Feb 25
Virtual reality sure is cute. And, yes, I do mean that in the most condescending way possible.
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Feb 22
Now’s your chance to see The Legend of Zelda through the eyes of Link. Modder Ubiquitron is working on ZeldaVR, a port of the legendary NES game for the Oculus Rift. Can you gather the fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom, defeat Ganon and save Zelda before you get motion sickness?
Here’s YouTuber Vaecon trying out the beta of ZeldaVR:
Take this link to VirtualReality.io and download the ZeldaVR beta, which lets you play in the overworld and in the first dungeon. Ubiquitron will release the full version of the game this March.
[via GoNintendo]
Feb 21
The company behind the Oculus Rift revealed on Reddit today that due to a shortage of unspecified components, production of the device has been temporarily halted, leaving only the current … Continue reading
Feb 21
Maybe changing the perspective on the original Legend of Zelda is a little weird—everything looks so different here—but that’s exactly what makes this Oculus Rift version of the game interesting. Its almost like you’re playing (or in this case, watching) an entirely new game.
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Feb 21
The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset has taken the gaming world by storm. In fact earlier this year at CES 2014, the company unveiled a newer version of the headset which featured improved functionality and additional features. Unfortunately it seems that a commercial version of the headset has yet to enter production, but in the meantime we have some bad news for you guys as it would seem as though even the developer kits are running low on stock. So what’s the problem, you ask? Well apparently it’s not just a matter of creating more units as according to the Oculus Rift’s community manager on Reddit, the reason why it is not as easy as just producing more units is because certain components required are no longer being manufactured.
What this means is that will not be enough components left for additional developer kits. The team at Oculus Rift are trying to look for alternatives to these components but aren’t sure when production will begin again. However in the meantime, whatever remaining stock they have left will be rationed to a handful of selected countries. These countries include the United States, Canada, countries in the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Switzerland, and Norway. Of course what this also means is that the release of the commercial version will probably be delayed as well, as we’re sure the team will have to redesign it to make up for the now-extinct components.
Oculus Rift Dev Kits Running Low On Stock Due To Discontinued Components original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Feb 14
If you think Flappy Bird is hard, wait ’til you play it in first-person. Er, from a flappy bird’s eye view. Game designer Holden Link made Floculus Bird, a variant of the hit mobile game designed to be played with the Oculus Rift.
Holden made the game as part of the Flappy Jam, a game jam set up to show support for Flappy Bird developer Don Nguyen, who was recently subjected to a lot of harassment and negative attention because of his game. Here’s YouTuber Shinxypaps trying out Floculus Bird.
WARNING: He cusses in the video. A lot. I think you know why:
Flap to Holden’s website to play the game on your browser or to download it for free. You don’t need an Oculus Rift to play the game on your browser, but you do need to have the Unity web player installed.
[via PSFK]
Feb 10
It’s hard for me to imagine a hardware startup that is more exciting, more fascinating, and that has more potential to ripple out into a million amazing things than Oculus and their Rift virtual reality headset.
Many of you, it seems, would agree. After weeks of voting, our readers and this community have chosen Oculus VR as the Best Hardware Startup of the year.
As has been said many a time, Hardware is hard. Though the barrier to entry is lower than it’s ever been, the creation of new hardware is still a field that most don’t enter.
It makes sense, then, that the competition here was incredibly fierce. Oculus’ fellow nominees in the category:
- 3D Robotics, a company that wants to make aerial drones accessible to businesses of all sizes.
- SmartThings, which is building a platform to allow any electronic device — be it your toaster or a ceiling fan — to become an Internet-connected “smart device”
- Sonos, the remarkably simple wireless speakers that let you bring sound to every room in your house in just a few taps.
- Square, creators of the dongle that lets anybody — be it your buddy who’s having a garage sale, or a major coffee chain — accept credit card payments in just a few minutes.
While Oculus shipped an early, developers-only version of their headset last year, they’ve yet to release a consumer-ready version (or even announce an official date for one). And that’s just fine. This is a case where “Screw it, Ship It” simply does not apply; where it’s not just acceptable to hold the product close until it’s at a point of perfection, but where that is the only right decision. The reason they haven’t released a retail product is not for lack of talent, interest, or funding. It’s because they must get it right the first time, and they know it.
This concept — virtual reality in the home — is one that science fiction has promised us for decades. The available technology is finally reaching a point where it’s becoming feasible — and when it does, Oculus is positioned to pave the way. Industry legends are leaving their post at companies they created to be a part of it. The most adored company in the gaming world has pledged their R&D resources to them. Developers around the world are already building apps and concept demos for the device, knowing full well that consumers won’t have their hands on it for months to years. If Oculus can’t pull this off, I’m not sure anyone can.
Congratulations, Oculus. We’re all excited for the next few years.
Feb 10
Last November we heard about VRcade, a virtual reality system that lets the user move around while wearing a VR headset, thanks to wireless wearable electronics and cameras. A company called Zero Latency is working on the Inversion Project, a very similar setup for VR poster child Oculus Rift.
Details are scarce about the Inversion Project, but I’m going to bet that it also requires cameras or motion sensors aside from the hardware that’s worn or carried by the user. The video below demonstrates the technology with the help of a simple zombie game disappointingly called Zombie Fort: Smackdown and not Rift 4 Dead.
Zero Latency will demo the Inversion Project on Feb. 16 at Melbourne Australia’s Pause Festival. Hopefully details will trickle out of the event soon after.
[via PSFK]
Feb 06
O2 has announced that it has created a new campaign that is called Wear the Rose in cooperation with England Rugby. The Wear the Rose campaign is said to be … Continue reading
Feb 06
The Oculus Rift can be used for all sorts of things. Heck, it was only recently that the company announced that they would be co-publishing their first game in the form of EVE: Valkyrie which would in turn make it an exclusive for the headset as well. That being said, if you’re the sort of person who might be more into sports, say rugby for example, Wear the Rose could be an Oculus Rift experience you can look forward to. This is a joint effort by O2 and the England rugby team which aims to provide a 360-degree virtual reality sports experience.
Based on what we can see in the video, the wearer will be asked to participate in all sorts of rugby moves, such as jumping, tackling, and even catching passes from members of the England rugby team. So how long did it take to put all of this together? Well apparently it took 160 hours of filming and 320 hours of development to create the experience. It admittedly looks like a pretty fun experience and you will be able to take part in it all without actually getting hurt! If you have a minute to spare, check out the trailer video above to get an idea of what to expect.
Oculus Rift Used To Simulate Rugby Experience original content from Ubergizmo. 
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