VR News Roundup #1

1. EWTS Shines A Light On Enterprise XR And Wearables

BrainXchange held their annual EWTS, which came to you this year from “everywhere” The event for enterprise XR and wearables went entirely digital, with its own custom-built platform. EWTS is special in that it prioritizes wearables, as it’s important for users to have their hands free. Read More

2. 5G and edge computing help retailers work smarter behind the scenes 

Gartner: Retail and wholesale trade segment will grow to include 440 million IoT endpoints this year. In-building cellular solutions will be needed for a consistent 5G experience across connected devices. Data will help retailers operate more efficiently by keeping shelves stocked, accurately reflecting inventory in real time. Read More

3. Microsoft’s PIVOT haptics research might improve how we throw balls in VR

Wrist-strapped haptic haptic device called “PIVOT” can simulate catching and throwing in virtual reality. Researchers at Microsoft say it can mimic the feel of touching physical objects in a way traditional VR can’t. PIVOT is attached near the wrist and has a motorized handle that swings into the wearer’s palm. Read More

4. Augmenting the hearing aid

New paper from Facebook Reality Labs Research suggests augmented reality could improve people’s lives by supplementing the work already done by hearing aids. 30 million people in the US have hearing loss and 446 million people globally have disabling hearing loss. Augmented reality could also be a game changer for hearing impaired populations around the world. Could help people become more socially engaged and stay connected with friends and family. Read More

5. The XR Week Peek (2020.10.26): DecaGear is an intriguing VR headset, HTC is working on a new device, and more!

Decagear has the potential of disrupting the PC VR market. It has 4-cameras inside-out tracking, touch-like controllers with Knuckles-like finger-sensing and face tracking. Preorders are open now with just a little deposit of $10, shipping in 2021. The shipping is free worldwide for whoever preorders. The price of $450 for such a great headset is a bit suspicious for a new startup. Read More

6. Huawei’s Upgraded VR Glass Has 6DOF Tracking, Neat Storage

In 2019, Huawei revealed a sunglasses-style VR viewer called VR Glass. The slim form factor was powered by a tethered smartphone or PC, but it only had 3DOF tracking. For the follow-up, the company is claiming to make a big leap. The new Huawei VR Glass jumps to 6DOF Tracking. Read More

7. When will virtual reality become popular?

Virtual reality has immense potential growth in different fields of our society. Funding in VR and AR reached near $2.8 billion in 2016 and will reach about 15.5 billion euros in 2020. The tech companies like Queppelin have already started working on VR projects. Read More

8. Proprioception as a Tool for Empathy in VR

Exploring Industry’s Insights to Make the Future of Immersion in Museums. truly understanding someone is not a question of knowledge or facts. It is by experiencing the same emotional and sensorial state that full empathy occurs. In “The Enemy” you become “a passenger” as Karim used to call the VR users. Read More

9. Quest: My Top 40+ Experiences

The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is the “real game” or “AAA PC but on Quest” title. Next to Half-Life Alyx, this feels like the most fully realized VR title. You’ll explore, do missions, gather scrap to craft to improve your arsenal. Read More

10. Facebook Researchers Develop Invisible Finger-Tracking Keyboard

Facebook Reality Labs unveiled a new research into hand tracking which aims to introduce touch typing to Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality users without the use of a physical keyboard. The Facebook system relies on a motion model to predict what people are intending to type irrespective of the erratic motion which might occur when a user types on a flat surface. The system is able to catch typing errors that may emanate from the hands moving slightly on the table surface. Read More

11. Viveport Infinity’s Top 10 Scary VR Titles for Halloween

This Halloween, Viveport Infinity is bringing the scares to you with our guide to the top 10 spooky virtual reality experiences. We’re bringing back our Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners promotion just in time for Halloween. Every new and existing annual Viveport infinity member can claim their free title from October 22nd through November 3rd while supplies last. Read More

12. Lenovo to Sell Varjo’s Enterprise VR Headsets

Varjo’s latest range of headsets includes the mixed reality XR-1 and the new VR-2 &VR-2 Pro. They come with Varjo’s unique display design, the Bionic Display, made up of two screens. The announcement also adds more certified Lenovo workstations to the Varjo catalogue. Read More

13. Create Your Own Free Roam VR Arcade On Oculus Quest With ‘Custom Home Mapper’

Build a multi-room location-based arcade complete with over six mini-games. Available now on Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2, Custom Home Mapper is a neat application. Players can map the physical layout of their homes, including any furniture or obstructions. There are 100 prefab objects and 20 skybox environments to select from. Read More