News
AppliedVR Receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation to Treat Pain with Digital Therapeutic
This is an historic breakthrough for patients suffering from certain types of pain, and for research into the therapeutic uses of VR and Digital Medicine. This doesn't mean this can be prescribed just yet, but it does fast track the platform and hopefully will be available soon. FDA approval allows doctors to prescribe VR digital therapeutics as a pain management option instead of heavily relying on pharmaceuticals to help reduce and eliminate pain.
Beyond the news and analysis there are also personal stories on the AppliedVR YouTube Channel from patients getting their lives back from constant pain.
VRChat Hits Record 24,000 Concurrent Users Spurred by Quest 2
No surprise that an uptick in VR headset sales has brought in an influx of new users, but this also means that VRChat is on its way to becoming a significant player as a meeting space and lounge for anyone looking to get away from this reality and interact with others in ways we currently cannot.
‘INSIDE COVID19’ SHEDS A HUMAN LIGHT ON THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, NOW AVAILABLE IN OCULUS TV
Through the use of 360° video and VR this documentary brings the story of a doctor on the front lines into context with the global response and management of live with COVID-19. You can see the trailer on YouTube but definitely check it out for free in the Oculus TV App
Event
Virtual Reality Day 2020
The 4th Annual Global Virtual Reality Day took place Saturday, November 21st, 2020 in conjunction with the #24HoursVR Twitter hashtag to celebrate VR and take an opportunity to invite everyone to introduce VR to someone they know. The event also had great presentations and experiences within AltSpaceVR. Hopefully we'll see some of the sessions make their way to YouTube later for anyone that missed it this year.
Conferences
MATCH XR Conference 2020
Finland based MATCH XR is an experimental immersive technology conference and get-together taking place November 25, 2020 within AltSpaceVR. This mix of presentations, performance, portals, and participants is the kind of thing only possible in VR currently. Register here, but be mindful that AltSpaceVR doesn't yet work on MacOS. If you can't join there will be a livestream on YouTube on the date of the conference.
Gaming
Oculus Quest 2 users get the PC hit Asgard's Wrath for free
New platforms don't always come with good experiences for users, and Oculus is addressing this by giving away the hit game Asgard's Wrath for free to all newly activated Quest 2 headsets. This is only valid until January 31, 2021 11:59:59 PM PT so be sure to get it and enjoy a fantastic VR experience.
Business
Coronavirus: Is virtual reality tourism about to take off?
With tourism nearly nonexistent and economies unable to safely reopen, virtual reality provides a way to experience another culture, location, language, or attraction that will promote later in-person travel. The article has a great set of existing experiences cities and countries are already using, and an analysis of the current and future impacts this has on travel and tourism.
VR and it's potential for Europe - XR Association
Diversity and a skilled workforce are factors that this study finds may put Europe in a strategic position to make AR and VR an integral part of how companies train staff, collaborate among researchers, interact across cultural and geographical distances, and better engage with audiences unable to physically come to a location.
Research
Study: VR helps you feel calm and connected amid Covid-19 quarantine
Though the study mostly relied on 360° video the findings can be generally applied for how virtual experiences can provide a well-needed sense of stress relief and calm during the current quarantine. Examining our identities as social creatures, the paper highlights a thoughtful and well managed study into how we can improve our mental well-being by exposing ourselves to virtual experiences, with or without a headset.
Inspiration
Quill Weekly VR Challenge
Every Monday at 10AM PST a new topic is posted to inspire artists to create an interactive Quill experience. Some of the iconic experiences on the platform and making their way around the Internet came from these weekly inspiration challenges. Check out what this week's topic will be, and see the works of other talented artists before they're all over social media.
Also you're interested in learning more about Quill there are some great tutorials to get you started online for free.
Development
Quill - Rigs and Cameras
Goro Fujita, an established Quill artist and featured in issue #1 of Other Realities, and takes us through how to setup rigging, puppeteering, camera, and navigating the interface in Quill to quickly get your ideas off the ground.
Commentary
This week was another busy one, and there was much more news than I though I could fit into one issue of the Other Realities newsletter. Though I've been trying to highlight a dozen or so key items let me know if you'd like more content and I can always share a lot more with you.
This week we also launched a new directory that we will populate with links to events, conferences, competitions, and other websites you may find interesting and may not make it into the newsletter. Visit the Other Realities Directory to search for additional info that you may not see in the newsletter. If you have a suggestion for a link for the directory we've provided a suggestion form to make it convenient to share any link you feel should be there.
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