Facebook is buying Oculus VR for $2 billion, plans to ‘unlock new worlds for all of us’
Mark Zuckerberg is following up his Whatsapp buy with another big acquisition: virtual reality company Oculus VR for $2 billion in stock and cash (curiously, news of the talks may have leaked on Reddit a month ago). In a post on Facebook, Zuckerberg talks at length about how Facebook plans to make Oculus a platform for “completely new kinds of experiences,” and gaming is only the first one. Examples he suggests include sitting courtside at a big game, studying in a classroom with other students virtually or getting a face to face doctor consultation from anywhere. The idea that virtual reality may be the next big thing gained more credibility last week when Sony showed off a prototype VR headset for developers, Project Morpheus. That also means Oculus is suddenly staring down a massive competitor — with others likely on the way — and now it has the resources of the social network to rely on.
The original Oculus Rift Kickstarter was less than two years ago — remember Project Holodeck? — and ever since founder Palmer Luckey has been publicly pushing it as technology for the masses. The Oculus team has its own statement, promising that “Facebook understands the potential for VR” and gives it the best shot to change the world. There will be a conference call to discuss the announcement in 15 minutes, and we should hear from those directly involved why the same site that hosts your coworker’s farming sim is the best possible home for the future of virtual reality. Previously, Zuckerberg had been vocally opposed to building hardware and with good reason, but by dropping $2 billion on a VR headset maker, it’s clear John Carmack isn’t the only one seeing the $350 Oculus Rift’s potential.
Update: We’re on the call now, and Mark Zuckerberg is already pointing out Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram as an example of how the company is getting experience buying properties and allowing them to continue to operate independently. Zuckerberg called out virtual reality as one of the computing platforms of the future — following desktops and mobile — and yes, talked about building Facebook’s advertising into it. Specifically, he talked about the potential of a virtual communication network, buying virtual goods, and down the line, advertising.
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Filed under: Displays, Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Facebook
Source: Facebook, Oculus VR blog
NVIDIA announces new features for Shield, slashes price for limited time
NVIDIA Shield users, listen up! There’s a new update coming April 2nd, and it’s a doozie. The notable features and improvements include:
- GameStream enhancements – Users can remotely stream games from their PC through a Wi-Fi connection via GameStream BETA
- UI enhancements to Gamepad Mapper
- A new version of TegraZone
- Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat
Not only are there updates to the system, there are some game announcements as well! Popular titles such as Rochard, Mount & Blade: Warband, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Portal (yes the PC version) are making their way to the console “coming soon”.
Perhaps the most important Shield news of the day is that it’s finally getting another price cut. The NVIDIA Shield will be sold for $199 from March 25th through the end of April.
If this isn’t a perfect time to buy the Shield, I don’t know what is!
The post NVIDIA announces new features for Shield, slashes price for limited time appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Portal comes to NVIDIA’s Shield as an exclusive Android port
You won’t have to stick to a PC or TV to play Valve’s iconic games in the future. The developer is teaming up with NVIDIA to bring the original Portal to the Shield handheld — in other words, Portal is coming to Android. The two haven’t said just when the space-defying puzzle title will be available on the Shield, although it unfortunately sounds like other Android devices may be out of luck. We’ve reached out to see if there’s a possibility of a wider release. Still, it’s good to see Valve dip its toes in the mobile gaming waters, unlike certain companies. And hey — it’ll be as good an excuse as any to get reacquainted with your Companion Cube.
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Science, Mobile, NVIDIA
Source: NVIDIA Blog
NVIDIA Shield gets temporary price drop, soon to support remote PC gaming
The GameStream technology that powers the NVIDIA Shield’s PC streaming feature is neat, but it has its limitations. Games can only be streamed from desktop PCs running specific GPUs, and only to devices connected to a local network. That’s about to change: Pending an update in early April, Shield owners will be able to stream their PC games not only from GeForce GTX-equipped laptops, but over the internet as well. Remote streaming has its own limitations, of course — NVIDIA recommends a minimum upload/download speed of 5 Mbps — but the new GameStream beta will let gamers remotely wake up, log in to and play games from their home PC from any location with a stable WiFi connection. NVIDIA is also making it a little easier to stream unofficially supported PC titles, and will update its GeForce Experience desktop software with tools that will push any PC application to the Shield’s GameStream list.
The spring update also adds Bluetooth keyboard and mouse support, as well as several tweaks to the Shield UI. Specifically, the TegraZone store will be getting categories (action, adventure, etc.) as well as a news section. Finally, NVIDIA will be selling the handheld at a $50 discount from now until the end of April. Already have one? Sit tight — that update goes live on April 2nd.
Source: NVIDIA
NVIDIA announces Titan Z: a $3,000 graphics computing powerhouse
Thought that NVIDIA’s Titan Black was as good as it gets in the GPU world? You were mistaken. Meet the GeForce GTX Titan Z (seen in all its glory after the break), NVIDIA’s latest graphical behemoth announced by CEO Jen-Hsun Huang today at NVIDIA’s 2014 GPU Technology Conference. The Z packs dual Kepler GPUs specifically designed to operate in perfect power and performance harmony. It also keeps cutting-edge games (like those using Unreal Engine 4) running smoothly at up to 5K resolution and on multiple monitors thanks to 12GB of dedicated memory. For now, other Titan Z details are scarce, but we know it costs $3,000, and Huang likens its performance to that of a supercomputer — what more do you really need to know?
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Mobile, NVIDIA
Source: NVIDIA
Xbox One bundle price drops to $399 on Amazon (update: back to $450)
We’re not sure if this is a real price drop or a retailer error, but CheapAssGamer.com points out that the Xbox One is currently available on Amazon for $399 — the same price as a PlayStation 4, but obviously with the Kinect camera and a game packed-in. The Xbox One Standard Edition (with the Forza Motorsport 5 digital code) is currently listed for $450, but adding the discount code XIAMAZON — first seen last week as retailers cut prices on the Titanfall bundle to $450 — takes an additional $50 off of the price. Of course, this means you don’t get the console’s most anticipated game as a part of the deal, but at this price we doubt many will complain. It’s earlier than an anticipated and if it’s an error (of course, Amazon is starting a videogame Gold Box deal today…) then we don’t know how long it will last, but tell us — if they’re the same price which would you choose, an Xbox One or PS4?
Update: It looks like it was an error, as the bundle’s price has jumped back to $499, which comes down to $450 with the discount code. It was good while it lasted, but we guess Microsoft isn’t quite ready to make that level of sacrifice to catch the PS4 in sales.
Xbox One w/ Forza Motorsport 5 is $399 at Amazon with code “XIAMAZON” http://t.co/edRmLxkZ7h
– Cheap Ass Gamer (@videogamedeals) March 25, 2014
Source: Amazon
PS Vita gets more apps on its home screen and a memory card manager
With the amount of rad digitally distributed games in the PlayStation Vita’s library, your system’s home screen could be getting a little crowded. Well, after downloading the handheld’s latest firmware update, you’ll have a lot more room for all of those high-res bubbles. Another 400 of them to be exact, as software version 3.10 allows a total of 500 apps and games on the touch-based UI. What’s more, Joystiq noticed the patch adds a memory card management feature that separates saved data based on what type of content created it. Bizarrely enough, the portable PlayStation didn’t have an auto setting for daylight savings time before this either. Sony has also included a calendar app that syncs with your Google account, as well as a voice messaging system for sending quick soundbites to your Vita or PS4 owning-pals. Just try keep ‘em PG-rated, okay?
Via: Joystiq
Harmonix’s ‘Fantasia’ gets a multiplayer mode, new songs
Harmonix is letting us in on a few more details about its upcoming game Fantasia: Music Evolved. During a demo last week at GDC the company showed us a new discovery realm of the game called “The Hollow,” a new multiplayer mode, and took the wraps off of six new tracks coming to the colorful music-conducting game.
Similar to the underwater world we saw at E3, The Hollow is a part of the game meant for exploration rather than structured gameplay — and the forest scene has a ton to explore. Much like the other discovery realms in the game, parts of world start to come into color the more songs you play, with a little taste of your completed songs incorporating itself into the world. Areas of The Hollow we saw had magical mushrooms that you could play (not that kind of magical shrooms, these), as well as fairies you can interact with and an elk with playable bells in its antlers. It all looks pretty amazing, and is something we could definitely see ourselves spending hours exploring.
We played through a bit of the game on multiplayer, and were pretty impressed with how the game (and the Kinect) was able to handle two players conducting simultaneously. Back in the day when we saw the game on an Xbox 360 the Kinect had trouble understanding who was playing if others were in the room. Now that problem has been taken care of, and the Xbox One we did the demo on was able to identify and interact with two players simultaneously without picking up any of the movement from the handful of other people who were also in the room.
When Fantasia is released later this year it will have a total of 30 different songs. Today Harmonix is announcing six new additions to its already-announced roster of tracks:
· David Bowie – “Ziggy Stardust”
· Antonin Dvorak – “Symphony No. 9 from the New World”
· Lorde – “Royals”
· Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”
· White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”
The Dvorak delivers on a promise developers made early on to include some tracks from the all-classical film in the mix. The song was one of the demos we saw last week, and one that we can guarantee you’re going to want to play even if you aren’t traditionally a classical fan.
All in all it looks like the game is coming together nicely, and is going to be a blast to play. It’s expected to hit stores at a TBD date later this year. If you’re anxious to get a peek yourself, you can get a glimpse of some of the Dvorak song and The Hollow in the vid below.
Filed under: Gaming
This one-of-a-kind 3DS has your name on it, proves you’re a Pokemon Master
You wanted to be the very best? (Like no-one ever was?) Here’s the proof that you made it. Japan’s annual Pokemon tournament kicked off this week, with the grand prize (aside from proving that it was worth all those hours of walking around in grass) of a limited edition, well there’s only one, 3DS XL. With a Mega-Charizard sticker design on the front, and the victor’s name engraved on the back, it’s likely the ideal prize for whoever earns it — and maybe even a nice little nest egg waiting to mature.
Source: Pokemon (Japanese)
Weekly Roundup: the Moto 360, Sony’s Project Morpheus, NSA transparency reports and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
This is Motorola’s new Android Wear smartwatch: Moto 360
Motorola’s new wearable, the Moto 360, takes smartwatch form factor back in time (har), boasting a seriously eye-catching design and circular watchface. Powered by Google’s Android Wear, owners can utilize the power of Now from their wrists. What’s more, this isn’t the Moto 360′s only design. It’ll come in a variety of styles once it launches this summer.
Using the PlayStation 4′s virtual reality headset, Project Morpheus
Last week at GDC, Sony unveiled Project Morpheus. We got to try out the company’s VR headset, destined for the PlayStation 4 — and yes, it’s pretty awesome. Engadget’s own Ben Gilbert donned a virtual sword and took the prototype for a spin while we caught the action on camera.
The NSA may release its own transparency reports
Earlier this week, NSA general counsel Rajesh De stated that companies like Apple or Google are fully aware of its data collection practices due to its “compulsory legal process.” Now, the agency may take that claim one step further by releasing its own transparency reports.
Peter Molyneux wants more from VR than what’s available
Without failing to realize how far VR has come, Peter Molyneux told us at GDC that the tech still leaves him wanting. According to the famed game designer, it’s all about innovation, and the latest next-gen tech, like Sony’s Project Morpheus, doesn’t push the limits.
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Filed under: Misc
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