It’s the final day of Carnival festivities here in Italy, and while the streets are alive with celebration, I’m opting for a quieter celebration with some traditional sweets of the season. I’ve also got another wonderful reason to celebrate: Feedspot has ranked me third in their list of the top 60 Virtual Reality websites based on authority. I’m right behind the giants Road To VR and Upload VR on the list. Interestingly, their ranking mentions the now non-existent Oculus website, and there are definitely some incredible magazines like MIXED missing from the list. Honestly, I feel I don’t deserve to be in the third spot, maybe not even the fourth or fifth. But who cares? I’m relishing this recognition that comes as a reward for my eight years of hard work as a blogger. A big thanks to all of you for your continued support!
Exciting News This Week
Valve Deckard Set for 2025 Release at $1200
A fresh rumor has emerged about Valve Deckard, and for once, it’s not from the usual source. This time, it’s data miner Gabe Follower, known for previous accurate leaks, claiming that the Valve Deckard will launch in 2025 with a price tag of around $1200. Gabe Follower also notes that Valve plans to release games or demos specifically for the Deckard, with potential involvement of the Half-Life universe, according to Tyler McVicker of Valve News Network. The device is expected to run on SteamOS, similar to Steam Deck, and will support SteamDeck flatscreen games in a VR environment. The Roy controllers linked with this headset have gamepad-like controls, making this feasible. Although the price might seem hefty, Gabe Follower suggests it’s being sold at a loss, hinting at top-tier specifications likely to please die-hard Valve fans.
More details (Valve Deckard’s 2025 launch and potential Half-Life demo) here.
Important Updates This Week
Sony Cuts PSVR 2 Price Permanently
Good news from Sony as they permanently lower the PSVR 2 headset price to $400 (€450 / £400 / ¥66,980). Now you have the choice to purchase the headset alone or bundled with the Horizon Call of the Mountain game. This price cut is a smart move considering the initial cost was higher than the PS5 itself. Since a trial discount, sales had improved, pointing to price as a major barrier. Though still lacking a vast library of exclusives, there are quite a few games available now, and thanks to a PC adapter, playing PC games on Steam is possible. At $400, it’s a more tempting offer, even if it doesn’t cause a massive surge in sales, PSVR 2’s ecosystem will benefit from this move.
Learn more here.
Free-to-Play Emphasis on Meta Quest
Meta is emphasizing that with its young audience, Meta Quest developers should aim for free-to-play games. According to their recent post on X, over 70% of Quest usage time is now spent on free-to-play experiences. Developers are catching on, with Fast Travel Games making Mannequin free and Owlchemy Labs releasing a free-to-play game, Dimensional Double Shift, which has just hit 500,000 downloads, proving the strategy works. However, there are factors to consider alongside Meta’s claims. For example, the heavy promotion of free Horizon Worlds and the influx of shovelware have no doubt boosted free-to-play numbers. The lack of revenue statistics is concerning – if my game is played often but generates little revenue, that’s not sustainable. What developers need to know is the median revenue a free-to-play game generates on the Horizon Store, to gauge if this model is truly viable.
More info on Quest’s free-to-play impact here.
Meta Unveils Aria 2 Glasses
Meet the new Aria Gen 2 glasses from Meta, an upgrade from the original Project Aria. These are not consumer devices but heavily sensor-laden glasses for research, collecting data that is invaluable for training AI tailored to AR. Aria Gen 2 boasts enhanced specs including an upgraded sensor suite such as an RGB camera, positional tracking, spatial microphones, and more. Crucially, it now carries a custom Meta chip, enabling on-device processing for tracking and speech recognition, unlike the first Aria which required external data analysis. Despite the tech load, these glasses weigh just 75g and deliver 6-8 hours of active use. The distribution for research purposes is expected later this year.
Find out more about Aria Gen 2 here.
Enterprise & Education Offerings by Meta Refreshed
Meta has revamped its offerings for educational and enterprise users. The new Meta For Education initiative, now beyond beta, enables schools to acquire headsets for students alongside management services and educational content libraries. In collaboration with VictoryXR, Meta has established over 30 “metaversities” via the Engage XR platform, creating digital twin campuses for remote interaction. According to Meta, 87% of students feel more engaged with VR lessons, along with 85% of teachers who find it enhances teaching, while also noting a 15% academic performance uptick.
On the enterprise side, the program now known as “Horizon Managed Solutions” introduces more flexibility, such as integration with third-party MDMs like ArborXR, making Meta’s business solutions more appealing. Costing factors and pricing details reveal these enterprise solutions are slightly steeper than consumer models, besides requiring subscriptions after two years, though there are ways to secure lifetime access.
Deep dive into Meta’s offerings here.
Highlights to Mention
HTC Launches “VIVERSE Worlds”
HTC’s newly launched VIVERSE Worlds looks to be the “YouTube of 3D Content.” This web-based platform hosts 3D and VR experiences easily embeddable on websites via iFrame, and users can access experiences without installs. Its performance is bolstered by Vive’s Polygon Streaming technology, optimizing content delivery to client devices.
Explore VIVERSE Worlds here.
AMD’s New Graphics Cards Release
AMD introduces its RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards, launching March 6 and priced at $550 and $600, respectively. Competing with NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 series, these cards feature AMD’s next-gen AI accelerators powering FidelityFX Super Resolution 4, competing against Nvidia’s DLSS, and support DisplayPort 2.1a, suitable for future high-refresh-rate VR displays.
More about AMD’s cards here.
Play Classic Windows Games on Pico 4 Ultra
Check out Virtually Real’s video showcasing how Crysis runs on the Pico 4 Ultra via Winlator, a Windows emulator for Android. The comments suggest other games like Fallout 3 work well too, opening a window for natively playing older Windows games on your headset.
Watch the demonstration here.
Horizon Store’s Shovelware Issue
The Horizon Store has been criticized for its current curation, with many complaining about the abundance of subpar content. On platforms like Reddit and X, users are highlighting the prevalence of Gorilla Tag clones, with one user noting 57 out of 126 new games last month were similar clones.
Read about it here.
Meta’s Move Application Discontinued
Meta is winding down its Move fitness tracking application. Citing reliance on outdated tech, Meta plans to phase it out to improve its system overall. This discontinuation marks a sad chapter considering Move’s inception impacted startups like YUR, who initially spearheaded similar technologies.
Learn more about the discontinuation here.
Meta Develops Realistic Avatars with Avat3r
Meta Reality Labs, in collaboration with the University of Munich, has released research on Avat3r, creating realistic avatar heads from just a few smartphone photos. The avatars mimic user facial expressions with realism enhanced by rendering techniques like Gaussian Splats.
Dive into Avat3r research here.
VR’s Journey into Taste Emulation
Ohio State University is exploring taste emulation in VR through an interface releasing flavored particles. Experiments with flavors like lemonade and cake indicate ongoing progress in replicating virtual taste experiences.
Get insights into this research here.
Introducing The VR Critic
Australian VR enthusiast Dr. Luke Buckmaster has launched “The VR Critic”, a website dedicated to reviewing VR experiences. After several years of preparation, the site debuts with over 100 reviews, setting a foundation for VR content discourse.
Visit The VR Critic here.
Content & Review Highlights
Steam Next Fest: Over 20 free VR demos premiered, providing a slew of experiences for VR enthusiasts.
Stratogun: Announced as a forthcoming VR-supported shoot ’em up, blending nostalgia with new tech.
Sportvida CyberDash: Slated for next month’s launch, offering stress relief through intense physical challenges.
Orion Drift: The Early Access release by Gorilla Tag creators, described as promising yet unfinished.
Symphoni: Mixing rhythm and spellcasting, this mixed reality game launching soon for $19.99.
Not Like Us: Kendrick Lamar’s VR crossover with Beat Saber in new DLC.
GORN 2: Set to arrive on major VR platforms later this year, promising familiar yet innovative gameplay.
Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate: VR time travel adventure launching on March 27 for Quest and PS VR2.
Alien: Rogue Incursion: Quest 3 patch now available, enhancing visuals and fixing issues.
Farming Simulator VR: Available on Quest headsets for $25.
For comprehensive XR news, check out Upload VR’s XR News Round-Up: Link
Quality Insights and Reviews
NinjaGuyVR had mixed experiences with VR demos from Steam Next Fest, noting room for improvement.
Orion Drift reviews are mixed, with anticipation around its ambitious concept, though onboarding needs work.
Retronika received praise for visual appeal and gameplay variety as a racing action game.
Detective VR offers a novel mixed reality detective experience, though its gameplay can be refined.
Dive deeper into the content reviews here.
Additional Interesting Topics
GTA 6’s metaverse potential: The series’ Project Rome aims to create more immersive gaming worlds.
Lucid Dreaming through VR: Discover how VR experiences might enable lucid dreaming.
Stress Level Zero’s Reality Check: Explaining why focusing solely on PC VR is financially unsustainable for studios.
Lumus Waveguide Innovation: Announcing a waveguide with high-quality visuals in a glasses form factor.
Google’s XR Experiments: Exploring boards powered by upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 3 chipsets.
Explore further topics here.
Friends & Partners News
Cause+Christi unveils “SHIP HAPPENS”
The creative team at Cause+Christi, in collaboration with HTC VIVERSE, introduces “SHIP HAPPENS”, an innovative, interactive WebXR escape room set in 3025. Free to play, this narrative-based game takes players on a futuristic adventure promising excitement and mystery.
Discover and play SHIP HAPPENS here.
A Bit of Humor in XR
OpenAI is trustworthy… kind of. Check it out here.
At least she’s skilled in the kitchen… Curious? Look here.
Everyone adores Horizon Worlds… sort of. See more here.
Current VR gaming studio scenarios… Laugh along here.
Contribute for a Greater Cause
This week, I once again urge you to extend support not towards my blog, but towards those affected by the ongoing conflict. Consider donating to the Red Cross to aid vulnerable individuals in Ukraine, and I extend a profound thank you to all my supporters on Patreon:
[List of donors]
For additional help, please visit: Support The Red Cross in Ukraine
(Header image by Afference)
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