Relive your childhood nightmares on VR with ‘Goosebumps’ app

If you were a ‘90s kid or have a child who lived in the ‘90s, it’s most certain they carried around at least one of R.L. Stine’s popular Goosebumps books. The nostalgia got relived a bit recently when the series became a movie starring Jack Black. If you want to make that experience a bit more immersive and most likely surprising, try out the new Goosebumps VR app available for both Android and iOS.

The app has you joining Black a.k.a. R.L. Stine in the film as you try to escape a giant praying mantis. Yes, it might not be too scary for you now but if you’re a kid, this might be the thing to scare them out of their wits. It’ll work with compatible smartphones and virtual reality viewing devices like Google Cardboard and Merge VR Goggles. If you don’t have a VR headset on you, you can also use the “360-degree video mode,” which lets you experience the chase from your phone only.

Source: Android Police | Download: Google Play Store (Free) + Apple App Store (Free)

Microsoft HoloLens to work for up to 5.5 hours on a single charge

Filling in the blanks for the things we don’t know about Microsoft’s virtual reality headset, HoloLens, we now get information on battery life, connectivity options, and app compatibility.  Microsoft Technical Evangelist Bruce Harris said at an event in Tel Aviv that the battery life of the VR headset runs between 2.5 and 5.5 hours per charge and depending on the task at hand. It’ll also be able to connect to almost all Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-enabled device. And it can also run any universal Windows 10 app. Its viewable area will be similar in size to what you can expect if you held a 15-inch screen two feet from your face. And while you might want to test these out for yourself, there might still be a while until you can get your hands on it. Developer kits are expected to arrive sometime during the first quarter of this year.

Source: PCWorld

Google wants to bring spatial audio to Cardboard

Google’s Cardboard division, the group in charge of the development of the company’s Virtual Reality Platform recently announced that they’re updating the SDK of the platform to allow for spatial audio to be added into developers’ apps. Spatial audio—or 3D or binaural audio—is designed to allow sound to shift between channels when you move the position of your head to create an immersive audio experience. The new SDK for Cardboard doesn’t just allow developers to determine the relative position of sound, they can also emulate the material and size, even with having to work on a smartphone CPU. So, the next time you use an app with Cardboard, you might even be able to hear things like planes flying by.

Source: Google Developers Blog

CES 2016: HTC shares details on 2nd-gen developer edition Vive Pre VR system

HTC updates its virtual reality system, the Vive, with a new Vive Pre developer edition. This 2^nd-generation VR headset has a new look to it, which promises a more ergonomic experience, and a new front-facing camera. It comes with new room-scaling technology, too, to help bring in real-life objects and elements into the virtual world. The company sent out an additional 7,000 units to developers to help improve its VR ecosystem before it officially launches in April.

Source: Droid Life