At the Unity Vision Summit, Unity CEO John Riccitiello predicts that VR and AR will become mainstream 12 to 24 months from now. He believes that price is one of the factors holding back consumers from jumping into the virtual world. Riccitiello thinks the price point needs to get under $1,000 “all-in,” including the headset, processor and controller, to be viable on the market. He also believes that higher-end headsets, like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, need to become un-tethered. “You’re going to be mobile. It’s not just a mobile device but you in fact will be mobile,” Riccitiello said at the Summit. HTC is getting closer to wireless VR, through TPCAST’s wireless add-on kit. UPLOADVR
Microsoft is giving Unity Vision Summit attendees free Acer Mixed Reality headsets. At the Unity Vision Summit, Microsoft’s principal program manager Brandon Bray said 91% of “holographic” apps built for the company’s headsets, including the HoloLens, are built on the Unity Game Engine. The move is likely to encourage developers to build software for Microsoft’s MR platform. — ROADTOVR
PornHub and ENJOYIT360 SL teamed up on a new AR photo filter that censors nude selfies. The app, dubbed TrickPics, is currently available for the iPhone. The app works very similar to Snapchat where users can overlay filters and images over portions of the image they’d like to cover up. But unlike the photo messaging app, photos are saved directly to the phone and are not stored in the cloud. While Apple’s App Store has a strict zero-pornography policy, the developer fails to mention PornHub and the intended purpose of the app. Marketing off the App Store is different, as PornHub is inviting users to share their images on social media for a free trial of the website’s premium service. Video support and additional stickers are being rolled out. — APPLEINSIDER
“Everest VR” is Viveport’s most popular app. HTC launched its VR subscription service Viveport last month, running at about $7 a month. Created by Solfar Studios, the VR experience immerses viewers on a journey to Mount Everest tops Viveport’s download charts. In second place is WeVR’s “theBlu,” followed by Northway Games’ “Fantastic Contraption.” There are no specific stats available, in terms of the number of downloads, although most users are still on a free trial of the service. — UPLOADVR
“Tekken 7,” Bandi Namco’s popular fighting series, will support the PlayStation VR. The VR version of the game will feature the game’s traditional third-person gameplay brought to the headset. Many wondered why the game did not adopt a first-person view for the game. The game’s producer Katsuhiro Harada told IGN said the experience would not be very enjoyable for the player. “If you could imagine that you have some kind of a martial artist or pro boxer or something come and do shadowboxing right in front of your face, you can then probably begin to see how that’s not a very entertaining or enjoyable experience,” Harada told IGN. The game will be available on June 2. — VRFOCUS
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