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💡 Recap of this week's top stories:
- Microsoft is acquiring the gaming company ZeniMax Media, whose Bethesda Game Studios developed "Fallout 4 VR," "Skyrim VR," and other virtual reality titles.
- Oculus Founder Palmer Luckey was among the investors in a $650k seed round for SideQuest.
- “The Messy Truth," a VR series intended to encourage empathy, won an Emmy for Outstanding Original Interactive Program.
- Sony has confirmed a new feature called Game Boost, which will improve the frame rate of certain PS4 and PS VR games on the PS5, making them smoother and faster.
- A University of Birmingham team created a VR reconstruction of the Mayflower to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the ship's sailing.
- Minecraft's PlayStation VR update is now available to download.
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Customers who pre-ordered a HP Reverb G2 can expect the headset to arrive as early as November. Any new orders placed as of yesterday will arrive in early December. The $600 Windows Mixed Reality headset, which claims the highest resolution of any major headset, comes from HP, Valve, and Microsoft.
More:
- HP says pre-orders will be prioritized for the time and date they were made with channel partners.
- The Reverb G2 has four cameras, a Valve Index audio system, an IPD fitting adjustment, Valve-designed lenses, and 2K by 2K resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate.
- Since introducing the headset in May, the company tweaked the headset further. It improved the lenses for better clarity and reduction of Fresnel ring reflections. The controllers' menu button now has a convex shape so it’s easier to tell apart from the Windows’ button.
- HP says shipments will include a full-size to mini display port adapter and a USB-C to USB-A adapter. After improving the display's low persistence, the headset's power adapter will have to be plugged into a wall outlet.
- Beth's take: It'll be interesting to see how the Reverb G2 compares to the Oculus Quest 2, which will have an experimental 90Hz mode on top of its 72Hz default. Facebook's headset will start shipping next month.
WINDOWS CENTRAL
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Rebellion's "Sniper Elite VR" will launch on the Oculus Quest, the developer has confirmed. Rebellion co-founder Jason Kingsley shared the latest trailer and seven things that users should know about the game, which is listed as "coming soon" for Oculus, Steam, and PSVR.
- It'll be the first exclusively first-person entry in the "Sniper Elite" series.
- The VR game will live up to the "high standards" of the series, known for its realistic sniping.
- The PSVR version will be playable with PSVR Aim, PS Move, and DualShock controllers.
- It will have free movement and teleport movement options.
- Its full single-player campaign, set during WWII, has 18 missions across different backdrops and scenarios.
- Gamers can use sound masking, set traps, create distractions, and do stealth and melee kills, in line with the series' core gameplay.
- The x-ray "Kill Cam" has been adapted for VR.

PLAYSTATION BLOG
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The next 2-3 years will be "major" for VR creations, according to Japanese video game designer Hideo Kojima. The "Metal Gear Solid" and "Death Stranding" creator spoke highly of VR's future in the new documentary, "From Bedrooms To Billions: The PlayStation Revolution."
More:
- While Kojima has yet to create any VR titles, he talked about Sony's work in VR and said the medium "will be a major shift" to future gaming.
- Kojima, whose "Death Stranding" was released on PS4 almost a year ago, was also a jury member for this month’s Venice VR Festival, which could indicate his future ambitions in VR.
- The documentary, from Nicola Caulfield and Anthony Caulfield, covers the development, marketing, and release of Sony’s first console.
- In the film, Sony President and CEO Jim Ryan said VR remains an "unproven space" as developers come to terms with what makes a great VR experience, though he said Sony is "really intrigued and really excited about it."
UPLOADVR
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Sony filed a patent for what appears to be its next VR controller, most likely for the PSVR 2. The finger-freeing controller appears to support inside-out tracking, eliminating the need for an external camera, and differs greatly from the PSVR's current PlayStation Move wands.
More:
- Like Valve Index's controllers, there's an analog stick on both controllers' faces, a tight grip, and an outer ring around the hand, freeing the user's hands to allow individual finger-tracking.
- Diagrams show inside-out tracking, meaning the headset and a sensor within the controllers will handle tracking.
- There are two face buttons and two smaller buttons, but overall fewer buttons than the original Move controllers, which raises questions about how they could accommodate PS4 VR games.
- Sony's PS5 will launch in November and support the original PSVR.
UPLOADVR
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XRHealth launched a VR therapy app for people with ADHD. The app is focused on improving a user's attention, impulsivity, and more complex thinking functions, such as executing daily tasks.
More:
- A new FDA policy allows clinicians to prescribe VR therapy for patients with ADHD during the pandemic. XRHealth's app can be an adjunct to outpatient treatment, the company says.
- The app relies on cognitive principles to help facilitate brain plasticity, when the brain restructures itself to overcome challenges.
- People interested in the app can ask their insurance to cover XRHealth’s VR Telehealth Kit, which includes Pico’s Neo 2 headset.
- The app could expand to additional hardware in the future.

VENTUREBEAT
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Tweet of the Day: VR artist and 3D animator Rosie Summers shared what made her fall in love with VR.

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Beth Duckett is a former news and investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic, who has written for USA Today, American Art Collector, and other publications. A graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, she won a First Amendment Award and a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her original reporting on problems within Arizona's pension systems.
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Editor
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Sheena Vasani is a journalist and UC Berkeley, Dev Bootcamp, and Thinkful alumna who writes Inside Dev and Inside NoCode.
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