HTC’s New Vive Dev Kit Blends VR And AR

 Virtual reality. If you’re sick of the sound of VR already consider that a taster of the queasy sensations tech companies are aiming to flog consumers this year. To wit: HTC has just announced a second gen dev kit version of the Vive virtual reality headset it’s making in partnership with games publisher Valve. Read More

Razer Raises The Bar On VR Gaming With Its New $200 Stargazer Webcam

 Last summer, gaming tech company Razer said that it was working with Intel on a webcam that would take in-game video recording to a higher level. Today, at CES in Las Vegas, the company is taking the wraps off that product. Stargazer is Razer’s new $200 camera, shipping in Q2, that will let game players record themselves in high definition, with the focus on catchy new features, such… Read More

Just How Good Of A PC Does An Oculus Rift Need?

 The Oculus Rift is now available for pre-order at $599, but there’s been some confusion about what else you’ll need to plug it in and getting going once it hits your doorstep. Wait just a minute. You need a Windows PC to run Oculus Rift. https://t.co/jxq0qsAPHn — Steve Garfield (@stevegarfield) January 6, 2016 I still *regularly* see people react with "That Oculus… Read More

“No More Ballparks” — Oculus’ Palmer Luckey Admits Screwing Up Rift Price-Point Messaging

 Oculus co-founder admits he screwed up Rift price-point messaging, explaining in a Reddit AMA that when he said “that ballpark” he had been thinking about the ‘all in’ cost of the headset — which requires a gaming PC to power it… Read More

Futuristic ‘Uncanny Valley’ Explores The Potential Unintended Consequences Of VR

 As we dip our toes into virtual reality more and more each day, one could imagine a far-off unintended consequence — the blurring of virtual and actual reality. A short film called “Uncanny Valley” explores that notion, with a bit of an “Ender’s Game” plot and feel. Here’s the setup from its creator, Federico Heller. In the slums of the future,… Read More

GameFace Labs On Their Upcoming Untethered VR Headset

Yesterday on the CES TechCrunch Hardware Battlefield stage I sat down with Edward Mason, Founder and CEO of VR Headset startup GameFace Labs. Founded in London, GameFace Labs makes a self-contained VR headset, meaning it doesn’t need to be attached to an external computer like Oculus or other headsets that require a high-powered gaming rig. GameFace Lab’s first device will ship… Read More

The Less Sporty Side Of E-Sports

 The e-sports industry is getting big. Really big. More people watch Twitch than CNN. Riot, Valve, Activision-Blizzard and EA all have e-sports initiatives. The largest tournaments attract tens of millions of viewers and offer multi-million dollar prize pools for the best players in games like League of Legends and Dota 2. However, when taking a closer look at the economics of e-sports and… Read More