Latest education updates from around the world

Out Now, New ‘Beat Saber’ Music Pack is Also a Final Farewell to Quest 1

By |June 5, 2024|

The original Quest headset, launched in 2019, has been on its way out for quite some time. Now it’s getting a final farewell from Beat Saber, as the game’s new OST 7 music pack is the last that will reach the headset.

Beat Saber’s newest free music pack, OST 7, is available now on all platforms (though temporarily delayed on PS4). The pack brings with it five new tracks:

F.O.O.L — “Damage”
Camellia — “Lustre”
Teminite x Boom Kitty — “The Master”
Lindsey Stirling — “Untamed”
Nitro Fun — “World Wide Web”

It also includes a newly upgraded background visuals:

OST7 comes with […]

Watch 9 Minutes of ‘Behemoth’ Gameplay, Including New Look at Combat, Enemies, Locomotion & More

By |June 4, 2024|

Skydance Interactive, the studio behind The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners franchise, is getting the hype train fueled for its next big single-player VR game, Skydance’s BEHEMOTH, which promises to bring a bevy of immersive melee combat and epic adventuring to all major VR headsets later this year.

We haven’t gone hands-on yet, although we got an early look at an extended gameplay session from a vertical slice, which takes you to the first gigantic boss—your first Behemoth of many.

We also got a chance to speak to Shawn Kittelsen, Vice President of Creative for the game, where we learned a bunch of new […]

Solar-Powered Schools: What You Need to Know

By |June 4, 2024|

Thousands of schools across the U.S. have saved money by installing solar panels. The process can involve little to no upfront costs and often results in significant cost savings for the school or district.

Meta Connect 2024 Developer Conference Announced for Late September: What We’re Hoping For

By |June 4, 2024|

Meta announced its annual Connect developer conference is set to kick off this year on September 25th-26th, which we’re hoping comes with a few key reveals and info drops we’ve definitely been waiting for.

There’s no schedule published for now, only a sign-up portal for future updates, which the company says could include “previews of our speakers, sessions and featured tech.” There’s likely set to be an in-person element for a select few, and a bunch of livestreams for everyone else to tune in to.

Historically, Meta typically does its big hardware showcases at Connect, which gives it […]

Nearing Launch, Somnium VR1 Headset Partner With Maker of Unique Finger-sensing VR Controllers

By |June 3, 2024|

Somnium Space, makers of the upcoming Somnium VR1 PC VR headset, announced it’s partnering with TG0, the team behind the unique finger-tracking motion ‘etee controller’ that launched out of Kickstarter in 2020.

The companies announced they’re are releasing a hardware bundle deal featuring both the Somnium VR1 headset and the etee controllers from TG0.

Customers who reserve a Somnium VR1 headset, starting at €1,900 (~$2,060 USD), will receive a 20% discount code for a pair of SteamVR-tracked etee controllers, which are typically priced at $492.

The controllers feature full finger-tracking​ and […]

Edtech Show & Tell: June 2024

By |June 3, 2024|

New edtech products that have caught our attention this month

AllHere Ed: How to Use It to Teach

By |June 3, 2024|

AllHere Ed is an AI-powered app that’s winning awards for a reason, and this is what you need to know

Best Printers for Schools

By |June 3, 2024|

Get the best printers for schools to serve your needs class and district wide

The Name of Meta’s Next Quest Headset Likely Confirmed by Leak

By |May 31, 2024|

It was revealed in early 2023 that Meta was internally cooking up a new Quest headset to ship 2024, which the company mentioned it hoped would make the platform more accessible to consumers. Now, the naming scheme ‘Quest 3S’ has appeared in a recent app listing, seemingly confirming previous rumors of Meta’s next headset.

As seen in the Quest Store listing for XR fitness app Alo Moves XR, the name ‘Quest 3S’ has appeared, which ostensibly points to the company’s next headset.

Whether this is supposed to be that ‘more accessible’ (re: cheaper) headset in question […]

Off-roading Simulator ‘MudRunner’ Comes to Quest in Brand New VR Spin-off, Trailer Here

By |May 31, 2024|

Saber Interactive, the studio behind hit off-roading simulator MudRunner (2017), released a VR take on the game that brings a more immersive slice of the original’s action to Quest for the first time.

MudRunner VR isn’t a 1:1 port as such, instead bringing a brand new adventure which includes new vehicles, missions, maps, and game physics too, letting you play completely in first-person, replete with knobs, steering wheel, and a tablet which you can use for navigation.

The single-player VR game includes all of the muck-inducing weather and boggy terrain too, challenging you to traverse treacherous mud, fierce rivers, rocky paths, and […]

Two of the Year’s Most Anticipated VR Games Show First Looks at Gameplay

By |May 31, 2024|

Two anticipated VR games, Behemoth and Alien: Rogue Incursion, showed their first glimpse of gameplay during PlayStation’s State of Play presentation today. Both are set to launch across all major VR platforms later this year.

Behemoth First Look at VR Gameplay

Kicking things off with Behemoth: this is the latest game from developer Skydance Interactive, the studio behind The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners series.

Behemoth is due out “Fall” 2024, and coming to PSVR 2, PC VR, and Quest (Skydance hasn’t confirmed exactly which Quest headsets the game will support, so the aging Quest 2 remains in question).

Over at the PlayStation Blog, […]

Google Partners With Magic Leap to Secure Key Tech for AR Headsets

By |May 31, 2024|

Google and Magic Leap today announced a “strategic technology partnership.” The move shows Google seeking to gain ground to keep up with the likes of Meta, Apple, and others in a race to control the AR headset market.

While consume VR headsets have been around for years now, none of the world’s major technology companies have launched consumer-focused AR glasses.

But behind the scenes, companies like Meta, Apple, and Google are racing each other toward that future—one they hope will see all-day AR glasses become as big as the smartphone.

Google has had several starts and stops in the XR […]

Fantasy Crafting Game ‘BlackForge: A Smithing Adventure’ Lands on Quest & PC VR Next Month, Trailer Here

By |May 31, 2024|

Indie studio ManaBrigade and publisher Fast Travel Games today announced that BlackForge: A Smithing Adventure, a fantasy VR blacksmithing game, is coming to Quest and PC VR headsets next month.

The game, which is described as a “cosy, fantasy crafting experience” is set to launch on Quest 2/3/Pro and SteamVR headsets on June 13th, priced at $20.

Here’s how ManaBrigade describes the game:

BlackForge: A Smithing Adventure is a wholesome and deceptively skillful VR smithing game in which players have the chance to run their very own forge. Using realistic VR interactions, they’ll sculpt and shape metal, weld […]

Sci-Fi Shooter ‘Guardians Frontline’ Gets New Update Featuring a Massive Queen Size Enemy

By |May 30, 2024|

VirtualAge and Fast Travel Games today launched a new update for sci-fi shooter Guardians Frontline (2023), which brings a gigantic new enemy type to the co-op and single-player game alongside a number of new features.

Called ‘The Queen Update’, starting today players on Quest and SteamVR will get a chance to go face-to-face with a supersize enemy, simply called ‘the Queen’.

We’re told her weak points should be targeted for a quick death (head and tail). Anything else, and it will take “considerably longer” to dispatch the massive foe, VirtualAge says.

 

The update, which is free across all supported platforms, also […]

Sightful Unveils ‘Spacetop G1’ Headless AR Workstation, Aiming to Best the Rest in Battery Life

By |May 30, 2024|

Fresh out of stealth last year, AR workstation startup Sightful today unveiled Spacetop G1, which promises to let you work in AR for up to seven hours before needing a recharge.

Initially revealed last year alongside the announcement the company had secured $61 million in funding, Sightful’s ‘headless AR laptop’ concept is pretty straightforward: headsets like Meta Quest 3 or Apple Vision Pro only have two to three hours of battery life, and need a keyboard anyway for reliable text input, so why not optimize a dedicated laptop to use a lightweight pair of AR glasses?

Enter […]

5 ways teaching science with probeware promotes 3D learning

By |May 30, 2024|

This blog post originally appeared on Vernier’s blog and is reposted with permission.

Key points:

Probeware helps connect students to in-depth learning opportunities

Black students need more STEM career exposure

5 helpful hacks for managing a STEM classroom

For more news on science learning, visit eSN’s STEM & STEAM hub

Are you looking for effective ways to integrate three-dimensional learning into your science classroom? Our most recent white paper, Exploring the Data: A Comprehensive Review of Research on Probeware and Three-Dimensional Teaching, explores the latest research that highlights how probeware supports active, student-driven learning.

Probeware can play […]

Hands-on: Marvel ‘What If…?’ Foreshadows the Possibilities & Pitfalls of VR Games on Vision Pro

By |May 30, 2024|

The Marvel What If…? experience is set to launch tomorrow exclusively on Vision Pro. We got an early look at the experience and found a polished presentation that foreshadows the possibilities and pitfalls of immersive VR games on the headset.

Marvel’s What If…? on Vision Pro is being described as an “interactive Disney+ Original story.” And while it isn’t meant to be a full-blown VR game, it’s the headset’s biggest fully immersive production to date—most other native ‘games’ on the headset feel a lot like board games that float in front of you.

In What If…? players experience a narrative blended with casual […]

Sony Certifies PSVR 2 Hardware Adapter as It Makes Way for Official PC VR Support

By |May 29, 2024|

Sony said earlier this year it was bringing PC VR support to PSVR 2, and while we still don’t know when that’s set to arrive, it appears the company is nearing the final steps thanks to a certification with the competent certifying authority in South Korea.

As reported by tech analyst and YouTuber Brad ‘SadlyItsBradley’ Lynch, Sony has certified the ‘PlayStation VR2 PC Adapter’ with South Korea’s National Radio Research Agency, which is tasked with certifying and controlling all things radio-related in that country.

Sony is certifying an adapter to allow PSVR2 hardware to work on PCs

Varjo to Shutter XR Cloud Streaming Platform ‘Reality Cloud’ Next Month

By |May 29, 2024|

Varjo, the Finland-based creator of high-end XR headsets, says its pulling the plug on its cloud XR streaming platform ‘Reality Cloud’, which lets professionals stream and share immersive 3D content rendered on cloud-based GPUs.

It was only a month ago when Varjo announced it was bringing Quest 3 and Quest Pro support to Reality Cloud, in effect making them the first non-Varjo standalone XR devices to use the subscription-based cloud rendering and streaming service.

Now, in a statement obtained by Mixed, Varjo says it’s pulling the plug come June 2024:

While we continue to explore ways […]

Meta’s Biggest Quest Game Finally Gets Graphics Update Worthy of Quest 3

By |May 29, 2024|

Asgard’s Wrath 2 is easily Meta’s biggest first-party Quest game to date. But when it launched almost six months ago it was clear it hadn’t been optimized for Quest 3, the company’s flagship headset. A newly released update finally changes that.

The Update

Asgard’s Wrath 2 finally got a meaty Quest 3 graphics update today. The latest version of the game, v5.0.1535650, brings several gigabytes worth of enhanced textures and shaders that make better use of Quest 3’s impressive resolution.

After downloading the upgrade, players can enable the improved assets by going to Settings → User Interface → Enhanced Rendering Features.

While this setting […]