News
5 factors that will change how we work in 2021 and beyond
Predictions of the future are not always accurate because no one truly knows what will happen in the future, but this list feels like a lot of solid assumptions based on what we've all experienced watching industries emerge as well as how people and companies adapted to support remote work.
Gravity Sketch will soon be Free! | Gravity Sketch
The title says it all, really. The VR modeling application Gravity Sketch will be free starting January 25th, 2021. They are also adding additional export options to help bring creations into other programs and 3D viewers. This is a move sure to bring in an influx of new users and help broaden the experience creative people with working on complex designs and products within 3D and VR.
Taiwan’s Dong Hwa University and HTC VIVE Establish the First VR Talent Training Center in Eastern Taiwan
Partnerships between academia and industry aren't rare but it is newsworthy the partnership between HTC and a major Taiwan university to bolster the talent and applications being made for VR platforms coming from the country.
Experiences
Paris Catacombs Virtual Tour | Live Interactive Experience
This is a small, live, remote virtual tour of the catacombs beneath the city of Paris, France. Despite claims that virtual tourism is on the horizon it is actually here for a number of ambitious companies who were already doing in-person tours adapting to incorporate new technology. This isn't on-demand so you'll need to book a seat on the tour to join the experience.
Virtual Reality Meditation / VR Relaxation / VR Guided Meditation
Finding a comfortable place to meditate is as important as taking the time to meditate. This VR experience provides several serene virtual locations and soundscapes to help inspire and guide the practice of meditation.
The Museum of Other Realities
The Museum of Other Realities (not affiliated with this newsletter) is a fantastic community of creators, explorers, and artists exhibit a staggering variety of work across many different types of interactive VR experiences. We actually enjoy this a bit more than Google Poly, which is still set to shut down later this summer.
Event
VR Art Gallery - "Caravaggio: Master of light" (Online)
VRZONE is opening their latest social VR art exhibit focused on the work of Caravaggio. Experience the works of the master painter in Virtual Reality with other virtual visitors from around the world.
Learning
VR Tips and Tricks I've Learned after 5000 Hours in VR - YouTube
Learning from those with more experience is always a good thing, and this video covers some not-so-obvious things you can do to improve your experiences when interacting with home VR setups. Just learning of the existence of PolyWatch to protect lenses from being scuffed was worth the ten minutes watching this video.
Shifu Orboot - Interactive AR Globe Series for kids for 4 to 10 year olds
For more than three years the team at Shifu have been making Augmented Reality learning tools, and the Orboot is both interesting and available for purchase. Geared toward ages 4-10 it lets children explore the world, learn about dinosaurs, and even Mars using a physical globe and mobile device.
Commentary
Happy New Year and welcome to the first newsletter of 2021. A lot of you reading this may be new to VR since so many people got Oculus Quest 2 headsets for the holidays. So many people bought it that it is now unavailable at most stores. As much fun as gaming in VR has been over the years, there is more to it than just being a platform for Beat Saber. Not that I also don’t play it myself, there are just a lot of other great experiences beyond gaming.
This week we have links and news around other things to do in VR aside from gaming, and news and gear for including VR in your life. From meditation, to socializing, to touring the world from the safety of our homes.
Thank you to everyone who's subscribed and continued to read and support us. As always, if you want to recommend anything to us tweet your links. Our directory of companies, experiences, gear, and more is growing so visit our directory to find resources that also may not be getting major press.
Other Realities