VRScout Report Podcast
Listen To This Week’s Episode
The VRScout Report is a weekly podcast discussing the best in VR & AR, hosted by Malia Probst.
Past VRScout Podcast Episodes
Episode 104
Episode 104 – In this week’s episode we talk with Tenderclaws’ co-founder and game lead, Samantha Gorman, about their upcoming project, TendAR, which includes an AR pet fish that uses computer vision to feed on people’s emotions and the world around it. We discuss how Gorman overcomes AR obstacles by strategizing how to make players return to their app and how they are gamifying short play sessions into a long-form AR narrative.
Episode 103
Episode 103 – This week we interviewed Ray Soto, director of emerging tech at USA Today and former associate art director at EA. We discussed how their team expand interactive VR and create a cross platform distribution system documenting editorial stories. Ray Soto walks us through how their team captures locations volumetrically featuring LightR, what their workflow is like, and how they explored new ways of creating content.
Episode 102
Episode 102 – In this week’s episode we talk with London-based technologist and conceptual artist Rachel Ara, creator of the Transubstantiation of Knowledge. The augmented reality art was part of a larger installation at the V&A Research Institute, a site-specific mixed-reality work which explored the hidden stories behind the Santa Chiara Chapel in the museum’s Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.
Episode 101
Episode 101 – We make a fun return to the studio this week where host Malia Probst is joined by a room full of Scouts– Jonathan, Kyle, and Andy. We talk all things OC5, the *just* announced Oculus Quest, and first impressions of the highly-anticipated Two Bit Circus– an immersive funhouse in downtown Los Angeles. Join us to listen to details of hands-on experience with the Oculus Quest– the next VR gamechanger!
Episode 100
Episode 100 – This week’s episode we feature Jake Sally (Director of Immersive Development at RYOT), Evette Vargas (CEO of Digital-Reign, Creator/Executive Producer of TV, Film, and Immersive Storytelling), and Jonny Ahdout (Director of Development at Within) in a live recording of our panel discussion at VRScout.
Episode 99
Episode 99 – We traveled to the newly-opened Metastage production studio in LA to talk all things holograms, humans, and 3D with Christina Heller, CEO of Metastage. We discuss how to capture volumetrically and how the resulting 3D assets can be used– from VR to AR to traditional entertainment and video games. Our host, Malia Probst, gets the full volumetric experience herself and turns into a hologram by the end of the show.
Episode 98
Episode 98 – This week’s episode is a live recording from our panel discussion about how immersive tech has been a game changer in the hands of architects, realtors and engineers. We feature Tyson Woeste (Co-founder and CEO of Transported), Cody Nowak (Founder of DisruptAEC), Julie Clementi (Partner at Rios Clementi Hale Studios, CEO of notNuetral), Güvenç Özel (Technology Director at IDEAS UCLA), and Megan Lubaszka (Regional Creative Media Leader at Gensler). Our moderator, Zeynep Abes, leads our discussion on what it’s like to integrate immersive tech into our panelists’ workflow and how communication from architect to client via AR/VR fulfill expectations when it comes to visualizations.
Episode 97
Episode 97 – This week’s episode is a live recording from our panel discussion all about gaming, arcades, and location-based entertainment (LBE) in immersive tech and features Joanna Popper (Global Head of Virtual Reality for Location Based Entertainment at HP), Brent Bushnell (CEO/ Co-Founder of Two Bit Circus), and Sally Slade (Lead Developer at Magnopus).
Episode 96
Episode 96 – This week’s episode we talk with StoryUP CEO Sarah Hill about how positivity-focused immersive content affects your brain, and we’re joined by strategic partner and cofounder Dr. Jeff Tarrant, who is also the Director of the NeuroMeditation Institute. We talk about StoryUP’s platform Healium (the world’s first mobile VR/AR product controlled by a brain computer interface), traditional neurofeedback modalities, humanity’s current transition from storytelling to story living, what your brain looks like on empathy, our potential therapeutic future, and more!
Episode 95
Episode 95 – This week’s episode is a live recording from the panel discussion at VRScout’s June monthly mixer, where we talk all about how brands and advertisers are using VR/AR. Panelists include Augie Chun from Snap, Inc., Izzy Parkinson from Google’s Tilt Brush, and Carly Chevalier from RED Interactive.
Episode 94
Episode 94 – Malia Probst interviews Andy Lowery, CEO and founder of RealWear. Based in Portland, OR, RealWear is taking a different approach to augmented reality and on the job training and support for enterprise. Hear about Andy’s insights into what industrial workers need now, what the differences between a HUD and HMD, and why Realwear has raised $17M in a Series A round of investment.
Episode 93
Episode 93 – Malia Probst talks all things immersive comedy with Nora Kirkpatrick, writer/director of the brand new, first of its kind live action VR comedy Door #1 on Hulu. Nora is a longtime writer, actress, and musician, appearing in TV shows like Greek and The Office while also being one of the first creators to venture into exploring immersive comedy with the episodic Hulu VR series Virtually Mike and Nora along with SNL alum Mike O’Brien.
Episode 92
Sorry! This second podcast embed is the correct one. It’s the theme we normally use.
Episode 92 – Malia Probst dives into the third annual VRLA with VRScout’s Zeynep Abes. We talk about how VRLA has evolved over the years and transformed itself into a premium destination for developers looking to expose their hard work, serving as a Comic Con of sorts for those hungry for the latest in VR, AR, and other immersive content.
Episode 91
Episode 91 – Malia Probst dives into all things immersive at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival with Scouts Zeynep Abes and Kyle Melnick. We talk about how Tribeca’s Virtual Arcade has evolved over the years, emerging immersive media trends, and a few of the standout experiences and installations at the festival.
Episode 90
Episode 90 – Malia and Jonathan chat Google’s plan to save historic landmarks with 3D scanning, new developer tools just made the Vive Pro VR headset become AR-compatible, the hand tracking company Leap Motion just released an open-source AR headset design, someone spent 30 days living in VR, and the YouTube VR Creator Lab is now accepting applications.
Episode 89
Episode 89 – Live recording from the panel discussion at VRScout’s mixer, where we talk all about the impact of VR and AR. As the field of immersive technology grows, what are the social issues that can arise from the growing prevalence of this technology? What are the opportunities to leverage this technology in driving towards positive social impact?
Episode 88
Episode 88 – We shine the spotlight on LA-based immersive filmmaker Celine Tricart in this week’s episode, a conversation in the VRScout studio hosted by Malia and Zeynep.
Episode 87
Episode 87 – Malia and Jonathan chat the future of transportation and how Uber wants to bring VR and AR to your morning commute in self-driving vehicles, how Google has made incorporating real world locations into your AR apps easy (and why that’s important), the new Vive Pro that is now available for pre-order, how Steven Spielberg used VR to film the upcoming movie Ready Player One, and all about Magic Leap’s new creator portal
Episode 86
Episode 86 – Malia and Jonathan chat advances w/ Google’s ARCore, a song made by AI, HTC gives more power to their VR executives as they merge their smartphone and VR divisions, Pluto social VR chat app, and AR-powered drone company DroneBase raises $12M.
Episode 85
Episode 85 – Malia and Jonathan chat updates from Magic Leap, including an NBA partnership, you can take a virtual “in-flight” dining course at an airline-themed restaurant in Japan, enterprise VR design tool ‘Gravity Sketch’ raises $1.7M, and social VR sports platform livelike Raises $9.6 Million.
Episode 84
Episode 84 – Malia and Jonathan give a sneak peek into the sold-out debut of Dreamscape Immersive’s social VR experience in LA. Also, we chat HADO WORLD CUP, Intel’s new AR prototype project, and Walmart acquisitions.
Episode 83
Episode 83 – Malia and Jonathan chat VR Olympic action, iPhone X’s facial-mapping, the new Vive Focus standalone headset which has launched in China while we wait for the Vive Pro to be released in the West.
Episode 82
Episode 82 – A combination of VRScout team coverage and live interviews with Sundance creators.
Episode 81
Episode 81 – Malia chats with creators live from the YouTube House during Sundance on January 18th, 2018.
Episode 80
Episode 80 – René Pinnell of Kaleidoscope VR joins to chat about Kaleidoscope’s recent industry report on emerging trends in 2018 and recommendations for creators and businesses.
Episode 79
Episode 79 – A live panel discussion from VRScout’s monthly mixer all about Social + VR, feat. guests Reggie Watts (VR/AR enthusiast & creator, currently on the Late Late Show with James Corden), Abbey Tate (Technicolor Experience Center), Aaron Lemke (TheWaveVR), Julie Young (SH//FT Spotlight), Bruce Vaughn (Dreamscape Immersive), and moderated by Malia Probst (VRScout, the WXR Venture Fund).
Episode 78
Episode 78 – This week Malia and Jonathan chat Apple VR video editing tools, the Snap tool to create your own AR effects called Lens Studio, Facebook opening up its AR creation platform & tool to everyone, Nickolodeon working on VR arcades, and the investment wrapup.
Episode 77
Episode 77 – This week Malia and Jonathan chat the new trailer for ‘Ready Player One’, recent news from Sony, and the immersive content line-up for Sundance’s New Frontier Program.
Episode 76
Episode 76 – This week Malia and Jonathan chat Oculus’ standalone VR headset, Google Poly–their platform for 3D assets, Google Daydream Impact, “Dolphin-Assisted Therapy”, and the investment & funding wrapup…
Episode 75
Episode 75 – This week Malia and Jonathan talk Crazy experimental humanoid robot uses VR, Amazon launches Sumerian (a big bad browser-based tool for building AR/VR experiences), Facebook releases first game for social VR, virtual headstones could solve Hong Kong’s crowded cemeteries, investment & funding wrapup…
Episode 74
Episode 74 – This week Malia and Jonathan talk about China’s enormous billion dollar VR theme park, HTC officially announces its standalone VR headset for China AND cancels their standalone headset partnership with Google, become your favorite Justice League superhero at IMAX Experience Centers, Pixar releases its VR debut with Coco, and the investment & funding wrapup…
Episode 73
Episode 73 – This week we talk about the upcoming Harry Potter AR Game, new reports that Apple is dialing up work on an AR headset, now you can type in VR with a VR keyboard, crowdfunding campaign for magic shoes with tiny VR treadmills, the investment wrapup, and more…Hosted by Malia Probst Feat. Jonathan Nafarrete
Episode 72
Episode 72 – This week we talk about Amazon’s augmented shopping, Google launches new platform for sharing 3D objects called Poly, Billy Corgan made a VR music video with Tilt Brush and Blocks, Google’s new “Resonance Audio” wants to give spatial audio to everyone, you can find a new Star Wars VR experience in select Nissan dealerships, and the investment wrapup…
Episode 71
Episode 71 – This week we talk about some of the best scary content out there, a VR experience just won an honorary Oscar, Jaunt launched their app on Windows Mixed Reality platform, a VR headset called Pimax just overtook the Oculus Rift as the most crowdfunded VR headset ever, and the WXR Fund (Women in XR) opens submissions to their inaugural Pitch Showcase on Jan 6th
Episode 70
Episode 70 – This week’s show features very special guests: two of our favorite YouTubers, Cas & Chary, join us in the studio for an impromptu interview. We discuss some of the highlights of OC4, new and upcoming VR tools from Adobe, and the Windows Mixed Reality VR headsets. Based in the Netherlands, Cas & Chary were traveling in the U.S. so they swung by and shared some of their favorite VR experiences with us.
Episode 69
Episode 69 – This week’s episode features an interview with Amitt Mahajan, co-founder of Presence Capital– a $10M early stage fund focused on VR and AR that launched in December 2015. We chat about Amitt’s past experience building the mobile game FarmVille for Zynga, and how that story could be a lesson to VR content creators about early-mover advantages on emerging platforms. We talk about a few of the companies in Presence’s portfolio like Baobab Studios (the seemingly omnipresent content studio), STRIVR (immersive training– for NFL quarterbacks to Walmart cashiers), and Sky Lights (making flying on airplanes less painful)– and the reasons why Presence invested.
Episode 68
Episode 68 – In this week’s news update covers all the breaking news from Oculus Connect 4, Google spends $1.1B to acquire HTC’s smartphone talent and IP, Google’s ARCore bring augmented reality to Android, Microsoft Acquires VR Social App AltspaceVR, the investment & funding wrap-up, and more….
Episode 67
Episode 67 – Jenna Seiden is Head of Content Acquisition & Partnerships at Viveport for HTC Vive, and we talk about Viveport as a content platform (also in relation to HTC Vive in context of Valve’s Steam store), what defines good content, and how the company sources that content. Jenna goes in depth on the Viveport Arcade program, how she thinks about branded content, and shares some great VR experience recommendations as well.
Episode 66
Episode 66 – This week’s episode is a series of mini-interviews from Digital Raign’s Reality Summit at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA in September 2017. United around the common thread of emerging technology, social impact and mindfulness, the episode features Dr. Tom Furness (aka “Grandfather of VR” and founder of the Virtual World Society), Cassandra Vieten (President, Institute of Noetic Sciences – IONS), Marco DeMiroz (investor, Venture Reality Fund), Melissa Sutor (Dragonfly Healing Center), Joanna Popper (Singularity University), Sari Stenfors (cyborg anthropologist, Augmented Leadership Institute)
Episode 65
Episode 65 – This week’s episode is a live recording from the panel conversation at VRScout’s most recent monthly mixer, which was all about Health & VR. This is a fascinating conversation showcasing a variety of perspectives on the huge range of healthcare and wellness applications utilizing immersive technology. Guest hosted by Kristi Hansen Onkka (founder at HealthiAR), the panel features Carrie Shaw (founder at Embodied Labs), Dr. Brennan Spiegel (Director of Health Services Research at Cedars-Sinai), Shauna Heller (founder of Clay Park VR and Executive Director of VR Med Tech Initiatives), Jacki Morie (founder and Chief Scientist at All These Worlds), and Dr. Wen Dombrowski (Chief Convergence Officer of CATALAIZE). Hosted by Malia Probst Special Guest Host: Kristi Hansen Onkka (founder at HealthiAR)
Episode 64
Episode 64 – NFL uses VR to train referees for football season, MLB expands VR content, Sports Illustrated cover feat. AR, W Magazine uses AR to make Katy Perry come to life, eye implant platform wants to power continuous AR, now you show off your real-life DJ skills in VR, and the investment & funding wrapup.
Episode 63
Episode 63 – Social VR pioneer Altspace shuts down, ‘Second Life’ successor Sansar launches open beta, WebVR comes to Firefox, Disney wants you to be a Star Wars jedi in VR, the funding & investment wrapup. Hosted by Malia Probst and special guest Sophia Dominguez, co-founder of SVRF.com and creator of AllThingsVR.
Episode 62
Episode 62 – Live recording from the panel discussion at VRScout’s most recent monthly mixer, where we talk all about Hollywood & VR/AR.
Episode 61
Episode 61 – Lenovo’s new AR concept headset & Disney partnership, all the VR/AR goodies at Comic-Con, Steven Spielberg’s trailer for Ready Player One is finally here, new industry landscape shows 60% increase in enterprise augmented reality, the investment & funding wrapup, and more… Hosted by Malia Probst Special Guests: Jonathan Nafarrete
Episode 60
Episode 60 – Live stream your cartoon virtual avatar on Facebook, stealth AR company unveils its new AR headset– and it involves Apple, join your friend to play with art together, Facebook’s standalone headset is coming, the investment & funding wrapup, and more… Hosted by Malia Probst Special Guests: Jonathan Nafarrete
Episode 59
Episode 59 – Apple acquires computer vision company, the hidden 3D map feat. in iOS 11 public beta, Google is experimenting with VR ads, go golfing in Google Earth, and the investment & funding wrapup…Hosted by Malia Probst Special Guests: Jonathan Nafarrete
Episode 58
Episode 58 – YouTube releases app for heatmaps and announces a new VR180 video format (and cameras!), VidCon’s fun interactive VR activations, diving into Apple’s AR plans, a VR headset changes the taste of your food, Intel’s focus on sports through VR, and more…
Episode 57
Episode 57 – Mario Kart & Spider-Man come to VR, we chat all about news from E3, Intel’s new VR eSports league AND wireless VR solution, the investment & funding wrapup, and more…
Episode 56
Episode 56 – Apple finally talks about VR while taking a (very solid) swing at AR, Walmart will use virtual reality to train employees, you can grow better weed with AR + AI, and Q1 VR headset sales…
Episode 55
Episode 55 – This week’s episode is a live recording from the panel discussion at VRScout’s most recent monthly mixer, which addressed the topic of Investing in VR. We chat all about how investors are thinking about the VR/AR industry, as well as insight from funded VR/AR companies about their journey to secure financing.
Episode 54
Episode 54 – Watch YouTube in VR with your friends, Google pours resources into shared social VR experiences, upcoming standalone headsets will be wireless, the Snapchat vs. Facebook continues, the investment & funding wrapup, and more…
Episode 53
Episode 53 – Snapchat patent points to AR Spectacles content, Oculus Story Studio shuts down while continuing their VR for Good program, Congress gets into VR, Milwaukee gets sued by an AR company, the investment & funding wrapup, and more…
Episode 52
Episode 52 – This week we cover Unity’s Vision Summit and key highlights from the conference. We then feature a few hallway-style conversations with attendees, all of whom have different perspectives on the industry as well as varied takeaways from the expo.
Episode 51
Episode 51 – PlayStation looks to an arcade rollout, Shazam goes augmented, AMD wants to go wireless, HTC Viveport’s new subscription service, the investment & funding wrapup, and more…
Episode Archive 1-50
Other Top VR Podcasts
Voices of VR
The Voices of VR is a daily podcast hosted by Kent Bye featuring the pioneering game developers, enthusiasts and technologists driving the resurgence of virtual reality.
The Real Virtual Show
The Real Virtual Show is a live participatory video show + podcast hosted by our own Malia Probst, where real people chat live about mediated reality tech centered around conversations with leaders in VR & AR.
Rev VR Podcast
The Rev VR Podcast hosted by Reverend Kyle discusses current Virtual Reality technology and takes a look at software and peripherals through interviews with gamers, developers, and VR enthusiasts.
Gunters Universe
Gunters Universe is recorded live in front of a virtual studio audience every Tuesday at 10:00pm EST. Gunter and his guests discuss all things VR and speculate where the industry is headed.
Is This Real Life?
The Is This Real Life podcast is for the virtual reality enthusiast where they discuss the latest games, tech and VR news.
Enter VR
The Enter VR podcast explores virtual reality through discussions about virtual reality hardware with special guests.
Pod VR
The Pod VR podcast is hosted by Bullardo and Matt Stompz to chat about current events and their many adventures in this forever transforming medium!
Left-Handed VR Podcast
The Left-Handed VR podcast is a weekly round table podcast discussing Virtual Reality technology and gaming.