Busch Gardens now houses an amazing VR setup

I take worn a lot of different HTC Vive headsets. I enjoy the design, but setting the headset up the first time and then it fits you lot just right can be a little on the wearisome side. Which is one of several reasons I was a little uncertain when I heard Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia was going to exist filling a room full of many Vive headsets for its latest attraction, Battle for Eire. If the headset takes a while to gear up, information technology ways getting people on and off the ride is going to take longer than well-nigh other rides in a theme park. Longer wait times seldom translate to a totally positive experience, which could have meant this new VR-based feel was short-lived.

Fortunately for everyone involved, a unique new head strap was congenital for this version of the Vive to make getting the headset on and off incredibly shine and fast. In fact, it's and so well done I would happily purchase this equally a mod for my Vive at home.

What you see hither is really 2 carve up pieces which come together to course a fairly standard-looking VR headset design. The front end is all HTC Vive, same every bit you can purchase in a shop. The back, where the green plastic the ride refers to as the "Emerald Mask" sits, is actually a totally split piece. When you lot queue upwardly for the ride, y'all option upward the Emerald Mask from one of the racks. While you lot wait in line you lot fit information technology to your head and make sure it's comfortable. Then, when you take a seat on the ride, the Vive part of the headset is in a dock next to your caput. To connect the two pieces, all you demand to practise is touch the two halves together.

Three powerful magnets connect to the steel circles on the front end of the Emerald Mask, and every bit soon every bit you hear that click the headset feels firmly attached. When I shook the headset back and forth it felt as stable equally whatever other HTC Vive I've worn, which was incredible. This ride is a seated feel, so in that location wasn't a lot of opportunities to get upward and spin around, but when the ride was over I needed to pull with a fair bit of forcefulness to disconnect the 2 halves. As I left the room, there was a place to put the Emerald Mask office of the headset for cleaning. According to Busch Gardens VP or Engineering Larry Giles, this office of the headset is sterilized in much the same manner a set of 3D spectacles for some of their other attractions is cleaned before returning to the rack.

This head strap is the result of well-nigh 2 years of testing beyond 10 headset revisions.

When asked how this design came to exist I was introduced to Mark Stepanian, Director of Technical Services at Dreamcraft Attractions. According to Mark, this head strap is the result of well-nigh two years of testing across 10 headset revisions. The goal was to brand the headset lightweight, easy to take on and off, and fit as many different head sizes every bit possible. The resulting strap can be hands adjusted to grade a overnice grip on your occipital bone to aid residual the weight, which is surprisingly like to the design HTC is now using in the HTC Vive Pro and HTC Vive Focus headsets. The fairly minimalist padding is the consequence of the material needing to survive the intensely hot sterilization machine used at Busch Gardens, just even with such a minor padded area, the headset was more than comfortable enough to handle the ride.

Battle for Eire will open at Busch Gardens Williamsburg sometime in April, and if you're a VR fan it's worth going just to meet how neat this headset strap is. Merely but in instance yous need a little more than, the ride itself is too pretty great.

New report reveals Microsoft's future AR strategy; HoloLens 3 is dead

Oh Dear

New study reveals Microsoft'south future AR strategy; HoloLens three is dead

Business Insider has today published a follow-up written report with more details about Microsoft's canceled HoloLens 3 augmented reality headset. The partnership with Samsung is said to include a headset with a prepare of screens inside, powered by a Samsung phone in your pocket.

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Starting at just $250, Microsoft's start foray into affordable laptops for the education marketplace is a winner. With a gorgeous blueprint, excellent thermals, and a fantastic typing experience, Microsoft would do right to sell this directly to consumers also. Permit'due south just promise Intel can make a ameliorate CPU.