ZEISS, the German optical systems manufacturer, announced it’s acquired majority share of the joint venture Tooz Technologies, an AR/VR optics creator founded by Zeiss and Deutsche Telekom in 2018.
Zeiss and Deutsche Telekom previously had an even 50% stake in Tooz, which has functioned as a sort of AR optics skunkworks for the companies. Zeiss is now sole owner of the startup.
Zeiss says Tooz will continue to exist independently as it focuses on serial production and visual correction in its imaging systems, further calling Tooz its “AR/VR competence center.”
Image courtesy Tooz Technologies, ZEISS Group
Today, Tooz principally creates smart lenses that integrate curved, reflective waveguides and “invisible” combiners that can also be sandwiched into a vision correction layer.
“In the future, tooz will also equip optical systems from other manufacturers of AR/VR optics with prescription lenses to place products with an integrated prescription on the global markets,” the company say in a press statement.
“tooz covers specific competencies and technologies for design, engineering and manufacturing processes, which complement the existing capabilities at ZEISS quite well,” says Gerrit Schulte, Head of Zeiss Ventures. “tooz will benefit in particular from production and process know-how and the significant experience in the approval of medical optics, and is slated to be better positioned on the international market in the future.”
While Zeiss isn’t a household name is VR or AR headsets, the Oberkochen, Germany-based company has produced a number of head-mounted devices in the past, including its Zeiss VR One Plus created in the vein of Samsung Gear VR and Carl Zeiss Cinemizer multimedia glasses. Zeiss also creates aftermarket VR prescription lenses, sold through VR Optician.
Once an attraction in sci-fi movies, virtual reality (VR) has now become a reality of today. (No pun intended.) The technology has become so accessible that you can buy an affordable VR headset, stow your smartphone in it and explore virtual worlds like you were a part of them. Here is a list of 5 VR headsets you can purchase without breaking the bank. Please note: Prices are accurate as of the end of May 2018.
Merge VR
They are made out of flexible foam for the comfort of your face when you wear them for a long time. You can conveniently use this headset with any Android or iOS-powered device. The weight is just 340 grams, and what makes them special is their shock and water resistance.
You can clean them with a piece of cloth, use left and right buttons for input, and adjust lenses according to your needs. You can find them in special offers for as low as under £50 (GBP). The Field of View (FOV) for this device is 96o.
Google Daydream 2
The second version of the Google Daydream is a huge improvement from the first iteration of these headsets that were only compatible with the Google Pixel lineup of smartphones. They weigh 261g and the main material they are made from is fabric. You place a smartphone in the headsets to make them work. The device features a homemade VR interface, which allows you to download content and apps from Google Play. You can navigate through the system while wearing your headset.
Furthermore, the VR headset can be controlled via a remote. The FOV of the Google Daydream 2 is an upgrade on the initial iteration – 100o compared to 90o. The headset is compatible with almost all Android smartphones. While the device is expensive, you can find it in some stores for under £60.
Samsung Gear VR 2
2017’s upgraded black Samsung Gear VR 2 might be a stylish VR headset but it is, perhaps surprisingly, among the heavy ones at 420g. It has a 96o FOV and easy to use control panel on the right side of the headset. It also features backward compatibility, but unfortunately it is compatible only with smartphones produced by Samsung. These too are among the more expensive VR headsets on the list but you can search for a special offer to get them for under £79.99.
iVROX
Well, it would be pretty silly not to mention ourselves now, wouldn’t it? iVROX VR headsets are also among the cool-looking ones (if we do say so ourselves) due to their stylish design. Like other headsets, the iVrox is powered by smartphones. Eye strain is minimal due to the anti-glare lens combined with a 103o field of view. The VR headset is compatible with iOS and Android, allowing you to enjoy the wide variety of apps available on the App Store and Play Store.
You can of course also access iVROX’s own VR Store. They have a design compatible with almost any smartphone, provided the screen size is between 4 and 6 inches. You can also use the Bluetooth compatible remote control for a seamless VR experience. Get your hands on great deal to get them at under £49.99.
ZEISS VR ONE Plus
The highlight of these headsets is the ZEISS optics. They are eyeglass compatible and the head strap can be removed too. VR ONE Plus supports any smartphone between the screen size of 4.7-inch to 5.5-inch. It has a nearly 100o FOV. It is made of foam that you can detach when it wears out. These headsets are among the cheaper ones that you can conveniently get them at under £79.90.
These are some of the most affordable VR headsets on the market that offer an authentic virtual reality experience without disturbing your budget. While there are many other gadgets out there, with these you get the best bang for your buck.
Beeinträchtigungen des Auges können zu massiven Einschränkungen im Alltag und der gesamten Lebensgestaltung führen. Ein Problem, dessen sich Personen ohne Sehbeeinträchtigungen meist gar nicht bewusst sind. Das deutsche Optikunternehmen Zeiss setzte sich die Aufgabe in Kooperation mit NMY, ein VR-Projekt mit der HTC Vive zu entwickeln, um mehr Verständnis für Menschen mit Sehbehinderungen zu schaffen. In der VR-Erfahrung werden die Symptome verschiedener Sehkrankheiten dank Eye-Tracking in einer virtuellen Partie Tischtennis simuliert und realistisch nachgestellt. Damit will man mehr Verständnis und Empathie gegenüber Betroffenen fördern.
Zeiss & NMY – mehr Verständnis für Sehbeeinträchtigungen
Ein gemeinsames VR-Projekt des Optikunternehmens Zeiss in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Mixed-Reality-Studio NMY soll zukünftig für mehr Verständnis und Aufmerksamkeit für Menschen mit Sehbehinderungen sorgen. Die VR-Erfahrung wurde für die HTC Vive gestaltet, um die beeinträchtigenden Krankheiten für Personen mit normaler Sehstärke nachzustellen und den Blick für Augenkrankheiten zu schärfen.
In der VR-Anwendung dürfen Nutzer eine virtuelle Runde Tischtennis unter ungewohnten Bedingungen spielen: Innerhalb der VR verändert sich das eigene Blickfeld je nach ausgewählter Augenkrankheit. Dabei werden die entsprechenden Symptome realitätsnah für den Spieler nachgestellt und er kann erleben, welche Auswirkungen die Veränderungen des Auges mit sich bringen. Dadurch kann eine einfache Alltagssituation zur unüberwindbaren Herkulesaufgabe werden. Zur Auswahl stehen die beiden Krankheiten Katarakt (Grauer Star – eine Trübung der Augenlinse) und Skotom (eine Beeinträchtigung des Gesichtsfelds bis hin zur Erblindung).
Um die Simulation zu ermöglichen, kombinierten die Entwickler die VR mit einer innovativen Eye-Tracking-Technologie von SMI. Die Blickrichtung und Position des Nutzers wird durch ein entsprechendes Tracking der Augenbewegungen innerhalb der VR-Brille kalkuliert, um eine immersive und realistische Nachempfindung der Krankheit darzustellen.
Das VR-Projekt nutzt eine spielerische Herangehensweise an ein ernstes Thema und könnte dadurch für mehr Empathie und Verständnis für die Betroffenen sorgen. Die neue VR-Erfahrung soll zukünftig neben Vorführungen außerdem als Messmittel zu Forschungszwecken für die Produktentwicklung von Zeiss Verwendung finden.
Zeiss arbeitet schon länger im VR-Bereich und bietet seit einiger Zeit mobile VR-Headsets an. Mit Zeiss VR One Connect entwickelt das traditionsreiche Unternehmen zudem eine Lösung, mit der man SteamVR-Inhalte auf das Smartphone holen können soll. Eine Veröffentlichung ist noch für dieses Frühjahr geplant.
CES 2018 is the most exciting showcase of innovative technology every year. With over 170,000 attendees and over 3,900 exhibitors, there has to be some virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) here, right? Today, VRFocus is doing a Post CES #XR event Review at the Realities Centre in London, UK bringing some of the companies together for those that couldn’t attend the main event. However if you aren’t attending the Post CES event, VRFocus has put a little recap together. From head-mounted displays (HMDs), VR platforms, VR content, 360 cameras, AR, audio, and MR to accessories to accompany new immersive technologies, you’ll find a sizable list in the run down below.
Big Announcements at Press Conferences
The HTC Vive Pro was the most exciting pre-CES announcement from HTC Vive.
Before CES even started VRFocus attended the Nvidia press event, where the company showcased its latest technology in autonomous cars. The biggest trend by far at this year’s CES, was how both VR and AR are being used to help ensure the safety of future cars, but also testing autonomous cars in environments that otherwise could not be controlled. Nvidia announced AutoSim, a VR simulator for self-driving cars as well as Drive AR, software that gives drivers information about what is around the car. All this information will be featured on the windscreen or dashboard screen. Think Google Maps on your heads-up-display (HUD).
It was HTC Vive that really stole the show that day after its initial Twitter tease of a HMD with new resolution, announcing the new HTC Vive Pro and Wireless adapter. The promise of no screen door effect and going untethered? It was a big day for VR lovers around the world. To add a cherry on top, the HTC Vive Pro will feature two microphones for noise cancellation capabilities and it’ll work with both 1.0 and 2.0 base stations.
Not exactly room-scale virtual reality, but a quick and easy access to transport users into a digital re-created world.
With the announcement of the HTC Vive Pro, Dell revealed at its press conference a partnership with HTC Vive to make it easier for consumers to get a full VR package with their desktop by allowing customers to purchase both the VR-Ready Dell Inspiron Gaming Desktop and an HTC Vive.
With no new Oculus Rift being teased or showcased, VRFocus managed to catch up with Kopin, showcasing the Elf VR headset. With a pixel density of 2,940 PPI, dual 2K resolution, 120 Hz for each eye, and a promise of smaller, lighter size and no screen door effect, Kopin is making ambitious promises for VR applications in the future. The Elf VR HMD is not yet available for consumers, but Kopin has said to keep an ear out for news just before the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2018.
Pico Interactive showcased its standalone headsets Pico Goblin and Pico Neo CV. Both headsets will be compatible with the Vive Wave platform, giving Pico customers access to 400 titles from the Vive owned store. A taster perhaps of what other standalone headsets might be such as Oculus Go and Vive Focus. The Pico Goblin is retailing for $269 USD and the Pico Neo CV can be pre-ordered for $749 on Pico’s website.
Lenovo also demonstrated its standalone device, Lenovo Mirage Solo. The headset utilises the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, has 4GB RAM, with 110-degree field-of-view (FoV). The headset also uses Google’s WorldSense technology for inside-out tracking and comes with a wireless Daydream controller. The HMD is set to be released in Q2 this year.
Zeiss VR One Connect is now also compatible with Steam VR. Supporting both iOS and Android, the Zeiss VR One will need two wireless three degrees of freedom (3DoF) controllers that are linked via Bluetooth to enjoy full VR. The Zeiss VR One Connect is set to be available at major US retailers in the spring of 2018 at $129. No details on an international launch date are currently available.
Then there was Timescope’s terminal, which wasn’t what one would call “true VR”, in the sense that it’s not room-scale, you are not able to teleport or physically pick up objects with controllers – but still a form of new VR for public spaces. From the age of seven, members of the public are able to use the Timescope terminal to then see into the past or future of certain locations. All 3D content is as historical accurate as possible, with historians and engineers that have worked hard on making the terminals suitable for everybody – including people wearing glasses.
VR Platforms, VRContent, Training and Social VR
It might become easier to start a platform when making numerous amounts of VR content, and trying to find a solution to distribute the content to their clients and audience. This seems to be exactly the case for Jaunt, Ikonospace Art and Serious Factory.
Jaunt has created the Jaunt XR platform, which gives clients an easy way to distribute large amounts of VR content. With a media manager, player engine and intelligence suite to track information of how users interact with 360 content – its biggest benefit is that it allows all 360, VR films to be distributed across various VR HMDs.
Ikonospace is a small Dutch start-up company that use VR to create virtual art exhibitions. The platform would enable any artist around the world to build, create, digitise and finally curate their own art exhibition. CEO and Co-Founder Joris Demnard, personally comes from a family that specialise in curating and putting together art exhibitions. With simple design tools, one can create a building, decorate the interior and then place their art in it.
Serious Factory have a special toolkit that enables users to create social scenarios. Think of it as directing a social space where you can control the characters interactions, facial expressions, reactions and create the perfect social training scenarios. The platform allows for full customisation of characters from ethnicity, outfit, and interactions to the 3D environment where the interactions would take place. The final scene also has a point system, which would allow recruiters to see in which category users failed in or excelled in.
Fibrum is the largest Russian developer for VR games and applications, having dipped its toes into e-sports as well as creating the Fibrum Pro HMD. Fibrum now focuses on a platform called Desirium, a mobile VR app and platform that’s similar to Jaunt’s app, where the company can host 360-degree and VR content. You can download the app on Google Play, App Store, Google Daydream or Samsung Gear VR for a free trial period now.
Make your dreary gym workout plan fun with VR, gaming and highscores.
VRFocus got into the grind of CES with Black Box VR, a new concept that combines gaming with gym workouts. Instead of getting bored at the gym, trying to make your exercise routine more interesting by listening to your ‘Gym Workout Session 1’ playlist on Spotify or attempting to enjoy the visual images on the TV screen, you’ll soon be able to dive into a HTC Vive headset (accompanied with special trackers on each arm) and carry out various work outs through Black Box VR. Several Black Box VR gyms will be opening on the West coast of the United States, to make your average gym workout more interesting.
Anybody who’s been trying to use VR for exercise will have heard of Sprint Vector, Survios’ action-packed multiplayer VR title. Survios announced several Sprint Vector tournaments and that it would be coming to various VR arcades soon, which can also be experienced in California.
Serious VR takes things very serious indeed, specialising in VR training and performance data focusing on industrial companies such as defence, metal and automotive sectors. The plan is to change manuals and e-learning into an information schedule to implement VR for training processes. The benefits of immersion that VR offers seem be very cost-effective and more efficient than conventional training for industrial companies at the moment.
French company Light and Shadows use both VR and AR to provide solutions to major industrial enterprises, having created various devices and training applications for companies that are looking for ways to train or operate in VR. With a background in 3D environments, they showcased a training simulation that combined leap motion with the HTC Vive. Using just your hands, VRFocus managed to pick up mechanical and industrial pieces in a factory.
vTime gets an audio boost with DTS custom audio technology.
All in all, VR companies exhibiting at CES showcased various platforms that wanted to be cross-platform friendly and were looking to have users create and generate their own content in order to boost their platform. For the most part, it seems like these platforms are oriented at large industrial companies looking to train staff or employees, whether it be in factories or in social situations. With it comes a lot of responsibility to create easy-to-use toolkits, quick production work flows as well as the tools to create the best immersion. For the most part, it has been HTC Vive that’s been the winner when looking at how companies are using the HMD to help introduce VR to the masses.
360 Cameras
Kodak’s three lense camera shoots 8K and will have a waterproof case to film underwater in.
There were only two cameras that really showcased what 360 VR could offer in the future. Besides Sony and Zeiss’s previously mentioned, it was Chinese company Pisoftech and Kodak that offered 8K capabilities. Lenovo also dips into VR, but uses 180 degrees instead.
Pisoftech has a background in mass surveillance and data. They decided to venture into the realm of hardware when they saw that the products their clients were making could be more efficient if they made it. The Pilot Era camera can shoot 8K and has the capability to stitch internally. In other words, no need for an external device or software to stitch for you anymore. It’s quite big as well, 61mm x 61 mm x 159mm and weighs around 565g, however it may be worth it if you don’t want the hassle of stitching your images and if you want 180 minutes of battery life. 8K comes at a huge price though, its estimated price is at £3,000 GBP, not exactly affordable for the average consumer. The product is expected to be available on Amazon in April 2018.
What Pisoftech offer in 8K internal stitching, Kodak makes up for in size. Showcasing two brand new cameras that as of yet have no name, Kodak is also dedicated to creating 8K VR footage but in stereoscopic 3D VR. The first to be shown is the three-lens 8K PixPro 360 camera that is able to film at 30 frames per second (FPS) or 4K at 60FPS, potentially even at 120FPS. A waterproof version is said to be released around the same time to enable underwater filming. Half the size of the Pilot Era camera, this camera does not offer internal stitching but is very small and could potentially last a long time if combined with external batteries.
The second camera shoots 4K 30 FPS and can fold out and do 3D stereoscopic 180 images. It was designed specifically to please the push YouTube and Google are making into 3D on their platforms. You can also tether the cameras together and make a full 360 3D unit, if you were to have three of them. When speaking to Kevin Kunze, he mentioned that the three-lens 8K camera would be $1,000-$2,000 cheaper than other 8K cameras on the market and both cameras would hopefully be coming out in Q4 this year.
Lenovo hasn’t exactly created a 360-degree camera but instead opted for the Lenovo Mirage Camera. The device enables users to capture VR video in broad 180-degrees from its two front facing lenses, which can then be viewed on the Lenovo Mirage Solo HMD (mentioned in the HMD section).
It really depends on what you’re looking for when it comes to cameras, 8K, size, weight, price or the effort of stitching. It’s interesting to note that both Lenovo and Kodak have created VR 180 degree cameras due to the push that Google have made for this content on the YouTube platform. Lenovo’s Mirage Camera for example natively integrates VR 180 images and videos onto both YouTube and Google photos.
Augmented Reality
AR was a big buzz word when it came to autonomous cars. Nvidia showcased this with their Drive AR, but it was WayRay that really got people on the show floor queuing up to have a try.
WayRay, is a Swiss developer of holographic AR navigation system for connected cars. They showcased NAVION, the world’s first ever holographic AR navigator, and the advanced version of the AR Infotainment System for cars. Placed on a dashboard, NAVION shows directions, trip details and display real-time indicators for things like pedestrians, POIs or alerting to hazards exactly where the driver needs them to be — on the road ahead — with no headgear or eye wear required. NAVION works hands-free and responds to the simple voice commands or to unique hand gestures.
Hololampon the other hand depends on interactions with your hands. Tracking individual faces, it’s able to change and alter the perspective of holograms to appear 3D. This can include anything, from food to architectural buildings. The holograms can be interacted with as well, so you can choose to change the colour of a room for example by tapping on the hologram.
AstroReality takes 3D printed objects and then uses their AR app AstroReality to help inform users about planets. AstroReality showcased how this was done by using 3D printed planets such as Mars, Earth and the Moon for example at CES. They hinted at working on other 3D printed objects and AR for other uses cases such as Dinosaurs, Rocks and other things. They’ve been very popular with astrologists, space-enthusiasts and classrooms.
uSens has not only partnered with Pico interactive on hand-tracking for mobile VR, but has managed to find a way to bring AR to almost all Android phones with the uSensAR app. uSens also announced a partnership with Chinese technology firm Spreadtrum, and uSensAR will be bringing AR camera effects to the Spreadtrum SC9853 chipset platform which will be in “hundreds of millions” of smartphones in 2018.
AiFishowcased the Wonderlens app which remarkably manages to capture individuals from their phones or tablets to anywhere they want without the need for green screen. This is all done in real-time as well, so no need for Chroma keying or masking – it’s all done on your phone or tablet. For those who aren’t filmmakers – this is remarkable and ground breaking technology at the tips of your consumer fingers and should definitely be tried (it can be argued that Wonderlens is actually MR). AiFi also showcased Holo Messenger turning you into a hologram which then gets projected in a personal video message to friends and family. Founded by former Google and Apple engineers, AiFi is currently working on the advanced checkout-free shopping experiences in the US. Apparently they’re doing Amazon Go, but on a much larger scale in US retail stores.
XXII is a French company that has taken the profits made in VR and AR and have gone into Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Its created various escape room VR experiences and have now gone into smart retail, where the system uses sensors to analyse customers. They use AR to show and explain how their smart retail AI can be used. Similar, but smaller in size to AiFi it looks like the combination of immersive technologies and A.I. are proving to be a great combination for selling products.
The feedback VRFocus was getting from exhibitors was that AR was the first step to bring VR into the mass market. AR was an easier and less drastic way of introducing the technology to consumers. The buzz around autonomous cars and AR definitely looks like a new exciting possibility for future entertainment – right there on your dashboard. Stepping into an autonomous car in the future, will possibly be like stepping into a theatre. The combining of AI with both VR and AR can be very interesting, but is just at the start. Booth AiFi and XXII are blurring the lines and we could potentially see various interesting outcomes from both companies if they were to apply it in new and exciting ways.
Audio
Can you imagine being in a busy and loud room where only you hear the sound and voices?
Audio is equal, if not more important when it comes to feeling immersed. You can hear a mistake a lot quicker than seeing a mistake. If audio doesn’t quite work the way it does in real life, it breaks the immersion for many people. Besides vTime’s partnership with DTS, Dirac and Noveto aim to help create more immersive environments for both VR and AR.
Some tech needs to be experienced first hand, VR is certainly one while Noveto’s audio tech is another. The company showcased what it called ‘virtual headphones’, named Sowlo, projecting sound into your ear like a pair of headphones. The system tracks the users’ ears as well, so even if you turn your head a certain degree, the sound and volume would stay the same. Noveto demonstrated this for a conference call and interior of car use cases, explaining that the days of ‘headphones’ would soon be over. The system works with no need for any accessories on the user at all, no headphones, cables or added accessories. It just needed you and your ears.
Swedish company Dirac launched Dirac VR last year, a 3D audio platform for VR. This year at CES Dirac showcased the next iteration of the Dirac VR platform. The audio rendering of a virtual environment showcase how the location and volume level of the audio adjusts as the head rotates with a VR headset. In other words, if you move your head, sounds bounce off the walls the same way they would if you were doing this in real life.
Noveto’s Sowlo has the potential to not only change the way users interact with audio for VR, but also for everyday use cases. It has the potential to really enable social VR and really alter the way we can experience audio as a whole. Dirac’s experience in audio means that the re-creation of environments will create more immersive and realistic sound environments. Both look very promising to enhance VR worlds through means of audio.
Mixed Reality
Being hands-free would enable health care providers to work more efficiently.
There was not too much MR that VRFocus saw on the show floor at CES. Luckily the company that did showcase MR are doing something that could revolutionise the future of public health care. Making it more efficient, quicker and potentially lifesaving.
Exelus, a French telemedicine solution company has created a comprehensible mobile diagnostic platform using Microsoft’s Hololens. Partnering with Holoforge, they’ve created Nomadeec. It’s focused on delivering and providing the most accurate information as efficiently and quickly as possible between healthcare providers. Designed for nursing homes and out-of-hospital care facilities, it would allow nurses, care assistants, night watchmen and doctors to communicate with one another. Nomadeec is currently being used in France and could be a glimpse of what future healthcare methods healthcare providers will be using in future.
The last part of this recap is dedicated to accessories that are made to enhance your VR experience or can be used by developers to help develop and create new VR content.
When it comes to untethered VR, or VR without wires and cables that attach you to a laptop or desktop, HTC Vive users can rejoice at the announcement of the HTC Vive Wireless Adapter. However TPCast are also providing another option. The TPCast 2.0, which according to TPCast will utilise the latest generation of ultra-low latency codecs and upgraded real-time data control protocol. This will allow the company to deliver high quality video with low latency and real-time transmission at a range of distances. TPCast’s General Manager for Americas Udi Yuhjtman confirms that regardless of which HTC Vive HMD you’re using (Vive or Vive Pro), you’re able to use the TPCast 2.0 for both.
Feeling and Touching in VR: Gloves and Haptic Feedback
French company Go Touch VR uses haptic feedback to create the illusion of touch, except you don’t need to wear a glove. So no matter what size your hands or fingers are, you will be able to feel haptic feedback. It’s probably important to note, that long fingernails do not work with the system. By wearing small devices at the user’s fingertips, the units provide pressure on the fingers, allowing for multiple haptic feedback sensations. The VRTouch Developer Kit began selling in October 2017 and has since sold to several companies that include BMW.
Dutch start-up company Sense Glove is also seeking to find a solution for haptic feedback. However instead of putting items on your fingers, you need to put on what looks like a very complicated exoskeleton of a glove. It not only provides haptic feedback though, but force feedback as well. This was demonstrated at CES by having users trying to crack an egg and various other circular objects. The idea is to help the user feel the shape and density of virtual objects.
BeBop Sensors showcased their newly announced BeBop Sensors Marcel Modular Data Gloves that allow for either 6 or 9 degrees of freedom with a sensor sub-frame latency at 120 Hz. The data glove uses smart fabrics, with sensors tracking force, location, size, weight, bend and twist.
TreeTech is a Dutch company that realised that PC gamers were moving to the couch with VR and Steam Link box. So they created the PO!NT Controller, a modular game controller that brings the keyboard and mouse shortcuts to a controller. TreeTech also create custom module controls, and can be approached by developer for custom experiences. They will start producing the PO!NT controller in Q3, and on the market in Q4 retailing at $149.
Jamzone is a Dutch company that’s created a videogame to help train users to learn and cope with stress. Stressjamuses a special waistband that measures heart rate variability to read your body’s state of mind. So in other words it knows when you are calm or stressed. Stressjam then takes you on a guided journey where you can only complete certain tasks by making yourself calm or stressed. Jamzone want to use it for B2B purposes and want large companies to use it to help prevent stress, burnout and depression in their employees by training them to control their stress levels in VR.
VRFocusstumbled upon the Yaw VR Motion Simulator which makes VR more like a Cinema 4D experience. The Yaw VR offers full 360 degrees swivel, tilts, shakes, spins and motions that make you feel like you’re in real life. You can pre-order the Yaw VR and it is compatible with the Gear VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive for £629 if you get an Early Bird version.
On a special note, Pico Zense, AiFi and various other companies seem to be working on depth sensing technology at CES. The ability for VR or AR headsets to recognise the location around them could change and alter the way we interact with digital objects as well as pave the way forward for mixed reality content. All in all, it’s clear that there are numerous exhibitors who are looking for new solutions to solve problems in the fields of VR and AR.
Conclusion
CES 2018 showcased untethered VR without the need to link to a PC or laptop, trying both the HTC Vive Wireless Adapter and TPCast 2.0 was very strange in the sense that the usual ‘safety net’ or umbilical cord that kept you grounded to the sense of existing reality was gone. However with Oculus’s Santa Cruz and HTC Vive’s Wireless Adapter coming to the market – TPCast may struggle to stay relevant by the end of the year. The most common trend amongst HMD manufacturers such as Kopin or Zeiss One and VR content producers such as Jaunt, Fibrum, Ikonospace or vTime was that they wanted to be cross-platform and enable user generated content. This means that users need access or full customisation to what they’re creating in VR, but also make VR a much more accessible platform. It was very refreshing to see Timescope take VR outdoors and to public places where numerous tourists, and anybody from the age of seven is able to experience a location in a new way. It just goes to show that no matter which HMD you have, it’s all about content.
With regards to 360-degree cameras the trend is looking to get higher quality resolution and bumping up the cameras to 8K. It’s then just a matter of size, prize, weight and intent. There’s a definite trend towards using 3D 180 degree cameras for YouTube and Google’s sake, as is seen in Lenovo Mirage Camera – although not many except the Lenovo Mirage Solo seem to be discussing being a platform for the 3D 180 degree video or image content that would be created with the cameras. The foldable Kodak camera seems to try and combine both stereoscopic 180-degree 3D as well as full 360-degree filming – but at what cost? Stitching is still a massive problem when it comes to creating 360 content, but is paying $3,000 worth the price for not having to stitch?
When it comes to AR, the autonomous cars were the winners. AR on the dashboard or windscreen were two of the biggest hypes at CES when Nvidia and WayRay discussed them. Not only would information become easier, but it seemed like a natural progression having all this information accessible. Within five years, it will be expected that every new vehicle should have AR integrated in it. This means that in some sense AR will have reached the general consumer population to a certain degree. uSens as well as AiFi do deserve a special mention. uSens not only showcase impressive finger tracking, but uSens AR would also bring AR to cheaper android phones – especially in China opens up the AR market to various new types of content, users and market. No longer will AR be something only iPhone users can afford, but something that is for everybody. AiFi is one to watch with regards to how they are using A.I. with AR and VR. Though Wonderlens and Holo Messenger seem like small quirky apps, the technology behind it really showcase the intelligent sensors and software created by AiFi that enable them to go into the mass smart retail market.
When it comes to audio, it’s clear that vTime is trying to address immersion through realistic audio. It’s great to see a company such as Dirac who have built custom made audio for various locations and applications intently try and create a realistic audio as possible for VR. It was however Noveto that really blew VRFocusout of the water. Not only could this revolutionise the way users interact with audio as a whole, but it would also enable various users to go into a public space without the need to wear headphones on their VR headsets to enjoy an experience. No unnecessary wires, hygiene problems or headphones that aren’t suited to your specific ear shape.
There was only one real contender that truly showcased a working platform and model that is revolutionising the healthcare industry, and that is Nomadeec. A small thing such as enabling hands-free care whilst giving real time data back to the hospital as well as being able to call a doctor regarding the patient can be life changing and perhaps even life saving for patients that need immediate care. Though Nomadeec would be implemented in large business such as care homes or out of-hospital care facilities, it’s clear to see the potential of it as Nomadeec roles out. Hopefully Nomadeec will be brought to more countries and have a quick as well as immediate positive impact on patients in need. The only barrier to entry then becomes the price as well as training of staff the use the expensive Microsoft Hololens.
And last but not least, accessories. Now it’s hard to say which glove or accessory was the best at CES. When we reached BeBop Sensors it was nice to see something that felt complete, I personally was unable to use Go Touch VR because I have long fingernails and my colleague Peter demoed the Sense Glove. However after much discussion VRFocusconcluded that when it comes to being prepared for consumers, BeBop Sensors was the closest to being ready. Go Touch VR and Sense Glove both felt like early prototypes which needed several iterations whilst BeBop Sensors was almost there, had haptics on the fingers, was small and worked for both myself and Peter who have very different hand sizes.
A personal favourite of mine was Stressjam. This was probably because of how drastic and immediate of a change was asked from me whilst at CES in my state of mind. When I came out of Stressjam, it had a similar effect to how I felt when I used Noveto’s Sowlo system. Personally, I also believe that being able to control stress is a very healthy and useful ability for a population that suffers a lot from stress, depression and other illnesses as a result of that. It would be great to see VR implemented in a healthy and fun way that is not only associated with shooting zombies, scary horror VR videogames or training simulations.
Finally one thing that was most prominent from the whole show, was the continuous showcasing of VR experiences by using HTC Vive. Almost every single experience used the headset, from Black Box VR to training simulations that combined it with magic leap. Another thing that was noticeable was the incredible number of Asian or Chinese people at CES. It’s very clear that China is a huge market to be tapped, and it will be interesting to see more Chinese VR and AR tech coming out of the continent as well as seeing how HTC Vive will fare in the Eastern market.
Playing big budget virtual reality (VR) videogames on a beefy PC is a dream come true for many VR fans, but for others, it’s still just a bit too far out of the ideal price range. Zeiss VR have seized this opportunity, and with their new Zeiss VR One Connect head-mounted display (HMD), they intend to bring the wealth of content Steam VR has to offer to those without expensive HMDs, and instead will allow users to experience everything with just the HMD shell and your mobile phone. The device was displayed at CES 2018, Las Vegas, and the company is excited to launch the product soon.
Nina got the low down on the new HMD directly from Zeiss Team Leader Dave Hodgson, and in the interview video below he reveals to us Zeiss VR’s logic behind their new product and their future plans.
After the release of the Zeiss VR One Plus the company quickly learned that although people love the HMD, they needed more and more content to be able to view, use and experience. That’s where the new Zeiss VR One Connect comes in, a very similar product that will essentially become a Steam VR compatible VR HMD. It’ll come with two VR controllers, which will give users access to hundreds of Steam VR videogames and experiences, completely solving the issue of not enough content.
By Hodgson’s own admission, the experience isn’t quite up to the standard of other HMDs on the market, such as the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, but user impressions are incredibly favourable, with higher latency than the other HMDs, but overall a much better performance than many would expect from a mobile phone acting as a display.
The best part is that users of both Android and iOS devices will be able to use the Zeiss VR One Connect, going back as far as the iPhone 6. It’s a great piece of kit which offers an interesting entry point to VR for budget conscious consumers.
You can see the full interview and Nina trying out the device in the video below, for all of the latest information on Zeiss VR, make sure to keep reading VRFocus.
Das deutsche Traditionsunternehmen ZEISS ist ebenfalls auf der CES 2018 vertreten und stellt erneut das bereits von der IFA 2017 bekannte ZEISS VR One Connect vor. Das Besondere an VR One Connect ist die Kompatibilität mit SteamVR. Um die Spiele auf dem Smartphone spielen zu können, benötigt man hierfür neben einer Smartphone-Halterung noch einen potenten PC.
ZEISS VR One Connect mit SteamVR
„Dieses Produkt wurde gebraucht, um VR aus einem Nischen- in den Massenmarkt zu katapultieren.“ Das meint zumindest Dave Hodgson, der in Amerika für die Verkäufe von ZEISS verantwortlich ist. Zumindest ungewöhnlich ist die Lösung, die man sich ertüftelt hat. Im Prinzip handelt es sich bei ZEISS VR One Connect um ein Paket mit zwei 3DOF-Bluetooth-Controllern sowie Software. Das soll 129 Euro kosten und schon bald erhältlich sein. Zusammen mit der schon länger erhältlichen Smartphone-Halterung ZEISS VR One Plus für Geräte bis 5,5 Zoll soll man 200 Euro auf den Tisch blättern. Wer bereits eine Halterung besitzt, benötigt die One Plus nicht.
ZEISS VR One Connect verbindet ein Smartphone mit Android oder iOS mit einem PC und ermöglicht es, SteamVR-Spiele zu zocken. Dabei nimmt der PC die Berechnungen vor und schickt die Bildschirminhalte über USB an das Smartphone. Um richtig zocken zu können, enthält das Set zwei Controller, die allerdings nur mit 3DOF getrackt werden. Wunder kann das System nicht vollbringen, neben fehlenden 6DOF-Controllern gibt es auch kein Roomscale beispielsweise via Inside-Out-Tracking. Somit bleiben nicht allzu viele SteamVR-Erfahrungen übrig, die sich ohne Einschränkungen über VR One Connect zocken lassen. Ob das System also die virtuelle Realität in den Massenmarkt bringen kann, daran bestehen berichtigte Zweifel. Auf der CES 2018 in Las Vegas dürfen Besucher das System von ZEISS ausprobieren. Eine Veröffentlichung von VR One Connect plant das Unternehmen derzeit für das Frühjahr 2018.
Das Unternehmen Zeiss stieg im Jahr 2014 in den VR-Markt ein und entwickelte hierfür ihre eigene VR-Brille. Die Zeiss VR One ist ähnlich wie die Samsung Gear VR mit einem Smartphone kompatibel und ermöglicht dadurch den Einstieg in die virtuelle Welt. Nun verkündete das Unternehmen ihr neustes Produkt: Ab sofort sollen Besitzer einer Mobile-VR-Brillein der Lage sein, ihre SteamVR-Spiele via Zeiss VR One Connect auf dem Smartphone zu übertragen.
SteamVR-Spiele auf dem Smartphone dank Zeiss VR One Connect
Zeiss möchte mit ihrem Feature die seit Langem vorhandene Lücke zwischen Mobile VR und High-End-VR-PCs schließen. Mit dem Paket Zeiss VR One Connect soll dies ab sofort möglich sein, denn dadurch ist es zukünftig möglich, SteamVR-Spiele auf das Smartphone zu übertragen. Dafür benötigt man neben der entsprechenden Software ein USB-Kabel sowie zwei kabellose Controller.
Bisher steht jedoch noch nicht fest, mit wie vielen und mit welchen VR-Titeln das System kompatibel ist. Zeiss spricht Lediglich von „einer großen Menge an Premiumtiteln“. Genaue Daten veröffentlicht der Hersteller jedoch bisher noch nicht. Da dem Ganzen allerdings die Raumerkennung fehlt, ist es fraglich, wie viele der VR-Spiele tatsächlich spielbar sein werden.
Der Produkt Manager Franz Troppenhagen sagte dazu Folgendes: „Im Gegensatz zu bisherigen Mobile-VR-Lösungen ist die heutige Smartphone-Hardware wesentlich fortschrittlicher. So werden die Daten mittlerweile direkt vom Computer auf das Smartphone übertragen. Durch die Verbindung mit der SteamVR-Plattform lassen sich dadurch zum ersten Mal viele verschiedene VR-Spiele auf dem Smartphone spielen. Mit unserer VR-Brille One Plus bieten wir dafür die perfekte Möglichkeit.“
Da die Software iOS und Android unterstützt und die Controller zur Verbindung Bluetooth verwenden, dürfte es auch mit anderen Mobile-VR-Headsets möglich sein, die Technik zu verwenden. Entsprechend müssen Besitzer einer anderen Mobile.VR-Brille nicht extra die Zeiss-Brille erwerben.
Das Paket Zeiss VR One Connect soll zum Ende des Jahres 2017 für 129 Euro in die Läden kommen. Darin enthalten sind zwei Wireless Controller, ein USB-Kabel zur Verbindung der VR-Brille zum Computer sowie die notwendige Software zur Einrichtung. das Bundle mit der Zeiss VR One wird 199 Euro kosten.
Zeiss and Dacuda have revealed the latest work on their roomscale mobile virtual reality (VR) solution, the vaiaVR head-mounted display (HMD). Designed to provide an entry-level roomscale mobile VR solution utilising your smartphone, vaiaVR will be compatible with existing SteamVR titles and can be used for walking or sitting experiences similar to the HTC Vive.
Accurate tracking of the head position is important in creating the feeling of presence in the virtual world and to reduce the risk of simulation sickness. Current mobile tracking solutions provide only tracking of rotational movements, however Zeiss and Dacuda have built on the experience learned from the VR ONE platform and integrated a six degrees of freedom (6-DoF) tracker into their next HMD, the vaiaVR.
“Until now, these games were only accessible with a significant investment into a dedicated VR headset,” said Franz Troppenhagen, VR Product Manager at Zeiss. “The VR ONE’s compatibility with a wide range of mobile devices makes it a perfect accompaniment to the Dacuda platform, and we look forward to giving virtual reality enthusiasts an affordable entry into high-level VR with this bundle.”
While high-end VR headsets solve this problem with external devices, such at the HTC Vive’s Lighthouse technology, Dacuda’s 6-DOF tracker uses the phone’s built-in camera to determine head position and rotation more than 60 times per second. According to Dacuda, it is the world’s first solution that enables mobile 6DOF tracking at a <20ms motion-to-photon latency on Google Daydream-ready smartphones.
The Zeiss and Dacuda solution features a field-of-view of over 100 degrees while the optics are specially designed by Zeiss. The companies claim that there is no need for any adjustment to one’s own inter-papillary distance (IPD) and even the corner areas look sharp.
The solution builds on the Zeiss VR ONE and will feature a full plug-and-play experience for consumers including Steam Controllers for interaction. The solution requires a recent smartphone and a VR-ready computer running Valve’s Steam platform. The vaiaVR HMD is still currently in the prototype stage with no details on a consumer release yet available, however VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on the vaiaVR.
ZEISS VR ONE Plus
These are some of the most affordable VR headsets on the market that offer an authentic virtual reality experience without disturbing your budget. While there are many other gadgets out there, with these you get the best bang for your buck.
