XR weekly round-up: Batman arrives in VR Olympus, teardown shows Quest 3S from the inside & developers remain VR skeptical
Doom 3 and Red Matter become more beautiful, Meta Quest 3(S) with less latency, flat developers doubt the VR market and Batman: Arkham Shadow sets new standards — the week's top XR news stories.
Our weekly “XR Update” provides you with the most important XR news from the past week, along with a brief summary. If you are interested in a particular topic, click on the link in the relevant section to read the full article. As usual, we provide you with background information and opinions in addition to the facts.
Enjoy reading!
Content
XR hardware: News on VR, AR and mixed reality headsets
Meta’s experimental VR headset has a 210-degree field of view
Meta's Head of Technology Andrew Bosworth showed images of a wide FOV headset prototype and revealed further details. The mixed reality headset reaches up to 210 degrees, but has a very low resolution with large gaps in the display to give a sense of a wide field of view.
Meta Quest 3(S): Update to reduce latency of Bluetooth headphones
Meta promises a software update that reduces the latency of Bluetooth audio for Quest 3(S). This could finally make Bluetooth headphones a good audio alternative for Meta Quest. The update is due to be released with Android 14 next year.
Meta Quest 3S disassembled: What about repairability?
The iFixit teardown shows that the Quest 3S is largely a Quest 2, which has advantages in terms of repairability. Many components such as lenses, display and IPD mechanism are identical. Quest 3S is somewhat easier to disassemble, but still relatively complex.
Xpanceo’s smart contact lenses should enable 3D without a VR headset
Xpanceo, a deep tech company from Dubai, is presenting its latest prototypes for smart contact lenses at GITEX Global 2024. These include lenses for 3D imaging without headsets, for wireless data reading, for AR vision and with an intraocular pressure sensor. Xpanceo plans to test a fully functional prototype at the end of 2026.
XR market and business news
Pimax founds VR research lab
VR headset manufacturer Pimax has opened its own innovation center called 314 Labs for research and development in the VR sector. The locations are in Elkton, Maryland (USA) and Qingdao, China. 314 Labs has its own budget and more autonomy than the main company.
Flat developers still have doubts about the VR market
A survey by Game Developer Collective shows that developers of flat games are still skeptical about the VR market. 56 percent believe that the market is stagnating or declining. 53 percent never want to get into VR development. According to the respondents, Apple Vision Pro has had virtually no impact on the VR games market.
Apple Vision Pro: Production drastically reduced according to report
According to a report by The Information, Apple has drastically cut back production of the Vision Pro and could cease production completely by the end of the year. Suppliers have so far produced components for around 500,000 to 600,000 headsets. Apple is now concentrating on a cheaper model for the end of 2025.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are also a hit in Europe
According to Stefano Grassi, CFO of Ray-Ban's parent company EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are the best-selling product in 60 percent of Ray-Ban stores in the EMEA region. This is remarkable, as the AI functions are not available in Europe for regulatory reasons.
VR games and XR apps: all the latest news
Batman Arkham Shadow on Quest 3: Standalone VR has never looked so good
Batman: Arkham Shadow sets new audiovisual standards on the Quest 3 mobile VR headset. The VR game impresses with cinematic staging, an atmospheric soundtrack and graphics that almost reach PC VR level. In its best moments, it delivers a dense atmosphere that perfectly suits a Batman game in the Arkham universe.
These users play Batman: Arkham Shadow ... on Quest 2
Batman: Arkham Shadow is a Quest 3-exclusive VR game, but experimental users have been able to get it running — with drawbacks — on Quest 2. They claim that the VR game runs "just fine" on the last-gen headset, but doesn't look as nice as on Quest 3 and occasionally crashes.
Meta Quest 3(S): Doom 3 gets nicer graphics and DLC support
A major update for the unofficial VR port of Doom 3 will be released on Halloween, bringing better graphics and support for the Resurrection of Evil expansion pack, among other things. The Halloween update is initially reserved for Patreon supporters and will later be released for free on SideQuest.
Meta Quest 3: Graphics upgrade makes Red Matter a feast for the eyes
After the graphics update for Quest 3 and 3S, Red Matter looks just as beautiful as the previous graphics reference Red Matter 2. The update brings 4K textures, eightfold anistropic filtering, dynamic shadows and detailed 3D models. Anyone who owns a Quest 3 or 3S will experience the VR game at its best yet.
Arizona Sunshine Remake tried out: This is what a remake should be like
The Arizona Sunshine Remake does almost everything right. It captures the spirit of the original, polishes the graphics and gameplay to a high gloss and adds sensible improvements. Newcomers will find this the perfect introduction to the Arizona Sunshine series. Veterans can relive a beloved classic in captivating quality.
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