Back in July, Google released a neat Minecraft-esque tool for creating and sharing 3D objects in virtual reality. Today, Blocks is getting a big update to version 4.0 that adds new themes, improved snapping, and a Labs section with prototype features.
Last year, Google announced VR180 photos and videos to challenge existing 360 degree capture. With cameras announced at CES 2018, Google believes that its format is better at capturing immersive moments. To prove this, Google is hosting a contest where it will professional capture a “special memory” that you want preserved.
Google has several popular tools, like Tilt Brush and the Minecraft-esque Blocks, for creating virtual and augmented reality content. The latest is called Poly and provides users with a vast library of 3D objects and scenes that are free to use.
Many believe that virtual reality (VR) will be the next big thing in the way that humans interact with computers and with each other. While adoption of VR has been relatively slow, it hasn’t stopped companies like Google from making its own platform called Daydream that features not only hardware that works with smartphones but also unique software experiences.
Since the launch of Daydream late last year, have you used it? If so, what do you use Daydream and/or any other VR platform for?
While we wait for the massive 2.0 Euphrates update later this year, Google is still iterating on the Daydream experience in minor ways. Discovery on the Android app has been improved, while version 1.7 sees a number of updates focusing on the Daydream Controller.
Content for virtual reality is being created at a tremendous pace as the field sees more and more consumer devices and interest. Hoping to address how most 3D content is still created on 2D screens, Google is releasing Blocks, a simple tool for creating and sharing objects in virtual reality.
Similar to how the shift from desktop to mobile required different monetization strategies and ads, the rise of virtual reality content will require another rethink. Google, which is still primarily driven by advertising, is already experimenting with ad designs for the new format.
To make virtual reality content easier to create, Google is launching a new video format called VR180. As the name suggests, certified devices will capture half of the usual 360-degree range, with a focus on what is right in front of the camera.
Google shared more details about its standalone VR headsets at a virtual and augmented reality-focused keynote on the second-day of I/O.
Google has announced a number of VR efforts at I/O 2017. Notably, the company confirmed that it is working on a “new category of standalone VR headsets.”
What I/O 2017 set to kickoff in less than 24 hours, Google might showcase a standalone virtual reality headset at the event. Rumored for over a year, it will not require a smartphone or a PC and possibly use inside-out positional tracking.
Besides Daydream, Google is responsible for a number of other virtual reality efforts like apps for the Oculus and HTC Vive platforms. The company is doubling down on their commitment to the space with the acquisition of VR studio Owlchemy Labs.
Introduced in 2015, Google is today announcing the next generation of Jump cameras for capturing 3D 360 video. The Yi Halo features 17 4K cameras, while Google is also launching the Jump Start program to get more devices into the hands of filmmakers.
The maker of the popular Vive virtual reality app SoundStage, Logan Olson, has joined the VR team at Google. After about a year since first becoming available in its primitive early release version, the SoundStage app — which, for those out of the loop, lets you create music in a brightly-colored VR environment — just recently hit its 1.0 release on Steam. Now, Logan is moving on…
With immense potential for augmented reality, Tango will likely play a big role in Google’s future amibitions and products. It should then come at no surprise that the Tango team is now a part (via UploadVR) of the company’s larger VR division.
I tried the HTC Vive for the first time last year, and one of the most memorable parts of that first dive into VR was Google’s Tilt Brush. Basically, it’s a VR version of “paint” that lets you doodle in 3D space and create insanely cool virtual worlds of pretty much anything you can imagine. It’s magical.
Now it appears that Google is set to make the experience even better, allowing multiple Tilt Brush players to create together in real time…
Back in May, Google revealed the Daydream platform for high quality, mobile virtual reality. After gathering months of feedback, the Google VR SDK is now out of beta and allows developers to start building high-quality Daydream apps. A partnership with Unity and Unreal even lets existing engines and tools be used to create games.
As I/O approaches, Google is doubling down on virtual reality with a new head of business and operations for the division (via Recode). Formerly president of Google for Work, Amit Singh announced today that he was moving to Google VR as vice president.
In a blog post, Clay Bavor, the recently anointed VP of Google’s new virtual reality division, announced that there are now over five million units of Cardboard and over 1000 Cardboard apps in Google Play. The numbers come as recent reports show Google getting into VR in a serious way, including possibly building their own headset.
Rumors that Google has big plans for virtual reality seem to be gathering pace. After yesterday learning that the lead designer of Google Search is now heading up Google Cardboard, another engineer believed to be working on the projected has hinted at an announcement at Google I/O …
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