XR weekly round-up: Software piracy on Meta Quest, Xreal unveils new AR glasses, and a VR blockbuster hits shelves
Meta Quest has a piracy problem, James Cameron produces XR content, Behemoth in a graphics comparison, new AR glasses from Xreal and Acer's 3D camera in a test — the week's top XR news.
In our weekly overview "XR Update" you will always find the most important XR news of the past week with a short summary. If you are interested in a particular topic, click on the link to the full article in the relevant paragraph. As usual, we provide you with background information and opinions in addition to the facts.
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XR hardware: News on VR, AR and mixed reality headsets & more
Xreal presents new AR glasses
Xreal presents the One (Pro): AR glasses with improved optics, Bose sound and in-house X1 chip. This should make 3-DoF tracking possible with any connected device, without additional accessories. The field of vision has also been extended to 50 or 57 degrees.
Sony presents hand tracking for Playstation VR 2
Sony demonstrates sophisticated hand tracking for Playstation VR 2, raising hopes for a new PSVR 2 feature. An official announcement is still pending, but the technology already seems to work very well and could soon be available for developers.
Leak: AMD's RX 8800 XT relies on ray tracing and lower power consumption
According to a leak, AMD's RX 8800 XT will be the new flagship of the RDNA 4 generation. The GPU is set to significantly improve ray tracing performance and keep pace with the RTX 4080 in mainstream games. It also promises 25 percent less power consumption than its predecessor, the RX 7900 XTX.
XR market and business news
Meta Quest 3S makes a weak debut in SteamVR charts
Meta Quest 3S was launched on the market in October, but has not yet made any big waves in SteamVR's November statistics. Valve does not yet list the headset separately, and the increases are lower than for Quest 3. This is probably due to the target group and the timing of the data collection.
Meta Quest: VR games are being pirated en masse
Meta Quest has a major problem with piracy, as the sad figures from individual developer studios suggest. Some games have up to five times as many users as copies sold. Meta does not seem to be taking decisive enough action against pirated copies.
VR chair Roto VR remains expensive, but new money could help
The VR gaming chair Roto VR Explorer receives 3 million Euros in a financing round. The money is intended to help increase operating capacity and reach as well as reduce costs. The €985 Quest-compatible chair has been shipping worldwide since November.
Meta quietly introduces a Metaverse currency
Meta is testing a digital currency for virtual goods in its proto-Metaverse Horizon Worlds. It goes by the name of Meta Credits. With this currency, Meta is taking the next step towards its own metaverse economy. Children and young people can also purchase Meta Credits.
Meta denies rumors about withdrawal from VR hardware design
According to a report, Meta wants to outsource the design of VR headsets to its partner Goertek. Meta denies the rumors. In the long term, an exit from the hardware business is conceivable, but unlikely in the foreseeable future, as the VR market relies on Meta's leadership.
James Cameron will produce exclusive 3D content for Meta Quest
Meta and James Cameron's Lightstorm Vision have announced a comprehensive partnership. The aim is to jointly produce high-quality stereoscopic content for Meta Quest, including live sports and concerts as well as feature films and TV series with well-known brands.
VR games and XR apps: all the latest news
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 VR review: high-flyer or crash pilot?
More than four years after the brilliant 2020 edition, Microsoft is releasing the next installment of the popular flight simulation with Flight Simulator 2024 — VR support included. Is it worth buying? It got off to a bumpy start, but the new career mode is now a lot of fun. Unfortunately, there are still a few bugs.
Quest 3 exclusive: Horror spills over into your reality in the MR game "Shattered"
Shattered successfully mixes psychological horror, puzzles and mixed reality. We tried out the new Quest 3 exclusive. The game leaves you in the dark, but that's what makes this mysterious and sometimes disturbing mixed reality game so appealing.
Graphics comparison of Behemoth for Quest 3 and Playstation VR 2
The eagerly awaited VR game Behemoth is here. MIXED has compared the graphics on Meta Quest 3 and Playstation VR 2. While the Quest 3 version left mixed feelings, the VR game on PSVR 2 looks stunning. If you want to play Behemoth in all its glory, you'll have to go for the PSVR 2 or PC VR version.
MIXED reader questions: Are modular VR headsets the future?
How likely are modular VR headsets, where you can replace components such as the chipset, display or lenses, in the near future? Tomislav explains the pros and cons in our latest reader questions article.
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