Virtual Vizor attaches VR viewer to baseball cap
Have you ever though that wearing your VR headset didn’t make you look dorky enough? I have a solution for you! The Virtual Vizor is a clip-on device that fits on the bill of...
Miniature sets pose unique challenges for 360-degree videos
Filming a 360-degree video of a model train set isn’t like filming life-sized events and requires special techniques and equipment, according to a team of Norwegian entrepreneurs. Special cameras are needed to film in...
Review: FiiT VR 2S is my new favorite
I really liked the first FiiT VR headset that I tried, and when the FiiT VR 2S came out, I had to order it. It has the same field of view, but weighs a little...
The path to a VR metaverse
I got into writing about OpenSim back in 2009 because it seemed to be, at the time, the best path to an open-source, peer-to-peer metaverse. I want to see a future where anyone could put...
Review: Generic knockoff VR viewer is cheap but out of focus
Prices for some of the first-generation VR mobile-based viewers out there are dropping fast, possibly because the coming Daydream VR platform will make them obsolete. Even Amazon, where the prices tend to be a...
Digitaleisure grid launches with unprecedented offer to ‘recover’ AviWorlds regions
Update: The Digitaleisure has rebranded as SkyLifeGrid. The new Digitaleisure grid will officially launch with a grand opening party on Thursday, September 1, a “song and dance,” a free yacht to all visitors — and...
VR video of Obama’s Yosemite trip only on Facebook, Gear VR
The White House released a virtual reality video of President Barack Obama touring Yosemite National Park yesterday. Read the full announcement here. But the experience is only available on Facebook and on the Samsung Gear...
Sony to launch multi-platform VR media service
Sony Music Entertainment will launch its Littlstar Japan VR video services next month, the company announced Wednesday. New York-based Little Star Media Inc. will provide the VR delivery platform, Sony said in the announcement. Content...
Penn State announces VR sports channel, free headset
Press release: Penn State Athletics Launching Virtual Reality Channel Nittany Lions fans to have access to exclusive virtual reality content; will receive free VR headset to watch content from all 31 programs UNIVERSITY PARK,...
Windows 10 to support Holographic AR/VR next year
Next year, all mainstream Windows 10 computers will be able to run augmented and virtual reality applications built for the Windows Holographic platform, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced at the Intel Developer Forum earlier this month. Windows Holographic...
Intel previews all-in-one headset with gesture controls
Intel has announced a new all-in-one virtual reality headset, Project Alloy, at the Intel Developer Forum 2016 earlier this month. The headset has its own brain, so not does not need to be connected to...
Kitely battles slow-loading meshes
A complex mesh object can significantly slow down the loading of a region — as much as ten minutes, in some cases, according to Oren Hurvitz, co-founder and VP of R&D at Kitely. That’s a...
Lifeliqe adds 3D creation tool
Lifeliqe, a platform for 3D, VR and AR educational content, has launched a content creator tool that will allow educators to create intuitive and immersive educational content that integrate interactive 3D models in order...
Ford, AMD, High Fidelity to present at Immerse
Press release: THE IMMERSE SUMMIT RETURNS ON TUES. OCT. 11TH AS THE LARGEST IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE & EXPO IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST Now in its 3rd year, IMMERSE (Formerly SEA-VR) will bring together all...
Virtual reality makes a splash at 2016 Rio Olympics
For the first time in history, virtual reality technology was used in the Olympic games to allow users to view events in virtual reality. We’re not quite at the point yet where sports fan can put on...
6 disaster management tips for grid owners
So your grid has been hit by a denial-of-service attack, or a server has crashed, or a hacker got in, or things just mysteriously stopped working. Or maybe you’ve had a customer service disaster,...
OSgrid, Metropolis, Kitely lead in land growth
Despite the the absence of the Virtual Life grid and Avination in this month’s statistics, region counts, registered users, and active users all increased this month. Virtual Life grid shut down without notice, and...
IDC: Chinese gamers drive demand for VR
Press release: IDC Expects Blossoming Gaming Market in China Including VR Systems and Consoles BEIJING – According to the IDC China Gaming Market Forecast Analysis 2016-2020, the number of gamers in China reached 530...
US military turns to Halcyon branch of OpenSim
Editor: The team behind U.S. Army’s MOSES grid have long been cutting-edge contributors to OpenSim, building a grid management system, running scalability tests, and donating content to the OpenSim community. Now they are in the process of...
Get a VR career started with OpenSim
A lot of folks are interested in getting a career in virtual reality these days, and I don’t blame them. The industry is exploding. So I’m getting emails from folks asking me for advice...
Avi-Labs offers free regions, cuts grid hosting
Avi-Labs is offering free regions on the AviWorlds and AviBrasil grids, but will no longer be accepting new grid hosting companies, Nearly 200 free regions have already been given out, company owner Alexsandro Pomposelli...
IDC: AR/VR revenues to grow to $162 bil by 2020
Press release: Worldwide Revenues for Augmented and Virtual Reality Forecast to Reach $162 Billion in 2020, According to IDC FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – According to the new Worldwide Semiannual Augmented and Virtual Reality Spending Guide from...
Review: VR Sky all-in-one headset is unrealized potential
Disclosure: This headset was provided free by GeekBuying. I like the idea of using all-in-one headsets for things like real estate and auto show rooms, trade shows or roller coaster rides. There’s no point...
Atek Grid has new owners, hiring staff
Atek Grid, formerly owned by the company behind the CloudServe OpenSim hosting company, has been bought by the Tampa-based Florida Web Council, Inc. CloudServe will continue to run the back-end technology for the grid...
New campaign tries to save ghost trains with VR
Press release: The Dark Ride Project — Saving classic haunted attractions using Virtual Reality Since the 1970s, hundreds of ghost trains and haunted house rides have closed across the USA and they are now an endangered species....
4 VR apps that help you be a better public speaker
Public speaking is the single most common phobia, according to numerous studies. Now, virtual reality provides a low-stress way to overcome this fear and improve speaking skills. It can also help companies in the business of...
Kitely’s new welcome region has more personal feel
There are grids whose welcome areas are always full of people hanging out, with mentors on hand to help newcomers and answer questions from residents and visitors, even grid owners stopping by to press...
Genesis Grid launches own hosting company
Update: Genesis Grid has since been rebranded as Genesis Metaverse. The Genesis Grid, formerly hosted by Avi-Labs, has left that hosting company in the wake of recent problems and launched its own OpenSim hosting service....
VR will be huge in China
I spent the last two weeks traveling in China visiting virtual reality companies and attending the annual China Joy conference. China has a very active VR ecosystem with a lot to learn but I came away...
Alibaba working on VR payments
China’s Alibaba online retail giant told China Daily that it is developing virtual-reality-enabled mobile payment technology, which could allow users to pay bills in a 3-D virtual world by nodding their heads or making other gestures to...
History builds showcased this month on Kitely
Kitely’s user community is celebrating History Month this August to celebrate history-inspired builds and encourage people to build more. It will also feature a number of events each week including live music and dance. Visitors can...
Sketchfab offers nearly a million VR models
If you want to share your OpenSim build online so that people can explore it with a virtual reality headset, consider Sketchfab. The platform, which has half a million registered users and nearly a million...
MetaWorld to offer VR creation tools, marketplace
MetaWorld, a multi-user virtual world, will add virtual reality creation tools and allow exporting of objects and launch a marketplace. The MetaWorld Pioneer Edition is currently in pre-alpha and users can pre-order it for $9.99 for early pioneer access....
Avi-Labs hacked, grids down
Avi-Labs, the hosting company behind the AviWorlds grid, has been hacked, according to Josh Boam, the company’s technology manager, but grid data should be recoverable. “Everything is saved,” he said. According to Boam, company...
18 things that might soon be obsolete
The smartphone is able to replace a lot of the things we use to need. Alarm clocks, GPS devices, cameras, mail delivery, televisions, radios, tape recorders, record players, calculators, guitar tuners, pedometers — the...
Second Life and OpenSim in VR using VorpX
While CtrlAltStudio viewer 1.2.6.43412 has provided 3D/VR access for the Oculus Rift in Second Life and OpenSim, there is another way to explore virtual worlds in VR – through VorpX. VorpX allows some applications and...
Review: Ritech Riem 3 Plus a good fit for smaller phones
Disclosure: This headset was provided free by EverBuying. To be honest, when I first received the Ritech Riem 3 Plus headset, I thought that the quality of this product was going to be poor...
OSgrid birthday bash marred by outages
OSgrid celebrated its ninth birthday this weekend, but the events did not go smoothly on OpenSim’s largest and oldest grid. OSgrid has had some technical issues over the past few days, grid president Dan...
Tangle Grid’s Steam Expo starts August 1
Tangle Grid is hosting the Steam Expo starting from August 1 to September 25 where creators can showcase their items and visitors can see items being displayed. In addition to the exposition for creation,...
GIBLIB to stream live hernia surgery in VR Thursday
GIBLIB, an online platform for medical lectures and surgical videos, will broadcast a live stream of a hernia operation from the Surgery Medical Center & Precision ASC. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Shirin Towfigh....
Your global VR events calendar for the rest of 2016
As the virtual and augmented reality space heats up, so does the number of conferences. Check out the latest technologies and network with industry leaders at these coming events. Below are a number of...
Face-tracking VR headset seeks funding
New York-based Become Inc., launched a crowdfunding campaign last week for Veeso, which promises to be the world’s first virtual reality headset with built-in cameras that track facial expressions. The $70 Cardboard-compatible headset will...
Leap Motion offers hints of new VR tech
Leap Motion CTO David Holz spent more than an hour and a half last Thursday night answering questions about virtual and augmented reality in front of an audience of more than 200 avatars in...
US consumers bullish on VR marketing
Press release: More than 50 percent of consumers likely to purchase from brands that sponsor virtual reality, according to Greenlight VR Greenlight VR’s latest consumer survey reveals positive feelings for VR among users and nonusers alike,...
Tek Gear offers free headset
Canada’s Tek Gear Inc. is offering a free virtual reality headset to anyone who wants one — as long as they pick up the shipping charges. “We’ve been in the VR business for over 24...
Grid outages bring stats down in July
Several grids did not report numbers this month, resulting in a drop in active users of 3,209. Avination was down this month, as were Virtual Dream, My Virtual Community, and Cyberface. Some grids, such as Activity...
Researchers say AI could lead to better gesture recognition
Artificial intelligence could help make gesture recognition systems more effective, according to researchers at Purdue University. The system they created, Deep Hand, requires less processing power than other approaches, they said in a paper released this...
Kitely merchants continue exports switch
The number of non-exportable items on the Kitely Market dropped this week, while exportable products continue to rise, according to statistics released today by Kitely. The difference between the two was the second highest...
8 steps to successful VR tradeshow demos
There are many reasons why virtual reality is starting to be used at trade shows, including the fact that VR experiences are both memorable and impactful. At the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration annual conference, in...
Win free VR viewer: Submit a historical destination
Virtual environments can let people step back in time, by visiting the recreation of a place or event. Tell people about your favorite historical destinations in the survey below. Each submission gives you another chance...
Second Life ends Rift support, CtrlAltStudio steps up
Last week, Linden Lab said that it was no longer working on its Oculus Rift viewer for Second Life, dashing OpenSim user hopes that eventually their viewer would be open sourced and be a...
Virtuix announces major China distribution deal
On Friday, Virtuix, the maker of the Omni virtual reality treadmill, announced a joint venture with Hero Entertainment, a billion-dollar Chinese game publisher and developer of Crisis Action, the most popular mobile first-person shooter...
Survey: 4 in 5 young people keen on VR
More than 40 percent of people under 35 have a “keen interest” in virtual reality, according to a report released by GlobalWebIndex on Friday. Interest decreases by age, but even with people aged 55 to 64,...
Two VR arcades open in Illinois
Two virtual reality arcades, Immersion Arcade and IVirtex opened in June in Illinois, offering players the chance to play games on the HTC Vive headsets. Immersion Arcade costs $10 for 15 minutes, and up to $60...
eeGeo adds 3D maps to VR apps
UK-based eeGeo Ltd, an 3D mapping software company, has opened its platform to developers to help them create map-based virtual and augmented reality applications. “There’s a meaningful link between a true 3D environment and inducing...
Three-day OSgrid outage caused by cluster issues
OSgrid was down on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week when the grid was no longer able to access its asset services, but other grids probably don’t need to worry about the same thing...
Insta360 Nano VR camera clips to phone
The$200 Insta360 Nano VR camera, which will be available for purchase on July 30, clips to your iPhone and uses two fish-eye lenses to take 360-degree photos or videos. You can see some videos that have...
ZED camera offers positional tracking for mobile VR
Part of the reason the HTC Vive gets such great reviews — and costs so much — is that it does positional tracking. When you walk around wearing the headset, you walk around inside...
3 heavy equipment makers exploring VR
When you have a product that weighs several tons, you’re going to think twice before bringing it with you to a conference or trade show. And you’re certainly not going to bring more than...
New VR apps help patients relax, get medical info
Two new virtual reality applications for medical patients can help them relax in waiting rooms and get information about their medical devices. Zocdoc, Inc., a site that helps patients find doctors, has placed headsets in...
Infographic: Healthcare uses of VR
Scroll to the bottom of this article for the infographic. Virtual reality is a rapidly evolving market, which provides unlimited opportunities, and attracts a lot of newcomers. While the fastest growth in the industry is...
Macunx VR gets funding for virtual memory palaces
UK-based education company Macunx VR has passed its Kickstarter goal of $4,308 — or £3,000 — with two weeks of its campaign still to go. The company plans to build a virtual reality Unity-based platform that will...
Third hypergrid Treasure Hunt starts
The third hypergrid Treasure Hunt officially began on Friday, with 14 grids participating. It will run through August 6, so there’s plenty of time for both hunters and grids to jump in. Prizes include...
PlayStation VR pre-orders sell out in minutes
The final round of PlayStation VR headset pre-orders went live on Thursday, but sold out in minutes, a Gamestop representative told IGN. According to Sony, there won’t be any more pre-orders. The headset will be officially released...
High Fidelity Marketplace now live
Philip Rosedale’s virtual world startup High Fidelity has announced the launch of its Marketplace this week. Registered users can now upload new content again. The Marketplace has also been redesigned, with a new submission...
Littlefield, Digiworldz, ZanGrid host Fourth of July parties
Littlefield Grid, DigiWorldz and ZanGrid are holding big bashes to celebrate this year’s Fourth of July holiday, America’s Independence Day. Littlefield Grid party on Stonehaven Party Isle Littlefield Grid’s Fourth of July party started Thursday, with...
HTC to open 10,000 VR experience sites in China
HTC plans to set up more than 10,000 “experience sites” in mainland China by the end of the year, the China Daily newspaper reported today. The company is partnering with Suning Commerce Group and Gome Electrical Appliances...
Microsoft’s HoloLens: The good, the bad and the ugly
An overview for those who haven’t used one yet So I was fortunate enough to have gotten on the developer program for the HoloLens. Was it hard? I don’t know. I just filled out my...
Paint maker helps retailers design store layouts in VR
Amsterdam-based paint company AkzoNobel has opened a virtual reality customer center in Slough, U.K., where retailers can experiment with different store layouts. “The center will enable us to help customers visualize and experiment with new...
Experts: VR won’t generate revenues until 2019
Virtual reality companies won’t see any significant revenues until 2019, when high-end devices become more affordable and business use of the technology becomes more popular, a panel of analysts predicted at the VRX Europe 2016 event held...
Unity used to create Ghostbusters VR experience
Press release: THE VOID Launches Ghostbusters: Dimension, an Immersive Hyper-Reality Experience Powered by Unity Technologies 3D engine at Madame Tussauds New York New York City, NY & San Francisco, CA—Unity, the largest global development...
VR Dealership app showcases heavy equipment
Santa Clara-based EchelonVR has launched an Android application that works with Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR to help heavy equipment dealers to showcase immersive models of their products to customers before they make purchase...
6 companies bringing sports to VR
No one can deny the global popularity of sports. Whatever nation you find yourself in is guaranteed to have teams competing in some sport and fans who will consistently tune in to watch them....
Space VR app offers virtual desktop
Pygmal Technologies launched a beta version of SPACE, a computer user environment that aims to replace monitor screens with virtual screens. The application, now available for download for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, is currently free, and Pygmal...
ShelfZone offers VR store previews
Press release: Invrsion Presents Shelfzone, The Virtual Reality Solution For Large-Scale Retail Trade And Consumer Package Goods Italian company creates virtual reality solutions for B2B using HTC Vive technology Milan – inVRsion, the Italian...
VR headsets hit retail shelves in Kenya
Virtual reality is now a global phenomena and devices are slowly becoming available to more retail shops — including here, in Nairobi, Kenya, where I am based. This Saturday, I walked over to my...
Cedar-Sinai rolls out VR pain relief
Press release: AppliedVR Brings Therapeutic Virtual Reality Content To Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles – AppliedVR, an industry leader in improving the healthcare experience with scalable therapeutic virtual reality content, today announced its partnership...
Surgery network launches live VR streams
Another surgery video platform, GIBLIB, which serves medical students and doctors, has jumped on the virtual reality train. The company partnered with camera manufacturer 360fly and live streaming service LIVIT NOW to broadcast the first-ever live hernia surgery...
Magic, human connections make for great VR experiences
Virtual reality was big this year at Cannes Lions. Its presence makes itself known as demonstrations of the technology abound at stations all around the festival. Through these demonstrations, we’re experiencing firsthand what VR...
Site update: Menu change, new feeds
Per reader request, I’ve added two new links to the menu in the black bar above — VR & AR, and Metaverse. The first will list all the VR articles, and the second will just have...
Google opens Expeditions to all
Google Expeditions, previously only available to select schools, is now available to the public, at no cost. “The app is available today for Android and will be available for iPhones and iPads soon,” the company...
Shark Week comes to VR
This year, Shark Week will be coming to virtual reality. It starts today, Sunday, June 26, and Discovery Channel will make parts of its Shark Week broadcast in virtual reality and 360-degree video format....
Samsung’s Milk VR rebrands, allows user content
Samsung has branded its Milk VR 360-degree video platform as Samsung VR and has added the ability to upload user-generated content. “Creators can load their own 360-degree videos to the Samsung VR platform for sharing...
Gloebit purchases now live on Mobius grid
The Gloebit multi-grid virtual currency is now out of beta and can be used for shopping. Users who previously had a beta account will need to sign up again for the live version. You...
Review: UCVR headset lacks key usability features
A couple of weeks ago, I received a review copy of the UCVR headset in the mail. I haven’t been in a rush to review it, Because I didn’t have anything nice to say. I enjoy...
VWBPE seeks science fair exhibitors
On its tenth anniversary, Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education is adding a new element in to its conference program, a science fair. “Educators from all disciplines and levels are invited to participate,” outreach committee head...
OSgrid reconnects with residents in weekly meetings
In case you missed it, OSgrid has been holding weekly meetings every Saturday at Wright Plaza, after a long period in which communications between grid managers and residents were problematic. “We restarted it about...
Oculus reverses course, drops DRM
Oculus has released an update to its software yesterday, allowing its games to run on other headsets. “We continually revise our entitlement and anti-piracy systems, and in the June update we’ve removed the check...
Open-source VR pain therapy app and headset released
Virtual reality can reduce pain and stress for hospital patients, but most headsets and applications aren’t designed for the medical setting. For example, headsets should be waterproof, light-weight, easily washable and wireless. And the accompanying...
360fly “Trump wall” ad rejected by media houses
California-based 360-degree camera startup, 360fly, released a satirical ad Thursday featuring a Donald Trump look-alike, a big wall, and what many saw as insensitive stereotypes of Mexican immigrants. The ad was accepted by DIRECTV, FOX News, local FOX LA,...
Obamas’ Yosemite trip filmed in VR
The White House will release its first virtual reality video, a 360 video experience of the First Family’s hike in Yosemite. National Geographic, Facebook, Oculus, and Félix & Paul Studios produced the video of...
VR devs get own conference in November
Press release: Virtual Reality Developers Conference Announces First Standalone Event in November 2016 Expanded focus on games, entertainment, brand experience, and innovation after sold out inaugural event at GDC SAN FRANCISCO — The Virtual...
NYT VR wins mobile Grand Prix prize at Cannes
The New York Times Virtual Reality app won the Mobile Grand Prix at Cannes Wednesday night. The newspaper has given away 1.3 million free Google VR headsets to subscribers to the Times’ Sunday edition since...
First commodity trade placed in VR
Trading Advantage President and CEO, Larry Levin, made the first ever live virtual reality commodity trade using Oculus Rift, a virtual reality system that completely immerses the user inside virtual worlds. As one of...
Therapy center wins $30K for VR treatment innovation
Michigan’s VR Therapy and Counseling Center has won a total of $30,000 in Comcast’s Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs contest. The therapy center has found success treating patients that suffer from PTSD, social anxiety, and phobias using virtual...
Review: Shinecon Mini not that mini
The other mini headset that I ordered recently has arrived, the Shinecon Mini from AliExpress, which cost me $13.50. Since it came at about the same time as the Leji VR Mini that I reviewed...
VR Survey: More interest in travel, videos than gaming
Press release: Greenlight VR survey reveals U.S. consumers are most interested in using virtual reality for travel, entertainment, events, home design and education. San Francisco — The latest consumer research from Greenlight VR reveals non-gaming categories, including...
VR film startup Vrse changes name to Within, raises $12.5 million
Vrse, a Los Angeles-based virtual reality film startup, has raised $12.56 million and changed its name to Within, said company founder and renowned music video producer Chris Milk in a post last week. The company...
VadR helps VR game developers add ads
Up until now, virtual experiences have been pretty much ad-free. One company trying to change that is India-based VadR Networks, which is looking to bring ads from existing advertising platforms into virtual reality environments. The company...
Review: Leji VR Mini cute, tiny and fun
Update: In August, I bought a FiiT VR 2S, and that is now my new favorite. Another headset I’m recommending is the BoboVR Z4 headset, which has a 120-degree field of view, built-in headphones, and a built-in...
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