Articles about VR

In a move that will -- or at least should -- surprise very few people, Microsoft has announced that it is dropping Windows Mixed Reality. It will be removed from a future release of Windows.

Having already apparently given up on its HoloLens range, Microsoft appears to have come to the same conclusion that many reached some time ago: VR and augmented reality were phases that people have simply lost interest in. With the company now heavily invested in AI, it will no doubt be hoping that this is something that remains popular for rather longer.

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Last week, Meta officially took the wraps off Quest 3, its next gen VR product. Today at its World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple showed us the long rumored headset it's been working on for years. If you were expecting a VR device designed to take on Meta, you're going to be disappointed. What Apple has come up with is something incredible, but whether you'll want to buy it is another matter.

Apple's Vision Pro is a mixed reality headset that overlays apps on the real world, but there's more to it than just that. There's a reason that Apple has filed over 5000 patents to protect the technology inside it.

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With Apple widely expected to announce its own VR headset next week, Meta has stepped forward to take the wraps off its own next-gen headset.

Meta Quest 3 will debut this fall and be slimmer, more comfortable and significantly more powerful than the Quest 2, with full color passthrough. The new headset will be offer higher resolution, stronger performance and what the company calls "breakthrough Meta Reality technology".

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Like any new innovation, the metaverse is currently at the center of a 'risk versus reward' debate. Unsurprisingly, the 3D virtual world has received a lot of attention, with McKinsey confirming that more than $120 billion was invested in building out metaverse technology and infrastructure in the first five months of 2022.

Promises of extraordinary use cases, from teaching virtualized university lectures to performing surgeries for patients in other countries -- not to mention the potential cost saving and accessibility benefits -- have garnered curiosity. But while it could be some time until we see mass adoption of the metaverse, the security community is already apprehensive of the evolving security risks.

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Universal Media Server 13.0 has received its first minor update since its initial release during the busy holiday season. Universal Media Server 13.0.1 is largely a bug-fix release, but builds on the landmark 13.0 release, which unveiled an on-the-fly 2D-to-3D converter for standard videos.

Aimed primarily at those viewing video through a VR headset and associated VR media player, the 2D-to-3D converter works during playback to convert standard 2D videos to 3D. The feature requires a PC with a suitably powerful GPU acting as the server along with a suitably fast Wi-Fi connection (AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 was used during testing).

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Lenovo today took the wraps off its new all-in-one virtual reality headset which it says has been engineered to be a "high-quality, versatile and secure on-ramp to the Enterprise Metaverse".

The new ThinkReality VRX headset is powered by a Snapdragon XR platform and features a slim form factor, pancake optics, and full color, high-resolution pass-through capabilities for mixed reality applications. It also offers a full suite of end-to-end services for businesses.

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After many years of speculation, Apple’s entrance into the VR/AR market is finally imminent. CEO Tim Cook hinted in an interview last month that he is "incredibly excited about AR" and to "stay tuned" to see what Apple has to offer. The Board has allegedly tested a headset out. The latest rumors suggest that Apple will unveil something by January 2023.

Whenever it happens, Apple releasing some sort of VR/AR device will be an absolute game changer for the industry. Apple moves markets. Its technology is always excellent. It knows how to drive mass appeal. Apple’s headset will, without a doubt, help push XR to widespread adoption, and maybe not in ways you’d expect. When people think of Apple products, their mind typically goes to consumer technology -- but it’s actually the enterprise that will likely come first in reaping the benefits of this new headset.

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One noticeable change brought on by the pandemic was the need for retailers to transform digitally. Retailers big and small are now adopting and implementing new digital retail technologies to achieve operational efficiencies, meet customer needs, overcome labor shortages and more.

However, it can be challenging to understand what types of retail technology trends are taking the industry by storm. Continue reading to learn more about the top retail technology trends and their impact on the industry in the remaining months of 2022.

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Strapped to your feet and connected to your HMD via Bluetooth, Cybershoes for Quest is a cool accessory that let you walk or run through VR games. When I reviewed the product back in March, the selection of titles offering native support was rather limited.

Today, the company announces integration with a number of additional Oculus VR games, including Until You Fall, Contractors, Grapple Tournament, and Larcenauts.

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The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics are shaping up to be one of the most unusual in Olympic history for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that public spectators will not be allowed at any of the events (yeah, and the fact that the 2020 Olympics are happening in 2021).

And even though this won't be the first time that Olympics content will be available in VR, it is a particularly relevant way to experience the 17 days of international matchups this year -- if you still have a standard cable subscription.

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If you suffer from motion sickness in VR games, or you just want to feel more like you’re "there", then Cybershoes offers a possible solution.

They are smart overshoes that you use to walk or run through virtual games, and are compatible with most of the popular VR headsets, including the Quest 2. You can read my review of them here. If you’ve been tempted to buy them but haven't yet got around to it, the good news is they are now being sold on Amazon in the US.

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I’ve long been a big fan of virtual reality and have been playing more VR games than ever this past year thanks to lockdown and the arrival of the Oculus Quest 2.

The best thing about this VR headset is it’s wireless, so you have the freedom of movement you don’t get with other devices. There’s a good selection of games available to buy and install on the headset too, with personal favorites being Climb 2, Pistol Whip, Superhot VR, and Arizona Sunshine. You can also play games installed on your PC, like Half Life: Alyx, via either a compatible USB-C cable or the recently updated Virtual Desktop app.

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Despite an inarguably terrible year and many concerning events happening around the world -- pandemic notwithstanding -- technology is still advancing at breakneck speeds. That looks to continue well into the coming year, with many fascinating and emergent solutions bubbling to the surface.

Here are 10 emerging technologies everyone should be on the lookout for in 2021:

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If you’ve wanted to embrace VR but have yet to be convinced by the headsets on offer -- or just as importantly the price of the headsets on offer -- then the Facebook-owned Oculus hopes you’ll give its next generation Oculus Quest a look. And you really should.

There’s a lot to like about the new Oculus Quest 2, which takes what was good about the original and improves on it significantly, while giving it a much more affordable starting price -- just $299. That’s $100 cheaper than its predecessor.

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