Ava DuVernay explains how streaming services democratized film

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Ava DuVernay knows the power of stories. Her Academy Award–nominated documentary 13th exposed the fundamental injustice of mass incarceration in the United States, her Emmy-nominated Netflix series When They See Us reframed the narrative for the unjustly convicted men known as the Central Park Five, and the continued breadth of her work stands as proof of her dedication to film as a world-changing medium.

DuVernay is also the spokeswoman and "champion" of Lenovo New Realities, a film series that used Lenovo's 360-degree Virtual Reality cameras and headsets to allow viewers a first-person look at the  lives of young woman who have found a way to use technology to change their life and communities. These women include Noi, a Japanese student who derives inspiration for robotics from her dozens of pets, to Ashwini, an Indian daughter of farmers who went from having zero access to technology to pursuing her education and becoming the only woman in the series to shoot her New Realities video without a backup crew.  Read more...

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Learn to build video games and apps with a $30 starter kit

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TL;DR: Bring your ideas to life with the Complete AppGameKit Game Creator bundle for $29.99, an 84% savings as of Oct. 4. 

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You don't necessarily have to be a coding expert to produce high-quality apps and games. If you didn't go to school to study coding, all is not lost.

This AppGameKit Game Creator Bundle is one way to learn the nuances of game creation, even if you don't have programming experience. The bundle includes seven software instruction packs that cover everything from visual editing and game development to virtual reality, classic game creation, and 3D and giant assets. You can design entire game scenes, learn 2D and 3D object placement, and get inspiration by following other developers' journeys. All the assets included are also royalty-free, so you don't need to worry about sourcing your own. Read more...

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This interactive VR 'film' lets you play god to an evolving artificial intelligence

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If you could play god to an emerging artificial intelligence, would you? Or better: Should you?

That’s the moral dilemma at the heart of Agence, an interactive “dynamic film” that blends virtual reality, gaming, and cinematic storytelling to let audiences influence a handful of evolving, three-legged AI creatures, known as agents. The project, which recently debuted at the Venice International Film Festival, is a co-production between Toronto-based indie studio Transitional Forms and the National Film Board (NFB) of Canada. Think of it as Tamagotchi for the 2020s, but with real consequences on the development of digital life.  Read more...

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The Oculus Quest 2 is 'VR finally done right' — here's where to pre-order

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Read more...

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Burning Man 2020 is buggy and fun as hell

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Of all the in-jokes at Burning Man — and there are plenty in the 34-year history of an event with more than its share of merry pranksters — none has the longevity of "Daft Punk is playing at the trash fence." 

Some context: The trash fence is the 10-mile perimeter around the event in Nevada's Black Rock desert, part of Burning Man's commitment to Leave No Trace. The Trump administration wanted it replaced with a concrete barrier; the argument was cut short when coronavirus canceled the physical event. In recent years, the in-joke has grown to the point where pranksters actually did "secret sets" as the helmeted French duo. The viral rumor seems as essential to the event as the ravens at the Tower of London. As long as Daft Punk is still said to be playing at the trash fence, Burning Man still exists.  Read more...

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Facebook angers Oculus VR owners with Facebook login requirement

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The wall between Oculus VR and Facebook is coming down. Starting in October, new Oculus virtual reality headset owners will have to log in with Facebook credentials instead of an Oculus VR account.

Existing Oculus VR owners have until Jan. 1, 2023, to use their Oculus VR user accounts, at which point they'll have to switch to Facebook. “If you choose not to merge your accounts at that time, you can continue using your device, but full functionality will require a Facebook account," the company wrote in a blog post.

As an example, the company said users who refuse to transition to Facebook risk losing access to certain games and apps. “This could be because they include features that require a Facebook account or because a developer has chosen to no longer support the app or game you purchased,” the company explained.  Read more...

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Student avatars collect diplomas in VR graduation ceremony

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As the coronavirus pandemic put the kibosh on in-person graduation ceremonies, the faculty and graduating students at one of the top technical universities in India still found a way to earn (and showcase) their technical stripes.

On Sunday, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) held a "virtual reality" convocation ceremony for over 2,000 graduates. This wasn't your normal virtual occasion: The university created avatars for each student, faculty member, and speaker. 

Student avatars walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, and later even got to schmooze with classmates and colleagues as they virtually explored campus. Read more...

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'Supernatural' for Oculus Quest is a fun cardio game for the exercise-averse

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Supernatural

$19/month

View Product

The Good

High-quality graphics • Engaging gameplay

The Bad

Fast-paced action can lead to injury • VR too cumbersome for exercise

The Bottom Line

Supernatural is a great VR game with a cardio upside, but its emphasis on speed, repetitive squatting, and lunging could cause problems.

⚡ Mashable Score 4.0

😎 Cool Factor 5.0

📘Learning Curve 4.0

💪Performance 3.0

💵Bang for the Buck 4.0

I’m floating atop a massive lake in Iceland where black and white balloons are flying at me faster than I can process them. No, I haven't become an Icelandic, balloon-fighting wizard. I’m working out in virtual reality. Read more...

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This 3D virtual tour lets you explore historical Egyptian sites – Future Blink

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Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is offering free virtual tours of Egyptian sites for those stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more...

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PSA: Oculus Quest VR headsets are *finally* back in stock

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Much like the Nintendo Switch (and for a time, Xbox consoles), retailers have had a ridiculously hard time keeping Facebook's Oculus Quest VR headset on their shelves. It's partially because COVID-19 has forced people to stay inside and seek out new ways to keep busy/escape our current reality — read: we're all still playing tons of video games — and partially because that same global pandemic has shut down supply chains for months, resulting in sky-high demand when the occasional restock actually does happen and "sold out" notices the rest of the time. It's a perfect (and exceedingly frustrating) storm. Read more...

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Turn your phone into an immersive AR experience with this affordable headset

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TL;DR: Interact with the digital world with the MagiMask and MagiTools: AR headset and tracker objects for $89.95, a 30% savings as of July 8.

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Of the many tricks smartphones have up their sleeve, augmented reality is arguably one of the coolest. But if you want to take your immersion to the next level, an AR headset is highly recommended. While there are many products to choose from in this category, one of the coolest options out there is the MagiMask AR Headset.

With most conventional AR accessories, the image is viewed via split-screen, which results in lower resolution. The binocular style can also be straining on the eyes and isn't very viable for users with glasses. As a solution, the MagiMask utilizes special lens technology that grants a singular full-screen experience that has four times the resolution of traditional AR sets. Read more...

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Facebook reveals the future of VR headsets, and it's more 'CSI Miami' than 'Tron'

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Immersing yourself in virtual reality can feel like a sci-fi fantasy come true, but bulky, cumbersome VR headsets almost make it more trouble than it's worth. There have been various attempts to slim down VR headsets, such as Dlodlo's lightweight V One headset and Panasonic's prototype goggles shown at CES 2020. Now Facebook has revealed its own glasses-like prototype headset with a display measuring 8.9 mm thick — about the same thickness as a smartphone.

In a new research paper entitled "Holographic Optics for Thin and Lightweight Virtual Reality," Facebook Reality Labs researchers Andrew Maimone and Junren Wang have proposed a VR headset design that replaces the refractive lens with holographic optics and polarization-based optical folding. This allows the headset to be much lighter and more compact, like a strangely thick pair of retro sunglasses. Read more...

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'Star Wars: Squadrons' brings epic X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter dogfights back to video games

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We don't know what the actual game looks like yet, but the gripping cinematic trailer revealed alongside Star Wars: Squadrons is accompanied by something just as helpful: FACTS.

Squadrons is a budget-priced ($40) space dogfighting game set in the Star Wars universe. It will feature a story mode as well as versus multiplayer that pits teams of five Imperial and Rebel forces against one another in a post-Return of the Jedi universe.

It's coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on Oct. 2 and will support both cross-platform and virtual reality play. You also won't have to wait long to see the gameplay: Electronic Arts is set to reveal it on the afternoon of June 18 as part of its annual EA Play revealfest. Read more...

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Boeing's new VR simulator immerses astronauts in space training

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Boeing’s Starliner craft is headed to space, but first its astronauts are training in virtual reality. 

The American aerospace company is part of the NASA commercial crew program — the same one that sent SpaceX's Crew Dragon to the International Space Station with two NASA astronauts onboard last month — and to prep for its upcoming missions to the ISS it announced a new partnership with a Finnish VR company, Varjo.

Varjo's VR experience with a headset and hand controls for Boeing recreates the mission from pre-launch, docking, undocking to landing. Connie Miller, a programmer for Boeing Starliner, said it feels very realistic, with your hands digitally displayed in gloves. "You very much get the presence of being in the simulator," she said in a phone call.  Read more...

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Finland celebrated May Day by throwing a massive VR concert

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May Day is a real cause for celebration in Finland, but since the country is practicing social distancing in hopes of slowing the spread of coronavirus, many in-person celebrations had to be put on hold.

In an attempt to unite Finland's population, however, the country carried out a remote May Day celebration. Thanks to help from popular rap stars, JVG, and Helsinki-based virtual reality studio, Zoan, residents were able to celebrate May Day by watching the virtual concert shown above.

According to a press release, the musical event was inspired by "the success of gigs in gaming platform Fortnite." Viewers, or virtual attendees, were even able to choose their own avatars and interact with the rappers using "gestures, applause, and emojis." Read more...

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Tired of Zoom calls? HTC offers businesses virtual reality meetings.

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Hundreds of millions of people are taking online meetings from home due to the coronavirus lockdowns. And now they can do it in virtual reality. 

On Thursday, HTC announced its Vive Sync platform for business meetings in virtual reality is now in open beta. The platform has been in development since 2018, but now it's open to businesses of all sizes, for free. 

The experience of using Vive Sync should be familiar to anyone who has used VR apps before. First, you create your Vive Sync avatar, starting with a selfie and then customizing it further. Features like hairstyles, facial features, body types, and clothing options are customizable, and more customization options will come later, HTC says.  Read more...

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Extremely cool teacher runs math lesson from home within 'Half Life: Alyx'

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What happens when you're attempting to teach from home in California during a coronavirus lockdown during the week that Half Life: Alyx lands? You do both, of course.

Extremely cool teacher Charles Coomber —who works for California's Springs Charter schools, at the Otay Ranch Academy for the Arts — taught a lesson in angle vocabulary from his apartment set within the long-awaited new virtual reality first-person shooter from developer ValveHalf Life: Alyx dropped on Monday, years after the iconic original game was released in 1998, and its sequel in 2006.

Coomber shows you around his balcony, which looks over the game's virtual city. "We are in the middle of a lockdown, so you can see there's not a lot of people on the street," he says, looking out over the landscape, before heading back inside to his prepared lesson written on the apartment windows. Picking up different coloured markers, Coomber proceeds to teach using his VR headset and controllers — wait for the moment of victory when he finally finds the black marker, the most important of all markers. Read more...

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HTC's Vive Cosmos now comes in 4 versions with option to upgrade

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HTC's Vive Cosmos virtual reality headset is one of the best around, but its starting price of $699 is pretty steep. 

Now, HTC is releasing interchangeable faceplates that you can buy to upgrade your headset. 

The new lineup contains four distinct devices: the Vive Cosmos Play, Vive Cosmos, Vive Cosmos XR, and Vive Cosmos Elite. All of them feature the same body and the same 2,880x1,700 pixel display.

You can either buy the finished devices, or purchase the cheapest version and upgrade it with faceplates. 

Somewhat confusingly, HTC hasn't released the same amount of information for each new headset and faceplate. Read more...

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The HTC Vive Pro just got a serious *permanent* price drop

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TL;DR: The incredible (albeit expensive) HTC Vive Pro VR headset is on sale for $599.99 — a rare savings of $200 and a permanent price drop, confirmed by HTC.

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The way that virtual reality offers an outer-worldly at-home experience is one of the coolest tech innovations in modern history — but it's also one that invites the most criticism.

VR headsets can be clunky, leak light if they don't fit correctly, have shitty graphics or peripheral views, or inconsistent motion tracking. Newbies to VR usually have to settle for a 75% cool experience to avoid paying nearly $1,000.

The HTC Vive Pro is a rare consumer VR headset that gets everything right except for the price tag. But after two years, HTC finally heard those complaints: Confirmed by this press release, HTC has officially slashed $200 off the HTC Vive Pro — and that price drop to $599.99 is permanent. Read more...

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Explore thousands of virtual worlds with this popular VR headset

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TL;DR: The highly-rated Samsung HMD Odyssey+ VR headset is your ticket to the world of virtual reality — get one on Amazon now for $150 off. 

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If you're itching to get into the world of virtual reality gaming, you'll quickly find that your options can be a bit overwhelming (both in terms of price and the number of products on the market). Will you go for the console-powered PSVR headset? Holding out for the $1,000 Valve Index? It's a tough choice. 

Allow us to make a suggestion for a VR headset to check out: The Samsung HMD Odyssey+. Also, it's on sale! A whole $150 off. Isn't that swell?

SEE ALSO: Oculus Quest VR headset review Read more...

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