VR Studio Releases Free Unity Development Framework for Building Rich VR Interactions

Veteran enterprise VR studio VRMADA has released a public version of its VR toolset for quickly building immersive interactions for VR within Unity. Called UltimateXR, the studio says the tool is free and open source. Our Guest Article by VRMADA CTO Enrique Tromp remains one of my favorites to this day because of how it shows […]

‘GTA 5’, ‘Red Dead 2’ & ‘Mafia’ VR Mods Pulled Down After Legal Complaint From Game Publisher

Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games, issued a DMCA notice to the creator of popular VR mods for GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Mafia Definitive Edition. Though the modder believes they are in the clear legally speaking, they have removed the mods to comply with the notice while waiting for […]

Magic Leap 2 Starting Price Positioned Slightly Less Than HoloLens 2, Release Date Set for September

Magic Leap today announced pricing and release date details for the company’s latest AR headset, Magic Leap 2. Magic Leap 2 Release Date and Price Magic Leap 2 is finally set to officially launch on September 30th, 2022. The company says the headset will come in three versions priced for different groups: Magic Leap 2 […]

Cargo Dragon is Go for Launch on Thursday

The Expedition 67 crew members are training for this weekend’s arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft to the International Space Station as it prepares for its launch on Thursday. Mission managers have given the go for the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship as it counts down to a liftoff toward the space station at 8:44 …

Google MediaPipe Offers ML-Based Hand-Tracking Tools

Google debuted MediaPipe, an artificial intelligence (AI) framework that detects people and objects in 3D space, in 2019 and the machine learning (ML) solution accurately tracks targets to transform 2D media as 3D spatial data. The ML service increases the accuracy of extended reality (XR) immersive experiences by tracking real-world assets and incorporating rich AI […]

Top 5 Use Cases for XR in Travel in 2022

In the travel industry, one of the sectors most heavily influenced by the challenges of the pandemic, XR could be essential to reviving the landscape. Over the last couple of years, the travel industry has suffered significantly due to closed borders and restrictions. Now the pandemic is beginning to subside, travel companies need to work […]

Facebook to Target Low-Performing Staff, Leaked Memo Says

Facebook, now Meta Platform’s main social media subsidiary, may begin eliminating low-performing staff from its ranks in a bid to cut costs amid poor performance and the global financial downturn, it was revealed in a leaked memo via the Washington Post on Monday. According to the Friday memo from Maher Saba, Facebook’s Engineering Lead, the […]

NavVis, Magic Leap to Leverage Digital Twins

Digital mapping service NavVis partnered last Thursday with Magic Leap, a global supplier of mixed reality (MR) headsets, to enable enterprise-grade 3D mapping tools and digital twins. The partnership enables the digital twin solutions provider to distribute large-scale augmented reality (AR) assets that recreate complex industrial and enterprise environments. We’re thrilled to announce that we […]

Twitter Gives All Users the Capacity to ‘Unmention’ Themselves from Any Tweet Discussion

The option provides another way to manage your in-app experience.

Instagram Tests New ‘Live Producer’ Tool to Facilitate More Professional Looking IG Live Streams

The tool will provide more broadcasting options for live-stream creators on Instagram. 

Twitter Showcases its Connective Capacity in India, Amid Ongoing Clashes with Indian Authorities

Facing a potential ban in the region, Twitter is looking to highlight how beneficial it has been for Indian users.

TikTok Adds New Inventory Filters to Ensure Safe Ad Placement in the App

The new filter options will help brands ensure safe placement of their promotions within the app.

Upcoming HBO Documentary Filmed Entirely In VR Explores VRChat Communities

An upcoming HBO documentary will explore several communities within VRChat, presented as a traditional documentary filmed entirely in VR.

More info here.

Open Brush Passthrough Mode On Quest Now Available In Beta

Passthrough mode is now available in beta for Open Brush, the open source and free Tilt Brush alternative on Quest.

Valve to Host First-ever Steam ‘VR Fest’ Promotion Next Week

Leaning further into its ‘Steam Fest’ promotions, next week Valve is set to host its first ever Steam VR Fest which will highlight discounts and demos for VR games. In recent years Valve has begun hosting seasonal Steam Next Fest promotions where the platform highlights demos of upcoming games and foists more sales on your […]

HBO Documentary ‘We Met in Virtual Reality’ Explores the Real People of ‘VRChat’

A new documentary that was filmed entirely in VR is coming to HBO later this month that focuses on the individuals and communities growing in social VR spaces. Created by director Joe Hunting and premiered at 2022 Sundance Film Festival, We Met in Virtual Reality explores the lives of real VR users who met in VRChat and their […]

‘Red Matter 2’ Coming to Quest 2 & PC VR Next Month

Vertical Robot announced that the sequel to its critically-acclaimed VR adventure game Red Matter (2018) is landing on Quest 2 and PC VR headsets next month. The studio announced the news in a tweet, saying that it will arrive on both platforms on August 18th. Vertical Robot previously mentioned it was coming to Quest 2, so PC VR […]

Health Checks, Space Gardening as Spacewalk Preps Ramp Up

The Expedition 67 crew members kicked off Tuesday with health checks before moving on to space agriculture and spacewalk preparations. The International Space Station’s residents also worked on a host of life support systems and cargo operations. NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins began her day setting up the Health Maintenance System in the U.S. Destiny laboratory …

Big XR News from Elbit Systems, Unity, Nreal, Orange and Cathy Hackl

The tech world was teeming last week with a fresh set of stories across an expanding number of verticals, which have demonstrated significant new use cases for immersive technologies. If you would like to keep up to date with the top stories across the virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality (VR/AR/MR/XR), please sign up here […]

FCC Commissioner May Halt ByteDance XR Expansion

Last month, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr posted an open letter on his Twitter account directed at the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, and the CEO of Alphabet Inc. and Google, Sundar Pichai. Brendan Carr’s open letter expressed concerns over alleged data gathering by the Communist Party of China via the Bytedance-operated application […]

Nreal to Debut Hand-Tracked Spatial Adverts

Nreal, a global vendor of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, announced on Friday last week the introduction of immersive advertising opportunities for its lineup of products. The Beijing-based firm is developing a bespoke ad-tech solution for its hardware, which enables brands to place immersive video advertisements spatially in a user’s AR environment. The firm will […]

Most Innovative XR Hand and Eye Tracking Vendors to Watch in 2022

As the XR landscape continues to grow, accelerating towards an expected value of $300 billion by 2024, immersive technology is evolving at an amazing rate. Increasingly, vendors and innovators are searching for new and improved ways to immerse users in unique experiences, using powerful and disruptive technology. Hand and eye tracking tools, capable of sensing […]

The Hottest Advertising Trends This Summer

With an ear on the ground, we’re watching the advertising industry navigate the uncertainty of a cookieless future, keep up with the non-existent metaverse, and jump on growing media channels.

New Research Looks at the Rising Online Video Trend [Infographic]

Video is fast becoming an essential element of any effective digital marketing strategy.

Gadgeteer Adds 23 New Musical Gadgets In Update

A new update for physics-based puzzle game Gadgeteer brings 23 musical gadgets to play with, as well as a new environment to build in.