[This brief story from Venture Beat describes a novel application of presence; the fact that the content users experience is created in the same (or at least a similar) physical space may heighten the illusion. –Matthew] VR Bangers and AuraVisor to offer adult virtual reality content in hotel rooms Dean Takahashi April 18, 2016 Virtual reality porn company VR Bangers has partnered with headset manufacturer AuraVisor to offer a headset preloaded with adult content in hotel rooms. The headset will combine AuraVisor’s wireless VR headset technology with VR Banger’s “immersive porn.” It will initially be available in Las Vegas hotels,…

[This story about the Ossic X 3D headphones includes first-person descriptions of the “real-life” sound the device produces; it’s from Tech Insider, where it includes more images. In coverage by Wareable, Ossic a quote from co-founder and CEO Jason Riggs explicitly refers to presence: “Accurate 3D sound is going to be key. You don’t want to break the sense of presence, or break the illusion. The sounds that are coming from outside your FOV (field-of-view), will make you turn and look at them – and when you do, you want to turn and know exactly what and where it is.…

[This story from The Stack describes a new IMAX venture that combines its presence-evoking film presentation technology with the group cycling experience. The original story includes a 4:31 minute video report from the program CBS This Morning. More information is available from the press release and the IMAXShift website, which features this promotional text: “Let The IMAX Experience® change the way you think about fitness. Crystal clear audio surrounds you as sharp, hyperreal visuals suck you into the massive screen. A unique ride that leaves you breathless before you even break a sweat.” –Matthew] IMAX launches IMAXShift, a virtual cycling…

[Even though most people won’t see Ang Lee’s new film in 3D, 4K resolution and 120 frames per second, this presentation is said to be historic and a glimpse into the possible future of cinema, and it clearly involves (tele)presence. As reported by Variety, the people who attended said it was “as though I was there,” it provided an “almost VR-like sense of presence,” “it was literally as if you were there,” and was “as immersive and involving an image play as I’ve ever seen.” Coverage in The Verge includes the assessment that “It truly was more like looking through…

[Most presence experiences are meant to be positive, or at least neutral; this one is purposely unpleasant. Unfortunately I know well that not replicating the pain of a migraine means the presence experience is a limited replication, but it can still be quite useful. Both stories below are from the New York Daily News; the first one features Excedrin’s 2:07 minute video and additional pictures. Excedrin’s press release is available via PR Newswire. And coverage by Chip Chick provides this detail: “Excedrin had a custom rig drawn up that combines augmented reality and virtual reality to get people to see…

[Reading an analysis of an issue or description of an experience is fundamentally different than the VR-evoked sense of having the experience. This first-person report of a VR simulation of harassment at a Planned Parenthood clinic is from Broadly; a link to a 7:12 minute navigable video version is provided at the end below. For an interview with Dawn Laguens, executive producer of Across the Line and executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Nonny de la Peña, co-creator of Across the Line, see coverage from Democracy Now. –Matthew] Planned Parenthood’s New Virtual Reality Video Simulates Clinic…