Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Whether it's gaming, shopping, or art, there's an ARCore app for a variety of categories. To help you get started, we've rounded up some of the best ARCore apps for you to try out yourself.
The post The best ARCore apps to try out on your Android smartphone appeared first on Digital Trends.
Google’s line of Pixel phones has been its flagship for new features and functions, including things such as the now-defunct Tango project along with successor, ARCore as well as forming the main compatible line of smartphones for the Google Daydream. A slip-up in a line of code has accidentally revealed that a successor to the Pixel 2 is on its way.
Google published a new commit on its Android Open Source Project pages, the details of which were scoured by eagle-eyed fans and developers who spotted an intriguing detail that let the cat out of the bag.
XDA-Developers noticed the following Cherrypick, which appeared to confirm the existence of the Pixel 3: Cherrypick “Add device config to decide which Auto Selection Network UI to use.” This change added the config because the HAL V_1_2 only supports Pixel 3, and the new Auto Selection Network UI is based on HAL V_1_2. So we set the flag to decide which Auto Selection Network UI should be used based in the device type.
The ‘HAL’ referred to in the message is a reference to the ‘Hardware Abstraction Layer’, the software the allows the Android operating system to talk to a particular phone’s hardware. The particular HAL functioned referenced her involves cellular connectivity, which has already led to speculation on what extra radio or cellular features may be included.
Obviously, the reveal doesn’t include any information on what the hardware will look like and what features will be included, thought it is almost certain to include the new ARCore toolkit, and is very likely to include Google Daydream compatibility.
Some analysts are finding it interesting that this discovery comes only a few months after Google closed a deal to move a significant portion of the HTC smartphone design team and integrate them into the Pixel smartphone design team.
Further news on Google’s plans for the Pixel and its upcoming AR and VR projects will be right here on VRFocus.
If you are looking to find yourself a new job in the world of immersive technology then allow VRFocus to help you out, with another entry of The VR Job Hub.
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 |
| San Francisco, CA, US | Impulse Gear | Senior Environment Artist | |
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San Francisco, CA, US |
Impulse Gear |
Senior Hard Surface Artist |
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|
San Francisco, CA, US |
Impulse Gear |
Senior Gameplay Programmer |
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San Francisco, CA, US |
Impulse Gear |
Senior Game Designer (Systems/Combat) |
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Guildford, UK |
Supermassive Games | Senior Game Programmer | |
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Guildford, UK |
Supermassive Games | Junior Game Programmer | |
| Guildford, UK | Supermassive Games | Network Gameplay Programmer | |
| Manchester, UK | Cherry Pop Games | Technical Artist | |
| Manchester, UK | Cherry Pop Games | Developer / Programmer | |
| Mountain View, CA, US | Interaction Designer, Daydream (VR/AR) | ||
| San Francisco, CA, US |
|
Software Engineer, VR | |
| London, UK | Dream Reality Interactive | Environment Artist |
Don’t forget, 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 at keva@vrfocus.com and also pgraham@vrfocus.com.
Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the usual time of 3PM (GMT) for another selection of jobs from around the industry.
Its the start of a new month as April rolls in bringing with it the joys of Easter and plenty of chocolate. Why not start your month off with a new exciting job opportunity with another entry of The VR Job Hub.
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 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne, UK | Luminous Group Ltd | Virtual Reality Sales Executive | |
|
Guildford, UK |
Supermassive Games |
Senior Game Programmer |
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Guildford, UK |
Supermassive Games |
Graphics Programmer |
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Menlo Park, CA, US |
UX Engineer, Social VR |
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Las Vegas, NV, US |
The VOID | VR Tech Lead | |
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New York, NY, US |
LiveLike | UX/UI Designer, VR/AR | |
| Sausalito, CA, US | Aquent | Virtual Reality Research Assistant | |
| Redmond, WA, US | Oculus | AR/VR Software Engineer, Eye Tracking | |
| Redmond, WA, US | Oculus | VR Gameplay Prototyping Engineer – Unity | |
| San Francisco, CA, US | Software Engineer, Virtual Reality | ||
| London, UK |
SCE London Studio |
QA Tester | |
| London, UK | SCE London Studio | Lead Environment Artist |
Don’t forget, 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 at keva@vrfocus.com and also pgraham@vrfocus.com.
Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the usual time of 3PM (GMT) for another selection of jobs from around the industry.
Lenovo’s Mirage Solo, a standalone VR headset in the Daydream app ecosystem, has had an official release date and price for some time now: May 5th and $400. Pre-orders are now live for both the VR headset and Lenovo’s VR180 camera.
You can pre-order Lenovo Mirage Solo on Amazon for $400 with a release date of May 6th.
There’s also a bundle featuring the Mirage Solo headset and Mirage Solo VR180 camera for $700, although the bundle doesn’t provide any discount off the combined prices; the camera costs $300 on its own.
The Mirage Solo is a standalone VR headset, meaning it has everything on board for VR, and doesn’t rely on a docked smartphone or host PC. Based on Google’s Daydream Android VR ecosystem, the headset’s biggest claim to fame is its 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) tracking, which allows for room-scale positional tracking.
Much like Vive Focus, which was previously intended as a Daydream headset before HTC decided to use Viveport Mobile and release it first in China, tracking is done through the headset’s front-facing cameras, requiring no external sensors for room-scale experiences.
We went hands-on with Lenovo Mirage Solo back at CES 2018 in January, and while the system clearly has strong fundamentals, the price point puts it in a weird segment that may ward off many. The hands-on article offers a comprehensive look at the headset, so it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re still on the fence.
The post Lenovo Mirage Solo Daydream Headset Now Available For Pre-order at $400 appeared first on Road to VR.
Mit dem ARCore ermöglicht es Google Nutzern von Android-Smartphones, ihr Gerät auch für Augmented-Reality-Anwendungen zu verwenden, die ein recht robustest Tracking der Umgebung voraussetzen. Mit dem erst kürzlichen Sprung auf Version 1.0 erhielten weitere alteingesessene Smartphones einen Support für den ARCore und nun schiebt Google mit der Version 1.1 auch eine Unterstützung für brandneue Geräte hinterher.
Zwar gibt es aktuell noch kein öffentliches Statement von Google, jedoch verrät die neue APK, dass folgende Smartphones nun mit dem ARCore kompatibel sein sollten:
Die Version 1.1 ist noch nicht offiziell über den Play Store von Google downloadbar, jedoch findet ihr eine APK hier, welche ihr auf eigenes Risiko installieren könnt. Es ist darauf hinzuweisen, dass solche Dateien theoretisch manipuliert sein können. Wir konnten die APK erfolgreich auf einem Samsung Galaxy S9 installieren und viele Apps aus dem Android Store verwenden, die auf den ARCore setzen. Einige Anwendungen verweigern jedoch den Zugriff, da das Gerät angeblich nicht unterstützt werden würde. Vermutlich liegt dies an einer Erstellung mit einem älteren SDK.
Der Beitrag ARCore 1.1 mit Support für Galaxy S9, Huawei P20, Moto Z2 und weitere Smartphones zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!
Es ist nicht lange her, als der Lichtfeld-Spezialist Lytro verkündete, das Standardformat für „begehbare“ VR-Videos entwickeln zu wollen. Nun gibt das Unternehmen in einem Blog-Statement bekannt, dass es die Arbeit einstellt. Neue Produkte sind demnach nicht zu erwarten, der professionelle Service wird nicht weiter geführt. Außerdem trennen sich bei dem Lytro-Team die Wege. Laut einem Bericht sollen die Mitarbeiter bei Google Unterschlupf finden.
Erst kürzlich hat Techcrunch berichtet, dass der VR-Kamera-Hersteller und Lichtfeld-Spezialist von Google übernommen werden soll. Laut The Verge sollen zumindest Mitarbeiter wechseln, was ein Blog-Post von Lytro zu bestätigen scheint. Demnach teilt sich das Team, ohne dass das Unternehmen einen konkreten Namen nennt. Allerdings soll Google laut Informationen von The Verge kein Interesse daran haben, die Technologien von Lytro zu übernehmen, sondern will die neuen Mitarbeiter auf verschiedene Abteilungen verteilen.
Insgesamt kann man Lytros Geschichte als glücklos bezeichnen. Die Lichtfeld-Kameras des Herstellers brachten zwar die Technologie erstmals in ein für Nicht-Profis bezahlbaren Rahmen, floppten aber aus verschiedenen Gründen am Markt. Ab dem Jahr 2015 setzte das Unternehmen dann ganz auf die virtuelle Realität. Bei Lichtfeld-Sensoren werden – ähnlich wie bei Raytracing – Lichtstrahlen durch den Raum geschickt, wodurch sich Tiefeninformationen exakt bestimmen lassen. Die Technik ist zwar Systemen mit zwei Kameras wie bei Smartphones überlegen, leidet aber unter der geringen Auflösung beziehungsweise einem enorm erhöhten und damit teurem Hardware-Aufwand. Lytro arbeitete zuletzt an einem eigenen Format, um Videos für VR interaktiver zu gestalten. Sie lassen sich dann nicht nur aus einem fixen Blickwinkel betrachten, sondern Anwender können sich im begrenzten Rahmen darin bewegen. Vor kurzer Zeit hat Google eine kostenlose App für PC-Brillen veröffentlicht, die diese Möglichkeit demonstriert.
(Quellen: The Verge und Lytro)
Der Beitrag Lytro gibt auf, Mitarbeiter wechseln angeblich zu Google zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!
May 2018 is going to be a big month for Lenovo when it comes to virtual reality (VR), with its standalone headset the Mirage Solo due to arrive and now its smaller sibling, the Mirage Camera with Daydream has received a release date.
Spotted by online inventory tracking app The Tracker, the Lenovo Mirage Camera with Daydream is available to pre-order on Amazon’s US store for $299.99 USD. Part of the VR180 line of cameras developed in collaboration with Google, the camera doesn’t offer 360-degree imagery like the Samsung Gear 360. Instead the two front facing, 180-degree lenses capture stereoscopic pictures and videos that give a much greater sense of depth, all in 4K.
Features include quick point and shoot usability so you don’t miss those important moments; 13-megapixel fisheye lenses; integration with Google Photos and YouTube for easy uploading and livestreaming in VR; internal 16 GB eMMC storage; auto-image stabilization and the VR180 app turning your smartphone into a viewing screen.
The Lenovo Mirage Camera with Daydream is due to launch on 4th May 2018, the Amazon site does note that the camera can be shipped to UK consumers if you can’t wait for it to become available locally.
Obviously you might want to partner the VR180 camera with a headset, one that offers the YouTube app like Google Cardboard or Google Daydream. Or if you want the latest tech then its has to be the Lenovo Mirage Solo, the company’s other Daydream collaboration with Google.
This will be the first headset for western consumers to offer inside-out tracking on a standalone device. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, the headset has a 110 degree field-of-view (FoV), a 5.5-inch LCD display with 1280 x 1440 pixels per eye and a reported seven hours of battery life. And it’s not that much more than the camera, retailing for $399.99 USD and available on 11th May.
Also happening in May is the Google I/O event, which will likely feature further VR updates. To keep up to date on the latest VR news, keep reading VRFocus.
With the Easter break just around the corner it is time for another opportunity to find new and exciting job this week with The VR Job Hub.
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 |
| Los Angeles, CA, US | Store No. 8 | VR Producer | |
|
Los Angeles, CA, US |
Store No. 8 |
VR UI/UX Designer |
|
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Singapore |
Tectus Dreamlab Pte. Ltd. |
Senior AR-VR Engineer |
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Menlo Park, CA, US |
VR Product Engineer, Social VR |
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Tokyo, Japan |
Exiii Inc | Electrical Engineer | |
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Tokyo, Japan |
Exiii Inc | Haptics Research Engineer | |
| Manchester, UK | Cherry Pop Games | Technical Artist | |
| Manchester, UK | Cherry Pop Games | Develop / Programmer | |
| Mountain View, CA, US | AR and VR Writer | ||
| San Francisco, CA, US | Software Engineer, Virtual Reality | ||
| Los Angeles, CA, US |
|
Producer, Immersive Video | |
| Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | Massive Interactive | Unity Developer (VR) |
Don’t forget, 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 at keva@vrfocus.com and also pgraham@vrfocus.com.
Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the usual time of 3PM (GMT) for another selection of jobs from around the industry.
Squanch Games, the studio behind Accounting+ (2018) and brainchild of Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland, is coming out with a new Daydream exclusive that follows the exploits of the titular Dr. Splorchy, plopping you aboard a spaceship with dangerous bugs that you have to shoot for a reasons that seem strangely improvised.
Is it possible to create a game entirely by adlib? If the other titles attached to Roiland’s name can tell us anything, then yes, they very much can. In Roiland’s games, fourth walls don’t really get broken so much as they lay in heaps of rubble on the ground. The game knows you’re there to play it, and it doesn’t want to give you the standard formulas. Accounting, Squanch Games’ first title which was later expanded into the paid game Accounting+, is an absolute subversion of your expectations in the same way Monty Python’s Flying Circus challenged traditional comedy by being sketch-based instead of serial or plainly episodic.
While I only had a five-minute demo of Dr. Splorchy, I left Google’s booth with more questions than I had before going in, but with one very clear thought in my head. The joke was very clearly on me. Here’s the teaser in case you missed it:
Stepping into Google’s booth on the GDC expo floor, I popped on a Lenovo Mirage Daydream headset, and with little introduction, I found myself in the hold of a cartoony spaceship with a guy who was supposed to be my brother. Why were we there? There wasn’t time for explanations. I was aboard a ship for some reason, and I had to kill the bugs (for some reason).
To introduce the game’s locomotion system and prepare me for the wave of alien bugs, the guy produced a basket full of lemons. “Here’s a lemon! Dodge that lemon! Lemon! Lemon! Lemon! Lean to dodge that lemon! Lemon!” Physically leaning to the left and right resulted in an exaggerated shift of my point of view in the corresponding direction, giving me the latitude to dodge what would later become the slow-moving projectiles from the alien horde. It was easy and worked well, and not nearly jarring as the locomotion’s description suggests.
With the aliens dead, my brother, who was hiding behind me during the onslaught, popped in front of me again to alert me of a bomb that appeared behind me (for some reason). “Turn around. Turn all the way around with your body. The VR headset can do that, just turn your whole body around,” the guy told me.
The bomb had to be defused somehow. A single red button was highlighted, and pushing it only made things worse. Not worse in the sense that I now had a bomb crisis to manage, but that a little man’s face popped out of a side panel to inform me that it wasn’t indeed a neutron bomb about to blow, but a supermarket. A supermarket. The bomb was really a supermarket.
“It’s not a bomb. It’s really a supermarket. It’s a supermarket in here. I’m doing my shopping and it’s a supermarket in here!” Fade to black.
I reappear on the spaceship, the same cargo hold as before. Now, I was told, there was a space mayor here (for some reason). And that’s when the demo ended, which was clear because the guy told me to get up and leave the demo. “Let someone else have a turn. Leave already. You’re using the VR headset when someone else could be in here. Get up. Get up and leave. Leave the booth.”
What is this game about? Is it a wave shooter woven into the fabric of another more esoteric trip through the unhinged mind of a lifelong cartoonist, or only a slice of what’s to come. I wasn’t sure. In fact, no one else in the booth was either. The fresh batch of expo attendees streamed out of tiny booth with confused looks on their faces.
Even the press release is reluctant to bow to established conventions like telling you what the hell it’s about, as the game is “so beyond the capability of your understanding that if I were to try to explain them to your primitive earth mind I would have to rip out most of your brain and replace it with a computer so powerful it hasn’t even been invented yet, so no, I will not send you a blurb for your stupid press release.”
Touché, Squanch. Touché.
The post Hands-on: ‘Dr. Splorchy’ is Another Justin Roiland™ Fever Dream That Defies a Concise Headline appeared first on Road to VR.