Virtually Relevant

Through The Looking Glass

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, Eric Liga) — Fri, 2 Jul 2021 15:00:00 +0000

A quick overview of some news. Oculus launches update #30 bringing features to Quest 2 and Quest 1. Facebook is also prototyping putting advertisements in VR applications. Quest 2 goes on sale for the first time. Sony releases a few more PSVR 2 details. Finally we end with a deep dive into different lenses with their pros and cons.

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Enjoy!

HTC Making MORE Headsets, While Oculus Releases "Airlink"

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 14:00:00 +0000

HTC showing off their manufacturing as they come out with new headsets to add into their growing list of headsets. How many will they end up with? We also briefly talk over some Pico and PSVR2 news. Here's hoping for the best! There is also some more information on the start up and cheaper option to Vive pucks, the Tundra Trackers. We finish it off with an overview of what is new in the Oculus version 28 & 29 updates, including the Logitech k830 tracking keyboard and Airlink.

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Apple's Mysterious "N301" Prototype

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Mon, 7 Jun 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Rumors reported from an insider about Apple's AR headset codenamed "N301." Apple isn't the only name in the rumor mill though with some new found patents from Valve. Money talks with Applied VR and Rec Room getting surprising amounts in backing. Lastly, our thoughts on some new PSVR2 controllers from pictures that have been released by Sony themselves.

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Vive Tracker 3.0 Has Arrived

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Vive tracker 3.0 has arrived. We also talk about the new Varjo headset and a review on Oculus' new couch feature. Also a little piece on Pico New. After that, we go over some new software.

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Couch mode activated!

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0000

A little VR news from everywhere. PSVR 2 was officially announced. We have some updates on Apple's headset and the passthrough on the Lynx headset. Open XR is seeing a push in support from Steam. Oculus has released a experimental Couch mode feature.

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A change in Facebook?

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Wed, 3 Mar 2021 04:16:46 +0000

Is facebook taking a step in the right direction? Possibly, but sadly not when it comes to their Quest 2 elite headstraps apparently. Some big news also came from Google about Tilt Brush. Gravity sketch seems to be in the same boat as well. There's also some rumors about a Apple VR headset that we discuss. Now certainly seems to be the time according to some VR numbers that have been shared from Steam!

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Enjoy!

New Year, New VR

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:32:59 +0000

Our first podcast of 2021. We go over some end of the year news about Facebook user account problems, lawsuits in Europe, and a tidbit about Cyberpunk 2077 using VorpX to play Cyberpunk in VR. We also talk about some of the apps and games we have tried recently including Felix & Paul's app as well as some Star Wars experiences. Ending with a little overview of the recently published book Ready Player Two.

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Setting Up the Ideal VR Playspace

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Episode recorded 11/25/2020

This week we discuss some of the best practices and things to avoid we've learned over the last 5 years of setting up VR playspaces both privately, at meetup events, and professionally. If you are looking for tips on setting up a space THIS is the episode to listen to.

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Enjoy!

Quest 2 ongoing struggles and other VR News

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Episode recorded 11/11/2020

Quest 2 Jailbroken?! Elite Headstraps breaking, users still locked out of their Facebook/Oculus accounts and more VR news this week.

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Oculus Quest 2 Release and Review

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 21:28:04 +0000

Houston we have a problem. The Oculus Quest launch went off without a hitch for some and others dealt with instant account bans. This episode Eric, Josh, Kevin, and William discuss the ups and downs of the new headset.

New Investment in VR/AR and Quest 2 Getting Shipped

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 19:43:13 +0000

This week Eric, Kevin and William discuss some of the recent investments made into VR and AR through crowdfunding and other sources, The Omni One home based locomotion solution and Quest 2 orders seem to be shipping.

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Enjoy!

Facebook Connect Aftershow

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 22:50:31 +0000

Join Eric, Josh, Kevin and William as they share their reactions to the first Facebook Connect livestream and Carmack's Unscripted talk.

Facebook Connect Predictions & GTX 3090

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 22:36:03 +0000

Facebook Connect predictions from Erick, Kevin, Josh and William

VR News: Neural Interfaces, Microsoft Flight Sim, Lynx-R1 Redesign

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 22:00:10 +0000

It's another VR news episode! Between Neural interfaces, Microsoft Flight Simulator VR getting a exclusivity release and the Lynx-R1 slimmed down redesign there's plenty to talk about. Join us!

VR News: New Quest features and potential refresh specs and more

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 22:00:13 +0000

Eric, Josh, Kevin and William sit down to discuss the latest Quest S leaks as well as the new features coming in the latest firmware update as well as the other VR/AR related news bits of note.

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Enjoy!

Display Technology Deep Dive

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga) — Mon, 3 Aug 2020 13:00:09 +0000

OLED, QLED, LCD, MicroLED, MiniLED, Micro Display, Wave Guides, Pancake Lenses, Fresnel Lenses, and much more!

This week we are talking about displays and optics. Where we've been, where we are now, and what to expect in the near future.

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Enjoy!

Oculus Quest S Rumors

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 03:45:08 +0000

This week Eric, Josh, Kevin, and William discuss the semi-recent rumors from bloomberg about a potential mid-cycle refresh of the Oculus Quest or possible "Quest S"

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Enjoy!

HP Reverb G2, KatWalk C, Pico Neo 2 Eye and more

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 16:45:06 +0000

This episode Ted joins Eric, Josh, Kevin and William as we talk about the HP Reverb G2, the new KatWalk C locomotion solution, Eric's new headset the Pico Neo 2 Eye a standalone headset with eye tracking built in and more!

If you like this podcast please rate and review us in your favorite podcast app and consider becoming a patron here.

Enjoy!

Remote Collaboration In VR

contact@houstonvr.com (Chris Madsen, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Mon, 8 Jun 2020 19:29:02 +0000

Chris Madsen of Immersive VR Education joins Eric, Josh and William this episode as they discuss the state of remote collaboration in VR. With the focus on platforms like Zoom, Skype, Google Meet and others to bridge the physical gap for work and leisure it seemed like the perfect time to discuss this topic. Enjoy!

Find out more about Engage at https://engagevr.io/

Or Follow Chris on Twitter: @deep_rifter

News Roundup #2

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga) — Tue, 26 May 2020 20:04:05 +0000

This episode Eric, Kevin and William discuss the continued HMD drought we are going through as people clamor to get their hands on an Oculus Quest and Facebook starts selling refurbished CV1s. We also discuss the latest SteamVR hardwar survey results.

If you like this podcast please rate and review us in your favorite podcast app and consider becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/houstonvr

Enjoy!

Passthrough AR

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Thu, 9 Apr 2020 16:02:19 +0000

This week we finally get into passthrough Augmented Reality. The concept of using external cameras on a VR headset to enable Augmented Reality features. Join us as we discuss the latest and greatest in tech that's out there as well as some false starts.

If you like this podcast please rate and review us in your favorite podcast app and consider becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/houstonvr

Enjoy!

VR News Special

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 21:36:52 +0000

Note: We recorded this episode on 3/11/2020 as a result some of the discussion around the coronavirus pandemic doesn't express the gravity of the situation now.

This episode we are covering the news and only the news going on in the VR/AR world. There's been a ton going on in and out of the industry so strap in.

If you like this podcast please rate and review us in your favorite podcast app and consider becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/houstonvr

Enjoy!

Asymmetrical VR and AR

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:02:36 +0000

Asymmetrical VR is one of our favorite genres of experiences. We discuss the latest news and talk about some of our personal favorite games that use this format.

We also had the pleasure of being joined by the development team of Shadows Optional (Carlos, Jakob, and Zale) you can find out more about their project at the links below.

https://www.instagram.com/shadowsoptional/

https://www.reddit.com/user/ShadowsOptional/

Enjoy!

Hand Tracking on Quest

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 17:03:59 +0000

This week Eric, Josh, and Kevin talk Hand Tracking on the Quest as well as the latest VR news.

If you're interested in enterprise VR consider checking out the XR Showdown at http://xrshowdown.com/ It's a livestreamed VR/AR Game jam where teams work on projects for sponsors like Exxon to solve industry problems with Immersive Technology.

Additionally, if you will be attending SXSW this year consider reaching out to us. Our very own Josh Bankston is hosting the XR Developers meetup and would love to see you all.

Enjoy!

2020 Vision

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 22:23:45 +0000

This episode we discuss the latest VR/AR news as well as the road so far for VR and AR in the last decade. We saw the resurgence of a stagnant industry in the last several years so what does the next 10 hold for Immersive Technology? Will this be the Roaring 20s for VR and AR?

Enjoy!

Goodbye 2019! Hello 2020!

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Josh Bankston) — Thu, 2 Jan 2020 16:16:47 +0000

It's a short episode this time as we bring 2019 to a close. Many people likely received VR headsets for the various winter holidays or bought one themselves for Black Friday. So we thought we would discuss good "must-have" titles for new headset owners. We also touch on our hopes for VR in the upcoming year/decade.

Enjoy!

VR in the Mainstream

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 14:00:19 +0000

This episode we are joined by Ted Hayes II to discuss what we think the VR market needs to break through from a niche product into the cultural mainstream. How far are we? Is there a magic number of units sold to get us there? Is the time really Now like Oculus says? All that and more is discussed in this episode of Virtually Relevant.

Consider joining us for our December Social at Zero Latency Houston on December 19th. Find more details here: https://www.meetup.com/Houston-VR/events/bjzgvlyzqbzb/

If you like this podcast please rate and review us in your favorite podcast app and consider becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/houstonvr

Oculus Link, Pimax 5K+ and Black Friday Deals

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 21:00:10 +0000

Surprise! This episode is a little early in preparation for the holiday weekend.

This week we recorded a little early to get the episode out before the big shopping holiday to let you know about some of the Black Friday shopping deals of VR equipment as well as talk about some of our recent experiences with the Oculus Link Beta for Quest, the Pimax 5K+ headset, and give our takes on some good experiences to let your family members try if you plan on taking a headset to Thanksgiving. Plus Cows in VR?

Enjoy!

Locomotion in VR

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 16:00:07 +0000

This episode we are discussing one of the more difficult challenges in Virtual Reality. Locomotion, how we move in virtual space is a problem that has plagued VR since it's inception and there have been a number of commercial solutions this generation that each have their ups and downs.

Horror Games, Tilt Five, and the Death of Phone Based VR

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Mon, 4 Nov 2019 14:00:06 +0000

Mobile VR has finally been given it's eulogy at Oculus Connect 6. Eric, Josh, Kevin, and William discuss what this means for the future of the industry and if they think we will ever see phone based VR make a come back.

The AR company Tilt Five closed out their kickstarter at a whopping 1.7 million.

The guys discuss some of their favorite experiences they've played lately as well as some scary games to pick up to spook your friends.

Enjoy!

Oculus Connect 6 Wrap-Up

contact@houstonvr.com (Kevin Olson, William Golden, Eric Liga, Josh Bankston) — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 13:00:31 +0000

Eric, William, Josh, and Kevin give their takes on the recent Oculus Connect 6 conference, the Oculus Link, as well as new features on the Quest like hand tracking and mixed reality capture. Eric, Josh and William also give their impressions of what this year's event was like compared to previous OC events and what the future might hold for this event and the VR industry at large.