Hey, so, I kind of wanted to be all pumped about XR this week, but let’s be real—it’s been a snooze-fest. Maybe it’s just that whole May 1st holiday vibe messing things up. But hey, I’m still kinda buzzed ’cause I have these trips lined up. More on that tomorrow. Anyway, let’s dive into the bits of news — not much, but hey, it’s something, right?
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### Big Stuff of the Week
You know those Meta Reality Labs? Yeah, not their best quarter. According to the latest earnings call — and I’m not really into numbers, but this caught my eye — their stuff dropped 6% compared to the first quarter last year. Doesn’t sound like much, but still. Oh, and if it wasn’t for those Meta Ray-Ban glasses, it would’ve been worse. Losses were huge though — spent $4.6 billion, ouch, right? Quest sales? Down, apparently like 30% or so. Not great, Bob.
Everyone loves a rebound story though. The Ray-Ban glasses are like the rock stars here, apparently tripling sales. Good job, sunnies. Zuckerberg’s list of future opportunities doesn’t even have VR/MR. But AI? Of course. Smart glasses? Yep. Draw your own conclusions, folks.
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### More News-ish Bits
Meta’s now letting folks publish apps with camera access on the Horizon Store. Took a bit of time, but hey, better late than never, right? People doing amazing stuff with it, turning Quests into 3D cameras and all. Privacy concerns are floating around, obviously. But whatever, consent’s required and all that jazz.
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### Random Mentions
This one’s funny. Data mining stuff about the Quest future was basically leaked by Luna, so Upload just got them to write the article directly. Smart move there. I read it. UI changes? Bring it on!
And oh, Pimax has stuff to say at Pimax Connect. Original name, right? They’re going to tell us about the tiny Pimax Dream Air, and maybe 73 more headsets, who knows.
Also, the MeganeX 8K Superlight launch was rocky. Seems like a fit-issue mess and software drama. But if it works, it’s like crispy, which sounds cool.
Oh, and Infinite Reality got $3B from some mysterious investor. Seems shady to me, but what do I know?
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### Quest Live Stuff
Talked last time about some live 3D mesh thing someone hacked on the Quest 3. Turns out it uses Depth APIs, not the camera access. Totally got that wrong. Resource muncher though—drains battery like there’s no tomorrow.
And Horizon Worlds is annoying everyone because you can’t uninstall it. But someone figured how to block it. Reddit genius for the win.
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### Games on Pause and Other Releases
Codemasters put a pause on rally games. Sad for us VR fans. The gaming crisis and EA layoffs hit hard.
Meanwhile, Psytec Games is doing its thing with Titan Isles. Remnant Protocol? That’s coming. Legends BMX and VR civilization builder Surviving Mars: Pioneer are launching soon too. Quest, Steam… all over.
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### Reviews? Yes, Reviews.
Elsewhere Electric is, like, VR meets mobile in a spooky vibe. And I, Robot, that arcade classic, is back as a puzzle game. Meanwhile, Immerrock tries to teach guitar using mixed reality. Cool idea, but tech still catching up.
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### Other Random Bits
Apple’s Vision Pro stuff is merging with Godot game engine. Handy if you’re into game design. And now you can control smart homes with it and design kitchens at Lowe’s. Also, Motorola phones now work with your Quest. Handy, if you haven’t smashed it in frustration yet.
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### Partner and Friend Shoutouts
“Under the Pillow: Kitten Mormitten” just hit the Quest Store. It’s €2 and, well, it’s adorable. Support my friend Georgy, will ya?
Open Brush added multiplayer! Craziest feature ever — paint with friends in VR now.
And hey, Phygtl is hiring Unity developers. If you’re any good, might be worth hitting them up.
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### Some Fun Stuff (Why Not)
So the Quest 3, it’s a bit sus. There’s a link that made me chuckle. Shouldn’t explain these things, just click and laugh.
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### Good Deeds
Alright, no donation requests for me today. Just, if you can, help out with the ongoing war crisis. Red Cross can use all the help. And hey, thanks to all the Patreon folks backing me! You know who you are.
If you’re up for some clicking to help out, here’s the link for the Red Cross. As always, thanks!
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That’s it. Hope your week turns out more exciting than mine (and XR’s, apparently). Cheers!
