360 rumors

At Vidcon 2017, Google announced VR180 videos and cameras, which are 180-degree 3D videos and cameras that can capture the world from your point of view. VR180 videos are 180-degree 3D videos, similar to 3D 360 videos but only showing a forward-facing view.  While that may seem like significantly smaller view than 3D 360 videos, heatmaps show that most viewers view videos only looking at the forward view. Here is a playlist of sample VR180 videos (to see them in 3D, you'll need to view them with a Google Cardboard or similar viewer): WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE FROM STANDARD 360 VIDEOS? VR180 appears to be a separate format from the standard equirectangular 360 videos.  If you watch the video above without cardboard, you cannot look around the video the way you can with a hemispherical 360 video (such as from Entapano ).  Instead, the perspective is fixed until you click on the cardboard icon, which enables gyro viewing.  I am supposing it uses a special tag in its 360 met...

Here's a review of the 2017 Samsung Gear VR, and how it differs from the 2016 Gear VR (yes, there are a few differences) and Google Daydream.  Also: which is better for the Gear VR: a Samsung S8 or S8+? Not counting Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR is the most popular VR headset, with over 5 million users as of January 2017.  If you haven't tried it, it's easy to dismiss it as an overpriced cardboard headset, but you would be mistaken -- it's totally different, and the experience is much closer to desktop VR than Google Cardboard. The 2017 Gear VR is not much different from the original Gear VR in terms of its immersion, so I'll refer you to my original Gear VR review here .  Instead, this post will focus on the differences between the 2017 Gear VR and the 2016 Gear VR as well as Google Cardboard. SAMSUNG GEAR VR  2016 vs 2017 The primary difference between the 2016 and 2017 Gear VR is the motion controller.   The controller has several buttons: - a trigger but...

Young360 created a very good tutorial for watching YouTube in full resolution on the Samsung Gear VR headset . Samsung Gear VR ( reviewed here ) is the most popular VR headset, with 5 million users as of January 2017.  It is my favorite platform for watching 360 videos because of its much more accurate head tracking compared to Google Cardboard (Oculus Rift and HTC Vive also offer accurate head tracking but 360 videos don't utilize positional tracking anyway, so there's little incremental benefit from using a Rift or Vive to watch YouTube). However, one of the Gear VR's peccadilloes is that when watching YouTube videos (in 360 or otherwise), the resolution would often be less than the highest available resolution.  At the same time, Google doesn't want to create a YouTube app for Gear VR because Gear VR is competing directly with Google Daydream (which does have a YouTube app). Thankfully, Oculus has updated the Gear VR's software to make it easier to watch YouTube...

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 state of VR right now is better than what skeptics would like you to believe.  More importantly, things will get even better from here. All the major VR systems have been released: Oculus Rift  (with  Oculus Touch ), HTC Vive , and Playstation VR for the desktop, and Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream for mobile.  Yet VR is still relatively uncommon, there are still no killer apps, and more importantly, it appears that very few companies are making a lot of money from it.  There are some skeptics who are therefore declaring that VR is a bubble that has burst.  Here's why I'm still optimistic about VR. IS VR A BUBBLE? First, let's talk about some of the reasons that have been used to claim that VR is a bubble that has burst. 1.   VR is still uncommon .  Almost everyone has heard of VR, but there are still very few people who actually have a VR headset outside of the early adopter crowd.  Very few people I know have even a Google Cardbo...

Hardware titans of the VR industry came together to form the Global Virtual Reality Association , but a major player was left out. The GVRA's members are manufacturers of VR headsets.  Here they are in alphabetical order: - Acer Starbreeze : a joint venture between Acer and Starbreeze AB to create Star VR, a headset for commercial use, with an all-encompassing 210-degree field of view. - Google VR : Google created Cardboard, which was instrumental to the rise of VR's popularity, and Daydream , its mobile VR platform.  Google also created Project Tango , a mobile augmented reality system. Google also owns YouTube, which is the most popular platform for sharing 360 videos, and Streetview, one of the most popular platforms for sharing 360 photos.  Google's Jump camera rig is also one of the leading cameras for recording broadcast-quality 3D 360 video. - HTC : manufacturer of the Vive , the only consumer VR headset designed from the ground up for roomscale VR. - Oculus (owne...

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...