Meta tests PC VR streaming from the cloud - report
Meta is apparently currently intensively testing its in-house cloud PC VR streaming. A new leak mentions possible partners and plans.
Well-informed hardware analyst and Youtuber Brad Lynch today leaked the presumed design of Meta Quest 3. At the end of his video, he also reveals some interesting details about Meta's secret cloud streaming project.
We already knew about Meta working on such a feature. Apparently, a British Quest user discovered it accidentally.
According to Lynch, an Air-Link dongle called Air Bridge, planned by Meta and manufactured by D-Link, will not only simplify PC VR streaming from the gaming computer to the Meta Quest 2, but will also be intended for cloud streaming of PC VR titles in the future. According to Lynch, Meta's announcement of the dongle is imminent.
Project Razor: U.S. testing for Meta's VR cloud to begin soon
Lynch's new report underscores streaming plans for graphically rich PC VR on mobile headsets. His sources even name a few partners. Large internet providers such as Verizon and AT&T are involved in "Project Razor".
The partnership is to coordinate and improve connection quality in order to make the internet fit for the Metaverse. The first game testers in the U.S. start test runs as early as next week, according to the report.
Excerpt from Lynch's video summarizing the new info on Meta's cloud VR project. | Image: SadlyitsBradley / Brad Lynch
Said selection of titles sounds like a reasonable mix for tech testing. The space epic Lone Echo features detailed PC VR graphics, and latency is a critical factor for a good gaming experience in the music game Beat Saber.
Finally, Meta's proto-metaverse Horizon Worlds is known for its real-time calculated physics. Especially here, good connection quality is necessary. Only then, for example, can a puck glide smoothly over an air hockey table. The realistic codec avatars and the eye and face tracking of Meta Quest Pro (info) are also intended for testing.
Meta is trying to gauge reference values for cleanly streamed XR experiences from what it calls the "Meta Edge Network" ahead of launch, according to Lynch. In the next internal testing phase, Meta will reportedly make the streaming available to Meta employees in the U.S. and Europe.
Cloud streaming from the (mobile) network
Developers could experiment with both "cloud-enabled" content and "cloud first" content in this phase. These two stages use streamed data at different intensities. An important goal is to create high-end VR experiences that would not normally be feasible on a standalone headset, according to Lynch.
Later, Meta also plans testing of streaming over 5G connections using Amazon's "AWS Wavelength" infrastructure.
One reason for Meta's increased focus on better graphics via VR streaming may have been Sony's recent unveiling of elaborate games for the Playstation VR 2, Lynch says. However, Meta is likely to plan further into the future and use cloud streaming later for augmented reality headsets, which have even greater technical limitations in terms of processing power, heat generation, and batteries than today's VR headsets.
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