Google’s VR Cardboard Camera app is coming to iOS
The odds of you using Cardboard Camera, Google’s simple app for creating 360-degree VR images, just got significantly higher. The tool, which has so far only been available on Android, is now available on the iOS App Store. And both versions now include sharing features that realize the app’s raison d’etre: showing your friends and family the cool places you’ve visited. Where the old app made users share images through the generic Android photo gallery, the new one will support creating and sending links to either single images or collections.
As we’ve mentioned before, Cardboard Camera isn’t meant to be a professional-grade VR camera system. It’s like a VR version of Google’s Photo Spheres, stitching together images that it captures by asking you to rotate slowly and steadily in a circle. It's a far cry from something like Google's Jump camera platform, but it’s not bad even on things like my aging Android phone.
Google is widely expected to reveal more information about its new, Android-based Daydream VR platform at an event on October 4th, but this is another small signal that it’s not abandoning Cardboard — or iOS — in the process.
See the full story here: http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/12/12867110/google-cardboard-camera-vr-app-ios-sharing-update
MEET THE MAN WHO’S BANKROLLING VIRTUAL REALITY
Boost, a $7.1 million fund, focuses on investing between $25,000 and $100,000 in VR companies that go beyond the obvious (gaming). Along with bitcoin and blockchain companies, their portfolio of 45 VR companies worldwide boast a diverse list: education (Unimersiv), tourism (Realities) health care (Fearless VR), messaging and social networks (Beloola).
But with four virtual reality unicorns on the scene valued at $1 billion or more — Magic Leap, Oculus, Blippar and MindMaze — virtual reality analyst Nizar Tarhuni doubts more will come anytime soon.
Plus, bigger players are quickly rising, with HTC Vive’s $10 billion Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance.
Today, Draper’s portfolio of investments is currently valued at more than $1.5 billion.
See the full story here: http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/meet-the-man-whos-bankrolling-virtual-reality/71566
How One L.A. Animation Studio is Experimenting With Virtual Reality Cartoons
The artists involved did more than make content for virtual reality; they made art inside the VR sphere.
See the full, lengthy story here: https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/how-one-la-animation-studio-is-experimenting-with-virtual-reality
Honda patents augmented reality heads up display
Honda has lodged two patents this week, which could impart x-ray vision like technology to future cars. The technology which senses obstacles and potential pedestrian hazards, has been dubbed “Superman vision” by many sources.
The first of these patents pertains to a heads up system, which will display the position of pedestrians hidden behind obstructions to a driver’s view. The heads-up display within the windshield displays a silhouette of the pedestrian superimposed over the driver’s vision of the obstructing object.
The car manufacturer’s second patent also integrates with the augmented reality display to enable the driver to detect if a car further up the road has braked suddenly. In its detailing, a halted car would communicate with cars down the road to alert the driver to begin slowing down. This effectively gives an unsuspecting driver the ability to see through obstructing cars to the upcoming hazard, much like Superman’s x-ray vision.
See the full story here: http://vanguarddaily.com/honda-patents-augmented-reality-heads-up-display/
Miyamoto is against virtual reality because “we want families to play together”
“We want families to play together, and virtual reality doesn’t really fit well there. We also like people playing for a long time, and it’s hard to do that in VR.”
Which perfectly describes Nintendo’s current gaming philosophy: that parents should play games with their kids. However, in today’s world, many families barely eat together, let alone play video games with each other.
Somebody tell Nintendo that the 90s are over.
See the full story here: http://wiiudaily.com/2016/09/miyamoto-is-against-virtual-reality-because-we-want-families-to-play-together/
Virtual reality innovators bringing their worlds to downtown San Pedro
Next month, a panel of virtual reality innovators will come together at the Space — an intimate, 
78-seat theatre on Pacific Avenue — for an evening of demos and discussion on all things VR and cinema.
The symposium will be a highlight of the fifth annual San Pedro International Film Festival, which runs Oct. 6-16 in the port town’s historic arts district.
The 10-day festival will be headquartered in an empty storefront at 446 W. 6th St. — formerly Threads of Time — and feature screenings and performances at the Space, the Warner Grand Theatre, Alvas Showroom, the Marylyn and Chuck Klaus Center for the Arts and Brouwerij West.
STORYTELLING IN 360 DEGREES
“I wanted to bring VR into the festival because it’s becoming more and more prominent in the business and people are turning toward shooting in VR,” said SPIFF founder Ziggy Mrkich, who is co-directing the festival with actress Renee O’Connor.
The Oct. 8 panel will feature voices in virtual reality from a variety of film, music and entertainment backgrounds, including visual effects designer Kevin Mack, director Brett Leonard, game designer Mary Duda and KCRW producer Robert LaFond.
See the full story here: http://www.dailybreeze.com/technology/20160910/virtual-reality-innovators-bringing-their-worlds-to-downtown-san-pedro
The 10 VR Commandments: the rules every virtual reality gamer should follow
[Philip Lelyveld comment: good thought, humorously written.]
1. Thou shall limit the bounds of player space
2. Thou shall recall that not every sense works
3. If thine avatar sits, thou should also be sitting
4. Thou shall establish trust with the player
5. Thy gloves are thy friends
6. Thou shall cast out unworthy menus
7. Thine kingdom need not be be realistic
8. But thine kingdom must be carefully built
9. Thou hast nice legs. Cast thine eyes upon them
10. Thou shall rest only when sound is also worthy
See the full story here: http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/the-10-vr-commandments-1328317