XR Update: The week's top VR, AR, and Mixed Reality news in a nutshell
Gamescom gets an XR Megabooth, a retrofit module gives Quest headsets eye-tracking and lots of new games — the week's top XR news stories.
In our weekly XR Update, you can always find the most important XR news of the last five days with a short summary. If you are interested in a particular topic, click on the link to the full article in the relevant section. As usual, we provide you with background information and opinions in addition to the facts.
Have fun browsing!
Content
XR hardware: News on VR, AR and Mixed Reality headsets
Cheaper Vision Pro: Narrower field of view & iPhone connection?
According to reports, Apple is working on a cheaper VR headset, codenamed N107, which is set to be launched on the market at the end of 2025. The target price is between 1,500 and 2,000 US dollars. To reduce costs, Apple is considering compromises such as a smaller field of view and a possible dependence on a connected Mac or iPhone. At the same time, a successor to the Vision Pro (N109) is in development and is not expected to be launched until the end of 2026 at the earliest.
Meta Quest 3: First indication of sales figures
Statistics show that at least one million people have bought a Meta Quest 3. This is based on the number of people who have played the Quest 3-exclusive tutorial "First Encounters". Since not all buyers have played the tutorial, the actual sales figure could be significantly higher.
Meta Quest 2 sold out, is the sequel coming?
Meta Quest 2 is sold out in most countries, which points to an imminent sequel. According to reports, Meta is working on a new VR headset called "Meta Quest 3S", which will follow in the footsteps of Quest 2 in terms of price. The new device could be launched later this year and is expected to offer many of the features of the Quest 3 despite its lower price.
This upgrade module brings eye tracking to Meta Quest
The New York start-up Inseye is developing an upgrade module called "Inseye Lumi" that adds eye tracking to Meta Quest 2 and 3. The module uses a combination of IR emitters and photo sensors and promises lower energy consumption and a very high sampling rate. The upgrade module is primarily intended to benefit PC VR use and could come onto the market for around 160 US dollars.
Meta Quest: New update unleashes windows — First videos
The PTC version of System Update v67 for Meta Quest includes a new, more flexible window layout. Users can now place multiple windows freely and independently of each other in the room. The feature makes it possible to use up to three additional windows alongside the previous three docked windows. The first videos show the new layout in action, which will be available for both Quest 3 and Quest 2.
Official tool allows manual system update of Meta Quest headsets
Meta has developed a web tool that allows users to update their Quest headsets to the latest system version themselves. This tool is intended to help with software-related problems if the automatic update fails. A computer with at least 2 GB of free storage space and a USB-C cable are required to use the tool.
XR market and business news
Gamescom 2024: VR games get their own “Megabooth”
At Gamescom 2024, there will be a large XR booth called "Home of XR", which will be operated by several well-known VR studios. These include Vertigo Games, nDreams, Fast Travel Games, Soul Assembly, Combat Waffle Studios and Beyond Frames Entertainment. The Megabooth will showcase recently unveiled and as yet unannounced VR titles scheduled for release in late 2024.
Meta Quest: LIV becomes standard for mixed reality recordings
Meta has announced a multi-year partnership with LIV to integrate their mixed reality capture tools into the Quest platform. Meta's own mixed reality capture tool will be discontinued. With the LIV SDK v2.0, content creators and VR studios can now record videos of mixed reality experiences that demonstrate advanced Quest features.
Some VR studios are suddenly selling off their games — Why?
Some VR studios are offering their games in the Quest Store with drastic discounts of up to 90 percent. This strategy is aimed at gaining more visibility on social media and in the Quest Store. One example is the game "Max Mustard", which initially had few reviews despite positive feedback. After the discount campaign, the game made it onto the list of top sellers and received significantly more reviews.
VR games and XR apps: All the latest news
Metal: Hellsinger VR can now be tried out for free
The rhythm shooter "Metal: Hellsinger VR" will be released in fall 2024 for Meta Quest 3, Quest 2, Quest Pro, PC-VR and PSVR 2. A free demo version is already available on Steam. The game, developed by Lab42 Games and published by Funcom, features an award-winning soundtrack with well-known metal artists.
Ember Souls mixes Prince of Persia with Assassin’s Creed
VirtualAge has announced "Ember Souls", a VR action adventure game that is strongly reminiscent of "Prince of Persia". The game combines parkour, climbing and environmental puzzles with hack-and-slash elements in a Persian palace setting. It promises an innovative parkour system, close combat with over 20 weapons and manipulation of time and energy.
The surreal VR adventure Lovesick takes you into the psyche of a dysfunctional 90s rock band
Rose City Games and Lyrical Media have announced "Lovesick", a surreal VR adventure game in which you, as bassist Sam, must free your band members from distorted worlds of thought. The VR game lets you experience the highs and lows of a 90s rock band and offers tricky puzzles in bizarre dream worlds.
Meta’s Metaverse platform finally launches in Germany
Meta Horizon Worlds will launch in many new countries over the next few months, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The platform will then be available in all 23 countries where Quest is sold and supported by Meta. Horizon Worlds has become one of the top ten most used VR apps on Quest and is an important part of Meta's VR strategy.
This mixed reality shooter could set new standards
Resolution Games has announced "Spatial Ops", a mixed reality shooter that will be released in the Quest Store at the end of 2024. The game turns every room into a battlefield and offers both a single-player campaign and a PVP mode. Players take on the role of agents who must protect the Earth from mysterious threats. Spatial Ops promises to push the boundaries of mixed reality.
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