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Roblox

Roblox beta comes to Meta’s Quest VR headsets

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In the next few weeks, an open beta for Roblox will be made accessible for Meta’s Quest virtual reality headsets. On Quest 2 as well as Quest Pro, you may test out this Quest edition of Roblox, and according to Meta, Roblox will also function on the upcoming Quest 3.

“Roblox is automatically publishing some experiences that use default player scripts to support VR devices,” Meta writes. “They’ve found that those experiences typically run well in VR without modifications, so they’re seeding the Roblox VR library with great content from day one.”

Source: theverge.com
Roblox
Image Source: thehindu.com

Since there are already over fifteen million engaged interactions available on the site, there ought to be a wide variety to pick from. Additionally, this Quest edition of Roblox will offer multi-platform play, allowing you to engage in interactions with others on Xbox, mobile devices, as well as desktop computers.

Roblox has continuously promoted virtual reality (VR) through PC-based headsets, allowing users to use systems like the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, along with Valve Index. Through the connection of the headgear to your desktop or laptop, you may even play Roblox the moment on Quest 2.

Also Read: Meta now lets you make video calls using a cartoon avatar

However, the newly released Adventure-optimized edition ought to be simpler to set up and operate as it will ultimately only serve as an app that can be downloaded from the Meta Quest Store. This might lead to an increase in the number of people using Roblox in the realm of virtual reality.

Roblox is a website that lets you interact with games made by other people as well as create and share your games. Once you register, you may talk with other players and play an endless number of games absolutely free. You may pick from a variety of imaginative and enjoyable tasks that are always changing, like murder mysteries, sports, or even combat games.

The in-game money in Roblox is called a Robux. You can employ them for a variety of things, such as custom avatar attire or animations, one-of-a-kind gaming powers, and tools along with additional items. Robux may be acquired in a variety of ways, including through purchases, Premium subscription benefits, trades, and donations.

Apple Vision Pro

What’s so ‘pro’ about the Apple Vision Pro headset?

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With the Apple Vision Pro, virtual reality, and augmented reality headset, Apple is entering a new product category. The new gadget is not intended for the majority of people because it costs $3,500. It won’t be accessible until the beginning of 2024.

The Vision Pro wraps around your head entirely, covering your eyes with what appears to be a pair of goggles, similar to other VR headsets. A digital crown, resembling the one on the Apple Watch, is located on the top right side of the headset and allows you to adjust how much of the outside world enters your VR experience.

Apple Vision Pro
Image Source: wsj.com

This has the effect of lowering the lights in your immediate surroundings. You may change from augmented reality to virtual reality thanks to the crown.

The most prominent feature of the Vision Pro is visible when it is in augmented reality mode: A live feed of your eyes within the headset is shown on the screen that faces the outside. It is intended that this feature, termed EyeSight, will make it seem less strange to other people.

Also Read: Why Apple is changing the ‘Hey Siri’ trigger to just ‘Siri’?

Actually, the function of the headset depends heavily on your eyes. Along with your voice, hand movements, and eye tracking, the Vision Pro is controlled by you.

Additionally, it uses your eyes as a form of authentication thanks to Apple’s new Optic ID feature, which scans your irises to unlock the Vision Pro. Optic ID is similar to Face ID but for the eyes. Apple essentially wants you to do everything with the Vision Pro.

Your work can be dispersed across a number of sizable digital monitors that are hidden from view from everyone else in the space. On a virtual screen that is 100 feet wide, you may also watch movies, play games, and FaceTime with pals. Apple Immersive Video, which combines a 180-degree view of material with spatial audio, will be supported by the headset.

A new operating system dubbed visionOS powers the headgear and all of its applications. Additionally, it will have its own version of the App Store, which Apple undoubtedly expects to be fully loaded upon release. When the Vision Pro goes on sale, Apple claims that “hundreds of thousands” of iPhone and iPad apps will be compatible with it.

A new operating system dubbed visionOS powers the headgear and all of its applications. Additionally, it will have its own version of the App Store, which Apple undoubtedly expects to be fully loaded upon release. When the Vision Pro goes on sale, Apple claims that “hundreds of thousands” of iPhone and iPad apps will be compatible with it.

Also Read: Apple Plans Major Retail Push With New Stores Across China, US

Those who saw a preview of the Vision Pro at WWDC were quick to praise it as an excellent engineering achievement, but several questioned whether using an AR/VR headset for FaceTime calls is the best option.

The device’s technology is better than that of headsets from Meta, Magic Leap, and Sony, according to Brian X. Chen, a technology columnist for the New York Times. However, Chen notes that he found the new FaceTime Persona function to be uncomfortable.

Stranger Things

Netflix Announces “Stranger Things” VR Game for 2023

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The fourth season of Stranger Things will be the basis for a virtual reality (VR) game being developed by Netflix and Tender Claws. As per Netflix, the VR game will launch on all leading VR platforms by the winter of 2023.

Stranger Things
Image Source: game-news24.com

Stranger Things is without a doubt the most watched TV program on Netflix ever because of its mind-blowing plot, nostalgic 1980s atmosphere, and breathtaking cinematography. Despite the TV show’s overwhelming praise, its IP has not yet been diversified into other platforms, till Netflix recently revealed that a Stranger Things VR game is currently being developed by Tender Claws Studio and will be accessible on all mainstream VR platforms in 2023.

The new Stranger Things VR was unveiled during the Stranger Things Day 2022 celebrations with a brief teaser that included the grandfather clock ticking, demogorgons, and even a cameo by Eleven. Netflix ended the Stranger Things Day 2022 by tweeting the name of the first episode i.e THE CRAWL of Season 5 of “Stranger Things.”

In order to wreak vengeance on Eleven and Hawkins, the gamers will be able to enter their brains and inflict nightmares. In the game, the players will play as Vecna, the villain in Stranger Things Season 4 and the upcoming Season 5. Netflix noted, “Play as Vecna in this new Stranger Things adventure in VR. Become an explorer of unknown realities as you form the hive mind and tame the void. Invade minds and conjure nightmares in your quest to enact revenge on Eleven and Hawkins.”

A preview of the game that Netflix has posted on YouTube suggests that it is a psychological action/horror game. The brief video teaser also demonstrates gameplay and the visual design of the game. Studio Tender Claws has earlier worked on games like The Under Presents: Tempest, George in the Tub, and Tender: Creature Comforts.

The Netflix original series “Stranger Things” is set in the fictional Indiana town of Hawkins. The story revolves around Hawkins’ US Department of Energy research facility conducting paranormal and otherworldly studies. During the same time that the institute abducts people to use in its experiments, a test subject named “Eleven” escapes the lab.

According to marketing company Nielsen, Stranger Things’ fourth season, which debuted on May 27, 2022, received 7.2 billion views between May and June. Variety reported that no other show has received more than 6 billion views in a single week. The prior front-runners Ozark and Tiger King only reached 5 billion in 2020. The fourth season of the show premiered with seven episodes in May, followed by two extended episodes in July.

Netflix has recently established its very own internal development studio, the fourth to join the Netflix family, marking a significant expansion in the video game industry. It will have its main office in Finland, and be in charge of developing unique new experiences for subscribers. As a publisher, Netflix’s Stranger Things VR will be the first title to not be released exclusively on smartphones, signaling the arrival on new platforms.

PS5 VR Controller

Sony Unveils its Next-Generation PlayStation VR Controller for PS5

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Sony introduced its first VR Playstation about four years ago, and since then, there has been tremendous advancement in the game itself. Last month, Sony revealed its next generation of VR on PlayStation5, capable of almost fulfilling Sony’s mission of a stronger sense of presence and deeper immersion for the players. In the announcement, the company talked about the simplified setup and the improved ease-of-use of the PS5 VR. This time, the company has revealed the details on the PS5 VR controllers through a blog post on Sony PS’s official website.

The All-New PS5 VR

On February 23rd, Sony gave out some information on its upcoming launch, the VR for PS5. The company said that the new VR will have a simple setup, and a single cord is enough to connect the PS5 with the VR. The next-generation VR got some new and innovative changes made to it, like a better resolution to provide an even better visual experience, tracking, input, etc. Sony also talked about its new controllers, including some of the DualSense features.

PS5 VR Controllers

According to Sony, the new VR controllers are the main attraction of its next-generation VR for PlayStation. These controllers are the reflection of what Sony has been trying to deliver to its customer in the form of Virtual Reality. The controllers are incorporated with the features of DualSense and are going to change the feel and realistic experience of gaming for the PS5 VR players.

PS5
Image Source: blog.playstation.com
Image Credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment

The Innovative Design

The design of the controller is completely different from the traditional gaming remotes. It is of the shape of an ‘orb’ as described by Sony and is a two-piece set that goes into both left and right hands. The controllers are based on the concept of ergonomics, such that these are comfortable to hold for a longer time. The team behind the design of the controller made sure to test the controllers on different sets of hands to make them fit on every size of hands.

“SIE’s Product, Engineering, and Design teams have collaborated to build our new VR controller from the ground up to make a huge leap from current-gen VR gaming. Prototypes of our new VR controller will be in the hands of the development community soon, and we can’t wait to see what ideas they come up with and how the controller helps bring their imagination to life!” said Hideaki Nishino, the head of the platform planning and management at PlayStation.

New Features Introduced

The new controllers have inherited the adaptive trigger technology from the DualSense PS5 controller to add the palpable tension and make the gaming experience even more realistic. According to Sony, with the new controllers, there is no restriction for the players on how they should move their hands to play the games. The controllers come with haptic feedback and finger touch detection, and the controllers have a ring at the bottom of the controller. The headset of the VR set will track the controllers through this ring. The touch-sensitive areas included in the controllers are made to detect where the players place their thumb, index, and middle fingers.

Talking about the buttons on the left and the right controller, the left controller includes the usual triangle and square buttons, L1, L2, and a Create button as well as an analog stick. The right controller includes the other analog stick. It has similar cross and circle buttons, R1, R2 like the traditional controllers, and also the Options button. The L1 and R1 buttons on the controllers have been labeled as “grip”. This grip button is to pick up items in-game.

For now, Sony has only talked about the controllers, and there is no information on the PS5 VR headset as yet. Though the testing of the next-generation is currently going on, there is no news of if Sony will launch the PS5 VR any time sooner or in 2021. Since the information on the VR controllers is already out, we can expect the company to reveal the information on the VR headset in the coming months.

Facebook to Soon Roll Out a New Voice Assistant for its AR/VR Products Lineup

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First Siri and then Alexa, followed by a few other voice assistants, including Google Assistant, Cortana and Bixby, have made their own space among people. Now in the same course, Facebook is also about to launch its own AI-based digital voice assistant. The company, too, has confirmed the news that it will be soon introducing a new voice assistant for its AR and VR lineup.

facebook voice assistant
Image Sourec: washingtonpost.com

“We are working to develop voice and AI assistant technologies that may work across our family of AR/VR products including Portal, Oculus and future products.” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

According to a former Facebook employee, the company has been working on the voice assistant for its augmented reality and virtual reality division for a year now. The team of developers, for this new product, is led by Ira Snyder, director of AR/VR and Facebook Assistant, and the team is based out of Redmond, Washington.

It is expected that the voice assistant is especially being built for the AR, VR products including the Oculus headsets as well as the company’s Portal video chat device.

This is not the first time that the company is trying its hands in the field of voice assistant production. But, in 2015, Facebook had launched a voice assistant for its messenger named as ‘M’. The product could not sustain for long as despite offering the users smart suggestions, it required human help to run.

Even though the company has been working on its voice assistant for a year, it is still way behind the digital voice assistants by the other tech giants. But according to the company, its voice assistant will focus more on the products that can handle hands-free interactions. This way the genre of Facebook’s voice assistants may not be similar to Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri.

VR Studio Owlchemy’s Acquisition By Google

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Virtrual Reality is the next big thing which is going to change (to some extent, it already has) the way we consume media; especially videos and games. Nearly 7 years ago, the grand success of Avatar did ‘the thing’ for 3D technology after which every big movie releases in 3D. Fast forward to 2017, we have Virtual Reality taking the same road and it’s becoming popular with every passing day. Talking about development in this field, every major technology firm is involved; Microsoft, Google, Facebook- you name it!

Coming to Google, the company has already contributed a lot towards VR tech with their Daydream headset, which claims to give the best virtual reality experience at present. Google is not stopping there and aims to provide best VR content as well. They made it clear with the recent acquisition of Owlchemy Labs, the developer behind a number of acclaimed PC and console VR games like Job Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality.

In a blog sharing his enthusiasm, Owlchemy co-founder Alex Schwartz said “We are continuing to do all of this with even more support and focus on building awesome stuff. It’s incredibly exciting that Google and Owlchemy are so well aligned on our goals and vision for the future of VR.”

Established in 2010, Owlchemy Labs specializes in creating interactive VR games and simulators using hand gestures as controls, eliminating the need of remote whatsoever. Probably, that’s what Google is interested in given the Daydream Project uses a remote as well. Daydream is an amazing device to experience quality VR, there is no doubt in that. But, using a remote is not very intuitive when it comes to complete immersive experience. And that’s where Owlchemy comes into play.

Relja Markovic, Engineering director VR and AR, Google said “Together, we’ll be working to create engaging, immersive games and developing new interaction models across many different platforms to continue bringing the best VR experiences to life.”

In the official press release, there is barely any info regarding future plans with Owlchemy, but the speculations are they will be working together on Daydream VR Project. There’s a I/O developer conference next week and we hope Google is going to reveal, if not all, some important details. Till then, we can assume VR has a bright future in Google’s hand.