Apple Embraces AR & VR, and What That Means

Apple, Inc. has been slow to jump on the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) bandwagons, letting their competitors test the water before diving in themselves. That changed today, as the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), San Jose, hosted several key announcements for the immersive technology industries.

First up came the reveal that Steam VR would soon support Mac format. This doesn’t mean that every VR title on Steam will automatically work with iOS devices, but giving developers the option to create videogames and experiences for the Mac format is certainly a step in the right direction. This was reinforced with the announcement of Metal 2, the company’s API for high performance graphics, which promises to deliver a VR-optimised display pipeline.

This new technology was then showcased by Epic Games, who used the VR Editor component of Unreal Engine 4 to demonstrate a real-time build using assets from Industrial Light and Magic (ILM)’s digital Star Wars library through the HTC Vive, using green screen mixed reality (MR) video. That one sentence had a huge amount of high profile names within it, and the showcase was as impressive as you would expect it to be. Lauren Ridge, Technical Writer at Epic Games, resized and positioned Tie Fighters and other craft, before playing out the scene she created. A choreographed sequence featuring the infamous Darth Vader drew huge applause from the audience.

Apple then revealed their VR compatible systems before moving on to AR. With an equally remarkable showcase – again utilising Unreal Engine 4 and big names from the film industry – a LEGO model that could be exploded, Pokemon GO with a Pikachu looking as if it was directly in contact with the ground and an impressively rendered wild west cyberpunk battle scene, the ARKit development suite features stabilisation in motion-tracking, ambient lighting estimation and support for Unity, Unreal Engine, amongst other features.

While the company stopped short of revealing the AR head-mounted display (HMD) many had been expecting, the development tools presented with certainly have application beyond iPads and iPhones. A showcase it was; now it’s up to developers to take the technology further.

Ultimately, Apple coming late to the game is nothing new. What it does mean however, is that AR and VR will get a publicity injection and brand new opportunities to grow its audience. This is perhaps more important than the hardware line-up supporting VR or the graphical prowess of the AR presentation: it’s about the experiences you can have with the technology opposed to the technology itself, after all.

Cyan Worlds Announce First Mac VR Videogame

In a matter of hours virtual reality (VR) on Mac format PCs has gone from being a cheer at an event, to accessible for developers, to now having the first compatible videogame title announced. Cyan Worlds’ Obduction has been officially unveiled as the first videogame to take advantage of SteamVR’s Mac compatibility.

 

Obduction screenshotAvailable now as a beta test, SteamVR will open the world of VR to a whole new audience. Showcased earlier today at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), San Jose, SteamVR is compatible with the HTC Vive head-mounted display (HMD).

Cyan Worlds’ Obduction launched on Windows format PCs earlier this year, both for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Today’s announcement of a Mac format version came via Twitter, though few details are currently available. A PlayStation VR version is also in the works.

More VR titles are likely to be confirmed for Mac in the coming days, especially with this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) just around the corner. VRFocus will of course keep you updated with any further announcements.

SteamVR Beta for MacOS Now Live

Announced earlier today at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), San Jose, SteamVR’s support for Mac format has arrived sooner than expected. A beta version of the platform is now available to all Steam users.

 

Apple - iMac HTC Vive

 

While Steam VR’s beta on Mac is undoubtedly welcome, it should be noted that it will take some time to populate the platform with content. Indeed, it’s unlikely that much of the older Windows based content will see conversion to Mac format.

“As part of our efforts to make VR available to developers and players on as many systems as possible, SteamVR for the Mac is now available in beta,” states a post on the official Steam website. “The beta comes in tandem with the macOS High Sierra developer seed and hardware news from Apple’s 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that helps enable VR on the Mac.”

More importantly however, is the development potential for SteamVR on Mac:

“On the development side, we have worked closely with Epic and Unity to make Mac extensions of content built on those engine technologies as simple as possible. Extension tools for those engines, and others, are available as part of this beta.”

According to Epic Games, support for Metal 2 and ‘wide­ranging’ Mac optimisations will ship in Unreal Engine 4.18 binary tools, starting with previews in September and with the full release in early October. VRFocus will of course keep you updated with all the latest details, but in the meantime the instructions below to get the SteamVR beta running on Mac today.

To use SteamVR on your Mac:

Open Steam on your desktop
Find SteamVR in your Library under Tools
Right click and go to Properties
Select the Betas tab and pick SteamVR Beta from the dropdown

Apple: Virtual Reality für den nächsten Mac Pro

Aktuell haben Menschen mit einem Computer von Apple schlechte Karten, wenn sie Virtual Reality Inhalte verwenden wollen. Ein Grund dafür sind die hohen Spezifikationen, die für den Betrieb einer VR Brille nötig sind. Palmer Luckey sagte im letzten Jahr, dass man bei Oculus auch Apple Computer unterstützen werde, wenn Apple leistungsstarke PCs bauen würde. Apple scheint diesen Hinweis gehört zu haben und Virtual Reality ist ein Grund, warum der Mac Pro komplett überarbeitet wird.

Virtual Reality für den nächsten Mac Pro

Der letzte Mac Pro aus dem Jahr 2013 setzte auf eine runde und sehr kompakte Bauweise. Apple baute bei dem Produkt auf die Verwendung von zwei Grafikkarten, denn das Unternehmen war der Überzeugung, dass sich Systeme mit mehreren Grafikkarten durchsetzen würden. Dieser Wunsch ging aber leider noch nicht in Erfüllung und die meisten Anwendungen sind weiterhin so optimiert, dass sie mit einer besonders starken GPU optimal laufen.

Doch bei dem ausgefallenen Design des Mac Pro kann Apple nicht einfach die Pläne ändern und auf eine besonders starke GPU setzen, da es dann Probleme mit der Kühlung der Komponenten geben würde. In den kommenden Mac soll aber nicht an der GPU gespart werden, denn Apple sagt, dass aufwendige 3D Anwendungen und Virtual Reality Content diese Power benötigen.

Mit einem neuen Mac Pro ist aber leider nicht mehr im Jahr 2017 zu rechnen und es ist weiterhin offen, wie der Support durch Oculus und Steam aussehen wird. Nur wenn die großen Plattformen den Mac unterstützten, kann Apple sich auch sinnvoll mit einem solchen Produkt im Markt platzieren.

(Quelle: Techcrunch)

Der Beitrag Apple: Virtual Reality für den nächsten Mac Pro zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Valve bringt die virtuelle Realität auf den Mac

Bereits 2016 versprach Valve einen Support von OpenVR für Mac-Nutzer. Mittlerweile hat das Unternehmen auch erste Schritte in diese Richtung unternommen. Bisher stellte der VR-Support auf iOS-Systemen immer ein größeres Problem dar. Denn während die Entwickler-Version der Oculus Rift noch mit Apple-Geräten funktionierte, kann die aktuelle Variante nicht mehr erfolgreich angeschlossen werden.

Diese Probleme könnten nun bald aus der Welt sein. Zumindest veröffentlichte Valve am 31. Januar 2017 die Version 1.0.6 des OpenVR SKD, welches fortan mit noch mehr VR-Headsets funktionieren soll. Valve selbst betitelt das neue Update als „Höchst wichtig für Treiber-Entwickler“.

Im Changelog findet man nun folgenden Satz: „Added initial support for DirectX 12 and OSX IOSurfaces. Use at your own risk. Forward compatibility is not guaranteed.“

Ein deutlicher Hinweis, dass Entwickler fortan – wenn auch unter Vorbehalt – ihre Kreationen auf Apple-Systemen laufen lassen können. Noch immer fehlt jedoch der Linux-Support von OpenVR, diesen hatte Valve zuvor ebenfalls versprochen.

Bildquelle: Apple

Der Beitrag Valve bringt die virtuelle Realität auf den Mac zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

OpenVR SDK Adds ‘Initial’ Support For OSX, DX12

OpenVR SDK Adds ‘Initial’ Support For OSX, DX12

Valve promised OpenVR support for Mac users in late 2016. Now in early 2017, the company is taking the first steps towards that promise.

The SteamVR creator today launched v1.0.6 of its OpenVR SDK on GitHub, allowing applications to work across a range of VR headsets. A tweet from the OpenVR account noted that the update was “Highly recommended for driver devs”.

Look a little deeper into the changelog, though, and you’ll find this: “Added initial support for DirectX 12 and OSX IOSurfaces. Use at your own risk. Forward compatibility is not guaranteed.”

That should mean that developers are able to start testing their VR content on Apple’s operating system, though Valve’s precautions in wording should be taken to heart. Forward compatibility here likely means that any apps developers do get running on OSX may not work with future versions of the SDK.

VR support on Mac has been a tricky subject over the past few years. While early development kits for the Oculus Rift were compatible with the platform, the consumer edition of the device does not support it. In the past the company has explained that Macs don’t target the high-end components needed for a good VR experience. We’ve seen more powerful machines coming from Apple in recent months, though at the same time Oculus CTO John Carmack earlier this month joked that he wasn’t a Mac user unless “under duress” during his time on the stand in the ZeniMax/Oculus trial.

Could Mac’s barren days of VR soon be nearing? Perhaps, but Apple has shown far more interest in augmented reality (AR) than it has VR over the past year, particularly following the success of Pokemon GO. Perhaps 2017 will hold a new Apple device that’s better suited to running the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Valve also said that support for the Linux OS is on the way, but no sign of that yet.

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