Facebook -owned Oculus is shipping its latest VR headgear from today. Preorders for the PC-free Oculus Quest and the higher end Oculus Rift S opened up three weeks ago. In a launch blog Oculus touts the new hardware’s “all-in-one, fully immersive 6DOF VR” — writing: “We’re bringing the magic of presence to more people than […]
VR
What is Niantic? If they recognize the name, most people would rightly tell you it’s a company that makes mobile games, like Pokémon GO, or Ingress, or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. But no one at Niantic really seems to box it up as a mobile gaming company. Making these games is a big part of […]
Harry Potter, the Platform, and the Future of Niantic
Qualcomm wants to create a new device category, XR viewer headsets, that combine the compute power of its current Snapdragon 855 platform with the speed of 5G on a smartphone to provide you with mobile VR and AR experiences — or ‘Extended Reality,’ as Qualcomm likes to call it — with six degrees of freedom […]
Qualcomm wants your phone to drive your next VR and ...
Smartphone and VR headset maker HTC has published its consolidated results for Q4 2017 — and it makes for grim reading. The topline figures are: Flat quarterly revenue of NT$15.7 billion (~$540M) with gross margin of -30.8% Quarterly operating loss of NT$9.6 billion (~$330M) with operating margin of -60.8% Quarterly net loss after tax: NT$9.8 […]
HTC had a terrible holiday quarter
Nearly three years on from Microsoft unveiling its HoloLens augmented reality headsets, the company today announced a major expansion of its availability: 29 more markets in Europe, nearly tripling the total number of countries where you can buy the device up to 39. The news shows that while we don’t have a firm number of how many units have been sold, we do know that Microsoft is… Read MoreMicrosoft expands HoloLens headsets to 29 new markets, now up ...
Microsoft is getting ready to launch the next major update to Windows 10, the Fall Creators Update, on October 17. Part of this update includes full support for Windows Mixed Reality, the company’s name for the continuum between augmented reality and full virtual reality. After lining up support and headsets from partners like Acer, Dell HP and Lenovo, Microsoft also today announced… Read MoreSamsung joins Microsoft’s VR parade with its new high-end headset ...
Google has a new program called “Street View ready” which will make it possible for anyone with the right hardware to contribute to its Street View imaging database, typically assembled using Google’s official 360-degree camera-toting Street View cars. The first camera officially designated ‘Street View ready’ is Insta360’s Pro camera, the 8K 360 camera… Read MoreGoogle to let anyone add to Street View, starting with ...
Google’s big hardware event is coming up fast – it all goes down next Wednesday, October 4. But we already know (or think we know) a fair amount about what will be revealed, including brand new Pixel smartphones with some big upgrades, and some devices that will flesh out Google’s broader hardware portfolio considerably. Here’s a list of what we can expect when Google… Read MoreWhat to expect from Google’s October 4 Pixel 2 event
HTC is to suspend trading of its stock on the TWSE tomorrow, ahead of what it says will be the release of “material information” pertaining to its business. Read MoreHTC stock suspension adds fuel to Google acquisition rumors
TechCrunch was in Hong Kong last week for tech conference Rise — where we watched two robots talking together on stage, among other things. The event is well-known for its after-parties and social activities, but one night we sneaked away from the crowd with a few friends to check out a virtual reality arcade. Playdium is a new entry to the city, having only opened its doors at the start… Read More