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It’s fair to say it’s not the busiest time in the XR world lately, but the pranks of April Fool’s certainly gave us an entertaining twist this week! Alongside the jokes, a few intriguing updates have surfaced too. I’ve gathered them together in this roundup, so you won’t miss out on any of the exciting things happening in XR. 😊
Biggest News This Week
Meta’s Upcoming Smartglasses Could Hit Up to $1,400
Bloomberg has spilled the beans on what might be Meta’s next big move this year with their smartglasses. Honestly, I didn’t see this one coming. Meta plans to release a new model of glasses called Hypernova. Basically, they’re a more substantial version of the Ray-Ban Meta, but with a display on one eye for visual info. To avoid obstructing your view, the visuals appear in the lower field, so you actually look down to see them. The cool twist? You can control them using the temples or a neural wristband that they come with. There’s even a camera bump, with capabilities akin to the iPhone 13. Looking further down the road, by 2027, Meta aims to introduce a version with displays for both eyes. This aligns with the natural progression we’ve seen in smartglasses development.
Now here’s where it gets a bit surprising: There won’t be any Ray-Ban branding, just Meta. At first glance, this move seems puzzling. Who wouldn’t prefer sleek Ray-Bans over a nascent brand? The Ray-Ban name and distribution through EssilorLuxottica were major success factors for the prior models. Adding to the confusion is the pricing—rumors suggest they could cost between $1,000 to $1,400. For glasses meant primarily for notifications and snapping photos, this price seems sky-high. Unless, of course, there’s an Apple logo on them. 😏
So, who exactly will invest in these costly smartglasses during their early days? Probably developers like us, eager to tinker with the latest tech and gain an edge. You’d think they’re marketing it as a devkit, right? But nope. The report insists that the app ecosystem for the device will be curated by Meta, similar to the existing Ray-Ban Meta. Even developers might pass on these.
Fingers crossed the report isn’t entirely on point (as with all reports, a pinch of skepticism is wise). Otherwise, I’m at a loss about who would take the plunge. Those interested in photography and videography can opt for Ray-Ban Meta glasses; developers with a hankering to experiment can explore other open smartglasses like Brillant Labs offers; and for quick notification access, there’s always the smartwatch. Combined, these options would likely cost less than just one pair of Hypernovas.
More on Hypernova Glasses
Find out more via these sources:
- Road To VR
- Upload VR
- Forbes
Other Interesting Tidbits
The XR April Fool’s Extravaganza
After years of just a few of us playing around on April Fool’s Day, this year, quite a few folks jumped onto the bandwagon with some outlandish antics. Some highlights: I revealed a groundbreaking launch of the Decagear, while Sebastian Ang hilariously claimed to be Pimax’s new CEO. Ndreams teased Synapse 2 but for Google Cardboard only, and Voodoo DE showcased a sneak peek of a wildly futuristic gadget.
It wasn’t just the XR circle joining the fun. Across the tech world, there were pranks aplenty. Razer, for instance, announced the Razer Skibidi headset, ‘capable’ of translating adult speech into Gen Z lingo and vice versa. That might be genuinely handy for parents navigating the chaos of Gorilla Tag lower down the age scale…
Here’s a roundup of my preferred jokes:
- Decagear and Pimax Headset Spoof – More info here
- Sebastian Ang as Pimax’s CEO – Find out more
- VooDoo DE’s Futuristic Tease – Explore further
- Synapse 2 for Google Cardboard – Check this out
What’s the Deal with US Tariffs and Headset Costs?
As I write this, it’s a gloomy day for stock exchanges worldwide due to punitive US tariffs. The situation’s still shifting, and it’s unclear whether these tariffs are here for the long haul or merely leverage for negotiating with other nations.
Should they persist, it spells trouble for electronics, XR headsets included. Any American companies relying on Asian-manufactured components might see their BOM (Bill of Materials) costs escalate, likely swelling end prices too. So yes, impending headsets like Quest 3S might jump to $500 post Meta’s current stock depletion.
VR headsets typically aren’t essential day-to-day tech and their sales are highly price-sensitive. The low costs of devices like Quest 2 and forthcoming Quest 3 have driven their popularity. Despite all that, VR and XR remain niche. A spike in headset prices could cause sales to falter, slowing an already sluggish sector. I truly hope this is only short-term turbulence.
Many thanks to Rob Cole for some useful links:
- Tariff Impact on XR Headsets — Access here
- Tariffs Hitting Computer Market — Discover more
- New Tariffs on Chips Could Be Next — Learn more
News Briefs
Apple Launches ‘Apple Intelligence’ for Its Vision Pro
Apple’s Vision Pro just updated to VisionOS 2.4, offering cool new features:
- Apple Intelligence can now proofread, summarize, and even rewrite text, and has image generation capabilities.
- The new Spatial Gallery showcases some stunning immersive visuals.
- A handy companion app for Vision Pro has also debuted.
- Guests can now enjoy a better experience, with hosts using the app to configure guest modes easily and even mirror experiences.
More details here: Road To VR & Upload VR
How’s Quest Faring?
We’re in a weird state right now where signs point both ways on Quest’s success. Some games like Gorilla Tag and I Am Cat are booming, and Animal Company has just hit $100K on the Quest Store. But, despite these success stories, other developers are noticing dwindling player bases, and layoffs are occurring. There’s also less liquidity flowing within the Quest market. Recently at GDC, Meta updated us, saying $2 billion had been spent on the Horizon Store—a figure echoed over a year ago. Revenue growth appears to have stalled, perhaps linked to a rise in kids favoring free-to-play content.
Dive into more:
- Quest Revenue Stagnation – Read more
- Triumphant Games on Quest – Details here
- Animal Company’s Financial Success – Check it out
Nintendo Labo: No Match for Switch 2
The much-blogged-about Nintendo Switch 2 was the week’s big buzz. Sad news for XR aficionados: the new Switch’s larger screen means older Nintendo Labo accessories won’t fit, and there’s no word yet if Nintendo will release another Labo edition for this iteration.
For more insights, visit here.
PSVR 2 Meets PC
A developer known as "whatdahopper" has managed to connect PSVR 2’s eye-tracking functionalities with a PC prototype. The iVRy setup is on a similar mission, and both parties are now collaborating. Succeeding in their endeavors would make PSVR 2 the go-to affordable headset with this tech, benefiting VRChat aficionados, research labs, and others keen on gaze interactions.
Read the full story here.
Impressive Quest Camera Hacks
Week after week, the community of Quest developers keeps astounding me. Here’s what they’ve been playing with:
- A feature that voxelizes your surroundings.
- A scanner turning physical objects into 3D voxel models on Quest.
- Tracking sports balls while wearing the device.
- A mixed reality drone that snaps selfies, using a webcam for visual guidance.
Be prepared to be wowed by the innovation:
- Voxel Environment Demo – Discover more
- 3D Object Scanning – Uncover the project
- Quest Ball Tracking – Delve in further
- Photo-Drone Demo – See more
A New Era in Haptics?
Researchers are working on a super-thin synthetic skin designed to deliver haptic feedback. Currently, it’s been trialed on fingertips, with small pressurized dots making contact to simulate different surface interactions. Sounds promising, though commercially viable opportunities may not crop up soon.
For additional info, click here.
The Ruff Talk VR Gaming Showcase
Kudos to Ruff Talk VR on YouTube for organizing a fantastic gaming showcase highlighting some intriguing indie VR titles. Some of my subsequent news pieces are from this event, so if you’d rather watch the entire showcase, just click here.
Content Highlights
- Civilization VII VR is exclusive to Quest 3 and 3S, launching April 10th at $60.
- Velociblaster, where users play armed velociraptors, can now be wishlisted on Quest. Who knew we needed this, right?
- Train Sim World is now live on Quest. Immerse yourself in a realistic train driving experience for $32.
- From the crew behind Township Tale is REAVE, an anticipated dungeon-crawler coming soon.
- Bearly Escape hits Early Access May 1st on SteamVR and Quest 3, priced at $14.99.
- Exer Gale, an arcade racer, enters Early Access on Quest this June.
- Rival Stars Horse Racing: VR Edition arrives on Steam and Quest April 17th.
- A devoted fan is working to build Half-Life: Alyx for Quest 3, a tribute of passion and dedication. The first scene’s APK is already available for sideloading.
For more insights, take a look:
- Civilization VII
- Velociblaster
- Train Sim World
- REAVE
- Bearly Escape
- Exer Gale
- Rival Stars Horse Racing
- Half-Life: Alyx for Quest
Reviewing the Action
-
Pinball FX VR scores high for providing an excellent pinball experience with varied machine options. Its mixed reality beta lets you position machines as if in your very own arcade setup—pretty nifty.
-
Wanderer: Fragments Of Fate impresses with its well-crafted puzzles. Although promising, some improvements are needed, especially in combat and bug resolution.
-
Hitman World Of Assassination for PSVR 2 gets a thumbs-up from Upload VR. Check out the reviews:
- Pinball FX VR – The Game
- Pinball FX VR – The Tables
- Wanderer: Fragments Of Fate
- Hitman World Of Assassination
Other Bits of News
-
ACE and SIG SAUER have teamed up to create a Quest controller mimicking the grip and weight of a real gun → Learn More
-
Sandbox VR’s Squid Game experience has generated over $30 million in ticket sales → Learn More
-
Don Hopper gives a positive GDC review of the Mocopi Pro tracking set → Learn More
-
Virtual Desktop now allows users to spawn virtual monitors on their Macs, and the results are stunning → Learn More
-
A new study reveals that modern kids experience less motion sickness than adults → Learn More
- Happy 9th birthday to HTC Vive! → Learn More
Partnership News
Mixed Reality Tech Testing Service
I caught wind of a pretty cool startup called Mixed Reality Tech, born from an XR industry veteran. They offer testing services for various XR applications, providing a QA team that vets experiences on different devices and lists the bugs needing fixes. For developers in need of testing, this service could be a game-changer. Learn more about their offerings here.
XR Humor
- 96° FOV as the ultimate cure for motion sickness – Funny Link
- Humans as LLM-Prompted Code – Funny Link
- A peek into my future – Funny Link
- Spot-the-Terminator trick – Funny Link
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