Sony Announces Patent Agreement with Lenovo for VR Headsets

The Lenovo Mirage Solo was launched earlier this year, as a standalone virtual reality (VR) headset that aimed to be bridge the gap between high-end headsets such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift and mobile VR devices such as the Samsung Gear VR. Now it seems the device might be getting a redesign thanks to a patent agreement with Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Sony Interactive entertainment and Lenovo have announced that a two-year patent license agreement has been signed between the two companies that will allow Lenovo to use the patented industrial design of the PlayStation VR for the Lenovo Mirage Solo.

Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream

The design of the PlayStation VR has been one of its most praised features, with many VR enthusiasts declaring it to be the most comfortable VR headset on the market.

“We are pleased to announce that we have licensed the PS VR headset design to Lenovo,” said Riley Russell, Chief Legal Officer at SIE. “The industrial design for PS VR has been widely acclaimed, and that was the result of years of hard work by PlayStation engineers. This agreement with Lenovo is a testament to the quality of PS VR’s design, as well as SIE’s commitment to creating great virtual reality experiences and helping the VR industry expand.”

“Lenovo is pleased to partner with Sony,” said Yao Li, vice president of Lenovo Consumer Tablets and Smart Devices Product and Business Management. “The preeminence of the PS VR design is obvious. This agreement will allow us to work together to greatly enhance the design sophistication and appeal of the rapidly expanding VR field, and is an outstanding example of how great consumer brands in the VR industry can work together to benefit the consumer VR market.”

There has as of yet been no word on when the redesigned version of the Lenovo Mirage Solo is planned to come to market.

PlayStation VR 2 headset

For future coverage on VR hardware and accessories, keep checking back with VRFocus.

Lenovo Mirage Solo on Sale for $320 at Amazon US

Launched right on the heels of the Oculus Go earlier this summer, the Lenovo Mirage Solo, the company’s standalone Daydream headset, is currently selling for an $80 discount off the original $400 price tag on Amazon US.

The headset, which includes inside-out positional tracking, is one of the first standalone VR headsets to accomplish six degrees of freedom (6DOF), and certainly the first to land on the Daydream platform after HTC scrapped plans to bring their standalone headset Vive Focus to Google’s app ecosystem.

Photo by Road to VR

Google recently announced that Lenovo Mirage Solo is getting an aftermarket dev kit device to enable 6DOF controller tracking as well, letting developers begin creating apps and games which utilize both 6DOF headtracking and controller tracking; a possible hint that Google has more up their sleeves as the market shifts towards complete 6DOF systems like the newly announced $400 Oculus Quest.

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In our review of the Mirage Solo, we cited some initial issues with the system’s lack of truly compelling content, as the 6DOF headset and 3DOF controller left something to be desired in delivering the sort of immersive (albeit lower-spec) content we’re used to on 6DOF PC headsets such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows VR headsets. There is an inherent comfort-factor in having 6DOF headtracking however, as you naturally make minute adjustments to your head and neck position, and it’s certainly nice being able to toss it in a bag, leaving your smartphone in your pocket where it belongs. You can check out more in Road to VR’s in-depth review of Mirage Solo here.

While the $320 price tag may tempt some, there’s also a few used Mirage Solos in ‘very good’ condition, selling for around $280—something ultimately more reasonable than the $400 launch price.

The post Lenovo Mirage Solo on Sale for $320 at Amazon US appeared first on Road to VR.

The VR Job Hub: Early October Job Opportunities

The first chilly Sunday of October is here and that means it is time for another entry in The VR Job Hub. This weekend there are a number of exciting job opportunities at a range of companies all working on immersive content. Want to be a Lead Unity Engineer at apelab, or maybe work for Niantic as a Software Engineer in Tokyo. Whatever you might be looking for there is sure to be something for everyone this weekend. So, what are you waiting for? Time to find your next job. 

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

Les Acacias, Switzerland apelab Lead Unity Engineer

Click Here to Apply

Les Acacias, Switzerland

apelab Mobile App Developer

Click Here to Apply

Basingstoke, UK

Lenovo

AR/VR Technical Business Development Manager

Click Here to Apply

Raleigh, NC, US

Lenovo

AR Solution Architect

Click Here to Apply

Houston, TX, US

VISION Production Group 3D AR/VR Developer

Click Here to Apply

Redmond, WA, US

Oculus VR Research Intern, Haptic Design and Control (PhD University Student)

Click Here to Apply

Newport Beach, CA, US NextVR Production Manager

Click Here to Apply

London, UK The Dream Corporation Marketing Manager

Click Here to Apply

Tokyo, Japan Niantic, Inc Software Engineer, Game Development

Click Here to Apply

Tokyo, Japan Niantic, Inc Unity Technical Artist – APAC

Click Here to Apply

Brighton, UK Make Real Immersive Learning Designer

Click Here to Apply

Brighton, UK Make Real Internal R&D 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.

The VR Job Hub: Finish September By Finding A New Job

As the last Sunday of September ticks by it is time for another entry in The VR Job Hub. This weekend there are a number of exciting job opportunities at a range of companies all working on immersive content. Maybe you want to be a Lead Unity Engineer at apelab, or how about a Marketing Manager at The Dream Corporation? Whatever you are looking for, there is sure to be something for everyone this week. So, what are you waiting for? Time to find your next job. 

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

Les Acacias, Switzerland apelab Lead Unity Engineer

Click Here to Apply

Les Acacias, Switzerland

apelab Mobile App Developer

Click Here to Apply

Basingstoke, UK

Lenovo

AR/VR Technical Business Development Manager

Click Here to Apply

London, UK

Mozilla

Research Engineering Manager – MR Browsers

Click Here to Apply

Newport Beach, CA, US

NextVR C++/OpenGL Software Engineer

Click Here to Apply

Newport Beach, CA, US

NextVR System Engineer

Click Here to Apply

Newport Beach, CA, US NextVR Production Manager

Click Here to Apply

London, UK The Dream Corporation Marketing Manager

Click Here to Apply

Melville, NY, US Labrodex Studios Director of Business Development

Click Here to Apply

Melville, NY, US Labrodex Studios Senior Animator

Click Here to Apply

Brighton, UK Make Real Immersive Learning Designer

Click Here to Apply

Brighton, UK Make Real Internal R&D 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.

The VR Job Hub: Cold Sunday Opportunities At The Likes Of Lenovo, Mozilla And Labrodex Studios

As the cold wind continues to blow this Sunday it is time for another entry in The VR Job Hub. With plenty of exciting job listings to be found below across a wide range of disciplines working on immersive content at some exciting companies, there is sure to be something for everyone. This week there are openings at companies like Labrodex Studios, Lenovo, Mozilla, HP, and Google to name a few. So, what are you waiting for? Time to find your dream job.

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

Melville, NY, US Labrodex Studios Director of Business Development

Click Here to Apply

Melville, NY, US

Labrodex Studios Senior Animator

Click Here to Apply

Basingstoke, UK

Lenovo

AR/VR Technical Business Development Manager

Click Here to Apply

London, UK

Mozilla

Research Engineering Manager – MR Browsers

Click Here to Apply

Seattle, WA, US

Amazon Senior Graphics Engineer VR

Click Here to Apply

Mountain View, CA, US

Google Software Engineer, VR

Click Here to Apply

Fort Collins, CO, US HP Virtual Reality Software and Solutions Team Lead & Manager

Click Here to Apply

Menlo Park, CA, US Oculus VR AR/VR Legal Program Manager

Click Here to Apply

San Francisco, CA, US Accenture Senior VR/AR Developer

Click Here to Apply

Liverpool, UK LJMU MR System Developer

Click Here to Apply

Brighton, UK Make Real Immersive Learning Designer

Click Here to Apply

Brighton, UK Make Real Internal R&D 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.

Lenovo’s Windows VR Headset Down To $99 Right Now

Lenovo’s Windows VR Headset Down To $99 Right Now

It’s finally happened; you can pick up a decent PC VR headset for less than $100, though there’s a bit of a catch.

Lenovo’s Explorer headset, which is part of Microsoft’s ‘Mixed Reality’ line of Windows-based devices, is down to just $99 on B&H right now (and it’s in stock at the time of writing). For a headset that offers solid inside-out positional tracking (meaning it doesn’t require extra sensors like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive) with a 2880 x 1440 resolution, that’s a really good deal. Heck, we quite liked the headset when it was priced at $450.

With a Lenovo headset, you can runs apps from both Microsoft’s own Mixed Reality ecosystem as well as SteamVR games, provided you’ve got a PC powerful enough to run them.

The issue, though, is that this is just for the headset. It doesn’t include the six degree of freedom (6DOF) motion controllers that are essential to access many VR apps on both the Microsoft Store and SteamVR. Worse yet, Microsoft still doesn’t offer a standalone set of controllers to buy separately and the bundle with the headset and controllers is still priced at $399. You might be able to find a pair of motion controllers on eBay or something, though otherwise you’ll only be able to use a more traditional gamepad.

Still, that would mean you can still play great games like Moss and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Does that make it worth the lower price of entry? Only you can answer that.

Now if we could just convince Lenovo to drop the lovely Mirage Solo standalone headset to the same price…

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Lenovo Announces Partnership With Blockchain Platform

Despite the hype and the buzzwords causing much misunderstanding around Blockchain, it remains a technology that many companies are interested in, not just small start-ups, but large established firms and brands. One of these is Lenovo, who have announced that they are working with the Credits platform, who have joined the Lenovo New Vision Technology project.

The two companies will be working together in developing Internet of Things (IoT) and augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) hybrid software, which is planned for implementation in a number of industries, including financial technology and logistics.

Lenovo-header

The Lenovo New Vision Technology project is concentrated on the area of artificial intelligence ant AR, with the aim of providing professional solutions to industry for areas including infrastructure, platform development and system integration, among others.

Credits, meanwhile, is a blockchain platform that works on a peer-to-peer principle, which specialises in providing a variety of services for startups who wish to launch decentralised apps, also known as DApps.

As stated in the press release: “Credits [has] been chosen by Lenovo New Vision Technology thanks to its distinctive technical solutions, such as [a] unique consensus algorithm which consists of dPoS (delegated-proof-of-stake) and BFT (Byzantine Fault Tolerance) features.”

The Credits blockchain platform is reportedly capable of performing up to one million transactions persecond, combined with commission rates as low as $0.001 (USD).

“The Internet of Things and augmented reality are already changing the way we interact with the world. We are excited to partner with AR titan Lenovo New Vision. I see the combination of AI/AR and IoT revolutionizing the business environment,” Credits CEO & founder Igor Chugunov said.

Lenovo have plans to use the decentralised Credits blockchain solution to streamline internal operations and management procedures and use the expertise to facilitate building new types of software.

For further news on use of Blockchain with VR or AR technology, keep checking back with VRFocus.