As virtual reality (VR) continues to be one of the most talked about technologies, the number of cameras on the market that can capture VR-capable, 360-degree video is growing as well.
YME-D1 is a connected panoramic imaging action camera that features an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor and a Sunplus 6350 chipset that can capture VR-capable 360-degree video at 1440p (30 frames per second) and 1080p (also 30 fps). Standard recording options include loop recording and time lapse.
The recently priced HTC Vive will join the Oculus Rift this year in rolling out the red carpet to the world of virtual reality, or VR. Until then, consumers have the choice of grabbing something like Samsung’s Gear VR or go cheap and grab themselves some Cardboard. The one problem with these options is their absolute lack of portability, limiting where these types of immersive experiences can take place.
The 2VR is out to change perceptions of the VR world with a pair of fold-up glasses with small arms that can hold a smartphone with a screen size between 4.7″ and 6″.It boasts biconvex lenses for both virtual and augmented reality content and the cleverly created ear grips that make sure the 2VR don’t become loose or fall off while being worn. Each pair is going for $25 and is expected to ship June 2016. The 2VR’s Kickstarter campaign is looking for $30,000 by March 25th, 2016.
Virtual reality (VR) is one of the hottest new technologies, creating opportunities to make videogames and movies more immersive to consumers. But VR stops short of providing a full immersive experience because it focuses only on the head.
Immersit is a device that slips under any sofa, chair or bed with four legs and creates motion and vibrations in response to whatever is happening in a compatible movie or videogame. It supports up to 1,100 pounds and works in conjunction with an app for Android and iOS mobile devices. Its software initially supports the PlayStation 3 and 4, the Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows and Linux. Immersit is also compatible with the Oculus VR headset and is expected to be compatible with the HTC Vive and new Oculus VR headsets.
The number of virtual reality (VR) devices on the market and seeking funding via crowdsourcing continues to grow.
LucidCam is trying to help solve one problem for the emerging VR market: a lack of content. It’s a consumer stereoscopic 3D, 180-degree virtual reality camera that is portable and allows users to capture everything around them in full, 1080p HD per-eye video and 2K per-eye photo quality, according to its Indiegogo campaign. The content captured by LucidCam can then be used for VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift. LucidCam’s slim design allows it to fit right in the user’s pocket. LucidCam ships in July and its future retail price is about $500, although early bird backers can get one at pricing as low as $349. Its makers are looking to raise $100,000 by Dec. 26.
It’s still too early to say just how successful the VR product category will actually be. But LucidCam may have a bright future as long as the content captured with it can be viewed on whatever VR headset winds up being the most popular one. The inability of LucidCam to capture 360-degree video is a minus, but the addition of that functionality is a stretch goal of its makers. It also lacks the ability to shoot 4K like the recent Sphericam 2 can.
Virtual reality got its renaissance on Kickstarter with the Oculus Rift campaign. As such, it’s only natural a more portable, affordable version is made available on it, too. The Figment is made for the device that accompanies everyone, everywhere: the smartphone.
Quantum Bakery’s slim smartphone case incorporates a fold-out set of lenses that, when paired with VR or AR mobile content, is able to render it wherever the user may want to consume it. The case sturdy, built from 6000-grade aluminum and embedded with scratch resistant lenses for longevity. And of course, the case acts like a kickstand for more traditional content. A single Figment is $55 and is expected to ship in March 2016. Quantum Bakery is looking for $75,000 in funding by January 13th, 2016 to make Figment more of a reality.
Smartphone cases providing virtual reality experiences have been seen before in products like the Pinć VR, a successfully backed campaign that produced a much more immersive and mobile VR experience that included gestural support. While Figment isn’t as serious as the Pinć VR, and thus lacks its more hardcore appeal, going the route of increased accessibility will be a smart move for Quantum Bakery. A sturdy, sleek finish will catch attention when it’s not being waved around the air looking at rocket ships that aren’t there, too.
Movement is the biggest obstacle yet to be solved for true virtual reality experiences. While there are locomotion setups on the market that attempt to address the issue, not many people have the money nor the space to install and maintain them as they’re usually larger.
Inventor Joe Ryan’s VRGO is a VR controller in the form of a self-righting, egg-shaped seat. Made of aircraft composite for strength and weighing at only four kilograms, the wireless motion controller seat connects with the touch of a button using Bluetooth to PCs, Macs and headsets like Oculus Rift to facilitate more involved VR experiences.
Virtual reality has become one of the hottest new technologies. But at least some of the devices using the technology are costly. Others –- like the AirVR mount that just straps a mobile device to the user’s head –- look even less comfortable and more awkward than the bulkiest of virtual reality headsets.
Shot is an affordable lens attachment for iPhones that, combined with an accompanying app, creates virtual reality videos and photos that can be shared. The attachment easily slides onto the smartphone and is made up of its own two lenses that increase the field of view of the smartphone’s camera.
The recent explosion of interest in virtual reality poses a problem that’s long been associated with new media: a dearth of content.The original Sphericam 360-degree video camera sought to answer that call a few years ag. It received more than three times its Kickstarter funding goal in 2012, raising more than $34,000.
Sphericam 2 is an enhanced, 4K version of the spherical video camera that also taps into growing interest in the VR device market. Its six image sensors and lenses can shoot video of anything surrounding the user. That video gets automatically stitched together and can be viewed on VR headsets including the Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard, as well as tablets or smartphones.
Sphericam 2 can also take still photos with resolution of about 4100 x 2150. It will ship with a protective carrying case at $1,499 in December. Its maker set a more ambitious Kickstarter goal of raising $150,000 by July 30 this time around.
The Sperhicam 2 is clearly a tool for pros or amateurs with generous budgets, but the potential market for it will probably get much larger as more VR headsets reach the consumer market. Some customers may also be reluctant to buy a device, for now, whose image quality is hard to fully appreciate from an online campaign video.
Recent hardware announcements from companies like Oculus and HTC have promised new controller mechanisms to interact with the virtual worlds they’re building, proving how important the tactile aspect of virtual reality will be. However novel these controllers are, though, they’re just stopgaps to the eventual solution: a way to completely feel all sorts of feedback from weight to texture to temperature.
Realistically, it’s a long way off, but NeuroDigital is making an effort to get there faster with their Gloveone gloves. The gloves equipped with ten haptic actuators on each, capable of independently vibrating at different frequencies to replicate the sensations of feeling. With these actuators, the product can reproduce the sensations that go along with situations like rain, or the handling of a small apple, all to more fully immerse the participant.
At the moment, virtual reality is in a weird place. As refined as the technology currently is, virtual reality goers are still likely to experience motion sickness. Additionally, the illusion of virtual reality quick dissipates when users are forced to stay still and use some sort of controller to facilitate the experience.
Like many others before it, PAO aims to solve this immersion problem with a multi-directional treadmill. Not only is it designed to translate a person’s movement in any direction, it can also translate squats and jumps. What’s more, the product can be used with virtual reality headsets, traditional gaming consoles, and even Android devices. A PAO can be purchased for $300, with an expected ship date of December 2015. The Kickstarter campaign is looking to secure $10,000 in funding by May 20.
PAO is extremely similar to its predecessor, the Virtuix Omni, save for its current pre-production status. As a result, the Omni is a much more refined product, something reflected in its $699 price tag, not to mention its 160lb product weight and the large list of accessories it can be used with. In comparison, the PAO is more than half of the Virtuix Omni’s size and costs less than half. Notably, the PAO doesn’t require users to wear specialized shoes like the Omni does. If PAO can ensure that these benefits remain in place when the final production unit ships, it will prove a worthy and compelling purchase for gamers looking for a full and immersive virtual reality experience.