This VR glove startup wants you to touch virtual worlds
"This is 1% of the possibility," Sense Glove CEO Gijs den Butter said, referring to the company's current technology. "Our vision is definitely to feel the shape, density and texture of objects."
The Sense Gloves are available for pre-order now and will begin shipping in July. The wired version of the gloves cost $1,200, while the wireless models costs $1,500.
The startup is part of a growing trend of VR gloves. Several other companies such as Dexmo and HaptX have also unveiled similar products.
See the full story here: http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/10/technology/virtual-reality-glove-ces-2018/index.html
Consumers Warm To Virtual, Augmented Reality: CES Study
The study comprised a survey of 21,000 consumers in 19 countries conducted by Harris Interactive for Accenture. The sample in each country was representative of the online population in each region.
The group of those interested in practical VR or AR applications have lower average purchase intent, its larger size provides a sales potential the same as gamers, according to the study.
Here are the interest levels in virtual or augmented reality applications:
- 67% -- Learning more about a place they are visiting
- 67% -- Want to learn new skills or techniques
- 61% -- To visualize how clothes might fit
- 58% -- To view 3D manuals
- 54% -- Want to shop for household items and furniture
- 47% -- To play games
Consumers also appear to be attracted to wearable solutions. The majority (55%) of consumers said they would like to replace their smartphone with a wearable solution that has all smartphone functions via voice, augmented reality and hologram interfaces.
See the full story here: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/312758/consumers-warm-to-virtual-augmented-reality-ces.html
Can Firing Augmented Reality Energy Balls Make HADO A Global Sport?
Using a motion sensor worn on the wrist, a head-mounted display (specifically for iPhone 6s) and AR markers, the game is played with virtual objects within the real world.
While you can play on your own, HADO’s most prominent type of gameplay is player versus player. In PvP, two teams of either two or three players will compete and use their hands to fire “energy balls” at one another and also activate shields to dodge attacks. The winning team scores the most points within a time period.
See the full story here: https://www.sporttechie.com/hado-augmented-reality-energy-balls-global-sport/
CES: Examining the Results of the Radical Disruption of News
“The Future of News” panel at CES 2018 drew together pundits across the political spectrum to puzzle out the difference between news and opinion, what exactly fake news is, and how to pop the partisan bubbles. A conversation led by United Talent Agency head of digital media Brent Weinstein started his challenge to define the line between news and opinion — if consumers even care. The Daily Wire editor-in-chief and conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro said that the news media should not portray itself as objective.
“News reporters can’t remove their biases,” he said. His colleague on the left, Thiel Capital managing director Eric Weinstein, PhD, agreed. “I don’t think it hinges on fact-based versus opinion-based,” he said. “There is no known way of producing news that is simply fact-based. The question is if we can unspin the news that we are given.”
Shapiro drew a distinction between facts versus arguing over opinions. “Once you label an opinion as fake news, we’re arguing over opinions,” he said. “I would like to relegate fake news to just that, not an opinion that you find unpalatable.”
Eric Weinstein believes we should apply the term “fake news” more broadly. “The taxonomy I have is that it’s the algorithm, narrative-driven and just false, and false is the least interesting,” he said. “After the election, there was a sudden mania over fake news that I find incredibly inauthentic. Everyone is now a conspiracy theorist. Where did this fake news thing explode from? It doesn’t feel real. We’re out of control and it’s more important to go after the narrative driven and algorithmic.”
Shapiro agreed, saying that, “actual fake news is actually small.” “People give Google enormous amounts of power to curb what they don’t like,” he said.
See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/ces-examining-the-results-of-the-radical-disruption-of-news/
NBC to offer virtual reality coverage of PyeongChang Olympics
NBC will provide more than 50 hours of live virtual reality coverage powered by Intel True VR during the XXIII Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea, to authenticated users with Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Samsung Gear VR, and both Google Cardboard and Google Daydream, with compatible iOS or Android devices via the NBC Sports VR app.
This effort will mark the first time ever that VR will be available for a Winter Olympics and that Olympic VR programming will be live in the U.S on a wide range of devices and platforms.
The more than 50 hours of live VR programming, supplied to NBC Olympics by its partner Olympic Broadcasting Services, will include the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, alpine skiing, curling, snowboarding, skeleton, figure skating, short track, ski jumping, ice hockey, big air and more.
In addition, NBC Olympics will offer VR replays of all events previously livestreamed; one daily 360-degree video of a sport not available in VR the previous day; and packaged highlights from the day before.
The VR experience is enabled by Intel True VR technology, which uses multiple camera pods at each event to create interactive 360-degree virtual reality environments.
Viewers will also be able to “fly” through the Olympic world, tour Olympic venues and different areas throughout Korea.
Programming will span every day of the Games – with the exception of Feb. 18 – beginning the day of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 9, and concluding with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 25. The content will be available to authenticated users on Samsung, Google, Windows, and Android and iOS devices through the NBC Sports VR app.
See the full story here: http://www.newscaststudio.com/2018/01/09/nbc-olympics-virtual-reality/
The Huawei VR2 is a stunningly comfortable virtual reality headset
Unlike the original Huawei VR, this is a standalone unit that hopes to take on the likes of Oculus and Vive, not the Gear VR. You don't slide a phone inside, instead you connect a phone, tablet or even a PC to it via USB-C. Then you can enjoy your virtual worlds in glorious 3K -- that's a resolution of 1,600 x 1,440 per eye. And thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate, eye strain and motion sickness should be kept to a minimum. I tend to be particularly sensitive to VR sickness but felt fine after about 20 minutes split between two demo stations.
The controller was made of the same bright white polymer as the headset and should seem familiar to anyone that's used a Gear VR or Daydream headset before. There's a small clickable touchpad at the top, a home button and a back button below that and a trigger on the underside.
Huawei has lined the entire inside with soft fabric stuffed with plenty of cushioning.
Unfortunately, there's still a lot we don't know about the Huawei VR2, most importantly a price or release date.
See the full story here: https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/09/huawei-vr2-hands-on/
CES Reporter’s Notebook: Paramount Brings ‘Downsizing’ to Life With Augmented Reality
Paramount’s Downsizing got the augmented reality treatment at CES this week.
To help startup Mira launch its Prism augmented reality device — which, like the Samsung Gear VR, requires a mobile phone to operate — the studio helped Mira create a unique AR experience using assets from the Alexander Payne film, which is based on the premise that people may downsize themselves and their world to save money and control overpopulation.
Paramount futurist Ted Schilowitz explains that users see trailer material in the headset and can select and "downsize" certain items that appear. In following the film's theme, the experience ends by displaying how much money the viewer would have saved with the downsized items.
The Downsizing AR experience can be viewed at Mira's booth on the show floor at CES, where the company is launching the Prism system and making it available to developers.
See the full story here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/ces-reporters-notebook-paramount-brings-downsizing-life-augmented-reality-1073533
Lumus shows off the latest of its increasingly tiny augmented reality displays
The company builds what are called reflective waveguides. The interesting, rather sleek pieces of display technology rely on microscopic etchings in transparent glass lenses that catch light being projected into their edges. While these systems are limited in how much of a viewer’s field-of-view they can fill, they are unparalleled in the small form factors they can reach and will likely be what powers your first pair of smart glasses.
The company gathered headlines recently as it reached a deal with Quanta, a manufacturer used by Apple, to begin building AR displays. The Israeli company has raised $57 million from companies including Quanta, Alibaba and HTC.
In a moderately sunny room, the waveguide displayed images of a rocket that was bright enough to nearly block out the real world person that was walking in front of me.
See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/09/lumus-shows-off-the-latest-of-its-increasingly-tiny-augmented-reality-displays/
CES 2018: Hands-On With Sansar’s Ready Player One VR Experience
Like most other Sansar environments this Ready Player One scene is a social space and you can walk around and check out the movie set just like you’re actually standing there. Jason Gholston, Director of Business Development at Sansar, explained that they worked directly with Warner Bros. to painstakingly recreated every detail of the set. In this way, this is almost like a behind-the-scenes look at the film.
In the movie each shot is going to be zoomed in on the characters and limit how much fo the whole set you can see, but in this VR environment you’re free to walk around and explore every inch at your own pace. In fact, Gholston told me that they were able to cram even more pop culture Easter eggs and references into the VR garage than there are in the film for the simple reason that players can see more of it than viewers can.
Players can check out the full Ready Player One garage VR location in Sansar right now.
See the full story here: https://uploadvr.com/ces-2018-hands-sansars-ready-player-one-vr-experience/