Oculus wants you to work in VR with Hybrid Apps

Aside from introducing the Oculus Quest VR, Facebook also introduced some new virtual reality-related tech at its Oculus Connect 5 event. One technology it teased is called Hybrid Apps, which basically translates desktop apps into the VR space. The demo video above shows a user being able to take a digital art project being developed in 2D on a PC and then taken into the 3D space “instantly scaling and manipulating the model’s colors and textures.” Whether you’d want to work in a VR environment is a discussion for another time. Facebook says Hybrid Apps is still in early development.

Source: Engadget

Oculus introduces wireless Quest VR headset

Oculus has finally launched its powerful, wireless virtual reality headset meant to take on PC-quality rivals. Called Oculus Quest, it’ll be coming out in the spring of 2019 for US$399 for the 64GB model. It’ll have a display resolution of 1,600 x 1,440 per eye. And will come with over 50 game titles, including Rift VR games like Moss, Robo Recall, and The Climb. This self-contained headset allows for motion-controlled gaming, complete with six degrees of freedom. Instead of relying on wires, the Quest uses “inside-out” tracking to tell if the players are moving. Oculus dubs this tech Insight and it makes use of four ultra-wide-angle sensors and computer vision algorithms to keep track of the players and the motion controllers.

Source: Engadget

Patent shows new details about Facebook’s AR glasses

If you’re wondering what Facebook is doing in the augmented reality space, a newly published patent shows us the possibilities. The device is described as something that can “augment views of a physical, real-world environment with computer-generated elements" and "be included in an eye-wear comprising a frame and a display assembly that presents media to a user's eyes." It has what’s called a waveguide display with a two-dimensional scanner being developed by Facebook's virtual reality arm Oculus VR. The display could be used not just for AR but for virtual reality, mixed reality, or a combination of those three.

The display will make use of lasers, scanning mirrors, and other elements to display content. According to the patent filing, the lasers will emit light onto the lens displays and transform these into the images and videos you’ll be able to see. There might also be audio courtesy of connected speakers or headphones. While the patent might be here, this doesn’t necessarily mean we’re getting the device soon. As Mashable points out, Oculus’ chief scientist Michael Abrash spoke at F8 saying that always-on AR glasses are at least five years away. For now, we can just think about the possibilities.

Samsung Gear VR gets Chromecast streaming support

Google promised at Google I/O that Daydream VR was getting Chromecast streaming support later in the year with the arrival of Daydream 2.0. But it looks like Samsung and Oculus one-upped Google and brought Chromecast streaming support to the Gear VR. The newest version of the Oculus app will now show a Cast button at the top right corner. When you tap on that, it’ll ask you to select the Chromecast-enabled device you want to stream to.

Source: Droid Life