CES 2018 Top stories

via Micah Blumberg, Neurohaxor at http://vrma.io

via Micah Blumberg, Neurohaxor at http://vrma.io

HTC VIVE

The HTC Vive Pro Upgrade Version is rumored to cost $349 and sold in Q1 2018. It’s an Upgrade because you will need the 1.0 Lighthouse Base Station Trackers from your existing HTC Vive headset to make it work. If you want the Lighthouse 2.0 Trackers you can buy them separately in Q4 2018. The combined cost of The Vive Pro with the version 2.0 trackers in Q4 is $799 according to a reliable source.

HTC Vive Pro Price Rumor
$349 Q1 Headset Only & $799 in Q4 2018 with the Lighthouse 2.0 Trackers. There is also a visual comparison of the Vive…medium.com

Google vs Amazon vs Apple vs Facebook?

While Google and Amazon had a sort of promotion war at CES, the news leaked about Facebooks secret tool to compete with Google, Amazon, and Apple.

Leaked: Portal for $499: Facebook taking on Google, Amazon, and Apple with a new device for the…
Reblogged by Micah Blumberg, Neurohaxor at http://vrma.iomedium.com

Hey Google: Why is Alexa still winning?
If victory belongs to whoever's virtual assistant can interact with the most unlikely range of household appliances…www.bbc.com

Google’s touch screen home assistant (an upgrade from Google Home)

CES 2018: Google punches back with its virtual assistant for everything
While Amazon has maintained an early lead in the battle to put a smart virtual assistant in every home, capturing 70…qz.com

Next VR

Next VR is doing 6dof video, which means its volumetric video, which means every pixel in the video has an x, y, z coordinate as well as a direction (a tensor) this means that if you lean forward you move forward in the video, if you crouch down the ground in the video gets closer to you, this video is like being inside a Hologram.

NextVR Plans 6DOF, Increased Quality, and AR Support for Live VR Video in 2018
Today, live event broadcasting specialists NextVR announced three technology advancements to their platform coming this…www.roadtovr.com

Vuzix

Vuzix has new AR Glasses, but look how thin the display is, that’s amazing.

These AR glasses solve some of Google Glass's biggest problems
Vuzix, a Rochester, New York-based display provider, has been trying to resurrect the promise of Google Glass for years…www.theverge.com

Intel

Intel has a bunch of new chips, one of them is a quantum chipset that they are very proud of. I’m skeptical but we will see when it ships. Intel is hoping that their new neuromorphic chipset Loihi will achieve performance with neural networking. Neuromorphic chips are far from how the human brain operates unfortunately, so this is a lot of marketing hype. Intel said something about 360 Video in the VR portion of their CES Presentation. Investors seem to be running away from Intel for a variety of reasons, but one of them could be the distance between the marketing hype and the reality.

CES 2018: Intel announces 'major breakthrough' in quantum computing chip | ZDNet
Intel has announced a 49-qubit quantum chip at CES 2018, with CEO Brian Krzanich calling it a major breakthrough in…www.zdnet.com

“Intel’s neuromorphic computing team is creating a chip that mimics the way the human brain observes, learns and understands. The company’s prototype chip “Loihi” is the most recent step in that direction. Neuromorphic computing has the potential to change the future — the way devices understand and interpret data. (Credit: Intel Corporation)”
https://vrworld.com/2018/01/10/ces-intel-ceo-krzanich-keynote-ai-vr/

Kodak

Kodak Coin, Kodak stocks soared on news that it is going to make it’s own Crytocurrency. Hell to the Yes. This shows investors that Kodak is a cool company that is with the times!

Kodak soars on crypto-currency plans
Shares in photo firm Eastman Kodak soared nearly 120% after it revealed plans to mint its own crypto-currency, the…www.bbc.com

KODAK and WENN Digital Partner to Launch Major Blockchain Initiative and Cryptocurrency
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--()--Today Kodak and WENN Digital, in a licensing partnership, announced the launch of the…www.businesswire.com

Oculus

One interesting new detail about the Oculus Go revealed at CES is that it’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. When I posted an interview with John Carmack at OC4 he was careful not to reveal the chipset.

Another interesting detail is that Oculus has partnered with Xiaomi and Qualcomm to bring the Oculus Go to China. This is partnership was necessary because Facebook is banned from doing business in China.

CES 2018: Oculus Announces Partnership with Xiaomi for Standalone VR Headset
Today at CES, being held in Las Vegas from Januaray 9-12, Oculus that it has partnered with Xiaomi and Qualcomm for new…360vrcommunity.com

CES 2018: Xiaomi-made Oculus Go can boost VR adoption
The highly-awaited Oculus Go VR headset, announced last year by Mark Zuckerburg at Oculus Connect event, is on show at…en.brinkwire.com

TPCAST

TPCAST is going to support Microsoft Mixed Reality headsets.

TPCAST To Expand Their Support With Universal Wireless VR Module For Windows Mixed Reality
It is proving to be a busy International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 for virtual reality (VR), particularly…www.vrfocus.com

TPCAST will also release a new TPCAST PLUS adapter that fixes some issue with the previous version for Vive and Rift

CES 2018: Hands-On With The New TPCast Plus - UploadVR
Wireless VR is a major theme of CES 2018. In addition to Vive's official Wireless Adapter, which was announced…uploadvr.com

Lenovo

Lenovo has a new all in one Daydream Headset with 6dof, that means built in position tracking. Sadly it includes a 3dof controller. (It’s like a laser pointer but the controllers position in space is not tracked.)

There is no reason in principle why tracking cameras can’t track the controllers and the headsets position at the same time. So there is no excuse for having a 3dof controller on a 6dof Daydream headset with built in inside out tracking. The Microsoft Mixed Reality headset tracks the headset position and the controllers are 6dof with it’s two inside out tracking sensors. The Oculus Santa Cruz prototype does this as well I’ve tried it. It’s not a limitation of technology, it’s a limitation of imagination. Is this going to include a pass through feature for ARcore?

CES: Lenovo Unveils Standalone Daydream VR Headset - VRScout
Share TweetThe Mirage Solo is a standalone device that gets rid of the cord. Back in May, we got our first demo of…vrscout.com

This New Virtual Reality Headset Could Finally Get You Into VR
Lenovo's new virtual reality headset, the Mirage Solo, doesn't need to be connected to a computer or smartphone in…time.com

Pimax 8K

Journalist Ben Lang does not seem to be impressed with the latest Pimax 8K prototype from Pimax. He writes that it still has issues to work out.

Hands-on: Pimax "8K" Has Come a Long Way but There's Still Real Kinks to Iron Out
Pimax, the Chinese VR startup honing in on a consumer headset with a huge field of view, is said to soon be shipping…www.roadtovr.com

MergeVR

MergeVR is selling a 6dof blaster. This is going to be a hit toy, you better invest in MergeVR right now!

Merge 6DoF Blaster | You move, it moves. Step into the game.
MERGE 6DoF Blaster tracks your movements in the real world using sophisticated positional tracking technology, for the…mergevr.com

Muse

According to Wired Magazine: Muse has new brain sensing eyewear. Glasses with EEG sensors that track brain activity. I suspect that wired got the story wrong and that Muse really has a faceplate that fits the HTC Vive.

CES Liveblog Day 2: The Flood of Gadgets Flows Forth
Follow along our up-to-the-minute coverage of CES 2018, live from Las Vegas, Nevada.www.wired.com

MUSE ™ | Meditation Made Easy
Muse is the first tool in the world that gives you accurate, real-time feedback on what's happening in your brain when…www.choosemuse.com

Luxxor

Luxxor is a new all in one VR headset that combines eye tracking with brain sensors. NeuroHaxors like me are salivating, but I have a lot of questions, does it feature 6dof, does it feature two motion controllers that also have 6dof, does it have any heart sensors?

All-in-one VR headset comes with eye trackers and brain sensors
CES 2018's first wave of innovative new tech is hitting the shore early, before the show officially starts tomorrow…thenextweb.com

Sony

Aibo is cute I want one!

Sony's new Aibo robot just melted the hearts of a room full of jaded tech bloggers
Sony's CES press conference was a big ole bag of nothing, even by Sony CES press conference standards. But one little…techcrunch.com

Aptiv

Aptiv has a high performing new self driving car that ExtremeTech says comes down to a larger quantity of high quality sensors.

Aptiv's Self-Drive Car at CES 2018 Is Worlds Better - ExtremeTech
This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use. LAS VEGAS - Aptiv, the spinoff from…www.extremetech.com

Vision Agency

Vision Agency will be showing off the latest version of MicrodoseVR at CES in the HTC Vive area, the procedural generated graphics react to your heart beat, it features new levels, a new menu system, and it now works with green screen mixed reality.

Microdose VR
Microdose VR combines art, music and dance into a real-time virtual reality gaming experience, defining a new medium…microdosevr.com

If you miss MicrodoseVR at CES 2018 you can demo it in San Francisco on January 18th at SF VR 360 Janus, links below.

San Francisco Virtual Reality novem is up next!
SFVR360 is a series of small events with monthly talks with demos at delightful San Francisco Venues.sfvr360.com

SFVR is San Francisco's leading virtual reality gathering
back for 2016 ! Join us at Gray Area in for an all-day virtual reality event. Last time, over 600 VR developers…sfvr.net