Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
During Computex, the Republic of Gamers arm at Asus revealed three incoming desktop displays supporting AMD FreeSync, two of which are curved. Falling under the Strix umbrella, they include RGB lighting and high refresh rates.
The post Asus rounds out lineup with curved Strix-branded gaming monitors appeared first on Digital Trends.
Microsoft möchte in diesem Jahr den Virtual Reality Markt auf den Kopf stellen. Das Unternehmen hat sich diverse Partner geschnappt, welche das Inside-Out-Tracking von Microsoft verwenden dürfen, um eine Virtual Reality Brille für Windows 10 auf den Markt zu bringen. Während Acer und HP bereits die ersten Development Kits anbieten, waren die finalen Designs der Brillen von Dell und Asus noch nicht bekannt. Jetzt hat Microsoft das Geheimnis auf der Computex 2017 gelüftet.
Die neue Brille von Asus (Beitragsbild) soll besonders leicht und komfortabel sein und eine beeindruckende VR-Erfahrung ermöglichen. Zudem soll die Brille auf die neuen Motion Controller von Microsoft setzen und deshalb wird die VR-Brille vermutlich auch im Bundle mit den Controllern angeboten werden.
Die Brille von Dell wurde laut Microsoft von dem Team entworfen, welches auch für die XPS-Reihe und die Alienware PCs verantwortlich ist. Leider ist aktuell bei beiden Brillen nicht klar, auf welche Komponenten die Systeme setzen werden. Microsoft hatte im letzten Jahr versprochen, dass die unterschiedlichen Brillen für Windows 10 eine große Bandbreite an Spezifikationen abdecken sollen. Die bisher angekündigten Brillen von HP und Acer bieten jedoch fast identische Hardware und deshalb sind wir sehr gespannt, welche Überraschungen die inneren Werte der Brillen von Asus und Dell bereithalten.
Die VR-Brille von Dell soll laut Microsoft bereits zum Ende des Jahres für Konsumenten erhältlich sein. Wann die Brille von Asus erscheint, ist aktuell noch offen, doch wir gehen von einem ähnlichen Zeitraum aus.
(Quelle: Microsoft, Road to VR)
Der Beitrag Microsoft zeigt VR-Brillen von Dell und Asus zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!
Today at Computex 2017, the annual IT expo held in Taipei, Taiwan, Microsoft revealed more from their line-up of affordable Windows ‘Mixed Reality’ headsets, including Asus’ headset and an updated design from Dell.
While solid specs or pricing information aren’t available for either headset just yet, the company today revealed Asus’ headset which sports an interesting low-poly front cover panel. Microsoft says in their blogpost that the headset was designed with an ergonomically adjustable strap that can be adjusted with a single hand. The company further says that Asus is working with Microsoft to make the headset “fast, powerful, and ultra-light with a six degrees of freedom (DOF) tracked motion controller, for an incredible, immersive MR experience.”
The Windows 6 DOF motion controller was first announced at the company’s annual Build dev conference, and utilizes the headsets’ inside-out, positional tracking sensor tech.
Dell’s headset has undergone a noticeable change from when it was first publicly shown back at CES earlier this year, now featuring a remodeled front cover panel with indented sensor mounts and black head strap accents. Microsoft says the headset is designed by the same team that creates their premium XPS and Alienware PCs. The headset features cable routing, replaceable cushions and a halo-style headband with flip-up visor.
Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality (formerly called ‘Windows Holographic’) is the company’s immersive platform built on the foundation laid by their HoloLens AR headset. The platform features an operating environment—native to Windows 10 devices—that essentially allows compatible headsets to run any Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app. Microsoft says that a staggering 20,000 UWP apps are already available for Mixed Reality headsets. Compatible devices, first announced last December, include headsets from Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Chinese firm 3Glasses.
As for computer hardware specs, Microsoft and Intel have partnered on a platform specification for these headsets so they’ll be able to “scale across mainstream Intel architecture platforms natively on [Intel’s CPU-integrated] HD Graphics,” by the end of 2017. That means there’s no need for a high-end dedicated GPU like with the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.
Microsoft maintains that its Mixed Reality headsets will be available as early as holiday season. Acer ($299) and HP ($329) are now available for pre-order through the Microsoft Store for developers in the US (Acer, HP) and Canada (Acer, HP).
No concrete specifications have been published by either Dell or Asus regarding their respective headsets, although we wouldn’t be surprised if they look something like Acer and HP’s.
Update 31/05/17 18:00ET: updated to include specs of HP and Acer headsets.
The post Microsoft Reveals Asus Mixed Reality Headset, New Design from Dell appeared first on Road to VR.
Microsoft had already let users get a glimpse of the headsets from Acer and HP, but now they have revealed what the Windows 10 mixed reality (MR) headsets from manufacturers ASUS and Dell will look like.
The headsets, as revealed by Engadget, look to be roughly the same size as the device from Acer, and both share a similar construction and design for the head strap, though the Dell device seems to be a little bulkier. Both devices have a minimalist, stripped-down look, presumably to save on weight, though the ASUS device has a decorative touch with the front faceplate having a polygonal effect to make it distinctive.
Specifications for the devices from ASUS and Dell have not yet been revealed, though speculation is that the new headsets are quite likely to have similar specifications to the Acer and HP devices which are currently available for pre-order through the Microsoft store. The specifications for the Acer and HP devices are as follows:
The ASUS and Dell devices are not yet listed for pre-order on the Microsoft store so a price point for the devices is not yet known. Nor has there been any further word on if Lenovo are still working on a Windows 10 VR headset. The Acer and HP headsets are currently priced at $299 (USD) and $329 respectively, with an estimated shipping date of August 2017.
VRFocus will bring you further updates on the Windows 10 VR headsets as it becomes available.
Asus is flooding the Computex floor with a number of devices, including new notebooks. In this batch, Asus is offering a new Ryzen-based laptop, along with a super-thin gaming solution packing Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip.
The post New batch of Asus laptops includes one packed with AMD’s new Ryzen CPUs appeared first on Digital Trends.
Asus has another new monitor coming soon to join its line of gaming options. The ROG Swift PG35VQ is a new curved ultrawide display that Asus bills as its largest ever and is clearly aimed at gamers with a super fast refresh rate.
The post ROG Swift PG35VQ offers a high-end gaming display with great performance appeared first on Digital Trends.
Asus are probably best known as a maker of laptops and tablet hybrids, but they are aiming to score a larger share of the American smartphone market with the upcoming ZenFone AR, for which Verizon will be the exclusive wireless provider in the USA.
Asus announced during the Google I/O conference that Verizon would be the exclusive provider of the Asus ZenFone AR in the US. The ZenFone AR is a smartphone that contains both support for Tango augmented reality applications and google Daydream virtual reality. The standard ZenFone AR model will come with Android 7.0 Nougat OS with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.
Tango capabilities means that the phone is capable of motion tracking, depth perception and area learning. This means that the ZenFone can determine how far away it is from objects, or surfaces such as a wall or the floor to enable to better movement in 3D space. There are currently over 100 Tango-capable apps on the Google Play Store.
The high-contrast display in the Asus ZenFone has a 5.7 inch screen using AMOLED technology to allow for better clarity when using VR applications with the Google Daydream headset as a resolution of 1440×2560. The ZenFone is powered by a Qualcomm Sanpdragon 821 processor with a Qualcom Areno 530 GPU. Sound supports DTS virtual surround sound and external audio is produced with an ‘ultra-loud’ 5 magnet speaker. The built-in camera uses Sony’s IMX318 sensor and TriTech autofocus system.
Pricing for the Asus ZenFone AR has not yet been announced, though Verizon says it will be revealed at the later date. The phone is due to launch in the USA sometime in summer 2017.
VRFocus will bring you further news on the Asus ZenFone AR and other VR smartphones as it becomes available.
Wo finde ich in diesem riesigen Supermarkt bitteschön die Tapenade? Manchmal weiß sogar die freundliche Verkäuferin keine Antwort und man irrt gemeinsam verzweifelt durch die Gänge, bis man die Olivenpaste endlich findet. Google hat auf seiner Entwicklerkonferenz I/O 2017 einen Lösungansatz für dieses und ähnliche Probleme vorgestellt: VPS (Visual Positioning Service) beginnt dort, wo GPS aufhört, und leitet einen in Innenräumen zum angestrebten Ziel. Dabei stellt VPS eine GPS-artige turn-by-turn-Navigation zur Verfügung, nutzt aber zusätzlich die Möglichkeiten von Augmented Reality.
Mit Tango entwickelte Google eine AR-Plattform, die Tiefeninformationen im Raum aufnehmen, sowie Bewegungen tracken und auswerten kann. VPS nutzt das Inside-out-Tracking-System von Tango und kombiniert es mit Google Maps, um die Navigation in Innenräumen zu ermöglichen. Dabei verspricht Google, dass das System zentimetergenau arbeitet und beispielsweise Kunden im Baumarkt exakt zum gesuchten Schraubenzieher führen kann. In ausgewählten Geschäften einer amerikanischen Baumarktkette soll das schon heute funktionieren, verspricht Google, außerdem in einigen Museen. Bisher benutzt VPS lediglich das Display, um über die Darstellung des Raumes seine Informationen zu legen, allerdings stellt der Google-VR-Entwickler Clay Bavor auch ein Audiosystem für Sehbehinderte in Aussicht.
Einen Haken gibt es allerdings bei der Sache, bevor man einen Tango aufs Parkett legen kann: Um VPS nutzen zu können, benötigt man zwingend ein Smartphone mit Tango. Vorreiter mit einem ersten marktfähigen Produkt war Lenovo. Der Hersteller veröffentlichte vor knapp einem Jahr mit dem PHAB2 Pro ein Tango-fähiges Smartphone.
Auf den Marktstart wartet noch das wesentlich interessantere und zeitgemäßere Zenfone AR von Asus, das neben Tango auch Daydream unterstützt und damit zu den spannendsten Neuerscheinungen im Hardware-Markt gehört. Das Smartphone mit 5,7-Zoll-WQHD-Bildschirm kann sich zeigen lassen: Den Snapdragon 821 unterstützen je nach Konfiguration 6 oder 8 GB Arbeitsspeicher, für die Tiefeninformationen für Tango sorgt das TriCam-System, das wie der Name schon vermuten lässt aus gleich drei Kamerasysteme auf der Rückseite besteht: Die 23-Megapixel-Hauptkamera, eine Kamera für das Motion-Tracking und die dritte für die Erfassung von Tiefeninformationen. Dann lässt sich beispielsweise auch das Tango-Spiel Phantogeist zocken. Im Gegensatz zu anderen AR-Spielen, können sich virtuelle Gegner beispielsweise hinter realen Gegenständen verstecken.
Quelle: RoadttoVR
Der Beitrag VPS in Tango: Google stellt Navigationssystem für Innenräume vor zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!
Microsoft Technical Fellow and chief inventor of HoloLens, Alex Kipman, took the stage today at Microsoft Build 2017 to show off a number of upcoming mixed reality hardware and software streaming out of the company and its partners. Among the announcements—including pre-orders of Windows Holographic Headsets from Acer and HP and a new VR hand controller—was a teaser for more to come at E3 in June.
“Holiday 2017 is going to be phenomenal,” said Kipman. “We have a product lineup that customers really want. I hope you tune in to E3 to learn more about Windows Mixed Reality content story for this holiday.”
Many of the headsets taking part in the Windows Holographic program including Asus, Dell, 3Glasses and Lenovo have yet to receive a street date. There’s also no telling what bundle deals Microsoft will push to entice newcomers to their Universal Windows Platform-flavor of virtual interactions.
As it is, HP and Acer’s headsets are set to arrive to developers in August, which according to Kipman will be the exact same models shipping to consumers later in 2017.
The post Microsoft: “Holiday 2017 is Going to be Phenomenal”, E3 to See More Mixed Reality Announcements appeared first on Road to VR.
One of Asus's most interesting new products is the compact VivoPC X gaming system offering solid performance in a small and portable chassis. Now, Asus has finally announced pricing and availability for the new machine.
The post Asus VivoPC X is going up for sale, and an Oculus Rift bundle is also incoming appeared first on Digital Trends.
