One of the founders of Oculus, Palmer Luckey, has just designed a new VR headset that can quite literally take your life if you die in-game. This VR headset design is clearly inspired by the popular anime SAO (Sword Art Online).

For those unaware, Palmer is no longer a part of the brand he founded and the company is now owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta. However, it appears that the Oculus Rift designer is still working on VR headsets. Luckey just recently modified a Meta Quest Pro VR headset, which quite literally has an explosive twist. This model is a prototype, which has an explosive attached to it. This can kill the wearer once he fails or dies in-game.

The device was inspired by an iconic anime and manga, which featured the NerveGear headset. The series in question is Sword Art Online, in which the VR headset was rigged to blow up when the wearer dies in the virtual reality game. Luckey unveiled the invention on his blog to commemorate Sword Art Online Day, which is held on 6th November. This is the day the in the manga and anime universe where 10,000 players were trapped inside the titular Sword Art Online VR MMORPG.

Looking at his post, Luckey showed that the SAO and Oculus shared a symbiotic relationship. Furthermore, he also began the Kickstarted for the Oculus Rift DK1 around the same time as the fourth episode of the anime that was airing in Japan. This show had reignited the public’s interest in VR and the NerveGear technology (depicted realistic simulations) helped people visualize the future of VR technology in reality.

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California-based virtual reality technology giant, Meta recently revealed that its next VR headset will be announced in October, at the company’s annual Meta Connect press event conference.

The news was revealed by present Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, in a special interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast (via The Verge). Mark states that for the next virtual reality device that is coming out in October, there are a few big features that will be included on the headset.

In the podcast, Mark Zuckerberg did not reveal the name of Meta’s upcoming VR headset, but reports and rumours point to the aforementioned device, being Meta’s currently in development Project Cambria, and that its official release name will be called the Meta Quest Pro (part of the Meta Quest/Oculus Quest series of VR headsets).

Mark Zuckerberg shares with listeners that Meta’s next device will introduce eye and facial to consumer VR headsets. He shares some examples of what the Meta Quest Pro can enable users to do, like making flexible and direct eye contact in virtual reality in conversations, make avatar facial expressions to emulate your real-life face expressions and the most shocking of them all, Mark explains that if you smile or if you frown or if you pout, or whatever your expression is, the upcoming headset can have that translate in real-time to your avatar.

As for other details regarding the upcoming Meta Quest Pro, we will have to wait until early October for Meta’s official launch announcement.

The Meta Quest Pro is rumoured to launch at a starting price of US$ 799 or higher, making it the most expensive virtual reality headset in Meta’s catalogue.

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(Via 1, Via 2)

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Facebook is the largest social media platform right now and the company has grown so much more with its acquisition of other social media and communication platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp.

Now, to reflect the company’s focus on building the metaverse, Facebook is planning to change its company name as early as next week, reports The Verge, citing sources with direct knowledge of the development.

While not much is known at this point in time, it’s likely that the company will have a new parent company and Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, and other products will be positioned under the new parent company.

The development comes at a time when antitrust regulators in the United States as well as in other regions are trying to break the company up.

The new name for the company is a closely guarded secret and even the full senior leadership isn’t aware of it. There’s a possibility about the new name to have something to do with ‘Horizon.’

It is said that the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is planning to talk about the name change at the annual Connect conference taking place on 28th October. But there’s a possibility that the announcement could happen earlier than that.

The rebrand could also help separate some of the futuristic work that the company is doing and could give that team a breather from the intense scrutiny that the social media platform Facebook is facing related to its operation.

Facebook has set up a dedicated metaverse team which Mark Zukerberg says is going to be a big part of the next chapter “for the way that the internet evolves after the mobile internet.” He also added that the company will be doubling down in this area.

In 2015, Google had reorganized the company’s holding structure and announced Alphabet as the parent company as it wanted to signal about no longer being just a search engine but a growing conglomerate with companies working in several areas.

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At the ongoing Game Developers Conference (GDC 2019), one of the products announced is from VR glass manufacturer Oculus. The company has unveiled a new-generation Rift headset called the Oculus Rift S. The new headset presents with several new features and improvements that gives users a more comfortable and safer VR gaming experience.

According to Oculus, it collaborated with Lenovo to refine the Rift S’ hardware using with feedback from the Lenovo Legion gaming community. Thus, the Rift S is co-designed by Lenovo and it comes with better weight distribution. The headset also comes with a single cable which makes it easier to manage and avoid cable clutter.

Read Also: Oculus Quest 6DOF All-in-One VR headset announced, launches 2019 for $399

The new Oculus Rift S comes with OLED displays with higher resolution 2560×1440 pixels screens. While the displays have been updated in these two areas, the refresh rate drops from 90Hz to 80Hz, which won’t make a significant difference to the overall playing experience. The Rift S comes with Oculus Insight just like the Oculus Quest which was launched a couple of months back. Oculus Insight has the capability to actively track the space around the user so he or she doesn’t bump into anything. The gadget also comes with Passthrough+, which is a new feature on the Oculus Rift S that acts as a passthrough to see the outside world. The feature helps keep the user in the game and maximizes the available space. The Oculus Touch controllers have also been updated.

As for the pricing and availability, the Oculus Rift S will be available officially this spring and costs $399.

(source)

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At the Oculus Connect 5 conference which began yesterday, the highlight of the event was the new Oculus Quest standalone VR headset. In addition to that, Oculus also announced a bunch of new features for its cheaper standalone VR headset – the Oculus Go.

First, it will interest you to know that the Oculus Go has helped to bring more people into VR since it went on sale earlier this year. Reviews have shown that it is still the easiest way for first time VR users to experience VR.

Oculus wants to bring more features to the $199 headset. It has announced that YouTube VR will be coming to the device soon. YouTube VR has more than 800,000 VR videos that cover a wide range of categories including documentaries and shows.

Oculus has also announced that Oculus Go owners will be able to view NBA games via Oculus Venues. For those who don’t know what Oculus Venues is, this is a way of watching sports, concerts, and shows Live in real time as if you were at the venue.

If you are watching a football match, it is actually as if you are seated in the stadium. You can also connect with others using Oculus Venues just the way you’ll meet people if you were at the venue.

You can check out the complete fall lineup for Oculus Venues here.

Oculus will also release a new puzzle game called Covert which allows you to play along with a friend. One person has to use the headset while the other player uses a mobile phone to provide info. Think of it as a spy who is getting help from someone “back at the base”.

READ MORE: Pico Goblin 2 standalone VR headset launches with 3K Display and Snapdragon 835 for ¥1999 (~$290)

Last but not the least. The Oculus Go will also get support for casting so that friends can watch what you see you on the TV or their mobile phone as you scream your heart out while playing Face Your Fears or other VR games.

(Source)

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Oculus announced a new VR headset today to complete its first generation of VR headsets. The new Oculus Quest VR headset combines the best features of the entry-level standalone Oculus Go and the PC-tethered Oculus Rift.

The Oculus Quest is a standalone headset like the Oculus Go but offers a similar experience to what you’ll get on the PC-tethered Oculus Rift. It comes with touch controllers similar to that of the Rift and provides six degrees of freedom.

Oculus also announced a new technology called Oculus Insight. This uses a combination of four ultra-wide-angle cameras in the headset and computer vision algorithms for tracking the user’s exact position in real time without the need for external sensors.

Since the Oculus Quest has six degrees of freedom, users can walk and duck and this is replicated in the game. Hugo Barra who is the CEO of Oculus says the device provides “arena-scale” tracking for at least 400 square feet of space. Oculus has also brought the Guardian System from the Rift for displaying wall and floor markers so you don’t hurt yourself while moving around.

Just like the Oculus Go, the Quest has a display resolution of 1600 x 1440 per eye. It also has built-in speakers but with deeper bass than that of the Go. The Oculus Quest will be available in Spring 2019 for $399 for the 64GB version with Touch controllers.

READ MORE: Pico Goblin 2 standalone VR headset launches with 3K Display and Snapdragon 835 for ¥1999 (~$290)

The headset will also launch with a brand new Star Wars VR game called Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series. The game is developed by ILMxLAB and they are working with popular producer David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight Trilogy).

(Sources: 1, 2)

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Towards the end of 2017, Facebook’s Oculus announced the Oculus Go. This is a standalone VR headset that works without a phone or PC. It was expected to go on sale in Q1 2018 but it didn’t.

Starting today, you can now order the Oculus Go from the Oculus website. The standalone VR  headset has a starting price of $199 for the 32GB version and $249 for the 64GB version.

Oculus provides an estimate of the content each storage variant can accept. For the 32GB variant, you should be able to put in 3 HD films, 10 games, and 20 apps while the 64GB variant can store up to 7 HD films, 20 games, and 40 apps.

Oculus will ship the headset to a total of 23 countries including Japan and Australia. If you want, you can also order the Oculus Go from Amazon, Best Buy, and Newegg.

The Oculus Go has a 2560 x 1440 LCD screen, a Snapdragon 821 processor, and integrated spatial audio. It also has a 3-button controller (powered by AA batteries) with a touch surface for navigation and movement.

The Oculus Go will come with the controller, a 10W charger (US only), and a glass spacer. There is also a companion app in the Play Store or app store (for iOS users) for downloading games and apps for the headset.

READ MORE: HTC Vive Business Edition VR System Launched In India

Seeing as the Oculus Go is already available for purchase globally, it should also go on sale soon in China but as the Mi VR Standalone. This is the same device but Facebook (Oculus) has partnered with Xiaomi to sell it and provide content for the Chinese market.

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After CES 2017, Hugo Barra announced he was leaving Xiaomi as VP Global to return home. A few days later, it was revealed that he had taken up the role of VP at Facebook’s VR company, Oculus. Fast forward to 2018 and Hugo reunited with his former employer to announce one of the biggest partnerships of the year.

Towards the end of the 2017, Facebook announced a standalone version of its Oculus VR headset. Called the Oculus Go, the $199 headset allows you to experience VR without the need for a phone or a PC.

At CES yesterday, Xiaomi and Oculus announced a new VR headset called the Mi VR Standalone based on Oculus’s technology. This is in fact the Oculus Go but with a new name and with content provided by Xiaomi.

Some of you may ask why Oculus doesn’t simply release the Go in China. The reason for this is not far fetched. Facebook’s services are censored in China but it needs the market to achieve its “1 billion people using VR” target. In order not to deal with the censorship issues, it has partnered with Xiaomi.

Both VR headsets are nearly identical and only differ with respect to color and content based on the info we have now. They will both be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 mobile platform. Oculus also says they both use the same Mobile SDK. This will allow developers easily port their content to the Mi VR store for the Chinese market.

There is no mention of when the Mi VR Standalone will be released and how much it will cost. However, we presume it will be around $199 just like the Oculus Go.

Oculus also announced that Xiaomi will be the hardware partner for the global launch of the Oculus Go. Since both devices are identical, it comes as no surprise that Xiaomi will handle the manufacturing.

READ MORE: Huawei Daydream VR Headset May Launch Soon as Images of its Controller Have Surfaced

The Oculus Go is expected to go on sale early this year following its announcement three months ago. Sadly, no info was revealed about its release date at the event.

(Sources: 1, 2, 3)

 For more coverage from CES 2018, check out this link! 
 

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Facebook-owned Oculus VR had its Connect Conference yesterday. At the event, the company announced a new standalone VR headset called the Oculus Go.

The Oculus Go is a gray headset with a power button, a small circular button, and a volume rocker, all at the top. It is made of breathable fabric and has an adjustable strap.

Former Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra, who left the Chinese smartphone maker this year to join Oculus as its head, said the Go is “hands-down the easiest way to get into VR”. The headset has a 2560 x 1440 screen, new lenses, and spatial audio which means users don’t require headphones.

It also has a remote control that has a large circular dial, a back/return key and another button with the Oculus logo. There is also a trigger button in front and a wrist strap.

There is no mention of the battery capacity and the Oculus Go doesn’t have inside out tracking. The headset is expected to ship early 2018 with a price tag of $199 but development kits will be available in November.

HTC is supposed to launch a Daydream VR headset called the Vive Focus before the end of year. So also is Lenovo. Oculus has beat them to it by announcing its own first even though it won’t be available until next year. However, the pricing and specification details of the Vive Focus and Lenovo’s headset will determine which consumers will settle for.

READ MORE: Nokia Shuts Down OZO VR Division, Cuts Workforce By 35%

Oculus also permanently cut the price of the Rift headset to $399 with Touch controllers included. Buyers will also get six free apps. This move is probably in a bid to compete against Microsoft’s Mixed Reality headsets which start at $399 and goes up to $499 depending on the brand.

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(Source, via)

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Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Tab S3 yesterday in Barcelona. Asides that, it also announced the new Gear VR headset which now comes with a controller.

The new Gear VR headset, like the former is made in partnership with Oculus and comes with a controller that makes interacting with games easier and much more fun. For those of you with keen eyes, you will notice the controller looks very much like that of HTC’s Vive.

The controller has a circular touchpad for navigation; a trigger button for grabbing, shooting, and aiming depending on the app; and also has integrated home, volume, and back buttons. Samsung has designed the controller such that it works with one hand.

Since there is a new controller, Samsung and Oculus are working on over 70 new titles that will take advantage of the new hardware. They have also said the controller will work with existing touchpad apps. The controller’s SDK will also be available to developers in a few weeks and you can even submit your request here.

READ MORE: Samsung Unveils Exynos 8895 Octa-Coe Processor: First Exynos 9 Series Chip

The headset itself doesn’t look much different from the one released last year alongside the Galaxy Note 7. It has a USB Type-C port, an adapter for microUSB, and compatibility with the S7, S7 Edge, S6, S6 Edge,and S6 Edge+ and should work with the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 when it launches in June.

Samsung didn’t reveal the price for the new Gear VR headset and controller but mentioned that the controller will also be sold separately for those who already own a Gear VR.

(Source, via)

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We woke on Monday to news of Hugo Barra’s resignation as Xiaomi’s Vice-President of International. Mr. Barra had cited his desire to be closer to home as the reason for leaving and returning to Silicon Valley. When he made the announcement, nobody knew what new project he’d be embarking on or which company he’d be joining. However, a few hours ago he took to his twitter page (@hbarra) to announce that he’d be joining Facebook as the new Vice-President of Virtual Reality.

The announcement was also made on Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg who said Hugo Barra’s position as lead of VR will also cover the Oculus team. There is no mention of when exactly he’ll be resuming the position as he is still in China. But a follow up comment made by Hugo Barra himself says “in a couple of months”.

Mark Zuckerberg has shown great enthusiasm for virtual reality as he believes that is the next big thing. Hugo Barra also seems to share the same enthusiasm. During his tenure at Xiaomi, the company launched two VR glasses: the Xiaomi Mi VR Play which is more like a refined Google Cardboard; and the more sophisticated Mi VR Headset.

READ MORE: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 will Provide better VR Experience with Great Battery Life

Oculus is currently in court after being sued by Zenimax, a parent company for a number of gaming studios. Zenimax is accusing Oculus’ CTO, John Carmack of leaking intellectual property to Oculus while he was at Zenimax.

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