Page 6 - MAVR Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1 (November 2017)

There​ ​are​ ​currently​ ​two​ ​big​ ​players​ ​with​ ​plans​ ​to​ ​release​ ​these​ ​stand-alone​ ​devices
either​ ​late​ ​this​ ​year​ ​or​ ​early​ ​2018.​ ​The​ ​first​ ​to​ ​announce​ ​was​ ​Oculus,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​owned​ ​by
Facebook.​ ​The​ ​device,​ ​called​ ​the​ ​Oculus​ ​Go​ ​will​ ​be​ ​priced​ ​around​ ​US​ ​$200​ ​and​ ​will​ ​be
available​ ​to​ ​developers​ ​in​ ​late​ ​2017.​ ​Facebook​ ​is​ ​betting​ ​big​ ​on​ ​social​ ​VR​ ​applications
and​ ​needs​ ​these​ ​devices​ ​to​ ​facilitate​ ​more​ ​people​ ​socializing​ ​on​ ​Facebook’s​ ​social​ ​VR
platform.​ ​​ ​The​ ​other​ ​device​ ​comes​ ​from​ ​HTC,​ ​who​ ​makes​ ​the​ ​VIVE.​ ​HTC​ ​is​ ​a​ ​leader​ ​in
providing​ ​VR​ ​content​ ​and​ ​is​ ​popular​ ​among​ ​developers.​ ​The​ ​name​ ​is​ ​not​ ​yet​ ​released,

but​ ​it​ ​is​ ​partnered​ ​with​ ​Google,​ ​and​ ​is​ ​likely​ ​to​ ​be​ ​deployed​ ​on​ ​Google’s​ ​VR​ ​platform
called​ ​Daydream.​ ​This​ ​partnership​ ​is​ ​attractive​ ​from​ ​a​ ​developer's​ ​standpoint​ ​as​ ​there​ ​is
plenty​ ​of​ ​support​ ​from​ ​both​ ​HTC​ ​and​ ​Google​ ​for​ ​these​ ​platforms.​ ​This​ ​device​ ​is​ ​likely​ ​to
be​ ​more​ ​powerful​ ​than​ ​the​ ​Oculus​ ​Go​ ​as​ ​well.

Image:​ ​Oculus​ ​Go​ ​(Source:​ ​​theverge.com​)

The​ ​competition​ ​of​ ​these​ ​two​ ​platforms​ ​is​ ​good​ ​for​ ​consumers,​ ​and​ ​will​ ​help​ ​accelerate
the​ ​release​ ​and​ ​advancement​ ​of​ ​these​ ​devices.​ ​Either​ ​way​ ​there​ ​will​ ​be​ ​some​ ​great​ ​new
options​ ​for​ ​immersive​ ​virtual​ ​learning​ ​experiences​ ​coming​ ​next​ ​year.

4.​​ ​​ ​​ ​​Two​ ​Must​ ​Read​ ​Articles

Seven​ ​Things​ ​You​ ​Should​ ​Know​ ​About​ ​AR/VR/MR
The​ ​rapidly​ ​evolving​ ​world​ ​of​ ​AR​ ​(augmented​ ​reality),​ ​VR​ ​(virtual​ ​reality),​ ​and​ ​MR
(mixed​ ​or​ ​merged​ ​reality)​ ​offers​ ​new​ ​opportunities​ ​to​ ​create​ ​a​ ​psychological​ ​sense​ ​of
immersive​ ​presence​ ​in​ ​an​ ​environment​ ​that​ ​feels​ ​real​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​be​ ​viewed,