievement of computer technology, will turn any dull game into an experience that will not forget so easily.

Far be it from us to wax on poetics when it comes to this mouth-watering gaming device, but everyone who was invited to test the VR headset declared that the device is almost magical, transforming each gaming experience into something personal.

But hold on tight, because there is more to come. Apart from the official release of the VR-ready and able headset, Oculus also announced that the device will be shipped with two new games: Lucky’s Tale and EVE: Valkyrie.

Over the past year, it would seem that revamping games have become quite a trend. Old games like Prince of Persia, King’s Quest or Abe’s Odyssey, have gotten their remastered versions.

Well, with this in mind, we are looking forward to seeing both new and old games getting VR support. Imagine how epical it would be to play Skyrim using an Oculus Rift device. D&D is not your cup of tea? How about exploring the Fallout’s Wasteland using a VR-enabled device?

For now, we have to settle with a platform game and with MMORPG game. Lucky’s Tale, a platform game created by Playful, narrates the adventure of Lucky, the fox, a colorful character set on bashing enemies, jumping through hoops or platforms. The game seems to be a combination between Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog.

According to Playful, the game might not look pretty and it certainly doesn’t take advantage of the VR technology. Still, the platform-like game is capable of giving you a taste of what virtual reality is all about.

We don’t know when the Oculus Rift will hit the market, but according to its makers, the device might hit the market in the first quarter of 2016.

A word of advice before heading on over to buy the new VR device. First of all, due to its specs, the Oculus Rift won’t be cheap. Second, be sure to check your computer’s specs before thinking about buying an Oculus Rift, because the device requires at least 8 GB of RAM in order to work properly.

Photo credits:flickr.com

Bandai Namco Grants VR Support for Ace Combat 7

December 6, 2015 By Brandi McCants Leave a Comment

The Company announced that their new game will feature VR support.

There’s nothing cooler than engaging your enemies in a cringing, head-to-head and intense dogfight battle. Reach for the skies, dominate them and bring your enemies to their knees. And now, you can do it in a true three-dimensional quality. Bandai Namco grants VR support for Ace Combat 7, the next installment in the Ace Combat series.

The award-winning video game producer announced that the latest game installment will feature intense aerial encounters, doubled out by beautifully rendered skies and even cities. Moreover, the producers announced that the game, which will shortly become available for PlayStation 4 consoles will feature a virtual reality support. Meaning that if had second thoughts about buying and Oculus Rift, you should plan on reconsidering your actions.

Also, the game mechanics will be powered by the ever so faithful Unreal Engine 4, double up by the trueSky technology. A teaser trailer is available on YouTube which shows you what the game is capable of.

So, what’s the game actually about? Let’s take a little gander at the trailer itself. Bright blue skies, peace of mind, a piece of soul, until a hunk of hot metal whirls before our eyes. Two state-of-the-art planes engaged in an aerial conflict chase one another to see who is the victor. Missiles are launched, evasive maneuvers are made, but in the end, one of the jets falls to pieces. Apart from the two planes engaged in battle, the players can also see something that resembles an aerial citadel, which is basically a bigger plane, capable of launching thousands the drone onto the battlefield.

All of the scenes is witnessed by a lone ranger, who is attempting to make a jump from something that looks like a floating platform. He staggers for a moment and then makes the jump.

What can we say? Ace Combat 7 looks amazing, even stunning if one could say. Dubbed by the Unreal 4 engine, the game looks amazing on its own. Imagine what it will look like when you’ll switch on the VR headset. This will take gameplay to a whole new level, transforming aerial combat not only into an intense event, but it will make it more personal.

Hervé Hoerdt, which is in charge of Bandai Namco’s VR marketing department said that it is great that the game managed to get so far, considering that developers managed to wedge in another version of the game.

As to a launch date, we cannot speculate The developers haven’t blown the lid on this one yet.

Image source:deviantart.net

Samsung Gear VR Great for Cinematic Viewing

September 5, 2014 By David Crozier Leave a Comment

Yesterday we reported on the three new devices released by Samsung on September 3: the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, the Galaxy Edge and a new virtual reality headset, called the Samsung Gear VR. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the Samsung Gear VR and see how great it really is.

Samsung Gear VR

As mentioned earlier, Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset that is untethered, a novelty in the tech industry. It has a removable front where you need to insert the new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in order for it to work. Unfortunately, the Samsung Gear VR only works with the Note 4, so if you want to experience the best of virtual reality, grab a hold of the Note 4 as soon as possible.

The Samsung Gear VR is in many ways, an add-on for the Galaxy Note 4. It uses the CPU of the smartphone to power its screen, which is a Quad HD 5.7-inch screen with 1440p. The impressive thing about the device is that is offers a viewing angle of 96 degrees, roughly the equivalent of standing six feet away from a 180-inch screen.

Samsung created the Samsung Gear VR in partnership with Oculus Mobile SDK. It took the team 12 months to create the software to support mobile virtual reality experiences. The device includes a 16 GB MicroSD that is formatted after 360-degree movies trailer and videos which makes it great for cinematic viewing.

Samsung has already declared that it will launch the Samsung Gear VR Innovator’s Edition for:

Innovative consumers, specifically VR enthusiasts, developers, mobile experts and professionals, and early technology adopters.

Are you excited by the Samsung Gear VR? Will you buy one? Drop us a line in the comment section below and share your thoughts on it with us and our readers.

The Osmo Game for iPad is Great for Your Kids

May 23, 2014 By Nicholas Anderton Leave a Comment

Today’s society is pretty concerned with children not playing in the traditional manner anymore, but using technology for entertainment. If you are a parent, you know what we are talking about. Children prefer video games instead of regular toys or a healthy encounter with some friends outside the house.

Of course, not all children are alike and some parents do great efforts to teach them the importance of natural play, as opposed to getting stuck to a computer’s screen.

However, those of you who can’t just remove the tech from the house, but still want your kids to have an awesome time, let us present you the Osmo game for iPad. This intelligent invention combines traditional play with the use of hi – tech gadgets that will please all children and parents alike.

How does the Osmo Game for iPad work?

According to the manufacturers and the reviewers,

Osmo combines real physical objects with the virtual world of an iPad. It uses a simple plastic stand, a mirror, and a handful of common objects to create a unique gaming experience.

Let’s take things step by step: everything that needs to be done consists in the following procedures:

– placing the iPad (2 and above) in the plastic stand

– hooking the mirror in front of the front – facing camera of the iPad

– launching the games

The Osmo game for iPad delivers 3 games one can choose from at launch. Each game comes with its own app. The games are highly educational and entertaining and they don’t fall in the category of “virtual reality”, but create a “true reality” based on some low – tech objects that come together in the same pack. The three games involve a highly competitive spelling game a child can play against some opponents, a puzzle game with over 2, 400 puzzle combinations and a very interesting game which appeals to the kids’ imagination.

Reviewers playing this game (and we are talking adults here) said the game is addictive, even at older ages. Osmo was designed for children aged 6 to 12, but parents can easily play along and compete in a game of hangman.

The creators of the game were very concerned with delivering a game which is sturdy, almost unbreakable and fun on the long – term. The plastic stand and the mirror are surprisingly resistant to any child’s destructive ideas, while the games themselves can be played for weeks and even months without becoming boring.

If you want to give Osmo a try, unfortunately, you have to wait for a while. For now the game is available only for pre – order and if you hurry, you can benefit from the 50% discount of the usual $99 price (for all three games). The creators said that after the first 1,000 pre – orders were registered, they would start manufacturing the physical pieces. Then you will have to wait between 8 and 12 weeks to receive your order. Seems like a very long time, but it is also worth it.