Tag: vr

Streamed and VR gaming coming this Christmas

With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X both getting huge amounts of interest in recent weeks, there’s definitely still a need for the “home console”. The new consoles come with a definite push towards game-downloading rather than traditional in-store purchases, and many gamers will now be used …

Where did VR come from, and what does the future hold?

What is VR? Although its name is well-known to everyone, we note that virtual reality is a simulation of reality in a computer environment that it realizes through our senses, such as: seeing, hearing, touching, and even smelling. Its predecessor is practically considered to be the 3D film. …

How to Experience VR on your smartphone

Like 3D TV, you may not have actually tried out Virtual Reality (VR) just yet. It’s becoming a growing trend, especially with gamers and now with businesses too as online training and distanced interaction becomes more commonplace. However, most still don’t realise that there’s no need for expensive …

Importance of Artificial Intelligence in gaming

Many online games – whether they’re racing car games, first-person shooters, or strategy games – have various parts controlled by AI. As an example, the enemy bots, enemy characters or vehicles that move around your game. The main reason for using AI in gaming is to deliver a …

Lewis Hamilton gets a little carried away with 5G

So, we know what this is, right? Last year Vodafone recruited Lewis Hamilton to promote their 5G network (because Lewis is fast and – durr… so is 5G, right?) Anyhow, now they’ve got him testing out virtual reality games and it’s pretty cool to see the results if …

Virtual museums take art to the next level

Virtual museums are taking art to new heights.    Ever thought about taking a tour of a museum without physically going there? Sure, it might sound a bit bonkers, but the reality is that you can now take virtual tours of museums and art galleries via Virtual Reality. …

Moo! Milky milky VR!

Cows, apparently, produce better milk when they’re all chilled out and calm. So, in Russia, they’ve decided that the best way to keep a dairy cow calm is to ensure it’s in a serene and beautiful field. However, not all cows get that. They’re in a milking shed …

5G – More than just a faster connection.

With Google Stadia about to land and bigger, more in-depth games now being downloaded, people are demanding ultra-fast connectivity from their phones. Traditionally the advancement in data speed has been beneficial for watching movies and TV shows on the move. It’s also meant that you can listen to …

The gaming apps that blur the line between the virtual and the real

Our smartphone screens are getting bigger. The picture quality is getting better too, and mobile gaming apps are now able to deliver a more immersive experience than ever before. Most mobile apps have taken advantage of this technological progress by looking for ways to improve the detail and depth …

VRJAM to launch a Virtual Reality Revolution

From what I can see, this looks to be bringing the world of “Ready Player One” to the masses. Whack your VR headset on and jump into a live, streamed virtual experience. Called VRJAM, it a real-time augmented reality streamed performance, with you being able to take part …

On-demand VR Theatre – LIVR

Watching a theatre performance is always best when you’re actually there, but – despite shows now being on TV – a lot of people find that they have to travel to the West End to get the proper theatre experience. Now a London-startup has launch LIVR, the world’s …

Google Daydream drops to £35!

If you own a Google Pixel 2 or 3 and fancy getting into the world of VR, Mobile Fun have an amazing offer for the next few days. Google Daydream normally retails for £99.99, but until the 30th you can pick one up for just £34.99! Whilst virtual …

Zombies descend on the UK.. Well, the virtual kind..

The world’s first free-roam, multiplayer virtual reality entertainment experience has just been announced. Revolutionary social VR gaming company Zero Latency, is to launch the UK’s first site on Friday 19th October in Nottingham. You can dive into a 15 or 30-minute “social VR experience” to work together with your …

BBC Virtual Reality World Cup App – An Impressive Immersive Experience

The World Cup is great, 4 weeks of footy heaven, beer snacks and England related stress injuries. Over recent years  the BBC have used the World Cup to showcase it’s latest technologies, from HD, to multiple audio streams and  in this case VR presentation of matches…….yes I’ve just …

All you need to know about VR Apps and Headsets for iOS

It’s easy to assume that Apple doesn’t really have a current interest in virtual reality – the company has yet to release an Apple-branded VR headset, and some point out that even the latest iPhone X is not as VR-display friendly as some Android devices. The iPhone X …

Social VR is here

Last night I celebrated the start of a few days of leave with a trip to a lush Sports Bar, I enjoyed a few games of pool, air hockey and darts, whilst chatting to the others in the bar. A pretty normal experience for a sports bar, apart …

CES – HTC VIVE Pro announced

HTC, the company that used to have phones in pockets all around the world, have announced some new HTC VIVE kit in Las Vegas. There’s new Viveport VR and Vive Video where you can enjoy VR content more easily. The Viveport VR and Vive Video viewport has been …

Turn any smartphone into a VR camera

Lebanese digital image technology experts, Dermander, have launched a VR solution for your smartphone. Cunningly named “theVRkit”, it makes your smartphone a high resolution Virtual Reality camera. The kit comprises of a fish eye clip-on lens, a Bluetooth controlled smartphone mount and a pair of VR glasses. To …

Introducing the Freefly FF3

Last year, we managed to get hold the Freefly VR headset from the Gadget Show. Well, those lovely people at Proteus VR have announced the next headset called Freefly FF3 which is a hybrid mix between augmented reality and virtual reality in one device. Mixed Reality is expected …

HTC shares suspended as Google takeover rumours persist

With the Pixelbook leaking, we’ve already seen a bit of what Google will be announcing on October 4th. However, there’s much more.. Leaks suggest a new Pixel, cunningly named the Pixel 2. These pictures have been found on the internet and there’s rumours that the HTC-built phone will …

VR – Will it succeed or suffer the same fate as 3D TV’s?

Somebody mentioned eSports to me recently and, whilst I write about smartphones daily, I’ll confess to not knowing a great deal about it. Last week, in Copenhagen, the Unibet Copenhagen Open gave visitors the chance to play against these eSports stars. VR played a big role, with the evolution …

VR – Still a big plaything

You’ve seen it on your high street, right? Charity shops and bookies. They’re seemingly everywhere. Now it’s happening on your mobile too. Juniper Research has predicted that by 2021 nearly $1 trillion will be bet via the internet, with mobile representing the “majority of net growth.” In fact, …

HTC have something for U on January 12th

Filling an entire news item with conjecture and rumour about an upcoming launch? Well, I’ve seen it quite a bit across the web today. Many are trying to decide what exactly the new “HTC U” or “HTC for U” launch, which we’ve just received an invite for, actually …

Tablet shipments slide as the smartphone continues to rein supreme

When I first started writing about smartphones, I never dreamt that they would change our lives in quite the manner that they have. Yes, the smartphone. It’s now become the device of choice. Smartwatches aren’t proving to be as popular as thought, PC’s and laptops are appearing in …

Explore a Marriott hotel, before you get there

Traditional shops have a bit of a problem, and it was brought into sharp focus during the Black Friday sales. People are, unfortunately, a bit lazy and a bit time poor. Shopping online, via a smartphone, is an easy solution. There’s cash-back deals and vouchers which help to …

Try makeup on without the hassle

If you’ve ever gone into Boots or another store selling makeup and beauty products, you’ll no doubt have seen the orange-faced girls who are more than keep to plaster your moosh with lipstick and eyeliner. The result may or may not be what you’re looking for, but orange-faced …

Pixel Prices Published. Pretty Premium.

Morning. Last night Google unveiled the phones we all expected them to unveil. The Pixel and the Pixel XL – a phone and a slightly bigger phone. From a distance, from far, far away, it’s like the Apple launch in a way. Two phones, one a big larger …

Buying a Samsung S6 or S7? Go Tesco Mobile and get free gifts.

Head down to Tesco Mobile to get your Galaxy S6 and S7 and you’ll get more than just a very smart Android handset. Tesco are giving away goodies worth between £39.99 and £199 which you can perhaps keep and use as Christmas presents if you don’t want them …

EE update “Add to Plan” accessory offering

If, for example, a phone was to be released that would make it slightly more difficult to use wired headphones, you might want to consider Bluetooth ones. Trouble is, some of these can be a bit pricey. Also, even if you want a good set of wired ones, …

IFA Berlin 2016 – Samsung Gear S3 Event

Samsung. Samsung Gear: the range of wearables which enhance your digital lifestyle. An event in Berlin with an animated round watchface with the “Talk About 3” slogan under it. Whatever could they be about to announce? The glowstick pass bracelet is cool, the venue is spectacular and the …

BBC go 360 for Rio 2016

Tonight is the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Rio, Brazil, which promises lots of excitement just like London 2012. BBC have embraced the modern era of VR technology by bringing various key events over the course of the Olympics in glorious 360 degrees. The coverage can be streamed …

VR on the iPhone with the Amir VR Glasses

When it comes to mobile VR, Android based devices such as Gear VR have grabbed most of the attention recently. As regular readers and listeners of the Coolsmartphone podcast will know my devices of choice are iOS based, so I was keen to see if there was a VR …

Gaming on the go, with some augmentation

You’ll definitely have heard of Mobile Bingo Sites and addictive games like Pokemon Go lately. It’s a simple idea though, and one which many of you will be a little confused by. Augmented Reality is at the heart of this particular app, and the game has a simple …

VR Headsets are OK, but… this. This is better.

As an author on the site you find yourself chasing your tale quite a bit. You’re writing about the latest handsets, the latest speakers, headphones, tablets and VR gadgets. However, this one just jumps off the page. VR headsets. They’re great, sure – but you need to strap …

SEAT turns to VR

When I received this press release I honestly thought SEAT had launched a new way of selling their cars. Perhaps, after strapping your phone to your face via Google Cardboard or similar, you could experience a SEAT before you bought one? Well, it’s not quite that – not …

Make your own Google Cardboard glasses. From food.

Yeah. It’s a weird idea, but someone in the US decided to make some virtual reality glasses with crackers. Not just any crackers, but Graham Crackers. They’re a bit hard to get hold of here in the UK, which is particularly annoying as my wife finds them to …

OnePlus 3 virtually upon us

Pardon the dreadful pun, OnePlus arguably the loudest and most popular of the smaller smartphone players in the market. Two members of the Coolsmartphone team even have a OnePlus handset each! The OnePlus 3 is set to be their next “Flagship Killer” and is looking to be launched …

FreeFly VR Review

This was arguably the most fun I have had doing a review in a long time. The Freefly VR (not Firefly as I say twice in the video!) was so fun and compatible with numerous smartphones, great purchase for any gadget geek and can be bought from here. …

YouTube starts live streaming 360 videos

As we all know, YouTube has been letting you watch and share 360 videos for a little over the year now. The search giant Google, which owns YouTube, is now going to start letting you live stream 360 videos, starting with California’s Coachella festival. In addition, it announced that videos …