Every weekend gmw3 gathers together vacancies from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industries, in locations around the globe to help make finding that ideal job easier. Below is a selection of roles that are currently accepting applications across a number of disciplines, all within departments and companies that focus on immersive entertainment.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
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 Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
HP appears to be strengthening its position as a provider of XR software for enterprise companies. Today it announced the release of a mobile device management (MDM) solution that’s designed to make deploying and managing large-scale VR easier.
Called HP ExtendXR, the software as a service (SaaS) was built in collaboration with ArborXR, an AR/VR device management company that came out of the VR arcade space in 2016.
HP says its collaboration with ArborXR is targeting companies who want to more easily scale their VR deployments, but also take advantage of HP’s global support and HP Horizon secure cloud infrastructure.
Of course, HP isn’t the only provider of this sort of large-scale VR deployment and management solution.
HTC has its own Vive Business Device Management System for its own devices. Meta has already wound down its Oculus for Business offering, however it currently offers its own business tools for use with consumer Quest 2, including mobile device management. Taking a more open approach, Pico has partnered with multiple MDM companies over the years including 42 Gears, ManageXR, Radix, and ArborXR directly.
ExtendXR’s biggest selling point—outside of being supported by one of the largest OEMs—is its ability to manage and deploy devices from multiple manufacturers however. The company says it’s working with VR headset creators HTC and Pico Interactive, who are respectively known for their enterprise-focused standalone headsets HTC Vive Focus 3 and Pico Neo 3 Pro.
HP says this allows companies to streamline VR device set-up and grouping, deploy VR applications, manage headset software updates, toggle Kiosk Mode, setup a customizable Home Application launcher—all over an interface that you can access from PCs and mobile devices.
ExtendXR availability starts today. For plans, pricing, and free trial info, click here.
The upgraded HP Reverb G2 model is now shipping to even more countries, after it first launched in the US last October.
The upgraded Reverb G2 model is meant to address several concerns and complaints levied at the original headset, first released in late 2020. It does this by making a few hardware and software updates, including changes to the physical camera modules on the headset. HP claims these updated cameras result in a 30% increase in tracking volume compared to the original and resolved some blind spots around the waist.
There’s also a new facemask design that allows users to adjust their eye relief distance. This should mean it’s easier to dial into your own personal ‘sweet spot’ with a removable spacer, which allows the relief distance to be brought down to 9mm from the standard 15mm.
When the new model was announced in October, it was only available in select countries. HP says that the response to upgrades has been “phenomenal” so far and, and they are expanding availability to more countries. The upgraded model is now available in a total of 30 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, many European countries and more. You can view the full list here.
There’s also some software updates that apply to all HP Reverb G2 owners, new and old models alike. Microsoft and HP have also made changes to the Windows Mixed Reality platform, which now features a new home environment that is less resource intensive and should perform better. If you want, you’re also able to bypass WMR completely on startup and head straight into SteamVR, which makes for a much nicer experience for Steam users.
Have you tried out the new Reverb G2 model? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
HP this week announced its ‘xRServices’ program which equips customers of its industrial printers with a HoloLens 2 headset, allowing the company to provide immersive remote support for repairs, training, and more.
While many AR companies are focused on building AR products, HP is making an interesting move in using the technology as an add-on to improve an existing line of its business. The company’s newly announced xRServices program promises to deliver remote AR support for its industrial printer customers.
The program employs Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 headset, which HP’s customers can use to access AR training and live guided instructions to fix issues that arrive with complex, commercial scale printers.
HP is pitching the solution as a way to allow even untrained individuals to fix issues with the help of a specialist on the other end who can guide them step-by-step through troubleshooting and repairs with AR instruction. Further the company says the service can be used to provide AR training for various workflows and issues that may arise with the company’s industrial printers.
HP hasn’t clearly detailed exactly what software it’s running on HoloLens to facilitate xRServices, but it seems likely that it is leveraging Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Remote Assist platform which includes many of the AR functions that HP showcased in its xRServices concept video—like augmented annotation, document visualization, and video chatting through the headset.
Image courtesy HP
HP says the xRServices program is in beta and being trailed by a handful of companies today, ostensibly with plans to scale up the program in the near future if all goes well.
The move is a glimpse of what is likely to be the future of many types of technical support interactions. While this kind of technology is starting to be deployed in enterprise settings, as AR becomes more prevalent in the devices around us we can expect to find this kind of remote support in our homes one day too.
There’s a lot of new virtual reality (VR) hardware appearing a the moment, not all of it is easily affordable though. One of the best consumer PC VR headsets on the market for visual quality is the HP Reverb G2 which is about to celebrate its first anniversary. And it just so happens that HP is improving the VR experience with both software and hardware upgrades.
There are three main upgrades to the HP Reverb G2 that’ll benefit both current and new users. First up is the controller tracking. These have been refined: “increasing vertical tracking volume by 30% compared to our original headset and resolving blind spots above and below the waist,” the company notes. Which should be great for all you Beat Saber fans out there.
On the hardware side, the 6-metre cable has been upgraded to increase compatibility with AMD systems after some users reported connection issues. It’ll be supplied with new systems whilst current owners will be able to purchase the new cable online from HP.
The other hardware refinement is for the face gasket. This has been redesigned so that users can more easily adjust the eye relief distance when setting up the headset to find that nice visual sweet spot all VR devices have. “This new facemask now includes a removal spacer which enables users to set their eye relief distance to either 15mm (with spacer on and as fixed on original headset) or 9mm (with spacer off),” HP explains.
One caveat to all of this, these upgrades are only available to US customers.
It’s not just HP trying to improve the overall experience for those users who’ve bought into the Windows Mixed Reality ecosystem. Microsoft has also been hard at work refining the platform it launched back in 2017. These include:
New Infinite Expanse virtual home environment streamlined down to singular stage, instead of the more feature rich Cliffhouse, improving performance.
Users can find a new setting that’ll automatically launch SteamVR when Mixed Reality Portal launches.
More settings so you can configure your ideal Mixed Reality Portal startup experience.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of HP’s VR plans, reporting back with further updates.
HP is set to release a new version of its Reverb G2 PC VR headset, taking on community feedback and making improvements to the headset’s tracking, design and compatibility.
The Reverb G2 launched almost a year ago, with a display that beat the Quest 2 and Valve Index, along with two additional cameras compared to the original Reverb and improved lenses and audio, produced in partnership with Valve. In our review, we noted that the headset itself had an incredible display, but was let down by less-than-ideal controllers and fairly consistent tracking issues.
A year on, HP is looking to address some of those concerns with an updated G2 model that makes a few hardware and software changes that it hopes should bring the headset back into the limelight. In the press release, HP admitted that “when it comes to controller tracking, good isn’t good enough” and therefore have “refined” its tracking capabilities with an upgrade that increases tracking volume “by 30% compared to our original headset and resolving blind spots above and below the waist.” This change will also apply to the Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition.
There’s no more specific details on exactly how this change has come about — given it’s a new model being released and there’s been an increase in vertical tracking capabilities, it seems like a physical hardware adjustment to the tracking camera, but the release doesn’t confirm that specifically.
One confirmed physical change to the new headset model is an “all-new facemask design that enables users to adjust their eye relief distance to ensure they can better dial into their visual ‘sweet spot’.” It also now includes a spacer that can be removed, which wasn’t previously an option on the original model — with the spacer in, eye relief distance is 15mm (the same as the fixed amount on the original G2), with it out, that comes down to 9mm.
In terms of compatibility, HP says it worked with AMD and “developed a solution that has resolved connection issues that some users experienced” with a redesign version of the 6m connection cable. This will be included with all new G2 models, but is also available to purchase independently for existing G2 owners.
In terms of software, HP outlined changes that Microsoft has made to the Windows Mixed Reality platform, with the new settings and features in Windows 11, such as a new virtual home environment that is less resource-intensive and better for performance. Three’s also a setting that lets you bypass the Windows Mixed Reality home environment on startup and launch straight into SteamVR, which goes a long way to fixing our frustrations with the headset’s attachment to the stagnant WMR platform from last year.
HP announced today that it’s launching an updated version of its Reverb G2 headset in the US that brings improvements to controller tracking, eye-relief, and AMD compatibility. Alongside the headset’s improvements, changes to the Mixed Reality Portal software in Windows 11 aim to streamline the experience for SteamVR users and improve performance.
When HP launched Reverb G2 late last year, it was a major upgrade to its predecessor. In our review we loved the headset’s improved image clarity, ergonomics, and audio, but weren’t so keen on the controller tracking coverage (which was improved but still not quite up to par), nor the lack of an eye-relief adjustment (which limited the headset’s field-of-view).
Photo by Road to VR
Now HP says it has updated Reverb G2 to directly address those concerns; unfortunately the new version is only available in the US for the time being (we reached out to ask if there are plans to expand availability).
Controller Tracking
For controller tracking, the company says it has adjusted the Reverb G2’s cameras to improve vertical coverage by 30%, specifically “resolving blind spots above and below the waist.” We don’t have many details on exactly what changed with the cameras (angle, field-of-view, etc), though the company did confirm that it was a hardware change rather than merely software.
Eye-relief & Field-of-view
As for eye-relief, the updated Reverb G2 will include a new facepad with a removable spacer. With the spacer attached, the eye-relief is set to 15mm (same as the original Reverb G2), but when removed the eye-relief is reduced to 9mm, which will help more users achieve their maximum field-of-view.
When I measured the field-of-view of the original Reverb G2, I found that the default eye-relief left a fair bit of field-of-view on the table for my particular face shape. I also measured the field-of-view with the facepad removed entirely to see how much I was missing; in the table below you can see that I could significantly increase the vertical and horizontal field-of-view if only I could get my eyes closer to the lenses.
Reverb G2 Field-of-View – Personal Measurements (no glasses, measured with TestHMD 1.2)
Horizontal FOV
Vertical FOV
Standard Eye-relief (15mm)
82°
78°
Absolute Minimum Eye-relief (facepad removed)
98°
88°
The difference between the 15mm default eye-relief and the new 9mm setting won’t be as pronounced as the above test with no facepad at all, but it will surely help.
AMD Compatibility
At launch original Reverb G2 had some spotty compatibility issues with AMD hardware. HP says the updated Reverb G2 includes a new cable for “increased compatibility with AMD systems, resolving connection issues.” There’s not a lot of detail at this time about exactly what has changed or which previously problematic AMD hardware has been addressed, but we’re in touch with HP with the hope of learning more.
The new cable will ship with the updated Reverb G2 and HP says it will also be available for purchase to be used with the original Reverb G2 for customers who had issues with AMD hardware (if you bought your G2 recently you might even be able to get one under warranty).
Windows 11 Improvements to Mixed Reality Portal
For users who are primarily using Reverb G2 (or other Windows VR headsets) as a SteamVR headset, the Mixed Reality Portal software can feel like a bulky burden standing between the headset and the SteamVR library.
Microsoft has shipped a range of improvements to Mixed Reality Portal with Windows 11 which aim to streamline the software, especially for SteamVR users.
For one, users can now essentially bypass the Mixed Reality Portal home environment and jump straight into Steam VR.
If you do want to use the Mixed Reality Portal home environment, there’s now a new space called Infinite Expanse which Microsoft says is designed to use less system resources in order to maximize performance when running other VR applications.
The updated Mixed Reality Portal software in Windows 11 also give users more control over when the software launches itself. Previously it liked to launch whenever the headset was connected or power-cycled. A new option allows you to change this behavior so that it only launches once the headset’s proximity sensor is triggered.
Updated Reverb G2 Availability
Image courtesy HP
HP says the new version of the headset will be sent out for any new purchases of the headset in the US, apparently starting today. The headset is conveniently discounted by $50 from the usual $600 MSRP. So far the company hasn’t said if it plans to sell the updated G2 outside of the US.
We’ve also reached out to HP to ask how users can tell the original G2 apart from the updated G2 so that they can be sure which version of the headset they’re getting. We’re awaiting more details on that front.
Towards the end of last year, HP announced an enhanced version of the G2 designed for professional use — the Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition. The enhanced headset added sensors to track pupil size, eye movement, heart rate and facial expressions, thanks to a unit mounted on the bottom of the device.
According to HP, these new sensors would enhance the effectiveness of VR training solutions, measuring how users respond to certain situations. This would also launch alongside support for spatial audio in HP’s Omnicept SDK, which uses head-relate-transfer-functions to provide more immersive audio in VR.
The Omnicept is priced at $1249, more than double the price of the base G2, and therefore is not aimed at a consumer level. With all the additional sensors, the G2 Omnicept Edition can help businesses and other non-consumer users increase immersion by taking advantage of the wealth of data that the headset provides.
Basic access to the Omnicept SDK is free and supports Unity and Unreal, however there are different tiers available for expanded use. HP does ask for a 2% revenue share from any profit made with software that uses the SDK in their products. There’s also a $1499 Enterprise tier available, which includes a perpetual license and service pack, with additional costs for run time licences.
