Hey everyone! Happy Lunar New Year! I hope the Year of the Snake brings you plenty of joy, happiness, prosperity, success, love, and maybe even some XR headsets! If you’re celebrating, I wish you some wonderful moments with loved ones and, of course, an abundance of good food 🙂. I’ve got my hands full this week, so this newsletter is a bit later and shorter than usual, but it’s packed with all the essential XR updates you need!
Top News of the Week
Google Buys HTC Vive Engineers for a Cool $250M
In a surprising move, Google has taken a bold step by acquiring a team of XR engineers from HTC Vive along with a non-exclusive license on some HTC IP for a hefty $250 million. Details are sparse, but Google’s plan is to leverage these experts to speed up the development of its Android XR platform across headsets and smart glasses. With the expertise from HTC’s team, Google aims to enhance its XR products rapidly. While it’s uncertain whether these engineers will focus on Android XR or a potential Google headset, I’d wager it’s primarily for the former. Google has tapped into HTC talent before, back in 2017, buying HTC’s design team for around $1.1M, hinting at some ongoing collaboration.
This acquisition signals Google’s serious commitment to XR, and they’ve even assured Road To VR that VR won’t end up in the so-called "Google Graveyard.” However, large corporations can change direction if profitability is at stake. At least for now, Google seems intent on diving deeper into immersive tech, which is exciting yet makes me a tad wary.
While the spotlight is on Google, there’s a curious storyline around HTC. Securing $250M worth of senior engineers from HTC is significant. It raises questions about HTC’s direction – are they shifting focus to build headsets for others or perhaps scaling back on their own releases? It will be interesting to watch their next moves, considering HTC’s past leadership in the VR market.
More details (Google and HTC engineers — Road To VR) More details (Google and HTC engineers — Upload VR) More details (Google’s XR commitment)
Other Important News
Meta’s New Smartglasses in the Works
Following the success of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Meta seems eager to expand its presence in this space. A report by Mark Gurman suggests Meta is collaborating with EssilorLuxottica to launch new Oakley-branded smartglasses geared towards athletes like cyclists. These will have a center camera and speakers, but no display. Meanwhile, Meta is also developing a premium version with a small display for notifications, possibly including touch-sensitive frames or wrist controls. These glasses will target niche prosumers, with prices around $1000.
Despite focusing on new models, Meta isn’t abandoning Ray-Ban Meta glasses. They plan attention-grabbing Super Bowl ads featuring Hollywood celebrities. Additionally, Meta intends to distribute Orion AR glasses to developers by 2026, with a cheaper, less advanced model, codenamed Artemis, anticipated for 2027. It’s great to see Meta tackling various XR categories with VR/MR devices, smartglasses, and AR.
More details (Meta’s smartglasses — Road To VR) More details (Meta’s smartglasses — Upload VR) More details (Ray-Ban Meta Super Bowl ad) More details (Orion glasses for developers in 2027) More details (Original report on Bloomberg)
Meta’s Successor to the Quest Pro
Mark Gurman reveals Meta is working on the next iteration of Quest VR goggles, possibly leading to a Quest Pro successor. This model, possibly named “Puffin,” is rumored to be lightweight MR glasses linked to an external battery. Even though the original Quest Pro didn’t perform well, Meta’s move to develop a high-end device aligns with market trends towards pricier options, like Vision Pro or Project Moohan. The Quest Pro’s downfall was due to its rushed release and flaws. A refined Quest Pro 2 could find its niche, especially in enterprise sectors.
More details
Samsung and Google’s XR Developments
Despite anticipation, no AR glasses were revealed at Samsung’s Unpacked event. Yet, integration of Gemini AI with Samsung phones was showcased, hinting at widespread AI adoption across Samsung devices, not just Moohan. The event also featured the Moohan headset in person, with demos behind closed doors. YouTuber Marques Brownlee provided a first glimpse, noting its resemblance to Vision Pro and VisionOS. Bit by bit, Samsung and Google are unveiling more about this headset.
More details (Moohan at Samsung Unpacked) More details (Marques Brownlee’s experience with Moohan) More details (Samsung’s AI integration)
News Worth Mentioning
Meta on Bricked Headsets
Mark Rabkin, Meta’s VP of VR/MR, shed light on why some headsets failed over the holidays, attributing it not to Meta but to a bug in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). This rare race condition in the AOSP R/W ext4 filesystem led to file corruption. Although tricky to detect and fix, Meta’s engineers tackled the issue and notified Google for an AOSP-level solution.
More details
CM Games’ Success with Into The Radius 2
CM Games celebrates impressive numbers with Into The Radius, with the original version selling 800K units and the sequel, even in its Steam-only Early Access phase, hitting $3M in revenue. This success is partly due to the collaborative development with the Steam community, which aids in refining games before a polished release on Quest.
More details (800K sales of Into The Radius) More details ($3M revenue from Into The Radius 2)
CREAL’s Miniaturized Lightfield Engine
CREAL has made significant strides in shrinking its lightfield engine to almost fit standard glasses. This advancement marks a step closer to making AR objects appear more realistic on wearable devices. Considering CREAL’s initial bulky setup, this miniaturization is notably impressive.
More details
Quest 3’s Potential for Automatic Room Scanning
Insider Luna reports that Meta aims to reduce mixed reality friction by automating room scans for Quest 3, eliminating the need for manual, static layout scans. This innovation will adapt to real-time room changes, enhancing user experience.
More details
Envisioning Our Future with AI Agents
Keiichi Matsuda has created a thought-provoking video with Niantic, exploring future possibilities with AI and augmented reality. This captivating video is not only insightful but also inspiring, and definitely worth watching.
More details
Content Updates
Get ready for Fitness Fables, a fantasy action VR fitness game, launching on Quest this January 30th for $12.
FlatVR Studios plans to combine the best elements from various FlatOut games into FlatOut VR.
Prepare for “Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower,” a Kung Fu-style VR fighting game coming to Quest on March 12th.
Elsewhere Electric, a co-op puzzle game, arrives on Quest and PC VR this spring/summer, where one player explores in VR, while the other joins via mobile.
The Smurfs – Flower Defense brings both VR and mixed-reality tower defense fun to Quest 3 this May.
Finally, thanks to a mod, you can now enjoy Crysis in VR, allowing you to proudly answer, “Yes, it can run Crysis!”
More details (Fitness Fables) More details (FlatOut VR) More details (Path of Fury – Episode I) More details (Elsewhere Electric) More details (The Smurfs – Flower Defense) More details (Crysis in VR)
Other Bits of News
A GDC survey reveals that about 35% of game developers are involved with XR in some capacity.
Learn more
Snap Spectacles are now available at half-price for students and teachers.
Learn more
Explore Vrgamerdude’s hands-on experience with the neural bracelet Mudra Link.
Learn more
Miami’s new Apple store now boasts a dedicated Vision Pro area.
Learn more
Discover Gabriele Romagnoli’s insightful analysis of all MR apps on the Horizon Store.
Learn more
Check out CaddieVision, AI-powered AR glasses designed to enhance your golf game.
Learn more
Partner and Friend Updates
SkyClimb multiplayer mode is now free! Thanks to VRMonkey, you can enjoy this platform adventure with arm-based movement mechanics similar to Gorilla Tag. It’s highly rated on Quest, so give it a try! Learn more and try the game.
A Bit of XR Amusement
Having a VR-enthusiastic child can sometimes be a bit too much… Check it out here: Funny link
Believe it or not, you can now play DOOM inside a PDF! Crazy, right? Funny link
Sometimes, the best VR upgrade isn’t a gadget… Find out what it is: Funny link
Be aware: VR “sexy times” come with their own risks… Take a look: Funny link
And remember to clear your room for VR! See why: Funny link
Donate for a Cause
Rather than seeking donations for my blog this week, I’m urging support for those impacted by the ongoing conflict. Please consider donating to the Red Cross to aid the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. A big thank you to my Patreon supporters for their continued backing:
[List of Patron Names]
Here’s the link to donate to the Red Cross in Ukraine.
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