unboxing – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

October 27, 2020

PlayStation 5 Unboxing: Sneak Peek At The Next-Generation Of Console Gaming

The moment is finally (almost) here! The PlayStation 5 is just a couple of weeks away, but we’ve already got our hands on one provided by Sony. In the video and photos below we’ve unboxed the PS5 and have lots of details about how it looks and feels, as well as what the new DualSense PS5 controller is like.

We even got to try some of Astro’s Playroom, the non-VR pre-installed free sequel game to excellent PSVR exclusive Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. For more specific details on the controller and what we think about its implications for VR, check out this article here.

Enjoy the full unboxing video here:

First up, a few notes. If you’re reading this near the time it was published then that means we’re still under embargo. We can’t show you any games running on the system, other than a small section of the non-VR Astro Bot sequel, Astro’s Playroom, which you can see in the video above. Plus, we can’t even turn the thing on in any videos or photos. This is an unboxing only situation.

PlayStation 5 Unboxing

The box itself is surprisingly economical with very little waste and everything appears to be biodegradable, which is nice. Inside the larger box is a small, horizontal box that has the power cord, HDMI cord, USB-C cord for charging and syncing the controller, and the stand used to lay the console on its side. If you lay it down without the stand it’s quite wobbly, so the stand helps it stay firmly in place.

Also there’s a little thing called the DualSense PS5 controller in this smaller box within a box. We’ll go over that more later and in this separate hands-on impressions article.

Enjoy this gallery of photos for some looks at the PS5 console. We’re not allowed to show you what it looks like turned on yet or give any impressions about the hardware itself, so pictures will have to do for now:

ps5 playstation 5 dualsense controller console

ps5 playstation 5 console unboxing ps4 pro size comparison

At the bottom of the box is the enormous PS5 console itself. It’s very heavy and thick. The back has two USB ports, an HDMI port, power cord connection, and Ethernet port. That’s it! No PS Camera port at all, instead you’ll have to get an adapter. We still don’t even have one ourselves for Sony, but we’re going to assume it’s a USB converter plug of some kind.

The front of the console has a USB port, USB-C port, eject button, and power button. We only have our hands on the actual disc version of the PS5, not the digital edition without a disc drive so we’re not sure what they did with the spot where the reset button is on that one.

Visually, you probably either love it or hate it. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of middle ground. I’m not a big fan of it personally, if for no reason other than it’s obnoxious to look at, sticks out like a sore thumb, and does not easily blend in with or fit inside of entertainment centers. That being said, it matches the PSVR headset very well stylistically which is pretty neat.

DualSense PS5 Controller

We’ll keep this section brief because, as stated, we’ve got a whole separate article breaking down our thoughts on the PS5 DualSense Controller what it could mean for the future of haptics in VR controllers.

The design is quite different from what we’ve seen over the past 20+ years. The DualShock 1-4 all have very similar designs with little variation, so the DualSense is a pretty major departure. Notably, the hand grips have edges now and are more angular rather than being rounded like in previous controller iterations.

However the biggest change is the inclusion of what’s known as the adaptive triggers and a very precise reactive rumble feature. The adaptive triggers work by changing how much resistance is presented based on what you’re doing in a game. The best example I’ve seen so far is in the Cooling Springs level of Astro’s Playroom, which you can see a little bit of in the video up above. When you take the form of this springy robot, you pull down on the trigger to charge it up then release to launch. When pressing it down I can feel the increased resistance. It’s hard to describe, but feels amazing in practice.

Another example is how the haptics work. Depending on what I’m doing or what I’m walking on, the controllers actually has micro-vibrations in really precise ways that change the texture of the feedback. I can imagine this sort of things being used to really increase immersion in VR games with motion controllers.

ps5 playstation 5 dualsense controller console port

ps5 playstation 5 dualsense controller console face buttons

ps5 playstation 5 console unboxing dualsense controller

ps5 playstation 5 dualsense controller console d-pad

Stay tuned here at UploadVR for more PS5 coverage over the coming weeks. We haven’t gotten the chance to try PSVR with PS5 yet, but we’ll have plenty of footage and impressions as soon as we are able to share.

Let us know if you have any questions down in the comments below!

March 1, 2020

VR Power Review: Fixing The Oculus Quest Weight Problems And Extending Battery Life

Twenty minutes.

That’s the longest I’ve ever been able to wear an Oculus Quest before ripping it off my head in pain. If I’m being honest, I hated using my Quest because it was so uncomfortable. It sat next to my bed for months, the controllers and charger tucked away on my headboard shelf. But while I hated the Quest, I did appreciate and love the concept of what it was, and what it meant for VR.

The VR Power is a 10,000mAh battery that weighs 9.7 ounces (roughly 0.61 pounds), providing not only a better battery life, but also acting as a counterweight for the Oculus Quest. Some people have concerns that the battery will “overheat and explode” or “break your neck,” but after extensive testing, I can confirm that never happened. If anything, the VR Power makes the Quest feel like a more appropriate weight, as it doesn’t allow the headset to tip forward on your face.

VR Power: What’s In The Box

The box comes with the battery pack, two cable management clips, and a short USB-C to USB-C cable to connect from the VR Power to the USB-C port on the side of the Quest. The cable management clips are attached with velcro-style fasteners; they fit and fasten perfectly, so there’s no need to worry about it getting caught on your hair. Getting the USB-C cable into the clips requires a bit of force, but once they’re in place, it fits securely. The straps that fasten the VR Power to the bottom of the head strap are also perfectly measured, and never irritated the back of the head, or got caught on my hair.

VR Power’s power button in the center also acts as a battery indicator. Going counterclockwise, quadrants will turn off to signify a loss in 25% of battery life per quadrant respectively. It has three USB-C ports on the top: from left to right, a 1 Amp port that can be used to charge other accessories, a 3 Amp port to charge the Quest, and the charging port for the VR Power itself. By having the shorter cable hooked up in the middle port, you can use your Oculus Quest charger in the far right port to charge both at the same time.The battery pack was delivered with about 75% charge, and my Quest was completely dead, so I charged them overnight before conducting the review.

Nine hours, twenty one minutes, and thirty six seconds.

That’s how long I spent in an Oculus Quest in a single day. I know it was exactly this long because I used multiple timers to record my exact play time. Over nine hours is a long time. Most people don’t even get to sleep for that long. You could fly from London to Boston and still have time to spare. You could watch The Hateful Eight three times. But with a fully charged VR Power and Oculus Quest, I was able to enjoy that much time in virtual reality.

VR Power ports — The port covers are each clearly labeled: Output 1 Amp, Output 3 Amp, and Input.

Testing The Battery

I made sure to test it for that long because Rebuff Reality claimed that the VR Power would give users up to eight hours of gaming, and up to ten hours of streaming (if using a fully-charged Quest).

Disclaimer: We do not advise anyone to be in VR for extended periods of time. Moderation is key, as-is taking breaks regularly. If you begin to feel sick in VR, remove the headset and take a break. For more information on how to overcome VR motion sickness, click here.

To test the lofty battery life claims, I decided to do a mixture of both VR gaming and video streaming. I started off with playing A Fisherman’s Tale, which took me roughly three and a half hours. After that, I watched a few episodes of Arrested Development on Netflix, and then dragged our News Writer, Harry Baker, into the experiment for some help. Around the seven hour mark of my testing, Harry set up a custom room in Bigscreen, where we looked through his Spotify playlists via Virtual Desktop, and played a few rounds of Pictionary using Bigscreen’s 3D drawing tool.

After saying goodbye to Harry and being grateful for the brief interaction with another human, I fired up I Expect You To Die. I tried to close out the test with Gun Club VR, but I was so exhausted at that point, I went back to Netflix after 20 minutes.

Analyzing The Effects

While I started to fade mentally from being in VR for that long, I wasn’t in a lot of physical pain. Roughly at the five hour mark was when my forehead started to hurt on one side. I had to readjust the straps a couple times, but was able to get back to it without issue. At the end of the nine and a half hour test, I had a very small headache. Dismissible, even. It went away within half an hour.

For those of you who have the same issues I did with the Oculus Quest (the headset being incredibly front heavy, pinching the nose, squishing the face), the VR Power does a fantastic job of evenly distributing the weight. If anything, I felt my Oculus Quest was lighter. I never felt like it wasn’t secure, either. I stress-tested the stability by skipping around outside, jumping, headbanging, and running. Not once did it feel like it was going to fly off, or have the straps come undone.

To test out how it held up during high motion activity, I played a handful of OhShape rounds. If you’re unfamiliar with OhShape, it’s a fusion of Beat Saber and Tetris (but with your body instead of blocks). I was surprised at how much of a workout it actually was! The game has you lifting your arms, doing squats, moving from side to side, punching, and catching objects. It may seem like an easy concept, but the way the game has you move your body really uses your body’s weight for a good workout. You can check out our full review here.

VR Power weight — The VR Power weighs 9.7oz / 275g. The unit was weighed several times on different surfaces to ensure accuracy.

The main issue with the Oculus Quest for me is that the headstrap does not sit low enough on the back of my head. While the VR Power doesn’t drastically fix this, it keeps the headset in place, and the weight is perfect for lifting the pressure off my face. I was a bit worried that playing OhShape would call for me having to adjust the headset several times, but it stayed securely in place. It didn’t slide from side to side, or scoot up on my head. I know I need to be more active and do some exercising. Now that I’ve tried OhShape with the VR Power, I’m actually motivated to do so.

While it’s understandable to assume having a battery pack attached to the back of your skull is going to cause some temperature issues, the VR Power never seemed to get hot. Using it for nearly nine and a half hours straight, I didn’t feel I was in any danger of it exploding, and I never felt its temperature rise. After entirely depleting the battery, I timed the total charge time to full, which is indicated by a solid, lit up circle around the power button.

The charge was rather slow, clocking in at about six hours and five minutes using the Oculus Quest power adapter and charge cable. This may seem frustrating for some, and it was for me at first, but I suspect it charges slow for a specific reason. Although this is just a theory (and I’ve only done a single complete 0% to 100% charge), I feel it charges slow to not build up any unnecessary heat, and preserve the overall life of the battery. Realistically, I’m not sure how many times users would fully deplete to the degree I did for the review and do a complete charge.

VR Power Review: Final Verdict

4/5 Stars | Really Good

The only downside we could find with the VR Power is that it isn’t compatible with Oculus Link. When I asked Rebuff Reality about this, they let me know that, “VR Power is optimized based on Oculus Link charging specifications, however, it is not able to pass through data from your computer to the Oculus Quest.” This means that you can’t use the VR Power as a battery device while you’re using Oculus Link, but you can still keep it attached to use as a counterweight for comfort.

The battery life claims made by Rebuff Reality are true, it’s easy to install, and it makes the Oculus Quest not only wearable for me, but actually comfortable. For people who want more battery life out of the Quest, or want more comfort for long hours of playing and developing, the VR Power is easily one of the best Oculus Quest accessories on the market.

This review was conducted with a VR Power unit provided by Rebuff Reality. For more information about how we arrived at this score, check out our review guidelines.

The post VR Power Review: Fixing The Oculus Quest Weight Problems And Extending Battery Life appeared first on UploadVR.

April 27, 2018

Unboxing The HTC Vive Pro

Revealed back at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018, the HTC Vive Pro has now started making its way into the hands on excited users, keen to experience all the new features. VRFocus’ Nina Salomons got hands on with the HTC Vive Pro and put an unboxing video together.

HTC Vive Pro

The HTC Vive Pro is designed to be an optional upgrade for users and does not replace the original head-mounted display (HMD) which is still currently available. The HTC Vive Pro’s main upgrades include the two OLED display with a resolution of 2880 x 1600 which is a 78 percent increase from the original HTC Vive’s 2160 x 1200. Integrated speakers are included for the first time along with a smaller, more lightweight form factor designed for longer use and easier adjustment for different head sizes.

In the unboxing video, Nina opens up the HTC Vive Pro HMD along with the link box which has had a redesign for this new version. The controllers and the base station are sold separately however a starter pack option is available for the HTC Vive Pro will includes the HTC Vive Pro HMD along with two Vive 1.0 controllers and two 1.0 base stations. This starter pack will cost $1099 (USD)/£1048 (GBP) with the HTC Vive Pro costing $799 (USD)/£799 (GBP) separately.

HTC Vive Pro 2.0 Kit

One of the many elements that are points out in the below unboxing video is that lack of light that the HMD lets in. This means that users will become more immersed in the experience as the chance of seeing the floor or surrounding area reduced greatly. This works with the new form factor to ensure that users find the HMD more comfortable and use it for longer periods of time thanks to the reduce weight and smaller size.

VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce got hands-on with the HTC Vive Pro at CES 2018 saying: “The Vive Pro is essentially a small update to the HTC Vive, but in the areas that actually really matter. It’s hard to say anything discouraging about the changes to the HMD as they are all for the better – some more so than others – and to many of VR’s early-adopters will be seen as the right step forward for Vive to be making.”

For more on the HTC Vive Pro in the future keep reading VRFocus.

January 15, 2018

Unboxing the TPCast: Go into VR, Untethered

Since virtual reality’s (VR) inception, quite possibly the biggest hinderance to full immersion has been feeling cables droop down your back, or trail across the floor. When in a seemingly unlimited VR world, it cruelly reminds us of the limitations of VR. Well, with the new TPCast, all of those annoying cables and wires can be a thing of the past.

TPCast_picture[1]

In the video below, Nina goes through everything you’ll find included in the TPCast set, featuring an Anker PowerCore to help keep everything powered even while moving about, a TPCast powerbox, a TPCast transmitter, and a TPCast receiver. Under all of that is a high-speed router to ensure that your connection is as fast and as low-latency as possible, while wireless. For a good look at everything included, make sure to take a look at our video below.

For what is a wireless, untethered experience, you do need a surprising amount of cables and wires – but of course, the whole point is that these cables are tucked away neatly behind your PC or under your desk, and not attached to your head while exploring the virtual world.

It’s fragile kit, so it’s a good thing you’ll find a consumer warranty in the box, along with a bunch of other user documents, such as safety manuals and user guides.

TPCast’s CEO Michael Liu has said; “TPCast is committed to supporting the Oculus Rift headset with our unique wireless technology solutions, and provide VR users a high quality, immersive VR encounter. With the TPCast wireless adapter, we will be changing the VR usage and experience by providing the complete freedom of movement with no cables attached.” You can pre-order the TPCast now in Europe.

TPCast aren’t just focused on providing wireless VR, they’re also hard at work alongside Huawei to develop a 5G Cloud Rendering solution; yet another piece of technology that will require low-latency and high internet speeds.

We will have all of the details you need on the TPCast and the untethered VR experience very soon, so for everything Oculus Rift and beyond, make sure to keep reading VRFocus.

October 28, 2017

HP Microsoft Mixed Reality Headset & Controllers Unboxing Video

Holiday season is almost upon us and fthose of you who have want to purchase a Christmas gift may be considering of buying one of Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Headsets. If you need a quick run-down of the latest mixed reality (MR) headsets available from Microsoft, check out VRFocus’s rundown here. Since then, Microsoft announced a fall update, and VRFocus expect more developers to support the MR headsets. In short, expect more videogames, applications and experiences coming to Microsoft’s platform. Just a quick note that for gamers who aren’t sure about the headsets, Microsoft’s MR headsets will support SteamVR as well as support social virtual reality (VR) application AltSpace VR.

In the video below Dr. John Holder, Head of Technology & Special Projects of VR from the Realities Centre, unboxes HP’s Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Headset and controllers. The HP MR headset came in its own box and the two controllers in their own separate box. John goes through the weight of the headset, the comfort, wires, the controllers and the potential ability to hack into the controllers.

VRFocus will also be creating a set-up guide on how to install a Microsoft MR headset onto a Windows laptop. Stay tuned and subscribe to learn more about Microsoft’s latest MR headsets.

February 22, 2017

Nintendo serves up an appetizer for Switch console with unboxing video

Nintendo has released the official Switch unboxing video featuring Nintendo Minute's Kit and Krysta, and it's making the wait to get our hands on the console even more unbearable than it already was.

The post Nintendo serves up an appetizer for Switch console with unboxing video appeared first on Digital Trends.

November 10, 2016

Daydream View Unboxing: Here’s Everything Inside

Today mobile VR takes another step forward with the launch of Google’s Daydream ecosystem. This new platform is set to work with a range of phones and headsets, but for now it’s only compatible with the company’s own Pixel phones and the Daydream View headset, which also launched today.

There are a couple of things that separate Daydream View from a Gear VR, namely the controller and the lighter, smaller design. That means it comes in a tiny little box, too, but there are enough components for us to put together a few images for an unboxing, just in case you’re wondering what it’s like to pry open a headset on launch day. It’s not launch day without an unboxing, right?

As you can see in the pictures above, Daydream View also comes with the first Daydream Controller and a wrist-strap for it (which is very, very annoying to thread through the bottom of the device). Somewhat disappointingly, it doesn’t seem to come with an extra USB type-C cable to charge the controller (unless it was hidden away somewhere in the many compartments I ripped apart), though you’ll find two inside the Pixel box so it’s not really a big issue.

Oh and, for the record, these pictures were all taken with the Pixel smartphone that then went inside the headset. Inception!

There are quite a lot of free and premium apps joining Daydream on day one, far more than the company originally advertised. You can expect even more content over the next few weeks and months in the build up to Christmas, and many more still in the new year.

What questions do you have about the headset and its games? Let us know in the comments and we’ll make sure to answer them.

October 11, 2016

Learn How to Setup Your PlayStation VR Quickly With Sony’s Handy Video Guides

For the most part, PlayStation VR is pretty easy to set up. There are some tricky wires to handle and space requirements to clear, though, which Sony detailed in a new video series below.

The company released this quick and easy three part series today so that players can get up and running ASAP when the kit launches on Thursday. Part one gives you a virtual unboxing (if you hadn’t already watched enough real ones,) part two shows you what to actually do with the things you’ll find inside, while the third and final part tells you how to setup your play area so that it’s both safe and suitable. We really think this all could have been one combined video, but then again our attention spans are very…

Uh, where were we? Anyway, once you’ve completed these steps you’ll be good to finally dive into VR. It’s the end of a long chapter in the headset’s history, having originally been revealed all the way back in March 2014 under the code name of Project Morpheus. It arrives on October 13th with an impressive launch line-up including the likes of Battlezone, Here They Lie, and Job Simulator. If you’re having trouble choosing what to get, check out our 50 Days Of PlayStation VR countdown where we’ve highlighted one game a day. Just three days left to go!

You should also be sure to check out our full review of the headset, complete with our assessment of the hardware, design, and tracking. We’ll have plenty more PS VR coverage going forward, so stay tuned. There are also plenty of PS VR games we’ve already reviewed here with even more coming soon.

Anyone that’s used a Rift or Vive should have no problem, but if you’ve always been a console gamer, it may be worth taking a few minutes to look over these videos just to avoid any surprises on launch day later this week.

September 30, 2016

Category: unboxing