I’m back in Italy after having been a mentor at the XRCC in Berlin! My experience there has been great… maybe I’ll write something about it soon. But there are a lot of pieces of interesting XR news to talk about… so why should I speak about me now? 😀
Top news of the week
The UploadVR Showcase Summer 2024 was a feast for VR gaming
Upload VR’s Summer Showcase has been an amazing moment for VR gaming, with many pieces of news announced. No news has been mindblowing (there has been no announcement of GTA VR or Half-Life Alyx 3), but many game studios showcased interesting new games or updates about existing games. My handpicked selection of favorite news is:
- Creature has released a new trailer for Starship Home: the video shows even better how the game is using mixed reality to transform your room into the interiors of a spaceship
- Disembodied is an interesting new game where you control with your physical hands some detached hands to make them solve some puzzles. It seems a very creative game to me
- Memoreum is a narrative-driven sci-fi horror FPS that will be available in 2025. The trailer is very well-made
- Hide The Corpse, the game where you have just a few minutes to hide the corpse you have in your home before the police enter has been released in early access
- You can now preorder Maestro, the game that lets you control an orchestra with your hands
- Zero Caliber 2, the sequel of the acclaimed FPS game, arrives this July on the Meta Quest platform with a 10% pre-order discount
- ARVORE plans to launch Clawball on App Lab at the end of the year. Clawball is a 3 vs 3 soccer game where the players impersonate cats. It looks fun
- Brazen Blaze, the melee-focused 3v3 VR multiplayer brawler that got very positive previews, is coming on July 18 on Quest and Steam
- Laser Dance, the game that makes you dodge lasers in your room as if you were in Mission Impossible, can now be wishlisted on the Meta Horizon Store. The developer behind it also showed how he shot the video thanks to a phone attached to the headset and that’s pretty cool to see.
These are just a few of the many pieces of news announced: check out the full roundup and see which ones are the most intriguing for you!
More info (Everything announced at Upload VR’s showcase)
More info (Starship Home)
More info (Disembodied)
More info (Memoreum)
More info (Hide The Corpse)
More info (Maestro)
More info (Zero Caliber 2)
More info (Clawball)
More info (Brazen Blaze)
More info (Laser Dance — Store Page)
More info (Laser Dance — How They Shot The Trailer)
Other relevant news
New Quest runtime lets you position the windows all around you
The runtime v67 of Quest will finally let you position the windows of your applications around you. This is something that HoloLens was already able to do back in the day and that Vision Pro already uses heavily in its ecosystem.
The v67 of the runtime is now available in Meta Quest PTC (Public Test Channel) so it is available only to users that agreed to be provided with experimental features. This version features a new way of arranging the windows of the operating system that is called “New Window Layout”. With New Window Layout, apart from the three docked windows that you can have in front of you, you can have other three windows that you position where you want around you and that you can also zoom according to your needs. This means that you can have a total of 6 windows in your workspace: 3 main windows around you, and 3 accessories windows positioned where you think they’re the most useful. The pose of the window remains persistent if you turn off the headset and then on again.
In the same version of the runtime, the Quest now lets you configure your Wi-Fi using a QR code, which can be pretty handy.
More info (Quest now lets you put windows in your space — Road To VR)
More info (Quest now lets you put windows in your space — Upload VR)
More info (Example of windows in the space of the user)
More info (QR Code to configure Wi-Fi)
Quest 2 is now out of stock in most regions
Quest 2 is now fully out of stock in the United States and in most worldwide regions. The 256GB was already out of stock, but now the 128GB SKU is also having availability issues. The only region with availability direct from Meta is the UK, which still has the 128GB variant in stock, priced at £200. In the US the headset is out of stock everywhere: on Meta Store, Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. It is so hard to find the Quest 2 unless you want to go for some resellers, which are anyway usually inflating the price.
Usually when Meta leaves a headset go out of stock is because it plans to substitute it with another model. The fact that the Quest 2 is now unavailable means that a new headset is going to substitute it very soon: the rumored Quest 3S which should have a price as affordable as $199. The announcement will most likely happen during Meta Connect this fall.
More info (Meta Quest 2 out of stock — Road To VR)
More info (Meta Quest 2 out of stock — Upload VR)
Mark Zuckerberg creates hype for Meta’s AR prototype
It’s a while since Meta’s people have started raising the hype for the prototype of AR glasses that Meta is going to show at the upcoming Meta Connect. The latest one participating in this operation has been his majesty The Zuck, who in an interview with the YouTuber Kallaway has teased Meta’s upcoming “full holographic” glasses. He said: “Every person who I’ve shown it to so far, their reaction is giddy. I’m really looking forward to showing that to more people”.
Notice that we are talking about AR glasses and not a mixed reality headset. He revealed that the prototype is “not the most stylish” and will likely have thicker frames to accommodate the AR technology. But still, the specifications should be higher than the other AR glasses on the market: Meta wants to show how the future of AR glasses can be.
The device won’t be on sale, though: “We’re focused on building the full consumer version of it rather than selling the prototype,” Zuckerberg said. According to past rumors, these glasses may be used for internal demos and potentially also given to very close partners to start developing content for Meta’s AR ecosystem.
After all this hype, I would really love to try them. I doubt Meta is going to invite me to Connect, though. But I would still be happy to read what experienced journalists like Ben Lang think about them to understand how much this prototype is advanced.
Play For Dream is a new Vision Pro competitor
When Qualcomm announced its advanced Snapdragon XR2+ Gen2 chipset, it said that there was an undisclosed Chinese headset that was going to use it. This week this mysterious headset has been revealed: it comes from the company previously known as YVR, which has now rebranded to “Play For Dream” and the headset is called “Play For Dream MR”. The tagline of the headset is “Where dreams inspire”, which sounds cool but actually means nothing.
The headset has pretty solid specifications:
- Dual 3840×3552 micro-OLED displays from BOE
- 90Hz refresh rate
- 103° FOV
- 16GB RAM
- 521GB storage
- Integrated eye tracking
- Auto IPD adjustment
- RGB passthrough with 14ms latency
- Integrated battery on the back for weight balancement
The headset runs Play For Dream’s own Android-based platform and also supports SteamVR streaming. It is expected to launch in 2025 for a price below the $2000 mark.
On paper, it looks pretty cool, but I’ve not been able to find much information about it. There is only a trailer, which is just a clone of the showcase of the features of the Vision Pro and contains a lot of buzz statements like “Immersive Multiplayer Gaming Battles” (which is not a feature of the hardware but of the software, so it has no sense). I’ve also found a guy who went hands-on with it, but his enthusiastic review is very shallow and not reliable at all. I’ll wait for a hands-on article on this headset from an experienced VR journalist like Ian Hamilton before starting to have an opinion about it. For now, I can only say that it is nice on paper to be a premium standalone device. But remember that Apple never competes on the specifications but on the user experience…
More info (Play For Dream MR announced)
More info (Play For Dream MR trailer)
More info (Hands-on the device)
News worth a mention
PlayStation may have been pressured by Sony to create PSVR 2
Gamespot’s Tom Caswell may have an explanation for all the problems affecting PSVR 2. According to him, Sony Interactive Entertainment, the division of Sony that has the control of PlayStation has been pressured by the heads of Sony Group to create the PSVR 2. But “their heart wasn’t in it”, so they complied with minimal effort to make their bosses happy, but didn’t fully invest in this new device. And then of course the negative moment for the gaming industry, which has forced all the companies to focus only on the core businesses (which for SIE is PlayStation 5), has done the rest. Of course, this is just gossip, we don’t know if this has truly been what happened, but it would make sense. It would explain why the headset has been done and then quasi-abandoned.
Quest 3 has sold more than 1 million units
First Encounters is the mixed reality game almost all Quest 3 owners play to get used to mixed reality. Since the game has now more than 1 million players in its classifications, we can safely say that Quest 3 has sold more than 1 million units. This is an OK result: Quest 2 has sold much more, but it happened in totally different conditions (and especially at a much lower price).
The Vision Pro and its special features
VisionOS 2 is going to bring many interesting innovative features to the Vision Pro. One that has already been announced is the automatic conversion of 2D photos to 3D ones so that they can be seen as spatial memories on the headset. Road To VR went hands-on with them and found this feature to be amazing, implemented with the typical Apple polish touch that makes everything feel great.
But it seems that Apple is working on another feature that has not been officially announced yet: bringing Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro. This would make the headset even more advanced than it is now.
More info (Apple Vision Pro’s 3D photos)
More info (Apple Intelligence on Vision Pro)
New leaks on the Pico 4S
According to the usual leaker Luna, these are the specifications of the upcoming Pico 4S:
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X2R2 Gen 2
- RAM: 12GB
- Resolution: Dual LCDs at 2160 x 2160 per eye
- Refresh Rate: 90Hz
- Lenses: Pancake Lenses
- IPD Adjustment: Motorized IPD/IAD Adjustment
- Controllers: IR/Hand Tracked Ringless Controllers (similar to Meta Quest 3’s Touch Plus)
- Tracking Cameras: 4x IR Tracking Cameras
- Passthrough Cameras: 2x RGB Passthrough Cameras
- IR Illuminators: 2x IR Illuminators for Depth Sensing
- Mixed Reality Features: Automated Space Setup, Floating Spatial Panels for 2D Apps with No Apparent Window
From the above list, it seems like a decent competitor of the Meta Quest 3.
Luna has also leaked the Pico Motion Tracker 2.0, which should track your limbs to make you play fitness games in VR.
More info (Leaked specifications of Pico 4S)
More info (Leaked Pico Motion Tracker 2.0)
Meta is still working on its cloud streaming solution
A few years ago we had a leak about a VR cloud rendering solution that Meta was working on for the Quest and that was called Avalanche. From that moment, we knew nothing about it and we thought the project may have been canceled. But actually, a Youtuber was able to find a reference to Avalanche in the menu of his Quest and potentially try to launch a game (which did not work, though). This means that Meta is still working on this solution.
More info (Meta still working on Avalanche — Road To VR)
More info (Meta still working on Avalanche — Upload VR)
Meta Horizon Worlds is now available on all countries supporting the Quest
Meta has finally rolled out Horizon Worlds worldwide, making it available in all countries that support the Quest, that is: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Users must be 14+ in South Korea and Spain.
The Vision Pro regulates the fan speed depending on the noise
A developer of applications on the Vision Pro has found an interesting detail about the headset: the fans’ speed is regulated depending on the noise the user may perceive. The headset monitors how much it can “listen” to the fans from the microphone and regulates their speed so that they can not be listened to by the user wearing the device. This is on one side very cool because it shows the attention to detail that Apple has. But on the other side, it is a bit strange that to make the headset performant, I have to go to a noisy place. If the place is noisy, the microphone can not hear the noise of the fans (because of the noise), so the fans can spin at a higher speed, letting the computational chipset be faster because it can overheat more.
Ultraleap to sell its hand tracking business
Ultraleap is dividing its company in two, separating its hand tracking business from its hand haptics business. The company is also planning to sell the former one, which was integrated into the company after the acquisition of Leap Motion. During this restructuring operation, many people have been laid off from the company. It’s very sad for me to hear that, considering that I like a lot of Ultraleap people. I send big hugs to all the people that have been affected by this operation.
Meta ditches its Mixed Reality recording tools to partner with LIV
Trailers in mixed reality are a good way to showcase your game: one of the reasons why Beat Saber has become so popular was the exciting videos you could see of people playing it, with the players appearing as if they were living in the world of the game. Meta had its own tool to record these videos on Quest, but they were clunky and poorly documented. That’s why the company is now ditching them and it is officially partnering with LIV, which so becomes the official to-go solution for shooting mixed reality trailers.
More info (Meta partners with LIV — Road To VR)
More info (Meta partners with LIV — Official blog post)
This may be the toughest year to get investments in XR
According to Crunchbase, 2024 is going to be the year with the lowest investments in AR/VR/metaverse since 2018. This does not surprise me: apart from the usual “XR is dead” vibes, now many startups like to describe themselves using the buzzword “Generative AI” and not “metaverse” anymore. From my personal experience, it is true that it is very hard to find investors at this moment, especially in Europe.
At Gamescom, there will be an XR mega booth
A bunch of amazing VR game studios are partnering to create at Gamescom a mega booth all about XR called “The Home of XR”. The booth will be available in the business area in Cologne Germany August 21–23, and will feature hands-on experiences with upcoming games targeting a Holiday 2024 release — including yet-to-be-announced titles — from the following studios:
- Vertigo Games
- nDreams
- Fast Travel Games
- Soul Assembly
- Combat Waffle Studios
- Beyond Frames Entertainment
- Flat2VR Studios
- Patient 8 Games
This sounds like a very interesting initiative.
Assetto Corsa Evo will support VR
Assetto Corsa Evo is coming later this year and it will support VR. The CEO of Kunos has declared that VR on PC is used by 5/10% of its players and for this reason, Assetto Corsa EVO will be native VR from day zero. This is an amazing piece of news, it means that VR is a successful niche for racing games.
More info (Assetto Corsa Evo coming later this year)
More info (5–10% of Assetto Corsa players are using VR)
Some news about content
- Mixed Reality arena shooter ‘Spatial Ops’ is launching out of beta in late 2024
- Indie studio Ivory Crow Games has released a new demo for Chrono Weaver, a single-player game that lets you make copies of yourself to solve physics-based puzzles
- A new gameplay video of the mixed reality Japanese title Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom has been released
- Yeeps: Hide And Seek is a game heavily inspired by Gorilla Tag which is having its big share of success on Meta Quest App Lab. The studio is planning to release this game on the Meta Quest official store
- The very popular card game Exploding Kitten is getting a VR version called Exploding Kittens VR, which is going to let you play not only the card game in an immersive way, but also some minigames.
More info (Spatial Ops)
More info (Chromo Weaver)
More info (Mobile Suit Gundam)
More info (Yeeps)
More info (Exploding Kittens VR)
Some reviews about content
- Riven has been reviewed both by Upload and Road To VR: both say that it is a faithful recreation of the old game but that the VR port is pretty rough around the edges. Anyway while Road To VR gave it a positive mark, Upload was pretty negative about it
- Road To VR had a preview of Metal: Hellsinger VR and found it very fun, but still in need of a few polish touches to make its user experience feel more native to VR
- Blade & Sorcery according to Upload still delivers brutal yet satisfying physics-driven combat and its recently-added Progression Mode is an enjoyable addition to it
More info (Riven — Road To VR)
More info (Riven — Upload VR)
More info (Metal: Hellsinger VR)
More info (Blade And Sorcery)
Participate in the AR/VR Survey!
Every year SlashData organizes an AR/VR survey to better understand the XR ecosystem. If you spend some minutes participating in it, you can have the chance to win cool prizes like Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, YubiKeys, Amazon gift cards, Udemy credits, and more!
More info
Other news
David Heaney went in-depth on the topic of why it’s unrealistic to think that the Vision Pro could work by being connected to a phone
References to Varifocal optics have been found in the Quest runtime
Meta has (finally) discontinued the old Netflix app. People can now use Netflix directly from the Meta browser
A new malware is being distributed by masquerading as the Oculus runtime installer for PC
(Thanks Tom Ffiske for the tip)
Apple is reportedly asking LG and Samsung for affordable Micro-OLEDs to manufacture the cheaper version of the Vision Pro
A research study highlights how our virtual avatar may impact our perception of physical pain
(Thanks Ivan Aguilar for the tip)
News from partners (and friends)
Discover Mythic Realms
Mythic Realms is a roguelike fantasy RPG developed by Petricore Games. A very interesting trait of this game is that part of the gameplay happens in immersive virtual reality while the other is in mixed reality. The team has just released an update that adds new enemies, new music, new locations, and a visual overhaul!
Learn more
XR Women Announces Winners of 2024 Awards
The XR Women Awards celebrate the women who contribute the most to advancing the XR space. In 2024 there has been the 4th edition of these awards, which have seen as winners:
- Amy Hedrick for the Innovation Award
- Dr. Muhsinah Morris for the Trailblazer Award
- Sonya Haskins for the Real World Impact Award
I compliment the winners, but I think that this award is especially important to remind us of ALL the amazing women who work in our space!
Learn more
Sponsored Area
Promote your product on The Ghost Howls!
If you have an XR product and you want to showcase it in front of the VR community, please reach out to me, and let’s talk about potential collaborations! This is a very VR-focused website, so it is the ideal place where to find people who are potentially interested in what you are offering.
Contact me and let’s chat!
Some XR fun
RIP Quest 1
Funny link
Base Stations
Funny link
Donate for good
Like last week, also this week in this final paragraph I won’t ask you to donate to my blog, but to the poor people who 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
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And now here you are the link to donate:
Support The Red Cross in Ukraine
(Header image by Upload VR)