XR weekly round-up: Google and Samsung show Android XR and a new VR headset, and a VR blockbuster delights
Batman snaps up VR award, Quest 3 becomes a Windows PC and Google attacks Meta and Apple — 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.
Have fun reading!
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XR market and business news
Samsung and Google unveil Android XR & new headset
Samsung and Google are launching an attack on Meta and Apple with Android XR and a mixed reality headset that will be released in 2025. We summarize all known information about Samsung's Project Moohan.
Meta Quest VR headsets sell better than Playstation VR 2 despite Sony's huge discount
The Black Friday discount of 42 percent on the Playstation VR 2 gave Sony a sales boom. Sales figures increased 20-fold. Nevertheless, the sales volume of PSVR 2 on Amazon US is still well behind Meta Quest.
XR hardware: News on VR, AR and mixed reality headsets
Meta Quest 3: What's the new Windows integration like?
Meta Quest has a new feature that makes it easier than ever to stream your Windows desktop to the VR headset. MIXED has tried it out. The initial setup is still very cumbersome, and the user experience is poor, but the feature is still in beta.
Scan your room and view it with Meta Quest — in five minutes!
You can now scan objects and entire rooms with your smartphone and admire them immediately afterwards in Quest 3(S). We show you step by step how to bring your Gaussian Splats into VR thanks to Niantic's new WebXR application Into The Scaniverse.
VR games and XR apps: all the latest news
Behemoth review: The most immersive VR game of the year?
After two successful The Walking Dead VR games, Skydance is back with the dark action adventure Behemoth. Our test reveals whether the finished game can maintain the quality of the trailers. Spoiler: Hardly any other PSVR 2 game in recent months has captivated our tester Sönke as much as Behemoth.
The Game Awards 2024: Batman Arkham Shadow wins
This year's Game Awards have come to an end and Batman: Arkham Shadow was named Best VR Game. Five VR games were nominated for Best VR Game of the Year 2024 at The Game Awards, including Arizona Sunshine Remake, Asgard's Wrath 2, Metal: Hellsinger VR and Metro Awakening.
Pico 4-exclusive mixed reality game soon to be released for Meta Quest
The mixed reality game Vivarium was previously only available for Pico. Now the developers are announcing a release on Meta Quest. However, a free Christmas update with 17 new items is coming first.
Beat Saber: Metallica Music Pack brings 17 classics from the cult band
The last music pack of the year for Beat Saber is dedicated to Metallica and includes 17 of the heavy metal band's best tracks. With a playing time of 101 minutes, it is said to offer the most challenging levels to date.
Is VR karaoke fun? Tried out Songbird on Meta Quest 3
The VR game Songbird brings karaoke to Meta Quest and we grabbed the virtual microphone for you. However, how much fun you will ultimately have with the game depends heavily on the selection of songs.
Meta Quest 3: Home Sports polishes mixed reality sports to a high gloss
Home Sports is released today exclusively for Meta Quest 3 and 3S. We have tried out the five mixed reality sports pickleball, field hockey, bowling, mini golf and badminton. The game offers plenty of entertainment for single and multiplayer.
MIXED reader question: What will virtual reality look like in five years (15 predictions)
MIXED reader Daniel Strickmann wanted to know where VR technology and the industry as a whole will be in five years' time. Here is our forecast with 15 concrete predictions, from the development of hardware to the market shares of the major platforms.
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