Oculus, the maker of virtual reality headset Oculus Rift, has announced a new prototype called Crescent Bay, with new features.
At the Oculus Connect 2014 event, the company announced the next generation of its virtual reality headset with 360-degree head tracking, improved built-in audio, expanded positional tracking volume and improvements to the weight and ergonomic design of the device.
The expanded positional tracking built using RealSpace3D audio technology from Maryland University, will allow the device to detect the user"s motion, position and direction and adjust the sound output accordingly, using HRTF spatialization and integrated reverberation algorithms. This is a major improvement over previous headsets as they enable the user to move around freely.
The prototype will be released as the next version of Oculus Rift, once it is ready. According to Oculus, Crescent Bay is their best effort ever on the virtual reality front but still has a long way to go.
Additionally, Oculus announced its partnership with game engine developer Unity to make new VR experiences possible using the Unity engine in both free and pro versions. Samsung Gear VR which was co-developed with Oculus, will be able to access Oculus Platform which would enable expansion of VR tech using mobile apps and web browsers.
Source: Oculus | Image via Oculus