HMD Odyssey joins previously announced VR headsets and hand controllers from Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer and Asus to form the launch hardware line-up for Microsoft’s new Mixed Reality platform.

Unlike earlier PC-based VR kit, the new products are able to track their wearers’ movements in a room without requiring additional external sensors.

But experts have questioned whether the market will support so many brands.

Until now, HTC’s Vive and Facebook’s Oculus Rift have had most of the market in high-end PC-based VR headsets to themselves.

But the two firms had only sold a combined total of just over one million headsets by the end of June, according to SuperData Research.

Both have cut their prices in recent months in an attempt to stimulate demand.

By contrast, Samsung’s more basic Gear VR – which works with some of its smartphones – had sold more than eight million units, according to the same market research.

“VR is still a very youthful medium,” commented Kevin Joyce, editor-in-chief of the news site VR Focus.

“There’s a number of significant barriers to entry – price, lack of variety in software collections etc – all of which are slowly being addressed.

“But in the short term, I do think we’ll see some of the hardware manufacturers in the current race fall before the final hurdle [since some] will want a return on their investment sooner rather than later.”

Halo VR

Microsoft hosted an event in San Francisco to mark the release of a new version of Windows 10 on 17 October that supports new virtual and augmented reality capabilities.

Samsung’s headset was pitched as a premium way to experience VR, thanks to it featuring higher-resolution OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays than the other new kit. It also has a slightly wider field-of-view and integrated headphones.

However, its $499 (£425) price makes it more expensive and it will go on sale a month later in November.

Other announcements included:

• Microsoft has acquired AltSpaceVR, a virtual reality-based social media platform. It had announced its closure earlier in the year only to reverse the decision without explanation later
• the release of Halo Recruit, a “brief” VR experience set in the firm’s sci-fi video game world. It will be given away free later this month

Microsoft is also developing an AR-based headset that does not require a separate PC called the HoloLens. But a prototype sold to developers costs £2,719 and there was no update as to when it will get a mass-market release.

One industry-watcher suggested that consumers tempted to invest in Microsoft and its partners’ VR tech should wait a while before making a purchase.

“The launch of all of those head mounted displays will create a lot of competition and possibly price aggressiveness in this space in the coming holiday season,” Annette Zimmermann from the consultancy Gartner told the BBC.

“Until now all PC vendors were linking their high-end devices with Oculus or HTC headsets.

“With their own headsets available, it is likely that they will focus on promoting bundles with their own devices.”

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Source: BBC

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At a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, the MPs said the Speaker failed to bring the amendment being proposed by government to the House.

The NPP caucus said Mr. Adjoho, on his own forwarded the document to the Council of State without recourse to Parliament.

MP for Bekwai, Joe Osei-Owusu, who is also Chairman of Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Committee in an interview with Citi FM’s Parliamentary correspondent, Richard Dela Sky said the Speaker’s action ”is inappropriate.”

”… Parliament is not in session, the speaker is not a Member of Parliament and so that action that he is purporting to take on behalf of Parliament is inappropriate. The speaker acting alone does not have the constitutional power to initiate any law making process,” he said.

He went on to say that “the Speaker is not a Member of Parliament. To that extent, there is no legislative power vested in him, to act alone. Article 290 deals with the legislative process which any partition of the constitution may be amended.”

Mr. Osei-Owusu added that the speaker should have placed the matter before Parliament before it was forwarded to the Council of State.

He added that “the whole process of constitutional amendment is turning out to be nothing other than an executive review of the national constitution.”

Background

The Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) was created and constituted by the late President John Mills and on January 11, 2010, he inaugurated the Commission to review the 1992 Constitution.

The setting up of the CRC was criticized by some who thought the President was violating the constitution.

Nonetheless, the Commission went on to execute its duties by consulting sections of the general public and later proffered some possible amendments.

The executive arm of government reviewed the report by the CRC and later issued a white paper which rejected portions of the report.

A Constitutional Review Implementation Committee (CRIC) was set up to ensure that the amendments proffered by the CRC and that of the government white paper were effected.

The Attorney General was authorized by the President, John Mahama, to formulate the combined proposals from the CRC and the government white paper into a bill to be sent to Parliament for consideration and possible approval.

Click on link to read the full statement from the Minority

Minority statement on Doe Adjaho

By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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