Oculus Rift S discontinuation marks the end of an era

Consumer virtual reality systems started out in two kinds. One was completely powered by a smartphone, with the headset acting as a simple holder for the phone and lens. The other was a heavier headset that, despite the heft, still needed to offload its ... more - slashgear

Facebook Pay QR Code to target contactless in-person payments

Facebook’s ambition knows no bounds. Even while its core business is social networking, it isn’t opposed to expanding what constitutes “social” to justify its other endeavors. It acquired Oculus, for example, in order to make virtual reality into a social ... more - slashgear

Tim Cook talks Apple Car, augmented reality and Elon Musk’s Tesla

Apple CEO Tim Cook has talked about Apple car rumors, augmented reality, and the electric vehicle segment and his contact – or lack of – with Tesla’s Elon Musk, amid speculation by analysts that the Cupertino firm is readying a handful of ambitious launches ... more - slashgear

Jupiter’s auroras discovered by NASA Juno spacecraft

NASA has spacecraft orbiting planets and gathering data to help scientists learn more about our solar system. One of the spacecraft is currently operating is called Juno, and it’s in orbit around Jupiter. Juno has detected new auroral emissions on Jupiter ... more - slashgear

Microsoft HoloLens-based headset enters production for the Army

Microsoft HoloLens is an augmented reality headset that the software giant is positioning to be used in multiple industries. The AR headset can be used for training and also serve other purposes. This week, the United States Army announced that it would ... more - slashgear

Snap’s leaked AR Spectacles sound great, but they’re not for you

It seems that Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is planning to launch another Spectacles hardware product — but you probably won’t be able to get it. That’s a bit disappointing considering the alleged features that have leaked, including the ability ... more - slashgear

AR glasses teased by CEO of Pokemon Go-maker Niantic

Niantic’s CEO has teased the Pokemon Go-maker’s first augmented reality glasses, with a cryptic preview of the digital eyewear on Twitter. It’s the first public sign of the company’s smart glasses, though Niantic – which is also partnering with Nintendo ... more - slashgear

Apple has an astonishing goal for its new mixed-reality headset

Apple’s mixed reality headset could buck the VR trend and offer a much lighter, slimmer form-factor, according to a new analyst report, as the Cupertino firm addresses one of the biggest criticisms of AR and VR tech. Well-rumored over the past few years, ... more - slashgear

Spatial makes building immersive, interactive soundscapes more accessible

Much of today’s technology has an obsession with things we can see, from photorealistic computer graphics, through increasingly sophisticated computer interfaces, to new virtual and augmented reality experiences. Our senses don’t stop at our eyes, though, ... more - slashgear

Nintendo, Pokemon GO maker Niantic Labs team up for Pikmin game

Although less successful with its own IP, Niantic Labs found a more profitable market in making AR games around already known franchises. Pokemon GO still remains its most successful attempt while Harry Potter: Wizards Unite still has a loyal following ... more - slashgear

Mission will test new technology for removing satellites from orbit

Space junk orbiting the earth is becoming a more significant problem as more satellites are placed into orbit. Popular orbits are becoming very crowded, and many of the spacecraft orbiting there are decommissioned and nonfunctional. However, it’s impossible ... more - slashgear

Valve papers tease eye tracking VR headset potential

In a patent application made public today, Valve showed drawings and descriptions of a new sort of VR headset. This wearable head-mounted display (HMD) included an array of features, including but not limited to wireless functionality, antenna, optical ... more - slashgear

Facebook reveals its Smart Glasses’ nerve-tracking wristband tech

Facebook has revealed another step in its path to augmented reality Smart Glasses, a wrist-based controller that blends AI and nerve-tracking EMG to leapfrog traditional input systems. While the eventual goal is a super-smart artificial intelligence that ... more - slashgear

Next-gen PlayStation VR controllers revealed with DualSense features

Back in February, Sony confirmed that it’s working on a next-generation version of PlayStation VR for the PlayStation 5. While we haven’t actually seen the new headset yet, today Sony is giving us a look at the new controllers that will be shipping along ... more - slashgear

Xbox isn’t supposed to have VR, but Wireless Headset disagrees

Before now, the Xbox Series X wasn’t expected to be compatible with any sort of VR headset. Xbox head Phil Spencer said as much back in November of 2019, when asked about the platform and any potential VR headset compatibility. They weren’t going to include ... more - slashgear

GTA Online will finally load faster thanks to a player

People might have some stereotypes and preconceived notions of how game developers look and work but, as with any such concepts, reality is far different and sometimes even stranger. True, these are professionals in their trade but even pros do make mistakes ... more - slashgear

HTC VIVE Facial Tracker and Tracker 3.0 revealed and the must-see results are astonishing

HTC announced a pair of new VR tracking devices today, introducing the VIVE Tracker 3.0 and the VIVE Facial Tracker. As the name suggests, the VIVE Tracker 3.0 is a refresh of the tracker HTC has offered for VR headsets, and it’s arriving with a refined ... more - slashgear

Audi gives Sonos its first in-car audio win in the new Q4 e-tron EV

Audi and Sonos have quietly partnered on in-car audio, the connected speaker company’s first foray into automotive, with the technology first showing up in the new Q4 e-tron all-electric crossover. Audi previewed the cabin of the new EV earlier this week, ... more - slashgear

Facebook’s smart glasses vision is seductive and terrifying

Facebook has pulled back the curtain a little on its smart glasses project, with the augmented reality eyewear biting off a huge challenge – and facing potential users with a tricky decision about just how much they trust the social networking behemoth ... more - slashgear

The Audi Q4 e-tron’s augmented reality head-up display is dashboard genius

Audi has revealed the interior of its upcoming Q4 e-tron electric compact SUV, potentially the most important model in the automaker’s new EV range, and one which includes a new augmented reality head-up display. Previewed back in early 2019 as the Q4 ... more - slashgear

Noted Apple analyst makes predictions about Apple AR headset

When it comes to the world of ferreting out details about Apple products that haven’t launched, one of the most successful analysts is Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst has been offering accurate information on unannounced Apple gear going back for years, typically ... more - slashgear

Apple VR helmet, AR glasses and contact lens launch dates predicted

Of all the big tech companies, Apple is perhaps the only one left without its own kind of virtual, augmented, or mixed reality headgear. Of course, it has also been rumored to be working on such devices for years now with almost no end in sight. The end ... more - slashgear

Razer Anzu Smart Glasses is more like an open-ear headset

When people talk about smart glasses, most probably think of something like the canceled Google Glass or some more hi-tech augmented reality eyewear. If that’s the image you have in your head with Razer’s first venture into smart eyewear, you might be ... more - slashgear

Google Cardboard VR viewer sales end months after open source change

A few months after making its Cardboard VR platform open source, Google has quietly ended sales for its Cardboard VR, the inexpensive cardboard-based phone viewers that could be used to experience virtual reality experiences using your own smartphone. ... more - slashgear

Doom 3 VR release official for PSVR, unofficial for Oculus Quest

Bethesda Softworks revealed this week that the game Doom 3: VR Edition will be available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this month. This version of the game is completely official, optimized for this gameplay environment with motion controls, 180-degree ... more - slashgear

Microsoft Mesh makes future meetings shared, augmented, virtual experiences

Microsoft Mesh is the next big thing from Microsoft, utilizing the next generation in augmented reality and high-speed internet connectivity to connect people around the world. People “feel like they are in the same room as each other even when they’re ... more - slashgear

Watch: Pokemon GO mixed-reality future demoed at Microsoft Ignite

Niantic demonstrated a proof-of-concept vision today at Microsoft Ignite, showing what Microsoft Mesh could do with Pokemon GO. Microsoft Mesh is a new platform built on Azure that allows developers to connect users with a wide variety of devices and ... more - slashgear

Epson’s new smart glasses get a big field-of-view and blunt expectations

Epson is launching a new set of augmented reality glasses, with the Moverio BT-40 and BT-40S promising a bigger field of view and much higher resolution. Targeting enterprise applications – though not averse to tech-hungry consumers – the new AR eyewear ... more - slashgear

“Hey, Facebook” wake word lands on Oculus Quest 2 and Portal

Almost all the Big Tech companies have smart assistants these days except for Facebook. There have been rumors and signs that the social media giant would be coming out with its own but nothing has materialized so far. It might, however, be taking another ... more - slashgear

Sony reveals the next PlayStation exclusive destined for PC

It’s been a busy day for Sony so far. Not only has the company confirmed that it’s making a next-gen PlayStation VR for the PS5, but it also announced a delay for the highly-anticipated Gran Turismo 7. The announcements aren’t stopping there, though, ... more - slashgear