Virtual Reality

It's been a while since we saw a hardware update to the Vive line, but HTC has made up for it by launching two 5K-resolution virtual reality headsets at the same time: the PC-connected Vive Pro 2, and the standalone Vive Focus 3.

Although there are rigs that allow gamers to walk on the spot while their avatar walks in a VR environment, such setups tend to be large and complex. A new system, however, simulates walking simply by buzzing the seated user's feet.

Microsoft has won a 10-year contract to build advanced augmented reality systems for the US Army, giving infantrymen videogame-style super-soldier capabilities. A new production contract will net the company up to US$21.88 billion over ten years.

Facebook has taken the unusual step of revealing its next-gen augmented reality gear at a working prototype stage, including a staggering neuro-motor controller that reads nerve impulses in your wrist at single-neuron resolutions.

Video calls are handy, but you lose that sense of presence. To make remote meetups a bit more personal, Microsoft has unveiled Mesh, a “mixed reality” platform that lets people work and play together as virtual avatars overlaid on real-world spaces.

Sony has confirmed that it's working on a new virtual reality system to take advantage of the PS5's impressive grunt, promising "dramatic leaps in performance and interactivity" as well as enhanced field of view, resolution, haptics and tracking.

Coming later this year, the Cognixion ONE headset is promising something extra on top of the regular augmented reality experience: a brain computer interface that can turn thoughts into commands for the device.

The original Oculus Quest was one of the technology world's great game-changers, and the new Quest 2 makes big improvements everywhere while dropping the price. We've now spent a month with the world's latest, greatest standalone VR headset.

It's huge, it's clunky, it's not pretty, but Marcel Reese claims his VR exoskeleton is "the first working system for realistic walking in VR with force feedback and balance feedback." It tracks your movement, and lets the virtual world push back.

One of the issues with VR gaming is that it's usually set on a scale that's bigger than your living room – so you have to stay in a very small part of the world or "teleport" around. The latest attempt to fix the issue are the Cybershoes.

The United States Army is developing augmented reality goggles for military dogs. The technology is being designed to enhance communication between the dog and its human handler, allowing for more remote commanding of the animal.

Nothing breaks the immersion of VR like putting your hand through a wall. Haptics can give som sense of touch, but a new study has a clever alternative – robots that move physical furniture around, so there’s a real chair or wall waiting for you.