More home buyers are turning to virtual and augmented reality to tour properties, leading experts to conclude that it's the "future of buying a home." Spurred by the pandemic, monthly views of 3D walkthroughs on Redfin.com rose 563% from February 2020 through January 2021, according to the real estate brokerage:

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• The same Redfin-commissioned survey found 63% of people who bought a home last year made an offer on a property that they hadn’t seen in person (called "sight unseen"), up from 32% a year earlier.
• People can use both VR and AR tools to tour and inspect properties remotely. These include interactive VR visits, where users select a program and choose where to move, and virtual guided visits by real-estate agents.
• VR is more immersive than AR, especially when wearing a headset or goggles. However, AR can work with most devices and appears more realistic using real-world imagery as the backdrop.

“Over video I’m able to show my buyers closeups of anything in the home and describe peculiar details they can’t experience in 3D walkthroughs or photographs – it’s like they are actually there with me.” –Redfin agent Mary Ellen Wisneski.

• Since the pandemic started, Manhattan Beach broker associate Barry Host saw a 50% surge in homebuyers who use VR software to tour homes. His iGUIDE takes users into a house using cameras, which can "recreate the exact dimensions and room measurements."
• Agents can also use AR/VR to stage homes, which typically boosts sales. Buyers can display their own furnishings in the home virtually. This is where AR technology like Ikea's furniture AR app comes into play.
• Examples of companies innovating in the space are VPiX, provider of 360° photographic and video tours; VR Listing, an immersive-tech real estate marketing firm; and EyeSpy360, which sells a platform for agents to record and upload interactive home tours using a VR camera.

CREAL showed off its light-field display – a more accurate way to display how we view light in the real world – in a new video. The raw, through-the-lens footage shows how the technology works in the Swiss manufacturer's latest VR headset prototype.

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• CREAL says its light-field display can focus both at long distances and have a high resolution up close, in the "foveated region."
• This could allow users to alter what appears focused in the environment, based on eye gaze.
• The video shows that the display's central area — the light-field portion — has notable clarity and sharpness that's now approaching retinal resolution, CREAL says.
• It's hoping to sell such technology to mass-market headset makers like Oculus and Sony, which could incorporate it into their devices that currently suffer from "less-than-clear visual fidelity."
• Fresh off a $7.2M funding round, the company is now adapting its tech for AR and working on minimizing the light-field display's size. It wants to incorporate the tech into a smaller, consumer-focused VR headset prototype by late 2022.

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VR GAMING NEWS:

• JoyWay is allowing Oculus Quest owners to sign up for beta testing of its Tutorial and Endless Modes of Mirror’s Edge-inspired game "Stride"
• Horror game "Layers of Fear VR" is coming to the PSVR on April 29.
• "Traffic Jams," which allows players to direct the flow of traffic, is out today for Quest and PC VR (PSVR coming soon). UploadVR's Jamie Feltham gave it three stars, noting its "excellent central mechanic" but less-than-stellar multiplayer.

WebAR development SaaS platform Vossle has launched, making it possible for businesses to create Web Augmented Reality (WebAR) campaigns in under one minute without needing to code. 

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• Highlights include:
  • The ability to "try on" the likes of glasses and more with AI-based face detection
  • The tool is cloud-based and doesn't involve app downloads
  • An analytics dashboard
  • It works on every mobile device
• Use cases include marketing campaigns, eCommerce product visualizations, education, interactive user manuals, and more.
• As a part of the launch, the tool is offering a 30-day free trial.

This story first appeared in our Inside NoCode newsletter. Read the full issue here.

Humble Bundle is selling eight VR titles in its latest bundle, which are redeemable on Steam. The VR-centric bundle is available until April 21, with proceeds going to charity.

Games:

• Spend $1 to unlock "Detached"
• Spend $14.77 to also unlock "Espire VR", "Star Trek: Bridge Crew", "Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality", and "Swords of Gurrah".
• Spend $15 to also get "Borderlands 2 VR", "Job Simulator", and "Sairento VR".

QUICK HITS:

• Keep these things in mind to ensure reliability and professionalism when connecting to a large, remote audience.*
• Apple and Epic have filed new court documents laying out arguments they plan to make in an upcoming trial over Apple's App Store fees.
• The Stevens Initiative awarded a $543K grant to Florida International University researchers, who will use it to create a VR experience that supports second language acquisition.
• The Air Force Global Strike Command’s innovation hub is seeking a mixed-reality training system for B-52 pilots to practice aerial refueling.
• Healthcare provider Bayhealth is testing virtual reality therapy to reduce stress among its COVID-19 caregivers.
• German startup Rehago developed a VR therapy program, compatible with Pico Interactive’s Neo 2 headsets, that helps stroke patients with partial paralysis improve their rehabilitation.
• You don’t need a PhD in molecular biology to understand the investment potential of this scientific breakthrough.*

*This is sponsored content.

Tweet of the Day: Environment artist @DmawXXX showed off new manga-inspired panels for his sim game, "Sushi Ben VR".