Category: Virtual Reality

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Virtual Reality

Top Virtual Reality Headset For Gaming In 2017

top virtual reality headsets

Virtual Reality has continued to gain popularity with lots of content and devices launched throughout 2016, and, with much to look for in 2017. However, the market is still fresh and it could be difficult to know what to look for from a  Virtual Reality device. So, we have compiled this list of some of the finest VR Headsets you can get your hands around.

Whether you are looking for a VR headset that costs less than $10 and works perfectly with your smartphone or if you want to immerse yourself completely with the most powerful system available, we got you all covered.

virtual reality headsets

What is VR: History and Types of Virtual Reality [Latest Tech]

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Virtual Reality Headsets For Gaming:

Virtual Reality (VR) Gaming

#1 HTC Vive – Overall Best Performer

The HTC Vive (PC based) VR Headset is powered by Valve steam VR and built by the mobile phones manufacturer, HTC. This virtual reality headset is the complete package you can buy right now to experience complete top of the line VR content.

You can roam around the room while in VR mode, thanks to the IR sensor based wall-mounted tracking system from Vive. It tops almost any list of best virtual reality headsets for gaming without any doubt. If you can afford it, just go for it, there’s nothing much better than it.

HTC Vive VR: Virtual Reality Headsets

The design too is superb and the light receptors provided on the front of the headgear,  part of the motion tracking system) appear like little glass plates all over the front face.

virtual reality headsets

Unreal Engine: Download And Start Building Your Own VR Games

For many years now, Unreal Engine has been the complete suite to develop amazing VR games. It has been attracting developers of all types with its wide range.

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#2 Oculus Rift – Best For Design And Power

Oculus will be remembered forever for making Virtual Reality content consumption possible. Though initially it was specifically designed for video games, it has already been transforming gaming experiences altogether. Oculus Rift has been pouring in billions of investments in their game development sections and if it pays off, Rift users will have loads of feature rich content to enjoy.

The headset itself provides an incredible 110° wide field of view along with high-resolution display and comes with ultra-low latency head tracking technology.

Oculus VR Headset : Types of VR and virtual reality headsets

The Rift provides a truly immersive experience that takes you a step inside your favorite game and helps explore new worlds in next level.

The integrated audio system too is designed perfectly for VR. It gives users amazing sound experiences both in terms of depth and space, fooling the senses easily. It’s controllers (Oculus Touch Controllers) too are designed to perfection and has better finishing than those of the HTC Vive. To sum up, this is the grand daddy of VR Headsets and has lot in store for its users.

#3 Samsung Gear VR – Best For Smartphones

Samsung Gear VR is the best mobile compatible VR Headset designed for Samsung smartphones including – Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, Note, S6 Edge+, S6 Edge, and S6. This VR headset comes with padded lining, thus, making the device more comfortable to use, even with glasses. It weighs just 11.2 ounces and has dimensions of 4.6 x 8 x 3.6 inches.

Virtual Reality Gaming Headsets

The other best thing about Gear VR is that it’s compatible with the Oculus VR content. This means you can access all the premium VR content designed for the big boys from the Gear VR. You can enjoy all the 360 degrees photos and videos content now available from your smartphone using this lightweight low power consuming headset.

Except few heating issues, common with Samsung smartphones, this an absolutely worthy product (even though it is priced high compared to the other mobile compatible VR headsets. If you are a Samsung smartphone user, you have to give this headset a try.

virtual reality headsets

10 Reasons Why Virtual Reality is Far More Than Just Games

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#4 Google Daydream View – Comfort And Future of Android in VR

Google Daydream View is the next-gen VR Headset made by Google. While the Cardboard VR box, Google’s earlier VR concept was all about laying foundations for VR content, Daydream is the future for Google and Android in virtual reality.

The Daydream View is currently limited only to Daydream-ready phones – Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL handsets – but will become a standard with more manufacturers supporting it.

The big plus with  Daydream View is the comfort it provides. Unlike its rivals, this VR Headset is built with soft material. If you have already used the Google Cardboard, it goes without saying that there is rich content available for this device and is completely VR games ready.

Your Thoughts:

How do you like our top picks? What were your experiences with any of these VR headsets? If you have any other VR Headsets you fell in love with playing VR games, do write about them in the comments section below.

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Virtual Reality

10 Reasons Why Virtual Reality is Far More Than Just Games

10 Reasons Why Virtual Reality is Far More Than Just Games: Healthcare, Porn, Education, Marketing

Though Virtual Reality originated nearly two decades ago, its golden era started only two years back. With tech giants betting big, VR is surely one of the greatest technological bets right now.

This surge is turning science fiction ideas pertained to books and stories to reality. This set up an interesting phase and a variety of gadgets popped into the market.

From the affordable & simple VR Headsets – Google Cardboard and Daydream to the feature rich and costly – HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, VR has successfully managed to grab quite a lot of global attention.

Top Virtual Reality Headset For Gaming In 2017

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There are still problems surfacing every now and then and this only means more innovation is yet to come. But there are also pessimists out there who believe VR is nothing more than just for gamers and other entertainment purposes.

Though it is a fact that mainstream VR is still years away, undermining the potential this tech has for our lives isn’t wise. The list of interesting uses for this technology goes far beyond video games and entertainment.

So, this article is to highlight the importance of these experiences in various sectors. Either implemented or proven.

#1 Healthcare & Medicine

There has been a rapid use of virtual reality in many fields of Healthcare. Common applications being – VR Pain Management and Diagnosis. Diagnosing health ailments through medical imaging without surgeries is one of the coolest features VR adds to Medical Tech.

#2 Military

Military Training is being transformed with virtual reality. Virtual reality is becoming a part of the training programs for soldiers. VR war experiences are helping soldiers train to adapt to situations they have been deployed to and in recovering from traumatic experiences.

#3 Sports

Virtual reality has started to become a game changer for the sporting world . Through VR, the sports industry is improving in all sectors covering sportspersons, sports equipment manufacturers, and audience. This is enabling performance gains and at the same time giving the audience best views possible in everyone game.

#4 Porn

It is a no-brainer that the porn industry is getting greatly benefitted through VR. As soon as the VR headsets and hardware came out, many big players rolled out their VR videos. In early 2016, PornHub launched their free 360 degrees videos channel, with people in them interacting with the user.

#5 Journalism

Journalism has always been about engaging with people in the best possible ways. VR presents a truly unique and captivating platform for publishers to tell their stories. New York Times has already been experimenting with virtually shifting users to the incident zone thereby connecting with users at an emotional level.

#6 Architecture

Virtual Reality is being used to develop models of architectural projects before construction begins. It forms a useful tool to determine damages incurred to buildings and mega constructions as well.

#7 Education

Mainstream VR can greatly augment classroom tech offering students the best learning experiences. Through virtual environments, students get to learn everything practically – and that matters a lot. Teaching highly conceptual and visualization based subjects like Physics will also become simpler and easily understandable.

#8 Marketing

When it comes to marketing – attracting, engaging and converting potential customers to buyers is all that matters. With VR brands have been engaging with these potential targets through life like experiences. Customers too can make clear and absolutely informed decisions while spending money.

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#9 Meteorology

Virtual Reality aids Meteorologists in predicting future atmospheric effects. Through various virtual reality programs, information processing from satellites and satellite dishes can be analyzed models that simulate predicted weather effects can be developed.

#10 Molecular studies

When combined with computerized modeling, VR becomes essential equipment in studying molecular and cellular structures. By giving scientists the means to access these molecules in detail, productivity and efficiency of their research can be expected to increase.

Your Thoughts:

What do think about the potential of VR in the future? Are there any other areas that Virtual Reality is transforming significantly? Let us know about all your VR experiences in the comments section below.

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Virtual Reality

A Sneak Peak Into Apple’s AR Integrated iPhone Vision

Based on the recent media appearances of Apple CEO Tim Cook, it wouldn’t be hard to predict the tech giant’s interest in Augmented Reality.

During his London visit, earlier this month, he restated his confidence in AR tech giving us vital hints about Apple’s heading in this new frontier.

“I’m excited about Augmented Reality because unlike Virtual Reality which closes the world out, AR allows individuals to be present in the world but hopefully allows an improvement on what’s happening presently” – Tim Cook said to The Independent.

Difference Between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR vs AR)

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AR is core technology

Tim Cook believes AR is not some product; rather, it is a core technology evolving into a   global technology, like the smartphones did a decade earlier.

Another reason to believe Apple has an AR strategy built is – it fits perfectly to the main motto of the company – to offer best technology products to everyone without targeting any specific market, or country, or demographic. AR will have something for everyone for sure… and that’s huge!

There’s yet another reason we feel Apple is seriously working on AR.

There was a lot of news over the past few months around Apple working in the field of augmented and virtual reality.

Two recent patents granted to the company suggests of serious plans Apple has for AR integration into the upcoming iPhones.

One of these patents (U.S. Patent No: 9,560,273) is titled “Wearable information system having at least one camera”.

apple ar visionIt describes an augmented reality system that detects its surroundings based on the camera and displays key information as a 3D image to users in real time.

The other patent (U.S. Patent No: 9,558,581) describes a method of representing virtual information blending with the real environment.

apple ar visionBoth these patents were filed by a German company – Metaio. Interestingly, Apple acquired this company back in 2015 itself.

Acquisitions, Acquisitions and More Acquisitions

Apple has not hesitated in pumping huge R&D investments. Added to the tremendous work Apple has been doing to strengthen Intellectual Property, it has also been showing calculated aggression when it comes to acquisitions.

Apple has recently acquired several notable companies in the AR space – Metaio (an AR startup), Faceshift (works on motion capture technology), Emotient (an artificial intelligence startup), and Flyby Media (Google Tango app developers).

Looking into all these facts we can observe that Apple is steadily positioning itself to dominate the mobile AR market surpassing Google Tango.

The Fully Immersive Apple AR iPhone May Be Far Away

You may be surprised but we’re still far away from seeing mainstream AR and its because of both these reasons – Hardware, Content. Even though Pokemon Go managed to rock the world, not many people have even a clue of what AR is.

Undeniably we are at this point where the underlying technologies aren’t still at their best shape to offer consumers a truly remarkable experience. Just like any other budding technology, AR is currently taking its baby steps into the market and will eventually take time before the next iPhone comes packed with it.

Tim Cook too admitted that it will take time before everything falls in place with AR. However, Apple may produce another shocker of an innovation and announce a new iPhone with AR features in 2017. Let’s wait and hope to see it soon.

“VR is cool but AR has the potential to impact every single app and service we use in our phones”

Image Credits: USPTO

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Virtual Reality

Top 5 Magical Augmented Reality Books To Delight Your Kids

augmented reality books

Now, characters and books come to life, allowing students to interact and experience stories thanks to Augmented Reality (AR) technology.

With AR the art of storytelling has further diversified in a more engaging way. In addition, by merging text with digital content these compelling books encourage reading without getting bored.

To explore these AR books, all you need is an Internet connection, a smartphone, and the required app and you can live the story.

Horrible Hauntings: An Augmented Reality Collection of Ghosts and Ghouls

This exciting augmented reality book is a true masterpiece. Filled with interactive illustrations, it takes the reader across ten famous hauntings throughout history.

Viewers can see and interact with notorious and spine-chilling 3-D ghosts of these stories with an app that comes along.

You can surely escape reality and dive deep into the supernatural world with this one. Just don’t forget to turn the lights off while reading. This creepy yet interesting book will be the best Halloween gift for your kids.

Jurassic World – Where Dinosaurs Come to Life

This amazing augmented reality book takes your kids through a journey across the terrifying genetically engineered dinosaurs.

This book presents all the facts from the highly successful Jurassic World movie. Using the app, you can interact with these dinosaurs and enjoy all the action right at your home. If your kids love dinosaur stories then you should get this book right away.

Animal Kingdom Education Book

The company, Interactive Fun, released this educational AR book featuring incredible animals. Kids can take an enlightening & adventurous journey through the “Animal Kingdom”.

It is filled with a combination of text and illustrations of various animals and their habitats. Since the book is based on the Augmented Reality technology, your kids can also learn more info about these animals like their eating habits and communications with other animals as the images come to life.

The free “iA Animal Kingdom” is available for download on both the Android & Apple app stores.

iStorm: Wild Weather and Other Forces of Nature

Carlton Books publishers released this completely unique augmented reality book packed with incredibly destructive natural calamities. experience.

You can take a long look at the height of waves during a Tsunami, stand right at the center of an earthquake with complete safety. This book is a perfect medium to educate kids the Do’s and Don’ts of such tragic moments.

iStorm covers all the natural disasters from volcanoes and forest fires to floods and Tsunamis. By holding a smartphone over the pages, one can also explore Earth’s surfaces and impacts these calamities have on our planet Earth. Happy Learning!

Jack Hunter: The French Connection

This amazing AR book authored by Martin King features the character, Jack Hunter. It is a story portraying the life of a normal 13-year-old kid until there comes a twist in the tale.

This book and the series of books revolving around Jack Hunter (best suited for kids aged 11- 15) are known for its adventure and treasure hunting tales and Russian spies.

Unlike the other books listed, this books not only has interactive content (thanks to augmented reality) but also integrated games encouraging readers to find hidden coins based on few clues.

Your Thoughts:

Have you already bought any of these books to your kids? What was their reaction? Do you think Augmented Reality books are the future? Leave us with your opinions in the comments box below.

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Tech News Virtual Reality

Sony Patents Tracking System For PSVR And Its Similar To Vive

Everyone tech minded is buzzing over Virtual Reality, and the potential there is within it. Hardware, of course, has a major role to play to put words to action. Talking about VR hardware, there are two groups, ones being fully immersive – Oculus, Vive and the others more accessible but with fewer features – PSVR, Daydream.

However, for PSVR and Sony things haven’t been rosy like they were at the launch. It seems that the VR headset has almost disappeared from conversations amidst tracking quality complaints.

Sony Interactive Entertainment’s new patent, published earlier this month shows signs that the company is working on fixing these positional tracking issues.

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A look into this patent application reveals this fix could be something similar in concept to the VR tracking system of HTC Vive. Apparently, this will be an evolution of the camera based tracking system of the PSVR. The patent details as follows:

“A method for determining an orientation of a photo sensor of a controller with respect to a projector is described”

This indicates a use of beam forming techniques (through the use of light and mirrors) to track player location w.r.t a controller like DualShock 4.

The mechanism is outlined as follows:

  1. Generating, by a beam generator of the projector, a beam.
  2. Modifying a direction of travel of the beam using a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) mirror that moves in a pattern, deflecting the beam, calculating a time at which the beam is detected and determining based on the pattern and the time an orientation of the beam to determine the orientation of the photosensor.

Though it sounds technical, basically, it is outlining a similar mechanism existing in Vive.

SONY PSVR tracking system patentThe above image illustrates the external tracking system – combination of a head mounted display and a projector. Though such external tracking solution has its own drawbacks, it is accurate compared to the inbuilt tracking system of PSVR.

At present, the in-built tracking system of PSVR uses light signals from the head mounted display and a PlayStation camera to create the immersive experience.

This mechanism seemed to work well but had no answer to frequent player mobility issues caused from twitching within scenes without any player movements.

However, it is unclear if Sony will improve its existing PSVR or launch a newer version – PSVR 2 based on this tech. either way, it is great to see Sony working on strengthening its VR tech, probably to face the future markets.

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Virtual Reality

Heard of VR Social Networking Yet? Facebook And Competitors Are Putting It Together

vtime: vr social network

In 2014, Facebook paid Oculus $2Bn and raised several eyebrows. Indeed there were lot of questions & discussions around this bold move. One question that got every tech enthusiast thinking is… why would a giant in social networking go all the way out of its comfy zone, and invest, in a technology opposite to its core model. By opposite, we mean Facebook is about sharing stuff with people and VR is about exploring worlds of fantasy (i.e. single user experience focussed).

Today unsurprisingly, with VR tech standing firm, this $2bn investment proves to be quite a good bargain. It did manage to send shock waves all around the tech world – and it is paying well.

This fever spread across tech enthusiasts and techprenuers who jumped in and starting unraveling many other possible applications of VR. And now, more than ever, it is evident that VR social networking is the next logical step forward for giants like Facebook.

Evolution of Social Networks

Over the years, social networking has been evolving continuously. From being just a text-based communication medium, it has unfolded to ease image and video sharing. Now the next step is about eliminating the screen altogether and immersing into a social environment.

VR social networks are the tip of the iceberg. Following suit, online shopping, education, conferences and communication as a whole will take a turn towards digital immersion. Almost each of the activities we do using laptops or smartphones will get redefined opening up immense field of opportunities for startups.

There is Competition All Around

Thankfully Facebook is not the only giant company growing in the VR market. Many players like Google, HTC, Sony, Samsung and Microsoft are all betting big in VR. Looking at the current market situation, there is now confidence that VR will grow to be a $30bn industry by 2020.

Social VR is Calming Concerns

There have always been concerns raised about use of Virtual Reality to escape reality. Though initial applications have stood in support of this misconception, this point won’t be valid anymore.

With Social VR we are escaping – not reality, but, the drawbacks it brings with it. Imagine taking a flight just to attend a conference, imagine not being able to climb the mountain tops, all such limitations our real world has can be by passed at ease. These could be the key motivating points for companies like Facebook and Oculus.

The only challenge that is to be conquered now is creation of life-like interactions – gestures, body language etc. This though wouldn’t be so easy; every new development will take us a step closer.

Future of VR Social Networking

The possibilities and challenges discussed create a perfect platform for mind-boggling innovations. With companies like vTIme joining the party, tech giants have started pouring in large investments and in the long run it is all going to work our great for all those choose to adapt.

Most importantly, with all this buzzing activities, the mindset of people will start to shift. Once this happens, in the near future we are up for some exciting tech breakthroughs in Virtual Reality.

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Virtual Reality

Why VR and IoT Will Blend Perfectly For The Future

best vr marketing campaigns

Virtual Reality and Internet of Things are playing major roles in the industry and consumers lives. On one hand, IoT is making our lives more connected than ever and on the other, we can do many incredible things with Virtual Reality.

With both these technologies having great potential to transform many sectors, in this article, we inspect how these technologies can play together for the greater good.

Now that these technologies have individually proved their mettle, the entire Tech industry votes that IoT and VR have a crucial role to play in the coming years. This is clear from the exponential rise in companies betting on these technologies.

In 2016 alone, an estimated $4 billion was invested in IoT space technologies with the biggest player being Magic Leap. Similarly, in the VR space too investments are flooding in and VR market is expected to value $20 billion by 2020.

IoT and VR combined represent a new ecosystem of user interaction along with creating new storytelling opportunities.

However, though it may be surprising, these two technologies are similar and different at the same time. Both these technologies are our best hope to merge the physical and digital worlds.

While VR is about recreating a real world through digital means, IoT deals with accessing physical world digitally.

This creates that elegant point of intersection of these technologies opening up new possibilities packed with the virtues of both technologies.

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VR and IoT are playing a mega role in modernizing workplaces. For millennials especially, this transformation has become one of the important factors in improving productivity.

Industrial IoT is already proving to be significant in various industries. Experts believe that VR has a similar potential to augment workforces.

The combination of VR and IoT means that telepresence will now be a reality. Conventional video conferencing much likely may become obsolete with virtual face-to-face interactions becoming the norm. In the future, our kids will attend meetings while commuting, there’s no doubt about that. 

VR and IoT Will Save Lives

In a series of articles we have published recently, we showcased how VR Pain Relief is revolutionizing healthcare.

A quick Google search will enlighten you on the role IoT is playing in this field. Both these technologies will save lots of lives and at the same time decrease suffering.

Innovations like Da Vinci  Surgical System which uses a tiny camera and precision surgical tools has significantly reduced the need for large incisions.

The surgeon gets to insert a tiny camera along with tools via a small opening in the body and gain a complete view of affected area without having to subject the patient to large incisions.

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IoT and VR allow a test run using such systems on a virtual patient. As of now, these are contributing in improving efficiency through better training and practice for surgeons.

In the near future, we might also expect to see surgeons performing VR surgeries to a patient in the remote corner of the city from their rooms.

If at all there are any barriers we can see preventing this is the speed of Internet connection and a little educating of all these possibilities to people.

However, without a doubt, the future looks bright for VR and IoT and it surely is the best time to invest time and effort into these spheres.

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Virtual Reality

Benefits of Virtual Reality For Children: Everything Parents Must Know

We have always been imagining a digital future where we can live in our fantasies taking a break from the real world. Virtual Reality is taking our lives forward in this particular dimension. Better than the existing entertainment systems, it is giving a whole new meaning to escapism with enhanced levels of immersive experiences.

Added to all this, it being closely related to video games – has become quite attractive to kids. Currently, PlayStation VR is the only console compatible industry platform. But it is not recommended for children aged below 12.

However, the potential of VR is far more extensive than purely recreational. With rapid advancements within this technology, experts recommend using different devices based on the age of children.

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For Children Under 12

For this age group of children, the best VR glasses are the Google Cardboard or Ant VR. These mobile compatible VR headsets, based on Android and iOS are easy to use and inexpensive.

The main advantage with devices like these is the availability of content. There are many applications available for download on the Internet for free. The other good news is that along with variety of apps for VR, 360 degrees photos and videos are available with all kinds of educational or entertaining content for all the family to see.

For Teens

If you have children over 12 years in the home, VR goggles like the Samsung Gear VR are a good fit. These are a great combination of comfortable design and enhanced immersive experiences. It is recommended to have minimal parental support to restrict the time of usage and content.

If you take a step further, Playstation VR has a lot to offer for teenagers. Including more mature gameplay and more possibilities of interaction, it would be worth the price.

benefits of virtual reality for children: VR girl
Virtual Reality for Children – Benefits

Like with any other technology there are quite a few voices regarding the side effects VR may have on children (e.g. damage to sight). However, if you consider the benefits, they easily outweigh these harms and hence parental guidance is suggested at all times. These are a few outstanding benefits of virtual reality in children agreed by experts:

  1. Good choices for interactive games and movies .
  2. Facilitate greater interactivity and therefore fun to the fullest.
  3. Great potential for educational use . One of the best examples is the Google Expeditions app that allows teachers and parents to teach geography.
  4. Variety of content and free updates from the Internet.

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Possible Drawbacks with VR

However, there are definitely some negative impacts of VR particularly in very young children. One risk is children aged below 12 years can confuse reality with fantasy. Although this is even common in some adults, keeping a close tab of events while the child gets immersed in VR is important on the parents part.

Many experts claim that VR can affect sight. But there are no scientific studies supporting this claim. Considering that the glasses are so close to the eyes, people believe it can effect eye sight and hence shorter intervals are suggested.

Nausea and dizziness are some other drawbacks children may face using VR, but as it has happened with many other technologies, man will get used to it. So, selecting the ideal VR headset matters a lot to avoid this.