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A New VR Film For Quest Honors Women Astronauts

From vrscout

These high-flying women are literally out of this world.

In honor of International Women’s Day, the Emmy Award-Winning Felix & Paul Studios has released Women In Spaceflight, a new VR film celebrating the many accomplishments of female spacefarers. Available now on Quest headsets, the six-minute 360-degree special feature pays homage to the late great Jerrie Cobb, an American aviator who paved the way for female astronauts.

The official description states: “Discover the awe-inspiring achievements of female astronauts throughout history. Learn all about the trailblazing women, who have defied the odds and dared to explore the outer limits of our world. An inspiring journey that pays homage to pioneer Jerry Cobb and all the women who changed spaceflight forever and are paving the way for the next steps in space exploration.”

Credit: Felix & Paul Studios

“We wanted to celebrate the pioneering spirit and groundbreaking achievements of women in space flight, from Jerry Cobb to those currently paving the way for deep space exploration such as Jessica Meir and Christina Koch,” said Katarina Soukup, Vice-President Production at Felix & Paul Studios, in an official release. “‘Women in Spaceflight’ is an inspiring journey that honors their contributions and highlights the importance of gender diversity in the field of space exploration.”

Women In Spaceflight is a part of Felix & Paul Studios’ award-winning Space Explorers series, which offers viewers an inside look into the lives and work of astronauts living aboard the International Space Station. Other notable works include Traveling While Black, a VR documentary highlighting the history of restriction of movement for black Americans, and Strangers with Patrick Watson, an intimate performance from the Montreal-based singer-songwriter.



Women In Spaceflight is available to watch now on Quest 2 and Quest Pro VR headsets for free via the Meta Quest TV app. You can check out Felix & Paul Studios’ other VR projects over at felixandpaul.com.

For more information on Women in Spaceflight visit here.

Feature Image Credit: Felix & Paul Studios

Ristband Returns To SXSW With Its Music Metaverse

From vrscout

The party returns on March 12th live via the metaverse.

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festival draws everything from up-and-coming music artists and interactive media companies to forward-thinking startups and various other cutting-edge technologies.  

One of the companies featured this year is Ristband which will once again be hosting its Music Metaverse, a virtual event that combines the energy of live music with VR technology. Performing at the event will be the UK-based “collective,” Miro Shot.

Credit: Ristband

During SXSW 2022, I talked with Roman Rappak, CEO of Ristband and singer for Miro Shot, who told me how he was influenced by bands such as Kraftwerk and how they embraced “weird technology that was broken and hard to use and made music with it.”

This year, Miro Shot will be returning to SXW and will be presenting a completely revamped version of their concert, which will feature brand-new music and the latest in XR technology.

“With SXSW’s international reputation as a festival supporting emerging culture and technology under one roof, we are excited to have the opportunity to extend the festival in the metaverse with the true pioneers of this new digital era: the artists who are the driving force of this movement,” said Anne McKinnon, CEO of Ristband.

Anne McKinnon / Credit: Ristband
Roman Rappak / Credit: Ristband

This year’s Music Metaverse showcase promises attendees an unforgettable experience that will expand the magic of SXSW.  Ristband’s official Music Metaverse event will answer questions such as how the metaverse will impact the live music industry and how contemporary artists are using AR/VR as well as the metaverse to reach new audiences. Along with the performance, Ristband’s event will feature a variety of discussions about how the metaverse will affect the industry.

Last year, Miro Shot used older Android devices to drop attendees into a VR environment that reacted with the band’s instruments as they played live. This year, Miro Shot partnered with HTC VIVE to immerse their audiences in a virtual world using HTC’s new all-in-one headset, the VIVE XR Elite.

Credit: Ristband

“Live music and physical events are at the heart of music culture, while at the same time, exciting new tools that can extend our concert into VR and a gaming platform like Ristband have had an incredibly powerful effect on the reach of our band,” said Rappak.

To attend the event, individuals must be 21+ and have an SXSW festival pass. The event will be held at The Venue ATX, which is a 5-minute walk away from the Convention Center. Oh, and you’ll have to RSVP!

Feature Image Credit: Ristband

How VR Is Being Used To Prepare For Mass Casualty Events

From vrscout

Immersive technology is for more than just gaming.

Researchers based out of the Ohio State University College of Medicine have created a disaster response training program that uses VR technology to prepare first responders for various mass casualty emergencies, according to an official release.

Developed in collaboration with the Ohio State University Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design, the program immerses users in an underground subway complex after a bomb detonation has resulted in a number of severe casualties. Trainers can customize the program to change the number of victims and the injuries they’ve sustained as well as various environmental factors, such as smoke and noise, to provide a more challenging experience.



According to the research team, the program can effectively train a first responder SALT (sort, assess, life-saving interventions, treatment and/or transport) Triage, a standardized triage method developed in collaboration with the CDC. After completing the training program, users are immediately provided with a real-time assessment detailing their overall performance.

“It’s very important for first responders, law enforcement, and physicians to be able to go into a scene, do hemorrhage control, and triage victims to determine who needs medical care first,” said Dr. Nicholas Kman, professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State College of Medicine, in an official release. “Our high-fidelity program is designed to look very realistic, and once you put that headset on you are immersed into a scenario where you can move around, interact with victims, and make life-saving decisions.”

“Our virtual reality platform allows us to make an unlimited number of scenarios with an unlimited number of victims,” he added. “We can run learners through as many as times as it takes for them to get good at this process.”

Credit: Ohio State University College of Medicine

“We want to train our EMS clinicians to function at an optimal level in high-risk and high-stress environments,” said Dr. Ashish Panchal, professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State College of Medicine and medical director of Delaware County EMS. “Virtual reality gives us a safe way to optimize training so our professionals are prepared and can confront these challenges the best they possibly can.”

For more information check out the full press release here.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen immersive technology used for emergency services training. Back in 2020 we talked about police officers in one department having begun using VR technology as part of their de-escalation training. Another company has developed a VR training program designed to teach proper COVID-19 preparedness and prevention.

Feature Image Credit: Ohio State University College of Medicine

Meta Plans Pricier Quest 3 With Features to ‘fire up enthusiasts’

From roadtovr

Meta’s Quest 3 headset, which the company has confirmed will land this year, is said to be positioned as a slightly pricier headset with features designed to appeal to VR enthusiasts.

For Quest 3, due out sometime later this year, Meta may be focusing more on its existing VR customers rather than trying to reel in brand new users.

According to a report by The Verge, Meta’s VP of VR, Mark Rabki, told thousands of employees that for the company’s next consumer headset, Quest 3, “we have to get enthusiasts fired up about it […] we have to prove to people that all this power, all these new features are worth it.” The Verge cites an internal Meta presentation held today as the source of this information.

Those features, which are largely expected to be a subset of what’s on Quest Pro, would make the headset cost “a bit more,” Rabkin said, than Quest 2 which currently sells for $400.

Leaks have consistently pointed to Quest 3 having pancake lenses, a more compact form-factor, and better augmented reality capabilities. The device is reportedly codenamed ‘Stinson’.

The improved AR capabilities, Rabkin hopes, will make Quest 3 feel easier to use.

“The main north star for the team was from the moment you put on this headset, the mixed reality has to make it feel better, easier, more natural,” he told employees, according to The Verge. “You can walk effortlessly through your house knowing you can see perfectly well. You can put anchors and things on your desktop. You can take your coffee. You can stay in there much longer.”

That would be swell, but Meta hasn’t exactly demonstrated that natural feeling with Quest Pro yet, meaning there is still significant work to do on the user-experience side if Quest 3 will meet those goals.

Something else that would surely ‘fire up enthusiasts’ for Quest 3 would be a dedicated video pipeline for PC VR tethering, rather than using the compressed Oculus Link or Air Link method that’s currently available on Quest 2. However, the company has shown little appetite for appealing to PC VR users as of late.

As for leaning into existing VR customers rather than pulling in new ones, this may be an effort to address Quest’s retention issues; while the headset has certainly sold well, Meta has been disappointed with the rate at which customers continue to use their headset after buying.

With regards to Quest 3 being more expensive than Quest 2, it seems that Meta has learned its lesson; having not established a substantial ads business in VR, heavily subsidizing headsets to get them out the door probably isn’t a good idea. Meta had to very publicly reverse that strategy when it raised the price of Quest 2 last year, by as much as 33% (though this was also related to inflation and broader economic turbulence).

The report from The Verge includes more info about the company’s XR roadmap, which you can read in full here.

Samsung Files Patent For Galaxy Ring And AR Glasses

From vrscout

New filings point towards new XR hardware on the way.

It’s been rumored that Samsung is working on a smart ring that can be used in tandem with a pair of custom augmented reality (AR) glasses, and based on a recently uncovered trademark filing by Samsung registering the names “Galaxy Ring” and “Galaxy Glasses,” it appears as though the gossip could be true.

In October, a rumor emerged claiming that Samsung was working on a smart ring that uses multiple sensors to give you important health data throughout the day, much like a modern smartwatch. This was related to a patent for a device that was reportedly equipped with such sensors.

Based on said filings, the rumored Galaxy Ring tracks various activities and health metrics and is capable of taking blood pressure readings, similar to the capabilities of the Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro.

Credit: KIPRIS

This isn’t Samsung’s first attempt at a smart ring. Back in 2015, Samsung filed a different patent for a smart ring that never came to be.

The trademark for the Galaxy Ring was granted by KIPRIS, which describes the wearable as a “smart device for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of a ring.” The application for the trademark doesn’t provide much information about the rumored Galaxy Ring. It’s also possible that the South Korean company will unveil other wearable devices in 2023.

Aside from the Galaxy Ring, the company also filed a patent for Galaxy Glasses, an AR device capable of projecting virtual data over the real world. It’s possible that the project is getting closer to reality after the company unveiled its XR platform during its Unpacked event on February 1st, 2023.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Samsung is partnering with Google to develop new XR technology. Google SVP of Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer, talked about the future of XR technology, calling it, “An exciting space where Google has been investing in for a long time across both experiences and technology is AR and VR. These technologies are integral to the new phase of computing as it can change the way we interact with people and information to get things done in the real world.”

Credit: KIPRIS

Unlike the rumored Apple AR headset, which has seen its fair share of concept art, rumors, and “insider information,” floating around the internet, Samsung has managed to remain tight-lipped regarding its future XR plans. Other than the uncovered trademark, there’s been a lack of news about Samsung’s possible AR goals. This doesn’t indicate that Samsung isn’t taking AR seriously; it could just mean that the company is taking a slower approach in order to get the technology right.

According to the KIPRIS application, the trademark indicates that the Galaxy Glasses will be used for various applications, such as VR and AR. It also states that the devices trademarked by Samsung are tagged under “headset for virtual reality experience,” “headset for augmented reality experience”, “smart glasses”, “smartphone”, and “headphone.”

How the Galaxy Ring and the Galaxy Glass work together is still a mystery. That said, it’s easy to imagine how the devices could work in tandem. For example, instead of pulling out your Samsung smartphone and opening an app to access health records, you could simply look at your ring while wearing the AR glasses to access data instantaneously in AR. The ring could also be used to access menus or interact with your smartphone without the device having to leave your pocket.

It’s not clear when, or if, either of these products will see the light of day. That said, I could see myself jumping ship over to Samsung if the aforementioned products become available.

You can find additional details about the patent filing on the KIPRIS website by clicking here.

Feature Image Credit: Samsung

Meta Has Sold Nearly 20 Million Quest Headsets, But Retention Struggles Remain

From roadtovr

Meta has sold nearly 20 million Quest headsets, but the company continues to struggle with keeping customer using VR.

According to a report by The Verge, citing an internal Meta presentation held today, the company has sold nearly 20 million Quest headsets. This likely includes Quest 1, Quest 2, and Quest Pro, though by all accounts Quest 2 appears to be the vast majority. And while the figure wasn’t publicly announced, this would be the first official confirmation of Quest unit sales from the company.

This info was shared by Mark Rabkin, Meta’s VP of VR, during an internal presentation to “thousands” of employees, according to The Verge.

And while the 20 million unit Quest sales figure is impressive—and well beyond any other single VR headset maker—Rabkin went on to stress that the company has to do a better job at keeping customers using the headsets well after their purchase.

“We need to be better at growth and retention and resurrection,” he said. “We need to be better at social and actually make those things more reliable, more intuitive so people can count on it.”

Curiously, Meta’s latest wave of headset customers are less enthusiastic than those that bought in early.

“Right now, we’re on our third year of Quest 2,” Rabkin said, according to The Verge. “And sadly, the newer cohorts that are coming in—the people who bought it this last Christmas—they’re just not as into it [or engaged as] the ones who bought it early.”

The report from The Verge includes more info about the company’s XR roadmap, which you can read in full here.

Pimax Secures $30M Series C1 Funding to Expand & Support Rollout of Crystal & Portal VR Headsets

From roadtovr

Pimax, the China-based creator known for its wide field of view (FOV) VR headsets, announced it’s secured a $30 million series C1 financing round, something the company says will aid in the rollout of its new portfolio of VR devices.

The series C1 was led by Beijing-based investment firm Tuanmu Capital. This follows the company’s $20 million series B in 2020, bringing the company’s lifetime outside investment to over $69 million.

In a press statement, the company says the funds will be used to accelerate growth of its coming line of VR headsets, Pimax Crystal and Pimax Portal, enhance its position as both a consumer and enterprise-focused company, and increase investment in R&D.

Founded in 2015, Pimax is best known for its first Pimax “8K” headset Kickstarted in 2017, a consumer PC VR headset that included dual 4K panels providing an estimated 200-degree FOV, by far one of the largest in the industry at the time. Even today, many consumer headsets, such as Meta Quest 2 and HTC Vive XR Elite, feature FOVs around 110 degrees.

Pimax Crystal | Photo by Road to VR

The company has since gone on to offer multiple iterations of its wide FOV headset, but also is set to launch both its VR standalone Pimax Crystal and hybrid Portal device, the latter of which can convert between a Nintendo Switch-style gaming handheld and a VR headset.

Both Pimax Crystal and Pimax Portal are expected to release at some point in “early 2023”, with Crystal available for pre-order on the company’s website and Portal still in the fulfillment stage from its successful 2022 Kickstarter, which garnered just over $350,000 from backers.

“Of course, we’re delighted with this new round of funding, as it allows us to boost our production capacity to meet the rapidly growing demand for our new VR products, as well as to improve both our hardware and software further,” said Pimax Founder Robin Weng. “We’ve been innovating VR technology and we will keep on doing that in the future, always pushing the limits of what is possible through technology.”

The Shanghai-based company now boasts over 300 employees in offices spread across offices in San Jose, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Qingdao, and Chengdu.

This VR App Lets You “Step Inside” Your Memories

From vrscout

Those interested can join the waitlist now.

Imagine being able to physically step inside your favorite memories at the exact locations in which they occurred. That’s the idea behind Wist, an upcoming mobile app from the California-based VR startup Wist Labs that turns 2D video into 3D scenes you can watch in augmented reality (AR) or VR.

According to the official website, Wist utilizes sensors available on the latest mobile devices to capture 3D data, allowing you to move around and inspect the virtual scene from different angles. You’ll have the ability to “replay” these memories in AR using a compatible iOS device or in VR using a Quest headset.

Wist Labs is conducting a closed beta for a select group of users at the moment. Those interested can join the waitlist here. No word yet on an official release date for either the VR or mobile app.

Moving forward, the company plans on introducing additional features such as real-time multiplayer and various other processing and artificial intelligence (AI) improvements. The latest update, v0.4.2, introduced experimental support for Quest Pro with passthrough.

Credit: Wist Labs

Needless to say, this sort of technology could prove useful in a number of different scenarios. Wist Labs provides a small collection of examples on its official website. This includes everything from an intimate birthday celebration with friends to an adorable capture of a sleeping pup. There’s even a 3D scene depicting a real-life sonogram session.

For more information visit the company’s official website or Twitter.

Feature Image Credit: Wist Labs