Google Chrome has supported some virtual reality headsets like Oculus Rift on Windows for almost a year now, through Google’s WebVR program, but Windows Mixed Reality headsets were notably incompatible. This is soon to change, as a new flag coming to Chrome will enable early testing of Windows Mixed Reality headsets with WebVR.
Chrome 66 rolled out earlier this week with a new password export feature and restrictions to when media can autoplay. On Windows, this update also adds support to view web-based virtual reality apps through an Oculus VR headset.
One of the frequently cited uses for virtual reality is building empathy by immersing users in the viewpoint of others. Google today is doubling down on that VR use with Daydream Impact — a training program that provides equipment to various organizations.
Virtual reality is incredibly important and YouTube has been doubling down over the past year to ensure that it is the premier platform for the format. The latest update for creators adds heatmaps to see how viewers are interacting with 360-degree and VR videos.
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.
Back in June of 2016, it was revealed that Google was working on a way to make virtual reality accessible from every web browser, dubbed WebVR. Then, with the release of Chrome 56 Beta, Google started to allow developers to begin testing their WebVR projects on the web. Today, Google has published 12 WebVR experiments for users to test out not only with Daydream headsets but also those with Cardboard…
Announced yesterday, some of the biggest names in the virtual reality world have come together to form an association that will hopefully make VR something that everyone can enjoy and partake in. This non-profit hopes to not only conduct research and identify the best practices for VR, but to also start a conversation between everyone currently involved in the field…
With virtual reality gaming quickly on the rise we’re seeing more and more consumers pick up VR headsets such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Currently these are the two biggest players in the game, but if plans from Google had come to fruition, there may have been another headset on the market…
It’s no secret that Google is heavily interested in virtual reality technology and now it’s looking to bring some of that technology to Chrome. As noticed by Road To VR, the latest builds of Chrome Beta and Chrome Dev bring the beginnings of support for WebVR.
VR is slowly taking over the tech space as more and more companies make their attempts to steal your content-consuming eyeballs. As you may know, Google was among the first to debut a mobile VR experience with Google Cardboard, but it was pretty barebones to say the least.
At Google I/O 2016 we got a sneak peek at what Google has in store for virtual reality in the coming months with Google Daydream. And right around the corner from the full Android N release, Google has debuted a set of developer tools to allow anyone with a Nexus 6P to test out Daydream right now…
From new Moto devices to Project Tango, Lenovo will have a full lineup of announcements this Thursday at Tech World 2016. Now, a new render has surfaced highlighting the thinness of the Moto Z, while a Bluetooth certification points to low-end devices also set to carry the Moto name.
At Google I/O‘s keynote yesterday, one of the highlights of the final unveiling of Android N was all about Virtual Reality. While no “Android VR” headset was announced, the search giant introduced Daydream, a VR platform that will be available within Android N.
According to Clay Bavor, which debuted Daydream on stage, as many as eight big-name partners are already onboard: Samsung, HTC, LG, Xiaomi, ZTE, Asus, Alcatel and Huawei, and today, the latter OEM is giving us some more information about its integration with Google’s VR vision…
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.
With Google I/O starting next week, veteran tech journalist Peter Rojas has tweeted that Android VR will launch as a dedicated, standalone headset. This corroborates earlier reports and the mention of “AndroidVR” we saw yesterday in the latest Unreal Engine preview.
At the I/O developer conference next week, Google is widely expected to delve deeper into virtual reality with a Gear VR-like headset. And while we don’t know what that means quite yet, it seems Google could announce VR software at the event as a reference to “AndroidVR” was spotted in the latest Unreal Engine preview…
Clay Bavor, previously Google’s VP of Gmail and Drive, took over the company’s virtual reality efforts right around the turn of 2016. It has been over four months since then, and as the company now continues thinking beyond its super-cheap Cardboard headset made of actual cardboard, Bavor gave an interview to Popular Science on the topic of the company’s experience with Cardboard and how that’s impacting its future VR endeavors…
I’ve long be intrigued about the potential of virtual reality, and as such, I’ve been dying to try the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive. Sadly, I’ve yet to have the opportunity to try either.
I humbly settled on Google Cardboard, which is a nice novelty, but a less than ideal experience. For all that Google Cardboard lacked, it made it clear that VR is more than just a passing fad, and that it features some serious potential.
Google Cardboard, for all of its merits, doesn’t do the idea of VR justice. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend ~$1500 to enjoy a proper VR experience. Samsung’s Gear VR, an idea brought to reality via a partnership with VR pioneer Oculus, is a legitimate VR experience that makes me downright excited about the future of this technology.
Gear VR is far from perfect, but it’s a huge upgrade over Google Cardboard, and cheap enough to where the masses can both experience and validate it.
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GoPro is today launching a new GoPro VR mobile app where anyone will be able to view 360-degree and virtual reality content uploaded using its new Omni and Odyssey camera rigs also announced today.
According to a new report from The Information, behind closed doors Google is much more interested in augmented reality than it is in virtual reality. Google of course has publicly marketed its Cardboard VR product heavily, but that’s apparently not the end-goal for the company — augmented reality is.
In a blog post announcing their launch of an embeddable web and native app VR viewer, Google also introduced the official launch of their Cardboard SDK for iOS. The SDK allows iOS developers to embed virtual reality content within their own apps to then be viewed using a viewer like Google’s own Cardboard.
A day after their Twitter tease of what is presumably the One M10, HTC executives sat down with CNET for a wide-ranging talk. In the interview, CEO Cher Wang and CFO Chialin Chang said that the company’s next phone will have a better camera while noting the importance of the new Vive VR.
Coca-Cola could easily equip just about everyone in the country with a free Google Cardboard-style VR viewer if the above experiment turns into reality.
Samsung’s Gear 360 video camera leaked a few weeks ago, and today it’s official. Until now the idea of owning a camera that can capture video and images in a VR-compatible 360-degree format may have been a foreign concept to most, but Samsung is really taking a stab at bringing VR content to the mainstream with this offering….
