By:
On:

Sony announced the new name for the Project Morpheus headset: PlayStation VR. “The name ‘PlayStation VR’ not only directly expresses an entirely new experience from PlayStation that allows players to feel as if they are physically inside the virtual world of a game, but it also reflects our hopes that weRead More →

By:
On:

If you live in Los Angeles, keep an eye out for the VAN Beethoven customized truck. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra has created a new virtual reality experience for the Oculus Rift, the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and is making it available to the public. Check the schedule forRead More →

By:
On:

Next year’s Game Developers Conference, to be held in March in San Francisco, will be accompanied by a brand-new event, the Virtual Reality Developers Conference, and is accepting submissions now for its gaming track and its entertainment track. The submission deadline is October 2. Read more about it at Road to VR.Read More →

By:
On:

Press release: Marriott Hotels Introduces The First Ever In-Room Virtual Reality Travel Experience Bethesda, Md – Marriott Hotels today announced the launch of “VRoom Service” – a first-of-its-kind guest service that allows guests to order inspiring virtual reality experiences to their rooms. Created in collaboration with Samsung Electronics America, “VRoom Service” isRead More →

By:
On:

I didn’t get a chance to go the U.S. Open and put on an HTC Vive headset and play tennis against Maria Sharapova. But I’ve been following the news coverage, and can’t wait until something like this comes to a virtual reality arcade in my area — this doesn’t look likeRead More →

By:
On:

Las Vegas’ Neon Museum released a virtual reality app for the Oculus Rift last year and was ported to the iPhone and Android last spring for viewing with Google Cardboard-compatible headsets. Now the app is also available for Samsung’s Gear VR. Thanks to VRFocus for the heads-up. Watch a previewRead More →

By:
On:

According to Roy Taylor, corporate vice president of Alliances for AMD,  there will be 30 million virtual reality headsets in use in North America and Europe by 2018. He was citing figures that resulted from the inaugural meeting of the VR Council, an industry group with 70 members. Half ofRead More →

By:
On:

The Scienceverse Kickstarter, originally scheduled to begin today, has been postponed until September 10. The company plans to build an open source virtual reality platform that supports social interactions and third-party app development. It is built on top of Unreal Engine 4 and promises to be compatible with all majorRead More →

By:
On:

Kat Walk, a new type of omnidirectional treadmill, successfully raised nearly $150,000 in its Kickstarter, on an original goal of $100,000. This was enough to meet its $120,000 stretch goal, which was to put little wheels under the treadmill to make it easier to move the entire setup. The wheels tuck inRead More →

By:
On:

The United Nations teamed up with Vice News and the VRSE virtual reality platform to deliver a new documentary about Ebola, Waves of Grace. The documentary can be watched online as a standard 360-degree video, or in immersive virtual reality by those who have Gear VR or a Google Cardboard-compatibleRead More →

By:
On:

Although some Vive virtual reality headsets will be shipping late this year, most consumers probably won’t see them until 2016, according to a press release. “Later this year, HTC will offer the first commercial Vive units via a limited quantity of community and developer systems, with larger quantities shipping inRead More →

By:
On:

What better way to marketing a Canadian independent science-fiction horror musical than with a creepy virtual reality trailer? Load up this video in a immersive headset — like one of those in our big virtual reality headset list here — and keep an eye on the creepy guy sitting inRead More →

By:
On:

Since June, Wells Fargo has been putting virtual reality Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 headsets on consumers at local events across America as the San Francisco bank works to build brand awareness in a fun way. It’s called the Together Experience tour, and has consumers playing a virtual maze game andRead More →

By:
On:

Upload VR and Greenlight VR has ranked companies by venture capital investment, and Magic Leap was in the lead with nearly $600 million of total investment. The ranking was based on a Greenlight VR report released in late July. In the past five years — not including acquisitions such asRead More →

By:
On:

Zero Latency opened the doors of the world’s first virtual reality gaming arena in Melbourne, Australia yesterday. Players carry a backpack containing a computer and wear an Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 headset and carry a gun controller. Sessions are 50-minutes each, and run in the evenings and weekends forRead More →

By:
On:

Press release: Unity Technologies Unveils Vision Virtual and Augmented Reality Summit SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Unity Technologies announced Vision Virtual and Augmented Reality Summit, a new conference focusing on the development of Virtual and Augmented Reality products across industries with the mission of bringing together artists, engineers, programmers, designers, musicians, directorsRead More →

By:
On:

  The British band Foals recently released the first music video filmed entirely with GoPro’s new virtual reality spherical camera. Android users with Google Cardboard-compatible headsets can watch the entire video, “Mountain At My Gates,” in immersive virtual reality, but the video can also be seen in traditional 360-degree mode as well. Click here toRead More →

By:
On:

The Transport Systems Catapult, one of seven technology innovation centers established by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, has opened a “Visualisation Laboratory” in the town of Milton Keynes where virtual reality technology will be used to help generate innovation and overcome problems in the UK’s transport network. The laboratory is builtRead More →

By:
On:

Sphericam, a mid-range 360-degree camera, completed its Kickstarter today with over $460,000 raised on a campaign target of $150,000. This means the project achieved its first two stretch goals — producing the camera in multiple colors, and making it dust-proof and water-resistant. The tennis-ball-sized camera was priced at between $1,300Read More →

By:
On:

AltspaceVR, which offers multi-user virtual reality software, announced that it raised an additional $10.3 million in venture capital, bringing total funding to $15.7 million. “We’re working hard to make AltspaceVR the most natural and fulfilling way to communicate online, and the additional resources will help us get there faster,” theRead More →

By:
On:

Late last year, Destination British Columbia filmed British Columbia’s raw wilderness with 360-degree cameras to create The Wild Within VR Experience for the Oculus Rift. If you don’t happen to have an Oculus Rift developers kit, you can watch the behind-the-scenes video below about how the virtual reality experience was filmed.Read More →

By:
On:

The world’s first virtual reality product launch — for the OnePlus Two smartphone — is scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific on Monday, July 27, and the app is now available for download from the Google Play store. The app works in combination with a Google Cardboard or other compatible virtualRead More →

By:
On:

Car companies have been getting into virtual test drives lately. There’s the Volvo XC90 Experience, for example. And Mercedes VR for Cardboard for Android phones. And Subaru Motorsports, also for Android — look for the videos with the 360 symbol, and select the virtual reality headset mode. But this Castrol EDGERead More →

By:
On:

Australian airline Qantas,  Samsung Electronics Australia, Hamilton Island and Rapid VR have teamed up on a new virtual reality tour of Hamilton Island and the Great Barrier Reef. The tour takes place in a 360-degree panoramic YouTube video. Viewable from a desktop or smartphone, the video showcases Queensland’s Hamilton Island and theRead More →

By:
On:

On Thursday, Legendary Pictures released a preview of the upcoming Warcraft movie — as a virtual reality app for Google Cardboard. Download the iPhone app here and the Android app here. The film, based on Blizzard’s World of Warcraft massively multi-player online roleplaying game, is due out next summer. Don’t haveRead More →

By:
On:

Google Glass might not be completely dead. According to 9to5Google, an enterprise edition of Google Glass is on its way, and it will have a larger prism display, a faster processor and slightly better battery life. Late last fall, the Wall Street Journal reported that the new device will beRead More →

By:
On:

Press release: IrisVR Brings Virtual Reality to Architecture, Construction & Design With Ready-To-Market Enterprise Software NEW YORK — IrisVR, a New York City-based startup founded by Nate Beatty and Shane Scranton, recent NYC accelerator Techstars alumni, announced today that it has closed a $1.625 million funding round led by IndicatorRead More →

By:
On:

This Sunday’s Socal Virtual Reality Conference and Expo is sold out, with over 800 attendees expected, according to media sponsor VR Digest. The main track will be broadcast live in 360 degree immersive video by VRLive.tv. That includes the keynote address by Terbine CEO David Knight, who is also is aRead More →

By:
On:

Nike’s latest promotional video can be viewed on virtual reality headsets like the Google Cardboard. The short video, Nike Hypervenom II – The Neymar Jr. Effect, A Virtual Reality Experience, was filmed in 360 degrees from the viewpoint of Brazilian soccer star Neymar Jr., and has been watched more than 1.5 millionRead More →

By:
On:

Chinese phone maker OnePlus offered everyone a free Google Cardboard headset — you just pay for shipping — so that people could watch its smartphone launch virtually on July 27. The company sent out 30,000 sets, and ran out in about a day. According to the company, their Cardboard is thinner,Read More →

By:
On:

Google released an update for its YouTube app this week with support for both standard and immersive 360 degree video. The update is currently only available for Android devices, but an iOS version is expected soon. Users without virtual reality headsets will be able to turn their phones or tablets while watchingRead More →

By:
On:

India’s home furnishings retailer HomeLane has created its own Google Cardboard-based headset to allow customers to visit virtual product showrooms. “Wear these glasses and walk into a virtual world where choosing between colours and finishes, countertops and flooring options, appliances and accessories is as easy as pie,” the company saidRead More →

By:
On:

China-based OnePlus, known for their OnePlus One smartphone, is launching their OnePlus 2 smartphone next month in virtual reality. “You’re going to want to experience it, and to help you out, we are releasing our very own Cardboard,” the company said in an announcement. “It’s based on Cardboard 2.0, but with some notableRead More →

By:
On:

Press release: Starbreeze launches VR venture with the acquisition of InfinitEye STOCKHOLM — Starbreeze AB, an independent creator, publisher and distributor of high quality entertainment products, announced its virtual reality initiative with the acquisition of French company InfinitEye VR SAS for US $2 million  in cash. InfinitEye is developing aRead More →

By:
On:

According to a new KZero report covering virtual reality hardware, mobile device-based headsets have beaten integrated headsets to the market. Consumer versions of the Google Cardboard, Durovis Dive, Seebright, Altergaze, Vrizzmo and Samsung headsets are already available on the market, the report shows, while not a single of the integrated devices has hit the consumer market yet.Read More →

By:
On:

Scientists at China’s University of Science and Technology of China and the Microsoft Research in Beijing have built a deep learning machine that outperforms an average human on the verbal analogies portion of the IQ test — normally the hardest part of the test for computers. In particular, they’ve solved the problem of oneRead More →

By:
On:

  Industrial Light & Magic, the special effects company founded by George Lucas 40 years ago to work on Star Wars, is launching a lab specifically for virtual reality projects — and will begin with Star Wars. “As this new dimension in storytelling unfolds, ILMxLAB will develop virtual reality, augmented reality, real-time cinema,Read More →

By:
On:

PRAGUE — Sphericam 2, the first 360 degree video camera made specifically for virtual reality film production, will launch a Kickstarter campaign on June 15th with a $150,000 funding goal. As huge companies like Oculus Rift and Samsung work furiously to create the best virtual reality viewing platform, Sphericam has been createdRead More →

By:
On:

Miami-based NeuroDigital Technologies launched a Kickstarter last week for a new virtual reality input device, Gloveone, which allows users to touch a virtual object. “With Gloveone, you will be able to feel its shape or weight, sense all of its physical features, and even smash it,” said Luis Castillo, founder and CEO of NeuroDigital Technology.Read More →

By:
On:

ABC Family launched a virtual app for smartphones yesterday, “Stitchers: Hack The Case,” available for both Android and iOS devices to promote their new series”Stitchers.” The app can work either with or without a virtual reality headset. However, for the virtual reality option to work, it requires either a Google Cardboard V2Read More →

By:
On:

Lenovo debuted a new virtual reality headset, the Lenovo VR Goggles, at Lenovo Tech World in Beijing this week. The headset will work with Android phones, but there’s no word yet about pricing or availability. Read more about it at Tom’s Hardware.Read More →

By:
On:

Seattle development firm Luma has partnered with Studio216 and DEI Creative to create virtual reality experiences for potential condo buyers. The experience requires Oculus Rift headsets, but Studio216 also has virtual reality apps that can be accessed via smartphone headsets like the Google Cardboard. Read more about it here.Read More →

By:
On:

Virtual reality will be “the next mega tech theme” and worth more than $60 billion in a decade, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. “The diverse applications of VR in combination with accelerating technological improvements will lead to mainstream adoption over the next 10 years,” Munster wrote in a reportRead More →

By:
On:

Virtual reality poster child Oculus VR has just acquired Surreal Vision, a computer vision firm that works on real-time 3D scene reconstruction. “By achieving the ability to continuously reconstruct and track the world around us, we’ll be able to build an understanding of the world at a semantic level,” said SurrealRead More →

By:
On:

Google’s new Jump platform combines blueprints for a 360-degree camera rig, software that automatically assembles the videos into 3D footage, and a mobile app that can play the videos. Like with Google Cardboard, any manufacturer can create Jump-compatible cameras. Filmmakers can also make their own using off-the shelf cameras suchRead More →

By:
On:

Hawaii-based Total Recall Technologies is accusing Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey of violating a confidentiality agreement that he signed as a former employee of the company. According to the lawsuit, he was hired specifically to develop a head-mounted display but used proprietary information for his Oculus Rift Kickstarter campaign. Read more about the case at Reuters.Read More →

By:
On:

The Great Canadian Grid is experiencing a population explosion and a housing crunch. According to the Corran Journal, the Freelands regions have turned into “upscale refugee camps” as friends share parcels until housing becomes available. The Great Canadian Grid has gained nearly 500 registered users over the past month. Read moreRead More →

By:
On:

A stylus designed to be used as an input device in virtual environments reached its $100,000 Kickstarter funding goal in less than a day this week. The Phree stylus from Tel Aviv-based OTM Technologies Ltd. can be used as a virtual pen that writes on any surface and could potentially beRead More →

By:
On:

3D Systems has released the very first virtual reality robotic prostatectomy simulation training, created to assist in the education and planning of robotic surgical procedures. “Individualized patient-specific soft tissue 3D printing allows surgeons and trainees the opportunity to operate on a model that looks and feels just like their patient’s kidneyRead More →