Newsletter
Oculus has launched a new software update for its platform, introducing casting to the Oculus Go virtual reality headset and thus giving users the ability to stream their VR content to companion mobile devices, i.e. smartphones and tablets, as long as they share the same Wi-Fi network. Having said that, casting is currently in beta and is available only for the Oculus Go, but Rift users will get a couple of other new features in this update as well, such as extra Oculus Avatars designed for Halloween – a witch, mummy, skeleton, and vampire.
Oculus Venues for Oculus Go users also got an updated lineup for LIVE NBA games including the matchup between Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers, scheduled to take place on November 4. Additionally, the update offers Venue users the ability to unlock a virtual NBA jersey for their Oculus Avatars, from one of the teams that have participated in a match viewed through the service. Once again, Oculus Rift users will likely miss out on this cosmetic feature for their virtual avatars since they won’t have access to Oculus Venues, but they can pick between the aforementioned Oculus Avatars wearing spooky clothing, starting today. Likewise, the Spooky Clothing part of the update is also available now for Samsung Gear VR users. Finally, the latest platform update aims to improve safety as it introduces a new feature for reporting abusive content directly from a VR application. The System Report feature allows users to capture abusive behavior on video, and these reports will be addressed by members of Oculus Community Operations. The new safety feature is an extension to the company’s efforts for setting in place a Code of Conduct and a Safety Center, and is now available for both the Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR headsets, while Oculus Rift users will have access to System Report later in November.
This latest update arrives two weeks after Oculus rolled out Rift Core 2.0, and the developer aims to continue and release new platform updates every month. VR gamers won’t get too many benefits from this latest release, aside from System Report and perhaps the new avatars, and most of these additions are targeted at the company’s newer Oculus Go VR headset which was released earlier this summer. Virtual reality is more accessible now than it has ever been before, with the 32GB version of the Oculus Go costing $199, and the PC-oriented Oculus Rift MARVEL Powers Unite VR package carrying a price of $399 as of this writing. Nevertheless, while these platform updates benefit content consumption, game development for VR, in particular, seems to have slowed down given the relatively low adoption rate, and now, despite the lower entry fees, it’s unclear whether VR will truly have the capacity to convert game enthusiasts to the new medium. Whatever the case may be, Oculus hasn’t given up on the concept and last month it revealed its intentions for developing a new all-in-one 6DOF VR headset, which might re-spark the interest of consumers and game developers alike.
