The XR Week Peek (2021.02.15): Facebook keeps working on its masterplan, WebXR arrives on iOS, and more!
I hope you had a wonderful S.Valentine’s Day! And since our love is for immersive realities, let’s celebrate it with this roundup of the most interesting XR news of the week!
Top news of the week
Facebook keeps working to become a leader in immersive technologies
This week we had a bunch of news, that seem quite unrelated, that show us how Facebook is working on its plan to become the dominant force in future technologies.
For the short term future, we have some news on the Quest 2. Facebook has added the possibility to use Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to your Quest, plus Messenger integration, plus the possibility to resize your browser windows. That is, now you can somewhat start working inside your Quest browser on a big display using a mouse and keyboard. It is the first step towards the Infinite Office solution that FRL wants to offer in some months, transforming the Quest into some kind of work tool (or trying to do so).
And answering an AMA on Instagram, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth (basically the head of AR/VR at FRL) answered with a thumbs-up to a question of a user about a future update implementing 120Hz framerate of the Quest 2. Having tried the 120Hz mode on the Valve Index, I can guarantee you that you notice the difference, and the experience becomes more fluid with it, so such an update on the Quest 2 would be a great addition for all us XR gamers.
For the long term future, instead, there have been two other interesting pieces of news. The first one regards the integration of Ctrl+Labs BMI interface into Facebook products. Boz confirmed they are working on it, but it will take some time. In another interview, I recall him forecasting something like 3 years to have a first simple implementation inside FRL consumer devices (Quest 4?), and 5–10 years for a more serious adoption. This is coherent with the 3 years for BCI (Brain-computer-interfaces) used in gaming that the CEO of OpenBCI told me in a recent interview.
Then a new rumor talks about Facebook working on a smartwatch of its. The news is interesting for three reasons:
- Smartwatches and smartglasses are closely related;
- This shows how Facebook is working on all kind of wearables, so it has a broader scope than just making AR/VR glasses. It wants to create an ecosystem, where most probably all the devices can work together (like it happens today with Apple devices);
- The report also claims that Facebook may be building its own operating system to encompass all these devices.
If you remember well, there’s a scary leaked letter of Mark Zuckerberg where he claims that he doesn’t want to just make programs that run on Android, because they’re subject to the rules of another company (Google). He wanted to own the whole platform so that he could do whatever he wanted. A Facebook operating system, pervasive of all devices (Portal, Quest, Smartwatch, etc…) could give Facebook the same power as Apple: having full control of hardware and software, with also complete interoperability. Facebook could sell all its devices undercost now, subsidizing the cost of the hardware with software and data collection, so that to compete with brands like Samsung and XiaoMi. Then it could update them very fast and make them as powerful and successful as the Oculus Quest. This could let him build the powerful Facebook platform he has always dreamt about.
But from great power comes great responsibilities…
More info (Oculus Quest with keyboard and mouse)
More info (120Hz refresh rate on Quest 2)
More info (Facebook and BCIs)
More info (Rumor on Facebook smartwatch)
Other relevant news
WebXR is coming to iOS
A piece of great news has been spotted this week: WebKit’s support for WebXR is marked as “In Development”.
Let me explain everything so that I can tell you why it is important: WebKit is the engine upon which Safari (and other applications) is based. That is, it is the engine implemented by the main browser used by iOS users. WebXR is the standard to provide augmented and virtual reality experiences on the web. And now, finally, WebKit is going to implement WebXR, that is Safari is going to implement WebXR, that is iOS users will finally be able to officially use augmented reality on the web.
The news is amazing for all the WebXR ecosystem. Until now, WebXR developers could only target Android or Apple users that were tech enough to use a WebXR viewer developed by Mozilla for iOS. Soon, WebXR websites will also be able to target all iOS users. Considering the power that Apple has in the Western market, this is an amazing piece of news for all the WebXR ecosystem, and also a great endorsement for it. Let’s see what will be the ripple effects of it when the development will be completed.
(Thanks Eloi Gerard for the tip!)
Apple is working on Micro-OLED displays
Another week, another rumor about Apple’s XR efforts. This time the news comes from Nikkei Asia, which reveals that “Apple is working with TSMC to develop ultra-thin and energy-efficient micro OLED displays for its upcoming augmented reality devices”. Apple is putting more attention to its lab in Taiwan (TSMC is in Taiwan), where it is conducting more R&D activities, including the work on a parallel technology, that is micro-LED displays. On the whole Taiwan region, there is enormous expertise for what concerns semiconductors and all big companies have some offices there, so it comes as no surprise that Apple is establishing its presence there.
The new micro OLED displays are at very early stages of development, and the expected timeline is in the order of magnitude of years (probably 5), that’s why it is probable that they won’t be used in the first generation of hardware that Apple is likely to launch in 2 years. This special kind of display is thin, compact, and power-efficient because they’re built directly onto chip wafers, rather than glass like it usually happens. This would be a great innovation, fundamental to build lightweight AR glasses.
More info (News on The Verge)
More info (Original News on Nikkei Asia)
More info (A cool render of the Apple XR glasses)
The Quest App Lab ecosystem is kickstarting
Facebook has just launched App Lab, its new content distribution platform for Oculus Quest content, and the VR ecosystem is starting to adopt it. Many developers have applied to it, and many others will do soon, and the waiting times for review are becoming pretty long (my app has not been reviewed yet).
Facebook has started making some clarifications about it: first of all, developers can generate and share keys for their titles on App Lab. Then, Boz has said that Virtual Desktop with Wi-Fi streaming is currently under review on App Lab. Considering that App Lab has been made for experimental features, theoretically, it should be approved.
SideQuest has created a section and a website specifically for App Lab, and also a parallel website has come to life: it is called App Lab DB, and it lists all the applications currently available on App Lab.
Since the review times on App Lab are pretty long, 12 developers have decided to launch the first bundle for it. It is called “Waiting for App Lab”, and it is a collection of 12 indie titles that you can buy for $19 (instead of a total value of $93) and for which you obtain early access to the games via sideloading, and when the games will be approved for App Lab, you will obtain a free key for them on the new platform. A very nice initiative to circumvent the long waiting times of the new “store”!
More info (Keys on App Lab)
More info (Virtual Desktop waiting for approval)
More info (How to find App Lab games)
More info (Website on App Lab games on SideQuest)
More info (Waiting for App Lab bundle)
Epic Games presents MetaHuman Creator
The most viral news of the week has for sure been the one about MetaHuman Creator, a new software for Unreal Engine. We don’t know many details about it, but from the teaser video, it is possible to see that it is a configurator of semi-realistic humans. With it, you can create astonishing CGI humanoid characters of all genders, skin colors, traits, etc.
Of course, as someone says, this is not for everyone: building such characters means also being able to handle them. If you offer a super-realistic character, you have also to implement realistic animations, and all the rest of your experience should have the same quality. A realistic MetaHuman inside Minecraft would look ridiculous. You have also to be careful to design them so that they don’t trigger Uncanny Valley effects: I’ve asked Epic Games about this, and they answered me that they have involved in the process companies with big expertise in designing virtual avatars like Cubic Motion to reduce these unpleasant effects.
Most probably, only big studios will be able to use them at their maximum, but it is impressive how we’ll soon have a tool that will let everyone create quasi-realistic avatars. I can’t wait for them to be implemented in XR.
More info (MetaHuman Creator Teaser Video)
More info (Comment on the problems introduced by MetaHuman Creator)
News worth a mention
New AR glasses are in the making
While Apple and Facebook prepare their big shots, always more startups are launching their AR glasses. This week we had news about two of them:
- Luxecel & WaveOptics have partnered to create AR glasses using waveguide optics. They promise very thin, wide FOV, and water-proof lenses. Let’s wait for March, 1st when we’ll have more details about this;
- AjnaLens is a set of glasses very similar to Nreal, that should come from India. The company behinde them is also specialized in manufacturing AR headsets for enterprise and the military.
More info (Luxecel & WaveOptics)
More info (AjnaLens)
Steam officially arrives in China
Steam and PlayStation 5 arrived in China. I already talked about Steam arriving in China some months ago, but only now the store has officially open, featuring 40 titles available and 10 coming soon. The number is a bit little, because every game arriving there, like everything in China, must be approved by the government before being published.
This should be a piece of good news for VR game developers, that will also be able to target the big Chinese market with their titles. Let’s see what will be the consequences of this in the upcoming months.
The Polys presents The WebXR Awards
To promote WebXR technologies, The Polys has organized The WebXR Awards, a ceremony that celebrates all the best professionals in the Immersive Web field. You can attend the ceremony in many social XR spaces, and I invite you all to participate in it on Saturday, February 20, 2021, from 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM (CET). I will also have a little part in it…
More info (Official website)
More info (The event on AltspaceVR)
Learn how to shoot mixed reality videos
Youtube channel TougeVR is a place where you can find amazing mixed reality videos (that is, videos showing people playing VR where the person is from the real footage and the VR game from the virtual one). The host of the channel, David, has just started a series where he teaches you how you can shoot similar cool videos, so if you have to create a mixed reality trailer, you can have a look at these videos and learn how to do it.
(PS If you need this kind of trailers, I can also put you in contact with people that can do them for you…)
Learn how to scan objects with your phone
Alban Denoyel is the CEO of Sketchfab, the platform where people can share their 3D models. In these months he has played around with many apps that let him scan real objects into 3D models on his Lidar-powered iOS devices, and understood what works and what not. He has written an article teaching you the lessons he has learned, and I’m sure you will like it!
Sundance festival got 40K visits
Sundance Festival has been all virtual this year. Thanks to the possibility of joining it from all over the world and the relatively ridiculous price (only $25 for a full Explorer ticket), the festival has been attended by almost 40K people. To give you a comparison, the real editions were usually attended by 2K people every year. This shows you the power of digital/VR events: they make many more people join an event, even the ones that would have never attended it. This is why even if the Covid pandemic ends, we should still work on hybrid events that mix the physical event with digital/VR initiatives.
Enjoy the latest Steam Sale!
Are you looking for a new VR title to play? Now it is the right time: Lord GabeN has discounted titles like Assetto Corsa, Boneworks, Star Wars Squadrons, Budget Cuts 1&2, and many more!
Some news on content
- RealWorld is a title that makes you explore 3D maps of the world in multiplayer. It is an indirect competitor for Google Earth VR;
- We have more details on the Season One of Population One: for instance, it will introduce a knife and katana as melee weapons, and a Light Machine Gun;
- Schell Games has released a long interview to Upload VR where it explains some design decisions behind I Expect You To Die 2, and how it is developing a game under the pandemic. There are also lots of compliments to the Quest 2 and the curation of the Oculus Store (it’s easy to make compliments to it when you are one of the approved games…);
- Vanishing Grace has been reviewed by Upload VR and has got the usual “good” mark;
- Naau: The Lost Eye is launching on February, 25th;
- System Shock 2 will have a full VR mode!
- “Story of a painting” is a wonderful VR experience that shows you the history behind the painting La Grande Jatte.
More info (RealWorld)
More info (Population One)
More info (Interview to Schell Games)
More info (Vanishing Grace review)
More info (Naau The Lost Eye)
More info (System Shock 2)
More info (Story Of A Painting)
News from partners (and friends)
AngellXR is a community of XR enthusiasts dedicated to co-creating the open connected Metaverse. They are taking a communal approach connecting WebXR creators to an engaged audience. Their community consists of Designers, Developers, Drone Pilots, 3D modelers, Gamers, Hobbyists, and more. They “believe anyone can contribute something, as the Metaverse is, and should always be, for all of us.”
They have recently launched ShowcaseXR, a free collection of Virtual Reality games and experiences. They’re looking for WebXR projects to link-to and showcase. Have a project they should feature? Let them know!
Catherine D Henry has just released her “XR for Retail 2021 Intelligence Report”. It is a series of slides dense with industry data, B2C marketing use cases, and best practices, exploring the XR technology solutions that are driving brand engagement, product discovery, purchasing intent, e-commerce, gaming skins, and in-store retail sales. If you are into business and XR, give it a look!
Some XR fun
VR can give you a new TV
The very first standalone headset
People at Oculus do not know how to count
One of the best uses of augmented reality for sure
This report is possible only thanks to donations
These weekly reports are the fruit of hours that I spend every week searching for news, reading them and summarizing them just to inform the community about what is happening. They are possible only thanks to the kind donations of these amazing people and companies:
- DeoVR
- Jonn Fredericks
- Ilias Kapouranis
- Michael Bruce
- Paolo Leoncini
- Immersive.international
- Bob Fine
- Nikk Mitchell and the great FXG team
- Jake Rubin
- Jennifer Granger
- Jason Moore
- Steve Biggs
- Niels Bogerd
- Julio Cesar Bolivar
- Jan Schroeder
- Kai Curtis
- Francesco Strada
- Sikaar Keita
- Ramin Assadollahi
- Jeff Dawson
- Juan Sotelo
- Andrew Sheldon
- Chris Madsen
- Tracey Wong
- Andrew Deutsch
- Fabien Benetou
- Tatiana Kartashova
- Marco “BeyondTheCastle” Arena
- Sb
- Vooiage Technologies
- Caroline
- Liam James O’Malley
- Paul Reynolds
- Wil Stevens
- Matias Nassi
If you find these roundups useful, consider making a donation to support them. Thank you!
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