How to turn 360-degree photos into a virtual reality tour
These apps will let you create your own 360-degree photo tour for business or for fun.
virtual environments
10 Questions About Virtual Reality Headsets Before You Buy
Looking for a virtual reality experience, but don’t know where to start? GearBrain breaks down the top 11 questions to ask before dropping some dough on your first VR or AR headset.
Best VR Headsets For Under a C-Note
GearBrain breaks the best VR devices you can buy today for under a C-Note.
Best Virtual Reality Headsets For iPhones
Apple hasn’t released any VR products, but iPhone users still have plenty of options
Google Tour Creator makes VR tours ridiculously easy to create
Do you run a small bed and breakfast and want to make it easy for prospective customers to take a virtual tour of your facility? Or create a virtual walking tour of your college campus or downtown historic district? And maybe you don’t want to spend any money, or sign up for any platform, or …
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Core devs: OpenSim needs new viewer, new people
Moderator Joyce Bettencourt and OpenSim core developers Robert Adams, Melanie Milland and Ubit Umarov. (Image by Maria Korolov.) OpenSimulator’s core developers said that they’ve gone pretty much as far as they can with the server code, and what the project needs is new people — and a new viewer. “My own kids say that it …
OpenSim conferences opens today
OSCC Expo area. (Image by Maria Korolov.) The OpenSimulator Community Conference opened this morning. This is the fifth year that AvaCon is running the conference, celebrating ten years of OpenSim. It is being live streamed on YouTube. From 7 to 8 a.m., Pacific time, the developers will discuss the latest 0.9 release of OpenSim. Panel …
Dreamland Metaverse tops hosting survey for fifth year
OpenSim hosting company Dreamland Metaverse received the highest scores for performance, support, stability and its user interface in this year’s hosting providers survey for the fourth year in a row, followed by Zetamex Network, DigiWorldz and 3DLES. There were 36 responses total to this year’s hosting survey, which asks grid owners about their hosting providers. This …
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OpenSim conference seeks presenters, volunteers, and sponsors
One of the presentation areas at the OpenSim Community Conference grid. (Image courtesy AvaCon.) This year’s OpenSimulator Community Conference will be held on Dec. 9 and 10, and applications for volunteers and presenters are now open. Organized as a joint production by core developers of OpenSimulator and AvaCon, this year’s conference will focus on the latest software …
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AltspaceVR is not dead after all
(Image courtesy AltspaceVR.) AltspaceVR, a social virtual reality platform, has come back from the dead. A couple of weeks ago, the company announced that it was shutting down because it ran out of funding. Today, it announced that it’s not closing down after all, thanks to overwhelming support from the public. “Thanks to that outpouring …
Summer sale on Daydream VR apps
Google’s Daydream virtual reality platform is currently my favorite. It’s built into the next generation of the Android operating system, and headsets cost under $100, making it widely accessible. And the platform’s motion controller is fun to use. Plus, the apps are a lot cheaper than those for higher-end platforms like the Oculus Rift, HTC …
How to find VR apps
It can be hard to keep up with all the new virtual reality apps coming out. But, if you’re just starting out, it can be equally hard to find good ones to start with. Here are my favorite resources. Best review website: WeArVR Every tech pub, including Hypergrid Business, will occasionally review virtual reality apps. …
How to play old Cardboard apps on Daydream View
My Daydream View headset and its controller. The headset can be used to play Cardboard games, though the controller won’t work. (Photo by Maria Korolov.) Last night, I wanted to try out the VR Spaceship VR app for Android on my Pixel phone with my Daydream View headset. Unfortunately, VR Spaceship is an older, Cardboard-compatible app, not …
8 key virtual world features moving to VR
(Image by Maria Korolov.) Eight year ago, when I first launched Hypergrid Business, virtual worlds offered a unique set of compelling features. There was presence, and immersion, and the ability to create your own virtual environments. Plus, they also had other benefits that, combined with the unique features, created a potentially world-changing technology platform. At …
AltspaceVR to close next week
Women in VR. (Image courtesy AltspaceVR AltspaceVR will close its doors next Thursday, August 3, because it ran out of money. “We can’t afford to keep the virtual lights on anymore,” the company said in a note posted last night. I’ve been writing about the company since it released its first closed beta in early …