We disagree, all headsets are not the same; but OpenXR is critical to enabling compatibility with processors We have always applauded and supported Khronos’ efforts to end fragmentation and establish a stable API environment, and we still do. But a truck isn’t a motorcycle just because it has wheels and runs on roads, and neither is an AR device a … Read more
Over the past year, the message from the game engine companies has been that game engines can do a lot more than just make games and the message from GDC has been that games can go to totally new places thanks to the advances being made in game engine technology. Also, AR and VR are changing the way game developers … Read more
Getting Cinematic The game engine biz is growing. All it has taken is a whole lot of perseverance, constant work, and creative thinking. At their GDC keynote, Unity CEO John Riccitiello told the audience “your games were downloaded 16 million times.” Unity 5 was released 2 years ago, and Riccitiello, admitted that the company’s advance has been uneven, but he … Read more
GDC last week was stiff with VR headsets and other virtual—and augmented—reality equipment, some of which I have reported on already but there was one interesting item I have had to keep under wraps until today’s official launch date. The PowerVR team at Imagination briefed me on Furian*, which Imagination says is the first new PowerVR architecture since Rogue was … Read more
Our lives depend on the itsy bitsy As the world of semiconductors has shrunk to nano and microscopic, our lives have gotten better. Whereas the steam and gasoline engines gave us a better standard of living by scaling up in size, the third industrial revolution benefits us by getting smaller. So small we can’t see it but feel its benefits, … Read more
One of the big tech questions on everyone’s mind for 2017 is — Will business VR surpass consumer VR? Back in April of 2016, Fortune Magazine stated that by some estimates, the VR market would be worth $150 billion within four years. According to Nvidia: “VR is going to touch every industry from gaming to automotive to entertainment…” These estimations … Read more
In the final weeks of 2016, Autodesk announced its plans for its 123D apps. Plans that may or may not come as a surprise to people who have been watching the company. Autodesk assuredly went a little app crazy and especially around 123D where there were some apples and oranges all rolling around in the basket. For instance, it’s been … Read more
As part of the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft plans to feed the 3D ecosystem with easy tools and free content. One of the most obvious new additions is the remodeling of an old friend, Microsoft’s Paint application. The updated Paint will be a 3D version that will let users combine 2D and 3D elements. Such as create 3D … Read more
Variable refresh meets new HDR monitors Nvidia and AMD have helped solve the conflicts between monitor refresh and game performance with their introduction of their variable refresh rate technologies GSync and Freesync, respectively. That happened in 2013 and both technologies have done their jobs to make the lives of gamers happier. At CES 2017, both companies upped their game and … Read more
Microsoft acquires Donya Labs, makers of Simpygon As VR and AR find their way to markets middle ware companies are finding new opportunities with the major ecosystems forming around the technology great powers: Apple, Intel, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Qualcomm. Microsoft has announced the acquisition of Swedish-based company Donya Labs, developers of Simplygon, a tool widely used in the game industry … Read more
As work progresses on AR, VR, 3D printing, scanning, we’re seeing more tools for creating 3D models. Bellus3D is taking on the challenge of capturing faces with a mobile camera. So far, the method we’ve seen most recently is a large surrounding rack of cameras that captures a 180-degree series of pictures and stitches them into a model with an … Read more
The HDMI Forum announced the update of HDMI to 2.1 at CES. The new spec will support higher resolutions and refresh rates. It will also support advanced color spaces and dynamic HDR. Supported video resolutions include 4K 120 Hz and 8K 60Hz. Products supporting HDMI 2.1 are coming in the second half of 2017 and to get all the featurs … Read more
