Tag: VR Headset

Oculus Announces Rift S VR Headset For US$ 399

Alongside the release of Stadia, Google’s new cloud based game streaming service, Oculus unveiled its new VR headset, named the Rift S at the GDC (Game Developer’s Conference) in San Francisco. As per the company, the Rift S provides gamers and tech enthusiasts with access to immersive content. The headset uses Oculus Insight Tracking technology for convenient user experience. The Oculus Rift S has an upgraded 2560×1440 px high-resolution display and a host of other new features.

Oculus Rift Features

The Rift S is compatible with all the titles that were present on its predecessor. The company also announced support for upcoming games like Asgard’s Wrath, Defector, and Stormland. As stated, the Oculus Rift S sports improved optics and display in order to deliver sharper images with high pixel density. The company believes that all these factors will greatly boost the quality of virtual reality gaming.

Interestingly, Oculus has teamed up with Lenovo in order to formulate the design of the Rift S. The American technology company states that its new VR headset features better weight distribution around the head and improved light blocking. Furthermore, the Rift S is connected via a single cable to reduce clutter while using the headset. Users can use the integrated audio system on the Rift S, or connect their preferred headphones via the 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Additional features include Oculus Insight, which promises inside-out tracking for an improved experience. The company claims that the feature uses computer vision algorithms to help the headset capture, trace and navigate physical spaces in real time. All this is done with the help of five sensors. Moreover, Oculus has redesigned its Touch controllers for better gesture controls. Another interesting feature that Oculus has introduced is Passthrough+, which utilizes core runtime advancements to provide a comfortable session with the least amount of performance impact. This may help users when they see or step out of their playing space all of a sudden.

Price And Availability

Also Read: Motorola One Vision To Have A 3500mAh Battery With 18W Fast Charging

The company stated that the Oculus Rift S will be released in Spring 2019 (April-May), and will be priced at US$ 399, which roughly translates to INR 27,380. The company also assured its Rift customers that they will keep receiving software updates without any hiccups ahead of the release of the new headset.

March 22, 2019
HTC Announces The Vive Focus Plus With Revamped Motion Controllers

HTC tasted a lot of success in the hands of the Vive VR Headsets, which clearly shows in the fact that the HTC Vive is one of the highest selling VR headsets worldwide. The company has announced the Vive Focus Plus on February 21, which is a newer and upgraded version of the Vive Focus VR headset. First revealed in October 2018, the Vive Focus had support for three degrees of freedom. With the recently announced Vive Focus Plus, the controllers can be tracked in six different degrees, which means that you can now move the controllers around, not just rotate them on the spot.

The Competition

With the announcement of the ‘standalone’ Oculus Quest VR headset last year, competition for creating the ‘all-round performing’ VR headset has stepped up. The Quest will include a pair of controllers and will support the “arena-scale” tracking feature. This feature will enable the user to walk in areas of almost 4,000 square feet while retaining headset tracking. The Oculus Quest is set to be released this spring, whereas the HTC Vive Focus Plus will be released in the second quarter of 2019.

Design And Features

The headset of the Vive Focus Plus resembles the headset of the original Vive Focus in almost all aspects. It is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and provides the user with six degrees of freedom tracking. The VR headset has a 3K AMOLED display with 2880 x 1600 px resolution. The Vive Focus Plus runs on the Vive Wave platform, enabling its users to download new content and apps from the Viveport online store. Furthermore, HTC claims that the new edition of the Vive Focus can distribute its weight more evenly by increasing its contact area with the forehead.

Availability

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ India Price Revealed

The Vive Focus Plus will be available for purchase in 25 countries, some of them being Canada, USA, UK and Australia. HTC has not announced the price or launch date for its latest VR headset yet, but as mentioned before, users can expect it to go live on sale in the second quarter of 2019.

February 22, 2019
Sachin Saga VR, A Multiplayer Virtual Reality Cricket Game Launched

India’s first multiplayer VR cricket game, Sachin Saga VR was launched at the IGS (India Gaming Show) held in Delhi from February 3-5. A large number of gamers and cricket fans stepped forward to try out the VR game for themselves. Moreover, some lucky gamers won signed VR headsets by Sachin Tendulkar himself, who was present during the game launch.

About The Developer

JetSynthesys is a gaming and digi-entertainment company, which is responsible for creating the game, along with the special edition Sachin Saga VR headset. Furthermore, the Master Blaster himself was there at the launch, accompanied by Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, JetSynthesys. As mentioned before, the IGS saw a lot of tech and gaming enthusiasts gathered together to experience the best of gaming and technology, all at one place.

Game Information

The game is built directly from reality, and is likewise equipped with on-ground immersion. Insane physics ensure that your reflexes are tested at every moment. You’ll face balls at a speed 150 KPH which are tracked in a real-time environment. Also, The high-end VR ensures that you can enjoy realistic shadows and motion captures by Sachin Tendulkar, with over 28 cricketing shots. Furthermore, You can play multiplayer cricket matches with international opponents across real-world stadium replicas. Love the Wankhade Stadium? No problem! A fan of the Lord’s Cricket Ground? You have it all!

Pricing And Features

Also Read : Samsung Galaxy M10 & M20 Go Live On Sale Today, Pricing And Specs

If you’re thinking that the VR is limited to just the cricket game, you’re probably wrong. The VR also includes access to 3,000 apps, which you can use with Google Cardboard. The VR headset has a 100-degree view area and a coupled Bluetooth Controller for wireless gaming experience. As per sources, Sachin Tendulkar said, “With VR, for the first time, the lines between gaming and real blur to give gamers an accurately simulated experience of the stadium. That too with real time action right on their mobile screens. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed reliving my matches with Sachin Saga VR. I am sure it will resonate with cricket fans and gamers all over the world.”

The complete bundle containing the Sachin Saga VR gaming headset, a Bluetooth Controller as well as the Sachin Saga VR game is now live for sale on the Sachin Saga official website for Rs. 1,499. You can check it out here

February 5, 2019
Apple Working On An AR/VR Headset With 16K Resolution Display

Last Year at the World Wide Developer’s Conference 2017, Apple talked a lot about the Augmented Reality. The following iPhone X launch had a 15-minute segment of an Apple employee demonstrating the AR capabilities of the new iPhones with the A11 Bionic chipset. It is a known fact that Apple has invested a lot in AR/VR and by 2020, the company could launch a game-changing device. A report has claimed that Apple is working on a standalone AR/VR headset with a whopping 8K display for each eye.

The report comes from CNET and cites a single source “familiar with the matter.” The report also mentions that internally, the project is being referred as ‘T288’. This headset will apparently come with technology that so far does not exist. It will have two 8K displays, one for each eye, which brings the total to a jaw-dropping 16K resolution. For context, even the best in class VR headsets right now barely reach 4K resolution per eye. The HTC Vive Pro, for example, has a resolution of 1400 x 1600 per eye.

HTC Vive Pro

The headset will also have cameras on the outside that will detect its surroundings. The report further claims that the VR headset will connect wirelessly to a dedicated ‘box’ using a high-speed short-range wireless technology called 60GHz WiGig. the source said that the box will be powered by a 5-nanometer proprietary Apple processor that will be ‘more powerful than anything currently available’ in the market.

Apple VR Patent

One of the main issues of the current VR market is that it has too many wires. By the looks of it, Apple could potentially solve that issue with this T288 headset. It is obviously too early to call it but, if the report turns out to be true, expect an eye-watering price for the behemoth of an AR headset.

April 28, 2018
Xiaomi And Oculus Team Up To Launch New VR Headsets

Xiaomi and Oculus have launched two new standalone VR headsets at CES 2018 taking place in Las Vegas, USA. A lot of brands take to stage during CES and unveil new and exciting products. Xiaomi, along with Oculus has decided to unveil the Oculus and Xiaomi Mi VR Standalone. The Oculus Go will be manufactured by Xiaomi and sold in the western market where Xiaomi is trying to set a foothold in. While the Xiaomi VR Standalone is a rebranded Oculus Go meant for the Chinese market. This makes sense since Xiaomi has much stronger brand value in China than Oculus does.

The Oculus GO was announced back in October 2017 at the Oculus Connect 4 developer conference. The Oculus GO is priced at US $199 and powered by the Snapdragon 821 chipset and sports an LCD display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. It also features integrated speakers and has a 3.5 mm headphone jack on board. As it’s a standalone headset, it will also work without a PC or a smartphone.

Immersive visual experience provided by standalone VR headsets seem to be the future of VR and AR. As more apps become VR and AR friendly, the VR content is expected to increase. Headsets like the Oculus Go provide a relatively inexpensive as at a price of US $199, a user doesn’t need a high-end smartphone to experience VR. To put things into perspective, the Samsung VR headset is priced at US $139 and is rendered useless without a high-end Samsung Galaxy device like Galaxy S8 or Note8.

There are no details about the VR headsets launching in the Asian markets like India as of yet. But, Xiomi is known to launch a few of its China-exclusive products in India and the Xiaomi Mi VR Standalone might be launched in India.

January 9, 2018
After SmartPhones Xiaomi Wants You To Buy Their Budget VR Headset

Xiaomi at an event in its home country launched the new Mi VR Play headset. The Headset which is available to beta testers for just RMB 1 (US$0.15) already has millions pre-registered for it. So if you want one now, you have a long wait ahead.

The Mi VR Play is different because it is made out of Lycra as opposed to traditional plastics, this synthetic and starchy compound is used in clothing to give them more durability and comfort.

It supports 4.7- to 5.7-inch phones and they are held down not by clamps but by zipper. Yes, Zippers! The dual openings on the front allow for slight positioning adjustments and ventilation.You will also get the newly renamed Mi VR app which has content from a bunch of local providers and Conde Nast Traveller.

No Doubt it is a good looking VR headset and it comes in a bunch of colours and designs. But When can one actually buy it without waiting in line. And whatever happened to the Mi TV?

August 5, 2016
Best Gaming Accessories of 2015

No console is perfect, but the right accessory can help bring it closer to perfection. And gamers need to have the absolute best of accessories if they want to beat other gamers from around the world. It’s a kind of religion that only serious gamers will understand. 2015 has produced not only some jaw dropping games, but also other equipments that provide for the ultimate gaming experience and that takes gaming to a whole new level, Let’s have a look at some of them.

Logitech’S G410 Mechanical Keyboard

Logitech launched the G410 Atlas Spectrum keyboard a couple of months ago. The G410, which has a tenkeyless design (i.e no number pad or macro keys), is small and light enough to carry around in your bag. The smaller board also makes it easier to identify keys for gaming and allows for a smoother, easier gameplay.

The keyboard is built around the custom-designed Romer-G mechanical switches. This means the keys have a shallow actuation point (1.5 mm of travel) and is designed to have a softer click as well. The company also says that the Romer-G switches register key presses up to 25 percent faster than its competitors.

Users who still prefer the old-school way of having a mechanical keyboard and who enjoy the loud clicks may find softer voice of the G410 a little too subtle. However, newcomers are sure to love the smaller, lighter board and the RGB (Red-Green-Blue) LED keys that light up the board beautifully when your fingers press on a key.

Razer DeathAdder Chroma Ergonomic Gaming Mouse

The DeathAdder is a mouse that’s been around for many years now.The mouse has been updated several times over the years and the newest one uses Razer’s Chroma technology, bringing 16.8 million colour options to the table.

The Razer DeathAdder Chroma is a right-handed, ergonomic Gaming mouse with a Optical sensor with a maximum DPI of 10,000 DPI. There’s 5 programmable buttons, a 1000Hz Polling Rate, a braided cable and obviously the 16.8 million colour Chroma lighting (mouse wheel and Razer logo).

The ergonomics of the mouse keeps the design to a minimal. The mouse looks clean and simple but has a firm grip and strong build. When it comes to performance, there’s really no going mouse that can top Razer. The mouse tracks well and has a great in-game performance, though the lack of some buttons can prove difficult when playing RPG, MMO or MOBA.

Add to this you get 16.8 million customizable colour options for the mouse. So whether you’re in the mood for electric blue, pastel pink or signature Razer green, you can take a pick and illuminate your Razer DeathAdder Chroma’s scroll wheel and Razer logo.

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VR Headgear

Consider VR headsets as future gaming accessories. Two names dominated this year’s VR headwear news – Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. You may have seen these wearables already in actions already. The Oculus Rift will officially launch early 2016. The virtual reality headset was initially demoed as an entertainment gear that could create virtual environments for you to see movies and shows. But the fact remains that he Oculus Rift is primarily for gaming.

It’ll still be a while before VR-centric games are developed for the headset. Oculus has stated that existing games with a first person or fixed-camera perspective can be ported to VR with some development effort, however the best virtual reality games are those that are designed for the Rift from the start.

The HTC Vive VR headset is the product of HTC and Valve Corporation. It is also part of Valve Corporation’s SteamVR project. HTC officially unveiled its device, Vive, during its Mobile World Congress keynote on March 1, 2015. The headset will officially launch in April next year.

Steam Controller

Those aware of the Steam controller will know how useful the new controller is the it comes to playing games on the PC. It’s much more than your standard controller, mostly because the Steam controller introduces touchpads and ditches the need to rely on thumbsticks, which makes gaming a lot more easier if you’re the kind who like to play at the comfort of your couch.

Touchpads allow a more natural movement, according to users. Guide your thumb across the touchpad and the movements correspond to the movements on the screen. Recently, a new Steam client beta update was released that allows you to do a lot more. With the new update, if you click the upper left portion of your trackpad, for example, the cursor leaps to a corresponding position on your PC’s monitor – potentially speeding up reaction times in top-down strategy and MOBA strategy games.

The touchpad has a lot more features that are still being discovered. One such feature is that the touch area can be reduced to specific zones, ensuring that touch input will go directly to on-screen hotkeys or a game’s mini-map for easy navigation. The Steam controller is a novel way of game playing, especially for those who want more than just the standard mouse, keyboard, and gamepad.

Kinect

Microsoft decided to keep Kinect as a separate entity rather than having it as a primary component in the Xbox One package. Kinect is a camera and motion controller that lets you command your Xbox and TV with your voice and gestures, play games where you become the controller and make Skype calls in HD. Scan your own face and embed them into some games, or engage in some serious gesture-based dance gaming. The Kinect is an add-on for those who want a little more out of their Xbox One console.

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June 20, 2016
LeEco to bring “Le 3D Helmet” to India

Chinese Smartphone maker LeEco, according to reports, has plans of selling virtual reality headsets and bring to the markets smart Tv’s for its consumers in India during the next quarter.

LeEco’s VR headset which will be called the Le 3D Helmet will come equipped with a 5.5 inch, 2K resolution display with a 70 degree view. The 3D headset was launched in China and soon will make its way to India.

Virtual reality (VR)is soon becoming the next big thing in India but not too many VR headsets have made way to the Indian markets as of now, and as such there is a growing market space to be catered for VR hardware, and LeEco plans to take full advantage of that.

Atul Jain, India chief operating officer of LeEco, is keeping his cards close to his chest and has declined to disclose the price of the company’s VR device.

The company earlier this month unveiled three new smartphones to the Indian market and has disclosed impressive registration numbers for a flash sale which will see them retail on Flipkart. More than 300,000 customers have registered for the sale but the company expects numbers to go higher for subsequent sales.

January 29, 2016
OnePlus Cardboard VR Headset Will Be Available On Amazon For Rs 99 Only
Last week, OnePlus announced the OnePlus Two’s launch date, after almost a year of rumours and speculations. The company said the OnePlus Two will be revealed officially on 27th July, which was earlier speculated to be 17th April.

The company also decided to launch the handset in a not-so-common way. The live streaming of the event will take place in Virtual Reality, starting at 7 pm PDT on 27th July. For this occasion, OnePlus has engineered its own ‘cardboard’ VR headgears that allow you to slip in your mobile handset inside the little box.

This is not just a product; it’s an initiative. We aren’t making any money by offering OnePlus Cardboard. In fact, we are losing money with each one. There will come a day in which we will be able to travel the world and immerse ourselves in amazing things without ever leaving the comfort of our homes. OnePlus Cardboard exists to drive this idea forward.

To get the OnePlus Cardboard, the description said users could sign up and participate in a contest that closes today.
1. Sign Up & Participate
OnePlus is giving away a plethora of headsets to our fans for free, along with shipping. To win a headset, users simply have to sign up on OnePlus Cardboard Giveaway, and the winners will be decided at random. The contest closes on July 3. Winners will be announced on OnePlus’s social media pages as well. The contest winners will be contacted by the company, post the draw.
1. Buy it on Amazon India
The OnePlus Cardboards will go on sale from the third week of July at a price of Rs. 99 (shipping terms will be as per standard Amazon India policy). The exact sale date on the platform will be announced on OnePlus’s social media channels soon.

Most of the spec details will be unveiled at the launch event. Till then, as per the revelation by the company CEO Liu Zuohu, OnePlus Two will run on Snapdragon 810 chipset along with 4GB RAM. A 5.5-inch 2K display will improve the viewing experience of the user. The OnePlus Two will also have a USB C-Type, the first in a flagship device by a major manufacturer.

The company has already announced that the price of the OnePlus 2 will be above $322 (Approx. Rs .20,485). With the launch next month, there is an enormous possibility that users will, again, be required to have an invite to purchase the phone. But this time, the company says it is prepared to meet the demands.

Watch the video below where co-founder Carl Pei demonstrates how he is charging his MacBook with the phone’s USB Type-C charging cable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JPM8mSl9kc
July 3, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge Now Boast Their Own VR Headset

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge back in September 2014. As an icing on the cake, the Korean company in collaboration with Oculus revealed the Gear VR, a virtual reality headgear developed to work along with the Note 4. A year after, Samsung released its latest flagship devices, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in April 2015. The company also announced that a similar VR set will accompany the handsets soon, but no such headset were up for purchase.

Today, Samsung made this device available for purchase. The device, named as Gear VR Innovator Edition for Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, is a smaller and lighter version of the Note 4 Gear VR. It comes with a redesigned strap and a built-in fan to help in air-flow. According to Samsung, the Octa-Core Exynos 7420 chipset, which is the powerhouse of S6 and S6 Edge handsets, and the high PPI display will provide its users with better and smoother virtual reality experience. The other side of the coin would be the smaller screen of the S6 and S6 Edge devices, which may result in a narrow field of view.

This device is available at Samsung’s official website and BestBuy. This device can be purchased for $199.99 (Rs 12,741) and is available only for its US customers right now. No other details about its price and availability in India has been disclosed.

May 9, 2015
Sony Brags About its Upgraded VR Headset, Announces Arrival for Early 2016

Sony today announced a spruced up version of its virtual reality headset, codenamed Project Morpheus, and Sony is already bragging about how better it is compared to the one they showed off last year. The new VR headset was showcased at a GDC presentation in San Francisco and Sony says it’ll start shipping in the first half of 2016.

New features include an OLED display with a Full HD resolution, while Sony says it’ll be able to offer framerates at 60fps and 120 fps. The screen has a 5.7 inch display, while a total of nine LEDs support 360 degree tracking. Sony also claims it has super low latency – 50 percent improved response than its predecessor.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Shuhei Yoshida” author_title=”President of Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment.”]

A new dimension of gaming is, at long last, here – and PlayStation is again at the forefront with Project Morpheus.

[/quote]

Meanwhile, Sony also stressed on its user friendly design, featuring a single band design and quick release button. The headband supports the weight of the unit on the top of your head, hence there is no pressure on your face. Other components have also been adjusted and configured to make the headset lighter, so players do not find the headset cumbersome or uncomfortable to use.

Sony says more details on the new Project Morpheus will be revealed at E3 and Beyond, along with more VR games.

March 4, 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
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear VR, It’s An Oculus For Note 4

Samsung had quite an eventful, launches filled day today. After facing immense amount of criticism for lack of innovation, Samsung flexed out its innovation muscle for its critics. The company released varied products that were impressive in their own strengths. One major release is the Gear VR which is a virtual reality headset that uses the Note 4 for displaying content.

Few weeks back we had heard of oculus using the Note 3 screen for its display. Guess there were bigger plans at work and Samsung working in coordination with Oculus brought out this piece of gadgetry.

Apart from the focus control and the trackpad, there aren’t any manual controls/
Image Credit: The Verge

The device looks like Oculus but is untethered and only works with the Note 4. The only control it has is a trackpad on the right and focus adjusting wheel on the top.

The Gear VR does remind you of the Google Cardboard project but much more complete. It also has a safety support for the head so the device stays stable on the head.

The device comes with some preloaded content, and you can use it to play games, watch immersive videos. The coolest aspect of the device would be the Tony Stark labs which let you peer at the world with Tony Starks perspective, We are Sold!

The release date of the device is not mentioned yet, but it hopefully will arrive by this fall. We’ll be vigilantly looking forward to this one.

September 3, 2014