Snap just bought a key tech company for its AR smart glasses vision

Snap announced its latest Spectacles yesterday, its first eyewear to actually offer augmented reality, but in the background it’s buying the company responsible for the AR lenses too. Snap’s immediate ambitions for the new Spectacles – which look, generously, ... more - slashgear

Snap’s AR Spectacles make reality look magical, but there’s a catch

During an event today, Snap CEO Evan Spiegal introduced the company’s first pair of augmented reality glasses, a model capable of overlaying digital objects and experiences over the real world. The AR glasses look distinctly different when contrasted ... more - slashgear

Google Search brings more AI and AR power to your fingertips

Search, next to or in conjunction with ads, is the bread and butter of Google’s business. The more people use it and stay within Search for any and all their needs, the better it is for Google. Of course, that implies that Google makes Search an indispensable ... more - slashgear

Oculus Quest v29 update brings big features to more users

Oculus today announced its v29 software update, which includes new features for gaming and for the company’s Infinite Office suite. In a lot of ways, this can be seen as a direct follow up to the big update Oculus launched in February, in large part because ... more - slashgear

Intel Labs shows off new enhanced photorealism techniques

Video game developers are always looking for more realism in their games. The more realistic images look, the more engaging and immersive video games can be, particularly in virtual reality. Researchers from Intel Labs have presented a new approach to ... more - slashgear

HTC VIVE Pro 2 detailed with upgrade kit, full-kit prices

HTC just revealed the HTC VIVE Pro 2, complete with options for upgrades. This new headset will be sold in at least two packages – one with the whole “full-kit” experience, the other with the headset alone. This should allow those users who already own ... more - slashgear

HTC VIVE Focus 3 beats Quest 2 on resolution for standalone VR

HTC has revealed its newest self-contained VR headset, with the VIVE Focus 3 promising a huge uptick in speed and graphics quality but still without a tether to your PC. It’s not just the absence of a cable which should make the VIVE Focus 3 more comfortable ... more - slashgear

Niantic Lightship private beta aims to power next Pokemon GO

Niantic announced a new name and a new aim for their augmented reality platform this week. The Niantic Real World Platform is now called Niantic Lightship. This platform will be offered on a broader level with a Niantic Lightship Augmented Reality Developer ... more - slashgear

PS5 VR leak hints at massively upgraded next-gen 4K model

In late March, Sony confirmed that it is working on a next-generation PlayStation VR headset that will launch at some point for the PS5 console. Though we’re still lacking many official details at this time, Sony did reveal the controllers that will come ... more - slashgear

HTC teases new VR hardware to be released next week

HTC will announce a pair of enterprise-focused VR headsets at an event next week called Vivecon, according to a report. Ahead of the event, HTC has been doing some teasing of the coming hardware but has offered little in the way of detail. The report ... more - slashgear

WNBA games will be streamed on Oculus, Twitter, and Facebook Watch

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) will make a number of games available to stream on various platforms this season, giving viewers the opportunity to tune in without a traditional pay-TV service. Of particular interest is the league’s ... more - slashgear

Samsung SmartTag+ tracker launches in US to take on Apple AirTag

Samsung is ready to take on Apple’s AirTags with the launch of its SmartTag+ in the United States. This new tracking accessory is designed to attach to the objects you may misplace, including your keys, bag, and wallet. The trackers feature ultra-wideband ... more - slashgear

SideQuest can sideload PC VR games on Oculus Quest using a phone

Facebook and Oculus are pushing the Quest 2 as the pinnacle of its VR systems so far because of its versatility. While primarily a standalone headset, the Quest 2 can also run Oculus’ PC-based VR content by tethering it to a desktop or laptop. The versatility, ... more - slashgear

HTC teams with iFixit to make repairing VIVE VR headsets easier

HTC VIVE has announced that it is teaming up with iFixit to make replacement components for its VR headsets available to consumers. Many may be familiar with iFixit. It’s a place that buys new gadgets and then rips them apart to make guides on repairing ... more - slashgear

Apple Clips gets AR Spaces thanks to LiDAR

Although it was one of the first on the mobile AR train with Project Tango, some may have felt that Google dropped the ball on that area. Professing more interest in AR than VR, Apple has been promoting the practical applications of its ARKit framework ... more - slashgear

Researchers suggest smell training, not drugs, for some COVID-19 patients

A huge number of people who contracted and later recovered from COVID-19 experienced loss of smell, an issue that persisted months later in some patients. A class of drugs called corticosteroids aren’t the solution to this problem, however, at least according ... more - slashgear

Apple AirTags: The highs and lows of these $29 trackers

Apple’s cheapest product of this week’s big new hardware showcase was arguably its most interesting, with AirTags finally delivering the much-anticipated launch of the company’s first tracker. Taking on Tile and other item tracking tags, Apple’s system ... more - slashgear

Japanese researchers create a VR walking simulator that stimulates the feet

Japanese researchers have developed a new virtual reality program that is designed to mimic the sensation of walking. It mimics the sensation of walking by stimulating the feet while the user sits motionless. Researchers found participants in the tests ... more - slashgear

HTC Vive Air headset surfaces for VR fitness, but don’t get too excited

HTC is getting itself some attention this morning thanks to a leak of what’s apparently a new fitness-focused VR headset. The headset, which is dubbed the HTC Vive Air, surfaced today in a World Design Guide leak that actually tells us a decent amount ... more - slashgear

Google Search AR summons Pac-Man on your palm

Google may have ditched its Daydream VR platform but it’s still holding on to augmented reality, at least without the headset. Google recently released WebXR, short for Extended Reality, experiments that showcased more practical uses for AR on your phone ... more - slashgear

Resident Evil Village resolution and framerate revealed for PS5, Xbox Series X, Stadia

Yesterday, Capcom revealed new details about the Resident Evil series, announcing that Resident Evil Village will be getting a demo and Resident Evil 4 will be coming to Oculus Quest 2. Today, we’re learning even more about Resident Evil Village, as Capcom ... more - slashgear

Resident Evil Village demo coming, RE4 heading to Oculus Quest 2

Capcom has plenty of original IPs but Resident Evil is perhaps its most notable in terms of disturbing imagery and stories. It’s a franchise that has gone beyond just games and even has its own live-action film series. In fact, it has one more coming, ... more - slashgear

Oculus Quest subscriptions roll out for games and apps

Oculus today announced that it’s now allowing developers to offer subscriptions to their apps. While perhaps not the best fit for gaming – which Oculus was centered around at the beginning of its life – the company says that by offering subscriptions, ... more - slashgear

Audi Q4 e-tron: The 4 things US buyers need to know

Audi’s Q4 e-tron has been officially revealed, and what’s arguably the automaker’s most important car in years is aiming to upend how realistic going electric is. Squeezing an unexpectedly spacious cabin into a compact crossover footprint, and introducing ... more - slashgear

Oculus Quest 2 Air Link will wireless stream PC VR games to headsets

Facebook and Oculus are investing heavily in the Quest 2 VR system, pushing it as the pinnacle of the Oculus’ efforts and replacing all previous headsets, both standalone and PC-tethered like the discontinued Oculus Rift S. Its launch may have been tainted ... more - slashgear

First-ever Oculus Gaming Showcase is streaming next week

Virtual reality has had the reputation for being something only for games and entertainment, a perception that VR companies and advocates are trying to dispel with more serious applications. That said, there’s no denying that the technology is perfect ... more - slashgear

Sony BRAVIA XR A80J 65-inch OLED TV gets price and release details

Another of Sony’s 2021 BRAVIA TVs has arrived, packing the company’s latest Cognitive Processor XR for AI-powered image processing and upscaling, along with a 65-inch OLED panel. Announced at CES 2021 back in January, the Sony BRAVIA XR A80J 4K HDR OLED ... more - slashgear

Google WebXR experiments make the real world a bit more interesting

Virtual and augmented reality, collectively known as mixed reality (MR) or, more recently, “extended reality” or XR, always had the potential to make life not only more fun but also more productive. Most applications, however, may have focused too much ... more - slashgear

Sony’s Bravia X90J 2021 LED TV arrives with promise of human-like processing

Sony has launched its new 2021 Bravia TV range, confirming pricing and adding the Cognitive Processor XR to its LED sets for the first time. Previously exclusive to the company’s OLED models, the new AI processor promises to be more nuanced with how it ... more - slashgear

Hey, Spotify wake word rollout paves the way for the Car Thing

It seems that there is no stopping Spotify from launching a product that no one asked for. Of course, the alleged Car Thing might just be an experimental product as Spotify claims but the pieces are falling into place for an eventual launch. In addition ... more - slashgear