Daily Archives: May 11, 2017

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How VR Porn Is Penetrating Our Minds, Erecting The Future Of Virtual Reality Forbes Virtual reality is at a bit of a crossroads. Where once bullish on the VR tech market, some of the large tech players have been making moves to shift focus from the tech to the content. Facebook's FB -0.27% Oculus will close its Story Studio to focus ... Would you wear a virtual reality helmet during SEX? Porn firm wants men to strap on headsets to spice up romps with ...The Sun VR headsets to turn partners into simulated porn starsDaily Mail all 3 news articles »

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How VR Porn Is Penetrating Our Minds, Erecting The Future Of Virtual Reality - Forbes

Microsoft Build 2017: The company has launched a set of motion controllers for the medium and announced the coming commercial availability from Acer of the first immersive headset designed for Windows.

Seattle Times technology reporter

Microsoft is expanding its effort to break into the burgeoning market of virtual reality, launching a set of motion controllers for the medium and announcing the coming commercial availability of the first immersive headset designed for Windows.

Virtual-reality devices which, typically powered by computers, surround a users eyes with images have been a dream of technologists for years. Last year marked the start of a modern gold rush in that endeavor following the debut of high-end VR headsets built by Facebook-owned Oculus and the partnership between HTC and Bellevue-based Valve.

Microsoft, which spent years developing HoloLens, the companys own take on an augmented-reality headset that projects images into the environment of the wearer, last year opened up a portion of the software behind that device to other developers.

Acer, the Taiwanese computer hardware maker, will sell a Windows-compatible virtual-reality bundle featuring its own headset and Microsofts mixed reality motion controllers, starting at $399, by the end of the year, Microsoft was set to announce Thursday at its Build developer conference.

Those untethered controllers can be paired with other headsets, Microsoft says. Unlike some other headset controllers that rely on motion sensors in a room to track a users movements, Microsofts are designed to be free roaming, as long as the controllers are in their operators field of view.

Acers product is among the slate of virtual-reality headsets designed for Windows 10 that Microsoft says are coming. The company has said many of the devices built by hardware partners like Acer, Lenovo and HP will be more affordable than the high-end headsets released last year. The HTC-Valve Vive costs $799, and Oculuss Rift retails for $599.

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Microsoft steps up move into virtual-reality market - The Seattle Times

Realizing that the cost of virtual-reality game systems is out of reach for many people, a Seattle couple opened a 10-booth VR game arcade in Ballard that lets gamers experience virtual reality by the hour.

High in the air balancing on a narrow, wooden plank you can look down at the city far below. One misstep, and youll plummet to the street.

Except youll really just land a couple inches off the plank, which stretches out in the corner of Ballards newest arcade, one that comes with a twist. The optical illusion is part of a virtual-reality game you can play at Portal, a VR arcade.

No pinball machines or Big Buck Hunter grace this arcade instead the open-space building on Northwest Market Street has 10 booths with plush, padded walls. A monitor outside each shows the games taking place within a headset in each booth.

Portal is owned by Page Harader, a graphic designer, and her husband, Tim Harader, a Microsoft business-development manager. The arcade charges players by the half-hour or hour to come in, put on a VR headset and experience the world of virtual reality using more than 30 games.

Virtual reality burst onto the scene in a big way last year when Facebooks Oculus and HTCs Vive launched the first wide release of their VR headsets. Several iterations from other companies followed, including quite a few that make use of a viewers cellphone as the primary computer. Cellphone VR is much cheaper but also less powerful and less immersive.

The power of a Vive or Oculus which makes it feel as if you are actually part of the digital environment is out of reach for many people because of the price. The Vive costs $799 and the Oculus Rift $598, and that doesnt even include the powerful computer that drives them. That can set you back at least another $1,000.

Thats where the Haraders come in. As soon as Tim Harader experienced virtual reality for the first time, using a Vive at a gaming conference last September, he knew it was going to catch on.

I was just blown away, he said.

But he also quickly realized that many people wouldnt be able to buy the technology price is a deterrent, as is space. VR headsets often require you to block off a large amount of square footage as the playing field.

Tim Harader compares it to the introduction of 3D video. Not many people have invested in 3D televisions, but they happily don 3D glasses at movie theaters.

VR will be the same way, he figures. People are interested in the new technology but need a place to come together and play.

He and his wife leased the space in Ballard in January and bought 11 HTC Vive headsets, along with powerful computers to operate them. The space is somewhat sparse: a lounge with comfy couches and chairs, a snack bar that sells chips and beer, and the padded booths.

Its the virtual world at the arcade thats more dramatic. Inside the booths, players have a 360-degree view of a different world as soon as the headset is turned on.

The booth padding has already come in handy. One of the most popular games in the arcade is called Drunkn Bar Fight, and people have often hit the soft padding while taking a swing at other virtual bar patrons.

Players also enjoy Elven Assassin, a game where you shoot orcs with bows and arrows; Smashbox Arena which is a bit like futuristic dodgeball; and Google Earth, which isnt a game but lets you explore places around the world from a birds-eye view.

The Haraders expected the arcade to be popular among teenagers when it opened April 1, and it has been, but the largest group of visitors has been people in their 20s and 30s. People in their 50s and 60s have checked out the space as well, Harder said, and its becoming a popular spot for birthday parties.

Players will often come in groups and cheer each other on, congregating around the booths to watch friends wear the bulky headsets and react to unseen obstacles.

We recognized VR is also a spectator activity, Tim Harader said. Its hilarious.

The arcade is the first of its kind in the city, and the Haraders had difficulty finding anything similar closer than Toronto.

Portal charges $19.95 to play for 30 minutes (after you complete a 10-minute tutorial), or $29.95 for an hour.

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Tech couple takes the (real) plunge with Ballard virtual reality arcade - The Seattle Times

Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google on Wednesday acquired video game developer Owlchemy Labs.

Owlchemy is the driving force behind some of theworld's biggest virtual reality video games, including "Job Simulator" and "Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality."

The Austin-based firm confirmed the acquisition by Google in a blog post today.

"Today is a REAAAALLY BIG day for Owlchemy. We're positively thrilled to announce that Owlchemy Labs has been acquired by Google!" Owlchemy wrote.

Owlchemy was founded in 2010 and raised $5 million in seed funding from Capital Factory, Qualcomm Ventures, Colopl VR Fund, HTC and The Venture Reality Fund.

The games studio will continue to create content under Google's control for the many platforms it is currently on, including the HTC Vive, PS VR and Oculus Rift.

Google has acquired Owlchemy Labs! The future of Owlchemy is brighter than ever! We're all absurdly excited! #VR https://t.co/QpaqSJGE4w pic.twitter.com/QsPh41nJ5B

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Jim Cramer and the AAP team are discussing fallout from first-quarter earnings from Apple (AAPL) and Facebook (FB) and how to play the big tech names. Get his insights or analysis with a free trial subscription to Action Alerts Plus.

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Alphabet Acquires 7-Year-Old Virtual Reality Game Developer Owlchemy - TheStreet.com

Tech(nology) can change the way you look at the world.

Augmented reality and virtual reality are two of the ways that tech can change the way you look at the world. The terms can be confusing. Sometimes people think AR and VR are the same thing.

Augmented reality and virtual reality are increasingly used in technology, so knowing the difference is important.

This picture helps explain the difference between the two.

Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is defined as "an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to add digital information on an image of something."

AR is used in apps for smartphones and tablets. AR apps use your phone's camera to show you a view of the real world in front of you, then put a layer of information, including text and/or images, on top of that view.

Apps can use AR for fun, such as the game Pokmon GO, or for information, such as the app Layar.

The Layar app can show you interesting information about places you visit, using augmented reality. Open the app when you are visiting a site and read information that appears in a layer over your view.

You can also find money machines, see real estate for sale, find restaurants, and more using the AR feature of the app. You may even discover new sites you did not know existed.

This video shows you how augmented reality works with the Layar app.

Layar is available free for Android on Google Play and iPhone and iPad at the iTunes App Store.

Liron Hadid plays a virtual reality video game during the Dell EMC World conference, Monday, May 8, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality is defined as "the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment."

When you view VR, you are viewing a completely different reality than the one in front of you.

Virtual reality may be artificial, such as an animated scene, or an actual place that has been photographed and included in a virtual reality app.

With virtual reality, you can move around and look in every direction -- up, down, sideways and behind you, as if you were physically there.

You can view virtual reality through a special VR viewer, such as the Oculus Rift. Other virtual reality viewers use your phone and VR apps, such as Google Cardboard or Daydream View.

With virtual reality apps, you can explore places you have never been, such as the surface of Mars, the top of Mt. Everest, or areas deep under the sea. The New York Times has a virtual reality app that lets you experience virtual environments on Earth and other planets.

Google Earth also has a virtual reality app.

Check out this video to see how it works.

Im Caty Weaver.

Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Catherine Kelly Weaver was the editor.

Have you ever wondered about augmented reality versus virtual reality? Have you tried apps using either one?

Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

augmented reality - n. an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to add digital information on an image of something

virtual reality - n. the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment

confusing - adj. difficult to understand

enhanced - v. to increase or improve something

simulated - adj. made to look, feel, or behave like something : not real

artificial - adj. not natural or real : made, produced, or done to seem like something natural

animated - adj. produced by the creation of a series of drawings, pictures, etc., that are shown quickly one after another : produced through the process of animation

*Augmented reality vs. virtual reality image used with permission of halfprice.com.au

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Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality What's the Difference? - Voice of America

To my left, I can hear Lewis Hamiltons Mercedes having its final pre-practice checks as mechanics fettle with their tools. Behind me, the three-time world champion is discussing his run plan with the engineers.

Moments later, Hamilton is strapped in, the car is fired up and he is off in a cacophony of noise that reverberates around the walls. As the car fades out of earshot, all that remains is a quiet huddle of team members chatting in one corner before they move back to their positions in the garage.

Except this is not a real garage. Instead, it is a darkened room in an industrial unit in downtown Austin that was transformed by Mercedes and sponsor Bose last year to create an Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Garage Experience.

The noises were fed via wireless headphones as visitors walked around the virtual garage to listen in with lights on the floor offering a reference point for where things were inside the garage.

It offered an all-new way of experiencing F1, and the lengthy queues as 4000 fans shuffled their way through over the Austin GP weekend showed they were lapping up.

The success of the Mercedes/Bose venture proved how grand prix racing can use AR and VR to bolster many of F1's unique selling points, and why F1 is such a ripe environment to exploit this area.

But at a time when consumer electronic companies are pushing hard on the VR front, is F1 really ready for it and do we really want a dystopian future of fans in grandstands all sat with headsets on rather than seeing the live track action with their own eyes?

Bose F1 Garage Experience

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

For Bose, as an audio company, having a virtual experience based around sound rather than visuals was essential, but its motivation for creating the project was the same as anyone pushing on the VR front - to deliver something that goes beyond being just a thumb stopper on a smartphone screen.

As Ian McGibbon, Bose's global marketing chief, explains, what F1 fans want is something unique that goes above and beyond their mobile device.

"I think the consumer is after personal experiences first and foremost," he said. "But they always like behind the scenes too so a peak behind the curtains scenario.

"What you watch on YouTube and Facebook is great and engaging, but people still want a physical experience. I think that is the way it will continue to go. It will be more and more about an engaging experience, but physical as well."

Indeed, as technology advances, we are moved back to experiences that revolve around our senses. No longer is a computer keyboard the way to interact with the world.

As Mehul Kapadia, head of F1 business at Tata Communications, said: "What technology is doing is taking us back to basics.

"With iPhone we have gone back to touch - which is so natural to us, rather than typing on a computer. What is happening at home with Amazon's Alexa and Google, it is taking us to voice, which is that much more basic than touch. Technology is becoming more and more accessible for generations of people."

Virtual Reality experience

Photo by: FIA Formula E

With our senses being harnessed again, the sound and visual possibilities of AR/VR are increasingly important. But for a sport to succeed in this area it has to go beyond that.

Formula E has formed a partnership with VR company Virtually Live which offers fans the chance to experience everything you would normally get at a racing event.

As well as watching track action, they can meet friends in the pitlane or hospitality unit, play pool in the VIP room, transport themselves to watch from a grandstand or even go on-board with the drivers. Gaming has been introduced for this season, too.

There is also a Director application where fans can take control of the CGI footage and examine angles or replays from the perspective they want or that may have been missed by television cameras.

Virtually Live's Sports Rights and Partnership Advisor Oliver Weingarten said he was encouraged by where the VR market was heading.

"We're seeing the number of headsets increase at a good rate, bearing in mind where we are with technology and the fact it is early adoption," he said. "The numbers released by PlayStation are extremely positive.

"Our belief is that the users want content, engaging content, and it is about trying to provide them with what they want. We don't want people to just come in on race day and watch the action we want to provide them with something immersive and social."

Toyota virtual reality

Photo by: Nikolaz Godet

The dilemma sports have to face though is whether to invest in technology that the majority may be slow to adopt and whether consumers will ultimately keep faith in televisions for live events.

It is also unlikely that fans will want to carry their own VR headsets to races, to sit on grass banks in their own virtual worlds to consume F1 that way. The attraction of VR is more likely to be as an add-on, than an essential part of a Sunday afternoon.

McGibbon added: "I think for sports like F1 and other global big traditionally broadcast sports, the sports have to get clever about how they are connected with people. Although there is still a huge market for sitting down in front of the television on a Sunday afternoon to watch F1, that is not everybody's lifestyle.

"In 5-10 years' time, as technology and devices become much more connected, then sports and music have to understand where it goes - and delivering content where and when people want. And it is about what I want. What you want may be something a bit different."

It is a view shared by Kapadia, which posits that VR's future may well not be one for live experiences but instead will come as a way of enhancing engagement once the track action has stopped

"If you go to a football match, live screens play a big role," he said. "You would never want the full experience to be diluted by technology, otherwise we may as well stay at home. But in F1 there is often one and a half minutes of silence, so how do you fill in that gap?

"The base layer of TV at home also won't go away and there are generations of people who still want it. People still want a primary screen but behaviour has changed to 'I will save it and watch it some other time'.

"We also want it to become more interactive. We want to know, after it is off the screen, what happened like what if you had the view of Alonso's crash last year? Not everything has to happen in real time.

"Sometimes we try to solve too much stuff. It doesn't need to be 90 minutes of VR non-stop as you would probably faint! It can be bite-size. You can get your fix for the day from that."

Bose F1 Garage Experience

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

While the jury is out on whether F1 is ready or even needs a fully live VR experience, it is not stopping it pushing ahead with plans that can work alongside the television coverage.

And there is talk that within a year or two there could be scope for fans to sit at home and take part in online F1 races themselves.

Last year's F1's chief technical officer John Morrison revealed that a lot of work was taking place behind the scenes to get ready for when there is alignment between what the sport can offer, where technology is at and what the consumer actually wants.

But one of the biggest hurdles standing in the way is getting GPS accuracy good enough to make the experience glitch free and right now it is some way off.

Morrison said last year: "We have produced an interactive on board application and we launched our virtual Grand Prix channel [in 2016], which isn't available to the public but gives us the platform to produce a fully virtual version of the race live using the data.

"But one of the areas we have to crack is getting more accurate positioning. So we have launched a big project to get more accurate positioning and then we can do the gaming stuff.

"I think we are two years away from that. But we need centimetre accurate positioning, because then we can demonstrate cars are not touching when they are actually apart. Right now, we are 100mm-200mm accurate."

Fans experience VR

Photo by: LAT Images

It is clear that F1's future will not just be on available to those on VR. It needs to cater for all types of audiences be it those at the track, those happy to watch it on their television in the lounge, or those that want something deeper on a second or third screen.

And perhaps most important of all, it will be about delivering the content that people want exactly when they want it.

Kapadia added: "The experience of technology will have to combine with the experience of racing as well. Beforehand you could do the racing experience and not worry about the technology.

"I think now it is as important as cars going faster. If you consider great racing action and great means to deliver it to audiences, that is where the real punch is. Because I can connect 24/7 you don't get me for two hours.

"What Netflix cracked the code on was to ensure that when you want it, you will get it. Live sports still faces that challenge of, is it interesting enough after I already know who has won?"

F1's answer to that is definitely yes. Now it is about building the momentum to deliver what fans want.

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Analysis: Is F1 ready for virtual reality? - Motorsport.com - Motorsport.com, Edition: Global

Formula One,like most sports leagues, currently is finding its footing on the new media landscape. And althoughits just learning to embrace social media to the fullest, it might soon berethinking its digital strategy yet again to utilize virtual reality.

Liberty Media already has begun shaking things up in its brief time owningF1 through its lifting a social media ban and mandating drivers be easily identifiable in their cars and VR could be the next tool it uses to help improve the show, according to Motorsport.com. Certain teams already have started trying to use the technology as part of their own marketing efforts.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas and its sponsor Bose set up anAugmented Reality/Virtual Reality Garage Experience in Austin, Texas, during the weekend of the U.S. Grand Prix. Fans were able to walk around a dark room the size of a garage while listening to drivers and engineers interacting through headphones to experience what its like to be in the teams camp during a practice session.

Boses global marketing chief, Ian McGibbon, said the project showcased how VR can help F1 engage with fans, and vice versa, in ways other mediums cant.

I think the consumer is after personal experiences first and foremost, McGibbon said, via Motorsport.com. But they always like behind the scenes too so a peak behind the curtains scenario.

Although itlikely would use VR to help fans become fully immersed in highlights similar to how the technology is used in sim racing F1 also wants to provide people with access to the sport, even when the race is taking placein another hemisphere.

What you watch on YouTube and Facebook is great and engaging, but people still want a physical experience, McGibbon told Motorsport.com. I think that is the way it will continue to go. It will be more and more about an engaging experience, but physical as well.

With high-resolution headsets being such novel goods, their prices admittedly put them out of reach of many consumers. Industry experts, however, reportedly are reassured by the increasing sales of VR products and expect the market to continue to grow.

Thumbnail photo via Flickr/Iain Story photo via Mercedes-AMG Petronas

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Virtual Reality Could Soon Change The Way Fans Experience F1 Races - NESN.com