Author: Digital Trends

James Cameron “holoports” to join Microsoft’s Alex Kipman on stage at Microsoft Ignite 2021. Microsoft Events have been going virtual for a full year now, with the pandemic preventing physical meetings and forcing companies to innovate. But no one’s taken it quite as far as Microsoft Ignite — which just introduced us to an avatar of the guy who made Avatar. Today at the developer conference, James Cameron — yep, that Titanic dude —  and Cirque du Soleil co-founder Guy Laliberté joined Microsoft for a fully virtual tech conference featuring “holoports” of the two, in which 3D capture technology is…

Before the pandemic, the gym was always a part of my weekly routine. So as the world scrambled to horde toilet paper amid last year’s first COVID-19 lockdowns, I scrambled to create some semblance of a home gym. I wasn’t alone. Gym rats fleeing their sweaty ships created a nationwide shortage of yoga mats, dumbbells, exercise bands, and other workout paraphernalia, with marked-up prices to match. I had a hard time stomaching nearly five times the cost of my gym’s monthly membership just to acquire a decent set of dumbbells. So I checked out Peloton (essentially a streaming spin class)…

Gun controllers are seeing a bit of a renaissance these days thanks to VR gaming, where players are searching for a gun design to make their VR shooter encounters feel a bit more authentic. However, there are also plenty of gun controllers that can support more traditional PC gaming, especially if you happen to have a Wii remote handy. Here are gun controller options for a variety of situations, including popular VR headsets, PC gaming, and even for setting up a PC arcade-style gaming station! Also, be sure to check out our recommendations for VR-ready laptops. Esimen VR Pistol Case…

Following their huge success with Pokémon Go, Nintendo and Niantic have finally gotten around to collaborating on another augmented-reality (AR) game. The game will be based on Nintendo’s successful Pikmin franchise, but beyond that details are somewhat scant. In an announcement on Monday, March 22, the Japanese entertainment giant only let on that the title is set for launch “later this year” and will include “activities designed to encourage walking and make the activity more enjoyable.” Niantic isn’t saying much, either, suggesting in a tweet that we “imagine exploring the world through the wonder of AR and alongside all of…

Recent reports have indicated Apple is keen to get in on the smart headset game with a mixed reality device that combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) with a dozen built-in cameras and sensors. Now, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is working on giving its headset a key advantage over rivals. That edge will come in the form of its super-lightweight form factor. According to Kuo, Apple is aiming for a total weight of 150g (0.3 pounds), far below the rest of the market, where headsets can weigh upwards of 300g (and much more). With less…

Nile Rodgers: Waiting for your questions … Forever Holdings A new kind of virtual experience could revolutionize how music stars and other famous folks interact with their fans. Described by the U.K. startup behind it as “the world’s first voice-interactive digital portrait,” London-based Forever Holdings’ debut In the Room With experience lets you chat with music legend Nile Rodgers about his life and work — as if you were right there with him. To make it happen, Rodgers recently spent time recording answers to 350 questions submitted by fans. After that, software designers built a program that uses voice recognition and…

Virtual reality is still a relatively new genre, but it has the potential to take your gameplay to a whole new level. Even now, there’s a large variety of different games that have already hit the market.  We’ve done our best to narrow down all the great choices and make sure you’re only playing the best of the best VR games, whether you’re playing on PlayStation VR or Oculus Rift. PlayStation VR Blood & Truth The PlayStation VR has been one of the most popular virtual reality devices in history, but it didn’t have a true killer app before Blood…

A few years ago, virtual reality (VR) was a costly endeavor. With controllers, sensors, and the headset itself, it was easy to drop $600 or more on a suitable setup. With the recent Oculus Quest 2 and Oculus Rift S, however, getting into VR is now more affordable than ever. The Oculus Rift is the system to use, not only because it’s cheap, but also because it has a library of excellent games. From animatronic scare-fests to tense first-person shooters, here are best Oculus Rift games available today. Further reading: Adventure Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted Five Nights at…

HTC has been teasing that a new virtual reality headset could launch at its Vivecon conference next week, but the company may have more up its sleeve. We are hearing reports that HTC has several VR headsets in the works. The company is expected to launch at least two new headsets at ViveCon on May 11, and it will likely use the venue to talk about the recently leaked Vive Air. The two headsets rumored to be launching at ViveCon are the HTC Vive Pro 2 and the Vive Focus 3 Business Edition. HTC’s sports-focused Vive Air was leaked late…

HTC has been teasing that multiple new virtual reality headsets could be launching at ViveCon, the company’s VR conference, this year. Slated to take place virtually this year on May 11, HTC had announced its plan to “[unveil] game-changing VR headsets, software, and platforms to take your experience to another level” at the show. Depending on what’s announced, these new VR headsets sound like they could replace a number of options that are currently considered the best VR headsets you can buy. While ViveCon is expected to be an enterprise-specific conference this year, those following the augmented, virtual, and mixed…