Category: Vive Wave

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‘Vive Video’ Gets 2.0 Update, Partners with Vimeo to Offer Curated Video Selection

HTC Creative Labs’s free native VR video player has received an upgrade with a new browser interface. The team has also partnered with Vimeo, offering a curated selection of streamable VR video content.

Explained in a post on the official Vive blog, which also covers the major CES announcements of the Vive Pro and Wireless Adaptor, Vive Video’s 2.0 update aims to solve “the discovery and acquisition problem for VR video content by delivering a large catalog of high quality streaming video directly to VR headsets.”

New features and UI upgrades include a mini-browser interface that allows catalog access without leaving the current video, subtitle and audio track selection for local videos, and the ability to change the viewing environment.

In addition, Vive Video has a new partnership with open video platform Vimeo, offering a “curated selection of Vimeo content will be made available to browse and view in a highly optimized native VR experiences within Vive Video-compatible headsets.”

“Whether we’re building our own tools in-house or partnering with other innovative platforms, Vimeo is committed to the future of storytelling and finding new ways to support our creators,” said Christophe Gillet, GM of Vimeo’s Creator Platform. “Not only does the integration with Vive Video showcase some of Vimeo’s highest quality, human-curated content within the VR experience, but it also gives those creators an exciting new way to expose their work and engage with audiences.”

Vive Video launched a year ago with support for 2D, 3D, 180˚ and 360˚ content, and is currently available for the Vive headset via Viveport or Steam, and for Google Daydream devices via the Daydream Store. It is also coming to Vive Wave, HTC’s open platform and toolset for mobile VR devices.

The post ‘Vive Video’ Gets 2.0 Update, Partners with Vimeo to Offer Curated Video Selection appeared first on Road to VR.

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The new Pico Neo Standalone Headset is Vive Wave Compatible

Just before Christmas VRFocus reported on Chinese virtual reality (VR) headset manufacturer Pico finally making its consumer focused Pico Goblin head-mounted display (HMD) available for purchase. The company isn’t stopping there however, as its original Pico Neo headset is getting a makeover for 2018, incorporating the six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) standalone into the Vive Wave platform.

Pico Neo new

While the Pico Goblin is more your entry-level consumer version, packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU, the Pico Neo comes supplied with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835, 4GB High-Speed RAM and SD support to 128 GB. As for screen specs the Pico Neo features 2 x 3.5 inch LCD displays – each with 1440 x 1600 screen resolution – and a 90Hz refresh rate.

Being part of Vive Wave the Pico Neo features some similarities to HTC’s upcoming standalone headset, the Vive Focus. So Pico’s HMD will include dual cameras for the WorldSense inside-out tracking system, so the headset will include 6DoF tracking as well as the controllers, depending on which version so purchase.

HTC’s Alvin Wang Graylin revealed on Twitter that Pico Neo will be sold in a consumer version with a singular 3DoF controller for 3999 RMB. A business version will be sold at 5299 RMB which will include two 6DoF controllers. At present Pico has only confirmed pre-order availability in China, with headsets expected to ship towards the end of January 2018.

In terms of content, unlike the Pico Goblin which developers have to specifically design for, Pico Neo customers will have access to the Vive Wave platform and all the Vive Focus compatible software available. That’ll mean that customers will be able to purchase videogames through Viveport and the Pico Store.

As yet there’s been no confirmation of a western release date but it certainly seems on the cards. On Pico’s website the headset is listed at $749 USD to pre-order, clicking the link brings up a separate window for interested customers to submit their details. As further details on the Pico Neo are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.

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Pico Neo VR: Autarke VR-Brille mit 6DOF, 3K und Vive Wave [Update]

Der China-Präsident von Vive – Alvin Wang Graylin – bestätigt in einem Tweet die Software-Plattform der Pico Neo VR: Als erster Fremdhersteller setzt Pico auf das offene Vive Wave sowie den Store Viveport. Damit wird das Headset ein ganzes Stück interessanter, denn die Consumer-Brille Pico Goblin setzt noch auf einen eigenen Store. Und der ist mit seinen rund 70 Apps sowohl qualitativ wie quantitativ derzeit nicht besonders gut aufgestellt. Die Neuauflage der Pico Neo erhält mit 3K Auflösung 6DOF-Controllern ein mächtiges Update. Durch die Zusammenarbeit mit HTC wird die VR-Brille auf die gleiche Software-Auswahl wie die Vive Focus zugreifen können.

Originalmeldung vom 17. Dezember 2017:

Pico Technology, ein Hersteller von VR-Brillen aus China, hat nun ein neues Produkt vorgestellt, das er als Pico Neo VR bezeichnet. Die autarke Brille kommt ohne eine Verbindung zu einem PC oder einem Smartphone aus und ist mit zwei 6DoF (6 Freiheitsgrade) Motion Controllern ausgestattet.

Pico Neo VR mit 6DOF

Pico Neo CV 1

Das neue Virtual Reality HMD von Pico besitzt zwei Kameras für das Inside-Out Tracking und ein Snapdragon 835 sorgt für die nötige Rechenleistung. Außerdem sind 4 Gigabyte Arbeitsspeicher verbaut und zwei 3,5 Zoll AMOLED-Displays (Achtung: Auf der Webseite spricht der Hersteller teilweise nur von LCD Panels. Laut unseren Informationen sollen es bei uns aber AMOLED Panels sein), welche jeweils auf eine Auflösung von 1440 x 1600 Pixel bei 90 Hz kommen und somit mt der Vive Focus auf Augenhöhe liegt. Wie die Spezifikationen schon erahnen lassen, handelt es sich bei der Brille um ein hochwertiges Produkt und dementsprechend ist auch der Preis höher angesetzt, als wir es von Pico erwartet hätten. 750 Euro müssen Kunden auf den Tisch legen und aktuell ist noch nicht bekannt, auf welchen Store die Pico Neo VR in den westlichen Regionen setzen wird.

Pico Neo CV 2

Die Pico Neo VR Brille könnt ihr jetzt für 749 Euro auf der Webseite des Herstellers vorbestellen. In China wird Pico auch eine abgespeckte und billigere Version der Brille anbieten, doch diese wird es wohl nicht in weitere Regionen schaffen.

Der Beitrag Pico Neo VR: Autarke VR-Brille mit 6DOF, 3K und Vive Wave [Update] zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Get Up Close With The Vive Focus

An ongoing theme, in terms of the development of virtual reality (VR) hardware throughout 2017 so far, has been the ongoing push towards head mounted displays (HMDSs) without any form of physical tethering to a console unit or computer. We’ve seen this in the continue development and push for conversion devices such as TPCAST; a wireless solution initially for the HTC Vive that developed out of the Vive X Accelerator in 2016 and that is now working on a similar wireless support module for the Oculus Rift HMD. Likewise Oculus themselves now have two lines of development: The Santa Cruz headset, which was first revealed in a very basic but workable form at Oculus Connect 3 in 2016 and the Oculus Go standalone HMD that was revealed (along with an update on the Santa Cruz) at Oculus Connect 4.

Now, after last night at the HTC Vive Conference 2017 in China, we’ve had our first glimpse of the HTC Vive Focus. Revealed by HTC President Alvin Graylin, the Focus marks the first of two standalone devices for the company with the Focus being for the Chinese market specifically. A variation of the Focus, which HTC confirmed to VRFocus would be “similar” is also in production for the European, North American and potentially other global markets and is rumoured to be called the HTC Vive Eclipse, based on reports relating to trademarks for the name made by HTC throughout the world. There has though been no official confirmation of this as of yet, though Eclipse or not a press release earlier today did indicate the Focus itself would be coming westwards.

The HTC Vive Focus was one of a series of announcements, another being the introduction of several new packages for its Viveport subscription service, whilst the Vive Focus itself will be utilising Vive Wave: a new open VR platform by the company.

HTC has now made available a video showing the headset in better detail on the Chinese video hosting service Youku and you can find it below, along with a selection of other images released by the company on their website. The push towards a wireless, standalone future is set to continue throughout 2018 and when we have more information about it and the forthcoming announcement from HTC, then VRFocus will, of course, let you know.

 

HTC Vive Focus headset
HTC Vive Focus headset
HTC Vive Focus headset
HTC Vive Focus headset
HTC Vive Focus - Lifestyle Screenshot
HTC Vive Focus - Lifestyle Screenshot
HTC Vive Focus animated GIF
HTC Vive Focus animated GIF

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HTC Partners with Unity for One-Click Vive Focus Publishing on Viveport

HTC has delivered a comprehensive Vive Focus proposition for developers, and the contribution to on-boarding new content continues with a newly announced partnership with Unity Technologies. The Unity engine will incorporate a one-click solution for publishing on Viveport, targeted at Vive Focus content but also including PC-based head-mounted displays (HMDs).

HTC Vive Focus headset

The Vive Focus was announced late last night and represents HTC’s first step into the standalone HMD market. The Vive Focus does not require tethering to a PC, nor external cameras or the mounting a smartphone handset within the unit. Instead, the Vive Focus contains all hardware required for a virtual reality (VR) experience within the HMD itself.

Designed to be a lightweight, easily portable VR HMD, the Vive Focus features an AMOLED display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. The HMD also features inside-out tracking with six degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) head-tracking and a 3DoF controller.

The partnership with Unity Technologies will allow software developers creating content that takes advantage of the Vive Focus platform an easier path to distribution. Unity will integrate Viveport into its content platform and also integrate Vive’s in-app payment and VR advertisement functions into its development system, with an initial focus on the China market.

Additionally, Unity will provide an ‘intuitive’ way for developers to utilise the newly announced Vive Wave VR SDK. Vive Wave is an open platform designed to unify the various mobile HMDs currently available as soon to launch in China, which at present includes support from the likes of Pimax, Pico, Coocaa, 360QIKU, Thundercomm, Idealens and Nubia.

Vive Wave - Logo

No release date nor price point has yet been announced for the Vive Focus HMD in China, however it is currently believed that the device will be shipping to developers in the very near future.

Furthermore no details on its western counterpart, believed to be known as the Vive Eclipse, have yet been revealed. Google has confirmed that the HMD will no longer support the Google Daydream platform, however exactly what distribution platform the HMD will use is not yet known. VRFocus has contacted HTC for further information on the western launch of a Vive standalone HMD and will continue to keep you updated with all the latest information.

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HTC Aims to Create a ‘Mobile OpenVR’ in China with Vive Wave VR Platform

On stage at Vive Developer Conference in Beijing, HTC today unveiled their upcoming standalone VR headset, Vive Focus. While HTC is only releasing the headset in China, and not in the West as previously announced, the company is using Vive Focus as the impetus for its own mobile VR platform that aims to resolve what HTC calls a “highly fragmented” mobile VR market in China, and become a common platform and storefront across disparate hardware vendors.

Vive Wave essentially does for mobile VR what Valve’s OpenVR does for desktop; it allows a large range of third-party devices onto what HTC describes as an “open” platform and serves up Viveport VR content all under one roof. It’s a pretty bold step by the company to do for China what Google is trying to do for the West with Daydream, and it seems the scale is much larger in scope given the number of partners already on board and the types of headsets capable of entry.

HTC has already signed up twelve hardware partners in China that will support Vive Wave and integrate Viveport content into their future products, including 360QIKU, Baofengmojing, Coocaa, EmdoorVR, Idealens, iQIYI, Juhaokan, Nubia, Pico, Pimax, Quanta and Thundercomm.

Image courtesy HTC

Vive Wave is said to be an open platform and toolset that will make mobile VR content development easy and also allow high-performance device optimization for third-party partners. HTC says the Vive Wave VR SDK offers an open interface enabling interoperability between numerous mobile VR headsets and accessories. These accessories could include Leap Motion, VR input gloves, 6DoF controllers and even eye-tracking solutions if manufacturers are so willing, Engadget reports.

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HTC Scraps Plans to Bring Daydream-based Vive Focus to Western Markets

According to the report, China-based developers were told they can port their HTC Vive content to Vive Wave with the choice of either adopting 3DoF controller input or by supporting 6DoF input with “additional accessories.” HTC Vive’s Associate Vice President Raymond Pao said that existing Daydream and Samsung Gear VR content could even take less than a week to port to Vive Wave, a process that the company says will be easier for developers using Unity thanks to the new one-click process to publish to Viveport.

The basic list of compatible mobile headset types is fairly wide, encompassing smartphones that slot-in to a separate headset, smartphones tethered to the headset via cable with single or dual panels, or a standalone headset with single or dual panels. The company boasts support for multiple CPU architectures, although it’s admittedly optimized for Qualcomm Snapdragon. The stipulation for entry is Android 7.1 and higher.

Hardware manufacturers haven’t been so cavalier in the West with mobile VR headsets, so a ‘OpenVR for mobile’ isn’t as plainly necessary here as it is in China. While Western crowds won’t likely ever see Vive Wave, it’s certainly an interesting experiment to follow along with.

The post HTC Aims to Create a ‘Mobile OpenVR’ in China with Vive Wave VR Platform appeared first on Road to VR.

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Viveport and Vive Wave Seeking New Content Creators

The Vive Developers Conference currently taking place in Beijing, China has already seen the announcement of some bits of interesting news, such as the first glimpse of the standalone HTC Vive Focus headset, and the launch of the Vive Wave open content platform. Also announced during the event was news that HTC Vive was seeking new developers to work on content for Viveport and the newly announced Vive Wave.

During a presentation detailing the work done by Vive Studios, it was revealed that developers had the opportunity to get hold of a development kit for the upcoming HTC Vive Focus, which would enable new developers to create content for the platform.

Developers could submit a proposal to HTC Vive for access to one of the development kits, which would need to include details on the aims, history and the type of work that the developer is engaged with, so Vive Studios can determine if the potential developer is a good fit for Vive Studios.

Vive Studios provide a number of resources and guidance for start-up and smaller developers. One example of the sort of help Vive Studios can provide is localisation resources, not just to translate text and dialogue into Chinese, but also to interpret cultural touchstones into something that would be more familiar to a Chinese audience.

Developers who were in attendance at the Vive Developers Conference were given a slight advantage for accessing the HTC Vive Focus development kits on offer, since they would get priority when being considered.

Vive Studios are hoping that this project will continue to bring fresh and innovative new content to the existing Viveport platform and the Vive Wave open platform.

VRFocus will continue to bring you the latest information from the Vive Developers Conference.

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HTC Vive Introduce New Vive Wave Open Platform

At the Vive Developers Conference in Beijing, one big announcement has already come to light, with the reveal of the HTC Vive Focus standalone headset. Alongside that reveal was the news that it would be supported by a new open platform called Vive Wave.

The purpose of Vive Wave was to provide a unified interface and set of tools for developers to provide content for the HTC Vive Focus, as well as other mobile virtual reality (VR) devices. HTC are hoping that this open platform will prevent the fragmentation of VR standards, and and as such are integrating the existing Viveport platform into Vive Wave.

Twelve Chinese hardware partners have already signed on to provide support for Vive Wave, featuring names such as 360QIKU, Coocaa, Thundercomm, Idealens, Nubia, Pimax and Pico, many of which have produced their own VR hardware, such as Pico and Pimax. Therefore it seems likely that those companies intent to integrate Vive Wave into their hardware.

HTC Vive report it is concerned by the continuing fragmentation of the VR market, particularly in China. Scattering VR content across a great number of digital storefronts and apps increases friction and means consumers are split amongst multiple hardware vendors, making content harder to access for many. With over 35 content creators, based in China and across the world, involved in creating content for Vive Wave, HTC seems to be banking on the open platform unifying VR.

The Vive Focus itself is designed to be a lightweight, easily portable VR option. Offering a AMOLED display, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and featuring inside-out tracking with 6 degrees-of-freedom, as well as content on Vive Wave and the existing Viveport platform.

VRFocus will continue to bring you news on Vive Wave and the HTC Vive Focus as it becomes available.