Hello everyone, and Happy Lunar New Year! I hope the Year of the Snake brings you lots of happiness, success, love, and maybe even a few XR headsets! For those celebrating, I hope you’re having a wonderful time with loved ones, packed with great food and cheer. As for me, I’ve been swamped with work, so this newsletter is arriving a bit late and shorter than usual. But don’t worry—it’s filled with all the XR updates you need!
Top News of the Week
Google Snaps Up HTC Vive Engineers for $250M
In a surprise move, Google has shelled out $250M to acquire several XR engineers from HTC Vive and snag a non-exclusive license for some HTC Intellectual Property. Details are scarce, but Google claims this will "accelerate Android XR platform development across headsets and glasses." Tapping into HTC’s XR expertise, Google aims to quicken its innovation pace. The big question remains whether these engineers will focus on the Android XR platform or develop a new Google headset—I’m betting on the former. This isn’t Google’s first collaboration with HTC; back in 2017, they acquired another HTC team for around $1.1M, signaling ongoing cooperation between the two companies. By making such a large investment, Google demonstrates its commitment to XR, but it remains to be seen if this enthusiasm will persist or shift based on profitability. Interestingly, while Google is making headlines, I can’t help but wonder what this means for HTC. Will they pivot to supplying headsets for others, or will we see fewer HTC-branded devices? Only time will tell what the future holds for this one-time VR juggernaut.
Find out more through these sources: Road To VR, Upload VR, Google’s XR Commitment
Other Relevant News
Meta’s Expanding Its Smartglasses Lineup
Following the success of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Meta is doubling down on this category. A report by Mark Gurman suggests new releases, including Oakley-branded smartglasses targeting athletes like cyclists. Interestingly, these glasses will feature a central camera and speakers, but no display. For higher-end models, Meta is reportedly integrating small displays for notifications, with touch-sensitive frames and wrist strap controls in the works. Some models might carry a price tag around $1000, but aren’t aiming for the mainstream market—just the prosumer niche. On the promotional front, Meta plans to air Super Bowl commercials featuring actors for the Ray-Ban Meta series. For their Orion glasses, Meta has plans to extend access to more developers by 2026. The commercialization will likely start around 2027 with a more affordable variant, codenamed Artemis. Clearly, Meta is exploring all fronts in XR, covering VR/MR, smartglasses, and AR.
For deeper insights: Road To VR, Upload VR, Ray-Ban Superbowl Ad, Orion Glasses Info, Bloomberg Report
Meta’s Quest Pro Successor in Progress
Mark Gurman reports that Meta is developing Quest 4 VR goggles along with a high-end successor for the Quest Pro mixed-reality headset. The high-end model may resemble the ‘Puffin’ headset, a lightweight MR device paired with an external battery. Despite the Quest Pro’s failure, a sequel could still be viable within the enterprise sector, provided it’s well-executed and refined unlike its predecessor.
Learn more about this topic: Puffin Leak Info
Samsung and Google Tease More Moohan
During Samsung’s Unpacked event, expectations were high for major XR announcements, but surprises were few. However, two notable mentions included enhanced Gemini AI integration on Samsung phones and a physical look at the Moohan headset. While demonstrations were private, attendees could see the device firsthand. Popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee shared his hands-on experience—while he couldn’t reveal much new, he provided a closer look. Samsung and Google are slowly unveiling what’s to come with this headset.
Discover more: Samsung Unpacked Coverage, MKBHD Moohan Experience
News Worth a Mention
Meta Addresses Bricked Quests During Christmas
Meta’s VP, Mark Rabkin, shed light on the holiday bricking issue affecting many Quest headsets. In what was determined not to be Meta’s fault, a rare bug within Android’s Open Source Project was the culprit. A race condition in the R/W ext4 filesystem led to corrupted files during simultaneous processes. Meta’s team managed to rectify the bug and relay the fix to Google for broader application.
For more details: Meta Explanation
CM Games Garners $3M With ‘Into The Radius 2’
CM Games is riding high with the ‘Into The Radius’ series. The original game moved 800K units, while its sequel, still in Early Access on Steam, has already clocked $3M in revenue. The series’ success is largely due to its collaborative development with the enthusiastic Steam community, aiding refinement and future Quest platform compatibility.
Further reading: Sales Figures
CREAL’s Advances in Lightfield Technology
CREAL has significantly minimized its lightfield engine, now nearly small enough for standard eyewear. This marks tremendous progress from the bulky prototypes of six or seven years ago, bringing wearable realistic AR displays ever closer to reality.
Get more insights: CREAL Update
Quest 3’s Potential Automatic Room Scanning
Frequent Meta leaker Luna suggested an automatic room scanning feature for Quest 3, reducing the friction of setting up Mixed Reality environments. This progression aims to allow dynamic updates reflecting real-time changes in the room layout.
Additional information: Quest 3 Leaks
Keiichi Matsuda Explores AI and AR Future in Video
Check out a new collaboration video by Keiichi Matsuda and Niantic, giving us a glimpse of life with AR and AI agents constantly on—another inspiring piece from a creative mind!
Check it out: Video Link
Content Highlights
Here’s some exciting new XR content coming your way:
- Fitness Fables: This exciting blend of fantasy action and VR fitness launches on Quest for just $12 on January 30th.
- FlatVR Studios claims FlatOut VR combines the best elements from the FlatOut games.
- Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower, a kung-fu inspired VR fighting game, debuts on Quest March 12th.
- Elsewhere Electric, a multiplayer puzzle game for Quest and PC VR, arrives this spring/summer. One player uses VR, the other joins via mobile.
- The Smurfs – Flower Defense brings the classic series to Quest 3 with a tower defense game adding VR and mixed-reality elements this May.
- With a mod, now you can play Crysis in VR, answering once and for all, “Can it run Crysis?” Yes, indeed!
For news on each title: Fitness Fables, FlatOut VR, Path of Fury, Elsewhere Electric, The Smurfs, Crysis VR Mod
Other News
- A GDC survey reveals 35% of game developers are dabbling in XR.
- Students and educators can now score Snap Spectacles at half the original price.
- VRgamerdude offers a hands-on review of the neural bracelet Mudra Link.
- Miami’s new Apple store features a dedicated Vision Pro area.
- Gabriele Romagnoli offers an insightful analysis of Horizon Store’s MR apps.
- CaddieVision introduces AI-enabled AR glasses for golfing aid.
For expanded info: Learn More
News from Partners and Friends
In exciting community news, the multiplayer mode of SkyClimb is now available for free for everyone! Developed by indie studio VRMonkey, this game features arm-based locomotion and has received positive reviews on Quest. So check it out and enjoy this free offering!
Some XR Fun
- The challenges of parenting a VR-loving child… Funny Link
- Playing DOOM inside a PDF? Mind-blowing. Funny Link
- Enhancing your VR fun with non-tech gadgets. Funny Link
- The humorous side of virtual romantic endeavors. Funny Link
- Why keeping your room clear is beneficial. Funny Link
Donate for Good
Instead of asking for donations to my blog this week, I’m encouraging everyone to contribute to those affected by conflict, specifically through the Red Cross to aid the humanitarian effort in Ukraine. I want to thank my Patreon supporters for their constant encouragement and support!
[List of Supporters]
And here is the link to contribute: Support The Red Cross in Ukraine
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