Tag Archives: virtual-reality

I tried Facebook’s vision for the social future of VR, and it’s full of question marks

I get used to my new virtual face and virtual body, crisp and clean and legless. I’m swiping through several options. They’re cartoonish, in a 3D-animated Pixar or Dreamworks way. I give a thumbs-up to myself in the mirror. I smile. Thumbs-down, I frown. Thumbs up and thumbs down, I make a shrug-like face. I’m …

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Facebook’s Oculus users have spent $100 million on VR content

Facebook is still betting that virtual reality will be the next big computing platform, and part of that plan involves getting developers to create more content to attract more users. “We need to build a lot of technology that’s going to help advance and deliver this feeling of presence. The second thing that we need to do is build an …

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Oculus, Respawn bringing ‘Medal of Honor’ WWII shooter to virtual reality

Virtual reality promises to bring you anywhere. All you have to do is slip on a headset that puts a screen so close to your eyes that your brain is tricked into believing you’re in a spaceship in some far off galaxy, or an underwater shipwreck, or a boxing gym. But one thing VR doesn’t do well is first-person games, …

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Facebook is making AR glasses and is mapping the world for them to work

Welcome to the race to map reality. At Facebook’s Oculus Connect conference, Augmented and VR VP Andrew “Boz” Bosworth announced that Facebook is making AR glasses, which we technically already knew. But to make those glasses happen, Facebook’s kicking off a project to map reality for spatial computing, called Live Maps. Live Maps looks to code several levels of data …

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Oculus Connect 6: 3 things still keeping VR and AR from going mainstream

Oculus Connect 6 is happening right now. Here’s how to watch.  When Facebook released its Oculus Rift headset in 2016, officially bringing virtual reality to store shelves for the first time in decades, it was the talk of the town in the tech industry. But in the three years since, CEO Mark Zuckerberg — who said he’s on a quest …

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Facebook’s Oculus wants to let you control VR with your hands

For decades, science fiction has predicted that we will eventually control computers without a keyboard, mouse or controller. Instead, we’ll wave our hands and control the virtual world. Mark Zuckerberg announces hand tracking at Oculus Connect. Angela Lang/CNET Starting next year, Facebook says it’ll be a step closer to that promise. New software being created for its $399 Oculus Quest …

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Oculus Link will turn your Quest into a PC VR headset in November

Facebook has two new VR headsets released this year: one that’s standalone mobile, one that’s PC-tethered. The two look ready to dovetail a bit: the versatile self-contained Oculus Quest is now about to be a PC-connected device, too. At the Oculus Connect developer conference on Wednesday, the VR company announced Oculus Link. The software update, expected later this year, will …

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Facebook’s Oculus conference is filled with Star Wars, hand tracking and Medal of Honor: Everything announced

Facebook is focused on giving you more reasons to try virtual reality. Over the next year, it’ll bring new sci-fi-inspired capabilities to its headsets, allowing you to control the devices with your hands. During its Oculus Connect conference Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company will offer new features for its Oculus Quest headset. The wireless $399 Quest will be able to …

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Facebook is working with Ray

Facebook has partnered with Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses maker Luxottica to develop augmented reality glasses, according to a report. The companies are looking to launch a set of AR glasses, code-named Orion, for consumers sometime between 2023 and 2025, CNBC said on Tuesday. Facebook’s AR glasses have been in the works for some time. In 2017, the company’s chief technology …

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In Vader Immortal: Episode 2, Darth Vader is a mean Mr. Miyagi

Memorably in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker travels to Dagobah to train under Jedi Master Yoda. The training challenges Luke physically, emotionally and psychologically, and Yoda is as fair as he is tough. But imagine if Darth Vader had trained Luke instead. He definitely wouldn’t win any “teacher of the year” awards, but I’d …

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