Late last year at Steam Dev Days, Valve talked about a new and improved design for the SteamVR Tracking / Lighthouse base stations, a core component of the Vive’s tracking technology. Now the company says it plans to launch the new version later this year.
Vive Strap Accessory with Flip-up Visor and PSVR-style Comfort Passes Crowdfunding Goal
Florida based SynergyWiz is designing a third-party head-mount for the HTC Vive which uses a PSVR-stlye ‘halo’ mounting design for added comfort, and offers the much desired visor flip functionality.
OSSIC CEO on Why the Future of Music is Immersive & Interactive
OSSIC debuted their latest OSSIC X headphone prototype at CES this year with one of the best immersive audio demos that I’ve heard yet. OSSIC CEO Jason Riggs told me that their headphones do a dynamic calibration of your ears in order to render out near-field audio that is customized to your anatomy, and they had a new interactive audio sandbox environment where you could do a live mix of audio objects in a 360-degree environment at different heights and depths. OSSIC also was a participant in Abbey Road Studio’s Red Incubator looking at the future of music production, and Riggs makes the bold prediction that the future of music is going to be both immersive and interactive.
Hands-on: Intel’s Project Alloy ‘Merged Reality’ Roomscale Multiplayer Demo
At CES 2017, Intel was showing off more of its Project Alloy VR headset, including a roomscale multiplayer demo featuring ‘merged reality’, where the game environment adapts to your physical surroundings.
‘Siegecraft Commander’ Review
Trebuchet, or not to trebuchet? There really is no question when it comes to Siegecraft Commander, a tabletop strategy game that combines traditional real-time strategy (RTS) elements with a unique base-building mechanic that’s designed to significantly change the way you create structures and attack enemies. By making you physically fling—as in, put in a slingshot and shoot out—everything from explosive barrels to defensive buildings like outposts and armories, Siegecraft successfully gameifies the most banal part of traditional RTSs and summarily smothers what might otherwise be a dynamic and interesting game.
Apple AR/VR Product to Debut in 2017, Predicts Sony’s Head of Worldwide Studios
To many, the question of an Apple AR or VR headset has become a “when” rather than an “if”. The President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios thinks 2017 is the year that Apple introduces its first immersive device.
Hands-on: Huawei VR is the First Third-party Daydream Headset
Frank He goes hands-on with Huawei’s first Google Daydream compatible headset at CES 2017, one which takes cues from both the Samsung and Oculus engineered Gear VR and its closest stable mate, the Daydream View headset.
VR Interface Design Contest with $10,000 in Cash Prizes Launched by Purple Pill
Immersive content agency Purple Pill has announced a VR interface design competition and is offering $10,000 in cash prizes to those who create the best virtual reality interfaces.
‘Sansar’ Will Open to All in First Half of 2017 with a New Approach to Virtual Worlds
Sansar, a virtual world platform from the creators of Second Life, will open its doors to everyone in the first half of 2017. Developer Linden Lab explains their new approach to virtual worlds, and the many ways they plan to enable creators to make money with compelling virtual experiences.
Hands-on: PiMAX’s 8K Headset Proves that High FOV VR is Coming
Frank He goes hands on with PiMAX’s ludicrously high-spec 8k, 200 degree FOV prototype at CES and find the company has some innovative solutions to some of the substantial challenges driving a headset like this poses.