The XR Week Peek (2026.11.02): XREAL discounts Aura at launch, Quest sales are declining, and more!
It has been a special week for me, because I have finally published my review of the KAT Walk C3 Ultra! It is incredible how I’ve been the first person to receive this product outside of KAT VR and its close circle of partners. Being “the first” is not something that happens every day, and I really thank KAT VR for the trust they had in me. And I repaid them by writing a super-detailed and unbiased review of their device! Make sure to read it and let me know your impressions about it!
Top news of the week
XREAL officially launches (and discounts) Aura
At the Android Dev Summit, XREAL has finally officially launched XREAL Aura, its new augmented reality glasses. We already knew everything about the glasses, and people were already able to reserve a spot, but finally now people can actually buy the glasses on the XREAL website or in selected stores like Best Buy. XREAL has also confirmed the price of the device, but with the surprise of a generous discount for those who buy the device before the end of 2026. This is the pricing:
- Xreal Aura 12GB + 256GB: $1,279 (discounted to $1,099 in 2026)
- Xreal Aura 16GB + 512GB: $1,499 (discounted to $1,299 in 2026)
I think the discount is a great idea to better compete with Meta VR Glasses. Many people online are already comparing the two devices, and for a very similar price, they prefer sticking to Meta. Now, with a device $200 cheaper, XREAL has better chances of selling its units. Someone also speculates that the discount was decided because preorders haven’t been strong, and a $200 incentive surely can be of help.
The first batch of Aura AR glasses is slated to start shipping in mid-November, coming first to the US, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. As you can see, the EU and Australia are not part of the territories that can buy Aura anymore, and unluckily we’ll have to wait to get our hands on this device. This also means we’ll lose the launch discount. I find this incredibly unfair.
Another thing that is unfair is that I couldn’t go to the Android Dev Summit (I was invited, but couldn’t join), and at that event, they gifted a code to get a free XREAL Aura to all participants. I was like, “What the hell, I join VR events all over the world, and I miss the only one where they gift a device worth $1,500????”. And I’ve been told there was also free food, and I missed that, too…
Anyway, let’s get back to business. XREAL also announced some content coming to its glasses, including the AR version of the physical 1v1 tabletop game “Fallout: Factions”. The Godot game engine also became compatible with the glasses, and this is offering developers a new opportunity to create content for these glasses.
I reviewed the XREAL Aura glasses at AWE, and I think they’re very interesting AR glasses, with the only big inconvenience being the vertical FOV. So I think you should consider the possibility of getting them. But someone on Twitter/X already speculates about a possible refresh of this device with a higher screen resolution coming in 2027…
(Thanks Ivan Aguilar, for the tip on Godot)
More info (XREAL launches Aura)
More info (Fallout Factions coming to Aura)
More info (Godot Engine becoming compatible with Aura)
More info (A free Aura was gifted to all participants of the launch keynote)
More info (Unconfirmed rumor about a new XREAL Aura in 2027 / 1)
More info (Unconfirmed rumor about a new XREAL Aura in 2027 / 2)
Sponsors Area
This newsletter has also been possible thanks to our sponsors.
Groovy Labs
Groovy Labs is an open VR/MR rhythm playground with access to 100,000+ songs. Slice, strike, or punch your way through music and discover different ways to move with the beat.
Built as an independent ecosystem, Groovy Labs is not tied to a single mechanic or platform. Customize your experience, explore new gameplay styles, and make every session your own. The project is shaped by experimentation, player feedback, and an active community. It is designed to keep evolving with new ideas, content, and ways to play.
Available on Meta Quest, SteamVR/PCVR, PICO 4, HTC VIVE, and Samsung Galaxy XR. One rhythm ecosystem, built for freedom, creativity, and community.
Other relevant news
Meta Quest sales are declining
It is known to everyone that we are in a pretty negative moment for immersive realities. And Meta confirmed in its earnings calls that the sales of Quest VR headsets are declining: “Within our Reality Labs segment, Q3 revenue was $443 million, down 6% due to lower Quest headset sales, which were partially offset by continued strong growth in AI glasses revenue”.
Mark Zuckerberg added that he still believes in VR and its future, but that new headsets will be launched only if they represent a real breakthrough compared to what is already available on the market, as happened with the Meta VR Glasses.
I personally agree with this approach: considering the negative moment for VR and for gaming in general, it makes no sense to launch a device that is just a small upgrade over what already exists. It would be bought by just a few enthusiasts needing an upgrade, be a failure, and favor only the narrative that “VR is dead”. It’s better for companies to be more efficient and launch a new device only if it can capture new segments of the market. The new Meta VR Glasses had very good feedback for their new form factor, and I’m pretty sure they’ll reignite some interest in VR.
Smartglasses sales are on the rise
Meta complained about the sales of VR headsets, but was also praising the sales of AI smartglasses. And its partner company EssilorLuxottica is pretty happy about those sales, too.
The Franco-Italian eyewear manufacturer had record revenues which exceeded the expectations of the analysts. And part of this is thanks to the wearables sector: between the Nuance Audio hearing solutions and the smartglasses made together with Meta, Luxottica reported a total wearables revenue of €486M, which is around 6.5% of its total revenues. However, there is some small negative news: smart glasses sales rose 20% in the third quarter, compared with growth of nearly 100% in the previous quarter, according to Reuters. So they are still growing a lot in sales, but they are having a more normal growth now.
This is definitely good news, and I hope that glasses will keep selling well. Seeing these numbers, it is easy to understand why Meta has a bit pivoted its interest from VR to smartglasses…
Samsung may launch its smartglasses mid-December
According to a new rumor from Korea, Samsung may launch its smartglasses in mid-December 2026. The device should initially be launched only in the US and South Korea, with a rollout to Europe, China, and Japan to come potentially later on. The price is not disclosed by this rumor.
If the rumor is confirmed, I am a bit puzzled by both decisions. First of all, mid-December is an ugly moment to launch something because many people are distracted by Christmas and will be less attentive to the communication. Also, launching so late, they lose all the sales of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Then, launching only in the US and Korea, they lose the possibility of selling to huge markets like China and Europe. Considering that Aura is also not launching in Europe, I’m thinking that these devices are not coming here because of the strict AI regulations that Gemini should adhere to.
I hope to be wrong, but between these weird launch choices and the fact that the glasses have similar specifications to Ray-Ban Meta, I find it hard for them to make a big splash in the market. I hope this is not another Galaxy XR moment…
(Thanks saji8k for the tip)
News worth a mention
Raven has launched the Raven Prism 1
While everyone was focused on the launch of the XREAL Aura, another interesting pair of glasses launched the same day: the Raven Prism 1. Raven Prism is a pair of monocular smartglasses meant to be a portable computer controlled by voice and eyes. They run Linux and are completely focused on privacy. They even feature a physical shutter so that you can cover your camera and be sure no one is “spying on you”. You can reserve these glasses for $49, with a final price starting from $1,499, with shipping starting in January 2027. Also, in this case, USA only at start, with EU coming later on.
More info (X post from the CEO announcing the launch)
More info (Robert Scoble interviewing the CEO)
More info (Purchase page of Raven Prism 1)
Rokid announces Rokid Color, Glasses 2, and Ring
In China, Rokid had its flagship Rokid Jungle event, during which the company announced three new devices:
- Rokid Color, that is smartglasses with a full RGB color display (current Rokid glasses are monochrome green)
- Rokid Glasses 2, which represent a linear evolution over the previous generation of Rokid Glasses (the ones equipped with a display). Price starts from 3699RMB ($555 circa)
- Rokid Ring, a smart ring you can use to easily control your Rokid Glasses. Price is 998RMB ($150 circa)
Valve highlights the need for more VR content
During a recent event, a person from Valve talked about the Steam Frame. He said Valve is definitely committed to virtual reality, but he also added that VR currently has a problem with a lack of content. He also added that people are mostly using the Steam Frame to play flat-screen games more than VR games.
Well, Valve, if you see this as a problem, you can easily solve it by launching Half Life 3 VR…
Anthropic is prohibiting reverse engineering in Claude
According to a report from Tom’s Hardware, Anthropic has recently added some guidelines to Claude that are making the LLM more reluctant to perform jobs like decompiling applications or reverse-engineering games. This may make modding more difficult. I wonder if this is going to impact the insane amount of releases of VR mods that we are seeing these days.
Meta has improved its retail experience
Craig Storm has written a very interesting article on Upload VR in which he details the new retail experience offered by Meta. He visited a Meta Lab inside Best Buy and also inside a Meta official store, and asked for demos of both a VR headset and AI glasses. He found that demos of AI glasses were done very well, while the demos of Quest headsets were ok, but not always performed at their best. It’s good to see that Meta has improved the retail experience: providing good in-person demos is an important component to sell XR headsets and glasses.
Google improves its XR vibe-coding tools
This is what Google announced in a blog post a few days ago:
Today, coinciding with the launch of XREAL AURA, we are bringing the Auggie-award-winning framework, XR Blocks, into Google AI Studio Build. Powered by Gemini, you can now vibe-code complete, physics-aware WebXR applications from a single prompt, either directly in the Chrome browser on your wired XR glasses or XR headset powered by Android XR (such as XREAL AURA and Samsung Galaxy XR), or right from your computer using XR Blocks’s built-in desktop simulator.
This is incredible news for creators to quickly prototype XR applications.
Schell Games laid off a large portion of its staff
Schell Games has just laid off a “large portion” of its staff. This is the second round of layoffs in 2026, after the company avoided firing anyone for many years. This is a sign that things for VR games are not going well at all. Or better, it is the sign that things for VR games not aimed at kids are not going well at all. Schell Games is a veteran game studio that created hits like I Expect You To Die, which made history in VR games. If this studio is having a crisis, I really don’t know who can be safe during these times.
An emulator for Quest games on PC
A new application called Venture promises to allow PC VR users to play Quest games on PC. Use it at your own risk, because to use it, you have to log in to your Meta account, and it is not clear if this emulation violates any terms of the Meta ToS. Still, it is cool that there is this new possibility.
Some news about content
- Sega Amusements has revealed more details and a new video showcasing House of the Dead: Reawakened, a new VR game coming soon to arcades
- VR shooter Exoshock is out now in Early Access on Quest 3 and PC VR for $19.99. The launch trailer is pretty cool
- No Man’s Sky released its new Forsaken update
- Vaelorys, a gesture-based dark fantasy RPG taking inspiration from games like Diablo and Path of Exile, is out now in Early Access for Quest, priced at €4
- The amazing VR mod for Titanfall 2 just added online multiplayer
- Crowd Room is a Vision Pro app to let you practice public speaking
- A Journey Rediscovered is a VR adventure rhythm game where “you’re traveling towards immortal life”. It is available on SteamVR for €17
- Moonrise Mini Golf is an indie VR minigolf game. It’s free to keep for anyone who finishes a round by Sunday, November 8
More info (Sega Amusements)
More info (Exoshock — Upload VR)
More info (Exoshock — Road To VR)
More info (No Man’s Sky)
More info (Vaelorys)
More info (Titanfall 2)
More info (Crowd Room)
More info (A Journey Rediscovered)
More info (Moonrise Mini Golf)
Some reviews about content
- The demo of Rustmourne showed that this game is very good at creating an unnerving atmosphere by just using one single enemy
- Terry’s Terraforming takes some inspiration from Job Simulator to propose a game that is clearly fun, but also makes you think
More info (Rustmourne)
More info (Terry’s Terraforming)
Other news
This Mario64 mixed reality mod is the coolest thing I’ve seen this week
One company currently has three top ten Quest games
Google unveils its new world model Genie 4
News from partners (and friends)
Introducing Starship IKAREE
A message from the Sharship IKAREE dev:
Starship IKAREE (Meta Quest 3, alpha) turns your room into the bridge of a starship. You stay in the captain’s chair the whole time, so there’s no walking like teleport, and you command the ship by simply talking to your AI-driven crew. Story missions run about 45 minutes each and new ones come out regularly. A built-in editor also lets players write their own episodes and share them with others. I made it as a lifelong Star Trek fan, and it’s dedicated to the late Sir Patrick Stewart. He was my favorite captain and the reason why i made it.
Try the alpha
Visit the website
Introducing PADEL 01
A message from the PADEL 01 dev:
PADEL 01 is a padel game for Meta Quest 3 and 3S, free in Early Access since October 27, with no ads and no purchases. You play singles or doubles against bots across six difficulty levels, or train specific shots in drills like the back wall, bandeja, víbora and smash. The court can appear in your own room in passthrough, open as a portal, or become a full VR court, at four sizes up to regulation. The ball plays off the glass walls like real padel, and you move with your own body, no teleport. A monthly drill ranking kicked off on November 1.
Get it on the Meta Store
Watch the trailer
Introducing Lainframe
A message from the Lainframe dev:
I made Lainframe, a free open-source mod for the Steam Frame. An AI agent (Claude, or whatever people want to plug in) while Lain’s face from Serial Experiments Lain lives on top of the Steam menu while you stream from your PC. You talk to her in VR and she changes things live while you watch, and wires rise from behind the menu while she works. The sky becomes “The Wired”, a live rainy street with random lightning and cats on the power lines.
Get it on GitHub
Some XR fun
I love Sam Altman
Funny link
Meta has a lot of training data for moving hands, now
Funny link
The cake is a lie
Funny link
Having a bad sweet spot can be a good thing
Funny link
Nice try, Terminators
Funny link
A thank you and an invite
I want to thank all my donors on Patreon for making this newsletter possible. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to afford to keep my website up and you wouldn’t be reading this roundup! So, a big thank you to:
- DeoVR
- GenVR
- Paolo Leoncini
- Nikk Mitchell and the great FXG team
- Chris Koomen
- Cognitive3D
- Carol Dalrymple
- Keith Bradner
- Fabrizio Carimati
- Field Of Vision
- Jason Moore & The MetaMovie Project
- Steve Biggs
- Kai Curtis
- Francesco Strada
- Sikaar Keita
- Ramin Assadollahi
- Chris Madsen
- Horacio Torrendell
- Andrew Deutsch
- Jeremy Dalton
- Joel Ward — Downward Spiral
- Kaihatsu Jai
- Giuseppe Pippi
- Mark Frederiksen
- Ken Lin
- Sebastien Poivre
- Peter Winston
- TykeAI
- Ready Player One
- Enrico Poli
- Pieter Siekerman
- Boule Petanque
- Terry xR. Schussler
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- Brentwahn
- Michael Gaebler
- Tiago Silva
- Mark Giordano
- Simplex
- Paul Hadley
- Matias Nassi
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(Header image by XREAL)
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