I feel a bit dizzy because tonight I had to wake up at 2 am to bring some people to the airport… so now my mind lives in a limbo between the real world and the sleepy dream world… can I say that I’m living in a mixed reality?
In any case, in whatever reality I am, I am typing on a keyboard the best XR news of the week. I hope you will receive them, either via e-mail or via your dreams…
Top news of the week
Specs of Quest 3 leak together with the price of accessories
Some major leaks keep happening about the Quest 3: the latest one happened when last week UnboundXR published by error the listing of the headset and all its related accessories.
If the leak is correct (remember to take leaks and rumors always with a pinch of salt), these are the specs of the device:
- Resolution (per-eye): 2064 x 2208
- Display Type: LCD
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- Lens type: Pancake
- Processor: Snapdragon XR2 Gen2
- RAM: 12GB
- Battery Life: 2–3 hours
- Field of View: 97° horizontal, 93° vertical
- IPD Adjust: hardware-based. Eye relief is also supported
- Audio: integrated
- Weight: 509g
- Storage: 128GB or 512GB
- Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
- Tracking: inside-out
- Depth sensor: available
- Mixed Reality: full-RGB cameras for color passthrough
As for the price, the base (128GB) version of the Meta Quest 3 is going to be released for $499, while the higher storage version (512 GB) is coming for $599. New leaks on Amazon and MediaMarkt have revealed that probably the headset will be available starting from October, 10th, 2023. Preorders are expected to start on the day of the Connect, so on September, 27th.
But there’s even more. We now know also the price of the upcoming accessories of the headset:
- Meta Quest 3 Silicone Face Interface (Black) for $39.99
- Meta Quest 3 Carrying Case for $59.99
- Meta Quest 3 Elite Strap with Battery for $119.99
- Meta Quest 3 Charging Dock for $119.99
Long story short, we now know almost everything about the next Meta headset. The only chance to be surprised is that some of these leaks are slightly off (as my friend E-minus is suggesting). I guess only on the 27th we will know the truth…
More info (Summary of all the leaks about Quest 3)
More info (Leak on Quest 3 accessories)
More info (Leaked top-down picture of Quest 3)
More info (MediaMarkt listing confirms October, 10 release date)
More info (Leak on Quest 3 specs)
Other relevant news
Is the Valve headset finally coming?
There is a lot of hype in the community about the rumored upcoming standalone Valve headset, codenamed Deckard, so everything that may hint at an upcoming release generates excitement in us VR enthusiasts.
The piece of news that made people hope for a close release is the recent radio certification that Valve has obtained in Korea for its new unknown hardware device. We have no idea what this device may be, but one of the possibilities is that it is the new headset (another one may be a new model of the Steamdeck). Usually, these certifications are obtained around one month before the release of a product, so it is possible that Valve will announce its new device quite soon.
To make things even more exciting, Brad Lynch, who is famous for his successful leaks on the Quest devices, has clearly hinted on Twitter that Valve’s launch may happen in the upcoming times. Because of this, some people in the community are speculating that Valve wants to ruin again the party to Meta announcing something on the day of the Meta Connect.
I’m honestly not totally sold on the idea of Valve launching soon. Valve is known for its “Valve Time”, plus usually, when a device gets close to launch, the rumors about it are intensifying, but I’m not seeing this happening now for the Deckard. I hope to be wrong, of course: maybe Valve has just accelerated to launch its device before Apple may finally release its one.
More info (Valve obtaining radio certification in Korea)
More info (Brad Lynch hinting at a future launch)
IVAS project goes to the next phase
After a troubled beginning and many moments in which the project seemed to stop, the IVAS project has got a new green light from the US Army. IVAS is meant to increase the capabilities of the soldiers deployed on the field thanks to the support of augmented reality glasses. The project is carried on by Microsoft which was given the monster contract of $22B to create this device by modifying its HoloLens glasses.
The project has proven to be more complex than expected, and soldiers found the devices cumbersome to use. But the latest version, the IVAS 1.2, seems to have passed the first tests on the field and so the project will go on to the next phase. The next step is about trying to integrate the glasses with cloud services, something about which Microsoft is a worldwide leader thanks to Azure.
I wonder if this new cash and the continuous work on this special version of the HoloLens will lead Microsoft to reconsider the idea of developing its own AR glasses…
News worth a mention
XREAL launches XREAL Air 2
XREAL (formerly known as Nreal) has just launched in China the second edition of its very successful Xreal Air smartglasses. Dubbed XREAL Air 2, it comes with a standard and a Pro version. The glasses are very similar to the previous edition but show improvements, especially in the design and weight aspects. Colors are also better saturated and the lenses are dimmable (I didn’t get if this feature is available only on the Pro edition, though). For the rest (FOV, resolution, etc…), the specifications are identical.
The device is priced at RMB 2,499 (circa $340), with the Pro version estimated to cost $409.
More info (XREAL announces Air 2)
More info (Differences between XREAL Air 1 and Air 2)
Bigscreen Beyond is shipping
Bigscreen has announced that its lightweight Beyond PC VR headset is now shipping in the United States, with international shipping coming in mid-late Q4 of this year. The company also stated that it was overwhelmed with requests and had to ramp up production of the headset. In my opinion, it is a well-deserved success for an intriguing device.
Somnium published an update about its headset
Talking about interesting PCVR headsets, another cool upcoming one is the Somnium VR1. Somnium Space has just published an update about it, detailing all the effort that is being put into manufacturing this headset. There are three very interesting tidbits from this article:
- Somnium is going to open source the algorithm used for eye-tracking
- The headset will let developers have access to the raw streams of the passthrough cameras. This is important to do experiments not only with mixed reality but also with AI and object recognition
- Soon people will be able to “reserve” a headset for free, without leaving any kind of deposit.
I like what Somnium is doing: on paper, it is very cool. I’m very interested to see what they will deliver.
Nintendo is internally working on a VR prototype
A leak reveals that Nintendo is internally working on a prototype of a VR headset. This headset should feature pancake lenses, mixed reality capabilities, and micro-LED displays by Raxium, a startup owned by Google. It doesn’t seem that this headset is coming to the market anytime soon, but it is cool that Nintendo is keeping experimenting with immersive realities.
AWE announces a $200K price for XR startups
AWE announced that at the upcoming AWE Europe in Vienna there will be the usual XR Startup Pitch competition. The prize for the winner will be a USD $200,000 investment from the venture capital fund of investor Christopher Obereder. If you have an XR startup, you should keep an eye on this opportunity.
Roblox CEO made some bold predictions at the RDC event
Roblox CEO David Baszucki has made some bold five-year predictions at the Roblox RDC event (thanks to Bob Cooney for having written them down):
10. A Fortune 500 company will use a Roblox experience as part of their recruiting process
9. A school will integrate a full K-12 curriculum with Roblox, including language classes with schools in other countries and virtual field trips
8. For 17+ verified people in 17+ experiences: Thousands of adults will meet for the first time in Roblox dating experiences and subsequently form real life relationships
7. Roblox employees will spend more time using Roblox for remote meetings than with video
6. We will share a universal civility metric, and show that for most players, it increases over time
5. Some Roblox creators will make more money from selling physical merchandise on Roblox than virtual merchandise
4. Roblox will be a frequent communication channel for my family
3. A top fashion designer will be discovered on Roblox, without having any experience in physical fashion
2. A musician will perform live to over 1 [million] people on Roblox, using a phone for motion capture
1. A Roblox developer will be valued at $1 [billion]
I think the n.1 is a bit exaggerated, but some of the others are pretty realistic and show how the “metaverse” is far from being dead.
By the way, Meta has gifted a Quest Pro to all the attendees of the conference. This shows how much Meta believes that Roblox can increase the sales of its device… and how it wants to empty its warehouses full of useless Quest Pros…
More info (Roblox CEO predictions — Bob Cooney)
More info (Roblox CEO predictions — Cathy Hackl)
More info (Quest Pro gifted at RDC)
Resolution Games is working on porting Demeo to the Vision Pro
Resolution Games is actively working to port Demeo, one of its most successful games, to the Apple Vision Pro. And its latest update, dubbed the “Mixed Reality 2.0 update”, is already directed in that sense, since it brings support for hand tracking and colocation. The game is now fully playable without controllers, a feature that will be very important to be compatible with the headset from Apple.
Even more, the company has stated that “multiple mixed reality titles are actively in development across a number of devices”. This shows how mixed reality may be one of the big trends of the upcoming months.
More info (Demeo in development for the Apple Vision Pro — Upload VR)
More info (Demeo in development for the Apple Vision Pro — Road To VR)
More info (Demeo updated to work with hand tracking)
Some news on content
- Spellcasting experience Waltz of the Wizard is coming to PSVR 2 on October 3rd, 2023
- Upload VR has interviewed Patient 8 Games about its game Memoreum, which will arrive next year on Quest and SteamVR.
- Border Bots VR, a game that got some praise in the previews, is coming to PSVR 2 and SteamVR on September 28th. A Meta Quest 2 release is coming in early 2024
- Codemasters, the EA studio behind the DiRT Rally franchise, announced that its next racing title WRC, slated to come in November, is set to include post-launch VR support for its PC release
- Upload VR has interviewed the creators of “Wallace and Gromit in The Grand Getaway” a new VR experience featuring the fun duo
- Bootstrap Island is a new survival VR game coming in Early Access on Steam in early 2024
- Supersonic Fight, a new flight sim with optional PC VR support, is coming to Steam in early 2024, too
- Co-op fantasy adventure Dungeons of Eternity arrives on Quest next month. Preorders will get a 10% discount on the full price
- MyDearest, the studio behind the Tokyo Chronos VR series, has revealed its next VR game, Brazen Blaze. It is a “3v3 smack & shoot VR action with a heavy focus on close-quarter melee combat” slated to come in 2024. In a few weeks, there will be a free alpha test open on SteamVR. It’s interesting to read that our friend Thrillseeker has helped in the testing and refinement of the game
- Platformer with Gorilla-Tag inspired movement “Toss!” has been released on all the major VR platforms for $19.99
- Upload VR journalists have attended Venice Immersive and have detailed in an article the most interesting experiences that they have tried.
More info (Waltz Of The Wizard)
More info (Memoreum)
More info (Border Bots VR)
More info (WRC)
More info (Wallace And Gromit)
More info (Bootstrap Island)
More info (Supersonic Fight)
More info (Dungeons Of Eternity)
More info (Brazen Blaze)
More info (Toss!)
More info (Venice Immersive 2023)
Some reviews on content
- Arashi: Final Cut is a good upgrade to Arashi: Castles of Sin. Unluckily it has still some left-overs from the previous generation of VR gaming
- Teahouse Of Souls shows an interesting concept of representing limbo through a place where the souls drink tea. Its preview by Upload VR has been positive, but the game needs to be finalized
- Wallace & Gromit In The Grand Getaway is an adventure that keeps the same crazy and fun spirit of the iconic duo, according to a preview had by Upload
- “Drop Dead: The Cabin” has showcased its new mixed reality mode. It is fun, but it shows also all the limits of mixed-reality gaming
- Upload VR has expressed very positive opinions on Max Mustard, the new game by the team behind Richie’s Plank Experience. The game is not only fun but also shows an attention to detail that makes the game a pleasure to play
- Gargoyle Doyle is a humorous storytelling experience in mixed reality. The graphics are not great, but the experience is pleasant also thanks to the fun dynamics between the characters.
More info (Arashi: Final Cut)
More info (Teahouse Of Souls)
More info (Wallace And Gromit)
More info (Drop Dead: The Cabin)
More info (Max Mustard)
More info (Gargoyle Doyle)
Other news
The developer behind Standable Full Body Estimation has openly talked about the roadmap for this interesting plugin
A video on Linkedin shows how it is easy to scan objects with iOS 17’s Object Capture feature
Meta announces a new game for Horizon Worlds: it is called Citadel and is an adventure game
Hiber3D has integrated Google’s AI tools to make creators generate immersive worlds by just typing what they want
News from partners (and friends)
Discover XRUpdate.com
I found on Reddit that XR Update, a new website about XR, has been launched, and the team behind it is pretty cool. Let me copy-paste here the post with which the creator has presented it, hoping that you may find it as interesting as I did:
Hey! I’m Elliotttate, one of the founders of The Beat Saber Modding Group, founder of Bsaber.com, the Flat2VR community and a bunch of other free VR-related communities and sites based around helping to grow VR!
We were a little frustrated with many VR game releases and projects were not getting mentioned in some of the bigger VR news websites and how few articles covered topics like the processes developers went through when designing VR games, what was happening in the VR modding community, etc. So we built a new site to cover all that and more!
Our goal for the site is to make it not just a one-stop place to keep up to date about a lot of what goes on in the VR world, but share behind-the-scenes articles of sorts about all the amazing people who make up our wonderful VR community. Hope you enjoy!
Read “Storytelling in Mixed Reality”
Clyde De Souza has just published a book called “Storytelling in Mixed Reality”, which is available on Amazon. This is not a how-to book that teaches you how to shoot VR movies, but it’s more a book that wants to give you food for thought and stimulate the storyteller that is in you about creating great stories for the metaverse.
Attend the AMP event
I received an email that talks about an upcoming interesting event organized by Digital Catapult:
I’m delighted to invite you to the upcoming online launch event of interconnected Advanced Media Production (AMP) network, taking place on Wednesday 20 September 2023 from 14:00.
Developed by Digital Catapult in collaboration with Target3D and funded by Innovate UK, the Advanced Media Production network consists of two studios located in Gateshead and Dock Street in London, connected via a 10-gigabit line which will enable teams across the country to connect and work together in real time.
Both sites focus on R&D and innovation for the creative industry and showcase convergent production technologies such as high density LED walls, motion-capture, real-time rendering engines — all whilst leveraging 5G infrastructure.
The virtual event will be streaming the exciting immersive performance displaying the full virtual production stage with both green screen and LED volume solutions inter-connected with the studios in Gateshead / London Dock Street as well as presentations and Q&As with industry experts.
Register now for an afternoon of immersive, theatrical fun focusing on the world of real-time advanced media production.
Some XR fun
Charging the headset is so boring
Funny link
Toc toc.. who’s there?
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
- Matt Cool
- Simplex
- Gregory F Gorsuch
- Matias Nassi
And now here you are the link to donate:
Support The Red Cross in Ukraine
(Header image taken from MIXED)