Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
HTC Vive made several new announcements to CES 2019, including two new headsets, a new subscription service, and a new user interface that completely transforms how applications are launched.
The post HTC brings two new headsets, a VR browser, and ‘Netflix for VR’ to CES 2019 appeared first on Digital Trends.
At a special CES event today, HTC unveiled their latest PC VR headset, Vive Cosmos.
Unlike Vive Focus, the company’s 6DOF standalone headset that launched first in China with a single 3DOF controller, Vive Cosmos is being advertised as a 6DOF PC VR headset, replete with all the room-tracking & controller-tracking tech packed onto the headset itself.
Vive Comos is said to launch sometime in 2019, although HTC isn’t talking about a more exact launch window just yet. HTC will first offer developer kits of Vive Cosmos in early 2019, with more details on availability and price will be announced later in the year.
Cosmos is said to have the capability to be powered by “more than a traditional gaming PC,” with the possibility teased in the trailer (linked below) that it might also be driven by a smartphone in the future. It’s uncertain what wireless capability it has. The headset on display didn’t feature any wires, although HTC hasn’t announced either at the press event or in press literature that the headset is wireless.
The company is staying tight-lipped on specs for now as well, although from looking at the headset it’s clear Cosmos features Fresnel lenses (very similar, if not the same lenses as in the Vive, Vive Pro and Vive Focus), IPD adjustment knob on right side, a flip-up design, and possibly also internal active cooling as evidenced by a vent located prominently on the front of the headset.
The headset features integrated audio that appears to flip up as well, similar to the Vive Pro’s audio solution. Cosmos’ headphones also appear to be removable. Images provided by HTC show both the headphones attached and detached.
Cosmos sports six on-board camera sensors, giving the headset a presumably large-enough capture area to track the Cosmos’ optically-tracked controllers, which features LEDs in an always-on tribal-esque pattern.
Above all, it seems HTC is billing Vive Cosmos as an easily-deployable headset that doesn’t require a lengthy setup such as the original HTC Vive, which requires placing (and plugging in) SteamVR tracking stations in optimal areas in the playspace.
“We found that over 85% of VR intenders believe that ease of use and set up is the most important factor to consider while purchasing a headset,” said Daniel O’Brien, GM, Americas, HTC Vive. “We believe Cosmos will make VR more easily accessible to those who may not have invested in VR before and also be a superior experience for VR enthusiasts.”
Again, we don’t have much further info at this time, as there aren’t any hands-on demos going on here at CES. However if we learn more in the coming hours at the event, we’ll update here.
The post HTC Unveils PC VR Headset Vive Cosmos, Dev Kits Coming Early 2019 appeared first on Road to VR.
Not satisfied with announcing one new headset at CES 2019 today, HTC Vive has gone and revealed a second which looks to be far more consumer-focused, the HTC Vive Cosmos.
The new head-mounted display (HMD) has a focus on comfort claims HTC Vive, with the device featuring a flip-up design for ease of use and an adjustable headband similar to the PlayStation VR. More importantly, Vive Cosmos includes inside-out tracking, meaning no external sensors are required when setting up.
“We found that over 85% of VR intenders believe that ease of use and set up is the most important factor to consider while purchasing a headset,” said Daniel O’Brien, GM, Americas, HTC Vive in a statement. “We believe Cosmos will make VR more easily accessible to those who may not have invested in VR before and also be a superior experience for VR enthusiasts.”
Another aspect of the Vive Cosmos that HTC Vive is touting is its modular design. Currently, the headset is powered by a PC – which sounds like it’ll be cable-based – but the design does have aspirations of adding mobile support. While seeming like a direct competitor to Oculus Quest, the Vive Cosmos isn’t quite there yet.
The new controllers also bear a similar design to those found on Oculus Quest and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, although the illuminated sections do feature a far snazzier design.
Vive Cosmos also happens to be the first HTC Vive headset to employ the new ‘Vive Reality System’, described by HTC Vive as ‘a completely reimagined way for people to experience the virtual world.’
Specifications for the headset haven’t been revealed just yet, with Vive Cosmos developer kits expected to go out early this year. As for consumer pricing and availability, HTC Vive isn’t going to reveal anything until late 2019.
With Oculus Quest expected in Spring 2019, and Vive Cosmos looking to be its direct competitor, HTC Vive may not want its rival getting too much of a head start. VRFocus is at CES 2019 all week, if we can get our hands-on a Vive Cosmos then we’ll let you know our impressions as soon as possible.
Today at CES HTC made a slew of announcements about the Vive ecosystem, including a new, upcoming version of the Vive Pro called the Vive Pro Eye.
Revealed on stage today at the company’s CES press event, the Vive Pro Eye appears to be largely the same as the Vive Pro, but now with integrated eye-tracking. HTC says that the Vive Pro Eye will launch in Q2 of 2019. They aren’t talking about the price yet, but we expect it will be at least as much, if not more, than the current Vive Pro which starts at $800 for the headset alone.
While the company was a little iffy on their target-market messaging when they launched the Vive Pro last year—which lead to some anger by enthusiasts over the enterprise-focused price—HTC is being much more clear this time around: “Vive Pro Eye is targeted at the enterprise market where eye tracking has a number of immediate benefits […].”
Of the various potential uses of eye-tracking—like foveated rendering, user-intent analysis, and gaze-based interactions—it isn’t clear what, if any, services will be built into the headset’s core software as opposed to merely providing the eye-tracking data for developers to make use of.
While the Vive Pro Eye will largely be the same as the original Vive Pro, including the same resolution, the company said there are some minor tweaks here and there, including modified padding on the headphones to improve audio.
The post HTC Announces Vive Pro Eye Headset With Integrated Eye-tracking appeared first on Road to VR.
HTC Vive has begun its CES 2019 press conference with the first major virtual reality (VR) announcement of the show, a new headset called the HTC Vive Pro Eye, which features eye-tracking natively built into the headset.
HTC Vive’s Rikard Steiber took to the stage to unveil the new head-mounted display (HMD) – which looks exactly like the old model. Eye tracking has long been talked about in the VR industry, but its implementation has up until now been fairly muted, with companies long professing its benefits alongside foveated rendering without any real adoption in the consumer marketplace.
Obviously, that’s about to change with the introduction of the Vive Pro Eye. With integrated eye tracking and foveated rendering, less powerful PC’s would be needed to run the headset, helping drop costs. On the other hand, a powerful PC could then produce even better-looking graphics. As you can see from the image below, foveated rendering works by dropping the resolution in a users peripheral vision whilst keeping the highest quality wherever they happen to be looking.
As part of the announcement today HTC Vive revealed several new partnerships including Zero Light and Major League Baseball (MLB). Eye tracking has been integrated into the MLB Home Run Derby VR experience, giving users full menu control with their eye’s instead of having to use controllers.
“We’ve invested in VR technology to bring fans a fun immersive experience and connection to our game and deliver a new level of engagement through VR game competitions, at-home play and in-ballpark attractions,” said Jamie Leece, Senior Vice President, Games & VR, MLB in a statement. “By integrating eye-tracking technology into Home Run Derby VR, we are able to transport this transformative baseball experience to any location without additional controllers needed. Our fans can simply operate menus by using their eyes.”
The HTC Vive Pro Eye will be targeted more towards the enterprise market when it launches in Q2 2019. Currently, no price has been given for the new headset. VRFocus will be getting hands-on with the Vive Pro Eye during CES 2019, so stay tuned for more information as the show progresses.
My Arcade, a company known for making mini arcade cabinets, is making a retro console that can play both NES and Famicom cartridges on the go or at home. Ms. Pac-Man is also joining the lineup of tiny arcade cabinets and handhelds.
The post NES and Famicom join forces on new mini console, mini arcade cabinets tag along appeared first on Digital Trends.
Pico Interactive, a popular VR headset manufacturer in China, is adding to its G2 line of business-focused VR headsets with the G2 4K, which is capable of rendering visuals in higher resolutions.
The post With 4K resolution, Pico’s latest stand-alone VR headset takes care of business appeared first on Digital Trends.
As the biggest consumer tech event in the world, CES 2019 covers just about every gadget and gizmo imaginable, which of course means plenty of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and 360-degree tech. Showcasing its latest product is Insta360. Better known for its consumer-grade 360-degree cameras, the company has been making inroads into the professional market, with its latest device, the Insta360 Titan its most premium model.
Today sees Insta360 open reservations for the new camera, which boasts eight lenses, and eight Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensors to help maximize image quality, dynamic range, low-light performance and colour depth. This allows the Insta360 Titan to shoot 11K at 30 FPS, 10K 3D at 30 FPS, 8K at 60 FPS and 5.3K 360 video at 120 FPS, plus additional monoscopic formats.
The Insta360 Titan supports shooting in 10-bit colour, features FlowState Stabilization technology, allowing for gimbal-like 9-axis stabilization, and Insta360’s Farsight live monitoring system, consisting of a transmitter and a receiver that can be attached to a smartphone or tablet. Farsight allows users to easily preview and control their shoots remotely.
On top of all this is Crystal View, Insta360’s proprietary playback tech. As playback systems are now supporting 4K, higher resolutions are even rarer. “It renders in real time exactly the part of a video a viewer is watching – with no computing power wasted on displaying what’s behind their head — so that even mainstream smartphones can play back full-quality Titan content,” explains Insta360 in a press statement.
Further details, as well as the option to reserve the Insta360 Titan, are available through the official website. Being the pro 360 camera that it is, the Insta360 Titan comes with an equally titanic price, $14,999 USD. You can place a refundable deposit now, ahead of the camera shipping in April.
The Insta360 Titan is the next step up from the Insta360 Pro 2 which arrived in the summer. Priced at $4999.95, it is capable of 8K per-eye 3D 360 video, thanks to its six lenses, 8K monoscopic at 60fps, 6K at 60fps or 4K 3D at 120fps.
VRFocus will be at CES 2019 all week to bring you the latest news from the event.
Insta360, the manufacturers behind consumer & professional VR cameras, today opened reservations for the Titan, a professional-level 11K VR camera for 360 video and photos.
The Titan includes a number of shooting modes including 11K monoscopic at 30 fps, 10K stereoscopic at 30 fps, and 11K 360 photos in both stereoscopic and monoscopic modes. Additional shooting modes include 8K at 60 fps and 5.3K at 120 fps.
The Titan is priced at $15,000; the company says reservations for the Titan come with a fully refundable deposit.
Professional creators can reserve their Titan starting today on the company’s website. The first batch of cameras are expected to start shipping in April following a pilot program with select filmmaker partners.
The Titan uses an array of eight Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensors, something the company bills as “the largest sensors available in any standalone VR camera.” The sensors are said to maximize image quality, dynamic range, low-light performance and color depth.
The Titan supports shooting in 10 bit color and high dynamic range to let creators capture natural lighting and low-light scenes for VR playback.
The professional-grade 360 rig also uses something Insta360 calls ‘FlowState Stabilization’, claiming “gimbal-like 9-axis stabilization with no accessories or added effort from the user.” Users can also view live previews by attaching a bespoke receiver to a phone or tablet.
Because decoding an 11K video file is such a tall order to fill, the company has also created a playback tech called ‘CrystalView’ which renders in real time “exactly the part of a video a viewer is watching – with no computing power wasted on displaying what’s behind their head — so that even mainstream smartphones can play back full-quality Titan content,” the company writes in a press statement.
While its 360 camera contemporaries Nokia OZO and Jaunt ONE have since fallen to the wayside, The Titan represents the company’s third professional 360 camera following the Insta360 Pro & Pro 2 which released in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
The post Insta360 Opens Reservations for Professional 11K VR Camera ‘Titan’ appeared first on Road to VR.
Auf der CES 2019 präsentierte Nvidia seine neue Grafikkarte RTX 2060, welche erstmals den neuen Standardkonnektor VirtualLink enthält. Die neue Founders Edition der GPU soll 369 Euro kosten und leistungstechnisch die GTX 1070 Ti leicht übertreffen.
Die neue Grafikkarte RTX 2060 ist die günstigste Variante der neuen GeForce-20-Reihe aus dem Hause Nvidia, setzt jedoch ebenso auf die Turing-GPU-Architektur und bietet somit Raytracing in Echtzeit und KI-Rendering dank entsprechenden Cores.
Image courtesy: Nvidia
Im Gegensatz zu den stärkeren Modell RTX 2070 und RTX 2080 wurde an manchen Bereichen abgespeckt. Entsprechend beinhaltet die günstige GPU 1902 CUDA-Kerne, 30 RT-Kerne, 240 Tensor-Kerne und 6 GB Videospeicher. Zum Vergleich: Das nächstteurere Modell RTX 2070 kommt auf 2304 CUDA-Kernen, 36 RT-Kernen, 288 Tensor-Kernen und 8 GB Videospeicher. Getaktet ist die Karte mit 1365 MHz Base Clock, während der Boost-Takt bei 1680 MHz liegt. Damit übertrifft die neue GPU die bisher geläufige GeForce GTX 1060 mit Pascal-Architektur massiv und soll laut Nvidia leistungstechnisch mit der GTX 1070 Ti mithalten können, diese gegebenenfalls sogar übertreffen. Die Leistungsaufnahme liegt bei 160 Watt, die empfohlene Systemleistung bei 500 Watt.
Wie das Ganze in der Praxis aussieht, zeigt Nvidia in folgendem Video mit den Spielen Battlefield 5 und Anthem:
Außerdem erscheint die neue Grafikkarte erstmals mit dem neuen Standardkonnektor VirtualLink, ein USB-Typ-C-Anschluss für VR-Brillen zum schnelleren und einfacheren Verbinden der Hardware.
Die Founders Edition der RTX 2060 soll ab dem 15. Januar für 369 Euro erhältlich sein. Weitere Informationen zur GPU und den Grafikkarten der GeForce 20-Serie findet ihr hier.
(Quellen: Nvidia | Upload VR | Video: NVIDIA GeForce YouTube)
Der Beitrag CES 2019: Nvidia RTX 2060 mit VirtualLink-Adapter für 369 Euro vorgestellt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!