PW3d Blog

Mixed Reality - Controller (Part 3)

Interacting with the virtual environment in MXR/VR systems requires some form of input device. Classical controllers like the XBox controller or other gamepads could also be used, but tracking controllers are much better suited to make full use of VR’s capabilities. These controllers can be recorded in space using various tracking methods (optical, infrared, gyroscopic, etc.) and thus also displayed in virtual reality. So you can e.g. display ...

Mixed Reality - What is InsideOut-Tracking (Part 2)

The Mixed Reality headsets are not only cheaper, easier to connect and set up than the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive, they also use a different method to perceive the environment and the controllers. This is also the reason why the setup is so much easier, because you don’t need any external sensors that need to be screwed to walls or ceilings or mounted on stands - the glasses do it all by themselves. This method is called "Inside-Out-Tracking": ...

Attention Please - New UWP App in the Microsoft Store

A colleague recently asked me about a "gong" app in the Microsoft Store and after some searching I came to the conclusion that there is indeed none in the store dedicated to exactly this one thing: simply and quickly play a sound that can also be used in an honest and serious environment to gain attention. Don’t get me wrong, some soundboards are available, but really an app that makes it easy, doesn’t display 500 sounds ...

Workaround helper for the PDF display problem in the current Windows 10 (m) build

UP­DATE: With the March update, the PDF bug has been fixed, but if someone still needs the fix, they can still access it. In the current build for Windows 10 (mobile) there is unfortunately an unfortunate bug with the display of PDF’s. Since PDF’s are now viewed directly via the Edge engine in the browser, it is difficult to display PDF’s on the Internet at the moment, you would have to download them first and then display ...

Mixed Reality - VR in the Windows 10 world (part 1)

Microsoft Mixed Reality is the VR and AR platform from Microsoft, including not only the HoloLens (Augented Reality Headset), which is currently too expensive for most private individuals, but also the Mixed Reality Headsets (Virtual Reality Headsets) based on the Microsoft platform. At the moment I know these Mixed Reality Headsets: Acer Mixed Reality Headset Asus Mixed Reality Headset HC 102 Dell Visor VR 118 HP MXR Headset VR-1000-100nn ...

PizzaMaker - New UWP game in the Microsoft Store

PizzaMaker is a new little game that turns you into a pizza baker, it’s all about delivering as many pizzas as possible without making too many mistakes, based on a Simpsons episode in which Homer gets his first "MyPad" and plays a game with a similar approach. I don’t want to give away much more here, but try it out, as they say :). So have fun with PizzaMaker! You can find the game here in the Microsoft Store for ...