As it happened last year, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, He has again been in charge of opening the keynote of the Oculus Connect in which he has taken the opportunity to update the status of the goal that was set last year to reach 1,000 million users of virtual reality, for which he jokingly pointed out that they have reached 1%. A percentage that is still far from the masses, but that continues to grow so that at some point the ecosystem of users and content creators is sustainable and profitable, thus allowing more companies to enter the medium without the need for the investment they are making in content. To reach that ecosystem, Zuckerberg talked about 10 million users per platform, an amount for which Sony with PSVR (the only one for which we have data) would already have more than 30% completed.
In addition to the ecosystem, the form factor was the other key he commented on to continue on the path to the mainstream. Therefore, controllers, absolute positioning and freedom from being anchored to a PC are the factors that stood out as ideal for a new product. And that’s all it offers Oculus Quest, the new game viewer in which they will “invest significantly”, as Hugo Barra, VP of the VR division of Facebook, later highlighted, who also shared that 80% of Go users are new to the ecosystem (they did not have Rift or Gear VR).
In this way, the company becomes 3 platforms: Rift, Quest and Mobile (Go / Gear VR). Another interesting fact that Mark has shared is that the new generations of viewers that launch for each of them will be compatible with the contents of the previous ones.
2016 prediction of 4K panels, 30 pixels per degree, 140º FOV and variable focus.
Michael Abrahby Facebook Reality Labs, he also offered his traditional talk in which he analyzed the predict he made in 2016, noting that his estimates were going to cost 1 year or more than he predicted, although some of them had been advanced, such as the variable focus solution (this year they will release their DeepFocus algorithms) from their Half Dome prototype. In this sense he also spoke of the types of “pancakes” lenses with which wide FOV values (around 200º) can be achieved, among other advantages, as well as the wave guidance technology with which to build lighter viewers. Looking at eye tracking he estimated that it will be a feature that we will see in 4 years.
Below is the complete list of news they have presented during the conference:
Rift Platform
Rift Core 2.0 leaves beta status, reaching all Rift users. Among its features, the update allows you to enjoy our customizable Home and Dash interface.
Expressive avatars
The avatars will receive a new update at the end of the year that will give them more expressiveness. Specifically, they will be able to simulate eye and mouth movements, as well as subtle micro-expressions.
Custom Developer Articles
Home will include elements from our games and apps. By the end of the year, developers will be able to create Custom Developer Items such as animated objects, sculptures, trophies, and avatar costumes.
Rift support in the mobile app
Gear VR and Oculus Go users will no longer be the only ones with access to the Oculus mobile app. With it we will be able to carry out actions such as managing our friends, exploring the catalog and even remotely installing content.
Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series for Oculus Quest
ILMxLAB and Oculus have announced the Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series trilogy of experiences. Scripted by David S. Goyer, the first episode will be presented in 2019. The series is set between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One: A Star Wars story, and is connected to the Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire experience from The Void arcade centers.
Hybrid applications for Rift
Hybrid apps will offer a new way to bring 2D experiences to the virtual world, allowing software developers to add a VR mode that improves productivity in their current workflows without the need to build native applications or completely rewrite the software. The option is currently being explored by several companies.
Casting bracket for Oculus Go
Share on your mobile or your TV the mirror of your VR session, that is, what you do so that anyone can see it in real time. The show will arrive at the beginning of October, although it will only allow to retransmit to mobiles.
Launch of YouTube VR on Oculus Go
More than 800,000 VR videos will be available to Oculus low-cost standalone viewer users.
NBA League Pass comes to Venues
The fall program, which they have presented at the event, includes live music, movie marathons, comedy shows and, for the first time, the possibility of watching NBA games. Users who attend one of these matches will unlock a t-shirt for their avatar.
NETWORK Manifold Camera with Facebook 360
Manifold will be the volumetric camera based on Surround 360 of Facebook, a technology capable of offering 3D/360 with absolute positioning (6 dof). We can know all the details (although it still has no date or price) in the following link.
Lone Echo 2 (Rift)
Jack and Liv return in the new installment that continues the story of the first game. There is an extended version of the trailer that we can experience in 360º with Rift or Go.
Echo Combat (Rift)
The new combat mode in Echo VR has a release date: on November 15, it will be available for $ 9.99. There is available until Sunday a new open beta in which we can test the new game mode Capture Point.
Space Junkies (Rift)
Ubisoft’s upcoming release debuts a second closed beta with new content like King mode and Canyon Chase and Dark Ice maps.
Vox Machinae (Rift)
The giant robot combat simulator is now available in early access for $ 24.99.
Defector (Rift)
The new Twisted Pixel, which will turn us into a real spy, will be delayed to next year in order to add more content.
Covert (Go)
Co-op play (with another real-world person using a mobile or tablet) will be available this year.
