In what appears to be an elaborate, if cruel, joke, the founder of virtual reality company Oculuss claimed he is designing a VR headset that can actually kill the player who loses, or gets 'killed' in gaming parlance, during a video game.

In a blog post, Palmer Luckey who left Oculus VR after it was acquired by Facebook some years ago, said he was inspired by the Japanese novel series-turned-anime 'Sword Art Online'. In it, players are entrapped in an online role-playing game where death in the game implies death in the real world due to the lethal "NerveGear" headset they wear.

“The idea of tying your real life to your virtual avatar has always fascinated me — you instantly raise the stakes to the maximum level and force people to fundamentally rethink how they interact with the virtual world and the players inside it,” Luckey said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/twitter-begins-using-official-label-for-accounts-associated-with-government-media-outlets-532666">Twitter begins using 'official' label for accounts associated with Indian government, media outlets</a>

If Sword Art Online players who use these headsets and&nbsp;fail to escape a mad scientist's trap, will experience microwave-induced brain melt. When it comes to Luckey's headgear, things get bloodier since he says it uses charge modules to blow someone's skull up.

Based on a research by Jorden Lowen from 2018 that was based on the analysis of a few VR games, modern virtual reality technology has the potential to alter how people feel about video games by inducing out-of-body experiences.

WATCH |&nbsp;WION at EICMA 2022: Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha display latest technologies

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-at-eicma-2022-honda-suzuki-yamaha-display-latest-technologies-532492/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

In the past, many scholars have also questioned the impact of new media and technology on how we perceive mortality, embodiment, and subjectivity.

Although the Luckey VR headgear is not yet for sale, it will be intriguing to observe how it develops and how people respond. 
 
Several observers said the blog post is likely a joke, even as one wonders it will be legal to design, let alone sell, such a headset.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

In what appears to be an elaborate, if cruel, joke, the founder of virtual reality company Oculuss claimed he is designing a VR headset that can actually kill the player who loses, or gets 'killed' in gaming parlance, during a video game.

In what appears to be an elaborate, if cruel, joke, the founder of virtual reality company Oculuss claimed he is designing a VR headset that can actually kill the player who loses, or gets 'killed' in gaming parlance, during a video game. In a blog post, Palmer Luckey who left Oculus VR after it was acquired by Facebook some years ago, said he was inspired by the Japanese novel series-turned-anime 'Sword Art Online'. In it, players are entrapped in an online role-playing game where death in the game implies death in the real world due to the lethal "NerveGear" headset they wear. “The idea of tying your real life to your virtual avatar has always fascinated me — you instantly raise the stakes to the maximum level and force people to fundamentally rethink how they interact with the virtual world and the players inside it,” Luckey said. Also read | Twitter begins using 'official' label for accounts associated with Indian government, media outlets If Sword Art Online players who use these headsets and fail to escape a mad scientist's trap, will experience microwave-induced brain melt. When it comes to Luckey's headgear, things get bloodier since he says it uses charge modules to blow someone's skull up. Based on a research by Jorden Lowen from 2018 that was based on the analysis of a few VR games, modern virtual reality technology has the potential to alter how people feel about video games by inducing out-of-body experiences. WATCH | WION at EICMA 2022: Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha display latest technologies In the past, many scholars have also questioned the impact of new media and technology on how we perceive mortality, embodiment, and subjectivity. Although the Luckey VR headgear is not yet for sale, it will be intriguing to observe how it develops and how people respond. Several observers said the blog post is likely a joke, even as one wonders it will be legal to design, let alone sell, such a headset. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Is it even legal? Oculus creator builds VR headset that can actually kill you if you die in-game

Social media giant Facebook is secretly working on a smartwatch and is planning to begin its sale from next year, as per a report.

The&nbsp;Android-based smartwatch being prepared by Facebook will include&nbsp;messaging, health, and fitness features.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/apple-ceo-zuckerberg-fires-shots-at-each-other-360198/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

According to The Verge, it is unclear whether Facebook intends for the smartwatch to run Google's Wear Os.

Apart from the upcoming smartwatch, Facebook is also working on building its own operating system for hardware devices and future iterations of the wearable may run that software instead.

The smartwatch would join Facebook's Oculus virtual reality headsets and Portal video chat devices as part of the social network`s growing hardware ecosystem.

The company is also working on branded Ray-Ban smart glasses expected to come out later this year and a separate augmented reality research initiative known as Project Aria, which is part of the company`s broader AR explorations, which it has been working on for some time now.

The social networking company has more than 6,000 employees working on various augmented and virtual reality projects and as part of existing hardware divisions like Oculus and Portal, as well as experimental initiatives under its Facebook Reality Labs division.

The Verge also reported that Facebook took over the neural interface startup CTRL-Labs in 2019. It has expertise in building wireless input mechanisms, including devices that could transmit electrical signals from the brain to computing devices without the need for traditional touchscreen or physical button inputs.

Social media giant Facebook is secretly working on a smartwatch and is planning to begin its sale from next year, as per a report. The Android-based smartwatch being prepared by Facebook will include messaging, health, and fitness features.

Social media giant Facebook is secretly working on a smartwatch and is planning to begin its sale from next year, as per a report. The Android-based smartwatch being prepared by Facebook will include messaging, health, and fitness features. According to The Verge, it is unclear whether Facebook intends for the smartwatch to run Google's Wear Os. Apart from the upcoming smartwatch, Facebook is also working on building its own operating system for hardware devices and future iterations of the wearable may run that software instead. The smartwatch would join Facebook's Oculus virtual reality headsets and Portal video chat devices as part of the social network`s growing hardware ecosystem. The company is also working on branded Ray-Ban smart glasses expected to come out later this year and a separate augmented reality research initiative known as Project Aria, which is part of the company`s broader AR explorations, which it has been working on for some time now. The social networking company has more than 6,000 employees working on various augmented and virtual reality projects and as part of existing hardware divisions like Oculus and Portal, as well as experimental initiatives under its Facebook Reality Labs division. The Verge also reported that Facebook took over the neural interface startup CTRL-Labs in 2019. It has expertise in building wireless input mechanisms, including devices that could transmit electrical signals from the brain to computing devices without the need for traditional touchscreen or physical button inputs.

Facebook to launch smartwatch with messaging, fitness features

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-invokes-fake-news-law-for-first-time-over-facebook-post-264359">Facebook</a>&nbsp;on Monday introduced a "Viewpoints" app in the US that pays members of the social network for taking part in surveys.

The new market research app will be used to improve the&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;"family" of offerings including<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/instagram-in-trouble-as-nearly-50-million-users-data-gets-leaked-online-220423"> Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/whatsapp-business-launches-on-iphones-207989#the-business-app-207980">WhatsApp</a>, Portal, Oculus and the core online social network, according to product manager Erez Naveh.

The app could blunt criticism that&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;keeps to itself profits made by taking advantage of data shared on the social network.

"We believe the best way to make products better is to get insights directly from people who use them," Naveh said in an online post.

Points can be accumulated to earn payments, which will be sent to people via PayPal.

People who set up accounts in the Viewpoints app will be invited to take part in programs, the first a well-being survey intended to gather insights that can be used to curb negative effects of social media and enhance its benefits, according to Naveh.

Personal information such as name, age, gender, and country of residence will be gathered while setting up Viewpoints accounts, which are only open to people 18 years of age or older.

"We won't sell your information from this app to third parties," Naveh said.

"We also won't publicly share your&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;Viewpoints activity on&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;or on other accounts you've linked without your permission."

Viewpoints are only available to US&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;members, but the California-based internet giant planned to expand it to more countries next year.

Facebook on Monday introduced a "Viewpoints" app in the US that pays members of the social network for taking part in surveys. The new market research app will be used to improve the Facebook "family" of offerings including Instagram, WhatsApp, Portal, Oculus and the core online social network, according to product manager Erez Naveh.

Facebook on Monday introduced a "Viewpoints" app in the US that pays members of the social network for taking part in surveys. The new market research app will be used to improve the Facebook "family" of offerings including Instagram, WhatsApp, Portal, Oculus and the core online social network, according to product manager Erez Naveh. The app could blunt criticism that Facebook keeps to itself profits made by taking advantage of data shared on the social network. "We believe the best way to make products better is to get insights directly from people who use them," Naveh said in an online post. Points can be accumulated to earn payments, which will be sent to people via PayPal. People who set up accounts in the Viewpoints app will be invited to take part in programs, the first a well-being survey intended to gather insights that can be used to curb negative effects of social media and enhance its benefits, according to Naveh. Personal information such as name, age, gender, and country of residence will be gathered while setting up Viewpoints accounts, which are only open to people 18 years of age or older. "We won't sell your information from this app to third parties," Naveh said. "We also won't publicly share your Facebook Viewpoints activity on Facebook or on other accounts you've linked without your permission." Viewpoints are only available to US Facebook members, but the California-based internet giant planned to expand it to more countries next year.

New Facebook application pays people to take part in surveys

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-invokes-fake-news-law-for-first-time-over-facebook-post-264359">Facebook</a>&nbsp;on Monday introduced a "Viewpoints" app in the US that pays members of the social network for taking part in surveys.

The new market research app will be used to improve the&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;"family" of offerings including <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/instagram-in-trouble-as-nearly-50-million-users-data-gets-leaked-online-220423">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/whatsapp-business-launches-on-iphones-207989#the-business-app-207980">WhatsApp</a>, Portal, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/to-boost-the-sale-of-immersive-games-facebooks-oculus-cuts-price-of-its-hardware-17782">Oculus</a> and the core online social network, according to product manager Erez Naveh.

The app could blunt criticism that&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;keeps to itself profits made by taking advantage of data shared on the social network.

"We believe the best way to make products better is to get insights directly from people who use them," Naveh said in an online post.

Points can be accumulated to earn payments, which will be sent to people via PayPal.

People who set up accounts in the Viewpoints app will be invited to take part in programs, the first a well-being survey intended to gather insights that can be used to curb negative effects of social media and enhance its benefits, according to Naveh.

Personal information such as name, age, gender, and country of residence will be gathered while setting up Viewpoints accounts, which are only open to people 18 years of age or older.

"We won't sell your information from this app to third parties," Naveh said.

"We also won't publicly share your&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;Viewpoints activity on&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;or on other accounts you've linked without your permission."

Viewpoints are only available to US&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;members, but the California-based internet giant planned to expand it to more countries next year.

New Facebook app pays people to take part in surveys

Facebook Inc&#39;s Oculus said on Monday it is partnering with Chinese phone maker Xiaomi Technology Co to make its new standalone virtual reality headset and also revealed that it will launch a version of the product exclusively for the Chinese market.

Oculus said Xiaomi would be its hardware partner for the new Oculus Go headset, announced last October, and would also make the China-specific &quot;Mi VR Standalone&quot; using Oculus technology.

Oculus, which social networking giant Facebook acquired in 2014, also said it is working closely with Qualcomm Inc and would use the company&#39;s Snapdragon 821 chipsets to power the mobile VR headsets.&nbsp;

The Oculus Go is set to release in early 2018, starting at a price of $199.

Oculus said Xiaomi would be its hardware partner for the new Oculus Go headset, announced last October

Facebook Inc's Oculus said on Monday it is partnering with Chinese phone maker Xiaomi Technology Co to make its new standalone virtual reality headset and also revealed that it will launch a version of the product exclusively for the Chinese market. Oculus said Xiaomi would be its hardware partner for the new Oculus Go headset, announced last October, and would also make the China-specific "Mi VR Standalone" using Oculus technology. Oculus, which social networking giant Facebook acquired in 2014, also said it is working closely with Qualcomm Inc and would use the company's Snapdragon 821 chipsets to power the mobile VR headsets. The Oculus Go is set to release in early 2018, starting at a price of $199.

Facebook's Oculus to partner with Xiaomi to build VR headsets

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/facebook-adds-tips-for-spotting-fake-news-14267">Facebook </a>on Wednesday named one of its veteran executives Andrew Bosworth to lead all of its consumer hardware efforts, including its Building 8 division, the Business Insider reported.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/facebook-changes-algorithm-to-curb-tiny-group-of-spammers-17547">Facebook </a>launched the research shop, called Building 8, last year to conduct long-term work that might lead to hardware products.

Bosworth will oversee Building 8 and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/to-boost-the-sale-of-immersive-games-facebooks-oculus-cuts-price-of-its-hardware-17782">Oculus</a>, Facebook&#39;s virtual reality arm, according to the report.&nbsp;

The Building 8 unit is currently developing a video chat device called project Aloha.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/facebook-to-welcome-its-first-ever-facebook-tv-18323">Facebook</a> was not immediately available for comment.

Facebook launched the research shop, called Building 8, last year to conduct long-term work that might lead to hardware products

Facebook on Wednesday named one of its veteran executives Andrew Bosworth to lead all of its consumer hardware efforts, including its Building 8 division, the Business Insider reported. Facebook launched the research shop, called Building 8, last year to conduct long-term work that might lead to hardware products. Bosworth will oversee Building 8 and Oculus, Facebook's virtual reality arm, according to the report. The Building 8 unit is currently developing a video chat device called project Aloha. Facebook was not immediately available for comment.

Facebook picks veteran executive to lead hardware efforts: Reports

Oculus, the virtual reality company owned by Facebook is temporarily cutting the price of its hardware, as the industry tries to figure out why the technology for immersive games and stories has not taken off among consumers.

Oculus is cutting the combined price of its Rift headset and Touch controllers to $399 for six weeks, said Jason Rubin, Oculus vice president for content. That matches the price of another virtual reality set, PlayStation VR, made by Sony.

Vive, a virtual reality set developed by HTC, is listed for sale at $799 on its website, and it has not recently cut the price.

Facebook paid $3 billion to acquire Oculus and retain its employees in 2014.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said at the time that the medium, which offers a 360-degree panoramic view through headsets, would &#39;become a part of daily life for billions of people.&#39;

That has not happened, although it is unclear if that is because of high prices, something inherent in the technology or some other reason.

Pricing discounts are sometimes a sign of weak product sales. Rubin, though, said in an interview that was not the case with Oculus, which he said could have cut the price sooner but wanted to wait until there were enough games, movies and other entertainment to keep a broad audience busy.

The pace of game releases has quickened, making a wider appeal possible, Rubin said &#39;We&#39;re now in a space where the mass market can be much happier.&#39;

Oculus cut its price once before this year, dropping it from $798 to $598 in March.

In May, Oculus shut the doors of its Story Studio, two years after it launched at the Sundance Film Festival, to focus on external content makers.

Another setback was a $500 million legal judgment against Oculus in February when a jury found in favor of video game publisher ZeniMax Media in a lawsuit accusing Facebook and Oculus of copyright infringement. Oculus has asked for a new trial.

The industry tries to figure out why the technology for immersive games and stories has not taken off among consumers

Oculus, the virtual reality company owned by Facebook is temporarily cutting the price of its hardware, as the industry tries to figure out why the technology for immersive games and stories has not taken off among consumers. Oculus is cutting the combined price of its Rift headset and Touch controllers to $399 for six weeks, said Jason Rubin, Oculus vice president for content. That matches the price of another virtual reality set, PlayStation VR, made by Sony. Vive, a virtual reality set developed by HTC, is listed for sale at $799 on its website, and it has not recently cut the price. Facebook paid $3 billion to acquire Oculus and retain its employees in 2014. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said at the time that the medium, which offers a 360-degree panoramic view through headsets, would 'become a part of daily life for billions of people.' That has not happened, although it is unclear if that is because of high prices, something inherent in the technology or some other reason. Pricing discounts are sometimes a sign of weak product sales. Rubin, though, said in an interview that was not the case with Oculus, which he said could have cut the price sooner but wanted to wait until there were enough games, movies and other entertainment to keep a broad audience busy. The pace of game releases has quickened, making a wider appeal possible, Rubin said 'We're now in a space where the mass market can be much happier.' Oculus cut its price once before this year, dropping it from $798 to $598 in March. In May, Oculus shut the doors of its Story Studio, two years after it launched at the Sundance Film Festival, to focus on external content makers. Another setback was a $500 million legal judgment against Oculus in February when a jury found in favor of video game publisher ZeniMax Media in a lawsuit accusing Facebook and Oculus of copyright infringement. Oculus has asked for a new trial.

Facebook's Oculus cuts price of virtual reality sets, matching rivals

Facebook&rsquo;s virtual reality content production unit, Oculus&#39; Story Studio, is shuttering its doors to shift focus on supporting external content makers, the company said, two years after the in-house studio launched.

Oculus, which makes virtual reality headsets Rift and Gear VR, will allocate $50 million to directly fund creators of non-gaming VR content, Jason Rubin, the company&#39;s vice president of content, said in a blog post.

Rubin added that Oculus is &quot;still absolutely committed to growing the VR film and creative content ecosystem.&quot;

Facebook paid $3 billion to acquire Oculus and retain its employees in 2014. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said he believed the medium that offers a 360-degree panoramic view using headsets &quot;will become a part of daily life for billions of people.&quot;

Oculus tapped talent from both Oscar-winning animation company Pixar and the video gaming world to head up Story Studio, which it launched in January 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival.

Facebook&#39;s VR ambitions have been threatened somewhat by a lawsuit from video game publisher ZeniMax Media Inc accusing Facebook and Oculus of infringing ZeniMax&#39;s copyrighted software code.

A jury found in ZeniMax&#39;s favour in February, awarding it $500 million. Oculus has asked for a new trial. 
Vive, a unit of HTC, and Sony are also racing to bring virtual reality products to a mass audience.

Oculus debuted its first short film called &quot;Lost&quot; at Sundance two years ago, a story of an animated mechanical creature in a forest.

Last year, Story Studio won an Emmy for original interactive programme for its short VR film &quot;Henry,&quot; and at Sundance this year, it premiered &quot;Dear Angelica,&quot; an illustrated film of a mother and daughter.

But internally, Oculus has undergone some changes in its management in the past year.

Brendan Iribe stepped down as CEO in December, saying he was going to head up the PC division of the VR company. In March, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, who created the prototype Oculus headset, parted ways with Facebook.

(Reuters)

Oculus, which makes virtual reality headsets Rift and Gear VR, will allocate $50 million to directly fund creators of non-gaming VR content

Facebook’s virtual reality content production unit, Oculus' Story Studio, is shuttering its doors to shift focus on supporting external content makers, the company said, two years after the in-house studio launched. Oculus, which makes virtual reality headsets Rift and Gear VR, will allocate $50 million to directly fund creators of non-gaming VR content, Jason Rubin, the company's vice president of content, said in a blog post. Rubin added that Oculus is "still absolutely committed to growing the VR film and creative content ecosystem." Facebook paid $3 billion to acquire Oculus and retain its employees in 2014. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said he believed the medium that offers a 360-degree panoramic view using headsets "will become a part of daily life for billions of people." Oculus tapped talent from both Oscar-winning animation company Pixar and the video gaming world to head up Story Studio, which it launched in January 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival. Facebook's VR ambitions have been threatened somewhat by a lawsuit from video game publisher ZeniMax Media Inc accusing Facebook and Oculus of infringing ZeniMax's copyrighted software code. A jury found in ZeniMax's favour in February, awarding it $500 million. Oculus has asked for a new trial. Vive, a unit of HTC, and Sony are also racing to bring virtual reality products to a mass audience. Oculus debuted its first short film called "Lost" at Sundance two years ago, a story of an animated mechanical creature in a forest. Last year, Story Studio won an Emmy for original interactive programme for its short VR film "Henry," and at Sundance this year, it premiered "Dear Angelica," an illustrated film of a mother and daughter. But internally, Oculus has undergone some changes in its management in the past year. Brendan Iribe stepped down as CEO in December, saying he was going to head up the PC division of the VR company. In March, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, who created the prototype Oculus headset, parted ways with Facebook. (Reuters)

Facebook's virtual reality unit Oculus shutters film studio

Facebook&#39;s virtual reality unit Oculus VR is facing a lawsuit alleging it incorporated without authorisation a smaller competitor&#39;s patented technology into its Rift headset.

Techno View IP, a Newport Beach, California-based technology licensing firm, sued Facebook and Oculus for infringing a 3D imaging patent owned by the VR headset maker ImmersiON-VRelia.

According to the complaint filed in federal court in Delaware, ImmersiON-VRelia, which has offices in Spain and California, agreed to let Techno View litigate the patent on its behalf.

The lawsuit comes as Facebook weighs its options following a $500 million verdict in an unrelated lawsuit brought over its VR technology by video game developer ZeniMax Media. A Dallas federal jury in February found Oculus used copyrighted computer code developed by video game designer John Carmack while employed at ZeniMax.

Lawyers for Oculus and Facebook have said they will seek to have the verdict set aside.

ImmersiON-VRelia makes VR headsets similar to the Oculus Rift, as well as a VR device for use with smartphones. Techno View said in its lawsuit ImmersiON-VRelia&#39;s chief executive, Manuel Gutierrez Novelo, attained several patents between 2003 and 2006 on various aspects of VR technology.

Techno View said Oculus and Facebook specifically infringed a patent held by ImmersiON-VRelia on a method of generating left and right perspectives in a 3D video game. Techno View said it may add claims relating to other patents owned ImmersiON-VRelia at a later date.

Facebook acquired Oculus for an estimated $3 billion in 2014. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has predicted that virtual reality &quot;will be part of people&#39;s daily lives,&quot; revolutionising industries like media, education and medicine.

Facebook and Oculus did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Techno View&#39;s lawsuit.

(Reuters)

Facebook acquired Oculus for an estimated $3 billion in 2014

Facebook's virtual reality unit Oculus VR is facing a lawsuit alleging it incorporated without authorisation a smaller competitor's patented technology into its Rift headset. Techno View IP, a Newport Beach, California-based technology licensing firm, sued Facebook and Oculus for infringing a 3D imaging patent owned by the VR headset maker ImmersiON-VRelia. According to the complaint filed in federal court in Delaware, ImmersiON-VRelia, which has offices in Spain and California, agreed to let Techno View litigate the patent on its behalf. The lawsuit comes as Facebook weighs its options following a $500 million verdict in an unrelated lawsuit brought over its VR technology by video game developer ZeniMax Media. A Dallas federal jury in February found Oculus used copyrighted computer code developed by video game designer John Carmack while employed at ZeniMax. Lawyers for Oculus and Facebook have said they will seek to have the verdict set aside. ImmersiON-VRelia makes VR headsets similar to the Oculus Rift, as well as a VR device for use with smartphones. Techno View said in its lawsuit ImmersiON-VRelia's chief executive, Manuel Gutierrez Novelo, attained several patents between 2003 and 2006 on various aspects of VR technology. Techno View said Oculus and Facebook specifically infringed a patent held by ImmersiON-VRelia on a method of generating left and right perspectives in a 3D video game. Techno View said it may add claims relating to other patents owned ImmersiON-VRelia at a later date. Facebook acquired Oculus for an estimated $3 billion in 2014. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has predicted that virtual reality "will be part of people's daily lives," revolutionising industries like media, education and medicine. Facebook and Oculus did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Techno View's lawsuit. (Reuters)

Facebook?s VR unit Oculus sued for infringing imaging patent

Facebook-owned Oculus slashed the price of its Rift headsets to speed the pace at which the virtual reality technology is working its way into homes. Rift headsets bundled with Touch controllers for letting people reach into faux worlds began selling for $598 as Oculus lopped $200 off the price of buying the VR hardware that hit the market last year.

The price of the Rift alone was dropped to $499 and Touch controllers to $99. Oculus broke the news at an annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco where scores of titles were being shown off for play using Rift, or competing hardware such as HTC Vive or Sony PlayStation VR headsets.

&quot;Our mission at Oculus is to drive VR into as many people&#39;s homes as we can,&quot; Oculus vice president Jason Rubin told AFP.

&quot;We believe this is a massive step; and the people coming in at the lower price have a ton of software they can use.&quot; 
The prices of computers needed to power Rift VR experiences has also come down hundreds of dollars in the past year in an overall cost reduction that he hoped would entice a new wave of customers to follow the &quot;early adopters.&quot; 
Rubin referred to the new Rift and Touch prices as &quot;aggressive,&quot; but declined to discuss how much money Oculus was making on each sale other than to say that the price is &quot;sustainable.&quot;

Virtuous cycle

The more VR gear that sells, the more developers of games or other experiences will be motivated to create software for the technology in what Rubin called a budding &quot;virtuous cycle&quot; where sales of hardware are fueled in return.

&quot;We look at is as an opportunity; it&#39;s a new frontier,&quot; Gunfire Games development director Ben Gabbard told AFP during a demonstration of its latest VR title, science fiction shooter game &quot;From Other Suns.&quot;

&quot;Being at the forefront of a special and interesting medium to tell stories and make games has been very awesome for us, even though it hasn&#39;t taken off to the stratosphere.&quot;

While games standout when it comes to using VR, Oculus believes &quot;ultimately the killer app is social&quot; with people interacting at virtual venues. Virtual reality sought its stride at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas early this year, where despite being a hot topic there was little sign that the technology was racing into mainstream culture.

Show floor space devoted to virtual reality abounded with companies diving into the market with headsets, content, or tools for better creating or delivering immersive experiences. Vive, PlayStation VR and Rift have been wooing software developers and refining hardware to better entice users.

(AFP)

The price of the Rift alone was dropped to $499 and Touch controllers to $99

Facebook-owned Oculus slashed the price of its Rift headsets to speed the pace at which the virtual reality technology is working its way into homes. Rift headsets bundled with Touch controllers for letting people reach into faux worlds began selling for $598 as Oculus lopped $200 off the price of buying the VR hardware that hit the market last year. The price of the Rift alone was dropped to $499 and Touch controllers to $99. Oculus broke the news at an annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco where scores of titles were being shown off for play using Rift, or competing hardware such as HTC Vive or Sony PlayStation VR headsets. "Our mission at Oculus is to drive VR into as many people's homes as we can," Oculus vice president Jason Rubin told AFP. "We believe this is a massive step; and the people coming in at the lower price have a ton of software they can use." The prices of computers needed to power Rift VR experiences has also come down hundreds of dollars in the past year in an overall cost reduction that he hoped would entice a new wave of customers to follow the "early adopters." Rubin referred to the new Rift and Touch prices as "aggressive," but declined to discuss how much money Oculus was making on each sale other than to say that the price is "sustainable." Virtuous cycle The more VR gear that sells, the more developers of games or other experiences will be motivated to create software for the technology in what Rubin called a budding "virtuous cycle" where sales of hardware are fueled in return. "We look at is as an opportunity; it's a new frontier," Gunfire Games development director Ben Gabbard told AFP during a demonstration of its latest VR title, science fiction shooter game "From Other Suns." "Being at the forefront of a special and interesting medium to tell stories and make games has been very awesome for us, even though it hasn't taken off to the stratosphere." While games standout when it comes to using VR, Oculus believes "ultimately the killer app is social" with people interacting at virtual venues. Virtual reality sought its stride at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas early this year, where despite being a hot topic there was little sign that the technology was racing into mainstream culture. Show floor space devoted to virtual reality abounded with companies diving into the market with headsets, content, or tools for better creating or delivering immersive experiences. Vive, PlayStation VR and Rift have been wooing software developers and refining hardware to better entice users. (AFP)

Facebook?s Oculus slashes price of Rift VR set by $200

A US jury ordered Facebook and creators of its Oculus Rift to pay $500 million to gaming software firm ZeniMax in a lawsuit that claimed the virtual reality technology was stolen.

The Texas jury made the award in a trial in which Oculus was accused of basing its Rift headset on technology stolen from ZeniMax&#39;s virtual reality software, court documents showed.

The lawsuit claimed Oculus founder Palmer Luckey and his colleagues developed the virtual reality gear using source code illegally obtained from the gaming firm.

The jury dismissed the charge that Oculus stole or misappropriated trade secrets but found Oculus liable for copyright infringement and other violations.

Luckey was ordered to pay $50 million of the award and another former Oculus executive, Brendan Iribe $150 million. 
The two executives were accused of violating a non-disclosure agreement with ZeniMax and copying the source code and other documents on a USB storage device.

ZeniMax had sought $4 billion in damages in the case, in which Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg testified to defend his company.

ZeniMax pleased, Oculus appeals

Maryland-based ZeniMax said it was &quot;pleased&quot; about the award for &quot;unlawful infringement of our copyrights and trademarks, and for the violation of our non-disclosure agreement with Oculus pursuant to which we shared breakthrough VR technology that we had developed and that we exclusively own.&quot;

Robert Altman, ZeniMax&#39;s chairman and chief executive, said in the statement: &quot;Technology is the foundation of our business and we consider the theft of our intellectual property to be a serious matter.&quot;

In its statement, Oculus said: &quot;The heart of this case was about whether Oculus stole ZeniMax&#39;s trade secrets, and the jury found decisively in our favour.&quot;

Oculus said it plans to appeal the verdict and was &quot;undeterred&quot; in its efforts to bring virtual reality technology to consumers.

&quot;Our commitment to the long-term success of VR remains the same, and the entire team will continue the work they&#39;ve done since day one - developing VR technology that will transform the way people interact and communicate,&quot; the Oculus statement said.

&quot;We look forward to filing our appeal and eventually putting this litigation behind us.&quot;

Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014 for more than $2 billion and last year began selling the Rift headsets as part of the social network&#39;s push into virtual reality.

According to the ZeniMax allegations, the &nbsp;four founders of Oculus had no expertise or backgrounds in VR other than Palmer Luckey.

But ZeniMax said Luckey &quot;could not code the software that was the key to solving the issues of VR.&quot;

The ZeniMax statement added that &quot;we will consider what further steps we need to take to ensure there will be no ongoing use of our misappropriated technology, including by seeking an injunction to restrain Oculus and Facebook from their ongoing use of computer code that the jury found infringed Zenimax&#39;s copyrights.&quot;

The news came as Facebook was releasing its earnings for the fourth quarter.

Zuckerberg, in his opening statement to analysts, sad Facebook would &quot;keep making big investments in VR content, and I am excited about what is coming in 2017 from games to more immersive experiences.&quot;

(AFP)

Facebook's Oculus was accused of basing its Rift headset on technology stolen from ZeniMax's virtual reality software

A US jury ordered Facebook and creators of its Oculus Rift to pay $500 million to gaming software firm ZeniMax in a lawsuit that claimed the virtual reality technology was stolen. The Texas jury made the award in a trial in which Oculus was accused of basing its Rift headset on technology stolen from ZeniMax's virtual reality software, court documents showed. The lawsuit claimed Oculus founder Palmer Luckey and his colleagues developed the virtual reality gear using source code illegally obtained from the gaming firm. The jury dismissed the charge that Oculus stole or misappropriated trade secrets but found Oculus liable for copyright infringement and other violations. Luckey was ordered to pay $50 million of the award and another former Oculus executive, Brendan Iribe $150 million. The two executives were accused of violating a non-disclosure agreement with ZeniMax and copying the source code and other documents on a USB storage device. ZeniMax had sought $4 billion in damages in the case, in which Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg testified to defend his company. ZeniMax pleased, Oculus appeals Maryland-based ZeniMax said it was "pleased" about the award for "unlawful infringement of our copyrights and trademarks, and for the violation of our non-disclosure agreement with Oculus pursuant to which we shared breakthrough VR technology that we had developed and that we exclusively own." Robert Altman, ZeniMax's chairman and chief executive, said in the statement: "Technology is the foundation of our business and we consider the theft of our intellectual property to be a serious matter." In its statement, Oculus said: "The heart of this case was about whether Oculus stole ZeniMax's trade secrets, and the jury found decisively in our favour." Oculus said it plans to appeal the verdict and was "undeterred" in its efforts to bring virtual reality technology to consumers. "Our commitment to the long-term success of VR remains the same, and the entire team will continue the work they've done since day one - developing VR technology that will transform the way people interact and communicate," the Oculus statement said. "We look forward to filing our appeal and eventually putting this litigation behind us." Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014 for more than $2 billion and last year began selling the Rift headsets as part of the social network's push into virtual reality. According to the ZeniMax allegations, the four founders of Oculus had no expertise or backgrounds in VR other than Palmer Luckey. But ZeniMax said Luckey "could not code the software that was the key to solving the issues of VR." The ZeniMax statement added that "we will consider what further steps we need to take to ensure there will be no ongoing use of our misappropriated technology, including by seeking an injunction to restrain Oculus and Facebook from their ongoing use of computer code that the jury found infringed Zenimax's copyrights." The news came as Facebook was releasing its earnings for the fourth quarter. Zuckerberg, in his opening statement to analysts, sad Facebook would "keep making big investments in VR content, and I am excited about what is coming in 2017 from games to more immersive experiences." (AFP)

Facebook ordered to pay $500 million for stealing VR technology

Facebook has hired Hugo Barra, the most prominent global executive at Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, to lead its virtual reality business including the Oculus unit, said Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg.

The 32-year-old Facebook founder has spoken about virtual reality as an important part of the company&#39;s future business, especially as the technology becomes less expensive and its uses clearer. Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014, believing it to be the next major computing platform.

&quot;Hugo shares my belief that virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform. They&#39;ll enable us to experience completely new things,&quot; Zuckerberg said in a post on Facebook.

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Earlier this week, Barra said he was stepping down as Xiaomi&#39;s vice president after three-and-a-half-years, citing health concerns and a new job.

His exit comes at a time when Xiaomi is trying to adjust its strategy. The company pulled back from several overseas markets, including Singapore and Brazil, in 2016. It is increasing its offline retail presence and aims to develop artificial intelligence and internet finance as growth areas.

Barra, under whom Xiaomi was for a time China&#39;s best-selling brand, described his experience with the company as a &quot;spectacular&quot; journey, but said it was time to return home for a &quot;new adventure&quot;.

At Barra&#39;s instigation, Xiaomi made some overseas breakthroughs, notably in Southeast Asia, Russia, and especially India - where he achieved $1 billion in annual revenue.

Despite his efforts, Xiaomi still depends on the Chinese market for the overwhelming majority of its sales.

(WION with inputs from Agencies)

Facebook has hired Hugo Barra to lead its virtual reality business

Facebook has hired Hugo Barra, the most prominent global executive at Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, to lead its virtual reality business including the Oculus unit, said Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg. The 32-year-old Facebook founder has spoken about virtual reality as an important part of the company's future business, especially as the technology becomes less expensive and its uses clearer. Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014, believing it to be the next major computing platform. "Hugo shares my belief that virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform. They'll enable us to experience completely new things," Zuckerberg said in a post on Facebook. Earlier this week, Barra said he was stepping down as Xiaomi's vice president after three-and-a-half-years, citing health concerns and a new job. His exit comes at a time when Xiaomi is trying to adjust its strategy. The company pulled back from several overseas markets, including Singapore and Brazil, in 2016. It is increasing its offline retail presence and aims to develop artificial intelligence and internet finance as growth areas. Barra, under whom Xiaomi was for a time China's best-selling brand, described his experience with the company as a "spectacular" journey, but said it was time to return home for a "new adventure". At Barra's instigation, Xiaomi made some overseas breakthroughs, notably in Southeast Asia, Russia, and especially India - where he achieved $1 billion in annual revenue. Despite his efforts, Xiaomi still depends on the Chinese market for the overwhelming majority of its sales. (WION with inputs from Agencies)

Hugo Barra leaves Xiaomi to join Facebook

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the witness stand in Dallas federal court and denied an allegation by a rival company that the virtual-reality technology of Facebook&#39;s Oculus unit was stolen.

Zuckerberg, the founder of one of the world&#39;s largest companies, faced hours of tough, public questioning about where Oculus obtained its ideas and how much he knew about the startup when Facebook bought it for $2 billion.

A jury is hearing evidence in a civil lawsuit brought by videogame publisher ZeniMax Media against Oculus in 2014, in the middle of the Facebook-Oculus deal. ZeniMax said that Oculus unlawfully used its intellectual property to develop the virtual-reality system that includes the Rift headset.

During one heated exchange with ZeniMax lawyer Tony Sammi, Zuckerberg told a jury in the crowded courtroom that the technology was not even fully formed when Facebook bought it.

&quot;Improving on that technology doesn&#39;t make it yours,&quot; Sammi countered. &quot;If you steal my bike, paint it and put a bell on it, does that make it your bike?&quot;

Zuckerberg, wearing a dark suit and striped tie rather than his typical T-shirt and jeans, answered&nbsp;&quot;no&quot;, but then added: &quot;The idea that Oculus technology is based on someone else&#39;s is just wrong.&quot;

The 32-year-old Facebook founder has spoken about virtual reality as an important part of the company&#39;s future business, especially as the technology becomes less expensive and its uses clearer.

The Oculus acquisition was more expensive than the $2 billion price tag indicated, Zuckerberg said in court, describing $700 million spent to retain employees and $300 million in payouts for reaching milestones. Oculus originally wanted $4 billion, he said.

Sammi questioned whether Facebook knew what it was doing when it made the acquisition. Zuckerberg said the Oculus deal was done over a weekend in 2014, which Sammi said did not show sufficient due diligence. Zuckerberg said, though, in later testimony that Facebook researched Oculus for months.

At the time, Zuckerberg testified, he was not aware of any theft claims against Oculus.

&quot;It&#39;s pretty common when you announce a big deal that people just come out of the woodwork and claim they own some part of the deal,&quot; Zuckerberg said.

On the stand, he also gave details about Facebook&#39;s $22 billion purchase of messaging service WhatsApp in 2014. While the deal was in progress, another company he did not identify made a last-minute bid that was higher, Zuckerberg said, but WhatsApp declined because of its good relationship with Facebook.

The Oculus lawsuit, in the sixth day of a jury trial, relates in part to programmer John Carmack.

Well-known for helping to conceive games such as &quot;Quake&quot; and &quot;Doom&quot;, Carmack worked for id Software LLC before that company was acquired by ZeniMax. He is now the chief technology officer at Oculus.

Zuckerberg denied that Carmack has unfairly used computer code from his previous position. &quot;There is no shared code in what we do,&quot; he said.

Zuckerberg said he has been interested in virtual reality since he was a student, but thought it was decades away from happening before he encountered Oculus. He told jurors how he used virtual reality to capture his daughter&#39;s first steps, so her grandparents could experience it later.

&quot;We want to get closer to this kind of perfect representation, so you can capture a moment you had,&quot; he said.

(Reuters)

Zuckerberg testified that he was not aware of any theft claims against Oculus at the time of acquisition

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the witness stand in Dallas federal court and denied an allegation by a rival company that the virtual-reality technology of Facebook's Oculus unit was stolen. Zuckerberg, the founder of one of the world's largest companies, faced hours of tough, public questioning about where Oculus obtained its ideas and how much he knew about the startup when Facebook bought it for $2 billion. A jury is hearing evidence in a civil lawsuit brought by videogame publisher ZeniMax Media against Oculus in 2014, in the middle of the Facebook-Oculus deal. ZeniMax said that Oculus unlawfully used its intellectual property to develop the virtual-reality system that includes the Rift headset. During one heated exchange with ZeniMax lawyer Tony Sammi, Zuckerberg told a jury in the crowded courtroom that the technology was not even fully formed when Facebook bought it. "Improving on that technology doesn't make it yours," Sammi countered. "If you steal my bike, paint it and put a bell on it, does that make it your bike?" Zuckerberg, wearing a dark suit and striped tie rather than his typical T-shirt and jeans, answered "no", but then added: "The idea that Oculus technology is based on someone else's is just wrong." The 32-year-old Facebook founder has spoken about virtual reality as an important part of the company's future business, especially as the technology becomes less expensive and its uses clearer. The Oculus acquisition was more expensive than the $2 billion price tag indicated, Zuckerberg said in court, describing $700 million spent to retain employees and $300 million in payouts for reaching milestones. Oculus originally wanted $4 billion, he said. Sammi questioned whether Facebook knew what it was doing when it made the acquisition. Zuckerberg said the Oculus deal was done over a weekend in 2014, which Sammi said did not show sufficient due diligence. Zuckerberg said, though, in later testimony that Facebook researched Oculus for months. At the time, Zuckerberg testified, he was not aware of any theft claims against Oculus. "It's pretty common when you announce a big deal that people just come out of the woodwork and claim they own some part of the deal," Zuckerberg said. On the stand, he also gave details about Facebook's $22 billion purchase of messaging service WhatsApp in 2014. While the deal was in progress, another company he did not identify made a last-minute bid that was higher, Zuckerberg said, but WhatsApp declined because of its good relationship with Facebook. The Oculus lawsuit, in the sixth day of a jury trial, relates in part to programmer John Carmack. Well-known for helping to conceive games such as "Quake" and "Doom", Carmack worked for id Software LLC before that company was acquired by ZeniMax. He is now the chief technology officer at Oculus. Zuckerberg denied that Carmack has unfairly used computer code from his previous position. "There is no shared code in what we do," he said. Zuckerberg said he has been interested in virtual reality since he was a student, but thought it was decades away from happening before he encountered Oculus. He told jurors how he used virtual reality to capture his daughter's first steps, so her grandparents could experience it later. "We want to get closer to this kind of perfect representation, so you can capture a moment you had," he said. (Reuters)

Facebook's Zuckerberg questioned at trial over 'stolen' Oculus VR technology

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