Category: DayDream

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Google experimentiert mit Werbung in Virtual Reality

Einem aktuellen Eintrag im Google Developers Blog zufolge, hat der Online-Werbegigant mit ersten Experimenten begonnen das Format Virtual Reality als Plattform für Werbeinhalte nutzen zu können. Im Blogeintrag wird als erstes Beispiel eine Mobile-VR-Anwendung erwähnt, bei der mit einem schwebenden Würfel per Blick und Klick (Gaze and Click) interagiert wird.

Google zeigt erste VR-Werbevideos

Die Tests werden von Mitarbeitern der Area 120 geleitet, einem In-House Workshop, welcher sich experimentellen Projekten widmet. Der Grundgedanke ist es App-Entwicklern eine zusätzliche Einnahmequelle zu zeigen, damit diese weiterhin an VR-Apps arbeiten können. Ob und wie sich Werbung in VR flächendeckend etabliert ist nur eine Frage der Zeit. Google hat es sich mit dem Experiment zum Ziel gemacht, Wege zu finden, um diese für den Nutzer möglichst subtil zu gestalten und die VR Erfahrung nicht zu schädigen.

Im folgenden Gif wird eine der ersten Ideen demonstriert. Eine pausierte VR-App zeigt neben den Menüeinstellungen einen Würfel mit dem auf Wunsch per Gaze and Click interagiert werden kann. Daraufhin wird ein kurzer Videoclip des zu bewerbenden Produktes vorgestellt, der wie bei Youtube übersprungen werden kann.

Der Prototyp zeigt wie bereits erstellte Werbeformate und Medien im VR Kontext einfach eingebunden werden können. Dies macht durchaus Sinn, wenn man auf einfachem Weg kostenschonend Werbematerial in die Virtuelle Realität platzieren möchte. Auf lange Sicht werden sich Werbeinhalte, die auf VR zugeschnitten sind, etablieren. Die vorgestellte Lösung ist aber eine gute Option um die Zeit bis dahin zu überbrücken.

Die Zukunft der VR Werbung

Google plant das Format auf mobilen VR Plattformen wie dem Cardboard (Android und iOS), Daydream, sowie Gear VR zu testen. Interessierte Entwickler sind dazu eingeladen am Early Access Program teilzunehmen und sich auf der bereitgestellten Website anzumelden. Das ‘VR Ads plugin for Unity’  klingt zumal nach einer einfachen Implementierung in bereits bestehende VR Anwendungen, wie sie heute schon auf bestehenden mobilen Plattformen vorzufinden sind.

Zu hoffen bleibt, dass wir nicht, wie von bisher bekannten Free to Play Apps, werbegeschädigt werden. Denn in VR kann eingeblendete Werbung nochmal ein paar Nummern „nerviger“ sein. Hier ist eine sensibler Umgang gefragt.

Hast du eine Idee wie man Werbung in VR vielleicht sogar spannend machen kann?
Teile deine Gedanken zu Werbung in Virtual Reality mit uns in den Kommentaren.

Der Beitrag Google experimentiert mit Werbung in Virtual Reality zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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HTC Vive & Lenovo Standalone Headsets to be Based on Qualcomm Reference Design, Components Detailed

Just about the only thing we know so far about the new Daydream standalone VR headsets in the works from HTC and Lenovo is that they are… in the works. Now however we’re getting a little more clarity about the hardware: both will be built around Qualcomm’s VR headset reference design.

Qualcomm’s ‘VRDK’ is a reference device that the company has positioned to act as a foundation for consumer electronics makers to create their own headsets based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon VR hardware. When developing the first prototype standalone Daydream headsets, Google based their work on the Qualcomm VRDK, and, subsequently, both HTC and Lenovo’s standalone Daydream headsets will be built on the same foundation.

Qualcomm’s VRDK reference design | Image courtesy Qualcomm

When I got my hands on the prototype Daydream standalone headset back at Google I/O in May, I was told that the headset was using year-old hardware, likely an older version of the VRDK based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chip. Qualcomm says that the HTC Vive and Lenovo standalone headsets will be built around the latest version of the VRDK which uses the significantly more modern Snapdragon 835 chip.

This week Qualcomm has revealed some details about the specific components inside the latest VRDK.

The first of which is the Bosch BMX055 IMU for rotational tracking, including the classic trio of accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer. To achieve positional tracking, the VRDK features on-board cameras which are backed by the OmniVision OV9282 global shutter image sensor which can capture 1,280 x 800 images at 120Hz, or 180Hz at 640 x 480. OmniVision specifically positions the OV9282 image sensor as ideal for VR headsets thanks to the low latency.

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Snapdragon 835 SoC with Kryo 280 CPU based on 10nm FinFET | Image courtesy Qualcomm
OmniVision OV9282 global shutter image sensor for inside-out positional tracking | Image courtesy OmniVision
Bosch BMX055 IMU for positional tracking | Image courtesy Bosch

And while OmniVision and Bosch make the essential components that will be used for inside-out positional tracking on the Daydream standalone headsets, it’s our understanding that the impressive ‘WorldSense’ tracking algorithm is wholly developed by Google.

Between documentation and our discussions with Qualcomm we expect to see both the HTC and Lenovo Daydream headsets come with a 2,560 x 1,440 AMOLED screen at 90Hz, though the manufacturer is unclear. As for lenses, details are thin, but so far we’ve seen non-Fresnel lenses on the VRDK which Qualcomm says have a 100 degree field of view.

SEE ALSO
First Glimpse of HTC's Standalone Vive Headset Powered by Google Daydream, Launching Later This Year

Presumably any of the components in the VRDK reference design could be tweaked or swapped for different parts, though with how quickly HTC and Lenovo are bringing their Daydream standalone headsets to market it isn’t clear how much they’d want to rock the boat in terms of essential hardware. I’m no expert when it comes to the process of turning a reference design into a commercial product, but I venture to guess that the display and lenses would be among the components most likely to be tweaked since they are major contributors to the end-user experience.

With similar (if not identical) components inside these headsets, one big question is what will differentiate them. Initially it seems the differences will largely be external (similar to two Android smartphones based on the same Snapdragon chip).

The teaser images we’ve seen for each headset show two very different approaches to the head-mount. Interestingly, neither design showed so far includes on-board headphones (which is definitely a scale-tipping feature). Additional accessories—which HTC has been quite aggressive about for the Vive desktop headset—could also be an early differentiator.

SEE ALSO
How Google's Latest VR Moves Are a Major Blow to Oculus' Mobile Strategy

As standalone VR headsets mature in both content and hardware, we expect to differentiation between standalone Daydream headsets to grow, especially as more hardware manufacturers enter the arena.

The post HTC Vive & Lenovo Standalone Headsets to be Based on Qualcomm Reference Design, Components Detailed appeared first on Road to VR.

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Google to Bring 3D 180 ‘Point-and-Shoot’ Cameras to Vloggers this Winter

To fit alongside the company’ Daydream mobile VR platform, Google is partnering with Lenovo, LG, and YI Technology to create a new class of 180 cameras. Called VR180, the point-and-shoot video cameras create stereoscopic 180 video that can be uploaded or livestreamed to YouTube, and viewed on VR headsets.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki took the stage at Vidcon 2017 to announce that the Google-owned company would immediately support 180 video, or what YouTube calls VR180, and is bringing an eponymous class of VR cameras to market. In a YouTube blogpost, the company says VR180 video can be viewed on Cardboard, Daydream, and PSVR headsets.

image captured by Road to VR

While individual VR180 cameras are still under wraps, the company says the point-and-shoot cameras are due out sometime this winter. As for price, Wojcicki says these cameras will be comparatively cheaper to 360 cameras, revealing that VR180 cameras “are just a couple hundred [dollars].”

Google is also opening up a certification program so other manufacturers can create VR180 cameras—starting with Z CAM.

image courtesy Google

YouTube has released a playlist on its official Virtual Reality Channel showing a number of its content partners using what we would presume is some version of the supported 180 camera. Unlike 360 video, which first saw support on the video sharing platform back in 2015, VR180 video is missing the ability to change your point of view (POV) when viewed on traditional monitors. Since these videos are also displayed as 16:9 videos on traditional monitors, a YouTuber could hypothetically shoot video exclusively in VR180 to garner a greater crossover of VR and non-VR viewership on a single video.

It’s uncertain if the videos below were captured with official VR180 hardware, or a test rig that provided similar performance. Notice the videos are delivered at up to 4K resolution at 30 FPS on both traditional monitors and in the VR-accessible YouTube app. Find out how to watch a VR video on your smartphone here by using the stock YouTube app.

180 degree stereoscopic video has been around in VR for a while now, with companies like NextVR broadcasting their sports coverage almost exclusively in 3D 180. This is because it allows you to deliver video with better resolution than a 3D 360 video, but at lesser or equal file size—something that’s important when you’re streaming to headsets. When the action is mostly forward-facing, the back register of a 360 video tends not to be used anyway, making 3D 180 a smarter choice for specific purposes.

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See More of Candy Squad in These New Screenshots

If you just can’t get enough of sugary-sweet videogames where you can chase high scores, then this might be just your cup of tea. MyDream’s Candy Squad is coming to a range of virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) and now, we’ve got a selection of new screenshots for you to sink your teeth into.

MyDream takes players into a cutesy VR world where players will be executing less-cute inhabitants using a hammer. Played entirely with “gaze-based” gameplay, players look around their adorable environment and take focus on enemies in order to destroy them and power their hammer up to new strengths.

Launching for Gear VR, Cardboard, Daydream and Viveport, Candy Squad offers a sweet take on high-score chasers, though it’s hardly the most original title we’ve seen.

In the screenshots below you can see a variety of candy-themed environments – enough to give even players with a sweet tooth one hell of a sugar rush.

MyDream’s COO and Candy Squad game designer, Andrew Leker, believes the game appeals to a wide audience; “It is the perfect casual VR game for virtually everyone, catering to those who don’t have use of their hands as well as families and parties with its hotseat mode. Candy Squad was built to bring people together of all ages and capabilities. We’re thrilled to be launching with more than twenty hours of playtime right out of the gate, which will be greatly expanded with the upcoming additions.”

To see more of Candy Squad, make sure to take a look at our screenshot gallery below.

For all of the latest VR games on all the platforms you can think of, make sure to keep reading VRFocus.









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GameFace: Lighthouse Tracking für Android

GameFace Labs arbeitet an einer autarken Virtual Reality Brille, welche auf Android basiert und das Lighthouse Tracking von Valve verwendet. Auf der diesjährigen E3 zeigte das Unternehmen einen aktuellen Prototypen.

GameFace

Der gezeigte Prototyp wird als EP1 bezeichnet, nutzt die neuste Android-Version und ist mit Sensoren ausgestattet, welche Informationen aus den eintreffenden Signalen der Lighthouse-Stationen ziehen können. Bei der EP1-Brille ist die komplette Technik in der Brille verbaut und somit sind keine störenden Kabel zu finden und ihr müsst auch kein spezielles Smartphone kaufen. Das Besondere an der Brille ist, dass das Unternehmen zwar auf das Tracking von Valve zurückgreift, aber eine individuelle Integration verwendet, welche es erlaubt, die Daten auch mit einem Android-Gerät auszuwerten. Ein PC muss bei der Verwendung also nicht in Reichweite sein. Ihr steckt lediglich die Lighthouse Stationen in die Steckdosen und geht mit der Brille in den entstandenen Spielbereich.

Leider zeigt der erste Eindruck von Road to VR, dass das Konzept zwar interessant ist, aber aktuell funktioniert das Tracking wohl noch nicht so, wie es funktionieren sollte. Die verbaute Technik innerhalb der Brille ist überfordert mit der Bestimmung der Position im Raum. Die Brille kann jedoch auch mit dem PC verbunden werden, um beispielsweise SteamVR-Spiele zu zocken. In diesem Fall soll der PC die Berechnung der Position übernehmen. Zudem kündigt GameFace an, dass die Brille zukünftig auch einen Google Daydream Support erhalten soll.

Ende 2017 möchte GameFace die ersten Development Kits an Entwickler ausliefern. Diese Kits werden auf Displays mit 2,560 x 1,440 Pixeln setzen, welche mit 90 Hz arbeiten. Der Preis für die Brille ist noch nicht bekannt. Eventuell ist GameFace aber etwas zu spät mit dieser Idee, denn bereits zum Ende des Jahres wird eine autarke HTC Vive auf den Markt kommen, welche durch Inside-Out Tracking komplett auf zusätzliche Hardware verzichten kann.

(Quelle: Road to VR)

Der Beitrag GameFace: Lighthouse Tracking für Android zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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HTC Link setzt auf Ximmerse Neon

Die Ankündigung der HTC Link Brille kam ziemlich überraschend. HTC kündigte eine autarke HTC Vive für Googles Daydream Platform an und fast zeitgleich tauchte in Japan eine HTC Link Brille auf, welche auf die Verwendung eines Smartphones setzt und mit einem System für Positional Tracking ausgestattet ist. Nun wissen wir auch, wo HTC die Technologie für das Tracking herbekommen hat.

HTC Link setzt auf Ximmerse Neon

Im Januar hatten wir bereits über das System von Ximmerse berichtet. Das Unternehmen möchte Positional Tracking für alle Mobile-VR-Systeme ermöglichen. Hierbei setzten die Erfinder auf ein System mit einer sehr weitwinkligen Kamera, die einen Raum von 2,5m x 2,5m im Blick behalten kann. Die Kamera, die kabellos mit dem Smartphone kommuniziert, kann jedoch nicht alle Objekte im Raum erkennen, sondern dient nur der Erkennung der LEDs, welche sich an den Motion Controllern und an der VR-Brille befinden. Das gesamte System soll nur 99 US-Dollar kosten und die Kollegen von Road to VR zeigten sich beim Antesten bereits beeindruckt.

Neon Controller System

Die Kamera des Systems arbeitet mit einer 960p Auflösung bei 90Hz und soll Abweichungen von 2mm erkennen. Die reale Position im Raum soll sich mit der virtuellen Position mit einer maximalen Abweichung von 10mm decken. Da das System ohne Kabel auskommt, entsteht jedoch eine etwas höhere Latenz. Die Entwickler geben an, dass diese jedoch noch unter 17 Millisekunden liegen soll. Damit die Controller akkurat getrackt werden können, sind zusätzliche Sensoren in den Controllern verbaut, die dem System helfen, die aktuelle Ausrichtung und Position zu bestimmen.

Derzeit ist nicht bekannt, wann das System auf den Markt kommen wird, jedoch versprechen die Macher, dass schon jetzt für reichlich Content gesorgt ist, denn das Neon-System soll auch mit SteamVR verwendet werden können. Somit ist ein Zugriff, zumindest theoretisch, auf unzählige Virtual Reality Spiele aus dem Steam Store möglich. Wie lange ein solches System noch eine Berechtigung hat, ist allerdings fraglich. Wenn Mobile-VR zukünftig auf WorldSense-Tracking setzt, dann sollten auch bald die Hände oder die Controller standardmäßig getrackt werden können. Die autarke HTC Vive, welche noch in diesem Jahr erscheinen wird, wird aber zunächst noch ohne trackbare Controller auskommen müssen.

Der Beitrag HTC Link setzt auf Ximmerse Neon zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Daydream Elements Is A VR Development Guidebook From Google

Daydream Elements Is A VR Development Guidebook From Google

If there’s one golden rule in the vast unknown that is VR development right now it’s this; give players choices. Not everything works for everyone, and people will likely need to tinker with your experience to get something that works for them. If you don’t know where to start then Google is here to help with Daydream Elements.

Elements is a pretty interesting piece, covering some of the basics of VR development that many of us have come to be familiar with over the past few years. It showcases six examples of tips and tricks for VR development, complete with the pros and cons for their use.

Three of these are concerned with locomotion. One details teleportation, another showcases smooth movement with restricted peripheral vision, and another shows third-person gameplay.

Interestingly examples of all three of these types of experiences have hit Daydream in the past few months. Teleportation can be seen in the VR port of Layers of Fear, while the excellent Eclipse uses smooth movement. Meanwhile both Lola and the Giant and Along Together both used a third-person camera that followed a main character.

Elsewhere, Elements showscases some UI options. For clicking an app menu there’s a very basic paint application, sort of like a devolved version of Google’s own Tilt Brush on Vive and Rift. Swipe actions get a first-person shooter-like balloon game, and there’s a scene you can explore that shows off Daydream’s lighting techniques that can solve some mobile GPU issues.

Elements is a free app if you want to take a look, though it probably won’t provide much insight to anyone other than VR newbies. It arrives just ahead of some major updates for the platform that will enable new features like casting to TV screens. That update in turn preceeds the arrival of standalone VR headsets that will also support the platform later this year.

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For Google, the Future of VR Is on the Open Web with WebVR & WebAR

brandon-jones-2017Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information, and so they’ve been long-time advocates for the open web. At Google I/O last week, the company announced that they’ll soon be shipping Google Chrome for Android with WebVR, and that they’re going to start experimental builds for WebAR. During the WebVR talk at I/O, Google showed how to write a progressive web application with three.js that could be viewed on a desktop computer, mobile phone or tablet, or Google Cardboard or Daydream virtual reality headset. Google is pushing the hardest for platform-agnostic WebVR applications on the web as mental presence is their core strength.

LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF VR PODCAST

I had a chance to catch up with primary WebVR spec author, Brandon Jones, at Google I/O to talk about why they’re holding off on shipping WebVR 1.1 and waiting until the latest WebVR “2.0” version is ready. It’ll ship as WebVR 1.0, but there has been such major refactoring to account for augmented reality that internally it’s referred to as the 2.0 spec. Mozilla will be shipping the 1.1 WebVR spec in their browser in August, but Jones says that the Chrome team doesn’t want to have to maintain and support the 1.1 version, which is sure to quickly be deprecated.

Jones and I talk about the differences between WebVR & WebAR, and the long process of developing the WebVR API over the last three years, VR’s relation to other exponential technologies, and the philosophy of being a immersive technology platform developer for billions of devices.

SEE ALSO
Google Shows HTC Vive Running at 90 FPS in Chrome with WebVR

Check out my previous interviews with Brandon in 2016 and in 2015.

Explore Further:

Support Voices of VR

Music: Fatality & Summer Trip

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‘Audio Factory’ is a Compelling Showcase of Google’s Spatial Audio Engine for VR

Google has released a Daydream VR app called Audio Factory, a polished and even entertaining demonstrating their Spatial Audio Engine for VR. Described as “VR’s second sense”, spatial audio is a key aspect of maintaining a high level of immersion, and all major VR platform providers offer their own solutions as part of their SDKs, including Google.

‘Direction’ in VR—as in, how to effectively direct the user’s attention when they are allowed to look wherever they please—is still a major design challenge for many VR content creators who are making the leap to this new medium. Although sight is clearly the leading attention-getter, how can you draw the user’s attention to what’s outside of their field of view? With their new Daydream app, Audio Factory, Google has effectively demonstrated the answer: spatial audio; that which sounds as if it’s originating from a distinct source within the VR environment.

Photo courtesy Google

Released alongside Google’s I/O Developer event last week, the Audio Factory app is a compelling showcase of the significance of spatial audio in VR, presenting a variety of interactive environments that highlight “evocative sound design”. Ostensibly the app is designed to demonstrate how useful and important spatial audio design is to developers and game designers, but it’s such a polished experience that it’s worth a go by anyone who owns a Daydream headset (just be sure to use headphones and turn up the audio!).

Photo courtesy Google

Google first introduced spatial audio to the Cardboard SDK in January 2016, and then presented their Spatial Audio Engine for VR at last year’s I/O, and they’ve recently announced Daydream 2.0, which adds several further audio improvements, including real-time early reflection rendering, pre-computed room acoustics, and spatial ambient baking.

Using Head-Related Transfer Functions, which determine the way in which audio enters your ears (affected by the position, size and shape of the head, along with many other detailed variables), the SDK can simulate audio coming from a particular point in 3D space, which enables immersive audio that can elevate a VR experience to the next level. Further information about the Google VR SDK’s audio rendering engine can be found within Google VR’s Spatial Audio guides.

The free app is available on the Google Play store.

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