Christmas is just around the corner, marking the year’s end. While I’ll send out a special holiday message tomorrow, today’s focus is on spreading a little festive cheer with not one, but two exciting giveaways. You have the chance to win keys for two awesome extended reality (XR) games. Keep reading to find out how you can get involved in these festive goodies.
Top News of the Week
(Image by Andrew Bosworth)
Meta’s Positive Reflections and Competitive Outlook
Andrew "Boz" Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, recently shared insights from 2024 and looked ahead to 2025 on Meta’s blog. Joined by Mark Rabkin, VP of MR/VR at Meta, and Janko Roettgers from the Lowpass newsletter, they recapped familiar highlights like the release of the Quest 3S—the most budget-friendly mixed reality headset on the market. Amidst familiar PR chatter, some key tidbits stood out:
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Quest 3S enjoyed robust sales during Black Friday. Boz noted, “Sales were strong and we expect many activations over the holiday season.” It will be intriguing to compare these numbers post-holiday with past Quest 2 figures.
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Many Quest 3S buyers are newcomers. Rabkin emphasized that a significant portion are new to Quest or XR entirely, indicating Meta is attracting fresh faces due to the device’s competitive pricing.
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A younger audience is shifting the gaming landscape on Quest, pairing more with social and co-op content, as seen with Gorilla Tag’s success. Meanwhile, adults are spending more time in entertainment apps.
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Meta is analyzing store data, investing in popular genres including social gaming and free-to-play, encouraging developers to focus on these areas for Meta support.
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Gorilla Tag, YouTube VR, and Horizon Worlds are top favorites on Quest 3S. YouTube VR’s popularity shows continued interest in media consumption on headsets, while Horizon World’s growth hints at Meta’s efforts to expand its user base.
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Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are thriving with new AI features. Boz discussed forthcoming AI tools that act as proactive aides. This vision is fascinating yet raises privacy concerns.
- Meta remains a leader in XR, now facing competition from Apple and soon Google/Samsung. Boz noted the challenge saying, "Competition now has an easier path," but believes this will ultimately drive innovation.
For more details, check Boz’s post on Meta’s blog, the Lowpass newsletter, and Mark Rabkin’s commentary on social media.
Other Relevant News
(Image by Niantic)
The Rise of Spatial Intelligence
AI and XR’s synergy is gaining traction, particularly in spatial intelligence—using AI for spatial understanding. Niantic’s latest blog post outlines how Large Geospatial Models, akin to LLMs, enhance geospatial comprehension. Their aim is reconstructing environments with AI magic where full scans are missing. Meanwhile, NYU is pioneering smartglasses to improve LLMs’ spatial understanding in 3D spaces, proposing VSI-Bench as a new standard evaluation tool.
News Worth Mentioning
(Image by Blackmagic Design)
8K Camera for Apple Immersive Video Available for Pre-Order
Blackmagic Design’s URSA Cine Immersive camera is open for pre-order, targeting professionals with its $30,000 price tag. This camera captures stunning 8K VR180 footage ready for the Apple Immersive Video format.
Meta’s Latest SDK Additions
Meta’s SDK now features an "Audio To Expression" function, enhancing avatar animations through vocal expressions beyond mere lip sync. It’s a neat upgrade, freely available to developers.
Solving Quest on Steam VR’s Stuttering
Linking a Quest via SteamVR has often resulted in performance issues. A potential fix involves disabling the Motion smoothing feature, with users already reporting improvements. A call-out to Valve could refine this further.
Explore Tokyo’s Digital Twin
The Tokyo Government has released a point cloud model of the city, accessible for AI training, digital twin creation, or even game environments.
Revel in Meta’s Winter Sale
Don’t miss Meta’s winter sale, with significant discounts on exciting VR titles like Demeo and Asgard’s Wrath 2. Treat yourself this festive season!
Upload VR’s 2024 Game Awards
As the year wraps, Upload VR honors standout VR/AR titles of 2024 by category. See which game clinched the Best VR Game award—here’s a hint, it starts with "Bat."
Alien Rogue Incursion’s Lukewarm Reception
The highly anticipated Alien Rogue Incursion had a mixed reception. While games like Batman Arkham Shadow wowed players, others like Behemoth and Alien Rogue faced critiques for their repetitiveness. Their collective impact on VR adoption, while notable, may have been below expectations.
Content Updates
Grab COLD VR starting January 21st or dive into mixed reality with Figmin XR on Apple Vision Pro. Experiment with different titles such as Tentacular Playground or Niantic’s Scaniverse using innovative digital environments. You can also explore the visually immersive Dino Hab or the gripping Grimlord RPG.
Content Reviews
Reviews for games like Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable pointed to many technical hitches, while Green Hell VR’s new co-op feature shines. COLD VR offers an intriguing take on SUPERHOT VR, but still needs polishing.
Additional News
Discover the Genesis open-source physics engine or explore OpenAI’s new o3 model. AEXLAB’s VR shooter Vail boasts over $5.5 million in revenue, and Upload VR highlights festive game updates. Check out Tom’s Guide’s AR glasses comparison or enjoy Joe Hunting’s heartwarming VRChat-inspired short film "The Reality of Hope."
News from Partners and Friends
PatchWorld’s VR music app received a fantastic update and discount—perfect for those who enjoy live music jams. Attending CES? Don’t miss the DeoVR Afterparty for VR creators. Plus, check out the giveaways for Home Sports and Party Versus, offering engaging games and a chance to win free keys.
XR Fun
Enjoy a chuckle with these lighthearted XR links—from Zuck’s wild car spot to VRChat shenanigans.
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(Header image by Meta)
