Tag Archives: oculus

Oculus now gives you free Rift, Gear VR app returns

If you’re over pricey VR apps, stick around. Facebook-owned Oculus is cutting weary users of Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR some slack when it comes to returning apps you did not like. The new policy, announced on Tuesday, lets you easily request an automatic refund on most apps and games, no questions asked. You get …

Read More »

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 won’t work with older Gear VR headsets

Samsung’s newest phone looks great. But the Galaxy Note 8 has an unfortunate accessory problem: it needs a new VR headset. The Oculus-partnered Gear VR has seen several goggle iterations over the years, the last one arriving alongside the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. According to Samsung, the new Gear VR is just like the old Gear VR… but it’s …

Read More »

Facebook’s plan to win VR: slow + steady + games + Reddit

Last week, I argued that the first generation of VR headsets might not be worth buying, even at half the original price. This week, two Facebook executives tried to convince me otherwise.  In an interview — leaning on a huge, ornate wooden table that would fit right into Game of Thrones — they explained that technological advancements such as eye …

Read More »

Marvel VR hands

VR is hard for some people to grasp. It’s not necessarily hard to get into, but it’s pretty hard to buy into. And not (just) because of the price, but because VR’s biggest problem is that you aren’t hyped about it — and you can’t be an evangelist about it — until you try it. But sometimes, you find that …

Read More »

Oculus may cut the cord with $200 wireless VR headset

Now playing: Watch this: Facebook rumored to release a wireless Oculus headset 1:32 If cables and mobile phones are cramping your virtual reality experience, Oculus might soon be able to set you free. According to reporting from Bloomberg, Oculus has plans to release a $200 virtual reality headset in 2018 that doesn’t require a phone or PC to run. The …

Read More »

Is the less

Facebook’s Oculus just reduced the price on the Rift, the company’s premium VR headset, to $399. Suddenly, it’s more affordable than the PlayStation VR.  The sale’s only happening for the summer, which is why it’s time to ask… should you take the plunge? Scott Stein Enlarge Image Scott Stein rocks out with an Oculus Rift. Josh Miller/CNET I say yes… …

Read More »

Red alert! Voice commands make this Star Trek game even more fun

On the right armrest of my captain’s chair, on the bridge of the USS Aegis, a button glows tantalizingly red. One press, and my crew will go to battle stations, raising shields and arming photon torpedoes.  But what’s the fun in that? Everyone knows real Starfleet captains use their lungs to issue commands — and starting today, Ubisoft’s VR game Star …

Read More »

VR arcades from IMAX and others may save the VR industry

Now playing: Watch this: Feel the fear when real objects meld with VR 1:31 Enlarge Image The VR arcade could be your next hangout spot. IMAX Virtual reality has turned me into a globe-trotting adventurer. I’ve scuba-dived massive undersea shipwrecks, coming face-to-face with a blue whale. I’ve fought off hordes of oncoming zombies with nothing but a shotgun, an ax …

Read More »

Virzoom’s VR fitness bike gets cheaper, works with Galaxy S8

Fitness and VR may seem like an odd mix, but VR games can definitely motivate a fitness routine if you can avoid getting nauseous. Virzoom made a fitness bike for hard-wired VR systems like the PlayStation VR and HTC Vive last year, but it was expensive, and required placement in front of your VR PC/console. That $399 bike now works …

Read More »

3 big reasons VR failed to revolutionize PC gaming

It’s been a great couple of years for PC gaming. Almost every noteworthy game is available on PCs at the same time as on living room consoles, and usually with better graphics options; new GPU and CPU hardware has made gaming desktops and laptops both more powerful and less expensive; and higher-res screens mean you can play at 4K and …

Read More »