Category: Google

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Google Teases New Google Earth Experience

Google Earth has been around for a while, it has seen a number of interesting uses by organisations, companies and individuals. It has enabled the discovery of previously unknown archaeological sites and spawned amusing news stories about giant insects. Now the tech giant is promising a ‘brand new experience’ for users of Google Earth.

Few details have emerged so far about what the ‘new experience’ for Google Earth will entail. Google have sent invites to selected parties for an event set to line up with ‘Earth Day’ to play on an obvious theme. The event is set to take place on 18th April at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York.

Google Earth VR_user

Google launched a virtual reality (VR) version of Google Earth on Steam last year, which is currently only available for users of HTC Vive. Some analysts are predicting that the new version of Google Earth will support Google Daydream, which would seem to make sense is it is Google’s own platform. Bringing Google Earth to Daydream would also have advantages when it comes to promoting it as an educational tool, since the Daydream is a more affordable option that the HTC Vive.

The company previously said that support for other platforms was due to be added to Google Earth sometime this year, so it could well be that the new update will see users of Oculus Rift or Google Daydream also getting the ability to soar freely over the Grand Canyon or visit the Eiffel Tower.

As always, VRFocus will bring you further updates on Google Earth when they come in.

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Google Adds Daydream Newsletter and Controller Battery Indicator in Latest Update

This week Google has released several new updates for its Daydream View head-mounted display (HMD). The free additions will help to streamline the device’s use for owners whilst keeping them informed of the latest offers.

The major feature added in the update is for the Daydream controller. A battery indicator is now available so users will be able to quickly see if it needs changing prior to starting any content. The indicator will be viewable whilst in Daydream Home, Quick settings or Play Store in virtual reality (VR). All you need to do is look at the controller to bring up the information.

Daydream View and Controller

Google has now added a Daydream newsletter option, allowing owners to stay up to date with the latest news, offers and more. This is entirely optional, simply go into settings and signup.

Additionally, users can now choose whether to show notifications in VR by toggling the option in Quick settings. Small changes have also been made improving the performance and reliability of Daydream.

When Google launched Daydream last year the only smartphone compatible with the headset was the company’s own Pixel. Now there’s a lot more options available to consumers with the Huawei Mate Pro, Porsche Design Mate 9, XTE’s Axon 7 and the Motorola Moto Z, Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid available.

Daydream has seen growing support during 2017 with Unity now natively supporting the platform. Experiences such as Unimersiv, Vendetta Online and The Other Room have all recently launched, making the headset a more enticing prospect for those with compatible smartphones.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Daydream, reporting back with the latest updates.

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Samsung Won’t Say Whether The Galaxy S8 Will Work With Daydream

Samsung Won’t Say Whether The Galaxy S8 Will Work With Daydream

Samsung revealed its long-awaited Galaxy S8 smartphone last week but, while it supports the company’s Gear VR headset, there was no mention of another major player in the mobile VR market: Google Daydream.

When Daydream was announced last year Google revealed Samsung as one of a number of partners working on the platform. Many of those other companies have since revealed Daydream-ready smartphones or even their own take on a Daydream VR headset, but we still haven’t seen what Samsung is contributing to the ecosystem. We’d hoped that the S8 might support both Gear VR and Daydream, so we reached out to the company for clarification.

“We have a great, long standing partnership with Google and work with them on many fronts. Please stay tuned for further updates,” Samsung said in a statement.

That tells us practically nothing, though a report from VR Heads this week claimed that Daydream would not install on a S8 demo unit shown at Samsung’s reveal event in New York last week. It could simply be that the phones on display at the show were limited in what they could download, or it could be that S8 really won’t support Daydream when it releases on April 21st. It’s a missed opportunity if that’s the case as, from what we can tell, the S8 likely exceeds the specification requirements Google laid out for Daydream compatible phones last year.

Still, pre-existing smartphones like Motorola’s Moto Z were made Daydream compatible via an Android update, so even if the S8 doesn’t launch with support, it could come at a later date if partnerships with Gear co-creator Oculus don’t prevent it from doing so. We also never got to find out if the company’s last phone, the Note 7, would support Daydream; exploding units led the company to kill it off before any such news could be announced.

Following Daydream’s reveal last year we asked Oculus’ Nate Mitchell how the company would feel about a  Samsung/Daydream smartphone. “I don’t know what exactly Samsung is going to do is the truth, and we’ll see where they land with Daydream,” he said, insisting that the company’s partnership Oculus had “never been stronger”.

With a new Gear and controller on the way, that may well be true, but where Daydream fits into it all remains a mystery.

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The Best ‘April Fools’ Gags from the VR Industry

It’s that day of the year which every journalist hates. 1st April, aka ‘April Fools Day’, is a day in which every news story that comes your way has to be scrutinised twice as hard. Some press releases are obviously intended for nothing more than a moment’s titillation, others walk a line far too close to reality for comfort. Some however, are genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. Here’s VRFocus’ picks of the best efforts in 2017.

Kratos to Make a Guest Appearance in Bound DLC

Bound is a wonderful and often forgotten gem in the PlayStation VR’s line-up. God of War is a brutal and beloved PlayStation exclusive franchise. Why not combine the two? Developed in collaboration between Plastic Studios and Sony Santa Monica – the latter of which is the studio responsible for many of Kratos’ adventures – Bound today had some new downloadable content (DLC) announced for it, in which Kratos becomes the highly animated hero. This is more than a little suspicious, but would undoubtedly sell well if it weren’t.

Cosmic Trip Comes to Virtual Boy

Another April Fools Day, another videogame coming to Nintendo’s much berated Virtual Boy. This year the responsibility has been handed to Funktronic Labs, the developer of – you guessed it – Cosmic Trip for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Of course, the studio isn’t really working on a Virtual Boy edition of their VR videogame; they’re still working on finishing the high-end PC version currently in Steam Early Access.

Cosmic Trip Virtual Boy

REWIND Moves into Hardware Development

UK virtual reality (VR) content developer REWIND has a had a hand in many well known projects, including the recently launched Ghost in the Shell experience for Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift. With a number of years of experience under their belt, why not step into the world of hardware development? Because that’d be stupid. That’s why.

Google Introduce New VR Haptic Feedback

For many, the next landmark development in VR won’t be wireless (although that technology does rank highly on near-everyone’s ‘wish list’), it’ll be haptic feedback. What’s better to aid immersion than incorporating all your senses – not just sight and sound – into the experience? Well, one of Google’s many April Fools gag delivers just that, with Haptic Helpers: a new programme in which people enter your home to aid you in your suspension-of-disbelief.

Virtual Umbrella’s Bertie Millis Launches AFVRC

It seems like every week someone at VRFocus proclaims this acronym on the group chat. Most frequently with the word ‘not’ in front of it and a massively sigh afterwards. Yes, there are many VR conferences. So many in fact, that they’re starting to overlap due to there simply not being enough days in the year. Bertie, we don’t want AFVRC. Nobody does.

 

Of course, there’s plenty more April Fools gags coming from the VR industry. Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.

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Google Reveals Hyper-Immersive Haptic Feedback System For Virtual Reality

Google Reveals Hyper-Immersive Haptic Feedback System For Virtual Reality

Google shocked the tech world with the April 1 announcement of yet another landmark achievement in the emerging field of virtual reality. Google’s VR team brought immersive experiences to the masses with Cardboard. It built upon that initial success with more advanced headsets such as Daydream and groundbreaking platforms like Tango. Today, Google is changing the game for VR yet again. From this point forward nothing will ever be the same.

Say hello to Haptic Helpers.

Haptic Helpers represents a landmark bio-mechanical solution that vastly improves VR interaction. Combining the limitless creativity of the human mind with a carefully curated arsenal of bleeding-edge immersive tools, Haptic Helpers have become the last word in total virtual presence. In Google’s own words:

We’re taking VR to the next level with Haptic Helpers. Using a modest set of everyday tools, these VR virtuosos can simulate more than 10,000 unique experiences, all from the comfort of your own home. Smell the roses. Listen to the ocean. Feel a fluffy dog!

We’ve recently begun in-home user tests and are now seeking additional trusted testers. Interested? Sign up now.

UploadVR was lucky enough to be sent an early build for the Haptic Helper system. As you can see from the below images, this technology is nothing like what we’ve seen before.

There’s what appears to be some sort of hydro-pressurized aquatic immersion system, a packet of combustible aromatics that somehow turn heat into a portable scent replication system, and a frighteningly powerful handgun-stye device that’s able to increase the temperature of the air itself (make sure to keep that one away from any small children).

These are the official specs for the first generation of the Haptic Helper Developer Kit:

Height: 6’2’’

Width: fluctuates, especially around the holiday season.

Processor: Human Brain

Battery: this model runs only on a combination of water and a variety of consumable goods, most of which can be found in an average person’s refrigerator. 

Battery life: 4-6 hours for optimal performance. 3 days or so until it dies completely.

Ports: Redacted

In a world-first exclusive, UploadVR also had the chance to speak with the first Haptic Helper DK1 himself.