HTC sells out of Vive Trackers / Gear VR updates / Huawei phones are Daydream-ready — Inside VR & AR
Jason Calacanis
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HTC has sold out of its initial batch of Vive Trackers. The Trackers went on sale last week for interested buyers, which were geared to developers. The company is still accepting new orders for future batches. There is no timeframe as to when Trackers will be back in stock, although HTC is working hard to get more stock quickly. An HTC spokesperson also declined to share how many were sold. — UPLOADVR
Samsung Gear VR users may see a 2x boost in pixel resolution and a 3x improvement on load times on Oculus Home. A new piece of software, designed by Oculus’ CTO John Carmack, will be included in the brand new Oculus Home redesign update releasing for Gear VR. He also said that this is the first application developed for a brand new Oculus runtime system, signaling more improvements to come. Although Gear VR has a higher resolution display than any of the leading tethered VR headsets to date, visuals seen through the device are often of lower quality, mainly because of lesser hardware capability, but also as a result of poor optimization. — ROAD TO VR
Google’s VP of VR, Clay Bavor, confirmed that the Huawei Mate 9 Pro and Mate 9 are Daydream-ready devices via an Android update. This means these smartphones are compatible with the tech giant’s Daydream View, along with the Google Pixel/Pixel XL, ZTE Axon 7 and Moto Z. Earlier this month, Huawei revealed its latest handsets, the Mate 9 and enhanced Mate 9 Pro, and many speculated that the smartphone was Daydream-ready. These reports confirm that claim. — UPLOADVR
Bj?rk released the VR music video for her song “Notget.” The video originally debuted as a part of Bj?rk Digital at the Day for Night Festival in Houston. The video depicts a digital avatar of Bj?rk, bathed in lights that move around her that swell and ebb in intensity with the song. (You can see a behind the scenes look at how they made the video here.) Bj?rk Digital, featuring VR experiences from the Icelandic artist’s latest album Vulnicura, will open in Los Angeles in May. You can watch the video here. — VICE
Google partnered with an underground music collective, Boiler Room, to create a VR dance experience. Boiler Room is calling the experience VR Dancefloors: Techno in Berlin. The video is available for the Google Daydream View and allows users to move through the club, view art installations and interact with surroundings, while listening to a 15 minute DJ set from FJAAK. — THE VERGE
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