Facebook's Oculus to fight Apple's AR and VR push with new $200 standalone headset in 2018...
Facebook's Oculus is apparently in the early stages of developing a standalone mobile headset, with use cases like watching a movie on a plane, without needing a connected computer or smartphone.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that Oculus is seeking to expand to stand-alone devices, setting it apart from existing offerings necessitating a smartphone like Google Daydream or Samsung Gear VR. According to Thursday's report, the device will be driven by a Snapdragon processor of some sort, and will hit $200 price point at some point in 2018.
The device allegedly is code-named "Pacific" and on the exterior resembles a compact version of the Oculus Rift. It will feature Oculus branding in most of the world, and Xiaomi in China -- probably because of Oculus executive Hugo Barra's involvement with the company prior to coming to Facebook.
The first iteration of the technology is not expected to include positional tracking -- but it is allegedly on the road map for the future, according to sources familiar with the matter contacted by Bloomberg.
The rumored headset may not be a surprise, however. In October, Facebook CEO claimed that it had plans for a similar device, to attempt to take the technology main-stream.
"We all know where we want to improve and where we want virtual reality to eventually get --It's this feeling of real presence," said Zuckerberg. "We want hardware that's a lighter form factor and smaller, that can do both VR and AR, that can do eye tracing and mouth tracking and hand tracking."
The device may fight fairly significant headwinds, however. HTC and Lenovo are expected to rollout standalone headsets with Google's Daydream OS for release in 2017, as is Samsung based on Oculus technology.
Apple's ARKit will ship with iOS 11 in the fall. and instantaneously make iOS the largest AR platform, based on deployed devices.
Asked about the prospect of Apple-branded virtual and augmented reality products in the fall of 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that while VR, such as that delivered by Oculus, promises "cool" applications for gaming and education, AR technology is of particular interest.
"There's virtual reality and there's augmented reality -- both of these are incredibly interesting," Cook said to Roberts. "But my own view is that augmented reality is the larger of the two, probably by far."
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that Oculus is seeking to expand to stand-alone devices, setting it apart from existing offerings necessitating a smartphone like Google Daydream or Samsung Gear VR. According to Thursday's report, the device will be driven by a Snapdragon processor of some sort, and will hit $200 price point at some point in 2018.
The device allegedly is code-named "Pacific" and on the exterior resembles a compact version of the Oculus Rift. It will feature Oculus branding in most of the world, and Xiaomi in China -- probably because of Oculus executive Hugo Barra's involvement with the company prior to coming to Facebook.
The first iteration of the technology is not expected to include positional tracking -- but it is allegedly on the road map for the future, according to sources familiar with the matter contacted by Bloomberg.
The rumored headset may not be a surprise, however. In October, Facebook CEO claimed that it had plans for a similar device, to attempt to take the technology main-stream.
"We all know where we want to improve and where we want virtual reality to eventually get --It's this feeling of real presence," said Zuckerberg. "We want hardware that's a lighter form factor and smaller, that can do both VR and AR, that can do eye tracing and mouth tracking and hand tracking."
The device may fight fairly significant headwinds, however. HTC and Lenovo are expected to rollout standalone headsets with Google's Daydream OS for release in 2017, as is Samsung based on Oculus technology.
Apple's ARKit will ship with iOS 11 in the fall. and instantaneously make iOS the largest AR platform, based on deployed devices.
Asked about the prospect of Apple-branded virtual and augmented reality products in the fall of 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that while VR, such as that delivered by Oculus, promises "cool" applications for gaming and education, AR technology is of particular interest.
"There's virtual reality and there's augmented reality -- both of these are incredibly interesting," Cook said to Roberts. "But my own view is that augmented reality is the larger of the two, probably by far."
Comments
I wonder how the employees at Sensomotoric, Flyby Media, Metaio and others that were working on AR feel now? They've gone from a small niche market to find themselves part of the worlds largest AR platform. I imagine it must be pretty exciting to see.
Though, obviously they both will end up stretching the AR and VR world wide open.
VR has few practical applications beyond gaming. VR is not a good human interface because it cuts the user off from the world around them and the people in it - the computing experiences that people love most are the ones that enhance normal human activities.
AR is altogether different. Apple have delivered a product to developpers (ARKit) that they are amazed with. The possibilities of AR are endless. AR does not require any specific hardware, it works with what many people already have - iPhone 6s or above.
In time there will be easy ways for users to create content for AR - and it will be much easier to do so than creating VR environments. Once users are themselves creating content it will explode with popularity. If an upcoming iPhone has a high quality 3D scanning sensor - this might be all that it needed to drive AR to 'next big thing' status.
No doubt they can. AR has been possible for years but difficult for developpers to implement. Apple have now made it extremely easy for developpers to create apps that use AR.
One AR/VR developper recently said that he has focused all his work up till now on cross platform applications. However, he is so blown away with ARKit he recommends that everyone that doesn't have one should get an iPhone.
When it comes to AR, most developpers will choose to work on Apple's platform. There's nothing Samsung can do about this - they have to wait for Android to catch up.
AR will motivate many Android users to switch and many with iPhone 6 or older to upgrade. There will also be increased App Store revenue. This all kicks off in a big way in about 9 weeks.
You don't.
If Apple ever decides to release AR glasses bet your ass it won't require you to strap an iPhone to your face.
You can bet if/when Apple gets into VR, the hardware that delivers content to it will primarily be your smartphone; not just because Apple makes smartphones, but because users will already have a very powerful computer in their pocket (a couple turns of Moore's law into the future from where we are today). It makes little sense to duplicate that capability in a headset or pair of glasses (or, hmm, contact lenses).
2003:
Zuck: I have over 4,000 emails, pictures, addresses, SNS
[Redacted Friend's Name]: What? How'd you manage that one?
Zuck: People just submitted it.
Zuck: I don't know why.
Zuck: They "trust me"
Zuck: Dumb fucks
To the second pont, family members could conceivably share an experience, as in see each other in the VR scenes in the future of VR technology and it doesn't have to be a game.
To the third point and sort of a follow on from above, VR has potential for lots of things other than games. I agree AR had far more immediate and useful potential as Apple is showing but VR could be used in education, such as exploring places or buildings, Grand Canyon ... the Parthenon ...without leaving the classroom. It also has great potential for the handicapped to allow them the enjoyment of freedoms, albeit illusory, we all take for granted. Think Avatar.