Tag: Oculus Rift

HTC Vive Business Edition VR System Launched In India

HTC has launched its business edition of the HTC Vive VR system in India, priced at Rs 1,26,990. The VR headset will be available on via Amazon and www.iamonline.co.in. The business model of the HTC VR headset comes with additional service adapters for the business and commercial users.

In fact, HTC and Oculus are the only companies that make business-class VR headphones. Presently, the Oculus Rift is available in India for Rs 41,282. However, it will not come with Business support and can only be for personal usage.

Faisal Siddiqui, President, South Asia at HTC said:

Built to scale with growing business requirements, Vive Business Edition delivers an exceptional experience and innovative solutions that address the growing business needs of companies globally. As a part of our focus in 2018, we plan to expedite the growth of our partners through application of Vive technology across areas like gaming, entertainment, automotive, engineering and medical, among others.

Features:

The business edition of the HTC Vive VR comes with commercial licensing and 12 months of limited warranty. With the first purchase, there will be an additional option to order the device in large quantity.

The final package also includes a standard headset, two controllers, two base stations, 3-in-1 cable, and a four face cushion.

Specifications:

The HTC Vive VR headset has a dual OLED display with 2160 x 1200p resolution, with 90 Hz refresh rate. The device is built on the platform called SteamVR and VivePort. The device offers up to 110-degree viewing angle with inbuilt speaker and mic.

The HTC Vive VR headset requires NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD Radeon RX 480 equivalent or greater graphics card with Intel Core-i5 4590 equivalent or greater CPU with at least 4GB RAM. The PC should have Windows 7 or the newer version of the operating system with support for HDMI 1.3 video output. The headset also packs a special sensor called Lighthouse laser tracking system to offer seamless VR experience.

February 22, 2018
Oculus Rift Will Support Macs ‘When Apple Makes a Good Computer’

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey has voiced his opinion about Apple’s Macs and has clearly stated that the computers just aren’t powerful enough to support the Rift VR headset.

“That is up to Apple and if they ever release a good computer we will do it,” Luckey tells ShackNews when asked about Mac support. “It just boils down to the fact that Apple doesn’t prioritize high-end GPUs. You can buy a $6,000 Mac Pro with the top of the line AMD FirePro D700, and it still doesn’t match our recommended spec.”

Apple’s high-end MacBook Pro laptops come with pretty mighty specifications including dual-discrete GPUs. However, the Macs are primarily designed for professional applications and are not as equally proficient when it comes to gaming. The Oculus Rift, on the other hand, requires intense graphic processors that are gaming focused such as the Nvidia GTX 970.

“If they prioritize higher-end GPUs like they used to for a while back in the day, we’d love to support Mac,” Luckey continued. “But right now, there’s just not a single machine out there that supports it. So even if we can support it on the software side, there’s just no audience of people that can run the vast majority of software out there.”

Despite Luckey’s obvious criticism towards Apple, the Oculus founder also highlights that Apple has been focusing a lot on its professional applications, potentially losing a gaming-centric base that would choose laptops that are superior in graphics processors.

Moreover. Apple has already expressed keen interest in virtual reality and has hired a number of expert for its VR department. If Apple does want to get into the VR game, and indeed it is a technology that is quickly becoming mainstream, then it will have to make some serious changes to its future Macs in the hardware department.

March 4, 2016
Syfy’s Tv Series ‘Halycon’ Will Feature First “Made for VR” Episodes

In what will be great news for VR enthusiasts, and users who have brought expensive VR headsets from Oculus, NBCUniveral’s Syfy channel have announced it’s new, futuristic crime drama Halycon. The order details of the show reportedly point out the inclusion of the production of 5 special episodes, designed to be viewed through the Oculus Rift VR headset.

Halycon is a scripted show that users will only be able to view with Oculus Rift, making it the first show meant to be watched in virtual reality in the history of television.

This will be a production of the Emmy award-winning studio Secret Location, and the plot of the show will be set in 2058 where the cops in the series set out to investigate a murder that happens in virtual reality, unravelling a conspiracy in the process.

Talking about the show Steve Patscheck, executive VP, global programming, NBCU International Networks said,“Syfy is the perfect home for launching this innovative, hybrid linear and virtual reality series. We look forward to partnering with Secret Location on Halcyon, as Syfy international channels break new ground with the launch of the brand’s first scripted virtual reality series.”

February 13, 2016
Oculus Touch Controllers for Oculus Rift Delayed Till Second Half of 2016

2016 is going to be the year of the virtual reality. People around the world have been eagerly waiting to get their hands on some VR headgears that were demoed last year. One of them is the popular Oculus Rift VR headset. The headgear will start shipping in the first half of 2016. However, there is some bad news as well.

Turns out, you will have to wait a while longer to be able to wave your arms around in the air to control whatever you’re looking at in your giant VR headset. We’re talking about the Oculus Touch – the hand controllers that would allow you to do just that with the Oculus Rift have been delayed and won’t be shipped until the second half of the year.

Oculus VR has stated that pre-order for the Oculus Touch will begin a few months before its official launch (which is still unconfirmed).

“On Touch hardware, we’ve made significant advances in ergonomics, and we’re implementing many changes that make Touch even more comfortable, reliable, and natural. We’re also implementing changes that improve hand pose recognition,” reads Oculus’ blog post.

“The feedback on Touch has been incredibly positive, and we know this new timeline will produce an even better product, one that will set the bar for VR input. We appreciate your patience and promise Touch will be worth the wait.”

Founder and CEO of Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey recently announced that preorders for the headset would start “soon after new year”. We still don’t now the official pricing of the virtual reality headgear, but Luckey has stated that the price would be low considering all that’s in the device. “Rift will be sold insanely cheap considering complexity – multiple high end OLED monitors+motion tracking+fancy mechanicals in one device,” he tweeted.

So, while you’ll have to wait for the second half of 2016 to fully experience the virtual reality world with the Oculus Touch, you can still embrace the future a little early with the Oculus Rift headset. Follow this space on the official launch and pricing of the Oculus Rift VR.

January 2, 2016
Oculus Rift’s Newest Gaming Addition is Set to ‘Explode’ Your Mind

We all know that the coolest gaming cult to have begun, is the Oculus Rift, that takes virtual reality to another level. Everybody is talking about another world where one can actually be a part of an alternate reality and be the closest to feeling it. If that wasn’t amazing enough, there is more good news for gamers.

Oculus Rift will add a dynamic new game to it’s kitty called ‘Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.’ As the name suggests, it is a virtual reality bomb disposal game and it sounds insane. The objective is to communicate with your partner(s) and try and diffuse a bomb using codes, well within time. Only one person wears the Oculus Rift and the other person is guided by description and smooth flowing communication. Naturally then, if you snooze, you lose.

Now, imagine if you could use not just your vision, but also your hands in this game? That’s right. Oculus Rift has acquired Pebbles Interfaces, which is an Israeli based firm that specialises in gesture recognition and control. This means that, if combined, the two companies will create gaming history as one might actually see hand gestures being incorporated by games and eventually, we might even rid ourselves of joysticks and consoles. Check out the video below:

Sounds futuristic enough? We can’t wait.

July 17, 2015
This Kickass Headset Comes From HTC and Valve

Taiwanese smartphone maker, HTC is known as one of the premier smartphone companies. It was one of the first companies to bring out Windows and Android based devices. It’s known for its unique design elements that make its devices recognizable in the crowded smartphone market. HTC is now taking an aim at a new device segment; virtual reality(VR) headset with the new HTC Vive.

HTC has unveiled the Vive at a special event held in Barcelona, Spain. The device is made in collaboration with an entertainment software technology company called Valve. Valve will offer its Steam VR tracking and input technologies whereas HTC is responsible for the design as well as the build of the product.

HTC Vive will take on the likes of Oculus Rift, Gear VR and Project Morpheus.

HTC Vive is claimed to offer immersive VR experience that includes moving around and interacting with the virtual space. The device comes with wireless controllers that make it rather easy to operate and get on with the virtual gaming. It offers high-quality graphics, 90 frames per second video and impressive audio fidelity.

HTC has collaborated with many game developers such as Vertigo Games, Wemo Labs, Google, Owlchemy and others to generate content for the HTC Vive. Beta versions of the games for the Vive Developer Edition have already been produced. HTC is also working with companies like Google, HBO, Lionsgate and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan to create unique content for the new VR device.

In its present iteration, the HTC Vive looks like the first generation Oculus device. It looks massive and messy with the cables hanging on top of it. Being the Developer edition, it still has a look of a prototype device. HTC might tweak the design to make it wireless by the time it arrives in the consumer market.

The Developer Edition of the HTC Vive will be launched this spring. The consumer edition is expected to come out by the end of 2015. Virtual Reality headsets are one of the most promising consumer devices and have tremendous potential. HTC’s entry into the VR foray definitely makes things interesting for the market.

March 1, 2015
Facebook’s Oculus Forms a Dedicated In-House Studio for Virtual Reality Movies

The independent cinema fair of 2015, Sundance Film Festival, showcased some top-notch films. The one that left the world awestruck was the first virtual-reality film by Facebook-acquired Oculus. Facebook premiered its first short piece titled ‘Lost’. It is the first of five short animated flicks the company will be making this year.

Oculus has built in-house studio called Story Studio, where the company will be creating virtual reality films and research on the story telling.

By developing content for virtual reality, Oculus aims to attract more filmmakers to invest in the new technology. To start with, the company has tapped the highest talents from both the film industry and video gaming world. Veteran of Pixar Animation Studios and Lucasfilm Ltd., who were responsible for films like Toy Story and Monsters Inc., will be attached to the upcoming five-film project.

The premiered movie Lost is helmed by former Pixar artist Saschka Unseld, who is now the creative director of Story Studios. The film takes the viewers to the middle of the forest where a mechanical creature bounds into the scene. The Chief Executive of Oculus Brendan Iribe described the flick as ‘a real-time version of a Pixar experience that you’re inside of.’

Iribe further added to his statement –

This is really tuning into what a lot of people who are extending 360-degree film into VR cannot do yet. It’s getting into the heart and soul and magic of VR.

Virtual Reality films are the real-time cinema where you can not only see, but also feel your presence in the space. However, the concept of experiencing 360-degree panoramic view using a gadget that fixes at the head has not reached the masses as of yet. In spite, Samsung and Google have developed products like Galaxy Gear VR headset and Google’s Cardboard VR device, the journey of it to be available mainstream will take some time.

January 27, 2015
Facebook in Hiring Mode to Boost its Virtual Reality Business

When Facebook acquired Oculus Rift for a price of $2 Billion, we had a feeling it has something big planned for it. Virtual Reality(VR) is a budding market that is growing at a slow and steady pace. Facebook sees huge potential for these devices and is now on a hiring spree to get Oculus Rift up and running in the consumer space.

Oculus can be credit for bringing Virtual Reality back from the dead. Using the increased processing might of this generation chipset has helped these device give an authentic VR experience. The graphics quality has gotten better and there are now multiple headset options in the market that promise an immersive experience. While devices like Gear VR from Samsung are already in the market, Oculus Rift’s consumer version is still in the development stage.

Facebook acquired Oculus last year for a sum of $2 Billion

Facebook has listed 54 jobs on its website that seem to directly focus on it VR division. The jobs listed include managers to oversee logistics, procurement and global supply chain planning. Analysts believe this hints that the company is ready to bring the consumer version in the market.

If you want to test out the Oculus Rift, the company offers a Developers Kit that supports over 188 game titles. Other players in the VR market include Sony with its Project Morpheus, Google with the low-cost headset called the Cardboard project and Avegant Glyph. There are also some start-up projects working on their VR headsets too, like ANTVR.

We hope the wait for the consumer version of the Oculus Rift is coming to an end. It may be only a while before VR would be the way to game because of its immersive advantage.

January 19, 2015
This Massive Wearable Claims to be an Oculus Killer

There are many folks who are eagerly waiting for the Virtual Reality (VR) revolution to come in their hands soon. We have seen the Oculus Rift, Sony’s Project Morpheus and others that are some huge headgears. But never would have someone thought that they’d want to look like a B1 Battle Droid from the Star Wars prequel while being in the virtual world. For the few who did, here’s 3D head that you can wear in your battle against the Jedis.

3DHead is really massive; it completely absorbs your head inside it. The visuals are played on an Android tablet that sits on the far end of the wearable, and the 3D is observed through the glasses placed inside the headgear. Just like other VR devices, you can use the device for gaming as well as watching 3D movies.

The 3DHead is impractically large (Source: Uploadvr)

The device also comes with a massive controller that has a slot to place the tablet. It is claimed to have good head tracking so playing first person games would be an immersive experience. 3DHead plays 3D as well as 2D games. The tablet can play the 3D content without the need of glasses. It can be connected to PC’s, Playstations and Xbox’s, and you can play all the games in VR mode. You can play the console games using their controllers. The makers claim that the device provides 2K picture resolution.

Overall the massive size of the device might make it too impractical for consumers to acquire. The hefty price tag of $600 for the headgear and another $600 for the controller might also dissuade people from buying it. But for those who are into Star Wars or Tron Cosplay and also want to have an unreal VR gaming experience, this might not be that bad an investment.

January 8, 2015
Oculus Rift’s New Developer Kit Has a Samsung Note 3 Display

One of the most eagerly awaited technology are the wearable Virtual Reality (VR) glasses and the name that comes to mind when talking of VR wearables is Oculus. Now serial teardowners, iFixit have gone ahead and dismantled the new version of Oculus Rift’s developer edition.

The previous Oculus outing saw tremendous complaints about pixelated screens and motion sickness inducing visuals. Oculus Developer Kit 2(DK 2) intends to address the complaints. One major discovery they made is that the DK2 comes with a Samsung Note 3 display.

Inside the impressive gadget is a Samsung display.

The display is left untouched and it even has the touchscreen controller on it. So you can easily get a replacement for your Oculus screen if you somehow get over involved in the virtual world and accidently bump into real world objects and damage the screen.

Oculus claims that the display works at 75 Hz which is above the standard 60 Hz refresh rate. On their website Oculus calls its display a low persistence OLED display to eliminate motion blur and judder, two of the biggest contributors to simulator sickness. The stunning 5.7 inch Note 3 display might address the pixilation issue and probably save people from the day long motion sickness they feel after wearing these headgears.

Meanwhile Samsung is proactively working on their own VR wearables. With Sony’s Project Morpheus and several start-ups trying out their luck with the technology, the market has started to heat up. We too are desperately waiting for the devices to come to the market so we can enjoy a walk on Mars or get a perfect first person shooting experience minus the PTSD of course.

August 1, 2014
Investors Gives $75 Million To Oculus Rift Makers For Finishing Consumer Model

Ever since its launch the Oculus Rift has always been one of the most talked about product for the future of Gaming Gadgets. The wearable gaming tech is still in the hands of developers which does not allow everyone to get a hands-on experience with it.

This might change soon, as Andreessen Horowitz, an investment firm known for funding companies like Jawbone, Facebook Twitter and Skype has funded the makers of Oculus Rift with $75 Million. With this investment, Mark Andreessen, owner of Andreessen Horowitz will join Oculus Rift as a member in the companies Board of directors. Mark said in a statement:

We believe Oculus will not only alter the gaming landscape, but will redefine fundamental human experiences in areas like film, education, architecture and design”, ‘We’re incredibly excited to help them change the world.”

This funding might help Oculus Rift to bring the consumer variant of the gaming wearable soon for everyone. Furthermore, company’s CEO Brendan Iribe said in a statement:

This additional infusion of capital, as well as the leadership and experience of Marc Andreessen, will help us take the final steps toward our ultimate goal: making virtual reality something consumers everywhere can enjoy.”

December 13, 2013
Unreal Engine 3 To Get Oculus Rift Support In April (PR)

Unreal Engine 3, widely known as the driving force behind a plethora of successful PS3 and Xbox 360 games, is going to add support for the upcoming Oculus Rift headset via a development kit update.

Today, the companies are announcing that Epic’s latest Unreal Development Kit (UDK) will be available with Oculus-ready code for every developer who has purchased the Oculus Rift game development kit. On top of that, all Unreal Engine 3 source licensees will receive the Oculus-Unreal Engine 3 integration code for free. The idea is that this will jumpstart the market for virtual reality games on the Oculus Rift platform.

“Developers have used Unreal Engine technology to create some of the most memorable games in history,” said Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games. “We view virtual reality as a massive technological step forward, and are arming all developers with the tools to create game experiences that represent the future. Our partnership with Oculus will bring the highest quality experiences to virtual reality games.”

Slated for the first week of April, the new UDK will include an updated Epic Citadel cross-platform tech-demo, which depicts a graphics-rich medieval castle village, with Oculus Rift support to go on.

On the other hand, Oculus Rift dev kits will begin shipping out to Kickstarter backers this month.

[toggle title=”Press Release”]Custom UDK to Ship with All Oculus Rift Developer Kits
Epic Games and Oculus VR Partner to Help Unreal Engine Developers Build the Future of Games

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA (March 25, 2013) – Oculus VR, Inc., developer of the highly anticipated Oculus Rift, announced that it will provide a custom, Oculus-ready version of Epic Games’ Unreal Development Kit (UDK) to every developer who has purchased the Oculus Rift development kit. In addition, all Unreal Engine 3 full source licensees will receive the Oculus – Unreal Engine 3 integration code free of charge. These new offerings mark Oculus’ entry into Epic’s premier UE3 Integrated Partners Program (IPP). The deepened partnership between the two companies is designed to support all Unreal Engine developers wanting to take their games to a completely new level of immersion.

“Developers have used Unreal Engine technology to create some of the most memorable games in history,” said Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games. “We view virtual reality as a massive technological step forward, and are arming all developers with the tools to create game experiences that represent the future. Our partnership with Oculus will bring the highest quality experiences to virtual reality games.”

Epic Games and Oculus have been collaborating since the launch of Oculus’ Kickstarter campaign to improve and optimize the integration with UE3. The custom Oculus-ready version of UDK, the free edition of UE3, will include the Epic Citadel tech demo, a medieval castle and village which developers can explore in virtual reality with the Rift.

“We’ve said from the start that independent developers were as important to us as AAA developers,” said Brendan Iribe, CEO of Oculus. “The Unreal Engine and UDK have proven time and again that they are premiere engines for all game developers. Our relationship with Epic shows our commitment to give every developer the chance to create the next amazing game experience.”

The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset that allows users to step into the game. It provides an immersive, stereoscopic 3D experience with a huge field of view-110 degrees diagonally-and overcomes the latency problems that have plagued previous VR gaming headsets, where movement in the game lags behind movement of the player’s head. Developer kits for the Oculus Rift, which game developers can use to create Oculus-ready VR applications and interactive content, will begin shipping to backers at the end of March 2013.

The custom, Oculus-ready version of UDK will be available from the Oculus Developer Center the first week of April.[/toggle]

[Via Engadget]

March 26, 2013