We’re standing in an escape room space, where one of us is trying to guide a block into a target and communicate to the other person, standing behind a wall at a control panel. CNET colleague Joan Solsman and I are in this world, but haven’t seen each other in person for months. It’s weird, …
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Facebook’s AR and VR businesses are about to sound a lot more Facebookish. The company’s annual Oculus Connect VR conference is happening Sept. 16, as a free online event. But the name is changed: it’s Facebook Connect now, and it’ll be focused on a wider range of VR and AR experiences. Facebook’s also officially renamed its AR/VR division to Facebook …
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Facebook’s virtual reality ecosystem, Oculus, has become more Facebook-centric over the past few years. Soon it will be Facebook-mandatory. A new change to the Oculus VR platform’s login policies now requires any new user to sign in using a Facebook account, starting in October. Oculus VR had allowed non-Facebook accounts to be created before, but merging with an existing Facebook …
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In 2020, VR feels more like a tangible reality than ever before. In a year of lockdowns and isolation, virtual reality has suddenly become a way for friends to connect, see theater experiments and feel briefly like you’ve escaped. The Oculus Quest was the best VR device of 2019, and that’s true in 2020, too. But Facebook’s standalone headset may be …
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Something’s wrong. Shanice’s young son Terrance has lost consciousness. His limbs start jerking and his eyes roll back. Terrance has some special needs — he’s diabetic and allergic to penicillin. And he needs help. Right now. As soon as Shanice calls 911, the operator moves into action, dispatching an ambulance that’s personalized for Terrance. Once inside, an EMT sends his …
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If you’ve been shopping for Oculus Quest, Facebook’s popular (and great) VR headset, you may be confused that there’s also a less-expensive (and not as good) Oculus Go model that’s still available, too. Not for long: Facebook announced it’s discontinuing the Go this year, just two years after its 2018 release, and will focus only on the Quest as its …
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Words can’t adequately express how much I love VR, and particularly the Oculus Quest VR headset. It’s a self-contained system, no PC tether required, with tons of great games and apps. It’s so great, in fact, that it’s constantly sold out just about everywhere (though we’ve been tracking Oculus Quest inventory at various stores to help you find one). You …
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VR experiences, for me, usually follow a certain pattern. Sometimes I feel like a futuristic pilot, or a wizard about to cast a teleportation spell. I grab the headset, slip it on, slide the controllers on my wrists. I check my space, cast a long arc to draw my magic circle. The world disappears. I’m in. Going from my reality …
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Back in September, in a period I like to call “the before,” I tried out a prototype virtual reality headset from a Taiwanese company called XRSpace. I strapped bulky orange goggles over my eyes and stepped into another world without actually leaving the hectic Berlin conference hall that housed the IFA consumer electronics trade show. Eventually, the unit would run …
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If you’re looking to dive into VR, there are a few basic choices: pick a standalone experience like the Oculus Quest headset, go with a game console like the PlayStation VR or go with the most flexible experience by hooking into a PC. HP’s newest VR headset, designed with both Valve and Microsoft, aims to be the best VR gaming …
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