Events – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 30, 2022

Apple’s RealityOS Trademarked For Just After WWDC – Is A Reveal Imminent?

Apple’s RealityOS has appeared in a trademark filing with a deadline two days after WWDC, Apple’s yearly developer conference.

The filing was spotted by Vox Media’s Parker Ortolani. The listed applicant is ‘Realityo Systems LLC’, a company with no other public presence. Apple has in the past used the shell company ‘Yosemite Research LLC’ to file macOS update names, 9to5Mac reports – and Realityo Systems LLC is registered at the same address.

The existence of realityOS, or rOS, was first reported by Bloomberg all the way back in 2017. In 2021 Bloomberg, The Information, and supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo released reports claiming Apple is preparing to release a premium headset for VR and AR with high resolution color passthrough. Recent notes from Kuo claim this headset will weigh significantly less than Meta’s Quest 2, feature dual 4K OLED microdisplays, and use a new chip with “similar computing power as the M1 for Mac”.

In January iOS Developer Rens Verhoeven spotted a new platform “com.apple.platform.realityos” in the App Store app upload logs. Apple’s existing operating systems include iOS (com.apple.platform.iphoneos), iPadOS, watchOS (com.apple.platform.watchos), macOS, and tvOS.

In February, “award-winning git repository surgeon” Nicolás Álvarez spotted Apple committing code to its open source GitHub repository referencing ‘TARGET_FEATURE_REALITYOS’ and ‘realityOS_simulator’ – the latter likely a feature to allow developers without the headset to test building AR or VR applications. Álvarez said Apple quickly force-pushed the repo to try & hide the change, suggesting making this public was a mistake.

The week before last, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported Apple recently ramped up development of realityOS and previewed the headset to the board of directors. Gurman is sticking by his earlier reporting that the product will be announced this year or early next for a release in 2023.

The Information Apple VR

WWDC 2022 is scheduled for June 6, one week from now. Given the filing deadline date, could Apple be planning to finally unveil the headset, or at least its operating system?

April 28, 2022

Tribeca Festival To Debut 10+ New VR Films In June

The Immersive line-up for the 2022 Tribeca Festival (commonly known as the Tribeca Film Festival) has been revealed, and it includes a whole host of new VR movies and experiences.

This year’s selection is split into the Main Competition and the New Voices Competition, with highlights from 2021 also featured in the Best Of Season list. Overall, there are more than 10 new films to see inside VR headsets. You can find the full selection here.

Tribeca’s Immersive Line-Up Revealed

Highlighting the Main category is Evolver, a new project from Marshmallow Laser Feast that also includes music from Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood. It takes viewers on an immersive tour of the body, following the flow of oxygen in the bloodstream and exploring its connection to the world around us. It features Meredith Monk, Jóhann Jóhannsson and Howard Skempton.

A Fisherman’s Tale developer Innerspace is also lending its skills to Kubo Walks The City, a look at Korea under Japanese occupation in 1934. Directed by Hayoun Kwon, the piece explores life around the period.

Also premiering are the next three episodes of Missing Pictures, a series that brings to life unmade films with production from Atlas V. Nonny de la Peña, meanwhile, returns for another immersive study following a woman diagnosed with Lyme Disease in Please, Believe Me.

Over in the New Voices category, you can expect new experiences like the LGBTQ + VR Museum, which features 3D scans of possessions from the LGBTQ community that in turn reveals parts of their stories. Mecasform Hill: The Missing Five, meanwhile, is an animated graphic novel that follows the disappearance of several policemen in an African town.

Tribeca will also feature some AR projects and audio experiences on top of even more VR highlights. The festival runs from June 8 – 19 and will also include flatscreen games, traditional movies and much more.

April 22, 2022

Upload VR Showcase Summer 2022 Airs This June!

Hello there!

Well, now that the other VR showcase is out of the way, it seems like a good time to talk about what’s next. Today, we’re confirming that the Upload VR Showcase will return in June for our traditional summer show.

Never seen an Upload VR Showcase before? They’re really quite good; we announce new games across the broad spectrum of headsets as well as take deeper looks at some of your most anticipated titles. This will be our fourth summer show (!) and seventh overall. At our last show in December 2021 we announced Cities: VR, revealed a brand new look at Vertigo 2 and confirmed the release window for Moss Book 2. There’s some great stuff in the works for our summer return!

We don’t have a final day for the show just yet but rest assured it’ll be in early June alongside whatever other madness the games industry has planned for this summer.

But what if you don’t just want to watch the showcase? What if you want to take part in it? Do you have an awesome-looking game that’s dressed to impress and ready for the spotlight? Get in contact! Reach out to jamie@uploadvr.com with potential submissions. We can’t guarantee we’ll be able to include every title but if you send in some clips or images of your game to give us an idea of what it’s about, that’ll certainly help.

And that’s about it for now. We’ll have many more details about this summer’s show as we approach June. See you then!

April 19, 2022April 20, 2022

Watch The Meta Quest Gaming Showcase Here Today

You can watch the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase right here when it goes live today.

Meta’s second showcase promises to highlight loads of titles heading to Quest 2 in the coming weeks and months. Wondering where to watch? Worry not; we’ll be streaming the entire show on this very page, so come here at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BT.

Watch The Meta Quest Gaming Showcase Here

Confirmed for this week’s show are new updates for Cities VR, Among Us VR and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2, whilst Tripwire is also teasing the reveal of a new project and we also know we’ll get a first look at the next game from Stress Level Zero, the developer of Boneworks. To give you an idea of what to expect, last year’s showcase featured the reveal of Carve Snowboarding and a release date for Lone Echo 2. You can catch our recap of that event right here.

Don’t have a Quest? Don’t worry; though the event is sure to focus on the standalone headset, we’ll likely see plenty of multiplatform titles on the way to PSVR and PC VR too, so it’ll be well worth tuning in.

Don’t forget this isn’t the only VR gaming showcase to look forward to this year – the Upload VR Showcase will return this summer with plenty of new announcements and trailers so make sure to look out for that too.

What are you hoping to see from the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase? Let us know in the comments below!

April 8, 2022

Meta Cancels F8 Conference This Year To Focus On Connect

Meta is not holding its annual F8 conference this year, but will still host the VR & AR focused Connect later in the year.

“Similar to years past, we are taking a brief break in programming and will not hold F8 in 2022 while we gear up on new initiatives that are all tailored towards the next chapter of the internet, and the next chapter of our company too: building the metaverse“, Meta said in a blog post.

F8 is normally held in the first half of the year, between March and June – though F8 2011 was in September and it wasn’t held at all in 2009, 2012, and 2013.

F8 is mainly focused on Meta’s traditional businesses; Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. It hasn’t been the venue for VR or major AR announcements since F8 2019, when Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S were launched and body tracking research was teased.

Since September 2014 Facebook has hosted a separate annual conference for VR and AR later in the year, originally called Oculus Connect. The consumer Samsung Gear VR was launched at Connect 2, the Oculus Touch controllers were launched at Connect 3, Oculus Go was announced at Oculus Connect 4, and Oculus Quest was announced at Oculus Connect 5. Controller-free Hand Tracking and Oculus Link PC VR for Quest were announced at Connect 6, as was the Horizon metaverse platform.

In 2020 Facebook rebranded Oculus Connect to just ‘Connect’, dropping the number sequence too. Quest 2 was announced and launched at Connect 2020. At last year’s Connect Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s rebrand to Meta, revealed the upcoming high end headset Project Cambria, and teased an AR glasses prototype.

Each year’s Connect also almost always sees Chief Scientist Michael Abrash show off research and development towards the long term future of VR and AR – technologies that won’t be seen in products for many years if ever.

Meta confirmed Connect will continue to take place “later this year”, saying “we’ll share the latest on our VR, AR, and metaverse platform offerings”.

January 4, 2022

CES 2022 VR: What To Expect From The Show

CES finally returns to a physical, if somewhat muted show this week. Here’s what to expect on the VR side.

CES was once one of the key events in the VR calendar, but its impact on the industry has waned over time. Meta has its own events for Quest announcements, Sony saves gaming reveals for other showcases, HTC Vive hasn’t held a press conference in a number of years and, as VR has become less and less of a buzzword, we’ve seen fewer big players flaunt the tech on the show floor.

But the Vegas showcase does remain a fascinating display of VR oddities, underdogs and the occasional juggernaut. Here’s just a few things to expect from CES this year. We’re at the show so we’ll be offering full coverage.

CES 2022 VR: What To Expect

bHaptics’ Quest 2 Gloves

Last week the company behind one of Quest’s most popular haptic vests revealed its own haptic gloves, named TactGlove. They use the headset’s hand-tracking with motors at the tips of your fingers to provide a sense of feedback when touching objects in VR. But will they offer a compelling enough experience to justify a $299 price point? Hopefully we’ll get an answer during the show.

Panasonic’s Lightweight VR Returns

As announced earlier today, Panasonic subsidiary Shiftall seems to be working on the first consumer version of the company’s lightweight SteamVR headset, named MeganeX. It’s a bit of a puzzle, given the light form factor is somewhat negated by being attached to a PC via USB, but if it offers a comfortable, high-fidelity experience then it could be a strong new contender for the PC VR market. We’ll look to bring you more as the week goes on.

A First Look At Pimax Reality?

Pimax is one of the many companies to have pulled out of CES proper, with no presence on the show floor. But, as the company confirmed in an update last week, there will still be some media meetings available. Hopefully, then, we’ll be able to bring you a first look at the recently-announced Pimax Reality series, a hybrid, modular headset that promises to spare no expense.

Sony, LG And Beyond?

Some of the highlights of every CES include the conferences from big tech companies announcing their range of products for the year to come. Usually it’s all about fridges that can tell your car what you need to buy and robots that can take your bags to the airport. But we do occasionally get a glimpse of surprising new VR announcements here and there. With that in mind, we’ll be watching a lot of shows today, January 4th, including LG’s show at 8am PT, Nvidia also at 8am PT, Intel at 10am PT, Qualcomm at 11am PT, Sony at 5pm PT and Samsung at 6:30pm PT. Again, we don’t expect anything to be revealed at these shows, but each of these companies has dabbled with the VR market to some degree in the past, so we’ll keep an eye out.

As for a potential PSVR 2 sighting? Well, Sony does like to announce some PlayStation news at these shows, like the 2013 introduction of PlayStation Now or, in 2020, the PS5 logo, but it’s not likely. We’d settle for confirmation the headset is definitely coming this year, though.

And that’s what’s happening with VR at CES 2022! What are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!

December 13, 2021

Quest Day 2021: What To Expect, How To Join In

Quest Day 2021 is upon us.

Wait, what’s Quest Day?

Well, truth be told, we’re not entirely sure, but we do have a few details of the mysterious new event that Meta started teasing last week. This won’t be the next giant Quest event filled with big announcements, instead looking more like a marketing event with some silly giveaways up for grabs. Read on below for our full guide on what to expect and how to join in with Quest Day 2021.

What Is Quest Day?

Meta confirmed to UploadVR that Quest Day is an official event that it has marketed to various Quest owners via email. There’s not a lot of information about what the event actually is, but Meta has been teasing a day of “invention-inspired drops” related to the Quest brand that participants have a chance of winning. There seems to be some attached video content starring the eccentric (and very fictional) Dr. 6DOF and his sidekick, Questy, which is where these ‘inventions’ will be showcased. Check out a trailer for the event below.

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A post shared by Oculus (@oculus)

When Is Quest Day?

The event takes place at 9am PT/12pm ET/5pm UK on December 14, and should be running over the course of the day, though it’s not clear for exactly how long it will last. Given it’s a ‘Day’, though, you should probably expect it to last for a few hours at the very least.

Where Will Quest Day Take Place?

Meta says that you can follow along with the event on the Oculus Instagram account, so expect a series of posts or perhaps a live event from there. It’s not clear if the event will run on any other social media platforms. Meta also has a calendar invite on an official website if you don’t want to miss it.

What Can We Expect From Quest Day?

Based on the marketing we’ve seen for the event, don’t count on Quest Day being an enormous event with huge announcements about games and the future of the Quest brand. This isn’t something akin to Meta’s Connect conference or the Oculus Gaming Showcase. Instead, the giveaways seem to be themed after silly inventions made available in limited quantities. One trailer, for example, shows a pair of socks with the Oculus logo on them. Suffice to say we probably won’t see any significant new accessories akin to the Quest Elite Strap, either.

Just to make extra sure you’re not expecting anything big, here’s the wording from one of Meta’s emails in which Dr. 6DOF teases the event: “I BELIEVE IT IS FINALLY MY TIME TO SHINE AND FLEX MY QUEST TECHNOLOGY PROWESS. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. I HAVE BEEN SCOURING QUEST 2 THREADS FOR INSIGHTS AND DEVELOPING HIGHLY ADVANCED DROPS. I PROPOSE A HOLIDAY. QUEST DAY! WHERE I REVEAL MY CREATIONS THAT ARE TOTALLY USEFUL AND NOT AT ALL FRIVOLOUS…”

So, yeah, keep those expectations in check. Again, we haven’t heard anything about the possibility of tie-in games sales or anything like that, either.

How Do I Take Part In Quest Day?

Well, for starters, you have to be in the United States. The event’s webpage states “these goodies are only available for shipping in the US for those over 18”, so the rest of the world will miss this one out. If that’s not an issue, then look for Instagram posts throughout the day. They’ll likely have details about how to enter to win each specific invention. Supplies are apparently limited, so you’ll want to act fast to be in with a chance of winning something.

Are you gearing up for tomorrow? Or are you planning to give Quest Day a miss? Let us know in the comments below!

November 17, 2021November 18, 2021

How To Watch The VR Awards, Streaming Today

It’s nearly time for the annual VR Awards, hosted live in London. You’ll be able to watch this year’s show live on YouTube and in VR.

The show kicks off at 6:30pm UK/10:30am PT. You can watch it right here via a YouTube embed below. You’ll also be able to join the show in VR via Altspace by booking a free ticket over on the official website (which is available right up until the start of the stream). This will also include an exclusive in-VR experience that celebrates the history of VR.

Watch The VR Awards Live

As for what to expect from this year’s show? Well, The VR Awards celebrate all angles of the VR industry. So, yes, there’s a best game category with entries including Demeo and Star Wars: Squadrons, whilst you’ll also see enterprise, experiential and healthcare VR applications recognized.

Also confirmed today is the Accenture VR Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be granted to human interface pioneer, Thomas A. Furness III. Furness’ work in VR spans over five decades, having worked on some of the first VR systems for the US Air Force. He’ll be accepting his award holographically.

Plus, be on the lookout for a chance to win an Oculus Quest 2 during the stream. You can find out more info about how to enter on the official site.

Who are you hoping to see take home a VR Award this year? Let us know in the comments below!

October 18, 2021

Hope For Haiti Hosts Virtual Fundraising Event In VR This Week

Hope For Haiti is turning to VR for its latest fundraising event.

This Wednesday, October 20, the charity will host a live event on both YouTube and inside a VR app with a unique spin. Built with the help of VR production studio FXG, the app allows visitors to explore a virtual version of one of the charity’s partner schools based in a rural area of the country. Get a look at the experience below.

Inside VR you’ll be able to walk around and interact with different elements as well as meet other attendees. You can see different experiences like raising a flag in the trailer, and the piece will let you go beyond the school to explore wildlife too. There will also be a live presentation from CEO, Skyler Badenoch, and an NFT art gallery based on the theme of ‘Empowering the Next Generation of Haiti’s Leaders’ with works being auctioned off live as well.

The event will look to raise money in light of the recent earthquake that struck the southern region of the country.

Once the live portion is over, anyone will be able to download the app and explore for themselves. We’ve seen plenty of charities turn to VR to help raise awareness of their cause, but Hope for Haiti is one of the first to build a fully interactive virtual environment.

You can make a donation to the cause over on Eventbrite, though this won’t guarantee a spot in the event itself as space is limited. Hopeful attendees will be granted access “based on their intent to support the organization”, though subsequent events may follow too. The event takes place at 6pm PT/9pm ET.

October 3, 2021

Hands-On: Tokyo Game Show’s VR App Is A Tiny But Important Step For Virtual Events

At first glance, the idea of virtually attending a gaming show in VR seems immensely promising. Events like E3 and Gamescom are thousands of miles away from most people, and some gamers can only ever dream of stepping onto an expo floor to get a first look at titles to come. In theory, a virtual version of those shows makes it possible for anyone to do just that.

But, as Tokyo Game Show VR proves, there are still hurdles to overcome to make the experience truly compelling.

There is a certain buzz to steeping through TGS VR’s virtual gates for the first time. This social experience, running on the new xambr platform, pays respect to past TGS events with posters from older shows before you step into a lobby dotted with giant statues from Sonic, Monster Hunter and more. I’d imagine it’s at least a little like the excitement of visiting Japan’s new Super Mario park for the first time, and there’s power to finally seeing some iconic characters in VR, even if it’s just a static 3D model.

The layout, too, is well done. Load into the main area and you’ll tour a circular hallway of recognizable names, from Sega to Capcom and Konami to Square Enix. It’s incredibly impressive to see these big brands — only a few of which have actual VR games on the way — involved in the event and an encouraging sign that there’s a future for this space.

But after 10 minute trawl around TGS VR’s series of trailers you’ve already seen for games we’ve known about for a while is pretty much all that’s on offer here. Again, some of the booths are wonderfully themed, including Bandai Namco’s giant tribute to Pacman, Capcom’s Monster Hunter booth and an incredible diverging path that recreates a scene from Attack on Titan in VR. For the most part the experience definitely looks the way it should but, beyond that, there isn’t too much to see or do inside TGS VR.

Granted it’d be next to impossible to recreate the ‘full’ experience here. You couldn’t have, say, 100 stands with playable demos of the next Final Fantasy game for endless reasons. But TGS VR could take a page from the excellent Virtual Market experience inside VRChat, which includes interactive minigames and experiences to keep you engaged in its celebration of pop culture. Why not let users pick up some of Monster Hunter’s ridiculous weapons in VR, for example? Or how about a virtual maze reflecting Dracula’s castle to promote the Castlevania Collection?

There are some attempts at this, including a lacklustre Attack on Titan 360 degree video, and a metagame that rewards you for watching certain trailers, but they aren’t anywhere near as engaging as what you can find elsewhere.

But I don’t say all of this to dissuade. I’m actually incredibly happy TGS pulled this off because, frankly, someone needed to. Not even Facebook has done a virtual version of its own Connect conference yet and, while there are many technical challenges involved, it seems like too important of a VR use case not to be testing the waters right now.

This is more encouraging than anything else, then. I hope E3, Gamescom and the like all look to the example TGS VR sets as we move into 2022 and figure out how to top it. It’s a turbulent time for in-person events and TGS VR presents an incredibly interesting path forward. Full marks for effort, then.