Google – Page 22 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

July 31, 2018

PlayStation-VR-Mitschöpfer Richard Marks wechselt von Sony zu Google

Richard Marks, leitender Entwickler und Ingenieur bei Sony, wechselt offiziell zu Google um zukünftig im Team ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) mitzuwirken. Marks war in seiner Laufbahn beim japanischen Elektronikkonzern an maßgeblichen Innovationen beteiligt und leitete unter anderem die Entwicklung der PlayStation VR (PSVR). Mit der Übernahme des erfahrenen Entwicklerveteranen verdichten sich die Gerüchte über Googles Einstieg in die Gaming-Industrie.

Von Sony zu Google – Richards Marks wechselt zum ATAP-Projekt

Bei Google findet Sony-Veteran Richard Marks zukünftig eine neue Heimat innerhalb des ATAP-Projekts. Das Team beschäftigt sich laut einem Statement mit der Schnittstelle zwischen Wissenschaft und Anwendungsbereichen, um signifikante Probleme zu lösen und die Lücke zwischen beiden Bereichen maßgeblich zu verkleinern. Marks war seit 1999 bei Sony unter Vertrag und leitete zuletzt das Magic Labs, eine Abteilung innerhalb des Konzerns, die sich maßgeblich mit der Entwicklung neuer Videospiel-Technologien beschäftigte. Der innovative Entwickler besitzt verschiedene akademische Titel und war während seiner Laufbahn an diversen Projekten beteiligt. So half er bei der Entwicklung der EyeToy- und PlayStation-Eye-Kamera, den PlayStation-Move-Controllern sowie der PlayStation–VR-Brille.

Image courtesy: Sony

Bei seinem neuen Arbeitgeber findet der Entwicklerveteran ein altbekanntes Gesicht wieder, denn bereits Anfang des Jahres warb das Unternehmen Sonys vorherigen leitenden Forscher Phil Harrison ab. Neben den beiden Sony-Größen erhielten zudem Jack Buser (früher: Leiter von PlayStation Home), Greg Canessa (früher: Schöpfer von Xbox Live Arcade) sowie weitere Gaming-relevante Entwickler/innen Verträge bei Google.

Diese Übernahmen verdichten derzeitige Spekulationen über den Einstieg des Suchmaschinengiganten in die Gaming-Industrie. Unter dem Projekt Yeti soll Google Gerüchten zufolge an einer Art cloud-basierter Gaming-Plattform arbeiten, die in Konsolenform mit der PlayStation und Xbox in Konkurrenz treten soll. Mit Richard Marks im Team wäre ein VR-Support durchaus vorstellbar.

(Quellen: Venture Beat | Upload VR)

Der Beitrag PlayStation-VR-Mitschöpfer Richard Marks wechselt von Sony zu Google zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

July 30, 2018

PSVR Co-Creator Richard Marks Leaves Sony For Google

Update: After publication we received the following comment from a Google Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) spokesperson:

“ATAP is at the intersection of science and application where our goal is to solve significant problems and close the gap between what if and what is. We’re super excited about Richard joining the senior team and look forward to his contributions.”

Original: According to a report from VentureBeat, Richard Marks, a former senior researcher and head of PlayStation’s Magic Lab who helped create the PlayStation VR (PSVR) headset and PS Move controllers, has left Sony to join Google.

As of now we’ve got no real idea what his role at Google will be or what this means for the future of Sony’s PSVR. In fact, Google recently hired Phil Harrison, the former head of Sony’s game research and development for worldwide studios, Jack Buser, the former PlayStation Home chief, and even the creator of Xbox Live Arcade, Greg Canessa.

Clearly it seems that Google is amidst a big push for game-focused talent and is likely building up to something huge. There have been rumors of a “Google Yeti” which could be a cloud-based gaming platform to rival PlayStation and Xbox. If the Yeti were going to have VR features, hiring Marks would be a great way to prototype and engineer that sort of support.

While running Sony’s Magic Lab, Marks was in charge of R&D of future-focused concepts and ideas. In that role he helped create the PS Move controllers and PSVR headset as we mentioned, as well as the EyeToy (the predecessor of the PS Camera).

We’ve reached out to both Sony and Google for comment.

Tagged with: google, PSVR, richard marks

July 27, 2018

Google Brings VR Creator Lab To Europe

The creation of 360-degree videos has become one of the most popular entry points into creating content for virtual reality (VR). The number of available cameras and editing tools has made it an attractive option, and Google’s introduction of the VR180 format was designed to make it even easier to create VR content. Google are now partnering with VR Scout and YouTube to bring a series of VR180 training sessions called the VR Creator Lab to Europe.

Google have now announced that one of the first VR180 sessions will take place in London, UK, including a three-day ‘boot camp’ in September, 2018.

Participants in the VR Creator Lab will receive up to $40,000 (USD) in funding towards their VR project, as well as the aforementioned boot camp, participants will get access to three months of training from leading VR instructors and filmmakers.

YouTube creators who have at least 10,000 subscribers along with independent filmmakers are eligible to apply. Participants must be over 18 years old. Google will be selecting participants based on the quality of the pitch along with the feasibility of the proposed project being completed within a three month time frame.

Applications for the VR Creator Lab can be found on the Google Creator Lab website. Applications will be open until 5pm (BST) on 6th August, 2018. The London VR Creator Lab boot camp is due to to take place on 18th-20th September, 2018.

The London VR Creator Lab follows on from the similar event which was recently held in Los Angeles, with other such sessions being planned for later in the year in other locations, though full details have not yet been confirmed.

YI Horizon VR180 Camera

For creators who are interested in VR180 filmmaking, Google has posted a guide on how to get started with creating with VR180 cameras and editing tools.

For further news on VR Creator Lab and other upcoming VR-related events, keep checking back with VRFocus.

July 26, 2018

YouTube VR Goes Even More Mobile With Samsung Gear VR

YouTube is the biggest video content platform on the planet and it’s no surprise that there’s quite a bit of immersive content if you know where to look. Then Google released the YouTube VR app to make things easier, initially launching for Daydream headsets before coming to HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. There was always a little bit of doubt whether the Oculus platforms would see YouTube VR appear, however, that’s now happened for Samsung Gear VR at least.

YouTubeVR

With millions of Gear VR headsets in circulation it makes sense that Google would want to make the app available to as many people as possible, with it due to appear in the Oculus Store for free this week.

In addition to the expanded YouTubeVR support Google also revealed another update for the software making it more social. A new sharing feature lets you watch and discuss videos with others in a communal, virtual space – in a similar vein to Facebook Spaces or Oculus Rooms. This new feature can easily be accessed by clicking on the “Watch Together” icon inside the app, found beneath the play controls in the Daydream View or Gear VR.

So is it worth a download? Well Google claims that: “YouTube VR is already home to more than 800,000 experiences in the virtual world,” and there are more planned, with several exclusives due to arrive this summer. Music fans will be able to go backstage with Portugal. The Man and Hayley Kiyoko as part of the VR180 Rockstar VR series, or how about The Female Planet series, which features activist, entrepreneur, and Olympic bronze medalist in fencing, Ibtihaj Muhammad.

samsung gear vr most innovative companies of 2015

With the launch of YouTube VR on Gear VR it does beg the question on whether Oculus’ other headsets will see support. Oculus Rift is the last of the big three to be included, while Oculus GO should really be guaranteed as it works on the same platform as Gear VR, Oculus Mobile.

If Google stands by the statement of VR Product Lead, Erin Teague that: “We want everyone with a VR headset to be able to experience YouTube VR,” then further headset support is likely on the cards. If that does happen then VRFocus will let you know.

July 26, 2018September 26, 2018

Google’s ‘YouTube VR’ App is Coming to Oculus Go Soon

Oculus and Google are finally bringing the official YouTube VR app to the Oculus Store for Oculus Go soon. Announced previously for Gear VR back at Google’s developer conference, the YouTube VR app has only been available for a select few flagship Samsung phones.

Update (September 26th, 2018): Today at Oculus Connect 5, the company announced that the YouTube VR app is finally coming to Oculus Go. There’s no specific launch date, however the company says it will be “soon”. The app was previously only supported on a few Gear VR-compatible phones. The original article follows below:

Original Article (July 26th, 2018): Gear VR owners have been waiting for an official YouTube VR app since the headset officially launched in late 2015. Previously, users would need to navigate to YouTube via VR web browsers such as Samsung Internet or Oculus Internet, which admittedly wasn’t to best way to view the video platform’s variety of content, which spans 360 degree, VR180, and standard formats.

Another recent development in the world of YouTube VR is the app’s new social viewing mode, dubbed ‘Watch Together’. Google says in a blog post that the new feature will let you “watch and discuss videos with others in a communal, virtual space,” although we have little to go on in terms of how that’s handled outside of this short gif below which shows thumbnail versions of avatars while viewing a 360 video. The company says it will be available on Daydream View and Gear VR.

The company also proclaims that YouTube VR now supports Samsung Gear VR, Daydream View, HTC Vive, and PSVR. That’s not really the whole story though.

Despite the fact that Gear VR is ‘powered’ by Oculus, and hooks into the Oculus Store for content, noticeably missing from the list of supported devices is any mention Oculus Go or Oculus Rift, the latter of which is actually supported via the YouTube VR app on Steam; it would be nigh impossible to create a HTC Vive exclusive when publishing through Steam using Valve’s OpenVR API and added benefit for user-created custom keybindings for SteamVR-compatible controllers.

While the Gear VR app isn’t out yet, it could be possible that Oculus Go will see de facto support too, but Google just doesn’t want the headlines to skew that way right now. Oculus themselves tell developers that “most Gear VR apps will run unmodified on Oculus Go,” so it may be when the app launches that Go users can get a crack at it too, although this is pure speculation.

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We’ll be keeping our eyes out when the Gear VR app launches later this week, and updating this piece when more information arrives.

The post Google’s ‘YouTube VR’ App is Coming to Oculus Go Soon appeared first on Road to VR.

July 24, 2018

SoKrispyMedia Launches ‘Daydreams’ Series With Video Game Vehicle

SoKrispyMedia has announced that the first part of its ‘Daydreams’ series, a series of 360 degree short films which have been created as a partnership between SoKrispyMedia, MWM and Google. The first title in the series to be released is called Video Game Vehicle.

SoKrispyMedia In the video Eric and Sam turn their carinto the ‘ultimate’ virtual reality (VR) machine and speed through a series of digital worlds. At first it’s all fun and games, but when they encounter a glitch, mayhem unfolds and they risk getting stuck in the simulation forever. The film co mbines live-action footage of actors in a car seat, which was shot against a green screen, the rest of the footage is CGI, which has been rendered using Unreal Engine 4.

It is becoming increasingly common for real-time rendering tools such as Unreal Engine 4 to be used when creating digital effects, as it provides a different set of tools for animators to work with when creating visual effects for films. Unreal Engine 4 also has a specific toolset for virtual reality (VR), which offers an advantage when creating for VR or 360 degree video.

“Real Time rendering is revolutionizing visual effects, allowing us to work faster and smarter. Utilizing unreal engine in our pipeline has allowed us to pre-vis with ease and utilize virtual camera and programmed events in our projects with fantastic results.” said Sam Wickert, creative at SoKrispyMedia.

The video uses Unreal Engine 4 for most background an environment rendering, which provided real-time results while working, enabling the creative team to do much more with pre-visualisation to perfect the scenes. Wickert used depth maps which were provided by Google’s Jump software that let him rotoscope out a character in the video, meaning areas could be matted out without needing a green screen backdrop. While traditional rendering techniques were used for the vehicle, all environmental lighting geometry was obtained from Unreal Engine in order to get a consistent and realistic look for the vehicle.

SoKrispyMedia say that these shorts are being made with state-of-the-art technology in partnership with the Google Engineering team, which gives them access to tools and technology no other creator currently implements. You can view Video Game Vehicle from SoKripyMedia below. For further news on new VR and 360 degree content, keep checking back with VRFocus.

July 15, 2018

The VR Job Hub: The World Cup Is Ending But The Jobs Are Not

Even with the FIFA World Cup coming to a close soon it does not mean that the number of exciting opportunities in the immersive industry have slowed down. In this week’s entry of The VR Job Hub there are a number of positions available around the world in fields such as programming, art, design, and many more.

Every weekend VRFocus gathers together a number open position from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industry, in locations around the globe, to help make finding the ideal job easier. Below are a selection of roles that are currently accepting applications across a number of disciplines, all within departments and companies that focus on VR, AR and MR.

Location	Company	Role	Link
London, UK	University of Westminster	Assistant Technician (XR Lab)	Click Here to Apply
Hyderabad Area, India	Future World Studios	Senior Game Programmer for VR	Click Here to Apply
San Francisco, CA, US	Niantic, Inc	Unity Technical Artist	Click Here to Apply
Sunnyvale, CA, US	Niantic, Inc	Senior Software Engineer	Click Here to Apply
London, UK	FundamentalVR	Senior Haptics Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Melbourne, AU	RMIT University	Senior AR/VR Developer	Click Here to Apply
Malvern, PA	Tipping Point Media	3D VR/AR Developer	Click Here to Apply
Mountain View, CA, US	Google	Software Engineer, VR	Click Here to Apply
Mountain View, CA, US	Google	Software Engineer, ARCore	Click Here to Apply
San Bruno, CA, US	YouTube	Software Engineer, VR	Click Here to Apply
Guildford, UK	Figment Productions	Production Manager	Click Here to Apply
Eynsham, UK	Adlens	AR & VR Senior Design Engineer	Click Here to Apply
San Francisco, CA, US	High Fidelity	Senior Content Developer	Click Here to Apply

As always, if there was nothing in this week’s feature that was a good fit for you, you can always look at the previous edition of The VR Job Hub.

As always, if you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to myself (keva@vrfocus.com) and also Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).

Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the industry.

July 12, 2018

Google, HTC and SuperData to Discuss Current State of VR & AR in Free Webinar

Twice a year VR Intelligence holds its flagship VRX events, one in San Francisco during December and VRX Europe in May. Occasionally the company holds small events concerning virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, one of which will be taking place next week featuring Google, HTC and SuperData.

VRX Webinar

The free webinar will see representatives from Google, HTC and SuperData, discuss the latest trends, current challenges and biggest opportunities in VR and AR. They are Vinay Narayan, Vice President, Product and Operations (Americas), HTC Vive; Steven Kan, Head of Global Strategy, AR and VR, Google; and Stephanie Llamas, VP of Strategy and Head of XR, SuperData Research. The webinar will be moderated by Amy Peck, Founder & CEO, EndeavorVR.

There have been a lot of highs and lows of the past 12 months which the group will discuss. From more aggressive sales tactics which has seen VR hardware prices dropped and sales increase, to the increased uptake of AR by developers thanks to open platform releases of ARKit and ARCore.

On the flip side user adoption is still low which is a concern for developers looking to make a profit. CCP Games, an early adopter of VR and one of the most high profile thanks to multiplayer title EVE: Valkyrie made a shock announcement in 2017 that saw the studio leave VR development and close studios.

If you want to check it out the webinar will take place on 19th July at 11am PDT/ 7pm BST. To register for the one hour webinar you’ll need to register here.

Last month saw the final speakers confirmed for the VRX Immersive Enterprise conference, designed for senior business leaders from across the immersive tech industry to come together and focus on opportunities and challenges in enterprise companies. As for the main VRX 2018 event, that’ll take place from 6th-7th December, 2018 at Hilton Union Square, San Francisco. Super Early Bird tickets are still currently available on the official website.

For any further updates from VR Intelligence on future events, keep reading VRFocus.

July 8, 2018

The VR Job Hub: Summer Job Opportunities Working On Immersive Technology

As the month of July continues so too does the heat and the World Cup. Along with these though there are also plenty of exciting job opportunities to discover within the immersive technology industry. This means it is time for The VR Job Hub where there are a number of positions available around the world. This weekend there are developer, designer, engineers, managers positions available along with plenty of others.

Location	Company	Role	Link
San José, San Jose, Costa Rica	SweetRush Inc	VR/AR Unity Developer	Click Here to Apply
Hyderabad Area, India	Future World Studios	Senior Game Programmer for VR	Click Here to Apply
San Francisco, CA, US	Niantic, Inc	Unity Technical Artist	Click Here to Apply
Sunnyvale, CA, US	Niantic, Inc	Senior Software Engineer	Click Here to Apply
San Francisco, CA, US	Niantic, Inc	UX Designer	Click Here to Apply
Pittsburgh, PA, US	Oculus VR	Technical Program Manager (AR)	Click Here to Apply
Mountain View, CA, US	Google	Associate Producer, AR/VR Partnerships	Click Here to Apply
Mountain View, CA, US	Google	Software Engineer, VR	Click Here to Apply
Mountain View, CA, US	Google	Software Engineer, ARCore	Click Here to Apply
San Bruno, CA, US	YouTube	Software Engineer, VR	Click Here to Apply
Guildford, UK	Figment Productions	Production Manager	Click Here to Apply
Eynsham, UK	Adlens	AR & VR Senior Design Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Eynsham, UK	Adlens	AR & VR Manufacturing Process Development Manager	Click Here to Apply

As always, if there was nothing in this week’s feature that was a good fit for you, you can always look at the previous edition of The VR Job Hub.

Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the industry.

July 1, 2018

The VR Job Hub: Fresh July Opportunities

It’s July, meaning it is a new month full of new chances and opportunities. This also means it is time for The VR Job Hub where a number of positions across the immersive industry as waiting for you to apply. This weekend there are available jobs for copywriters, 3D artists, software engineers, designers, developers, and many more at a wide range of companies. So why not start the month of July off by finding your dream job.

Location	Company	Role	Link
Menlo Park, CA, US	Oculus VR	Copywriter	Click Here to Apply
London, UK	FundamentalVR	3D Artist	Click Here to Apply
San Francisco, CA, US	Niantic, Inc	Unity Technical Artist	Click Here to Apply
Sunnyvale, CA, US	Niantic, Inc	Senior Software Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Vancouver, BC, CA	CloudHead Games	Game Designer	Click Here to Apply
Vancouver, BC, CA	CloudHead Games	VFX Artist	Click Here to Apply
Nashville, TN, US	BehaVR	Technical Artist / 3D Generalist	Click Here to Apply
Melville, NY, US	Labrodex Studios	Unreal 4 Developer	Click Here to Apply
Mountain View, CA, US	Google	Software Engineer, ARCore	Click Here to Apply
San Francisco, CA, US	Unity Technologies	Senior Graphics Engineer (XR)	Click Here to Apply
San Bruno, CA, US	YouTube	Software Engineer, Virtual Reality	Click Here to Apply

As always, if there was nothing in this week’s feature that was a good fit for you, you can always look at the previous edition of The VR Job Hub.

Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the industry.