- Facebook (FB -1%) has acquired Two Big Ears, a developer of software/technology for creating spatial audio for VR content and 3D audio for games. Terms are undisclosed.
- Two Big Ears is now making its authoring tools, encoder, and rendering engine for "cinematic VR and 360 [degree] video" free. On the other hand, it's no longer offering its 3D game audio solution, but will instead work "with the Oculus team to combine our expertise and create best in class VR audio."
- Oculus, less than two months removed from beginning shipments of its first commercial Rift headset - it costs $599, and needs to be paired with a PC sporting a powerful graphics card - is often seen as having an early hardware and software technology lead. But there's plenty of competition: HTC recently began shipping its Vive VR headset, and Sony's PlayStation VR headset (works with the PS4) will ship later this year. And last week, Google unveiled its Daydream VR platform, which will work with compatible Android phones and compete with Samsung/Oculus' $99 Gear VR headset (less powerful than the Rift).
- In 2014, Oculus bought Nimble VR, a startup working on skeletal hand-tracking solutions, as well as 13th Lab, a startup working on technology to acquire and reconstruct 3D models in real-time.