Virtual Reality

Google is expected to be announcing its first Daydream Virtual Reality headset today but it looks like we may have the details a little ahead of time. According to sources, Google's first Daydream headset will be announced today with a low $79 price tag, completely undercutting Samsung's GearVR and potentially …

Sky is looking to tap into the burgeoning virtual reality marketplace with an application of its own. Called Sky VR, the app is compatible with iOS and Android, as well as PC based VR like the Rift (no word on the Vive), will offer 360 degree video and movie content, as …

360 degree video is often the first look people get at “virtual reality,” through Google Cardboard or similar, even if it is nothing of the sort. Lacking any form of interaction, it's completely passive, but perhaps not for much longer. HypeVR's volumetric 3D videos allow users to more in, out …

Right from the get-go, HTC/Valve and Oculus have had fairly different approaches to the virtual reality market. While Oculus has been trying to push things along by paying developers for timed exclusivity deals, Valve has remained against such tactics. Now, HTC has also weighed in on the topic, stating that …

This year's debut of consumer grade virtual reality hardware and software has seen a lot of ‘firsts,' from first educational titles, to first sports titles, to first multiplayer shooters. At the beginning of August however, it gave rise to the first virtual reality music video, created entirely in Google's TiltBrush. …

Samsung has been quick to make a name for itself in the Virtual Reality market with the GearVR headset but the Oculus-powered device does have one drawback- it currently requires a high-end Galaxy Smartphone to run. This has led to whispers of a standalone VR headset from Samsung but it …

The Oculus Rift may have been the first major VR headset to hit the market, but since then it seems that the HTC Vive has found stronger footing in the market, with many preferring the motion controls and room-scale capabilities. Oculus has a plan to combat that, with Oculus Touch, …

The Oculus Rift is now readily available for anyone who wants one, with no more long waits or pre-order queues. However, if you are still on the fence, or don't fancy waiting for shipping and delivery, you can now find the Oculus Rift headset available at UK retail stores. This …

Something that has been iterated upon time and again since the release of the consumer grade VR headsets, is the hardware and cabling needed to build a quick and easy station to demo games to people. Developers and hardware sellers alike may fall in love with Innoactive's VR Suitcase though, …

It looks like Facebook is going to be much more involved with the ongoing Oculus VR experience moving forward, as with the latest 1.8 update for the headset's companion software and store, Facebook integration is possible. If you use it though, prepare for your VR skirts to be lifted. If …

Last week, Sony announced that it would be including a demo disc with all of its PlayStation VR units, giving buyers a chance to try out a bunch of titles before laying down any serious cash on full games. It sounds like a great idea and over in the US, …

Right now if you want to play the best VR titles, you will find yourself tethered to a PC, with bulky wires limiting your movement somewhat. Over the course of 2016, plenty of companies have begun showing off prototype Virtual Reality backpacks at tradeshows, eliminating the problem by having users …

Swedish robotics maker, Gleechi, has shown off some innovative developments in virtual reality, that could see in game hands and fingers grip and grasp objects far more realistically. It's hoped that this would help improve immersion, through letting you grab things in game as you would in the real world. As …

The Oculus Rift is set to get quite the upgrade later this year with the launch of Oculus Touch, the headset's own motion controllers, paving the way for room-scale experiences that will bring the Rift more in-line with what the HTC Vive offers. It's going to be pricey though if …

Supersampling in virtual reality can make a tangible difference to the perceived detail of your VR gaming experience, but depending on the game it can be rather resource intensive. Fortunately someone has made a new launcher just for Steam VR games and it offers a number of per-app features that make …

Samsung has actually been at the forefront of consumer VR for a few years now with the GearVR and for a while, Samsung enjoyed a fairly open playing field. However, other companies are starting to catch on with virtual reality for smartphones, with Google gearing up to launch Daydream VR …

One of the big problems Virtual Reality headset builders are currently trying to tackle is the sheer amount of cables involved. This is especially important for room-scale devices like the HTC Vive, which wants wearers to be moving around a room, rather than staying in one place. However, it looks …

It was going to happen at some point: someone was going to claim to be the first to make a feature length VR movie. While Jesus VR is technically a 360 degree movie, rather than a VR film, it's still set to debut at the Venice Film Festival and will be …

One of the big reasons we opted to recommended the HTC Vive over the Oculus Rift in our testing earlier this year, was because of the wand motion controllers. It turns out though that the Rift could have shipped with them, but Oculus wanted to give developers more time to …

Rick and Morty co-creator and voice actor, Justin Roiland, has announced that he's starting his very own virtual reality game development studio, along with Epic Games alumni, Tanya Watson. It's called Squanchtendo and we know this because “Little Splzooshly,” the new studio's mascot, told us all about it in a …

Ubisoft had a surprisingly successful game on its hands with South Park the Stick of Truth, so it's doing it again with the Fractured But Whole. To provide a special promotional opportunity at Gamescom however, it showed off the game with a unique peripheral: the Nosulus Rift, which lets you …

In the ongoing legal battle between Facebook owned Oculus VR and id Software parent company, Zenimax, the VR firm has denied all allegations that it breached Zenimax copyright and non-disclosure agreements in creating the Rift headset. It has also called Zenimax's tactics misleading, unjust and lacking in good faith. Oculus …

It looks like things are getting uglier in Zenimax's lawsuit filing against Oculus. The complaint was first filed back in 2014 and this week, things seemed to escalate, with Zenimax claiming that John Carmack stole documents and custom  dev tools when he left id Software to join Oculus, the update …

As much as the HTC Vive's wand controllers are a good amalgamation of what it's like to hold a gun, thanks to their shape and trigger design, it's not quite the same as peripherals of gaming's past. Looking to change that is The Persuader, a realistic looking M1A1 Thompson that holsters …

Although not expected to show up until next year, Microsoft will introduce its Holographic environment designed for the Hololens, to just about every Windows 10 user with a VR headset. It blends 2D and 3D apps together in a virtual environment, to make Windows efficient in a virtual space. Along …

Now that Oculus has officially cleared its backlog of Rift headset pre-orders, the company can begin to expand beyond its online store. From next month, you will be able to pick up the Oculus Rift at various shops in the UK, allowing you to skip the shipping time and take one …

Microsoft's Hololens has been available to early adopters for a while now – with a hefty $3,000 price tag to boot. Now though it's set for commercial availability, with Microsoft shipping it out to business as part of its new “Commercial Suite” package, which a number of new features designed …

Although an unofficial version of Minecraft – Minecrift – has been available for free download for some time now, the official release of Minecraft for the Oculus Rift is coming next week. Better yet, by the end of the year Touch support will be implemented too, delivering hand tracking to …

One of the more interesting features to come out of virtual reality development in recent weeks was the introduction of audio-reactive brushes in 3D painting experience, TiltBrush. Users have been experimenting with it since and it's lead to some amazing creations, like this VR painting music video. The song used …

It looks like Valve is opening up its room-scale tracking system for all hardware makers to play around with, allowing custom hardware to be built for the HTC Vive headset, which means companies could end up releasing their own custom motion controllers to compete with Valve's own wand-style design, which comes bundled with …