XR weekly round-up: PSVR 2 with sales boom, graphics update for Quest 3 & new VR games
Valve Index bigger than Quest 3, PSVR 2 sales explode, new Quest 3S rumors and VR game announcements — 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
Meta Quest update v68 brings new features and improvements
The latest software update for Meta Quest introduces the layout app for virtual room planning, speeds up app downloads and optimizes the graphics performance of Quest 3. In addition, there are improvements to download speed, battery warning and cloud backup management, as well as exclusive graphical improvements for Quest 3.
Valve Index holds its own against Quest 3
The five-year-old Valve Index is still ahead of Quest 3 in SteamVR usage, which shows the loyalty of Valve fans. Quest 2 continues to lead with just under 40 percent market share, followed by Valve Index with 16.10 percent and Quest 3 with 15.65 percent.
Meta Quest 3S: New details on the upcoming budget headset
According to leaks, the Meta Quest 3S could receive a new "action button" and dispense with the jack connection. Audio output should only be possible via USB-C, which indicates cost savings.
VR treadmill Omni One shortly before launch with 15 new VR games
Virtuix is expanding the game selection for its Omni One VR treadmill to over 50 titles. New games such as Alvo VR and Sniper Elite VR will be added. The 360-degree treadmill for home use is set to be launched in September 2024 for USD 2,595.
Meta Quest introduces Acoustic Ray Tracing for lifelike VR audio
Meta implements Acoustic Ray Tracing in the Quest's Audio SDK to create realistic sound effects in VR. The technology simulates precise sound reflections, reverberation and material acoustics. Batman: Arkham Shadow will be the first title to take full advantage of this feature.
Meta Quest 3 gets adaptive display dimming for better black levels
A new experimental feature called "Content Adaptive Brightness Control" reduces the brightness of the displays in darker scenes to improve contrast. This is intended to enhance horror games and titles with dark environments in particular, but cannot match the picture quality of OLED displays.
XR market and business news
Playstation VR 2 experiences sales boom after discount
Sales of the Playstation VR 2 rose by 2,350 percent within 24 hours following a 200-dollar discount in the USA. More devices were sold on Sunday than in the entire previous year, showing the price sensitivity of the market.
Meta Quest 3 exceeds sales expectations
According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, sales of the Quest 3 are exceeding expectations. Nevertheless, Meta's VR division continues to record high losses of around 4.5 billion US dollars in the last quarter.
Meta’s VR chief scientist reflects on development progress
Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist at Meta Reality Labs, admits that VR development has progressed more slowly than hoped. He emphasizes the challenges in display technology as the biggest technical obstacle for the coming years.
Codec avatars from Meta are approaching market maturity
Job advertisements from Meta indicate that photorealistic codec avatars could soon be leaving the lab. The company is looking for developers for an "internal XR phone service" and an iOS app for avatar creation.
VR games and XR apps: All the latest news
Tier One: Kickstarter launched for new VR tactical shooter
VR studio Niorun has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its tactical VR shooter Tier One: Direct Action. The game is set to be the spiritual successor to Onward and will feature realistic gameplay elements.
Blade & Sorcery: major update for Quest announced
The popular VR combat game Blade & Sorcery will receive a major update for Meta Quest 2 and 3 in 2024, bringing Crystal Hunt mode and improved graphics to the mobile headsets.
Alien: Rogue Incursion shows new gameplay
The upcoming VR blockbuster Alien: Rogue Incursion presented new gameplay material. The horror action game will be released exclusively for Meta Quest 3, PSVR 2 and PC VR at the end of 2024.
All new VR games in August for Meta Quest, PSVR 2 and PC VR
In the following articles, you will find all the important VR games that will be released in August 2024:
- All new PC VR games on Steam in August 2024
- All new PSVR 2 games in August 2024
- All new VR games for Meta Quest in August 2024
- All new subscription VR games in Meta Quest+ in August 2024
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