The XR Week Peek (2022.01.17): Big tech companies’ battle for talents, PSVR 2 still not confirmed for 2022, and more!

It’s Monday again, so it’s time for a new roundup of the coolest AR and VR news of the week!
 
 But before digging into the news, let me invite you all to the latest work that we of VRrOOm have developed: a new social XR immersive music experience from the French legendary composer Jean-Michel Jarre! It is called Oxymore, and the tickets to enjoy it are free, but limited. You can read more about it and register in this Linkedin post of mine. Come and live the future of music performances!

Top news of the week

Tech giants’ XR wars are undergoing, and there are no rules

We all know that XR will be the next big technological platform. All the major tech companies know that too and are trying to establish their dominance in the field. The most bullish of them is, of course, Meta.
 
 The news of the week is that Meta is poaching talents from all the other companies: in particular, it has been able to “steal” 100 employees from the HoloLens team in Microsoft. The same has happened with Apple, which is now offering bonuses to employees to keep them inside the company. Meta manages to entice the talents from its competitors by offering important job positions and a lot of money: thanks to its deep pockets it is able to sometimes double the salary of the employees of the other companies. Meta is all-in with dominating the field and is being very aggressive.
 
 Apart from talents, the other sector in which Meta & Co. are being very active is acquisitions. Meta is well-known for having performed some key acquisitions related to hardware, but also to software (e.g. Beat Games). Apple has performed very strategic acquisitions as well, and the news of the week is that Snap has acquired Compound Photonics to gain a key supplier of LCOS and Microled displays.
 
 I personally think that the situation is becoming unbearable from an anti-trust standpoint. It is becoming always more difficult for a new company entering the field: the key hardware suppliers of displays and other components are all being bought by Meta, Apple, Snap, Google, and other big players. Many great XR games are controlled by Meta. And as soon as you have someone talented, Meta is going to hire it offering money that is impossible to offer for whatever other company. I think it’s impossible to create a healthy competitive space in the XR field for both hardware and software if the trend is this one. And it is a trend that is getting always worse. How can a new company create a new headset if all the manufacturers of displays are controlled by its potential future competitors? One by one, they are being acquired, and I think this is an issue.
 
 The anti-trust entities are being too slow to handle this situation, that they don’t understand and are under-estimating because XR is still a niche. The FTC has opened an investigation on Meta about its anti-competitive practices related to applications that propose services similar to its ones on the Oculus Store (Pepperidge Farms remembers when YUR was de facto cloned by Oculus Move). It was about time that this happened… but it happened many months after the topic was discussed in all VR communities (and that YUR’s Cix Liv had to leave his company for his stance against Facebook/Meta). FTC is also investigating the practice of selling the Quest at a cost at which other competitors are cut off the market and scrutinizing Meta’s acquisition of Within. This is good, but I think we need more and faster action on all the ecosystem (on Meta for sure, but also on the other big players) if we want a healthy competition happening. This would be beneficial for us all.

More info (Meta is hiring the talents from other companies)
More info (Snap acquires Compound Photonics)
More info (FTC is investigating Meta’s anti-competitive practices)

Other relevant news

PlayStation VR2 is not confirmed for 2022, yet

PSVR 2 is one of the most awaited headsets of 2022. But it is not sure it will release this year, yet.
 
 While we were all considering a 2022 release as a given, when asked directly about the matter, Sony declined to answer. This means that the release date is not sure yet. This is probably related to the chip shortage that is going on for many months, which complicates the plans of tech companies.
 
 A report by Bloomberg reveals that while PS4 should have been discontinued in 2021, Sony has just ordered the manufacturing of a million new units so that to guarantee a smoother transition to PS5. PS5 is very hard to find because the production is going slow due to the chip shortage, while PS4 is much easier and cheaper to produce since it uses old components. For this reason, Sony is producing old PlayStation units to be able to sell something to its player base.
 
 Since PSVR 2 will work only with PS5, it must be sold when there are enough players out there with a new-generation console. Sony must also retrieve all the necessary components to be able to build millions of units the headsets, and is not an easy task, too. All this uncertainty is what is preventing Sony from announcing a sure 2022 release date. I still think that this will be the right year, but this is not 100% sure.

More info (Sony not confirming a 2022 release date for PSVR 2)
More info (Sony producing PS4 in place of PS5 units)

Apple may have delays for its headset

The rumors about an upcoming Apple XR headsets are not stopping, and this confirms that something is coming. The problem is that they are getting ridiculous because every week we hear something different.
 
 After many people had declared that it was sure that an Apple XR device could have been announced at WWDC in June of this year, a new report talks about the headset having overheating problems, causing the release date to be postponed to the end of 2022, with a release window in 2023. This could be coherent with the other rumors talking about the use of an M1 chip inside the headset, which is a chip for laptops that heats much more than a mobile chip like Qualcomm XR2 used inside the present standalone headsets.
 
 But actually, there could be even more: according to the usual super-reliable analyst Mr. Kuo, the Apple headset may even feature 2 CPUs so that to be much more performant than the competition. According to our super-reliable-but-that-changes-idea-every-week Mr. Kuo, this could give the Apple headset a 2–3 years advantage over the competition. Considering that the above rumor says that with one chip the headset overheats, I believe that with 2 CPUs the headset becomes like hot lava… so I guess that “2–3” is not only the years of advantage of Apple but also the degrees of the burns that the Apple headsets users will have on the face. Let’s see what will happen: for sure next week our super-reliable-but-maybe-sometimes-he-has-no-idea-what-he-is-saying Kuo will have another fantastic rumor to talk about, maybe something about Apple headset being able to support 7G, or that can make you speak in Klingon or that can help you in cooking (and given its expected temperature, I think it’s a feature coming out of the box).
 
 A new report from another reliable analyst, Mark Gurman, says that Apple is not interested in the metaverse. I was kinda shocked of to read this because Apple is building a headset for the future technological platform, that is the metaverse… so how can it not be interested? Reading better the article, I got that Apple is not interested in building a social VR world, because it doesn’t believe in the fact that people will spend hours a day inside an escapist VR space. And here we come again to the same error that many people make: they think the Metaverse is the virtual world of Ready Player One, and they don’t get that THE Metaverse is the evolution of the Internet, that becomes spatial and immersive. Apple wants to be a huge player of the Metaverse, it is just not interested, like at all, in a social VR space. And this comes as no surprise: Apple doesn’t own any social media on our current Internet, and so it is not interested in owning one also in our future Internet. That’s it.

More info (Apple headset’s overheating issues)
More info (Apple XR headset may feature 2 CPUs)
More info (Apple not interested in the “metaverse”)

VR MMO “Zenith: The Last City” is releasing on January 27th

Once upon a time, there was a lot of talking about “the killer app for VR”: one mythological experience that would have made many people rush to buy VR headsets. Of course, that application never existed, because there is not a single “killer app”, but there are many applications that are intriguing for different kinds of people, and that together create a killer ecosystem.
 
 One popular types of computer game are MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game): they attract many people, they have retention, they have a profitable internal economy. In VR we mostly lacked this type of game: there has been Orbus VR, but its userbase never grew that much (I guess it was too early). Recently another player entered the field: “Zenith: The Last City”. After having succeeded in a Kickstarter campaign and having raised further funding from private investors, the title is now ready to enter the market and will be released on January, 27 on all the major platforms.
 
 Zenith can be one of those many killer apps that we need in our ecosystem. From the early previews, it seems that MMO that all the VR gaming community was waiting for: it is well made, it offers different classes, it has the potential of growing. And the initial statistics confirm that: according to its creators, the current beta-testers spend an average of 2 HOURS A DAY inside the game. VR has usually the problem of the lack of retention, but this game makes people play every day with a headset on their head. This is huge for the whole ecosystem. That’s why I can’t wait to see what will happen after its release.

More info (Zenith is releasing on January, 27th)
More info (How to get started with Zenith)

News worth a mention

Philip Rosedale is back to Second Life

In an unexpected twist of events, Philip Rosedale has returned back to work on Second Life. His company, High Fidelity, has in fact invested into Linden Labs, the studio behind Second Life that he cofounded. He’s so to become a Strategic Advisor of Linden Labs, and the two companies will share some important patents. Someone says that Second Life has been the first realization of the metaverse, so we are all curious to see if he will be able to make it adapt to the new generation of technologies that are taking place now.
 
 (I just hope that also the infamous Second Life’s penises attack won’t be evolved to XR technologies…)

More info

Meta is under scrutiny for the use of its headset by kids

Some weeks ago, I have published an article about VR and its “kids issue”. It’s been interesting that my article, together with other few ones published in the same days, have started to make the ball rolling, and now every week there are always more people talking about the problem of safety of kids that use a VR headset. News of this week is that Meta is also under scrutiny in UK for the kids that use a Quest 2, and sometimes also 18+ applications on it.
 
 I don’t think Meta will have sanctions, because it states in his policies that the headsets are for 13+ kids, but I’m happy that all this noise will for sure force Meta to take action, probably making it clearer the 13+ limitation and offering more moderation tools to parents, that is exactly what we need now.

More info (Article on CNN online about kids and VR headsets)
More info (Meta under scrutiny in UK for the use of its headsets by kids)

Looking back at augmented reality in 2021

Tom Emrich, one of the best AR experts in our ecosystem, has written a long and detailed post with the trends of augmented reality in the year that has just finished. I think it’s an amazing article, and I advise every one of you to give it a look.

More info

New details emerge about Simula One

SimulaVR has just shared detailed information about Simula One, its upcoming Linux-based standalone VR headset. These are its specifications:

• Display: dual 2,448 x 2,448 per-eye LCDs at 90Hz, RGB stripe
• Lenses: Triple-element non-Fresnel design
• FOV: 100-degrees (estimated)
• Sensors: Dual RGB cameras,
• IPD range: 55–77 mm hardware adjustable
• Ports: 1 USB4/Thunderbolt 4; 3–4 USB3.2 Gen 2 via USB-C with DisplayPort alt mode
• Audio: 3.5mm jack, no microphone
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth
• CPU: Intel Core i7–1165G7 Processor (4.70 GHz / 12M cache)
• GPU: Integrated Iris XE Graphics
• RAM: 16 GB (dual-channel)
• Storage: 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD

The features look amazing: the displays is great, and so is its CPU. But all of this comes for a price. Simula One is set to cost $2,799 for Kickstarter customers, and after the campaign the price will go up to $3,500. It is just a bit more expensive than the $300 needed to buy an Oculus Quest 2.

More info

New hands-on from CES

Upload has published two hands-on sessions from CES that I found interesting.

• The first one is about the XTAL 3, a headset that can provide a 180° horizontal field of view with almost no distortions. This is amazing but comes at a €10,000 price tag that is not for every pocket
• The second one is about Senseglove Nova and Contact CI Maestro, two haptic feedback gloves. We all know about Nova, but it is interesting to stress that Contact CI Maestro is also a good product because it is very lightweight.

More info (XTAL 3 hands-on)
More info (Haptic gloves hands-on)

Vuforia has now a free tier

AR developers, rejoice! Vuforia, the engine we all of the old school used to create mobile AR applications with image targets, has now a free tier! If you are a small studio and need to create an application that needs simple AR features, you don’t have to pay for a license anymore. If you need advanced features or high volumes for your applications, you can always purchase a pro plan.

More info

Dad creates a VR game using the drawings of his autistic child

A stay-at-home dad has created a VR game using the drawings created by his autistic child, and his son loves playing with it. The game is meant to also raise awareness about autism, and it has won some minor awards. I think this is a nice story worth sharing.
 
 (Thanks VR Fitness Mag for the tip)

More info

Participate in this AR/VR Survey

SlashData is organizing an AR/VR survey and asked me some help in promoting it and I accepted because it is also an opportunity for you, since there are prizes to win. Here you are the description of the initiative:
 
 AR/VR creators, this survey is for you. Which tools and platforms are you using to build mind-bending creations? Take the survey to help the global community learn more about the skills and technologies necessary to succeed in 2021. The survey takes about 15 minutes and covers VR, AR, and mixed reality sectors. It’s available in English, Chinese (Simplified), Spanish, Vietnamese, and Russian, just pick a language you’re most comfortable with. In return for your effort, you could ender prize draws for a chance to win $500 towards your AR/VR project, a $100 Amazon voucher, $30 Gumroad ebook of your choice, swag, and more. If you have a few extra minutes, promote the survey for a chance to win additional $50, $100, $250 or up to $1,000 USD in cash. The survey welcomes creators of all profiles: no-code, developers, students, hobbyists, and professionals. Take the survey before it closes on January 31st.
 
 If you are interested in this initiative, click the link below and participate.

More info

Some news on content

• Normal, the studio behind Half+Half, has just announced NOCK, a game with original mechanics that seems like a mix between Rocket League and Bow&Arrow
• Hitman 3 is going to be released for PCVR on January, 20th. It’s cool that also the episodes of Hitman 1 and Hitman 2 will be playable in VR
• Relaxing gardening game, Garden of the Sea, has been released on Quest and Steam, but the first impressions on it are not enthusiastic
• Blaston will double its price since the game has added and will add many features since the original launch. Someone said that it won’t have happened if Blaston was allowed to have ads, but honestly, I think it’s better to pay more and not have annoying tracking ads
• Anshar 2: Hyperdrive, the remaster of Anshar Wars 2 is arriving on Quest on January, 20th
• Popular game Monster Hunter is getting a VR mod
• Beat Saber is adding a new block type. We don’t have all the details, but it seems a cube that has to be slashed multiple times

More info (Nock)
More info (Hitman 3)
More info (Garden Of The Sea release date)
More info (Garden Of The Sea review)
More info (Blaston price rise)
More info (Anshar 2: Hyperdrive)
More info (Monster Hunter VR mod)
More info (Beat Saber’s new block type)

News from partners (and friends)

Tom Ffiske is one of the most esteemed professionals in our XR ecosystem. He has just announced his new book “The Metaverse: A Professional Guide”, which will be released on February, 2nd. It will be a book to explain the M-word in a serious and detailed way, without being affected by the hype. A very useful resource for all the people that are entering our field now attracted by the latest buzzword.
Learn more

Indie game developer Pixelsonic has just released its first game on App Lab. It is called Astroroxx and it is a retro-style space shooter that looks like an immersive version of those old games where you had to shoot at asteroids from your spaceship.
The game costs €10 on the Quest store, but I have also distributed some free keys to my Patreon supporters. Have a look at it, and decide if supporting this indie creator!
Learn more

We have now the list of the winners of the first XR Research Awards. This initiative received great interest with 319 applications and 89 proposals. Among these ones, a few projects have been selected, and they got a grant worth €50K. The competition is returning again in 2022, so be sure to register on the XRRA website to not miss this opportunity.
Learn more (Winners of the past XRRA grant)
Learn more (XRRA website)

Some XR fun

The journalists really don’t get that the m**averse is not just a social VR world.
Funny link

Damo is at it again
Funny link

Wendy’s is not afraid of roasting Oculus
Funny link

I’m sure he is a nice guy to be a friend with
Funny link

Yes, I’m asking it again

If you want to support my blog in informing the AR/VR community, consider making a donation to it on Patreon! Even a small amount each month matters.
 
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(Header image by Thirdeye)