The Virtual Reality Wars have begun, and it’s time to pick a side. To our left, we have the Oculus Rift. Born of a Kickstarter project that raised $2.4 million, it’s one of the most recognizable virtual reality headsets around. We’ve watched its evolution from underdog to Facebook-backed juggernaut, and seen the promise of a …
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Want to be one of the first people to walk around and grab things in virtual reality? Hope your wallet is ready. You can now preorder the HTC Vive. The price: $799 or £689. The first batch of headsets will ship on April 5, and you can order one right here. Update, 7:18 p.m. PT: The first batch of units …
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Few people have tried virtual reality, but it’s already become a meme. Earlier this week, a photo went viral showing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg striding past unsuspecting journalists strapped into virtual reality headsets. Reactions ranged from comparisons to “The Matrix” to the observation that Zuckerberg may be our new overlord. The occasion was a Samsung press conference for the unveiling …
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Samsung and LG just had their moment in the spotlight with their premium phones. It will be HTC’s turn any day now. The company, which will show off its next flagship phone “very soon,” hints at one key feature to expect: a much improved camera. “We can confidently say that HTC will have a very, very compelling camera experience,” Chief …
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Ever wished you had the power to influence the world around you using just your eyes? If so, the latest developments in virtual reality technology may be just what you’re looking for. Two separate companies at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week showed off modified Oculus and Samsung Gear VR headsets with built-in eye-tracking capabilities. In VR, eye tracking …
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Hola, Galaxy S7. That’s what Samsung will be saying later today when it shows off its newest flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The South Korean electronics giant has used the trade show as the venue for its Unpacked events over the past several years. This year’s event is sure to be brimming with news about its …
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A gleaming black-and-white Gear VR headset rests on each of the 5,000 seats in a Barcelona convention hall. About 10 minutes into Samsung’s Unpacked press conference, we’re told to put on the virtual reality goggles. What we see is a virtual unboxing of the venue, with the ceiling floating into space and the floor falling away to reveal Samsung’s newest …
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Samsung’s Galaxy S7 keynote was full of surprises. The ultimate one: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg strode out on stage to explain how putting on a VR headset can actually be social. “Pretty soon, we’re going to live in a world where everyone has the power to share and experience whole scenes, as if we’re there in person,” said Zuckerberg. He …
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One moment I’m in a room full of people, the next I’m in the sun-scorched Australian Outback. But it takes more than the fancy graphics of the Samsung Gear VR virtual-reality headset I’ve just lowered over my head to convince me I’m really hanging out with aborigines. What it takes, says Richard Marks of Sony’s VR arm, PlayStation Magic Lab, …
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We humans get along pretty well seeing colors ranging from blue to red. But a startup is betting that when it’s time to endow electronic devices with vision, infrared light will find a place too. Infrared light — just beyond red in the color spectrum but invisible to humans — is already used in some devices, like TV remote controls …
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