HTC Vive taking on business applications with $1,580 Business Edition

HTC's Vive virtual reality rig is red hot with gamers and consumer techies but it has a more serious side set up for business and enterprise applications.

Available from June 2016, Vive BE allows individuals and organizations to order Vive VR systems with additional services adapted for business and commercial environments. Alongside the full Vive VR system, Vive BE comes with commercial licensing, a dedicated Business Edition customer support line and a 12-month limited warranty. Businesses will be able to buy multiple Vive BE systems, with the option to order large quantities.

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‘Minecraft’ comes to the Gear VR

Minecraft fans you can now play the game on Samsung’s Gear VR. It’s already available on the Oculus Store for US$6.99 (about $8). To play the game though, you would need a separate Bluetooth gamepad. Gameplay comes in cinema mode or full VR. Cinema mode makes it look like you’re sitting on a bench looking at the screen while you play or you can be completely immersed in the Minecraft world. TechCrunch’s Lucas Matney warns it gets a bit dizzying sometimes. The game is on the Oculus Store but it isn’t available for the Rift just yet.

Source: TechCrunch

Oculus offers free shipping for pre-orders to date following delayed release

Because of component shortage, Oculus announced they plan to shoulder shipping fees for pre-orders made until April 2nd, including international orders. They expect to update shipping information by April 12th. The move made by Oculus will save a lot of international customers some money. Reddit user SvenViking says it'll save them over $132 AUD (roughly $131 CAD) from expected cost. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe confirmed the savings and apologized for not letting customers know earlier about the delay. 

Source: Popular Science 

Oculus founder delivers first consumer version of Rift to developer in Alaska

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey didn’t want just any delivery man delivering the first Rift virtual reality headset to anyone. He wanted to make sure he was the one to put it in the hands of the lucky customer. The one thing he was regretting about the experience is wearing flip-flops in Alaska. As for the first one to get said VR, Ross Martin, a VR enthusiast and indie developer from Anchorage, Alaska, was excited for the experience. Martin documented part of his experience with Luckey on Twitter. He said in a tweet, “So grateful to Palmer Luckey and Oculus for coming all the way to Alaska. You guys are super cool!”

Source: Engadget