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ZanGrid and other OpenSim grids are hosting a number of events this Easter weekend, featuring live music performances, games, and DJ parties. Aachen’s Easter Party 2016 on ZanGrid ZanGrid is hosting Aachen’s Easter Party 2016 and Egg Hunt with prizes on March 27. Check out the ZanGrid event listing and aRead More →

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Hulu had originally planned to have its virtual reality app for the Samsung Gear VR last fall, but finally released it yesterday. It is a free download on the Gear VR’s Oculus store, and supports both virtual reality films and Hulu’s entire library of traditional 2D videos. There was noRead More →

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Pornhub has launched a dedicated virtual reality porn channel and gave away 10,000 free virtual reality headsets to get people to try it. Totally not safe for work link: http://www.pornhub.com/vr Pornhub says it has over three million videos and attracts over 60 million visitors per day, and, at four million members, theRead More →

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Today, many virtual reality applications and experiences are distributed as stand-alone downloads, which makes sense for many types of content and particularly for mobile-based virtual reality headsets with slow connections. But as broadband speeds improve, cloud delivery offers a number of benefits to virtual reality projects, including scalability, monetization, reducedRead More →

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At a time when immersive virtual reality seems to be the main focus for startups, one company, Edorble, has built a traditional, screen-based virtual world for educators. The company also plans to support mobile platforms, and a directory where users will search for and link to other educators willing to collaborateRead More →

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ScanSpace, in collaboration with Paracosm, launched a Kickstarter campaign for an online service that lets users scan and upload real-world environments, turn them into game levels, and share with other players. The company is hoping to raise $125,000, and will add virtual reality support as an $800,000 “stretch goal.” Multiplayer supportRead More →

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Trick 3D has released Floorplan Revolution, software which converts traditional floorplans to virtual reality environment. The tool, first announced in September, supports both mobile virtual reality headsets, including Google Cardboard and Gear VR, and traditional views such as personal computers, tablets, and smartphones. The Atlanta-based company is also planning to create a virtual homeRead More →

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I regularly get emails from new grid owners looking for publicity but very few grids can answer the first question I ask: “What makes your grid different?” Instead, I get generic answers, which could apply to any of the 300-plus active grids I’m currently following. Such as community, support, lowRead More →

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GearBest is holding a “flash sale” on its virtual reality headsets over the next few days, with free shipping. Some of the headsets on sale are older models, heavy and with a narrow field of view. But there are three worth checking out, that are newer releases, with wide fieldRead More →

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3rd Rock Grid program director Zinnia Frenzy shares lessons learned 3RD ROCK GRID — As soon as the holiday festivities are over and the New Year is welcomed in, a single word pops up on 3rd Rock Grid, and that word is ROBstock, the yearly charity event for Doctors WithoutRead More →

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The popular and fast-growing Great Canadian Grid is rapidly nearing 1,000 named regions — but it won’t grow any larger than that, grid founder Roddie Macchi told Hypergrid Business today. This is the first OpenSim grid to formally announce that it will limit its land area. New user accounts will continue toRead More →

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The total land area of the public OpenSim grids increased this month, as did the number of registered users and active users. OpenSim now has the equivalent of 56,933 standard regions, 521,735 total registered users and 33,707 active users on 313 different grids. Kitely was the biggest gainer this month, withRead More →

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Update: In August, I bought a FiiT VR 2S, and that is now my new favorite. Another headset I’m recommending is the BoboVR Z4 headset, which has a 120-degree field of view, built-in headphones, and a built-in control button. If you haven’t bought a virtual reality headset yet and are looking for aRead More →

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The Kitely Market is now offering more than 12,500 different items, 64 percent of which are exportable to other grids, with exports growth continuing to outpace Kitely-only content. “We’re very happy with Kitely Market’s current growth,” Kitely CEO Ilan Tochner told Hypergrid Business. “Last month we reached a record highRead More →

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Back in January, I ordered a free Cardboard viewer from Raytheon. The offer is no longer available, but the headset finally came in my mail a week or so ago. If your company is considering giving away VR viewers made out of cardboard, this is what your customers will get:Read More →

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If you’re in a gang, or want to be, you don’t want to be wearing a geeky virtual reality headset that covers your entire field of view. After all, you don’t want someone to be sneaking up on you and stabbing you in the side. And you certainly don’t wantRead More →

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In mid-December, we were tracking 117 active Google Plus communities related to OpenSim and the hypergrid. As of today, that number has hit 166, of which 53 are new to our list. The largest new communities, with more than 100 members each, are Blender for OpenSim, Opensim Technical, ARiELSIG, Immersive World LearningRead More →

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Press release: VR Sociable Network vTime is Now Available for Google Cardboard in Early Access Liverpool, UK – vTime, the first virtual reality sociable network on mobile, today opens its network to millions more users as it launches for Google Cardboard. The app launches in early access for a limitedRead More →

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Press release: Virtual Reality in a refugee camp: The hopelessness is visible and tangible Next week, the war in Syria will enter it’s sixth year. The conditions in which most refugees find themselves are inhumane and degrading. VR Gorilla and Stichting Vluchteling, a Dutch refugee foundation, show this with four portraits, in virtualRead More →

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Press release Immersv Introduces a Mobile Virtual Reality Ad Platform Dedicated to Helping Consumers Discover Great VR Apps and Content Former Tapjoy and RockYou execs launch innovative platform for the distribution and monetization of mobile VR content LOS ANGELES – Today, Immersv  announced the public launch of its mobile virtual reality advertisingRead More →

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Ever since I learned that people watched 350,000 hours of virtual reality videos on YouTube in the last two months of 2015, I’ve been noticing that there isn’t that much content yet in the form of immersive videos. Other than porn, of course. But there aren’t any break-out YouTube VRRead More →

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As a developer of Cardboard virtual reality applications, I find that I am constantly looking for new headset solutions that I can easily carry with me anytime and anywhere to either demonstrate my latest virtual reality app or to view other virtual reality apps that I may have just heard about.Read More →

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Hypergrid Business readers recommended fifty different hypergrid performers in our latest survey, with a total of 98 votes submitted. Here are the top ten vote-getters. 1. Truelie Telling Also known as Ellen Olhsson, you can catch Truelie Telling at the Maritime Club on the Maritime Club Belfast region of OSgridRead More →

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The ninth annual ROBstock festival will feature 20 hours of music, poetry and storytelling from the hypergrid’s top performers next month on 3rd Rock Grid. The ROBstock Festival of Music and Literature is organized by The 3RD Rock Foundation and Community to raise money in support of the grid charity for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), andRead More →

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Cornflakes Week, a whole week dedicated to the work of OSgrid builder Cornflakes Woodcock, began on February 21 but you haven’t missed it all yet. It is that time to be silly and funny in your own way through building competitions, music concerts, dance parties, sims decorations and music concerts.Read More →

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Last month, I wrote a review of the Baofeng Mojing 3, which immediately became my favorite Google Cardboard-compatible headset. Last week, GearBest sent me a new version of the same headset, the Baofeng Mojing 4, so that I could do a review. Disclosure: I got the $44 headset for free,Read More →

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Looking for something new to try on your Google Cardboard-compatible headset? The following are five of my latest favorite immersive games. 1. InMind VR by Nival Available for  iOS  or Android . With pretty high quality, InMind allows the player to take the “journey into the patient’s brains in searchRead More →

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I took a chance on the Viewbox from Evomade when experimenting with other mid-range virtual reality glasses made it obvious that weight would be a major issue for me. As inconsequential as 10 or 14 ounces looks on paper, it feels like 10 pounds when bearing the brunt of it on the bridgeRead More →

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Right now, and probably for the next few years, there are two major dimensions that can be used to define different virtual reality solutions and experiences, and which tell you a lot about the costs, scope and feasibility of what is being described. The dimensions are: The kind of display that is used inRead More →

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Alchemy Beta 4.0.0 was released this week, with an updated Web browser, a better chat bar and numerous bug fixes. In addition, the viewer now has automatic updates to make it easier for users to stay current. The old built-in Web browser was the Qt Webkit Browser Engine, and it hasRead More →

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Preorders for Oculus Rift bundles are now available on Amazon, Best Buy and the Microsoft Store, with delivery scheduled for the end of April. Prices start at $1,499 for an ASUS desktop plus headset, and go all the way up to  $3,149.98 for an Alienware desktop and headset.    Read More →

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Press release: AT&T, Samsung and Carnival Corporation Launch Virtual Reality Cruise Vacation Experience National Initiative Debuts Feb. 19 in 133 AT&T Stores in 37 States, Highlighted by Experiential Event Feb. 27 at the AT&T Flagship Store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile For most, tropical breezes and beaches are out of reachRead More →

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Press release: AP launches virtual reality and 360 video channel in collaboration with AMD The Associated Press will launch a virtual reality and 360 video channel in collaboration with AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) to feature the news organization’s latest advances in immersive journalism. Virtual reality and 360 video transport users into the middleRead More →

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Kitely released a new starting template for customers renting land, the Kitely Evergreen Island, optimized for virtual reality viewers. “Virtual reality requires a high frame rate to maintain the feeling of presence without causing the user to start feeling VR sickness,” Kitely CEO Ilan Tochner told Hypergrid Business. VR sickness, similarRead More →

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I first reviewed the LingVR headset back in October, and back then it was my favorite Google Cardboard-compatible headset. My only quibble with it was how hard it was to open and close the latch in order to get to the smartphone. Since Google Cardboard doesn’t come with a decentRead More →

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The people have voted, and the results of the avatar outfitter survey are in. More than 50 destinations were submitted, and the top ten are the following. Clutterfly Linda Kellie’s new grid easily earned its first place. Located at clutterfly.world:8002, this is a huge collection of CC0-licensed content — clothing, avatars,Read More →

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Uphold, a Charleston, South Carolina-based virtual currency and cloud payments company, is “seriously studying” the possibility of extending support to OpenSim, Uphold founder Halsey Minor told Hypergrid Business.  The company considers OpenSim to be a significant potential virtual currency market, Minor said. “I’m studying OpenSim closely and consider it very important,Read More →

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Voxelus is planning to expand its virtual reality creation platform with a deal to bring 7,000 3D assets to its marketplace during the second quarter of this year, and 16,000 more during the second half of the year, company co-founder and CEO Martin Repetto told Hypergrid Business. “This is huge news forRead More →

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The total land area of the public OpenSim grids fell by 16,771 region equivalents after Virtual Worlds Grid took down its variable-sized regions, but the total number of active users rose by 1,374 to 33,574 this month. Without the Virtual Worlds Grid statistics, OpenSim would have gained a net of 1,589Read More →

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The Island Oasis grid turned on hypergrid connectivity last weekend, and opted for a unique solution to the question of exporting content to other grids. “We have done things a little different,” grid founder and COO Nicole Dreyer told Hypergrid Business. “We put the power in the hands of our contentRead More →

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Mattel just announced the View-Master Viewer DLX, will accommodate a wider range of smartphones, have a headphone jack for better audio, adjustable focus, and a better latch. The new headset is expected to hit the market next fall, and will cost $40. Mattel also promised new virtual reality experiences. Read more about itRead More →

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According to a rumor which first appeared at Android World, Samsung will throw in a $99 Gear VR headset for free for customers who pre-order the new Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge smartphones on February 21. The deal is expected to last for a couple of weeks. Read more at 9 toRead More →

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In addition to working on updates of its popular Google Cardboard headset and development platform, the company is also working on a new, standalone headset that requires neither a smartphone nor a computer, the Wall Street Journal reports. Google has already seen significant success with 5 million of its phone-basedRead More →

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The race for the next computing platform may be over, according to Goldman Sachs. Researcher Heather Bellini said that she expects virtual and augmented reality to become an $80 billion market by 2025, roughly the size of the desktop PC market today. In this video below, she discusses how the technology hasRead More →

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Wevr has raised $25 million from investors such HTC Corp, Samsung Ventures and Evolution Media Partners to fund the launch of its Wevr Transport, a YouTube-like virtual reality platform that will help virtual reality creators to publish their work and find an audience. The platform will support Google Cardboard, Samsung GearRead More →

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So you’re thinking of investing time or money in virtual reality technology, but are worried that it’s just a fad — or that you are investing in the wrong platform. To know for sure which way the virtual winds are blowing, you need to find out what the porn industryRead More →

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Two years ago, Google gave away a free Google Cardboard kit to all 6,100 attendees at its I/O conference. This week, Valve founder Gave Newell announced that all 1,400 attendees at the sold-out Vision Summit 2016 will get free HTC Vive headsets — each worth several hundred dollars each. Ticket pricesRead More →