virtual reality

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03 Nov: Teens take a swing at VR with demo from Best Buy, Minnesota Twins

About 30 youth at a Best Buy Teen Tech Center in Minneapolis recently got a behind-the-headset look at how virtual reality (VR) and professional baseball can work together.

The Minnesota Twins and REM5, a Minneapolis-based immersive technology company, stopped by the Teen Tech Center at the Brian Coyle Community Center to give VR demos with a program that simulates real-life jobs.

They also showed off their recent project, Twins XR: The Art of Baseball, an immersive, 3D experience that showcases digital art and player highlights.

Quest + Rift S

30 Apr: Preorder Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift S at Best Buy Now

The latest in virtual reality is so close you can almost touch it.

Today, Oculus announced that its two newest VR devices, Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S, will be available to purchase starting May 21.

Oculus Quest is the company’s first all-in-one VR gaming system that’s both powerful and portable. The cutting-edge system delivers a truly untethered VR experience without wires or the need to connect to a PC, allowing you to pick up and play almost anywhere.

For those with a Windows 10 PC and a PC gaming graphics card, Oculus Rift S gets you into the most immersive content VR has to offer, with improved optics and a higher-resolution display.

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07 Jan: ‘Technology is really what we need to help us succeed’ [VIDEO]

Students from the Best Buy Teen Tech Center in Chicago are getting their hands on virtual reality tech and the possibilities it holds for the future.

A partnership among Best Buy, Facebook and Oculus is helping to make VR technology real for Chicago youth. It’s part of Best Buy’s commitment to enrich lives through technology. Together with our partners, we’re building brighter futures for teens around the country.

“Technology opens up more opportunities for people,” said Nicolas, a Teen Tech Center student.

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17 Oct: Virtual Reality: New Products, New Demos and a Lot to be Excited About

Virtual reality was all the buzz last year. And there’s even more to be excited about lately with new products, lower prices and more games and entertainment than ever before.

Still, you might have questions. Do I need a computer or a phone? And if so, what kind? What do the games, movies, and experiences allow me to do?

Well, Best Buy has answers. Better yet, a visit to your local store lets you experience it all through hands-on demos. (We’ve held more than 500,000 VR demos in our stores, so we know a thing or two.)

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11 Oct: Oculus Touch Demos coming to Best Buy stores

You’ve looked into the future. Now you can Touch it.

Starting this week, Best Buy is one of the first retailers where you can try out the new Oculus Touch controllers with its Rift virtual reality headset.

Oculus revealed details of its new Touch controllers last week. The hand-held devices help bring your real hands into virtual environments by allowing you to make gestures and finger movements. It provides you with a more realistic VR experience.

Hundreds of Best Buy stores have been hosting demos of Oculus Rift since May.

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27 Jun: With VR, Students Explore the World Without Ever Leaving the Classroom

For most students, a field trip to the Galápagos Islands, Antarctica or Machu Picchu isn’t likely to happen. With virtual reality, though, the classroom can be the starting point for exploration of the world’s wonders

In addition to immersive gaming experiences, VR technology enables people to watch surgeries and scale mountains. Now, Best Buy Education, a division of Best Buy that helps schools with technology needs, and Google for Education are teaming up. They’re offering kits to make VR easy in the classroom.

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16 May: Customers Try Oculus Rift for the First Time: ‘It’s Incredible to See’

Last week, Aaron Neuhouser climbed the steep face of a Himalayan mountain for an incredible view — and he did so without ever taking his feet off the ground or leaving the United States.

You see, Aaron wasn’t actually on a mountain. He was virtually on a mountain.

Aaron was at the Best Buy store at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, where he had an opportunity to experience the highly anticipated Oculus Rift virtual reality headset for the first time.

Best Buy-Rift

02 May: Best Buy’s the First U.S. Retailer to Offer Oculus Rift VR Demos

It’s one of this year’s most talked about products, and now you can see for yourself what all the excitement is about. The highly anticipated Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is coming to select Best Buy stores.

Best Buy is the first and only U.S. retailer where customers can try out Rift headsets in stores. Starting Saturday, May 7, we’ll have free in-store demos at The Intel Experience inside 48 Best Buy stores across the nation. Oculus Rift demos will be coming to additional Best Buy stores throughout the year, starting this summer.

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16 Feb: With Oculus Rift Ready Now For Pre-Order, Here’s a VR Primer

The buzz is no longer virtual: Oculus Rift, the highly anticipated virtual reality system, is available for pre-order today on BestBuy.com.

Virtual reality, or VR, is a new technology that allows users to immerse themselves in lifelike locations — like a packed concert or the depths of the ocean — using a headset that’s paired with a PC, smartphone or other device. The technology lets you live in your favorite video game or even virtually “hang out” with friends from the comfort of your own home.

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09 Feb: Pre-Order Oculus Rift Virtual Reality System at Best Buy

Ever wanted to feel like you were in your favorite video game or jump over to a destination on the other side of the world? Well, virtual reality, or VR, is your way in, and you won’t have to wait much longer to make it happen.

On Feb. 16, Best Buy will begin to offer pre-orders for the Oculus Rift headset, the latest in virtual reality technology, with a select gaming PC optimized to work with the device. The headset should be available later this spring.

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09 Jan: Virtual Reality Is About to Get Real in 2016

You don’t need a high-tech headset to see that 2016 will be the year that virtual reality (VR) goes mainstream.

The technology — which allows users to immerse themselves in lifelike locales, such as a packed concert or the depths of the ocean — has a major presence at CES 2016 this week. There are more than 40 exhibitors in the show’s Gaming & Virtual Reality Marketplace, which is 77 percent larger than a year ago.

Virtual reality first became available to consumers last year with the Samsung Gear VR (yes, Best Buy already has it).

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31 Dec: Best Buy at CES: Watching Trends, Eyeing Tech’s Future

CES 2016 kicks off Jan. 6 in Las Vegas, with more than 170,000 people coming from around the world to see the latest and greatest in consumer electronics — from TVs and smart home devices to 3-D printing and autonomous cars.

Best Buy will be there, as it is every year, to meet with tech manufacturers and check out the coolest new products about to hit the market. We also have a team of people who will be scouring CES 2016 to find the emerging technology that‘s still years away from landing on our shelves.