Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Without excessive wires or complicated setup, and a price point that makes sense for tech that just isn't there yet, Oculus' upcoming standalone headset, the Quest, could bring VR mainstream.
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CES 2019 had plenty of VR and AR gadgets on display, including headsets that completely change how you experience virtual reality, and some that don't even require a PC or a phone to run.
The post These are the coolest virtual and augmented reality gadgets from CES 2019 appeared first on Digital Trends.
With the announcement of integrated eye tracking for the Vive Pro Eye, hands-free VR, less demanding high-quality experiences, and intuitive software, are all on the table.
The post HTC Vive Pro Eye hands-on review appeared first on Digital Trends.
If you're looking for a new gaming laptop in 2019 there are plenty. We've sorted through the long list of new gaming laptops and have picked out the best from the rest. Here are our picks for the best gaming laptops of CES 2019.
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Being immersed in virtual reality (VR) is all well and good but enthusiasts have likely come across the odd occasion where someone has sent them a message and completely missed it for ages as they have just one more go on their favourite Beat Saber track. To solve this problem Dell is looking into combining both worlds, so players can still see their notifications whilst enjoying a spot of VR gaming, all through the Dell Mobile Connect app.
The software has already been around for a year, previously making its debut during CES 2018. Free to use, the Dell Mobile Connect app was designed to enable PC users to stay connected by bringing all their mobile communications to the PC. Allowing them to make calls, send texts, get notifications, and even mirror their phone to interact with all their favourite apps.
As part of CES 2019 Dell has unveiled plans for future software capabilities, one of which is VR support. The purpose is to provide the same support normal PC users have just this time completely in VR, so they don’t need to take the headset off and disrupt the VR experience.
Whether it’s answering phone calls, receiving and responding to messages, or viewing 3rd party app notifications, the concept is to mirror the phone in VR for easy, trouble-free interactivity. You’d never need to worry about missing that call from your mum again. The user interface is implemented in such a way that gamers can choose which applications are allowed to send them notifications. They can also block all notifications.
Currently, this is still an experiment which Dell is playing with so it’s not a fully finished product just yet. The company has yet to indicate how far through development the concept is or when the feature may be rolled out.
Dell will be demoing the idea during CES 2019, so VRFocus will bring you further updates on the application when we have them.
Dell launched Mobile Connect this time last year, letting some Dell & Alienware PC users view and interact with their phone’s notifications and apps on traditional monitors. Now, the company has unveiled a way to bring that same functionality to VR too in a pretty big way. But dude, you need a Dell.
The company says you’ll be able to do a lot in SteamVR with the Dell Mobile Connect PC app and the companion mobile app running on a capable smartphone. That includes answering phone calls, reading and responding to text messages, receiving third-party app notifications, and interacting with apps via screen mirroring via Android. The company hasn’t given us a specific release date, although we suspect it will go live fairly soon.
Big caveat: only specific Dell & Alienware computers can run the software, which includes Dell Inspiron, XPS, Vostro or Alienware computers purchased after January 2018. Of course, your computer will need to meet the minimum specs to run VR too.
Supported mobile devices include Android phones running Android 5.0 and up, and Apple phones running iOS 10 and up. It’s not clear what the limitations are on the iOS side of things, but we’ll be demoing it here at CES soon to find out.
A short video from Dell (linked above and below) shows off some of Mobile Connect’s capabilities on Android. Notifications show up in the lower register; you can then go to the SteamVR menu and choose to interact with them, such as responding to a call or returning a WhatsApp message using a preset message such as “I’m in VR now,” or custom message using SteamVR’s virtual keyboard.
A virtual smartphone also lets you view your phone’s screen directly in VR, allowing you to thumb through all of your phone’s apps and resize the screen for easier viewing while experiencing any app running through SteamVR.
Dell maintains the VR function isn’t really a full product, but more of a demo of its VR capability currently.
While it’s clearly a neat addition to Dell & Alienware PCs, it’s hard to imagine anyone buying either for the expressed reason of being able to use their phone in VR. The subset of VR users in the overall PC gaming crowd is already pretty low, but we hasten to think that the number dwindles even further as the Venn diagram accounts for users that happen to own a pricey off-the-shelf Dell or Alienware computer capable of running PC VR headsets and a SteamVR-compatible PC VR headset itself.
It’s also not clear if there’s anything that gives Dell or Alienware hardware a natural reason to make this a hardware-specific exclusive. The company blandly states in the Windows Store listing for the app that pre-January 2018 computers aren’t supported because they want to “ensure the highest level of quality,” and that they’re currently investigating expansion to PCs purchased before that date. What’s more likely is that Dell wants you to buy their latest computers.
Interestingly enough, HTC also implemented a lesser version of this in 2016 which lets you receive incoming calls, messages, or upcoming calendar events, although the company admittedly stopped work on it soon after.
We’ll be checking out Dell’s work on the VR implementation of Mobile Connect, so check back soon.
The post Dell Found a Cool Way to Use Your Smartphone in VR, But Only on Specific Dell Computers appeared first on Road to VR.
HTC revealed the Vive Pro Eye with eye-tracking support at its CES 2019 press conference on January 7. We now know that Tobii will be the company responsible for integrating the technology.
The post The Vive Pro Eye uses Tobii eye-tracking technology to make VR more lifelike appeared first on Digital Trends.
The Razer Turret, the first official wireless keyboard and mouse set designed for the Xbox One, is now available for $250. The mechanical keyboard uses Razer's Chroma technology and is designed specifically for couch use.
The post Razer Turret Keyboard for Xbox One gets surprise CES 2019 launch appeared first on Digital Trends.
It’s almost time for CES 2019, with the gigantic technology event opening its doors today in Las Vegas. There’s going to be plenty of virtual reality (VR) tech at the show, with Pimax announcing that it would be demonstrating its 8K headset alongside the very latest Pimax Controllers.
Looking very similar to Valve’s Knuckles design, the Pimax controllers come in two variations, with a touchpad on both or joysticks on both controllers. Pimax will showcase a prototype of both the thumbstick and trackpad open-palm controllers at CES 2019, designed for a natural fit and compatible with multiple devices including the Steam VR tracking 1.0 and 2.0.
With headsets like HTC VIve and Oculus Rift now coming into their third year, Pimax is positioning its new 5K Plus, 5K Business Edition and 8K headsets as the next step in VR’s evolution. Not only do they have higher resolution displays to combat the screendoor effect, they also feature 200-degree field of view (FoV).
“Science fiction stories like Minority Report and more recently Ready Player One gave us a glimpse into the future for immersive experiences and UI control,” said Kevin Henderson, Head of US Operations of Pimax VR, in a statement. “Today we’re ready to prove that era is closer than ever before by bringing VR 2.0 to the industry. As a contributor to VR 2.0, we are closely working with our partners to bring innovation to the industry and finally give VR enthusiasts and gamers what they have been dreaming of.”
Also at the event, Pimax will be demoing new VR expansion modules which include Leap Motion hand tracking and 7invensun eye tracking. All of Pimax’s head-mounted displays (HMDs) can embed the modules, with Leap Motion offering 180-degree hand tracking, whilst 7invensun’s eye tracking is there to implement foveated rendering.
“As a contributor to the industry, we are eager to work with our partners to integrate more innovative technologies into our headsets and make these features easily accessible,” Henderson adds. “We want to provide world-leading technologies to our community and users with a highly effective global customer service and support system and help VR enthusiasts realize their dreams in VR.”
VRFocus will be at CES 2019 to bring you the latest VR news and announcements.
At CES 2019 this week, Pimax is showing off the production versions of their “8K” and “5K” Plus headsets, their upcoming Knuckles-style controllers, as well as hand-tracking and eye-tracking modules.
Pimax has begun delivering its ultrawide crowd-funded “8K” and “5K” Plus headsets to Kickstarter backers, and has also begun taking open orders. And while headsets are slowing getting into backers hands, they’re still missing a handful of additional components that were promised as part of the crowdfunding campaign.
At CES 2019 this week, the company is showing off its latest progress with the headsets and additional components. On the show floor the company intends to demonstrate the production versions of the Pimax “8K” and “5K” Plus headsets, and functional ‘open-palm’ controllers for the first time. Additionally they’re showing two of the modules that will extend the functionality of the headsets: controller-less hand-tracking from Leap Motion, and eye-tracking from 7invensun.
Other modules (like the promised wireless transmitter) are still in the works, the company says, but won’t be shown off at CES this week.
Pimax’s controllers, which look like a mashup between Oculus Touch and Valve’s Knuckles controllers, are said to support an ‘open-palm’ design, meaning a strap will keep the controller attached to the hand even when the user is not ‘holding’ it. Though the controller purportedly includes capacitive sensing on the handle for finger tracking (like Knuckles), it also has a grip trigger (like Touch).
Pimax plans to offer the controllers in two variations, one with thumbsticks (like Touch) and one with trackpads (like the Vive wands). The company will also offer mixed-and-matched options—one thumbstick controller and one trackpad controller—though we’re struggling to think of practical reasons to have one of each rather than a matching pair.
The controllers use SteamVR Tracking, and Pimax indicates that they will be headset agnostic (among headsets using SteamVR Tracking), meaning Vive users could use them as an upgrade to the Vive wands.
Pimax says that the controllers will work with both 1.0 and 2.0 base stations, and plans to ship two 2.0 base stations together with the pair of controllers for $300 (though Vive users eyeing up this package should be aware that 2.0 base stations do not support the original Vive).
Last year at CES we dove deep into Pimax’s latest headsets and came away impressed with the company’s progress but noted that there was still some real kinks to iron out before launch. This week we’ll be going hands-on with the company’s latest kit to see what kind of progress they’ve made in a year’s time. Stay tuned.
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