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Category Archives: Virtual Reality

A virtual reality check for Children’s Hospital patients | Boston Herald – Boston Herald

Posted: April 13, 2017 at 11:50 pm

Young patients will soon take trips to the bottom of the ocean, the tops of mountain peaks and even outer space thanks to a cutting-edge virtual reality program at Boston Childrens Hospital an innovative new push to lessen stress that comes with getting stuck in their rooms for long stretches.

It transports kids, said Laurel Anderson, a child life specialist in a surgical wing at Childrens. It really gives them a true break. It blocks out all the nurses, all the doctors. They cant see their IV pole, they cant see their cast. It really gives them a true break. Its amazing.

Using an HTC Vive virtual reality headset, patients can be transported underwater, surrounded by fish and sea turtles; hang out with a friendly virtual dog on a mountaintop; or teleport through the solar system. Because the Vive is interactive and comes with controllers, kids can touch the tops of jellyfish or throw a stick for the dog.

For Gwen Jones, a 7-year-old from Beverly who came to Childrens after her appendix burst, virtual reality was by far the best thing during her three-week stay. Gwen spent 15 minutes with a black VR headset over her blonde braid, wandering around a virtual canvas, as well as painting and walking through pink hearts and a house made of neon rainbows.

Eventually, she discovered a wintry scene. Its snowing! she said as she threw pink snow into the air. Whoa, a snowman!

Gwens mother, Andrea Jones, said it has been hard at times keeping her daughter engaged and excited after so long in the hospital.

Were trying to take advantage of everything to make the days go fast, Andrea Jones said. Some days its tough.

For Gwen, VR was definitely a hit.

I reeeaaaally liked it, she said.

Childrens has been piloting the VR program since September, testing games and the VR system with about a half-dozen patients. Now, they are preparing to make it available to dozens more and make virtual reality a regular part of caring for patients.

Were always looking for opportunities for kids here to feel like a child, to escape from the medical environment and their medical experiences and to play and do normal childhood things, even in this environment, said Brianna OConnell, another child life specialist overseeing the virtual reality program.

OConnell said Childrens will soon set up the headset which has to be calibrated with cameras and run through a computer for five- or six- hour blocks to accommodate as many patients as possible. For kids who cant leave their rooms because of mobility or immune system problems, the hospital will bring the headset to them. Yet virtual reality will be far more than just fun, Childrens hopes. For kids with chronic conditions such as cystic fibrosis who are in the hospital for weeks several times a year, spending even 20 minutes in a virtual world without doctors could be a game-changer. It could also prevent a condition called ICU psychosis, where patients who spend a long time in a hospital room start to lose their sense of reality.

Its allowing the kids an escape and its kind of switching gears in the way that theyre experiencing things, OConnell said.

I had one mom talk to me about the fact that her child had been kind of withdrawn and was really anxious about an upcoming procedure, she said. And she spent half an hour using the virtual reality and her whole mood lifted.

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Pluto VR raises $13.9M to build out virtual reality communication platform – GeekWire

Posted: at 11:50 pm

Pluto VR lets you talk to other people within virtual reality apps. (Pluto VR Photo)

Pluto VR, the Seattle-based virtual reality startup co-founded by PopCap Games co-founder John Vechey, has raised $13.9 million in a Series A funding round.

The company, which is developing applicationsfor people to communicate within virtual reality, will use the cash infusion to continue research and development, roll out its alpha test to more customers and support additional platforms.

Seattle-based Maveron led the round, with participation from Madrona Venture Group of Seattle, Trilogy Equity Partners of Bellevue and other individual investors. Maveron co-founder and General Partner, Dan Levitan, will join Plutos board of directors.

Maveron, founded by Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz and Levitan in 1998, has already backed three VR startups Virtuix, an active VR motion gaming platform; VicariousVR, a connected VR social network; and Against Gravity, a Seattle-based startup behind the hit VR game Rec Room.

Anarghya Vardhana, a senior associate at Maveron, explained to GeekWire in February why the firm is so bullish about VR/AR.

We see this as a way in which people interact with the world around them; with each other; with entertainment; with work, she told GeekWire. Its going to be a big computingshift, just like we saw a computing shift with the personal computer and cell phone.

Pluto VR wants to be the applicationwe use to talk to other people who are alsowearing a virtual or augmented reality headset. The three-year-old Seattle startup is developing something like Skype orFacebook Messenger a communication app that can run on its own,or on top of other experiences but for virtual reality.

The purpose of Pluto is to help humanity transcend physical location, Vechey said in a statement. While digital technologies today allow us to connect instantly from anywhere in the world with text, voice or video, they arent necessarily bringing us closer together. With Pluto, youll be able to connect with anyone anywhere, as if you were together in person.

GeekWire visited Plutos Seattle headquarters late last year and checked out its VR communication system. Pluto was aSeattle 10 company in 2015, and it employs 17 people at its Ballard office, which was previously occupied by pet insurance company Trupanion. Its much too large of a building for your typical 17-person startup, but its perfect forPluto given the technology it is building.The extra space and individual officesallow the company to better test its software.

From its own app control panel, Pluto lets you create your own avatar, control the opacity of each person, mute mics or make calls to other people without needing an avatar, andmore.For now, Plutoonly uses avatars that show faces and hand movements which are trackable with headsets and accompanying controllers.

Vecheysaid the company has no immediate plans to release its product more broadly, and that Pluto VR is focused on getting the little things right with alpha customers and rolling out slowly.

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You Can Watch David Bowie’s Musical in Virtual Reality – Esquire.com

Posted: at 11:50 pm

Over a year after the loss of the legendary David Bowie, fans will be able to see some of his last hits in a musical virtual reality experience.

Dazed reports that the musician's musical, Lazarus, will be hitting London again...but through virtual reality. Through a VR headset, the virtual reality exhibit will feature clips of real-life Lazarus performances during its run at the King's Cross Theatre, and it will be presented during the Performance Festival at the V&A museum on April 30th.

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Lazarus, a play directed by Ivo van Hove and written by Bowie and Enda Walsh, was one of Bowie's final creative projects before his death in early 2016. Featuring music from his final album Blackstar, the virtual reality exhibition is a must for any Bowie fan who has some extra cash to buy a London flight.

Two Rare David Bowie Albums Making a Comeback

(H/T Dazed)

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David Bowie’s musical will be available to watch in virtual reality this month – The Verge

Posted: at 11:50 pm

David Bowies Lazarus ended its London run this past January, but the musical is returning to the city once again this month as a virtual reality experience. Lazarus will be staged as part of a VR exhibition during the V&A Museums Performance Festival, Dazed reports.

Visitors to the museum will be given a headset where they can watch a virtual reality recording of the musical, which features songs from Bowies back catalog and his final album Blackstar. Because Lazarus only had a limited run in New York and London (which sold out almost immediately), this exhibition offers another way for those who missed it the first time around to catch it in 360 degrees.

the man who fell to virtual reality

This is not the first time Bowies work has appeared in virtual reality. At Sundance this year, an Oculus-supported dance sequence called Heroes was set to the Bowie song of the same name. And other rock musicians have slowly embraced the medium as well. Last year, Queens guitarist Brian May designed his own mobile VR glasses to go along with an interactive app (set inside Freddie Mercurys mind) called The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience.

The V&A Museum exhibition is called From VHS to VR, and will take place on Sunday, April 30th.

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John Legend is singing a new tune: virtual reality – LA Times – Los Angeles Times

Posted: April 12, 2017 at 8:42 am

The traffic and weather said Wilshire Boulevard on a steamy weekday afternoon. But inside the virtual reality headset it was all cool jungle dense foliage, a self-effacing skunk, even John Legend as a singing bird.

In the latest push to make virtual reality an entertainment medium, the startup Baobab Studios is expected to announce on Tuesday a new animated VR series, Rainbow Crow, which aims to bring an immersive world of talking-animal animation wherever a user happens to be.

The episodic series based on a piece of Native American folklore about self-acceptance stars and is executive-produced by Legend. It is written and directed by Madagascar co-writer and director Eric Darnell, chief creative officer and co-founder of Baobab with Silicon Valley executive Maureen Fan, who is the companys CEO.

What caught my attention is a magical story with a really good message, Darnell said. It felt like an opportunity to explore something in VR thats dreamlike, instead of an effort at duplicating reality.

Baobab aims to create a new class of animation stories for VR, hewing more closely to traditional narratives than rivals such as Oculus Story Studio and Felix & Paul Studios. A previous alien-themed short titled Invasion! voiced by Ethan Hawke, has been a hit on the festival circuit and contained enough traditional cinematic virtues that its being developed as a feature by the production company of Hollywood veteran Joe Roth.

As an executive from Baobab showed the first chapter of Rainbow Crow to a reporter (the second chapter is in production), the piece demonstrated some well-established animation story beats.

The plot concerns a swaggering crow (Legend) who, when the animal kingdom is plunged into darkness because of a global freeze, must go on a hero's journey and sublimate his own ego. A skunk with her own personality issues also gets caught up in the drama.

But perhaps more significant than the plot specifics is who the piece has attracted. Virtual reality companies are increasingly using a time-honored Hollywood technique to bring in users: star appeal. If a name or voice is familiar, they're betting, consumers will be more inclined to give VR a shot.

Legend said in a phone interview that he was excited by the possibilities of the medium.

"I had been to some conferences where VR technology was discussed and also had seen a powerful film about refugees," said the musician and "La La Land" star. "When Baobab came to me with this I thought it felt like a cool story that could do a lot of things."

He said the mediums immersive qualities particularly made sense for a story that was about being different.

VR helps increase the connection we have with each other because it can put you in someone elses shoes, Legend said.

The series, it should be noted, may also contain original music from the artist.

The first chapter of "Rainbow Crow" will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this month, while a consumer rollout of both it and a second episode will follow later this year. The pieces will be available on a variety of so-called tethered headsets like the HTC Vive as well as mobile-based systems such as Samsungs Gear VR.

Baobab executives said they didnt know yet how many episodes would be created. (The finished product, when combined, will run about as long as a featurette.) There is no plan at the moment to charge for Rainbow Crow; the idea is to hook consumers so they will be willing to pay later.

We dont believe the market is big enough to monetize, said Fan, who was in Los Angeles last week from Baobabs Silicon Valley headquarters in Redwood City. We want to build a pipeline for content that will make eventually make that possible.

As VR headsets become more prevalent, a growing stream of content has, indeed, been created, particularly stand-alone original stories known as cinematic VR. Among the notable new pieces, all on display at this year's Sundance Film Festival, are Life of Us, which counts Pharrell Williams among its creators, and Miyubi, which has Funny or Dies involvement.

What approach consumers will embrace is an open question: Will they prefer VR pieces that feel like familiar movies or that push the medium in edgier directions? Life of Us, for instance, is more experiential, while Miyubi" takes a more traditional approach.

Rainbow Crow, which will eventually incorporate a first-person element, tilts in the latter direction.

Whether its film, TV, theater or VR, I think its all storytelling, Darnell said. Its just about using a different tool kit to get to the same place.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour

steve.zeitchik@latimes.com

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT

MORE ON VIRTUAL REALITY:

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Ridley Scott's 'Alien: Covenant' will get a separate virtual reality experience

Unveiling the first major virtual reality TV series, 'Invisible,' from director Doug Liman

In a first, a VR short will become a Hollywood movie

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Virtual Reality Revenue to Hit $7.2B This Year, $75B By 2021 | Variety – Variety

Posted: at 8:41 am

Global virtual reality revenues will reach$7.17 billion by the end of this year, according to a new report by Greenlight Insights, which is also predicting that global VR revenues will total close to $75 billion by 2021.

More than 65 percent of all VR revenues will come from headsetsales this year, according to Greenlight. Consumer content will make up for around 12 percent, and VR cameras will make up another 11.6 percent. Over the next five years, the revenue split will slowly shift, with enterprise think VR for construction companies, education etc. making up for 24.2 percent of all revenue in 2021.

Greenlight also forecast that location-based virtual reality in malls and movie theaters is going to grow into a significant part of the industry. In 2017, location-based VR will bring in $222 million worldwide; by 2021, that amount will have grown to almost $1.2 billion.

These estimates have to be taken with a grain of salt its a nascent industry, after all. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that many of the major headset manufacturers, including Oculus, HTC and Google, have yet to release any actual sales numbers for their devices.

Data shared by adult VR video company last week suggested that there may be a reason for why some of the manufacturers have yet to release any sales numbers. Samsungs Gear VR,of which the company has sold more than 5 million units thus far, outperformed Googles Daydream VR headset by 13X during the first three months of this year, according toBadoink.

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AMD Acquires Nitero For High-Speed Virtual Reality Chip Tech – Seeking Alpha

Posted: at 8:41 am

Quick Take

Graphics chip maker AMD (AMD) has acquired the team and technology of fabless semiconductor company Nitero for an undisclosed amount. Nitero has been developing millimeter frequency solutions for wireless virtual reality [VR] and augmented reality [AR] headsets.

AMD has acquired the IP to bolster its ambitions in the promising VR/AR market, which has yet to see widespread consumer adoption. I dont expect any near-term effect as a result of the deal since the technology will take some time to integrate and continue development within AMDs design goals.

Target Company

Austin, Texas-based Nitero was founded in 2009 by CEO Pat Kelly to develop low-power 60 GHz solutions to enable high bandwidth wireless headsets for VR and AR applications.

In July 2014, Nitero introduced its NT4600 family of IEEE 802.11ad smartphone chips using Samsungs (OTC:SSNLF) 28nm RF process. The NT4600 line supported 4K displays, USB 3.0 data rate wireless connectivity and transmit and receive beamforming to provide better coverage.

As founder and CEO Pat Kelly stated,

Todays smartphones and tablets have incredible processing and graphical power. However, these capabilities are bottled up due to the lack of robust wireless display connectivity. 60GHz allows our phones to reach their full potential, without requiring a power cord to keep the battery alive. With the NT4600, I can walk around a conference room while my smartphone drives a presentation at the office. Once home, it can wirelessly connect to my 4K TV to play the latest first person shooter without having to be recharged.

Kelly was previously CEO of Sironics and VP at SigmaTels portable SoC Group. Below is a brief demonstration video about Niteros wireless VR solution:

(Source: UploadVR)

Nitero raised at least $4.71 million in disclosed early stage financing from venture capital investors Southern Cross Venture Partners (Larry Marshall), Trailblazer Capital (Joel Fontenot & George Barber) and Austin Ventures (Clark Jernigan).

Acquisition Terms, Rationale and Commentary

AMD did not disclose the price it paid for Nitero, so it was likely not material to AMD and was primarily a team and technology acquisition. Nitero CEO Kelly is now Corporate Vice President, Wireless IP at AMD in Austin, where it has a significant operations presence.

AMD acquired Nitero because it believes that for widespread adoption of VR to occur, unwieldy headset cables that attach to a PC have to go away. With 60GHz wireless connectivity, the promise of a cable-free VR/AR headset with multi-gigabit transmit performance and low-latency comes closer to reality.

In recent years, AMD has changed its focus, from PC-based chipsets to mobile and graphics-oriented products. Its no wonder, since the growth potential has been much greater ex-PC due to consumer demand and display technology advances.

AMDs move into gaming and VR/AR applications will receive another boost with the deal for Nitero, as AMD gains additional IP it needs to become a leader in the nascent VR/AR segment. VR/AR has been threatening to go mainstream, but there has been as yet no killer system to drive consumer adoption. Perhaps a 60GHz system like Niteros will do the trick.

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What Does Microsoft Have In Virtual Reality That Apple Doesn’t … – Investor’s Business Daily

Posted: at 8:41 am

Watch for Microsoft's "Project Scorpio" Xbox to make an impact on the gaming market later this year. (omihay/Shutterstock)

Microsoft's (MSFT) ambitions in augmented and virtual reality are going to get a big lift from the "Project Scorpio" Xbox gaming console due out this fall, says Loup Ventures.

"Typically, when we talk about the future of AR and VR, the firstcompanies that come to mind are Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOGL), Facebook (FB), and Snapchat (SNAP); however, Microsoft does not receive enough credit for the strong positioning it has already built," said Loup managing partner Gene Munster, in a blog.

While virtual reality immerses a user in an imagined or replicated world such asvideo games, augmented reality overlays digital imagery onto the real world.

Microsoft's gaming platform is key, says Munster, formerly an Apple analyst at Piper Jaffray.

"Of all of the companies vying to own VR and AR platformsof the future, Microsoft is the only one to have a gaming console," he said.

Digital Foundry, a gaming website, disclosed Xbox Project Scorpio specifications last week. Microsoft announced the gaming system at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

IBD'S TAKE: After a 12% gain last year,Microsoft stock is up about 5% in 2017. It has formed a flat base, with a buy point of 66.01. Learn more at IBD Stock Checkup.

At CES, Microsoft said that it had reached 55 million monthly active users on its Xbox Live platform, up 15% from the previous year.

In addition to VR gaming capabilities, the new Xbox will feature 4K video. Microsoft's main competition in VR gaming is Sony (SNE), says Munster. Sony released a PlayStation VR system in November. Sales reached 915,000 in late February, Sony said.

"While Microsoft doesn't produceany VR hardware, it sells (Facebook's) Oculus Rift headset in its stores and has included the Xboxcontroller in Oculus Rift bundles," said Munster. "Oculusseems like the logical choice fora VR headset partner forProject Scorpio."

Microsoft's next gaming consolewill also support headsets expected out in 2018 from Lenovo, Dell, Acer and HP (HPQ).

Microsoft shares ended trading Monday down 0.2% to 65.53.

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Complete Teardown Analysis of HTC’s Vive Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display Unit – GlobeNewswire (press release)

Posted: at 8:41 am

April 12, 2017 07:44 ET | Source: Research and Markets

Dublin, April 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "HTC Vive Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display: Complete Teardown Analysis" report to their offering.

The Virtual Reality (VR) market has raised expectations extremely high. It is already worth several billion US dollars per year and growing rapidly, with millions of headsets due to be sold in coming years.

Three main companies lead this new market: HTC Corporation, Oculus VR, which was bought by Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion, and Sony Playstation.

They think this market has enough potential to invest billions of dollars to get ahead of their competitors. Most other major manufacturers also want good market shares, including Microsoft, Intel, Google, AMD, Samsung, Huawei, Archos and Alcatel.

Winning in this market is now HTC's all-or-nothing strategy. The HTC Vive VR Head-Mounted Display (HMD) is aimed at saving HTC from collapse. Vive VR can be used in different sectors, including gaming, entertainment, health, automotive, retail and education. It promises a premium VR experience.

This very well-designed system uses established components, including two 12001080 pixel AMOLED displays manufactured by Samsung, for a total resolution of 21601200 pixels. These are the main parts of the over 2850 electronic and mechanical components System Plus Consulting has identified in the headset. There are also several MCUs, FPGAs, processors, interface ICs, MEMS sensors, photodiodes, and a camera module including an Omnivision Global Shutter Motion Detector.

Based on a complete teardown of the HTC Vive VR Headset, this report is a detailed physical, technology and cost analysis.

Key Topics Covered:

Overview / Introduction

Executive Summary

- Main Chipset - Block Diagram - Reverse Costing Methodology

Company Profile

HTC Corporation

Physical Analysis

Content of the Box

- Views and Dimensions of the Headset - Headset Opening - Fresnel Lens Details - Display Details - Main Electronic Board - Top side - overview - Top side - high definition photo - Top side - PCB markings - Top side - main component markings - Top side - main component identification - Top side - other component markings - Top side - other component identification - Bottom side - high definition photo - Bottom side - component identification - IR Photodiode Flex - Front Camera Flex - Microphone Flex - Proximity Sensor Flex - Display Flex 1 & 2

Cost Analysis

Estimating the BOM

- PCB Cost - BOM Cost - Main Electronic Board - BOM Cost - IR Photodiode Flex - BOM Cost - Front Camera Flex - BOM Cost - Microphone Flex - BOM Cost - Proximity Sensor Flex - BOM Cost - Display Flex 1 & 2 - Housing Parts - Estimation - BOM Cost - Housing - Material Cost Breakdown by Sub-Assembly - Material Cost Breakdown by Component Category - Estimating Added Value (AV) cost - Electronic Board Manufacturing Flow - Details of the Main Electronic Board AV Cost - Details of the System Assembly AV Cost - Added-Value Cost Breakdown - Manufacturing Cost Breakdown

Estimated Price Analysis

- Estimation of the Manufacturing Price - Estimation of the Selling Price

Companies Mentioned

- AMD - Archos and Alcatel - Facebook - Google - HTC Corporation - Huawei - Intel - Microsoft - Samsung - Sony

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/72d7b6/htc_vive_virtual

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5 virtual reality experiences not to miss at VR World Congress – TechSPARK (blog)

Posted: at 8:41 am

Bristol's VRWC is on for another 2 days - here is the latest VR tech we think you should try out

VR World Congress has descended on Bristol for three days of VR expertise from major VR companies from around the world, networking, and, of course, the chance to try out the latest cutting-edge virtual reality tech.

The expo floor is littered with VR and AR experiences to try out, so here are a few that caught the TechSPARK teams eye and that we think youshould have a go on if you are there tickets are still available!

360 immersive video footage

How would you like to have a ringside seat at a world-class boxing match in amongst the baying crowds while being sat on your sofa at home? Or to experience what its like to be in the hustle and bustle of a pit-lane during a Formula 1 race from the point of view of the driver? Well the Surround Vision stall at VRWC lets you dojust that by putting on a pair of VR goggles.

Using unobtrusive 360 cameras Surround Vision has made it its mission to put you at the centre of the action. Its not just about sport either Surround Vision has captured ballet at the Royal Opera house, a tour through an African village and can put you in the centre of an exploding kitchen!

As Founder Richard Nockles (pictured right) says, 360 and VR is perfect for capturing truly immersive footage. Its about intimacy & getting right into the thick of it.

Touching objects in virtual reality

One of the problems when trying to immerse yourself in a VR experience is that your mind is awarethat you are unable to physically touch any of the objects around you. However, now, with tech produced by Bristol-based Ultrahaptics you can touch and feel objects in virtual reality scenarios and thats without the use of gloves or controllers.

Its tech uses ultrasound to apply pressure to your skin, which fools your brain into thinking it is touching an object. Matching that haptic experience up to what you are experiencing in the VR environment means you can interact in a convincing way with the things around you. This is one that definitely needs to be tried to be believed (Booth H5).

Gaming treadmill debut

How do you stop people in VR experiences crashing into the walls of the real world they cant see around them? You put them in the latestWizdish Rovr treadmill of course!

The ROVR has been developed over 10 years to allow you to walk around VR environments while remaining within its sturdy steel frame. The company is now debuting version 2 of the ROVR at VRWC (at booth G16), so you can be one of the first people to ever take a stroll in this cutting-edge VR locomotion tech.

360 projections

Igloo Visions dome is hard to miss, and you shouldnt either as they are displaying a variety of 360 immersive experiences, some of it interactive, throughout the day at VRWC.

The 360 projection company provides domes and cylinders for 360 visualisation experiences and collaborative meeting spaces with 5.1 surround sound and its worth stepping inside to see the cool things you can do with a 360 projection space.

Playing with VR in 350: Roving reporter Alice Whale interacting with Igloo Visions 360 display

Peakperformance VR

What do you need for a great VR experience? You need plenty of grunt from the PCs that are running it. And who better to provide that than overclock experts OverclockersUK.

Overclocking is taking a traditional computer processor and modding it to run at much higher speeds than usual.This requires loads of impressive looking cooling tech to prevent the chip from overheating, but it means you get a lot more bang for your buck, and, when it comes to VR, a really great lag-free experience.

To see what that extra power can do for your gaming experiences you can jump into acar racing VR gameat booth G19.

These are just 5 of the amazing VR exhibits at the VRWC expo floor there are lots more! If you dont have a ticket, you can buy an Expo ticket for just 24 to get in there and play. You canfind out more about the event on the VR World Congress websiteand to stay up to date with the conference you canfollow them on Twitter here: @VRWorldCongress.

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