Hot topics this week (11.16-11.22): Dell signed a distribution agreement with HTC Vive to provide one-stop VR solutions for European companies; the well-known offline VR brand The Void sold assets due to its inability to repay loans; Tencent Music announced its investment in VR concert platform Wave and reached a strategic cooperation; TGA 2020 Game Awards nominations were announced, and the VR masterpiece "Half-Life: Alyx" was once again on the list; "Star Wars: Legends of the Galaxy's Edge" was officially launched on Quest and Quest 2, etc. .
Industry Trends
Ericsson Survey Report: AR/VR work socialization may become the norm in 2030
In a research report released by Ericsson earlier, In the future we may be able to work and socialize in a completely virtual space. Here, sensory experiences such as touch, taste, smell, and hot and cold sensations can all be delivered digitally. Fully virtual offices are likely to be available by 2030, and the vast majority of respondents said that sensory networking would improve corporate sustainability. If privacy issues are resolved, this will further promote the popularity of virtual office.
Apple executives said that AR devices have huge potential now and in the future.
In a recent interview with CNET, Mike Rockwell, head of Apple’s VR/AR program, said that AR is There is huge potential in the devices that exist today and the devices that may exist tomorrow.
Dell signs a distribution agreement with HTC Vive to provide one-stop VR solutions for European enterprises
HTC Vive announced its remote collaboration tool Vive XR suite last month, aiming to Help businesses adapt to employees working from home. That's great if you own the hardware, but for businesses that don't and are looking to invest, HTC Vive and Dell have now teamed up to offer a simple one-stop solution to enterprise customers in Europe. It is understood that this distribution agreement will give Dell customers access to a variety of Vive settings and accessories, as well as Vive enterprise warranty and services, such as XR Suite.
2020 Google Developers Conference: AR Software Engineering Director introduces the latest developments in ARCore
The Google Developers Conference is an annual event where Google showcases its latest products and platforms to developers. The 2020 Google Developers Conference was held from November 16th to 21st. This is the first time that Google has gathered with Chinese developers in the form of a fully online conference. With the theme of "More than Code", this conference introduced relevant product updates and a series of technical support content for local developers, aiming to empower developers to innovate efficiently and continuously create pleasant product experiences. On the first day of the conference, Google Software Engineering Director Wang Qiwen delivered a keynote speech on "ARCore creates effective AR experiences for users."
The Unity Online Technology Conference officially opened, and four new technology products landed in China
The China Unity Online Technology Conference opened on the evening of November 16. In the keynote speech, Unity officially Announced the arrival of new technology products such as MARS, ArtEngine, and Plastic SCM in China, and described how Unity's real-time 3D technology and solutions can drive change and innovation in more industries.
The well-known offline VR brand The Void sold its assets due to its inability to repay the loan
According to foreign media Protocol reports, the chain offline VR brand The Void had to ask creditor Jim for defaulting on the loan. Bennett transferred assets including patents and trademarks.
At the same time, The Void's financial difficulties also led Disney to terminate its long-term cooperation with it, which means that The Void will lose the right to use VR content based on Disney IP, such as: "Wreck-It Ralph: VR", "Star Wars" :Secrets of the Empire" etc.
Oculus Quest 2 major update: Adds 90Hz refresh rate, fitness tracking functions, etc.
Recently, Oculus officially released the v23 software update (supports Quest 1 and Quest 2), including the inclusion of fitness Tracking application Oculus Move, native support for 90Hz refresh rate, and the ability to gift games and experiences to friends, and more.
SteamVR version 1.15 update: Fixed Reverb G2 controller binding issue
SteamVR pushes version 1.15 update. This update covers multiple beta updates launched in the past few weeks. Content, including: fixing the controller binding issue encountered when playing "Half-Life: Alyx" on the HP Reverb G2, adding a microphone feedback function to the Valve Index headset, adjusting the performance prediction algorithm of the automatic resolution function, etc. .
Facebook releases version 1.2 of ODH, the VR developer center.
Facebook initially released the Oculus Developer Hub (ODH), a developer center designed to improve the VR development experience, in September this year. For example, developers can now access protection systems, proximity sensors, screen projection, and performance information tools OVR Metrics through an optimized unified interface. Now ODH has come to version 1.2. The team has incorporated a series of new features based on feedback from the developer community, and has also made bug fixes to improve the reliability of commonly used features in ODH.
Financing Acquisition
Tencent Music announced its investment in VR concert platform Wave and reached a strategic cooperation
Recently, Tencent Music announced that it has VR concert platform Wave has reached a strategic cooperation and will make equity investment in it. Specific financial details have not been disclosed. According to the cooperation agreement, the two parties will further jointly explore the blue ocean market of virtual concerts.
VR training solution provider TransfrVR completed US$12 million in Series A financing
New York-based VR training solution provider TransfrVR announced the completion of US$12 million in Series A financing. This round of financing was funded by Firework Ventures led the investment. It is reported that the new funds will be mainly used to develop Transfr’s VR simulation courses.
Flipkart, an Indian e-commerce company owned by Walmart, acquires Scapic, a VR/AR content creation platform.
Flipkart, an Indian e-commerce company owned by Walmart, announced that it has acquired Scapic, a VR/AR content creation platform headquartered in Bangalore. Through this acquisition, Flipkart will enhance its immersive shopping services in the e-commerce field.
Epic Games acquires facial expression capture company Hyprsense
Continuous iterations have turned “Fortnite” from a simple chicken-fighting game into a way to spend time with friends Popular social space. However, the expressions used for avatars have never changed much. In response to this problem, Epic just acquired a company called Hyprsense. According to reports, Hyprsense’s technology can map players’ facial expressions directly to game characters through a simple webcam.
Hardware News
OPPO’s second-generation AR glasses concept machine OPPO AR Glass 2021 was officially unveiled
At the OPPO Future Technology Conference 2020 held on the afternoon of November 17 Last year, OPPO officially released its second AR glasses concept product, OPPO AR Glass 2021.
John Carmack hinted that Quest 2 will support 120Hz refresh rate in the future
Oculus officially released the v23 software update this week (supporting Quest 1 and Quest 2), including the inclusion of fitness tracking Apply Oculus Move, natively support 90Hz refresh rate, and allow gifting games and experiences to friends. Under the update announcement on Oculus's official Twitter, former Oculus chief technology officer John Carmack suggested that developers should not set the frame rate to the highest default. John Carmack said "Don't default to the highest frame rate, otherwise your app may run poorly if we release 120 FPS support. If you have two headsets, you should test different resolutions, frame rates, Rendering function. ”
Foreign media review HP Reverb G2: Excellent head display, terrible controller
As a newly launched VR head display, the hardware specifications of HP Reverb G2 It's very eye-catching, and it also provides some users with the option of experiencing quite a lot of content in PC VR without requiring a Facebook account. For most old PC VR users, HP Reverb G2 is an upgraded product with greatly improved clarity. Recently, foreign media UploadVR got a hands-on experience with this VR headset.
Japanese hardware manufacturer JVC Kenwood will display the latest VR head display prototype early next month
Japanese hardware manufacturer JVC Kenwood announced that it will hold an offline product demonstration meeting in Kanagawa Prefecture on December 2 , will display its latest VR headset prototype.
Quest version of VR shoes Cybershoes starts Kickstarter crowdfunding
Given the various sensitivities of players to motion sickness, the problem of movement in VR is always difficult, and VR hardware manufacturers Cybershoes wants to solve this problem. The company already ran a successful crowdfunding campaign for its PC VR-compatible products in 2018, and now Cybershoes has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its Oculus Quest and Quest 2 editions. It is understood that the Kickstarter crowdfunding will end in January 2021, with a target amount of US$30,000.
Cornell University researchers develop low-cost tactile gloves using stretchable distributed fiber optic sensors
Cornell University researchers recently invented a method that combines low-cost light-emitting diodes and dyes fiber optic sensors and bring them into a stretchable "skin" that can detect deformations such as pressure, bending and strain. Such sensors can be used in fields such as robotic systems and XR, and provide them with the rich tactile sensations that humans rely on to survive in nature.
STMicroelectronics and Quanta Computer team up to develop AR smart glasses reference design
STMicroelectronics and Quanta Computer recently announced that they will combine their respective expertise in laser scanning technology and manufacturing technology. Advantages, jointly develop reference design for AR smart glasses.
Game News
The TGA 2020 Game Awards nominations are announced, and the VR masterpiece "Half-Life: Alyx" is once again on the list
The Game Awards (TGA) is The new event sponsored by Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Valve has replaced the previous VGA and VGX and has been hailed as the Oscars of the gaming industry. Recently, the nominations for the major game awards of The Game Awards 2020 were officially announced, including 24 categories such as Best Game of the Year, Best VR/AR Game of the Year, and Best Action Game. Among them, the VR-exclusive action-adventure game produced and published by Valve Half-Life: Alyx was the most nominated.
Capcom secrets leaked! "Resident Evil 4" may launch a VR version
According to foreign media reports, the RAGNAR LOCKER hacker group has released more internal Capcom information (unconfirmed). According to the circulated pictures, Contains detailed information about the physical version of "Resident Evil 8: Village", showing that the game is expected to be released in April next year. "Ace Attorney 123: Ace Attorney 1 & 2 Collection" PS4 and NS versions. The VR version of "Resident Evil 4" and the PC version of "Monster Hunter: Rise".
"Star Wars: Legends from the Galaxy's Edge" is officially available on Quest and Quest 2
The VR game "Star Wars: Legends from the Galaxy's Edge" jointly created by ILMxLAB and Oculus Studio is officially available on Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2.
The VR game "Elite Dangerous" will be available for free on the Epic Games Store
"Elite Dangerous" is a VR space simulation game developed by British game developer Frontier Developments. The game will It will be available for free on the Epic Games Store on November 19th.
EA releases two free updates for "Star Wars: Squadrons"
VR game "Vacation Simulator" adds experimental gesture recognition function
"Vacation" Simulator (Vacation Simulator)" is a VR casual game developed by American game studio Owlchemy Labs. The game recently added experimental gesture recognition capabilities to Oculus Quest.
VR adventure game "Doctor Who: The Edge of Time" releases the latest update
British game studio Maze Theory released the VR adventure game "Doctor Who: The Edge of Time" last year , allowing all "Doctor Who" fans to travel through the game world and have adventures through the "TARDIS" time machine. Recently, this game has launched the latest update, which contains "Time Lord Victorious" themed content.
To celebrate the first anniversary of Link, newly activated Quest users will receive the VR masterpiece "Asgard's Wrath" as a gift.
On the first anniversary of the launch of Oculus Link, Oculus is offering a free version of the VR masterpiece "Asgard's Wrath" for purchase to activate the new Oculus Quest. The user prepared an anniversary gift.
Oculus stated that from November 20 (4:00 on November 21, Beijing time) to January 31, 2021 (15:59 on February 1, 2021, Beijing time), the new Oculus Quest 2 will be activated and used during the period. Oculus Link users will receive a free copy of Asgard's Wrath. Any compatible Oculus Link cable will do (there is no requirement to be an official Oculus Link cable).
"Pokémon Go" big update: Adding four seasons of activities and improving player levels
Niantic recently announced the latest update of "Pokémon Go". In this update, the player's level cap will be increased from level 40 to level 50. The most notable thing is that the new season is about to begin. The Seasons Celebration event will begin at 8 a.m. local time on December 1, and will include new weather updates, different Pokémon to catch in each season, and more regional game events.
The mobile game "Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp" adds an AR mode and provides a one-month free package
Recently, it was reported that the video game "Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp" developed by Nintendo EAD A recent update added a new AR mode. In "Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp", in the AR lens mode and AR Cabin mode, players can bring the characters in the game into reality in different ways.