The XR Week Peek (2023.04.24): Apple headset to have iOS apps, Pico launches Pico 4 Pro in China, and more!

This week we had quite a few interesting pieces of XR news. From the nth rumor on the Apple headset to the announcement of the Pico 4 Pro in China, there have been a few things happening that you as an XR enthusiast can’t miss. Here in this roundup, of course, you can find them all. And together with them, you can also find a giveaway of keys for the audiobook about the metaverse by Luis Martins! :O

Top news of the week

Apple headset to run iOS apps

The rumored launch of the Apple headset is getting closer, so the rumors about it are intensifying. The usual Mark Gurman has published an interesting report about it, in which he talks about the applications that should be available on the device. This is the list of apps, kindly reported by my friends at RoadToVR:

• iPad apps adapted for mixed reality: Calendars, Contacts, Files, Home control, Mail, Maps, Messaging, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Music, News, Stocks, and Weather apps.
• FaceTime: conferencing service will generate 3D versions of users in virtual meeting rooms.
• Freeform collaboration app: will let users work on virtual whiteboards together while in mixed reality.
• Work apps: Pages word processing, Numbers spreadsheet and Keynote slide deck apps, as well as iMovie and GarageBand for video and music production.
• Apple TV: both immersive sports content and traditional video content — the latter presented in virtual environments, such as a desert or the sky (sport broadcasting tech could come from the acquisition of NextVR)
• Apple Books: will allow users to read in virtual reality.
• Fitness+: will let users exercise while watching an instructor in VR.
• Multitasking & Siri: will be able to run multiple apps at the same time, floating within the mixed reality space. Siri voice control is also present.
• Camera app: can take pictures from the headset.

According to Gurman, Apple is also investing in games, which will be an important part of the experience. UX-wise, the device should work in a similar way to HoloLens 2: voice and hands should be used to provide input, and the apps would appear all around the user, fixed in space.
 
 What intrigued me about this piece of news is that it seems that Apple is creating a general-purpose device, something like an extension of the Mac (or the iPad), which is the vision we all have for the AR glasses of the future. This is not a gaming device like the Quest 2 and this may mark a fundamental difference with the gaming-centric strategy that most VR companies have had until now.
 
 Regarding the apps, I expect this headset to support also sideloading. The upcoming iOS17 should be the first Apple operating system supporting this function, which is coming only because the European Union has forced Apple to enable that. This is good news for whoever wants to develop for this new device (and maybe also for SideQuest if it will support it).
 
 We don’t know if Apple is going to launch this headset at WWDC, but according to MacRumors, we know that in the last months, the experience with the Apple headset has improved a lot. It seems that testers are reporting a big improvement in the experience, which now should be pretty cool. Let’s see… as long as I like the speculation game, I will believe in the Apple headset only when I see it…

More info (Mark Gurman’s report)
More info (Apple headset’s app ecosystem — Road To VR)
More info (Apple headset’s app ecosystem — Upload VR)
More info (My editorial on the Apple headset being on the right path to lead to AR glasses)
More info (Testers blow away by the Apple headset)
More info (App sideloading support coming to iOS 17)

Other relevant news

Meta layoffs affect internal VR game studios

Meta is undergoing its second round of layoffs in its “year of efficiency”. In these weeks, 10,000 people will be left home.
 
 These changes are already taking place, and surprisingly, Meta has fired also people from its most popular VR game studios. Downpour Interactive, the company behind the game Onward, has seen some people going away. But what makes me angry is that 40 people, or around a third of the studio, have been fired from Ready At Dawn Studios. RAD Studios has been able to conceive amazing games like Lone Echo and Echo VR, and for me is unthinkable that these people now are being laid off. They absolutely didn’t deserve it.
 
 I hope these people will be able to find new jobs… and if I can do something to facilitate this, please let me know.

More info (Meta laying off people from game studios — Road To VR)
More info (Meta laying off people from game studios — Upload VR)

Pimax begins shipping of its Portal headset

Pimax has announced that it is starting shipping to backers its Portal headset. The Portal headset is one that seems a bit like a Nintendo Switch: you can use it as a handheld gaming console, then you can put it inside a holder, and it becomes a VR headset.
 
 Many people found this project a bit weird since it looks like a knockoff of the Nintendo Labo. But actually, watching the hands-on video on it by Sebastian Ang (MRTV), I understood this product is not that bad. In his video, he manages to try the device and found it quite ok. Now I’m a bit curious to hear the feedback from the first people that receive it and start using it every day because this is the only way to see if a product is reliable.

More info (Pimax is starting to ship the Portal headset)
More info (MRTV goes hands-on with Pimax Portal)

Pico launches in China the Pico 4 Pro

Pico has launched in China the Pico 4 Pro headset. The Pico 4 Pro is an evolution of the Pico 4 and adds to it:

• Eye and facial tracking, like the Pico 4 Enterprise
• 512GB storage
• LPDDR5 memory, which is an improved type of memory with respect to the LPDDR4 of the Pico 4
• A 6070mAh battery, for longer gaming sessions

The price of the device is 3,799RMB, which is around $550. This is not bad considering that Meta sells a “Pro” device for much more, even if the Quest Pro actually has some features, like 3D passthrough, that this device misses.
 
 Unluckily the Pico 4 Pro is sold only in China. So if you want one, prepare to buy some plane tickets…

More info (Pico 4 Pro launched in China)
More info (Pico 4 Pro description)

News worth a mention

Meta opens Horizon Worlds to teens

Meta has opened its social VR world Horizon Worlds to teenagers. Now people from 13 to 18 years will be able to join the platform. Of course, some additional safety measures are in place for this category of users, to try to guarantee their privacy and safety.
 
 This decision has been taken with the intent of boosting the user numbers of Horizon Worlds, which have been pretty disappointing until now. But some people don’t agree with this new feature: 70 online children’s safety groups asked Zuckerberg to step back from it because, in their opinion, this could put children at risk of online abuse.

More info (Meta opens Horizon to teens — Road To VR)
More info (Meta opens Horizon to teens — Upload VR)
More info (Children safety groups are against teens being in Horizon)

Quest runtime v53 to bring “laying down mode”

Quest has updated to version 53 of its runtime (skipping the 52 for whatever reason), introducing some interesting new features.
 
 First of all, Meta has changed again the UI of the main menu, making it similar to the one of a big tablet. On one side I appreciate the continuous iteration of the UI of the device to improve it, but on the other side, it is a bit annoying that the interface is constantly changing.
 
 Then the Quest 2 now adds a “laying down mode”, meaning that you can now lay down on a bed with a Quest 2 on and see in front of you the same things that you would see if you were standing. This is ideal for watching VR movies while in bed. And I guess you know what kind of VR movies…

More info (Quest v53 UI)
More info (Quest v53 Laying down mode)

Quest adds SpaceWarp to its browser

The latest version of the Oculus Browser has added a new important feature: SpaceWarp. This lets WebXR applications run at half of the required framerate, with SpaceWarp reconstructing the other missing frames. If XR websites can render half of the frame, it means they can deliver higher-quality graphics, which is exactly what WebXR misses now.

More info

Snap introduces new AR features for business

At its latest event, Snap announced new consumer and enterprise-oriented features. As for the consumers the features mostly regard concerts and live events, with AR augmentations that both serve to enhance the stage experience and to help the concert attendees in orient themselves better in the place they are.
 
 On the enterprise side, instead, Snap added AR Mirrors to its ARES technology suite. This means that stores can now start to easily implement Snap-powered AR mirrors to let their customers try on the merch of the store.
 
 Ah, and of course now also Snap has its own AI…

More info (Snap’s new features)
More info (Snap’s new AI assistant)

Some news on AI

AI is the technology of the moment and has many intersections with XR, so I selected a few key insights about it that you may like:

• A very interesting article details how education should not oppose itself to ChatGPT, but embrace it. There is no way to stop students from using it, so the only way for teachers to behave properly is adapting to it
• A guy shared on Linkedin a lot of available free courses about AI and generative AI to get started with it
• Meta has released DINOv2, the first method for training computer vision models that uses self-supervised learning. It works incredibly well
• TwinCreator is a product to create conversational interfaces for virtual reality powered by A.I. without writing code. There is also a nice demo for it on the Quest Store.

More info (Education and ChatGPT)
More info (AI courses)
More info (Meta’s Dino v2)
More info (Twincreator)
More info (Twincreator demo on the Quest Store)

Get the latest Humble Bundle

A new VR-related bundle surfaced on Humble Bundle. Called “In Your Face VR” bundle, it features amazing games like Vertigo Remastered, Into The Radius, and Wanderer for an amazing price.

More info

Some news on content

• HUMANITY is coming to PSVR, PSVR 2 and PC VR headsets on May 16th. The game is launching with a super-weird trailer, that I already love
• Niantic is trying again to launch a new Pokemon Go clone, this time with Capcom. The game is called Monster Hunter Now
• There is a new trailer for the much-awaited game Firmament
• Killer Frequency, the first VR game from Team 17, is coming June 1 for Quest 2
• Red Matter 2 is launching on PSVR 2
• Upload VR has reviewed Call Of The Sea VR and has appreciated its porting from flatscreen
• Upload VR has reviewed A Knight In The Attic and didn’t find so amazing as it seemed at first sight
• Eye Of The Temple releases April 27 on Quest 2. Probably this is the ideal platform for this game which exploits roomscale in a very original way
• Battle Talent, a VR fighting roguelite experience, is coming on June 1 to Quest 2 and Steam.

More info (Humanity)
More info (Monster Hunter Now)
More info (Firmament)
More info (Killer Frequency)
More info (Red Matter 2)
More info (Call Of The Sea VR)
More info (A Knight In The Attic)
More info (Eye Of The Temple)
More info (Battle Talent)

Other news

Canon has launched Kokomo, a service of video communication in VR. It is an original idea, but the implementation should be improved.

Learn more (Kokomo)
Learn more (Hands-on Kokomo)

The Metaverse Standards Forum incorporates as an independent unit from the Chronos Group

Learn more

The Gorillaz have performed in augmented reality at Coachella Festival

Learn more

A guy has decided to create himself his own pancake lenses and is documenting the whole process on the web

Learn more

News from partners (and friends)

Help this student with this VR research!

Geri W. is a full-time doctoral student at the Florida International University’s Chapman Graduate School of Business. She’s doing a dissertation as a qualitative study (interviews instead of surveys) and needs to connect with at least a dozen IT and Marketing Technology Professionals who work in mid-size US business-to-business organizations (defined as those with annual revenue of $500-$999 million) — and have either adopted VR or are considering and evaluating the technology for adoption for their respective organizations. She needs to perform these interviews to perform a very interesting study that will be published, so if you fall into the description of who she is looking for, please contact her using the link below.
Learn more

Tennis League VR is now available!

The Tennis game of my friends at Anothereality is now available on the official Quest Store for you to download! Upload VR has even reviewed their game, and I’m very happy for them 🙂
Learn more (Tennis League VR is now available)
Learn more (Tennis League VR review)

Senseglove gets new investment

Haptic gloves company SenseGlove has secured €3.25M in Series A funding from the fund Lumaux. It is well-deserved money for the great work the team has done these years.
Learn more

GIVEAWAY of keys for Metaversed Audiobook

I give you the opportunity of having for free the amazing audiobook Metaversed, by Samantha G.Wolfe and Luis Bravo Martins! Here you are two keys that you can redeem on https://audiobooks.com (as usual, first come first served):

• 4M62PVAL1KSH
• 3UEYKTXPBSR4

Other two keys will be shared on my Patreon page. If you haven’t managed to grab a working free key, consider buying the book at the link here below:
Learn more

Some XR fun

I guess we will never know the secret…
Funny link

Bad Luck Brian Mark Zuckerberg spent millions to make people aware of the metaverse and then…
Funny link

I’ve heard you want to play VR now…
Funny link

This should be happy and instead is cringy :O
Funny link

Some ideas to make your Quest more comfortable
Funny link

I will never understand Meta’s software numbering
Funny link

Here you are the most important component in storytelling and game design…
Funny link

Meta’s strategy to improve VR
Funny link

Donate for good

Like last week, also this week in this final paragraph I won’t ask you to donate for my blog, but to the poor people that are facing the consequences of the war. Please donate to the Red Cross to handle the current humanitarian situation in Ukraine. I will leave you the link to do that below.
 
 Let me take a moment before to thank anyway all my Patreon donors for the support they give to me:

• Alex Gonzalez VR
• DeoVR
• GenVR
• Eduardo Siman
• Jonn Fredericks
• Jean-Marc Duyckaerts
• Reynaldo T Zabala
• Richard Penny
• Terry xR. Schussler
• Ilias Kapouranis
• Paolo Leoncini
• Immersive.international
• Nikk Mitchell and the great FXG team
• Jake Rubin
• Alexis Huille
• Raghu Bathina
• Chris Koomen
• Cognitive3D
• Wisear (Yacine Achiakh)
• Jennifer Granger
• Jason Moore
• Steve Biggs
• Julio Cesar Bolivar
• Jan Schroeder
• Kai Curtis
• Francesco Strada
• Sikaar Keita
• Ramin Assadollahi
• Juan Sotelo
• Andrew Sheldon
• Chris Madsen
• Horacio Torrendell
• Andrew Deutsch
• Fabien Benetou
• Tatiana Kartashova
• Marco “BeyondTheCastle” Arena
• Eloi Gerard
• Adam Boyd
• Jeremy Dalton
• Joel Ward
• Alex P
• Lynn Eades
• Donald P
• Casie Lane
• Catherine Henry
• Qcreator
• Ristband (Anne McKinnon & Roman Rappak)
• Stephen Robnett
• KaihatsuJai
• Sb
• Enrico Poli
• Vooiage Technologies
• Caroline
• Liam James O’Malley
• Hillary Charnas
• Wil Stevens
• Brian Peiris
• Francesco Salizzoni
• Dimo Pepelyashev
• Alan Smithson
• Steve R
• Brentwahn
• Pieter Siekerman
• Simplex
• Matias Nassi

And now here you are the link to donate:

Support The Red Cross in Ukraine

(Header image by Pico)