Google – Page 13 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

July 18, 2019

Microsoft Joins Google, HTC Vive, Facebook, Samsung, and Sony as an XR Association Member

Formerly called the Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA), today the XR Association (XRA) has announced that Microsoft has joined as a member company alongside founding members HTC Vive, Sony, Google, Facebook, and Samsung.

Microsoft’s XRA membership means that Heidi Holman, Microsoft’s Assistant General Counsel will represent the company on XRA’s Board of Directors. Holman has spent 22 years at Microsoft, supporting the company’s augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) business interests. “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with our industry peers to support the XRA’s mission of promoting the safe and responsible development and adoption of XR technology globally,” said Holman in a statement.

“We are thrilled to welcome Microsoft to XRA,” said Elizabeth Hyman, CEO of the XR Association. “This is a significant milestone that reflects the growth of the XR industry, which encompasses augmented reality, mixed reality, and future technologies yet to be developed in the rapidly-evolving XR space. Microsoft’s advanced mixed reality offerings, including its groundbreaking HoloLens headset, and its expertise in this arena, strengthen the XRA’s ability to provide a unified voice for the XR industry.”

Microsoft’s core interest in the XR space generally focuses on AR and MR technology, mainly due to 2016s HoloLens and then HoloLens 2 which was revealed earlier this year, both of which are aimed at business use. On the consumer side Microsoft will be releasing AR title Minecraft Earth into closed beta this summer, initially for iOS devices followed by Android.

On the virtual reality (VR) side Microsoft has been slightly more hesitant, not releasing any hardware directly, instead, partnering with companies like HP, Acer, Asus, Samsung and Dell to create Windows Mixed Reality headsets. These haven’t enjoyed the same popularity as Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, which could be why HP and others have gone down the enterprise route as well with the HP Reverb.

There’s still plenty of growth in the industry as a whole, and Microsoft has joined the XRA as it looks to expand its footprint. As such, Microsoft will be able to support the association’s policy, advocacy, and government affairs work. VRFocus will continue its coverage of the XRA, reporting back with further udates.

July 17, 2019

5 questions the Google Stadia team needs to answer in its Reddit AMA

Google's Stadia team is planning to take part in a Reddit AMA on July 18. These are five questions we believe it must answer about the upcoming game-streaming service. Stadia will launch later in 2019.

July 9, 2019

Digital Trends Live: Google and Amazon call truce, IBM foldable watch, and more

On this episode of DT Live, we discuss the biggest tech stories of the day, including a Google and Amazon video service truce, an IBM foldable watch, Waymo’s robo-taxi perks, Amazon wants to be your home internet provider, and more.

July 9, 2019

Google Says It Has ‘No News’ On Stadia VR Streaming, But Doesn’t Rule It Out

Don’t expect Google Stadia VR streaming to become a reality any time soon.

While Oculus Quest and Valve Index have grabbed the VR headlines this year, the gaming industry has been dominated by one topic: streaming. While Microsoft has its Xcloud service on the way, Google is making its play with Stadia. Launching later this year, the platform will let people stream games to a variety of devices. There’s been a lot of speculation on how well it will work, but we’re also wondering if it could ever support VR.

For now, it doesn’t seem so. Google recently published an FAQ for Stadia, which includes a simple mention of VR. “At this time, we have no news to share regarding VR support on Stadia,” the company notes.

Definitely not a yes, then, but more interestingly also not a no either. Google does, of course, have experience in the field of VR with its oft-forgotten Daydream platform. That said, streaming to a VR headset is a very different kind of challenge. Whereas input latency is a concern for traditional games, it’s even more detrimental to VR, where any perceived delay between input and action can cause sickness.

If we had to guess, it would be several years at the very least before Google would be confident to roll out VR streaming through Stadia. If it ever did get there, though, the benefits could be enormous. Imagine an affordable, lightweight VR headset that could stream PC-quality VR with no tether or even the processing innards found in devices like Oculus Quest. That would certainly bring the industry a few steps forward.

The post Google Says It Has ‘No News’ On Stadia VR Streaming, But Doesn’t Rule It Out appeared first on UploadVR.

June 20, 2019

Google’s Stadia is about to unleash a wave of terrible cloud gaming consoles

Google's Stadia will bring 4K HDR gaming to any device that can run Google Chrome. That's great for gamers, but the ease of building a Stadia compatible device will open the floodgates for bad cloud gaming consoles.

June 18, 2019

You can buy a Google Stadia controller now, but it won’t grant you access to play

The Google Stadia controller is now available for purchase separate from the Founder's bundle, but that's not all you'll need to play in 2019. Grab it if you want to play with a friend or if you receive one of the Pro buddy passes.

June 13, 2019

Digital Trends Live: Pixel 4 images, Samsung’s Wall TV, Uber’s skyports

On this episode of DT Live, we discuss the biggest stories in tech, including Google’s Pixel 4 image, Radiohead's ransom strategy, Samsung’s massive 292-inch TV, Uber’s Skyport concepts, and more.

June 6, 2019

Google Stadia’s platform for everyone promise is already broken

Google Stadia, the upcoming cloud gaming service, pitches itself on accessibility. It's a platform for everyone, playable on any screen. Except that's not quite true. Stadia has many restrictions, terms, and conditions.

June 6, 2019

Can your internet connection handle game streaming on Google Stadia?

Google is making its Stadia game streaming service accessible to most gamers. Google announced that you'll need 10 Mbps internet speeds to get started for 720p streaming, and the service tops out with 4K gaming with HDR support.

June 4, 2019

Google will announce Stadia pricing, games, and launch details this week

In a tweet, Google revealed details about Stadia's pricing, games, and launch will be shared this week during a new livestream called Stadia Connect ahead of E3 2019. Here's how you can tune in.