In-Car VR Entertainment Solutions that Promise to Eliminate Motion Sickness

In-car entertainment is gaining importance given the substantial time people spend in vehicles, whether daily commutes, long-distance trips, or leisure journeys. This time can feel unproductive or monotonous, particularly for passengers. Additionally, extended travel can cause discomfort and motion sickness. Car motion sickness often arises from a mismatch between the motion perceived by the eyes and that sensed by the inner ear. This is particularly common when reading or focusing on a stationary object within a moving vehicle.

Designer: holoride

holoride aims to provide engaging in-car entertainment while addressing the common motion sickness problem. It does this through innovative virtual reality synchronized with the vehicle’s motion. By matching the virtual experiences with the car’s real-world movements, holoride creates a cohesive perception of motion. For example, the virtual environment reflects this movement if the vehicle turns. This helps the brain align visual and sensory inputs, reducing the conflict that often causes motion sickness.

The immersive experience of VR entertainment provided by holoride significantly distracts from the monotony or discomfort of travel. Passengers can immerse themselves in a virtual world that moves in sync with the car, transforming the travel experience into an engaging and enjoyable activity. This is especially beneficial on long journeys, where potential hours of boredom or discomfort can be converted into time spent exploring virtual landscapes, playing games, or engaging in other interactive VR experiences.

I first experienced Holoride’s technology at CES 2019. Audi drove me around the Las Vegas Speedway while I played a special demo created by Disney Games and Interactive Experiences. The experience gave me the impression that holoride was on the verge of revolutionizing in-car entertainment by integrating virtual reality (VR) with the car’s movements. The test system utilized Oculus Rift VR glasses, providing a uniquely immersive experience. The initial trial featured a game developed by Disney Games and Interactive Experiences, “Marvel’s Avengers: Rocket’s Rescue Run,” which I played in a virtual space as the car moved.

holoride’s technology uses the car’s telemetry data to sync the VR experience with real-time car movements, such as turns, acceleration, and braking, creating a seamless blend of the real and virtual worlds. This synchronization helps to minimize motion sickness, a common issue when using VR in a moving vehicle.

One of the exciting features of holoride is its adaptability. The duration of the VR experience can stretch or shrink to match the length of the car journey, making each ride a unique adventure. Beyond just entertainment, it can also offer educational experiences based on the journey’s location.

Though holoride was born within Audi, it’s not exclusive to the automaker and isn’t fully owned by Disney. The plan is to invite additional investors and open the platform to other content creators and automakers. It also has potential for use in autonomous vehicles, and the experience could be enriched by integrating data from the vehicle’s sensors.

In its early stages, holoride aims to enhance the passenger experience, transforming every car ride into a unique adventure. As the platform evolves and attracts more developers, the possibilities for in-car VR experiences are expected to expand significantly.

So, where’s holoride today? holoride, the Munich-based tech company, announced the release of its holoride retrofit device at CES 2023. This product is a compact device that turns any vehicle into a platform for extended reality entertainment. The company recognized as a 2023 CES Innovation Awards honoree, has made its mark in the industry by integrating virtual reality (VR) and real-time vehicle data.

The holoride retrofit device is about the same size as a typical smart speaker. It connects to a VR headset via Bluetooth and uses movement and location data to create adaptive virtual experiences that respond to a vehicle’s movements in real-time. This data-driven approach creates a dynamic experience that helps mitigate motion sickness.

Nils Wollny, CEO and co-founder of holoride said that the retrofit device brings them closer to their goal of making every vehicle a portal into holoride’s immersive world. “Any vehicle can serve as your gateway into holoride’s adaptive virtual experiences where each new ride becomes the blueprint for your next immersive adventure,” Wollny said.

In conjunction with the launch of the retrofit device, holoride also announced an addition to their content library. Subscribers will now have access to a new game, Pixel Ripped 1995: On the Road, from Emmy Award-winning studio ARVORE. The game takes place in a car during a family road trip and is available to all holoride subscribers.

The holoride retrofit device weighs less than half a pound and can be mounted on a vehicle’s windshield. It boasts a 14-hour battery life and can simultaneously connect to two headsets. The device is priced at $199, with a bundle option available for 699€/$, including a HTC VIVE Flow headset, and includes a 3-month holoride subscription and 3-month access to VIVEPORT Infinity Vista.

The post In-Car VR Entertainment Solutions that Promise to Eliminate Motion Sickness first appeared on Yanko Design.

This mixed reality headset gamifies your fitness regime, trigers healthy habits in a fun way

Mixed reality is transforming the way we perceive and experience the world around us. We can virtually step into an immersive environment that feels almost like the real thing. One useful application of this technology is health gamification. For those who are unaware, gamification is the process of incorporating game elements such as points, rewards, and achievements, into non-game contexts.

The Portalverse VR headset concept is a thoughtful iteration of how virtual reality can be used to promote health and wellness. It’s a sleek and lightweight VR headset designed for comfort and equipped with advanced sensors to track head and eye movements – interacting with the virtual environment naturally.

Designer: Marko Filipic and Mati Papalini

One key feature of Portalverse VR is its ability to gamify health and wellness in one’s daily routine with an avatar that behaves as a real person would. By gamifying these activities, the headset and its accompanying interface (smart mirror) make for an engaging and motivating regime for health-conscious people. The designers envision this headset to be used at home with the Portal smart mirror or outdoors using a smartwatch.

You can use the mixed reality wearable to participate in a virtual exercise class, wherein, real-time will be used to provide feedback on the form and technique. As the user (via the avatar) progresses through the exercise routine, they would earn points and unlock achievements for reaching certain milestones, such as completing a set number of repetitions. The accompanying app customizes the coaching levels and gives important feedback based on the user’s performance.

Another example of how Portalverse VR can be used for health gamification is through meditation. The headset transports the user to a peaceful, virtual environment, for instance, a beach or forest. The app guides the user through a meditation routine, for proper breathing and relaxation techniques. As the user progresses through the routine, they could earn points and rewards for achieving deeper levels of relaxation and mindfulness.

By using advanced VR technology to gamify health and wellness activities, headsets like the Portalverse VR could make it more engaging and motivating for users to adopt healthy lifestyles. VR startups better get some inspiration from this concept mixed reality headset!

The post This mixed reality headset gamifies your fitness regime, trigers healthy habits in a fun way first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sony game controller lets you switch from real to unreal gaming on the fly, promises fully immersive experience

I have just kept the PlayStation controller aside after a fierce game of FIFA with my bud. My thumb’s aching and I’m wondering, what if I could disjoin the controller to use the joystick on either side so the pressure could be distributed between both the thumbs? Well, if there was a controller to suffice this demand, it ought to do a little more than just disjoining for user comfort.

A designer believes the average DualShock should be able to rip apart and double up as a Virtual Reality game controller, and we’re intrigued! The Wireless VR controller that gamers would be using with Sony’s fully immersive PS VR headset, potentially in the future, has been modeled after the PS gaming controller’s design language. The artistically pleasing controller is called the “Unreal Control” and it by virtue is an innovative iteration of the Sony gamepad lineup.

Designer: Evgenia Burmistrova

VR game controller, Unreal Control, is not just about the looks and its uncompromising inclination to Sony’s design aesthetics. The controller in fact is built in with VR sensors. The ground intention thus is to combine a regular gamepad with a VR controller. Simply so the gamers don’t have to let go of their session and shift flawlessly from a regular game to a playful real-life adventure in VR. In addition to allowing the gamer to immerse in the world of VR gaming without distraction, the controller also allows one to play games with elements of augmented reality. It is therefore fathomed for an unforgettable emotion across the platform or technology you’d like to interact in.

The wonderful bit about the Unreal is its two-fold design – figuratively! Two controllers are created to play in augmented reality which can be connected together in a frame as a single unit to give you a modern gamepad. The independent controllers with built-in VR sensors can be used individually or connected to function in tune as one controller so you can switch on the fly from unreal game mode to real or vice versa.

No matter the functionality the controller can pull off, its design: look and feel are of equal consideration to a gamer. Combining elements of Sony’s design philosophy, the controller exhibits soft shades and has smooth curves. This makes it really ergonomic to hold and comfortable to play with. This is essentially made possible with the construction material. The controller is made from matte eco-friendly plastic, which makes the accessory slip resistant in the hands and completely recyclable at the end of life. Designed in colors to appeal to both women and men gamers, the VR game controller is progressive and stylish, bound to attract gamers with its brevity, minimalism and simplicity.

The post Sony game controller lets you switch from real to unreal gaming on the fly, promises fully immersive experience first appeared on Yanko Design.

This aerodynamically tuned drone is for covert missions in urban warzones

When we think of a drone, the first picture that comes to mind is that of a quadcopter flying in the skies. This stealth drone is somewhat different thought with its helicopter-like aesthetics and swiftness.

Snap (Formerly Snapchat) has just announced its second tangible product after the release of the swanky spectacles. This time around it’s a compact palm-sized drone for shooting videos and directly sending them to Snapchat. However, we’re going to shift our focus to another drone that is much bigger and could go head-on in the market dominated by DJI Mavic 3, Ryze Tello, or Parrot Anafi FPV.

Designer: Vladislav Kulikov

The intended purpose of this conceptual design is to have a reliable unmanned medium-sized drone fly swiftly in cities, delivering important small cargo in the concrete jungle with efficiency. It makes sense in the current turbulent times in the world plagued by uncertain wars and pandemics. Unlike the customary quadcopter form of most of the drones out there, this one has the semblance of an RC helicopter. That’s why the name of this flying machine is VR Drone Helicopter.

Vladislav Kulikov portrays this sleek machine as one inspired by the body of the birds. The seemingly floating cabin in the frame reinforces that fact. Those hindlegs and the forward-leaning position lend a bird-like character to the whole design. The five rotors on top spin to provide the lift and the tail rotor actuates the directional movement. The virtual Reality bit of the drone comes from the VR headset-controlled function, wherein a remotely located human can fly this machine into the sensitive or dangerous zones with complete awareness of the surroundings.

Aerodynamics are at play here so the aerodynamics tuning of the body is in complete play. The top view and side angle render show the amount of detail being put into shaving off the unnecessary weight for maximum lift and maneuverability.

The post This aerodynamically tuned drone is for covert missions in urban warzones first appeared on Yanko Design.

This phone case transforms into a lightweight VR headset in the blink of an eye

In a landscape where VR headsets are graduating to be a more practical accessory for end-users, the Porket VR headset phone case is the direction tech companies need to evolve to embark on.

Google had to part ways with its ambitious Cardboard VR project and the evolutionary Daydream VR too due to declining interest among consumers and developers alike. This was partly attributed to the ease of use when adapting virtual reality accessories for content consumption, and most don’t find VR products on the market to be very practical. Take, for example, hardcore VR headsets by Oculus or the recently announced PlayStation VR 2. They are bulky to wear, can cause eye fatigue, and not many are keen on making them a part of their daily routine for the long term.

Designer: Gihawoo Design

The cassette-shaped Porket VR phone case by design house Gihawoo Design wants to break the general notion about virtual reality headsets. Rather than being a separate accessory, the phone case acts as your VR headset for consuming quick videos on the go. The product is designed keeping the future technologies in mind, which will be dominated by the next trending avenue – the Metaverse. The foldable VR headset is an extension of the case, and in the blink of an eye, it transforms into a VR headset to watch quick virtual reality content.

Porket VR is in some ways similar to the Google Cardboard headset but adds the ease-of-use element to the equation, and of course, it is more compact and lightweight. In a way, the accessory becomes a part of the daily smartphone usage scenarios – and when it’s time to immerse yourself into the virtual world, things are as simple as wearing a pair of ski goggles. The gadget makes logical sense for the future when all the phones will become compliant for beaming VR and AR content. In fact, we could be looking at the possibility of the phone’s back panels designed in a way to unfold into a VR goggle.

According to the designers of this cool phone accessory, there are convex lenses placed optimally at a distance of 6 cms from the eyes in the VR headset configuration. No thicker than the Galaxy Fold 3 in the completely folded position, the Porket VR headset case makes complete sense to lure in consumers who like their things to be compact and capable of multi-use scenarios.

The post This phone case transforms into a lightweight VR headset in the blink of an eye first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Metaverse is inevitable, and it’s already changing product design as we know it

As virtual and physical worlds collide, the way we design and appreciate products will change forever.

It’s easy enough to downplay the metaverse as an overly hyped buzzword that won’t last a few years. There’s also plenty of reason to be worried when a company like Facebook formally adopts it as its new prime directive. The metaverse, however, will eventually be our future, or at least the technologies that power the metaverse will be. But more than just something that geeks will enjoy, this new version of our reality will also affect everyday life, and it’s already causing a shift in the design world even as we speak.

Designer: Keiichi Matsuda

The Metaverse of Madness

What is this “metaverse” thing in the first place? Just like “the cloud,” the word existed long before it came to the attention of mainstream media and big tech giants, so its meaning might have become a bit muddled by now. It’s also impossible to talk about the metaverse without talking about the different “extended realities” (XR) that preceded it and enables it.

People will probably be most familiar with VR or virtual reality since it has so far been the most accessible to even the common folk. It immerses people in a completely digital world, with almost no connection to reality except as images and videos overlaid in the VR world. In contrast, augmented reality or AR puts digital objects in the real world, mostly to give additional information or put stickers in a mostly passive way. Then there’s the newly-minted “mixed reality” or MR that truly blends the physical and the digital, allowing objects in one world to manipulate the other.

Designer: Microsoft

The metaverse is an application of all these technologies, particularly VR and MR, with the added element of social interaction. Whether that interaction is happening in a completely virtual world or against the backdrop of real-world locations, the metaverse creates a social space where people can experience the same things as others in that same virtual space. It’s this blurring of the boundaries between the real and the digital that is going to inform the field of design in the years to come.

Product Design in a Mixed World

Product design has always been a discipline that aims to create things that give value to people, not just things that are pretty but solve the wrong problems. The metaverse, however, changes the rules on what will be valuable to people, and that will turn the field of product design on its head. In some ways, it improves on age-old processes and makes iterations faster and more efficient, but it also creates dangers that could impact people’s lives in less direct ways.

Products in the metaverse will no longer be limited to the constraints of physical materials and production pipelines. Changing designs on a shoe or even a car can be as simple as changing what people see through their AR headsets or glasses. We already see a shift in that kind of customizable experiences with BMW’s latest concept car, and many companies are already laying the foundations for their metaverse products. Nike, for example, recently acquired a startup that specializes in designing virtual sneakers for the future metaverse. The metaverse could also help make products more sustainable since changing designs or creating new variants will no longer require additional production processes or new materials that would eventually create more waste.

Designer: BMW

At the same time, metaverse-centric products can also reduce their inherent value, or at least the value we place on actual physical objects that actually do something in the real world. Taking the shoe example again, you can have a metaverse shoe that can look outlandish or out of this world in mixed reality, but they might not perform as well as specially-made running or basketball shoes. As human beings with physical bodies, we still put value in things that we can touch and feel, things that tickle the senses beyond sight and sound, things that these digital realities can’t fully replicate yet.

Designer: RTFKT

User Experience by Proxy

The metaverse can also change the way we will experience the world around us, which, in turn, will also change the way designers create products or user experiences. Hyundai, for example, presented the idea of “metamobility,” where Boston Dynamics’ Spot dog can be your physical representative on Mars. That, however, also requires designing new products that will let you physically experience those same sensations as if you were there.

Designer: Hyundai

A lot of these new concepts seem to revolve around cars, particularly the ones that can drive themselves so that humans can enjoy the metaverse in peace. LG’s concept unsurprisingly puts displays around the car’s interior, creating a virtual window into a digital world. Outside of vehicles, we will also need apparel and accessories that will not only reproduce sensations that should be felt in the physical world but also let us control the virtual world as naturally as possible.

Designer: LG

Even everyday products at home will be drastically changed, more in function than in form this time. In the metaverse, reality can be made to look different in a snap, but the underlying physical object still needs to be able to support its intended functions. A couch still needs to be a couch that you can sit on comfortably, no matter the reality. Designers, however, might be less interested in spending time on the finer details if they will be overlaid with a different design anyway.

Designer: Jeongin Lee

The Metaverse will change the Rules, but not yet

From product design to money, the metaverse both promises and threatens to change the world as we know it. It is equally exciting and frightening for everyone, from consumers to creators. The winds of change seem to have started blowing, but the good news is that the big changes aren’t going to happen just yet.

Beyond the hype being pushed by large companies (except Apple, it seems), the metaverse isn’t something that’s going to happen in just a few years, like 5G or a new smartphone. There are too many pieces still missing, starting with the devices that we’ll need to experience this metaverse, like ergonomic mixed reality eyewear. That’s not to say it won’t happen eventually, but the change won’t be as revolutionary as some companies like Meta would have people believe. And that is just fine because it will allow us to better prepare for when it does happen and not have our real reality come crashing down like a web server.

Designer: Panasonic

Designer: Beijing EM3 Technology Co. Ltd.

The post The Metaverse is inevitable, and it’s already changing product design as we know it first appeared on Yanko Design.

Virtual Reality Boots Promise an Even More Immersive Experience

What good is virtual reality if it can still be distinguished from actual reality? So companies are hard at work trying to make the VR experience as immersive as possible. And one of those companies is Ekto One, which is developing a pair of VR boots that allow a user to actually walk without moving forward. Soon we won’t even have to go outside to experience life!

The boots work via a motion tracking system that keeps tabs on the boots’ movement and location and wheels that return the user to their starting position after each step. The Ekto Ones allow a user the sensation of walking in virtual reality without the need of a bulky and difficult-to-move omnidirectional treadmill so that you could bring virtual reality with you virtually anywhere.

Of course, the boots come with their own drawbacks, including taking five minutes to put on and being awkward and weighty enough that early testers have described 20 minutes of use as a workout itself. Granted, I already consider twenty minutes of regular walking a workout, so I’m really not sure what their point is there.

[via dornob]

These cyberpunk boots will let you walk inside the metaverse without moving from the spot

We might soon be virtually walking on the moon without leaving our homes, thanks to the Metaverse push. With boots that give off a Pacific Rim vibe, you won’t even have to leave the spot you’re standing on and just moonwalk your way to distant worlds.

Virtual reality has been around for decades, but it was only recently that it had made giant strides in making what was once science fiction a reality. While visuals have significantly improved, the illusion of VR is immediately broken when it comes time to interact with the world. A lot of R&D has been poured into making touch input more believable, but that still leaves the problem of moving around the virtual world unresolved. These funky-looking books straight out of a cyberpunk prop set might offer one solution, and you might not look too ridiculous while using them.

Designer: Ekto VR

We almost have the visuals of VR down to a “T,” but there are still a lot of missing elements to make these digital realities almost feel like the real thing. The metaverse is promising to bring us to new worlds, both real and virtual, but our eyes won’t be the only ones that will be making the journey. Hyundai, for example, is envisioning a way to help humans feel a snowstorm on Mars without actually being there, but that still involves people sitting in place, whether in a room or in a moving car.

Moving around virtual worlds feels very artificial when all that we move are our hands or even just our fingers. In some cases, that might be OK since you probably don’t want to walk miles inside a virtual shopping mall or on a tour of the world’s famous landmarks. When exploring unfamiliar places or inspecting industrial sites, however, you might want to actually get a feel for the environment, including the act of walking.

Ekto VR is one of the latest attempts at solving this problem of Location Interface or LI. Some VR systems try to use treadmills to emulate the action of walking, but that feels just as artificial and as awkward as not walking at all. In contrast, the Ekto VR boots ingeniously use motorized wheels to go in the opposite direction and speed as your feet. The effect is that you feel like you’re walking, and your brain feels like you’re walking, but to the people outside, you look like you’re dancing the moonwalk instead.




The boots won’t be winning any awards for design, at least not yet. This hefty and bulky footwear looks more like prototypes than a finished product, and rightly so. They’re still in the early stages of development, so looking nice isn’t really as a priority yet. Then again, you can always mask your apparel in the metaverse, so it might not matter much what things really look like in the real world.

The post These cyberpunk boots will let you walk inside the metaverse without moving from the spot first appeared on Yanko Design.

Unique VR Headsets designed to break tech barriers + prove this innovative trend is here to stay!

Immersing ourselves in a simulated world, far away from reality is always fun. And hence, Virtual Reality has been gaining a lot of momentum these days! Its applications and possibilities are endless. VR is extending its scope beyond gaming and providing functionality in a variety of fields. From business, education, entertainment to even fitness, VR is being utilized in almost all industries. And we’ve curated a collection of exciting VR designs that prove the true value of this emerging technology. From a virtual reality treadmill to the world’s tiniest VR headset – every single one of these designs will make you pro VR all the way. Enjoy!

Interestingly the internet is going crazy with the freshly leaked images of the insect eyes like the HTC headset that gives off the futuristic vibe. The person in question is trusted leaker Evan Blass who has posted convincing images of HTC’s next-gen VR headset. The big question arises – will this HTC VR headset be able to compete with Oculus Quest 2? Evan has been posting a constant stream of tweets with photos of the said headset, building anticipation for the tech community. For neutral viewers, these images give a much better idea of how the Vive Flow VR headset will look like. It is not much different than the Project Proton concept headset in terms of the alienating presence.

Following the trends of today in regard to retro aesthetics and gameplay mobility, Tsai reimagined Nintendo’s virtual reality experience with Nintendo Switch Joy-Glasses. Tsai recognized Nintendo Switch’s hybridity that allows it to transform from a handheld gaming tablet to a plugged-in video game console for the television. This gives Nintendo Switch players the option of bringing a gaming console with them anywhere, making Nintendo Switch a mobile gaming device. This mobile hybridity gives the Switch a leg-up, and with today’s gamers being so nostalgic, it’s no wonder VR games like Pokémon Go are such global successes. Further, on the game’s market triumph, Tsai writes, “Successfully tapping into 1990s nostalgia, [Pokémon Go] is attracting millions of Millennials…Taking advantage of this retro hype, it’s about time to refashion existing technology and create something unique to connect with more recent generations.”

ConceptsiPhone has created a render of the two upcoming devices by Apple and mashed them together in a video dubbed iPhone 13 VR for creative writer’s delight. The VR headset is open to any imagination possible, and the folks over at ConceptsiPhone have taken that opportunity to show the world how the mixed reality headset will be like. It looks plush (after all it’s Apple) and is in sync with the design principles Apple has put in place for the headset – comfort and lightweight aesthetics. The strap looks reassuring as far as ergonomics go while the padding around the viewable area ensures utmost comfort. The concept shown here retains the iPhone 12 Pro’s DNA for the most part of it, and when you have a look at the rear camera module, it’s fresh nostalgia. The camera bump looks so strikingly similar to the newly launched Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra flagship.

The latest version of XTAL comes with a host of technical upgrades. Most significant of which is the high-density LCDs with 4k resolution per eye (making a total of 8k horizontally) giving a crystal clear view assisted by foveated rendering capabilities, improved lenses with a 180-degree field of view, and eye-tracking capable of running at 210 fps. That’s not all. It comes with an embedded Ultraleap hand-tracking sensor and conveniently connects to a PC via a VirtualLink cable. Oh, and did I mention that you can get an AR mixed reality module as an add-on? Pretty awesome, don’t you think? So impressive that the US Airforce has already placed an order for the latest headsets to train their pilots in simulations. The people at VRgineers have even designed a helmet-mountable version for such cases.

The creative minds sitting in Facebook’s Reality Labs (FRL), however, have been working on making VR headsets less clunky/bulky, and more like something you’d want to carry around and wear at work or at home. Facebook Reality Lab’s latest prototype VR wearable is, to mildly put it, ridiculously thin, measuring at just around 9mm. Designed to look like a pair of wayfarers, these glasses actually hold display units inside them, and Facebook’s research in viewing optics technology has helped them condense the headset from something that feels like a toaster strapped to your face, to a pair of frames that look like a pretty slick pair of shades.

What the GOOVIS Young changes about VR is that it embraces the technology for entertainment purposes, and does it in the best way possible… not by being a face-mounted computer, but rather a face-mounted display that’s compatible with practically any of your devices. With a 1080p display on the inside that’s designed to feel like a theater with an 800-inch screen, the GOOVIS Young is a universal VR display you can connect to your phone, laptop, tablet, set-top box, or even your console, allowing it to act as a dedicated display for everything between working, gaming, watching movies, browsing the internet, or even doing the odd stuff like tapping into your drone’s camera for incredible HD POV-ing.

With an undeniably better form factor, and better image quality too, Panasonic’s VR glasses are classier and well, ‘glassier’ (as opposed to the massive ski-goggles that most VR headsets look like). Fitted with micro-OLED panels on the inside, the VR glasses can afford to be made smaller and have much better clarity too. In fact, unlike most VR headsets, you almost don’t notice the pixels in Panasonic’s product, allowing your VR world to be much more immersive because of its higher resolution. Panasonic also claims that they’re the first-ever VR glasses to support HDR, or a high dynamic range, allowing colors, saturation, brightness, and contrast to all be incredibly lifelike. The glasses (they’re obviously not headsets) also come fitted with Panasonic’s own audio technology, using Technics drivers in those tiny earbuds to provide crystal clear audio.

I bet you’re just as baffled as I am looking at Canon’s new RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye Lens. It almost looks anthropomorphic, with the way the two eyes stare at you, but in fact, what’s really marvelous is where Canon seems to be going with their cameras. DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras are already some of the most powerful shooters out there, and rather than ditching that entire ecosystem of cameras to move to newer camera types – like drones and AR/VR cameras, Canon has just embraced good old-fashioned innovation instead, with a newfangled lens that is compatible with their existing EOS range of cameras. The lens, when paired with the company’s 1.5.0 firmware update, enables the humble yet capable 2D camera to shoot SBS 3D content. Pair the lens with the EOS R5 mirrorless camera and suddenly you can perform high-resolution video recording at up to 8K DCI 30p and 4K DCI 60p.

Compatible with a variety of games, movies, and multimedia content on platforms like YouTube VR, the Feelreal can generate a variety of aromas and smells, making you feel like you’re in the moment, whether it’s a forest, a race-track, or a battlefield. The Feelreal comes with a series of 9 aroma vials that combine to create as many as 255 different types of distinct smells, from flowers and petrichor, to food, to grease or gunpowder. The Feelreal goes the extra mile by providing a tactile experience too! It comes with its own water-spray, microheater (to simulate heat), and fan (to simulate wind), adding different layers to your audiovisual VR experience.

The Omni One by Virtuix – a virtual reality treadmill that’ll allow gamers to walk or run in 360-degrees inside video games and other virtual environments. The possibilities with Omni are unmatchable – it not only lets you walk but even jump, kneel, and crouch in the gaming world by mimicking the action on the treadmill in real life. Gamers who’ve tasted the VR flavor would have heard the name Virtuix before. The start-up is currently selling a commercial version of the Omni – “Omni Pro” – to entertainment venues in over 45 countries. Now, Virtuix is coming for the first time to our homes with Omni One treadmill aimed at pushing the bounds of in-home entertainment previously set by VR headsets.

A sleek Nintendo interactive headset + more VR designs that prove this tech trend is here to stay!

Immersing ourselves in a simulated world, far away from reality is always fun. And hence, Virtual Reality has been gaining a lot of momentum these days! Its applications and possibilities are endless. VR is extending its scope beyond gaming and providing functionality in a variety of fields. From business, education, entertainment to even fitness, VR is being utilized in almost all industries. And we’ve curated a collection of exciting VR designs that prove the true value of this emerging technology. From a virtual reality treadmill to a VR-equipped workstation set up, every single one of these designs will make you pro VR all the way. Enjoy!

Following the trends of today in regard to retro aesthetics and gameplay mobility, Tsai reimagined Nintendo’s virtual reality experience with Nintendo Switch Joy-Glasses. Tsai recognized Nintendo Switch’s hybridity that allows it to transform from a handheld gaming tablet to a plugged-in video game console for the television. This gives Nintendo Switch players the option of bringing a gaming console with them anywhere, making Nintendo Switch a mobile gaming device. This mobile hybridity gives the Switch a leg-up, and with today’s gamers being so nostalgic, it’s no wonder VR games like Pokémon Go are such global successes. Further, on the game’s market triumph, Tsai writes, “Successfully tapping into 1990s nostalgia, [Pokémon Go] is attracting millions of Millennials…Taking advantage of this retro hype, it’s about time to refashion existing technology and create something unique to connect with more recent generations.”

The Omni One by Virtuix – a virtual reality treadmill that’ll allow gamers to walk or run in 360-degrees inside video games and other virtual environments. The possibilities with Omni are unmatchable – it not only lets you walk but even jump, kneel, and crouch in the gaming world by mimicking the action on the treadmill in real life. Gamers who’ve tasted the VR flavor would have heard the name Virtuix before. The start-up is currently selling a commercial version of the Omni – “Omni Pro” – to entertainment venues in over 45 countries. Now, Virtuix is coming for the first time to our homes with Omni One treadmill aimed at pushing the bounds of in-home entertainment previously set by VR headsets.

With the unprecedented shift towards remote working because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the team at Gravity Sketch has prioritized the deployment of their latest cloud collaboration feature. Available within the cloud-based product LandingPad, Gravity Sketch’s cloud collaboration feature (codenamed Co-Creation) allows designers, teams, studios, and clients to collectively visualize, ideate, and refine product ideas. Merely wearing the VR headset transports you into the virtual workspace, allowing wearers to use the remote controller to highlight parts of a design, make edits/suggestions, or leave feedback. The tool has been used in enterprises with large design teams (Ford, Nissan, Reebok), but given the current circumstances with most people working remotely, Gravity Sketch hopes the publicly available collaborative platform will help teams work better together from their remote workspaces.

feelreal_vr_aroma_1

Compatible with the Oculus Rift, Go, HTC Vive, Samsung Galaxy VR, and the Playstation VR, the Feelreal snaps to the bottom of the headset, sitting right in front of the nose. It then releases smells that complement the media you’re watching by simulating, stimulating, or relaxing. Compatible with a variety of games, movies, and multimedia content on platforms like YouTube VR, the Feelreal can generate a variety of aromas and smells, making you feel like you’re in the moment, whether it’s a forest, a race-track, or a battlefield. The Feelreal comes with a series of 9 aroma vials that combine to create as many as 255 different types of distinct smells, from flowers and petrichor to food, to grease or gunpowder. The Feelreal goes the extra mile by providing a tactile experience too! It comes with its own water-spray, microheater (to simulate heat), and fan (to simulate wind), adding different layers to your audiovisual VR experience.

What appears as a simple computer desk setup turns out to be so much more. For starters, Couto’s workstation setup, “Future of Work” features a retractable display screen that detaches into a foldable tablet/laptop. The simple OS desktop functions as the workstation base, where files can be created and stored. Then, when Couto needs a tablet or laptop for easy portability, the same files will be made available on the go. In addition to the desktop’s detachable screen, Couto’s design features another tablet that can attach itself to the desktop for an extended display, offering quick file sharing and supplemental portability. Finally, Couto’s “Future of Work” setup comes equipped with VR compatibility, providing a headset that turns into a dashboard where all of the work station’s appliances are connected. The integration of VR allows for seamless file transferring between devices, like sharing CAD models between devices and other file formats.

Apple’s mixed reality headset has been in the works for quite some time now, and a couple of months ago it became apparent that the lightweight VR headset will be coming in 2022, with the Apple Glasses to follow soon after. On the flip side, the iPhone 13 is destined to arrive this fall, and like all times it is already the topic of interest in the tech circles. While iPhone 13 and the Apple VR headset cannot be launched in the same given timeframe – still it doesn’t deter imaginative designers from mustering up how the two products will look together. ConceptsiPhone has created a render of the two upcoming devices by Apple and mashed them together in a video dubbed iPhone 13 VR for creative writer’s delight. The VR headset is open to any imagination possible, and the folks over at ConceptsiPhone have taken that opportunity to show the world how the mixed reality headset will be like. It looks plush (after all it’s Apple) and is in sync with the design principles Apple has put in place for the headset – comfort and lightweight aesthetics.

Building upon their previously released DualSense wireless controller, which changed the way games “feel” through immersive haptic feedback, the new VR controller for the PS5 also provides haptic feedback and takes on an orb-like shape that allows users to move their hands freely and naturally when gaming. The ergonomic design behind the new VR controller was also tested by a range of users with different hand sizes to ensure that they work for everyone. In addition to the controller’s added haptic feedback, the new VR controllers are outfitted with the same adaptive trigger technology found on the DualSense wireless controllers. The adaptive trigger buttons on Sony’s VR controllers add tension that gamers can really feel when plucking an arrow or pulling on a rope, adding to the multisensory experience of PS5.

beyond_vr_2

beyond_vr_1

Yes, virtual reality is a rather wonderful piece of technology that lets you immerse yourself in digital surroundings, but it’s important to remember that it’s also a wonderful window into experiencing things we can’t. Whether it’s used for tourism or as an empathy machine, VR has a massive role to play in education, by allowing people to use their most powerful sense to experience something. Beyond VR aims at taking that approach by letting children use VR as not just an entertainment device, but almost like an experiential encyclopedia. Made for children from ages 4 to 12, the Beyond VR is a headset and camera kit that allows kids to interact with and socialize with children across the world, allowing them to experience life across different countries and cultures. Beyond VR is designed to be a social tool that revolutionizes social networking, taking the traditional keyboard and UI away from the experience and allowing people to truly live in each other’s shoes.

What the GOOVIS Young changes about VR is that it embraces the technology for entertainment purposes, and does it in the best way possible… not by being a face-mounted computer, but rather a face-mounted display that’s compatible with practically any of your devices. With a 1080p display on the inside that’s designed to feel like a theater with an 800-inch screen, the GOOVIS Young is a universal VR display you can connect to your phone, laptop, tablet, set-top box, or even your console, allowing it to act as a dedicated display for everything between working, gaming, watching movies, browsing the internet, or even doing the odd stuff like tapping into your drone’s camera for incredible HD POV-ing.

mild_vr_4

mild_vr_12

The Mild VR headset is designed to look familiar. While it is a VR device, it looks like it was designed to look good while worn, and not like you strapped a toaster to your face. The Mild comes with a fabric overlay on a plastic body. Mimicking the design of eye masks, they fit comfortably over the eyes while making it look less obvious like you’re wearing a multimedia device on your head. The Mild even comes with its own controller with a joypad and wrist-straps, allowing you to manipulate 360° content with ease.