XR weekly round-up: Eye tracking module for Quest 3 is dead and Samsung's XR headset trumps the competition
Rockstar buys San Andreas VR developer, new XR interface for Quest headsets and no more eye-tracking for Quest 3 — the XR news of the week.
In our weekly "XR Update" overview, you will always find the most important XR news from the past week with a brief 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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MIXED Columns & Opinions
Valve's next VR headset won't save the industry (yet)
Valve's Deckard won't save the VR industry in 2025, but it could be the key to its long-term future. With a rumored price of $1,200, the headset will only achieve a fraction of Quest sales. Valve is thinking long-term and will not measure success by sales figures. However, Deckard will provide important data for further development.
MIXED Previews & Reviews
Farming Simulator VR review: The Quest version doesn't come close to the original
Farming Simulator VR on Meta Quest is a lot of fun for the first few hours. In the long run, however, it lacks scope, variety and motivation. Livestock farming and forestry are completely absent, and the map is tiny. It's a nice VR appetizer for FS newcomers, but fans of the series will be disappointed. We hope for a content update soon.
XR hardware: News on VR, AR and mixed reality headsets
Meta Quest: New mixed reality interface appears in the support area
Documentation for Meta's passthrough API has appeared ahead of schedule in Quest support. The "Headset Cameras Permission" is intended to grant apps access to the real-time camera feed, without virtual objects. Possible applications include object recognition, location recognition and custom ML models. Meta announced the API last year for early 2025. An accidental leak could indicate an imminent release.
Meta Quest: Upgradeable eye-tracking module put on hold
The start-up Inseye has suspended the development of its eye-tracking add-on Lumi for Meta Quest 2 and 3 for the time being. Inseye cites limited resources and the focus on integrating the technology into AR glasses and smart glasses as the reason. However, the company does not want to give up VR and will resume the projects when time and resources allow. Lumi should have primarily benefited PC VR use with Quest.
Meta's Orion AR glasses: "We are reaching the limits of what is physically possible"
Meta provides insights into the development of the Orion AR glasses. The wireless pocket computer "Puck" ensures that the headset remains slim and light. According to Meta, the development of such a device pushes the limits of physics in terms of heat dissipation, battery power and antennas. The puck was not planned from the outset, but enables experiences that would otherwise not be possible in the slim form factor.
Better than Vision Pro: Samsung's XR headset relies on new 4K OLED displays from Sony
Samsung's mixed reality headset "Project Moohan" is set to offer even sharper displays than Apple's Vision Pro. Sony manufactures 1.35-inch micro OLED panels with 3800 PPI for this purpose. The higher pixel density is intended to be a sales argument against Apple's headset despite the later market launch. Project Moohan is being developed in cooperation with Google and will come with the new Android XR operating system in 2025.
Meta kills popular feature on Quest VR headsets
Meta is discontinuing its integrated VR fitness tracker Move as of March 31, 2025. The company cites outdated technology that restricts further development as the reason. Fitness functions in individual VR apps will remain unaffected. All Move data, including that in the Meta Horizon mobile app, will be deleted.
XR market and business news
Meta removes two popular VR games from the Quest Store without warning
Meta has removed the VR games Richies Plank Experience and Max Mustard by Toast Interactive from the Quest Store without warning. The studio feels "betrayed and powerless", knows the reason, but is not allowed to talk about it. There is speculation about discount campaigns as a possible cause. For Toast Interactive, it is another setback after the recent layoffs and office closures.
Rockstar buys GTA: San Andreas VR developer
Rockstar Games is acquiring the Australian studio Video Games Deluxe, which previously worked on GTA San Andreas VR. The studio will be renamed Rockstar Australia. Despite the takeover, we should not get our hopes up for a release of San Andreas VR. Development was put on hold last year and is unlikely to be resumed.
VR games and XR apps: all the latest news
VR Games Showcase 2025 announces further highlights
The VR Games Showcase on March 11 promises big reveals and updates on VR games. Highlights include a first look at Hitman: World of Assassination for PSVR 2, updates and announcements from Flat2VR Studios and new projects from Fireproof Games, tinyBuild and Triangle Factory. According to organizers, support for the show is stronger than ever.
Walkabout Mini Golf gets a divine expansion
The VR hit Walkabout Mini Golf is getting a new course in the world of Greek mythology with the Mount Olympus DLC. In addition to 36 courses, mythical landscapes, temples and a unique soundtrack await. Mighty Coconut has included many allusions to the stories of the gods. The DLC is now available for Meta Quest, PSVR 2, SteamVR and iOS.
Meta Quest: VR spin-off of a popular railroad simulation to be released this month
Train Sim World VR: New York will be released for Meta Quest on March 27. As a train driver, you control trains on the authentic Harlem Line through Manhattan and the Bronx. The game offers a career mode, individual journeys and an exploration mode. Between rides, you can decorate your New York apartment and compete in leaderboards.
VR treadmill Omni One gets its own travel app with world-famous sights
The "Treks" tourism app is being released for the Omni One VR treadmill. It offers virtual tours of famous sights such as the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and New York City. Further locations are to follow via DLC. According to the manufacturer, one hour of hiking in Treks burns around 500 calories. The app will be available from March 6 for $29.99.
Meta Quest+ in March 2025: These VR games are on offer
In March, The Light Brigade and Golf+ will be added to Meta Quest+ as monthly VR games. The rotating game catalog currently includes 33 titles such as Asgard's Wrath 2, Demeo, Onward and Walkabout Mini Golf.
Photorealistic 3D avatars created in a flash with your smartphone: This meta project is impressive
With Avat3r, researchers have developed a process to generate a photorealistic and animatable 3D avatar from just four smartphone photos. The entire process should be possible in just a few minutes. Until now, the creation of such high-quality digital doubles has been very time-consuming and expensive. Meta has been researching photorealistic codec avatars for years and could use the technology in its VR headsets in the future.
What do you think of the latest XR developments? Join the conversation on Facebook, Bluesky or X or share your opinion in the comments below. For feedback, topic suggestions, or other ideas, please email us at hello@mixed-news.com.
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