Monthly Archives: February 2021

In the oil and gas industry Baker Hughes is using it to simulate its facilities within training rooms. BP has done similar in its efforts to recreate the conditions faced during drilling activities.

Meanwhile surgeons are making use of an extra pair of eyes through British-based Proximie. The VR kit allows surgeons from anywhere in the world to scrub in and share insights about the ongoing operation.

Consulting firms like PwC and Deloitte are also part of a host of big name businesses banking on the commercial success of VR.

"Because we use a virtual office, and because there are avatars, it does allow you to bump into colleagues in a way you can't do in organised video conferencing," says Ed Greig, Deloitte's chief disruptor.

When designing offices, people now look to increase the collision coefficient that allows different teams to bump into each other and have casual conversations that can often spark new ideas."

Deloitte's virtual officehas seen its usage spike since the start of the pandemic. Greig says the technology was "small-scale experimental" before the pandemic but that the pandemic had "massively accelerated" it use.

UK-based VR firm Mesmerise hopes to take advantage of the advent of remote working that has been driven by the pandemic.

We envisage a future where virtual reality is a critical part of working from home, says Andrew Hawken, the Mesmerise chief executive and co-founder.

So when you book a meeting or an event, youll have a VR headset on your desk and will be able to join a meeting in VR as quickly as picking up your phone.

In September, the company hosted hundreds of people in its Gatherings virtual space for the annual conference of financial services giant Morningstar.

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Virtual reality is transforming what it means to work from home - Telegraph.co.uk

The Global Virtual Reality Market size is expected to reach $31. 2 billion by 2026, rising at a market growth of 20. 3% CAGR during the forecast period. Virtual Reality (VR) is bringing a paradigm shift in the manner we interact with the environment and objects around us.

New York, Feb. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Virtual Reality Market By Component, By Device, By Technology, By End User, By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06021509/?utm_source=GNW Growing adoption and utilization of virtual reality in different sectors is boosting the global demand of the virtual reality market. A person can explore a 3D computer generated environment which is presented by virtual. With the help of this, a person feels himself to be part of the near-reality world. Virtual reality has been rising to prominence across different sectors such as real estate, healthcare, entertainment, and education, etc. Moreover, VR is consistently being used to give training to employees and doctors to prevent any errors. With the help of VR technology, conference and meetings in real-time are becoming possible. Virtual reality makes it more convenient for engineers to assess designs and check how the structure will appear in real.

The adoption of VR is boosted by the rising affordability of 360-degree cameras because these cameras are becoming independent accessories in smartphones. These cameras, integrated in smartphones and mobile apps, are well-versed in capturing 360-degree videos. As a result, network sites such as Facebook and YouTube are adopting and promoting such videos. Manufacturers of smartphones are planning to develop operating systems incorporated with pre-installed camera apps with 360-degree photo capacities. The growth of the VR market is boosted by the rising popularity of 360-degree picture content.

By Component

Based on Component, the market is segmented into Hardware and Software. The hardware segment held the significant revenue market of the global virtual reality market in 2019. Demand for HMDs combined with the reducing prices of the display will boost the growth of the segment in the next few years. Consumer-ready headsets to experience VR can accelerate the segment growth during the forecast years.

By Device

Based on Device, the market is segmented into Head-mounted Display (HMD), Gesture-tracking Device (GTD) and Projectors & Display Wall (PDW). The HMD segment held a significant revenue share of the global market in 2019. The segment is anticipated to keep up its dominance over the forecast years. The gesture tracking devices segment is expected to gain popularity because of its application in the design, defense, and architecture sectors.

By Technology

Based on Technology, the market is segmented into Semi & Fully Immersive and Non-immersive. The fully immersive segment holds a major market share. This segment is anticipated to increase further and display a major CAGR during the forecast years. Numerous companies are researching haptic gloves and other wearables. In 2018, Microsoft Corporation introduced Microsoft Layout which is a mobile application for VR headsets. This application allows users to virtually move 3D objects on a floor plan, making it convenient for architects to observe their designs.

By End User

Based on End User, the market is segmented into Consumer, Commercial, Healthcare, Enterprise, Aerospace & Defense and Others. The virtual reality market will be dominated by consumer applications in the next few years. Consumer sectors include gaming and entertainment applications, accounted for the highest revenue share of the market. This is credited to the high penetration of this sector in the gaming industry. The immersive technology accompanied with VR in gaming and entertainment lets a user experience a completely new virtual world. The virtual reality market will be led by consumer applications during the forecast years.

By Region

Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. In 2019, the market was dominated by North America. This is owing to the high adoption of new technologies by the common people and the presence of numerous virtual reality companies. The U.S. is a leading contributor to the development of the virtual reality market in North America. However, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to witness the biggest development rate during the forecast years. This is credited to the increase in adoption of technologically advanced solutions, a rise in penetration of smartphones in developing countries such as India and China, and increase in application areas among end-use industries.

The major strategies followed by the market participants are Product Launches and Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Microsoft Corporation, Google, Inc., Facebook, Inc., and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. are the forerunners in the Virtual Reality Market. Companies such as Eon Reality, Inc., Dassault Systemes SE, Ultraleap Limited, Sony Corporation, and Autodesk, Inc. are some of the key innovators in the market.

The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Google, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Facebook, Inc., Sony Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group), Autodesk, Inc., Dassault Systemes SE, Vuzix Corporation, Ultraleap Limited (Leap Motion, Inc.) and Eon Reality, Inc.

Recent strategies deployed in Virtual Reality Market

Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

Dec-2020: Eon Reality signed a partnership agreement with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The partnership focused on providing augmented (AR), virtual (VR), and extended (XR) reality technology to improve remote skills-based learning and to provide training for students in the new Simulation and Game Design Technology program.

Oct-2020: Eon came into partnership with King Mongkuts Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL). Under this partnership, they established an Interactive Digital Center that allowed KMITL to continue its growth as one of the top universities in Thailand and added a new section like a VR Innovation Academy and educator certification programs.

Sep-2020: Eon Reality came into partnership with the National Company for Educational Services and Training (NEST) in Kuwait. This partnership aimed to bring an AR and VR center to the region, which provides excellence in the region for lifelong learning dissemination of AR and VR-based knowledge transfer solutions.

Jul-2020: Eon entered into a partnership with Dell. This partnership aimed to promote AR and VR solutions for academic and industrial facilities across the globe, particularly by using Dells potentially unmatched reach and ability to bring EON-XR to new potential users.

Mar-2020: Eon Reality partnered with Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited, a machinery company. The partnership aimed to establish the first Augmented and Virtual Reality Center in India. This center offers effective AR and VR enterprise and academic solutions to provide training for the next generation of students and upskill workers within the areas significant oil and gas industry.

Jul-2019: Sony signed a partnership agreement with Oculus, a brand of Facebook Technologies. In this partnership, Oculus extended the olive branch and shared VR games with Sonys popular Playstation VR platform.

Feb-2019: Dassault signed a partnership agreement with ABB, a pioneering technology leader. Under this partnership agreement, the companies offered customers in digital industries, a unique software solutions portfolio ranging from product life cycle management to asset health solutions.

Acquisition and Mergers:

Jun-2020: Facebook took over Ready at Dawn, an American video game developer. The acquired company developed the Lone Echo games for the Oculus series of Facebook and afterward joined the Oculus series of Facebook.

Feb-2020: Facebook took over Sanzaru Games, the maker of the VR adventure title Asgards Wrath. This acquisition helped Facebook to pursue a future of rich, immersive, and original VR game content.

2017-Oct: Microsoft took over AltSpaceVR, a software startup company. This acquisition aimed to launch Windows Mixed Reality and the Windows 10 Fall Creators update.

Oct-2016: Google acquired Eyefluence, the first eye-interaction technology for AR, VR, and MR devices. The acquisition focused on the launch of the Pixel phone line with VR capabilities enabled by the Daydream VR headset.

Product Launches and Product Expansions:

Sep-2020: Facebook unveiled the Oculus Quest 2, its next-generation virtual reality headset. The VR headsets comprise new Touch controllers with optimized controller tracking to increase their efficiency.

Jul-2020: Microsoft introduced new features in Microsoft Teams. These features make virtual interactions highly organic and engaging that support the global shift of a more hybrid model of work, learning, and life.

May-2020: Eon Reality introduced EON-XR for Magic Leap. It focused on bringing the intuitive and flexible nature of EON-XR to a device that offers the ultimate freedom in movement and environmental awareness.

Sep-2019: Facebook launched Facebook Horizon, a platform where people can interact with others as digital avatars. The users can even add the elements of the world to the platform.

Geographical Expansions:

Nov-2020: Samsung opened the AR-VR Innovation Lab at IIT-Jodhpur. This lab helps in providing training to students on new technologies like Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality and helps them in learning industry-relevant skills and making them job-read

Scope of the Study

Market Segments covered in the Report:

By Component

Hardware

Software

By Device

Head-mounted Display (HMD)

Gesture-tracking Device (GTD)

Projectors & Display Wall (PDW)

By Technology

Semi & Fully Immersive

Non-immersive

By End User

Consumer

Commercial

Healthcare

Enterprise

Aerospace & Defense

Others

By Geography

North America

o US

o Canada

o Mexico

o Rest of North America

Europe

o Germany

o UK

o France

o Russia

o Spain

o Italy

o Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

o China

o Japan

o India

o South Korea

o Singapore

o Malaysia

o Rest of Asia Pacific

LAMEA

o Brazil

o Argentina

o UAE

o Saudi Arabia

o South Africa

o Nigeria

o Rest of LAMEA

Companies Profiled

Google, Inc.

Microsoft Corporation

Facebook, Inc.

Sony Corporation

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)

Autodesk, Inc.

Dassault Systemes SE

Vuzix Corporation

Ultraleap Limited (Leap Motion, Inc.)

Eon Reality, Inc.

Unique Offerings

Exhaustive coverage

Highest number of market tables and figures

Subscription based model available

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Global Virtual Reality Market By Component, By Device, By Technology, By End User, By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026 - Yahoo...

First-in-the-city entertainment is coming to AMP Capitals The Palms Shopping Centre. The Oasis, a made in New Zealand business success story, is an immersive entertainment destination with Virtual Reality (VR) experiences, mini golf, an arcade and much more.

The Oasis is designed to appeal to the whole family and groups of friends; alongside the ground-breaking technology-driven entertainment there is also family-favourite offerings.

Keryn Ward, Centre Manager at The Palms Shopping Centre, says, The Oasis pop-up has already proved popular with shoppers and visitors over the summer, and we are delighted to be establishing it as a long-term entertainment venue which has genuine appeal for fun-loving people of all ages. As well as a site for games and entertainment, it will be a great spot for visitors to take a break and get refreshments the whole venue will be licensed, with food and beverages available on-site.

The Oasis will be located underneath Reading Cinemas bringing another level of experience to the centre with an interactive, themed 18-hole mini golf course and more than 50 arcade machines with brand-new redemptiongames and a nostalgic retro area.

The Oasis was founded by James Astrop and his wife Laura to expand their entrepreneurship in the New Zealand amusement industry after operating an entertainmentbusiness in Rotorua. Astrop worked closely with family, friends and industry contacts to identify exactly what the Christchurch entertainmentscene was missing and together they have sourced, planned and built attractions for the Oasis that are nothing like New Zealand has ever seen before.

Astrop says, We are delighted to have found our home at The Palms and to be creating this amazingvenue after an extremely enthusiasticreception to our initial pop-up venue.

The immersive experiencesincluding VR escape rooms and all ages VR games have already proven popular in the Oasis pop-up attraction and an untethered room-scale multiplayer experience which is the first of its kind in New Zealand. Racing simulators designed to give an experience as close as possible to being in your favourite car on a race track and afully licensed bar and kitchen to catch up with friends or refuel for more fun and games will round off the experience.

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Home-grown Virtual Reality comes to The Palms Shopping Centre News - Belinda Daly

AIDT, Alabamas primary workforce development agency, is teaming withHyundai Power Transformers USAand a firm specializing in virtual reality technologies on a revolutionary jobs training program.

The collaboration with immersive learning startupTransfrstands to make cutting-edge job training accessible to thousands of unemployed workers and aspiring manufacturing professionals across the state.

By putting this powerful solution in the hands of employers like HPT, were helping them to make good on their commitment to hire Alabama residents for good-paying manufacturing jobs, said Ed Castile, deputy secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce and executive director of AIDT.

This is about not just meeting the training and safety needs of industry partners, but also creating a repeatable and cost-efficient approach that can be applied in the context of other heavy industries, such as aviation and shipbuilding, he said.

Read a Forbes story on the groundbreaking partnership.

HPT manufactures power transformers used in electrical grids across the U.S. at a plant in Montgomery. The company announced a $33 million smart factory projectin 2018.

This is an application of VR technology that extends well beyond what many of us are familiar with from gaming or consumer apps, said Tony Wojciechowski, chief human resource officer at HPT. Its about harnessing the potential of immersive learning to train and certify employees on critical, in-demand skills at unprecedented scale. Its providing employers like us with a powerful new tool to train, recruit and hire talent right here in Alabama.

Simulating a factory

At the core of the unique program is a simulation of HPTs seven-story manufacturing facility developed by Transfr.

Within the simulation, workers gain first-hand invaluable experiences with the safety protocols required to operate heavy machinery and equipment of up to 400 tons, lifting power transformers as heavy as 800,000 pounds.

The training initiative is helping to increase compliance with industry standards as HPT employees learn how to operate and service cranes within OSHA standards, using a highly repeatable and consistent training process.

Alabama is leading the way in harnessing the potential of technology to unlock economic opportunity for citizens across the state, said Bharani Rajakumar, founder and CEO of Transfr. This is about expanding access to complex and high-stakes training to fulfill the states workforce development goals and fulfill growing demand from major manufacturers like HPT.

New York-based Transfr has worked with other Alabama employers, including Mazda Toyota Manufacturing and Alabama Power.

The startup is also collaborating with the Alabama Community College System and is involved inJumpstart AL, a new statewide program that aims to create the next generation of workers.

This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerces Made in Alabama website.

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AIDT teams with Hyundai for unique job-training initiative using virtual reality simulation - Alabama NewsCenter

Read a Forbes story on the groundbreaking partnership.

HPT manufacturers power transformers used in electrical grids across the U.S. at a plant in Montgomery. The company announced a $33 million smart factory project in 2018.

This is an application of VR technology that extends well beyond what many of us are familiar with from gaming or consumer apps. Its about harnessing the potential of immersive learning to train and certify employees on critical, in-demand skills at unprecedented scale, said Tony Wojciechowski, chief human resource officer at HPT.

Its providing employers like us with a powerful new tool to train, recruit, and hire talent right here in Alabama.

SIMULATING A FACTORY

At the core of the unique program is a simulation of HPTs seven-story manufacturing facility developed by TRANSFR.

Within the simulation, workers gain first-hand invaluable experiences with the safety protocols required to operate heavy machinery and equipment of up to 400 tons, lifting power transformers as heavy as 800,000 pounds.

The training initiative is helping to increase compliance with industry standards as HPT employees learn how to operate and service cranes within OSHA standards, using a highly repeatable and consistent training process.

Alabama is leading the way in harnessing the potential of technology to unlock economic opportunity for citizens across the state, said Bharani Rajakumar, founder and CEO of TRANSFR.

This is about expanding access to complex and high-stakes training to fulfill the states workforce development goals and fulfill growing demand from major manufacturers like HPT.

New York-based TRANSFER has previously worked with other Alabama employers, including Mazda Toyota Manufacturing and Alabama Power.

The startup is also collaborating with the Alabama Community College System and is involved in Jumpstart AL, a new statewide program that aims to create the next-generation of workers.

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AIDT teams in job-training initiative using virtual reality simulation - Made In Alabama

Abarth has launched the worlds first VR test drive pack enabling potential customers to experience the Italian sportscar brand from their sofa.

With the uncertainty around ever-changing tiers, temporary travel restrictions and dealership closures, the VR experience gives customers the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of driving an Abarth while staying in the comfort and safety of their home.

While nothing will ever compare with test driving an Abarth in the real world, the VR test drive provides customers and their families a fully immersive and exhilarating alternative.

The trial, which begins on February 8th, 2021, will take place from the Vospers Abarth retailer in Exeter. If the initial trial proves successful it could be rolled out to additional retailers across the UK.

During the trial period an expert from the retailer will deliver an Abarth crate to the front door of the customer (taking into account all government guidelines). Inside the crate will be the VR headset pre-loaded with the test drive footage and a pair of Bose headphones to ensure customers can fully experience the famous growl of the Abarth exhaust. Abarth branded items including a Bluetooth speaker and baseball cap are also included. In addition, a brochure is included providing drivers with all the detail they need on the Abarth range.

Those customers lucky enough to enjoy the in-home test drive, will virtually get behind the wheel of the new limited edition Abarth 595 Scorpioneoro.

When drivers put the headset on they will be greeted by Abarth owner and automotive influencer, Stef Villaverde (aka @Stef_ABTV), who will host and guide them on the virtual experience.

Stef will give customers all of the key product information about the car before taking them on a drive of some of the UKs best driving roads.

The VR experience transports viewers instantly to the sweeping bends of the Great Orme, the lakeside vista of Llyn Ogwen and off-road adventures on Black Rock Sands. These roads were specifically chosen by Abarths online community of owners, the Abarthisti, who deemed North Wales to be the prime spot to experience an Abarth.

Arnaud Leclerc, Managing Director Fiat Chrysler Automobiles UK, said: We are delighted to be able to offer this innovative test drive approach to our customers and Abarth fans. This VR experience allows customers to enjoy the thrill of driving a 595, but from the safety of their own homes.

The Abarth 595 Scorpioneoro is a limited edition with only 2,000 models available globally. It pays homage to the exclusive A112 Abarth Gold Ring, better known to fans as the A112 Abarth Targa Oro.

Powered by a 165 HP T-Jet engine, the car is capable of reaching a top speed of 135 mph with an acceleration of 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds. Other standout features on the car include a unique livery, new leather seats with Scorpioneoro emblazoned in gold on the headrest, a chrome twin exhaust and 17-inch Formula Gold alloy wheels with red hubcaps.

SOURCE: Abarth

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Abarth launches world's first virtual reality test drive delivered to homes - Automotive World

Theres no better way to show off a VR game than with mixed reality footage which shows a real player inside of a virtual world; unfortunately setting it all up is no easy task. Luckily, YouTube channel TougeVR is sharing the secrets to great mixed reality streaming and capture in a video series called Mixed Reality Masterclass.

Whether youre a content creator looking to stream VR content or a game studio making a high quality trailer for your VR game, mixed reality is the ideal way to give players a sense of what its really like to be inside virtual reality. But mixing virtual reality and real life footage together into one seamless shot isnt exactly straightforward. Between hardware, software, framing, and lighting, theres a lot to learn to make it work, let alone make it work well. Luckily, help has arrived.

The TougeVR channel is home to some of the best mixed reality content youll find on YouTube, and now host David is sharing the secrets of his mixed reality productions in a free video series called Mixed Reality Masterclass.

A masterclass indeed Davids delightfully straightforward presentation goes over the complete setup process, covering camera selection and framing, controller calibration, latency correction, chroma key best practices, and plenty more.

While the first video in the series (above) will get you looking good with the basics, the second video introduces moving shots with a tracked camera, along with all the considerations youll need to make to your filming space to accommodate such shots.

TougeVR is promising more episodes of Mixed Reality Masterclass to come, so be sure to stay tuned!

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Video Series Shares the Secrets to Great Mixed Reality Capture for VR - Road to VR

Worldwide Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market Analysis to 2027 is a specialized and in-depth study of the Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market Industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the Market status of the players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.

Research report has been compiled by studying the market in-depth along with drivers, opportunities, restraints & other strategies as well as new-developments that can help a reader to understand the exact situation of the market along with the factors that can limit or hamper the market growth and the report also has been updated with Impacts & effects of Coronavirus pandemic and how it has influenced consumer behavior& the growth of the market as well as industries.

This report focuses on the global Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market with the future forecast, growth opportunity, key market, and key players. The study objectives are to present the Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market development in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America.

Whats included

Top Key Players in Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market:

Abbott oston Scientific Corporation,Koninklijke Philips N.V,Infraredx,Kaixin,Boston Scientific Corporation, Medtronic,Cardinal Health,Terumo Medical Corporation,B. Braun Melsungen AG,Johnson and Johnson

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Market Segmentation

The global augmented reality and virtual reality in healthcare market is segmented on the basis of device type, application, end user and geography. The device type segment includes, AR healthcare devices, VR healthcare devices. Based on application, the market is segmented as, patient care management, fitness management, surgery, medical training and education, others. Based on end user, the market is segmented as, research organizations, research and diagnostics laboratories, hospitals, clinics and surgical centers, government institutions, others.

The Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market is anticipated to grow with a significant rate in the coming years, owing to factors such as, rising incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing healthcare expenses toward growth of eHealth, telemedicine, telehealth. Rapid growth in delivery of services to patients, several technological enlargements in the healthcare industry in Asia Pacific and Europe are expected to offer growth opportunities for the players operating in the market.

The COVID-19 outbreak is currently going the world over, the Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market report covers the impact of the corona-virus on top companys growth. This research report categorizes as the key players in the Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market and also gives a comprehensive study of Covid-19 impact analysis of the market by regions like (Americas, Europe APAC, and EMEA).

The report offers key drivers that propel the growth in the global Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market. These insights help market players in devising strategies to gain market presence. The research also outlined the restraints of the market. Insights on opportunities are mentioned to assist market players in taking further steps by determining the potential in untapped regions.

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Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market Size, Industry Analysis, Growth Factors, Trends, and Regional Forecast to 2027 KSU | The...

In the early 80swhen Euan Bonner was just five or sohe and his dad would tinker with their Commodore 64, copying code from magazines into the PC so they could play games. Bonner later taught himself to code and even dreamed of one day building a virtual reality platform. That passion carried through to his university studies, where he majored in Communications with a sharp focus on media.

But it was a move to Japan to become an English teacher that finally helped Bonner see how he could meld his love of language learning with his technology fascination.

I started to slowly realize that this passion for technology, specifically virtual reality, had applications in language education. Once I completed my master'sright about when VR started to have a resurgence in the early 2010sit all started to come together. I saw that I could use VR to do some fascinating stuff with English language education, explains Bonner.

Today, Bonner is a lecturer and researcher for the Language, Media and Learning Research Center at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan. His recent research focuses on California-based Immerse, a unique VR platform intent on bringing connection, interaction and tangible fluency development to online English Language Learning.

Here, Bonner shares his thoughts on how VR makes it possible for students to have meaningful language learning opportunities, even during a global pandemic.

EdSurge: What excites you most about virtual reality in English Language education?

Bonner: It gets to the heart of the learning needs of English Language Learners in any age group: kids, university students and business people. When students put that headset on, they can practice on a level thats just not possible online or in the classroom.

VR helps address two primary problems in language learning: motivation in older adults and engagement for younger learners. It delivers that little kick, that fun and exciting element on the surface level, and provides much deeper interactions with other people through embodiment, role-play, practice that's devoid of all the distractions in the classroom and online learning.

As learning becomes increasingly digital, what problems does VR solve?

In my own experience teaching online, the students often have a one-to-one connection with their teacher but feel disconnected from the other students in the classroom. But Im learning through my research with Immerse that VR offers a bridge between the real classroom and the Zoom classroom. It sits in the middle as a place for students to practice and engage with each other on a level that is better than just face-to-face on the screen. It provides social interactivity and connectivity that you cant otherwise get out of distance learning.

Research says students often report being happier, more excited and less bored when using VR because it feels like a game. Theyre embodying this avatar in a 3D space. Thats what they love to do in their hobbies and their pastimes. If they can merge their lessons with their hobbies, it creates a much more engaging and potentially motivating environment.

What would you tell educators who are interested in trying VR for language learning?

The problem with all the VR programs that I have discovered from my research is that they're commercial, off the shelf and not specifically designed for education.

Immerse provides unobtrusive scaffolding and detailed scenarios that decrease cognitive load so students can focus on language learning instead of trying to imagine a scenario.

Students have a VR headset on and controllers they use to grip and pick things up and interact with the environment. But if they look at their wrist, they can get help, or their teacher can send them prompts. It's a gesture. You just turn your wrist towards your eyes, and the Immerse application understands, Oh, youre looking at your wrist, so it makes that information appear. It only appears when the students need it.

Even in real classrooms, its tough getting students to focus on the material and pay attention to the task at hand. Using the Immerse desktop application, teachers click on the Rally feature, and it just pulls all the students together and points their eyes right at the task at hand. It just sort of keeps everyone focused. The entire class is now ready for that interaction.

Teachers can even group students into audio-isolated environments, even though they are inside the same space and can see other people within it. As you can imagine, teaching a classroom of 20 students, as I do, any time students are doing role-play in a crowded room, youre distracted by what other people are saying.

Being able to isolate the audio helps them focus on their language production, on their interactions with the other people in role-playing. But of course, when the teacher speaks everybody can hear that. The teacher can join that group and have a private conversation, even though they are still in that space with the other students.

Those things are much harder to do in real life, which is why I feel Immerse brings new affordances to the table for language learning.

What does effective VR language learning look like?

Students need to practice language learning in a context designed specifically for the learning situations that work best for them.

When students use Immerse, they practice English within a realistic environment: practical spaces, business meetings, presentation spaces, social barbecue events, fast food restaurants, airport customs, that kind of thing.

At the moment, Immerse has over 60 different built-in language learning experiences and lesson plan templates. But teachers can also create and edit their own.

Younger students can practice by playing games like darts or throwing a ball in a hole that pops up a question that they then need to ask. That fun gameplay keeps students engaged and interested in the lessons.

For university students who want that daily life sort of practice such as buying things from the grocery store, Immerse has shopping environments where the students are literally given a shopping list and told, Okay, go get those items. Put them into your shopping cart and go to the counter. Buy each of those items and have that discussion.

If youre a business person and stressed about your meeting or presentation skills, or even handling the business travel interactions, you can practice everything from the meeting to handling customs at the airport or getting a train ticket.

The bottom line is, students are immersed in those experiences and get it much more quickly because they can role-play and practice again and again. And right now, VR enables access to what have suddenly become unobtainable environments, even just cafes and fast-food restaurants. Whatever they need to learn is readily accessible in the virtual worldeven if it isnt in the real world.

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Could VR Be the Missing Piece in Meaningful Language Instruction? - EdSurge

Last week Facebook launched Oculus App Lab, a non-store distribution method for developers to get their games into the hands of consumers without requiring sideloading. Weve spoken to several developers to learn about a bunch of Quest apps and games slated for release through App Lab.

First off, lets cover the games that are already out on App Lab. There are the 12 that it launched with and a couple of others that have launched since then.Heres the full current list, as far as we know:

Ancient Dungeon Beta(Free)by ErThuBaby Hands($20)by Chicken WaffleCrisis VRigade($6)by SumalabCrisis VRigade 2($20)by SumalabCyber Tennis ($15) by Technical ArtsDeisim($8)by Myron SoftwareDescent Alps Demo(Free)by SuturGym Class(Free)by IRL Studios IncMarineVerse Cup($20)by MarineVersePuzzling Places Beta(Free)byrealities.ioIncRhythm n Bullets ($10) by DB CreationsSpark AR Player(Free)by FacebookSmash Drums Demo(Free)by PotamWorksZoe(Free)by apelab

The rest of this list will be games that, as of the time of this writing, are not yet published onto App Lab for consumers to buy and/or download. These are all games and apps that weve been told about from developers directly that have either been submitted to approval or are in the process of preparing to be submitted.

Well try to keep this updated for a while until there is a better way of tracking this stuff! You can also check out SideQuest, which now has an App Lab filter in its browsing options. Its also totally fair to assume that, at some point or another, virtually any decent SideQuest app or game that is not on App Lab may eventually come to App Lab. It would be silly for a developer not to make that submission.

And finally, one caveat: there is of course still the chance that any of these apps are denied from App Lab. Curation requirements are much lower than on the official Store, so as long as games/apps hit performance targets it shouldnt be a big problem since unfinished content is one of the main focuses of the initiative. Id wager most, if not all, of these will reach App Lab.

Booper Get Home! is a 3rd person VR platformer based on the drawings of the developers kid (who is on the autism spectrum, limited-verbal) The game is about exploration, problem solving and helping people, and, of course; helping Booper Get Home.

The game features no health/ damage/ lives to worry about and the game will also focus on educational aspects, and what it is like what it is like being a young person navigating the big wide world.

Train to become the greatest Kung Fu Master the world has ever seen. You will begin as a tourist to Martial Arts, with no experience and slow reflexes. You will progressively move onto harder tiers of training, faster and more complex, until you no longer need to think but simply react.

In Crazy Kung Fu you will fight against a wooden training dummy, using your hands as well as your body to punch, block and dodge the various spinning arms. Throughout your journey you will learn how to be a master at all of these, building muscle memory at first, to then rely on instinct and quick thinking.

A virtual reality Disc Golf game, being developed for the Oculus Quest & Rift S. Play now with a full 18-hole course, 5 disc types to choose from, and the new Career Mode that tracks your stats across play sessions!

Dream Tango has come out of nowhere as a really impressive-sounding and ambitious VR game that aims to blend story-based narrative moments with surreal puzzles in an exciting action-adventure package. In it, you take on the role of Dream Agent Torii, who is tasked with restoring the Dream Jewel, which has been shattered and scattered across the Dream Realm.

Approximately 20% of the game is completed at this time, so it appears that theyll be aiming to publish a demo version on App Lab for Quest right now.

Sit back. Relax. Enjoy your favourite music surrounded by audio-reactive visual effects. You can play any audio track stored on your Quest with different effects. You can also access DLNA media servers on your network including Plex, Synology, QNAP, and many others.

Supports MP3, WAV, and more file formats. Theres also a laid-back mode so you can literally lie back and enjoy. Plus hand-tracking support with 90Hz for Quest 2!

Finger Gun is the first VR game in development that takes advantage of hand tracking to allow the player to play with their hands as if they were revolvers.

Finger Gun is a VR shooter in which the player takes the role of the town sheriff, whos task will be to clear the different levels by taking down the enemies. This sheriff is quite special, though: he can turn his hands into real working revolvers any time he feels threatened. This way, just as when we were kids, we will be able to shape a gun with nothing else than our hands, and what imagination did back then will now be taken care of by virtual reality and hand tracking.

Flowborne is a virtual reality experience that conveys a healthy breathing style in an intuitive and playful way. The game takes you on a meditative journey through a fascinating virtual world. Follow the traces of Yuna who once roamed the temples of the world to discover the secret of the breath.

Experience a memorable and deeply relaxing pilgrimage through soothing landscapes and unravel the secret of the breath. Allow yourself to let go and master the art of diaphragmatic breathing.

More info here.

Guardians is an innovative VR shooter that blends RTS and FPS genres in a Sci-Fi setting. The game has a single player campaign and multi player PVP and PVE modes. Both multiplayer modes are cross play between PC and Oculus Quest.

Help Club, a virtual reality mental health peer support app. This was in response to his request for apps that are being submitted to the App Lab program. We have been communicating with Oculus about our app for almost a year, and they recommended we launch via App Lab upon its release.

The goal of Help Club is to create a space for people to attend anonymous group peer support meetings, learn coping skills, and create a mental health support community thats available 24/7. Each person who joins the community is vetted to ensure it remains a safe space for all.

Relax while completing beautifully detailed spherical jigsaws on your Oculus Quest. The new way to experience a traditional puzzle.

Only possible in VR. Find yourself stood inside the jigsaw. Use your tracked controllers (or experimental hand-tracking) to precisely place your pieces as you build the spherical puzzle. Rotate the jigsaw and scene to see it from different angles or simply walk around the jigsaw. Traditional flat jigsaws are also included.

Everyone knows Tilt Brush, right? Its a VR app that lets you paints and draw, in 3D, in the air around you and create amazing things. Now, since Google has stopped work on it and shifted to make it open source, weve already got a Quest-native multiplayer version up and operational on SideQuest called MultiBrush. Naturally, theyre targeting an App Lab release next.

NP Skills Lab, from inciteVR ($TBD)Medical training app for Nurse Practitioner students

The Clinic Immersives NP Skills Labs Enterpriseallows nurse practitioner (NP) students to develop clinical lab skills using their own affordable Oculus Quest mobile VR with unlimited access, anywhere-anytime, using hand tracking inputs to practice in either guided or expert modes.

NP learners and faculty access the Clinic Immersives NP Skills Labs through a Cloud-based enterprise that provides application control, headset control, learner progress monitoring, and rich analytics reporting of learning outcomes that provides insight for every aspect of clinical skills labs, learner performance, and learner and class skills gaps.

Last year I started an education company (Prisms of Reality) to reimagine the secondary math learning experience (which as you know continues to disengage the vast majority of kids!).

My team and I built our first Algebra learning game for the Quest that helps students learn and apply exponential functions to understand and solve relevant problems related to the global Pandemic (funded by the National Science Foundation). We willbe submitting to QuestAppLab, and are launching on Steam / SideQuest at the end of this month.

If youre looking for one of the best FPS games in VR, then this is it. There are tons of maps and game modes and for a game that requires you to sideload it there are actually quite a lot of active players. Its similar to Contractors with a reasonably fast-paced format and has great weapon handling. Definitely recommend checking this out now if you can, or waiting for the App Lab version.

In Peco Peco the jigsaw puzzles feel physical: you manipulate the colorful pieces, you snap them, and as you snap them, the model comes to life with sounds and animations.

Thanks to VR, the models are much more impressive than your ordinary puzzles: giant cookies, dancing jelly fruits, entire miniature mythical battles, small magical worlds with floating boats and moving cloud.

Perpetuum Mobile is a ode to the games in vector graphics found in the arcade in the 70s , 80s and on some home consoles.

You are the pilot of the infinite flyer Perpetuum Mobile and the last chance for the human race. So fly thru the tunnels of doom that the evil empire has created and destroy the army of villains, while trying to survive the dangerous maze and landscape.

RealFit provides custom bodyweight training workouts with added games and stats to keep you motivated. Free your workout from the confines of your living room get moving in VR with RealFit.

Bodyweight training exercises and games to get you moving your whole body, no need for extra equipment or expensive gym memberships. Custom workout options, environments and stats tracking help keep you motivated.

Games inspiring this project areThief, Dark MessiahandBlade of Darkness. Physics and world interaction will be core of major game mechanics. Each level will be designed so that it can be passed in several ways, using stealth or raw force. We plan to include accurate damage model and adaptive AI (inspirationFEAR 1-2). Multiplayer and COOP support is also planned but final implementation will depend on community support and demand.

Level after level, your experience will increase as well as the number of your gourmet customers. They are in a hurry, so make it quick to satisfy them before they leave!

Hungry, they wont let you make a mistake, even though burger orders will become more and more complicated Be attentive and precise, to make the best possible profit!

Song Beater is a VR rhythm/fitness game on steroids available forQuestandQuest 2 (90 fps supported!). It includes six game modes, over 60 songs, and leaderboards.

Beat challenging songs with your bare fists in Fit Boxing mode, wield variety of weapons (blades, tonfas, phasers, staff, saw) in Free Style or dominate the playfield in Real 360 mode!

Go for a Space Walk and feel the vastness of space with your Oculus Quest. There are three scenes:

The Earth: Exit the space shuttle and chill out, orbiting over any part of The Earth to view the continents and oceans. Set the time-of-day to view sunrises and night lights. Complete challenges to recover satellites to the space shuttle.

Save The World! An asteroid is heading towards Earth. Navigate through the asteroids tunnels to plant explosives to destroy it in a race against time. 15 levels with 3 levels of difficulty.

The Space Station: Float around the outside of the Space Station and view the fully working Canadarm remote arm and visiting HTV supply vessels. Complete a puzzle fixing solar panels randomly different puzzle every time.

Learn how to solve a cube, practice your skills, and compete with others to become the fastest cuber! Featuring free play, competitive mode with leaderboards, automatic shuffling, and a guider to assist with learning.

Experience the thrill of the death-overs with this action-packed VR Cricket game developed from the ground up for Oculus Quest. While everyone is asked to stay inside homes & cricket grounds have gone cheerless & crowd-less, revive the vigor of cricket by not being a mere spectator but by actually being in the shoes of a batsman and chasing a mighty target in just a few overs.

With incredibly simplistic gameplay, The Final Overs doesnt require any professional hands to hurl the ball way into the crowd with a powerful swing of the bat. Even if youre new & know little to nothing about cricket, this game offers you the basic experience to effortlessly familiarize yourself with it and enjoy it without needing to learn about the sport.

For years the sharkpopulation has dwindled due to improper fishing practices and illegal trade. Now a gang ofshark-fin traders has attacked and captured thelasttwo remaining sharks on Earth, a mothershark, and her child. What lengths will you go to protect and rescue these majestic creatures?

TheLastSharkis a stealth action-adventure VR game where you must protect and rescue thelastliving sharks on Earth. Armed with nothing but your two bare hands, you infiltrate illegal fishing operations and retrieve information on where these sharks are held. Will you find them before its too late?

Fly, build, and protect the hive! Unstung is a challenging tower defense game with a unique, colorful art style and simple, intuitive 3D controls thats in development for Oculus Quest. You control Q, the Queen Bee as you collect pollen from fallen enemy bugs and build towers full of bee allies. Destroy armies of approaching bugs, protect your hive until the new queen is ready, and then go create a new hive.

Unstung will release in early 2021 with 12 levels. Each level will have a different layout, visual theme, and unique gameplay challenge. This early pre-release is a teaser, with only 4 levels.

Once you download ViFit, get ready for some fun, motivating and epic fitness sessions. You choose the session you want, its intensity and the music you want to play with.Change the environment at any time by pressing Y, and move from side to side reaching objects that seem impossible to reach.

Jabs, uppercuts, hooks, squats, sidesteps and many more movements that you will enjoy doing to complete your sessions in all 360 directions. You will have to put your full strength and precision into every movement you make to achieve your highest score and beat the community.

Simply put, this is a game about fighting in VR, we allow you the full liberty to apply your real-world fighting skills into our game and beat up your opponent virtually. This is aiming to become the Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat in VR.

Virtuoso is a new way to make music that is easy to get into and deep enough to wow a concert crowd. Gone are the days of clunky virtual pianos, these instruments were built for VR, and for creating without pausing the music.

Record using live looping, creating anything from satisfying ambient droning to hip hop or upbeat techno as you go. Connect to any music program using MIDI, or bring your headset anywhere and play with the built-in sounds. The skys the limit for what you can put into your music, but even as a beginner youll feel like a Virtuoso.

This is one of the few actual full-body workout apps available in VR. Youll have to hit hand cues to the beat of music just like all the others, but also youll be doing squats, running in place, and much more all with just your body and hands. No controllers required. We were big fans when we first tried it back in May of last year.

War Yards is a 1v1 multiplayer shooter that approaches bullet time combat in a whole new way. The game utilizes a unique set of mechanics that allow each player to control the speed of their opponents projectiles. Bullet time mode can be activated at any time, but while active it restricts the player to room-scale movement only and removes their ability to reload.

These mechanics create an unparalleled combat experience that seamlessly blends fast paced action with tense strategy. War Yards combines these innovative gameplay systems with incredibly detailed stylized maps to make for a truly unforgettable VR western adventure.

If youre a VR developer that has submitted something to Oculus App Lab on Quest or are planning to submit something soon, let us know down in the comments below or send us an email to tips@uploadvr.com.

Games added since original publication: RealFit, Virtuoso, and War Yards

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Every App And VR Game Coming To Oculus App Lab For Quest - UploadVR