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Sunday, September 21, 2014

New Oculus Rift prototype brings out the best in virtual reality

byMichael Gorman|@Numeson|1 day ago

Presence. It's the ability of VR headsets to fool your mind and body into thinking that you are actually in a virtual world, and that experience is what Oculus seeks to deliver with its latest prototype. Codenamed Crescent Bay, it's an evolution of the DK2 headset that only recently started making its way into the hands of developers. I got to try out the new hardware today at Oculus Connect, the company's inaugural developer conference. Come live vicariously through me, dear reader, as I tell you how it went. Gallery | 10 PhotosOculus Rift Crescent Bay hands-on + See all 10

I'm fortunate enough to have worn every Oculus Rift since the first prototype was revealed to the world almost two years ago at CES 2013. Each time I put on one of the company's new headsets, it has been a markedly improved experience over prior iterations. Crescent Bay is no different.

First off, the hardware, despite being a hand-built prototype, is surprisingly well put together. This time around, Oculus ditched the elastic ski goggle strap of its forefathers in favor of a plastic chassis with nylon straps to snugly fit it to your melon (a design akin to Samsung's Gear VR). It also has integrated headphones attached to the frame, so external ones are no longer needed. Crescent Bay is noticeably lighter than any other Rift I've held, and that drop in weight makes it more comfortable to wear. My only qualm was some light leakage around my nose, but once the visuals cranked up, the issue was hardly noticeable.

Unlike some past Oculus demos, this newest one was on rails, so I wasn't in control of where I was going. However, I could very much control what I was looking at. The headset works using a new in-house constructed camera mounted on the wall (Oculus wouldn't say what's different between it and the one paired with the DK2 we saw back at GDC), and the tiny white sensors studding the front and back of the goggles. With this new combo comes 360-degree depth and head tracking in roughly a 1.5 meter square space. What that means in real world terms is that you can now truly explore the virtual environment as you would in real life. I found myself regularly crouching down and moving around to examine the digital objects surrounding me me from all angles. It's a much more immersive experience, and one that gets awfully close to delivering the feeling of presence that Oculus craves.

It's not perfect. When moving my head side-to-side or squatting then standing up, I noticed some juddering and tearing in the objects around me. Those little glitches kept me from feeling fully immersed in the various digital scenes I was dropped into. Still, being able to shuffle around to examine the switches and knobs in a submarine or squat beneath an exploding car as it hurtled over my head is a thrilling experience. The sounds coming through the headphones wasn't as powerful as I expected them to be, but that was probably due to a lack of volume and ambient noise more than any failing in the audio implementation -- and I'd need an external subwoofer to deliver the visceral experience I really wanted, anyway.

I did come close to the feeling of presence, I think, during one portion of the demo that had me moving slowly forward through a giant disintegrating orb. I was stationary, of course, but my brain definitely thought I should be moving, and I found myself actively trying to balance myself as a result. It is the first time that I truly felt like the digital world had begun to take over more than just my visual perception. That sensation was fleeting, but Oculus' latest dose of virtual reality gave me a glimpse of presence. And that taste has me wanting more.

Tags: crescentbay, hands-on, oculus, oculusconnect, oculusvr, virtualreality Hide Comments 0Comments

Monday, July 7, 2014

'Oculus Connect' is the first virtual reality dev conference from Oculus VR

BYBen Gilbert @RealBenGilbert12 hours ago

First, Valve held its "Steam Dev Days" event back in January, and virtual reality's industry leaders spoke. Now, Oculus VR is organizing its own event -- "Oculus Connect 2014" -- and those same luminaries are speaking once more. Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey, president Brednan Iribe, and tech overlords John Carmack and Michael Abrash are all slated to speak, and the announce post promises attendees the first chance "to learn about upcoming Oculus technology." Perhaps what was teased to us back at E3 2014? We'll see!

Though the event is open to the public, you'll have to apply for a pass, and please beware that the event is detailed as "developer-centric." Should you either not get a pass or not be able to make it to Los Angeles, CA. on September 19/20, Oculus is livestreaming keynotes from the aforementioned speakers.

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Source: Oculus VR

Tags: oculus, OculusRift, PalmerLuckey Next: Nokia Lumia 930 hits the UK on July 17th with free wireless charging pad Oculus VR Rift

Oculus VR Rift Development Kit 1 Development Kit 2 Key specs Reviews • 1 Prices Discussions Announced 2012-08-01 Colors Black see all specs → 8average user rating Design and form factor 8 Ease of use 10

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Monday, June 30, 2014

California makes it legal to pay with Bitcoin and other virtual currencies

BYJon Fingas @jonfingas17 hours ago

If you've previously paid for goods with Bitcoin or other digital currency in California, you're technically a criminal -- the state has long had a law requiring US dollars, even if it hasn't been enforced. As of this weekend, though, you're officially in the clear. Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill that legitimizes payments with Bitcoin, other forms of virtual money, community currencies and reward systems like coupons and points. As state assembly member Roger Dickinson explained when fighting for the measure, modern commerce has "expanded" beyond cash and credit; to him, it only makes sense that the law keeps up with the times.

This isn't the same as federal approval, so you won't be paying taxes with cryptocurrency in the near future. All the same, it's a rare instance of explicit approval for digital cash in the US; normally, it exists in a gray area. There's no certainty that California's move will get the feds (or anyone else) to change their minds, but it at least means that you can feel guilt-free when shopping with virtual money in the Golden State.

[Image credit: BTC Keychain, Flickr]

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Via: NewsBTC

Source: LA Times

Tags: ab-129, ab129, bitcoin, california, cryptocurrency, currency, internet, law, legislation, money Next: The ACLU and the NSA's ex-director will debate spying on June 30th .fyre .fyre-comment-divider > span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper {top: 18px;}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider > a, .fyre .fyre-comment-divider > a:hover {top: 20px;} ✖AboutAbout EngadgetContact usAdvertiseAbout Our AdsCommunityForumsEngadget MetaCommunity guidelinesReviewsProduct reviewsWrite a reviewContributeSend us a tip!Add to our databaseWrite a reviewStart a discussionAsk a questionLive eventsEngadget ExpandEngadget LivePopular topicsMobileHDAltSoftwareAppleFollow EngadgetEngadget AppsMore Apps from Engadget

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Monday, May 12, 2014

Hyperrealistic virtual reality adventure Loading Human headed to Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus

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Hyperrealistic virtual reality adventure Loading Human headed to Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpage.html'); adSetSyncDelay('125');adSendTerms('1');adSetMOAT('1'); if ((/iPad/i).test(navigator.userAgent)) { document.write('');} else { document.write('');} data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 9189};_when_ = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),login: lab.scriptBs("logincookie"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20881746' !== '') ? 'bsd:20881746' : ''; var postID = '20881746'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207',btfMN = '93418841'; _when_.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"gaming",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"ben-gilbert", prop54:"blogsmith",prop62:"video_novideo_topbox",mmxgo: true });// Legacywhen = _when_; var mobilePlacementID;onBreak({320: function () { mobilePlacementID = '348-14-15-13c'; },768: function () { mobilePlacementID = '348-14-15-13c'; },980: function () { mobilePlacementID = '348-14-15-13c';}}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); var gdgtEdition="usa",geoCountry="usa"; Engadget Menu Engadget News Reviews Features Videos Forums Events More

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Sign Up Log In _when_.eng("eng.nav.init") _when_.eng("eng.messagebar.init") _when_.eng("eng.utils.responsify") _when_.eng("eng.tips.init") Engadget Live 2014 Expand CES 2014 Podcasts Product photos Subscribe via RSS Send us a tip! News Reviews Latest Reviews Top Categories cellphones laptops / portables tablets headphones cameras routers hdtvs / televisions portable media players fitness devices e-book readers digital media players Show all categories All categories camcorders camera lenses Computers >desktops digital photo frames Gaming >consoles (home) Gaming >consoles (portable) Gaming >controllers / gamepads Gaming >joysticks / flight / racing gps Headsets >bluetooth headsets Headsets >headsets Home theater >av receivers Home theater >dvrs Home theater >remotes / controllers Home theater >speakers Home theater >video disc players miscellaneous devices monitors Networking >switches / hubs os / platforms Peripherals >computer speakers Peripherals >keyboards Peripherals >mice Peripherals >pen tablets Peripherals >usb / firewire hubs Peripherals >webcams / network cameras printers scanners speaker docks / portable speakers Storage >external hard drives Storage >flash drives Storage >memory cards Storage >network storage / home servers Storage >raid / drive arrays Features Videos Forums Events Engadget Live 2014 Expand CES 2014 More Podcasts Product photos Subscribe via RSS Send us a tip! onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Hyperrealistic virtual reality adventure Loading Human headed to Oculus Rift and Project MorpheusBYBen Gilbert @RealBenGilbert5 days ago 0

As the medium of virtual reality progresses, its applications only get more incredible. Take Untold Games' Loading Human, for instance. It takes Unreal Engine 4 and infuses it with the tropes of the adventure game genre, only instead of pointing and clicking, you're in that world. Solving puzzles and exploring narrative are at the heart of Loading Human, and it shows in the eerily realistic gameplay clip the studio's released. The game's intended for Oculus Rift, naturally, and Sony's Project Morpheus headset as well.

That's if the studio achieves its Kickstarter goal of $30,000, of course. The 11-person team claims it can create the first episode of a planned three episode game for that paltry sum, with backer benefits ranging from the basic (a thank you in the game) to the extreme ($5,000 gets your face in the game in place of the main character -- creepy!). But when will you get the game itself, given the total lack of a release date (or even a window) for consumer-ready VR headsets? Untold Games is anticipating "Q1 2015" for Rift availability (though, ya know, that's not from Oculus), so maybe then? Only time will tell.

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Source: Kickstarter

Tags: hdpostcross, loadinghuman, oculusrift, projectmorpheus, sony, untoldgames, video, virtualreality, vr Hyperrealistic virtual reality adventure Loading Human headed to Oculus Rift and Project MorpheusNext: Can't I help you? Shoppers are shunning store assistants in favor of smartphones lab.scriptBs('gravity.js') Oculus VR Rift

Oculus VR Rift Development Kit 1 Development Kit 2

Key specs Reviews • 1 Prices Discussions Announced 2012-08-01 Colors Black see all specs ? 8average user rating Design and form factor 8 Ease of use 10

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Open data gives rise to a virtual Denmark in Minecraft

Since the US government opened its troves of public data we've seen some pretty neat projects like climate-change prediction tools and deforestation-monitoring systems. Denmark, on the other hand, has taken a different approach: the Danish Geodata Agency used internally developed topographic maps and elevation models to build a 1:1 recreation of the happiest country within Minecraft's blocky confines. Unlike the virtual Great Britain we've seen before, this pixelated Denmark is more than just natural features like hills and forests. As Ars Technica has spotted, it includes accurate replicas of highways, homes, landmarks and businesses too. The project was intended to showcase the country's open-data initiative to its students and educators, but anyone can take a gander until the Danish government's game servers shut down in late October. Server rules, however, have disabled enemies and TNT -- no Creeps allowed, naturally.

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Via: Ars Technica

Source: Danish Geodata Agency (Danish)

Tags: data, denmark, gaming, hd, hdpostcross, mapping, minecraft, opendata, pc, PcGaming, TopographicMap Next: Hulu attempts to block international viewers who use VPNs .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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