360 rumors

The Otterbox Commuter is a very good smartphone case for those who Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream users because it's very easy to remove and re-install, while also offering great protection .  See the video! I just got a Samsung S8 Plus (I'll tell you guys why next time) and I was looking for a case that's easy to remove but would also provide good protection.  After trying a few different cases, including the Otterbox Defender, the one I like the best so far is the Otterbox Commuter. Here is a video: As you can see from the video, the Otterbox Commuter is very easy to remove and to re-install. At the same time, it offers great protection for which Otterbox is famous.  It also won't block the no-bezel infinity display of the Samsung S8.  The biggest downside is probably the cost.  Simply said, it's not cheap, but then again, neither is it cheap to replace a damaged phone.... The Otterbox Commuter is available here: - Samsung - iPhone - Google Pixel - other ...

Nolo VR (hands-on here) is a peripheral for mobile VR headsets that adds positional tracking.  They just posted a new video showing the system being used to run NVidia Funhouse, a Steam VR game for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift . Here's the video: In contrast to my hands-on experience at CES (where there was a lot of radio interference), the video appears to show only a little lag, if any.  Nolo VR said they used a Samsung S6 and Samsung Gear VR for the demo.

Nolo can add roomscale VR with motion controllers to any mobile VR headset, and it is also incredibly affordable. Current mobile VR headsets ( Samsung Gear VR ,  Google Daydream , and Google Cardboard) are limited to head tracking with 3 degrees of freedom.  You can move your head in any direction but it cannot track your forward-backward, side-to-side, or upward-downward movements.  Meanwhile, desktop VR systems ( Oculus Rift , HTC Vive , and Playstation VR ) have positional tracking with 6 degrees of freedom, but they cost much more. Nolo by LYRobotix helps to bridge the gap between mobile VR's affordability and desktop VR's more sophisticated tracking capabilities by adding 6 degrees of freedom to any mobile VR headset. Nolo consists of a base station, a head tracking unit and two motion controllers. It uses a combination of ultrasonic and optical tracking and RF signals to track the headset and two controllers in a space up to 13 feet by 13 feet (even larger than the ...

The ZTE press conference announced two new phones and confirmed the Axon 7's compatibility with Google Daydream. At its press conference, ZTE confirmed that the Axon 7 would be compatible with Daydream.  The only thing they're waiting for is approval from Google.  Unfortunately, they have zero control over that, so they couldn't say when Axon 7 phones would be upgraded to Android 7 (Nougat) and Google Daydream. They did, however, provide demos of the Axon 7 used with Daydream.  I got to try it out and I thought it was substantially similar to using Daydream with the smaller Pixel. The few differences were: - the screendoor effect is not so noticeable , even though the Axon 7's display is only 1080p .  Correction: the Axon 7 has a resolution of 2560 x 1440, the same as a Samsung S6 or S7, which is why there's not much SDE.  I would say it's similar to the S6 (with the Gear VR).  (Thanks to Denzel Thomas and Mike Cane for the correction!) - the controllers' t...

Asus Zenfone AR is the first smartphone with support for both VR with Google Daydream and AR with Google Tango. Unfortunately, the Zenfone AR does not combine its AR and VR functions to provide positional tracking in the same way as VR headsets with inside-out tracking such as the Occipital Bridge .  Instead it can switch to either Google Daydream or Google Tango to provide VR (with rotational tracking) or AR as needed. The Zenfone AR uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor rather than the newly-announced Snapdragon 835 which was designed for cutting-edge VR and AR features. The Zenfone AR is schedule for release in Q2 of 2017.  Pricing has not yet been announced.

The Xiaomi VR viewer has finally been revealed, and just as I said , it's nothing but a Google Cardboard viewer, of which there are already dozens available on the market.  It's called Mi Play VR ( shudder ) and it's not even low cost, either. In their promo video, they said it would be available for 1 yuan (15 cents US).  The actual price is $29.99 on XiaomiDevice.com  .  Even the price in Renminbi (Chinese currency) is about the same --- 194.74 yuan (around US$29). I have no idea why the official video said it would be available for 1 yuan.  Perhaps it's a play on words that escapes my limited Chinese fluency .  Apparently, the 1 yuan price was only for beta testers.  The first phase of the beta testers has concluded, but if you would like to be included in the lottery for the second round of beta testing, you can try here  (click on the link that looks like the one below).  I'm not sure if the lottery is open to people outside of China. It...

At the Samsung Unpacked 2016 in New York, Samsung announced the Note 7, the successor to its Note 5 phablet.  Samsung also announced the new version of the  Samsung Gear VR (reviewed here) . The Gear VR was leaked last week .  The official announcement confirmed these specifications: - USB Type C compatible - Designed for Samsung Note 7. - Backward compatible with Samsung S6 series, S7 series, and Note 5 (the connector can be changed). - Field of view increased to 101 degrees (not 110 degrees).  the connector can be changed from USB Type C to Micro USB The greater field of view is a welcome benefit and can increase the feeling of immersiveness, particularly if you are using the Note 5 or Note 7's larger screen.  However, it is not yet certain whether the extra field of view will benefit smaller phones such as the S6 and S7. Among new features is the slightly different control:  it reverts to the Innovator Edition-style smooth touchpad (instead of the grooved c...

Xiaomi is a Chinese company that has a reputation of being a market disruptor.  Its Xiaomi Yi action camera had image quality that rivaled GoPro's at a lower price.  It created a lower-cost drone with advanced features that undercut DJI.  It is creating a version of Google Jump at a lower cost .  So when Xiaomi announced that it was entering VR, industry pundits were paying attention. It appears that the new Xiaomi VR product is a mobile VR viewer, launching on August 4.  Among other interesting characteristics, is its price: 1 yuan, or about 15 U.S. cents.  I don't know if that's with the purchase of one of its phones, or the MSRP for a standalone viewer. Here is the teaser video: In terms of capabilities, some sites have said it is Daydream-compatible.  It is true that Xiaomi's flagship phone, the Mi 5 , has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, used in the Daydream-compatible ZTE Axon 7.  Conceivably, the Mi 5 might be Daydream-ready. However, ...

On August 2, Samsung will announce the Note 7.  However, according to NowhereElse.fr, we may also see the next Samsung Gear VR . According to NWE, the next Gear VR will be compatible with the USB Type C used in the Note 7, but will also be retroactively compatible with the Note 5, S6 series and S7 series.  The field of view will also increase from 96 degrees to 110 degrees.  It will be available next month. There was no word on whether either the Note 7 or new Gear VR will be compatible with Google Daydream .  However, I think the Gear VR will indeed be Daydream compatible: First, Daydream is set to launch this Fall, and Samsung is a Daydream partner.  It is unlikely that Samsung will release two competing headsets within the same time frame.  It is much more likely that Gear VR will be cross-compatible with Daydream.  Second, if there is indeed a change in field of view as indicated by NWE, it could be an indication that the Gear VR was modified to ma...

​ As reported by Mike Cane , the Daydream-ready ZTE Axon 7 is now available for preorder in the US from Amazon , Best Buy and B&H Photo .  Check out Mike's post here .  The price is $399.99 (64GB; unlocked), and will ship around July 27. The specs are pretty impressive: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor 20mp rear camera with optical image stabilization and wide aperture f/1.8 lens 8mp front camera 4k video capture 5.5-inch AMOLED display with QHD resolution (2560x1440; 538ppi) Gorilla Glass 4 memory expandable with micro SD 3250 mAh battery Size: 5.97" x 2.95" x 0.31".  Weight: 6.17 oz. It also features a fingerprint reader below the rear camera, which allows you to unlock the phone with one hand. The specs appear very similar to those of the Samsung Galaxy S7 ($799), and even the same processor in US versions of the S7.  Some questions arise: 1.  What about ZTE's Daydream VR headset ?  How much is it?  Will headsets be cross-compatible, or o...

Sammobile reported that Indian import records show that there's a possible new version of the Samsung Gear VR, with a new product code SM-R323 (whereas the Innovator Edition is SM-R321 and the current Consumer Edition is SM-R322). What can we expect from the next Samsung Gear VR?  Samsung is one of the partners for Google Daydream, Google's new mobile VR platform.  Daydream is scheduled for release in Fall 2016.  Daydream headsets look a lot like the Gear VR and appear to have similar capabilities.  Therefore I believe the next Gear VR will be modified to be compatible with Daydream. I don't think Samsung will abandon the Gear VR platform though, because there are already plenty of users and apps for it.  Rather, Gear VR would likely coexist with Daydream. Thanks to reader David Grass for bringing this to my attention!