Daily Archives: February 4, 2021

BOSTON, Feb. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rendever, the leading provider of virtual reality (VR) for seniors, today announces its release of MultiBrush the first publicly available multiplayer version of Tilt Brush on SideQuest. It is also coming soon to Oculuss new App Lab, which gives developers a faster way to distribute new apps directly to Oculus Quest users.

When Google announced it was open sourcing Tilt Brush last week, Rendever Cofounder and Chief Technology Officer Tom Neumann immediately went to work developing a multiplayer version of the popular app that gives creators a way to make art in virtual reality. Within 10 hours, the team developed a working prototype of multiplayer - a feature that has been eagerly requested by Tilt Brush users for years. Given Rendevers mission to improve health through social VR experiences, Neumann and his team were able to leverage their extensive expertise to develop this version in record time.

At Rendever, bringing people together through VR has been at the heart of what weve done since day one. The first time I tried Tilt Brush, I was amazed by the level of creative freedom it offered. It felt like a whole new medium, said Neumann. It has a huge community, so naturally multiplayer has been one of the most requested features. When it was open sourced, we saw a perfect opportunity to dive in and make multiplayer a reality.

Rendevers VR platform is used by senior living communities and healthcare organizations across North America and Australia to help reduce depression and loneliness by fostering personal connections through shared experiences in VR. Seniors can check off bucket list items together, travel the world virtually, and share stories. Now, MultiBrush by Rendever will open new doors to those already using the VR platform. From RendeverLive sessions featuring VR artists to immersive art therapy, there are countless opportunities for the Rendever community and the Tilt Brush community to come together in the near future.

Through VR, we see a world where social connection is easier than ever, even during times when were physically distanced, continued Neumann. Our hope is that through working hand-in-hand with creators, we can bring our senior living partners and their residents into the world of VR artistry.

Through MultiBrush, VR/AR artist Michelle Brown developed the landscape imagery in the apps new logo.

To download MultiBrush by Rendever on SideQuest, click here. For more information on Rendever, visit http://www.rendever.com.

About RendeverRendever is overcoming social isolation through the power of virtual reality and shared experiences. From senior living communities to hospitals, their platform is being used to reduce depression and loneliness by fostering personal connections amongst populations where life has become limited. Participants in group sessions can check off bucket list items together, revisit meaningful places and share stories, stay engaged with family members, and more. Rendever is being used by high-profile senior living operators including Revera, Benchmark, and SRG, healthcare systems such as UCHealth and Cleveland Clinic, has research funded by the NIH and NIA, and has commercial partnerships with major organizations like AARP and Verizon. To learn more, please visit http://www.rendever.com.

Media ContactElsa AnschuetzUproar PR for Rendevereanschuetz@uproarpr.com321.236.0102 x233

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MultiBrush by Rendever Now Available on SideQuest, Providing Artists with a Collaborative Tool in Virtual Reality - GlobeNewswire

Facebooks Oculus division has picked up momentum, and the company said more 60 virtual reality games and apps on the Oculus Quest VR headset platform have generated more than $1 million in revenue.

In a blog post, Facebook Reality Labs Mike Verdu said that six titles have generated more than $10 million in revenue on the Quest platform, which includes the Oculus Quest and the Oculus Quest 2 wireless VR headsets.

In September at Facebook Connect, the company said that Five Nights at Freddys: Help Wanted hit the $1 million mark in just over a week while Onward achieved the same milestone in just four days, setting a new record for the platform. At that time, just 35 titles had generated revenue in the millions. The launch of Quest 2 in October accelerated growth, as did holiday sales, Verdu said.

Overall, that means one-in-three paid apps on the store have generated more than $1 million in revenue, Facebook said. Beat Saber, VRs most popular rhythm game, has sold over four million copies across platforms and over 40 million songs from paid downloadable content (DLC).

Above: The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners VR game.

Image Credit: Facebook

Population: One launched on both the Quest and Rift Platforms in October as a battle royale game, and it has surpassed $10 million in revenues.

Onward, made by a one-man development team, was a multiplayer Oculus Rift game that came over to Quest and has made over $10 million in revenue on Quest alone. Social VR apps such asRec Room, VRChat, Echo VR, Onward, and Population: One have also seen success in recent months, Verdu said.

Fitness app Supernatural has seen its subscriptions more than double since Quest 2 started shipping. FitXR has traction as a top non-gaming app on the platform with one of the highest retention rates. Sales have increased 535% from a year earlier in the fourth quarter of 2020, and the weekly active users have grown four times since Quest 2 launched.

Looking ahead to 2021 and beyond, were focused on the flywheel of developer success, Verdu said. With the surge of interest in the platform, were seeing many new developers and titles coming to Quest so many that we were temporarily swamped with new submissions. Were working on adding resources and changing our processes to accommodate all developers who want to launch games on Quest.

Above: Stats on the top Oculus Quest games.

Image Credit: Facebook

Upcoming games for Oculus include Rebellions Sniper Elite VR, The Climb 2 from Crytek, Ready At Dawns Lone Echo II, and further updates for Population: One.

Facebook also unveiled App Lab: a new way for developers to distribute apps directly to consumers safely and securely. The Quest Store will remain curated at the same high level of quality, but now App Lab allows developers to get an app directly to their community, even if it is early in development, experimental, or aimed at a unique audience.

Above: Resolution Games VR sales.

Image Credit: Resolution Games

And Facebook will also begin rolling out Messenger on Oculus to people who have logged into Quest and Quest 2 using their Facebook account. With this update, you can choose to chat with your Facebook friends anywhere they have Messenger, even if theyre not in VR.

Separately, Resolution Games said it saw a 500% increase in downloads at the launch of Oculus Quest 2 for its VR titles. The Swedish maker of VR games said itsBait! title has surpassed 4 million downloads across platforms, and all of its VR games are getting more traction.

At Resolution Games, we are seeing our titles reach significant revenue milestones more quickly than ever before, and I can confidently say that current headsets are contributing to it, said Tommy Palm, CEO of Resolution Games, in an email to GamesBeat. The onus is now on the developers to continue to develop the type of content that more mainstream gamers are used to in order for VR to attract the broader audience that it deserves, which is what we strive for at Resolution Games.

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60 Oculus virtual reality titles have generated more than $1 million in revenue - VentureBeat

You can now satisfy that travel bug, even during the pandemic. With the help of Peterborough-based virtual reality company, AVROD, you can visit historical hubs around the globe, without leaving home.

We have 40 sites from all over the world, including some here in Canada, said founder Jeremy Brooks.

You can explore sites from almost 20 countries. We have Teotihuacan in Mexico, the temple of the Feathered Serpent. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Colosseum, we have a T-Rex skeleton, a Pillbox bunker from World War II and things like that where you can jump around and explore.

READ MORE: Virtual reality archeology pitch wins Cubs Lair young entrepreneurs competition

AVROD is short for Archaeological Virtual Reality Online Database. Brooks started to develop the platform while studying Archeology at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., as a way to explore dig sites from afar. Now, the team is hoping to connect people to history, preserve the past and expand to bridge the gap in travel and tourism left by COVID-19 restrictions.

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We really want to bring it into a space where people are in their homes, but really feel like they are standing in awe of the history and archeology that is out there in the world and show people that even now, in a pandemic it is accessible, said Brooks.

The virtual sites are created using images taken of the real-world location. That series of photographs is turned into a 3D replica. To visit the virtual locations you need a VR headset, a streaming app and an internet connection.

READ MORE: Toronto non-profit bringing virtual reality to seniors for chance to relive memories

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Brooks said AVROD would soon be launching for the Oculus Store and for Oculus Quest VR headsets.

These days, one of those stand-alone headsets will set you back about $400. The cost of your virtual ticket to the Oval Office, an archeological site in Mongolia or maybe the Cave of Hands in Argentina.

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You can stand there, hold your hand up against this wall against the handprints from pre-history, and really even feel a connection to those people, said Brooks.

He said they are working to achieve that connection in other ways as well.

Were creating a platform where people can interact with each other, share ideas, look at an object and create a comment in 3-dimensional space, which has never been done before, he said.

READ MORE: Halifax virtual reality company ramps up software testing to respond to the pandemic

While the technology takes you all over the world, AVROD is based in Peterborough, Ont. The platform was developed at The Innovation Cluster, a startup incubator that has a virtual reality makers space.

Innovation Cluster CEO, Michael Skinner, said he thinks we will see significant growth in online platforms.

Because of the pandemic I think we will see a lot more virtual reality, he said. The pandemic has definitely put a lot more focus on it and at the end of the day you have a lot of people sitting at home, unable to travel and I think they are looking for something else and virtual reality could be a key piece to that.

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Skinner said the resources available at the Innovation Cluster will be significant for entrepreneurs looking to break into that market.

It allows developers the ability to test their program on a number of different platforms without that significant initial investment, he said.

READ MORE: Peterborough company Kavtek Software launches AR/VR platforms for real estate and consumers

Brooks said along with the historical sites and tourism potential they have also applied the technology to create nursing simulations for Trent University, using VR to create life-like practice scenarios.

He said they also have other ideas in the works, but that he couldnt disclose the details just yet.

What I can say is that we are constantly expanding to new destinations, he said. These technologies exist, the platforms exists and now its just our job to provide that for Canadians and people all over the world so they can get out and explore the world from home.

2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Travel the world without leaving home, thanks to Peterborough virtual reality company - Global News

Apple is rumored to be working on a virtual reality headset for launch as early as next year, and The Information today reported on some potential features to expect, based on information shared by a source with direct knowledge of the device.

The Information said it viewed internal Apple images of a "late-stage prototype" of the headset from last year, which show a "sleek, curved visor attached to the face by a mesh material and swappable headbands."

The report claims one headband would feature spatial audio technology like the AirPods Pro for a surround sound-like experience, while another optional headband would provide additional battery life on the go. Similar to AirPods Max replacement ear cushions, it is possible that the headbands will be offered in a variety of colors as well.

Apple is said to be developing multiple ways to control the headset, including a "thimble-like device to be worn on a person's finger." The headset would also be able to respond to the wearer's eye movements and hand gestures, the report claims, while one prototype of the headset also had a physical dial on the visor's side.

Apple has internally discussed pricing the headset around $3,000, according to the report, which would place it within the ballpark of Microsoft's mixed reality HoloLens 2 headset, which retails for $3,500. This price would certainly make Apple's headset a high-end, niche product, with the company apparently setting an internal goal of shipping only 250,000 units of the headset in the first year of its release.

Some of these details have been previously reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, CNET, and other sources, and The Information agrees that the headset will likely be released in 2022 at the earliest. Apple is also rumored to be working on a pair of sleeker, more affordable augmented reality glasses, but those are not expected until 2023 or later.

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Apple's AR/VR Headset Said to Feature Dual 8K Displays, Eye Tracking, Swappable Headbands, and More - MacRumors

The Immerse customer base focuses on enterprise training, including industries with urgent response times, from pharma and life sciences to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), energy, and more, all who must reskill and upskill for peak performance, especially to meet the more than 1 billion jobs that could be transformed by technology(source, OECD).

The company's growth trajectory is further buoyed by the pandemic, given that teaching can be done remotely, en masse, is visually stimulating and precise, a mere fraction of the cost, and results in 75% higher knowledge retention*. Those being taught in VR also demonstrated 340% more confidence to employ what they learned versus traditional e-learning methods at 10% (source PwC, 2020).

Joining the global team in the U.S. office to focus on expanding its operations include XR tech futurist, Cathy Hackl, as global strategic advisor, and Johnathan Sutherlin, an XR/VR/AR business expert as a business development manager. They will join Bill Finegan, North America executive vice president to accelerate the growth of their global strategic relationships and through its Immerse Platform, empower organizations to revolutionize their employee experiences with boosted engagement, an upskilled workforce, and increased performance and retention.

"I'm delighted to welcome Cathy and Johnathan and see our U.S. team expand to meet rapidly increasing needs, says Tom Symonds, Immerse CEO. "Research reveals that only 14% of major companies are not engaged in the utilisation of VR/AR at some level. These skills will help us meet the need of solutions rising up the priority list for global companies. We look forward to even greater growth in 2021."

Hackl brings a wealth of expertise as a globally recognized tech futurist and business leader in AR, VR and spatial computing. She's worked with some of the biggest names in technology including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Magic Leap and HTC VIVE. She also is one of 2020's 10 most influential women in tech by BigThink, and on LinkedIn's prestigious Thinkers50 Radar list, a management thinker's global ranking. Her passions lie in the importance of reskilling and upskilling, diversity and inclusion.

"I am really excited to join at such a pivotal time for enterprise VR. Major companies and reports show evidence that effective training is key to supercharging workforces and future-proofing businesses," notes Hackl.

Sutherlin is a well-respected industry thought leader with extensive knowledge of VR technology and with over a decade of leadership strategy and operational achievements, he understands what drives customer engagement. In his previous role with HTC Vive, he helped introduce immersive technologies to organizations across a range of industries, including architecture, engineering, construction, education, training/simulation, entertainment and healthcare.

About ImmerseImmerse is a virtual reality technology company headquartered in London that has developed the Immerse Platform. Built for enterprise from the ground up, the Immerse Platform enables companies to create, scale and measure virtual reality training.

With clients in a wide range of industries such as FMCG, oil and gas, pharma and life science and power and utilities, using the Immerse Platform enables companies to train and assess their employees in radically new ways maximizing human performance and the employee experience.

* Source: The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Soft Skills Training on the Enterprise PWC, June 2020

SOURCE Immerse

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With a Massive Spike in Virtual Reality Training, Immerse Expands US Operations - PRNewswire

SME developer Kingswood Homes is revolutionising the way people buy new homes by enabling viewers to create their own internal floorplans using virtual reality technology whilst standing in their potential new property.

Buyers at Kingswood Homes developments in Lancashire and Devon can don a VR headset and see walls shift and rooms appear and disappear as they walk through the completed shell of a property, as part of the companys ground-breaking Shape Your Home concept.

It allows buyers to customise the interior layout of a property to match their own lifestyle and see in real time how the home would look with various floorplan configurations.

Kingswood Homes managing director Paul Jones, said: We launched Shape Your Home during lockdown, recognising that not everyone wants the same interior layout. The layout of a home is hugely personal yet is currently determined largely for the convenience of the developer not the customer.

We have reversed that and the VR technology allows customers to walk through an actual property and see how the different layout options would suit them. Rather than trying to make an existing floorplan meet their needs, our customers can now specify a design they have experienced which perfectly suits them from day one.

For example, one option is to turn a four-bedroom property into one with three en-suite bedrooms. Another would be to open up the ground floor to create vast open-plan living space. Its hard to visualise from a floor plan, but we can now let customers stand in the shell of a house and see it transform in front of their eyes.

It is remarkable technology but the point of it all is to give customers the best possible experience and help them create the home of their dreams.

Kingswood linked with established digital technology and VR specialists Animmersion UK to create the bespoke real time viewing technology.

Utilising gaming engine technology most commonly found powering the latest PC and console games, Animmersion UKs solution delivers experiences across multiple digital channels including VR, interactive touchscreens and online virtual tours.

The VR option links to an external tablet device to enable agents to support customer wearing the headset, guiding them and sharing the experience from outside the virtual environment.

It also aligns the VR space with the real world allowing the user to walk around the physical space safely, overseen by the agent, while experiencing the enhanced virtual presentation of their potential new home.

Samuel Harrison, Managing Director of Teesside-based Animmersion UK, said: Virtual Reality and VR headsets are becoming increasingly popular for leisure and business purposes and the technology is evolving at a rapid rate. This is enabling us to develop specialist immersive content for new applications like this project for Kingswood Homes that give users a very unique experience adapted to their specific use case.

Working closely with Kingswood Homes we have been able to push the boundaries to build a solution that combines technologies with a simple, easy to use and engaging experience for their customers. It also enables their agents to manage the experience with their customers from outside the VR to make it both an immersive and collaborative approach for choosing a bespoke new home.

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Innovative housebuilder takes virtual reality to the next level - Business Up North

AURORA, Colo. Aurora Public Schools is using a unique virtual reality program to help teachers engage with students.

The district is the first in Colorado to partner with Mursion, a virtual reality simulation for teacher development. The program allows teachers to interact with a group of digital students, controlled by a human simulation support person.

Students constantly need to be engaged and you need to be asking them the right questions and giving them the right answers to keep interest levels up, said Andrew Salzillo, a science teacher at Mrachek Middle School.

In a demonstration of the software, it was clear the realistic responses from the digital students helped Salzillo shift gears when students became distracted.

APS Director of Professional Learning Jennifer Sheldon said the district plans to use the Mursion simulation primarily for newer teachers in their first five years. The district also plans to create different scenarios to practice serious discussions about educational equity, social justice and restorative justice.

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Aurora Public Schools partners with new program to bring virtual reality to teacher development - The Denver Channel

Dublin, Feb. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Amusement and Theme Park Market: Size & Forecasts with Impact Analysis of COVID-19 (2021-2025 Edition)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global theme park market has showcased high growth during the previous years and projections are made that the market will rise progressively in the forecasted years i.e., 2021-2025.

The theme park market is expected to increase due to growth in urban population, increase in GDP per-capita, rise in middle class population, increase in international tourism expenditure, etc. The market faces some challenges such as, foreign exchange rate fluctuation, regulatory changes, threat of terror attacks, seasonal nature of industry, etc.

Moreover, some of the latest trends in the market are: surge in adoption of Internet of Things (IoT), rising prominence of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, budding Augmented Reality (AR) technology and innovations.

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the global amusement park market by value, by segment and by region. The report provides an analysis of amusement park market of the following regions: America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East and Africa.

Growth of the overall global theme park market has also been forecasted for the period 2021-2025, taking into consideration the previous growth patterns, the growth drivers and the current and future trends.

The competition in global theme park market is fragmented with several small players invading the market. However, the key players of the theme park market are Walt Disney Company, Merlin Entertainment PLC and Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. These key players are also profiled with their financial information and respective business strategies.

Regional Coverage

Theme parks can be segregated on the basis of category into international destination theme parks and regional destination theme parks. The theme parks can also be segregated on the basis of types into family theme parks, regional theme parks, property theme parks, educational theme parks, etc.

Theme parks have different admission policies that includes, pay-as-you-go and pay-one-price.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction2.1 Amusement Parks: An Overview2.1.1 Classification of Amusement Parks2.2 Theme Parks: An Overview2.2.1 History of Theme Parks2.2.2 Theme Parks by Category2.2.3 Types of Theme Parks2.2.4 Admission Policies of Theme Parks2.2.5 Admission Policies of Theme Parks: Advantages & Disadvantages2.2.6 Theme Park Lifecycle

3. Global Market Analysis3.1 Global Amusement Park Market: An Analysis3.1.1 Global Amusement Park Market by Value3.2 Global Amusement Park Market: Segment Analysis3.2.1 Global Amusement Park Market by Segment (Theme Park, Water Park, Arcades and Parlors)3.2.2 Global Theme Park Market by Value3.2.3 Global Water Park Market by Value3.2.4 Global Arcades and Parlors Market by Value3.3 Global Amusement Park Market: Regional Analysis3.3.1 Global Amusement Park Market by Region (America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East and Africa)

4. Regional Market Analysis4.1 America Amusement Park Market: An Analysis4.1.1 America Amusement Parks Market by Value4.1.2 North America Theme Parks Market by Attendance (Top 10)4.2 Asia-Pacific Amusement Park Market: An Analysis4.2.1 Asia-Pacific Amusement Park Market by Value4.2.2 Asia-Pacific Theme Parks Market by Attendance (Top 10)4.3 Europe Amusement Park Market: An Analysis4.3.1 Europe Amusement Park Market by Value4.3.2 Europe Theme Park Market by Attendance (Top 10)4.4 Middle East and Africa Amusement Park Market: An Analysis4.4.1 Middle East and Africa Amusement Park Market by Value

5. Impact of COVID-195. 1 Impact on Global Amusement Park Market5.1.1 Impact on Global Theme Park Market

6. Market Dynamics6.1 Market Trends6.1.1 Surge in Adoption of Internet of Things (IoT)6.1.2 Rising Prominence of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology6.1.3 Budding Augmented Reality (AR) Technology6.1.4 Innovation

7. Competitive Landscape7.1 Global Amusement Park Market Players: A Financial Comparison7.2 Global Top 10 Theme Park Groups by Attendance; 20207.3 Global Theme Park Operators by Theme Park Opportunities Identified in North America, 2017-2022

8. Company Profiles8.1 Walt Disney Company8.1.1 Business Overview8.1.2 Financial Overview8.1.3 Business Strategy8.2 Merlin Entertainment PLC8.2.1 Business Overview8.2.2 Financial Overview8.2.3 Business Strategy8.3 Six Flags Entertainment Corporation8.3.1 Business Overview8.3.2 Financial Overview8.3.3 Business Strategy

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cx44bs

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Outlook on the Amusement and Theme Park Global Market to 2025 - Rising Prominence of Virtual Reality Technology - GlobeNewswire