Wishing you all a joyful and prosperous Lunar New Year! I hope the Year of the Snake brings you happiness, success, love, and a plethora of XR headsets. For those celebrating, I hope you get to enjoy plenty of quality time with loved ones and indulge in delicious food. 😊 Despite my hectic schedule, which has delayed this newsletter a bit, I’m excited to share the latest and greatest in the world of XR with you!
Top News of the Week
(Image by Google)
Google Secures HTC Vive Engineers for $250M
In a surprising move, Google has acquired several expert engineers from HTC Vive, along with a non-exclusive license to certain HTC intellectual properties, for a hefty $250 million. While specific details are scarce, Google has indicated that this acquisition aims to speed up development of its Android XR platform catering to headsets and glasses. With HTC’s extensive expertise in XR, this could potentially expedite Google’s product development. While it remains unclear whether these engineers will focus solely on Android XR or contribute to developing a new Google headset like a Pixel XR device, my bet would be on the former.
This isn’t Google’s first acquisition of talent from HTC; back in 2017, they acquired HTC’s design team for roughly $1.1 billion, hinting at a longstanding collaboration between the two tech giants. This acquisition solidifies Google’s dedication to XR through Android XR and reaffirms their commitment not to abandon VR, as reassured to Road To VR. Though corporate promises can be fleeting due to profit-focused decisions, it’s encouraging to see that immersive realities currently hold significant importance for Google, albeit cautiously.
Yet, this brings up a curious question: What’s next for HTC? Losing a significant portion of their senior engineers could imply a strategic pivot, perhaps toward producing headsets for others, or releasing fewer of their own. The future is uncertain, but I’m keenly watching HTC’s next steps as once a prominent leader in the VR market.
Want more details? Check out coverage from Road To VR and Upload VR.
Other Significant News
Meta’s Push Into Smartglasses
Following the Ray-Ban Meta glasses’ success, Meta is diving deeper into smartglasses, according to a report by Mark Gurman. The company is collaborating with EssilorLuxottica to launch Oakley-branded smartglasses this year, aimed at athletes like cyclists. These Oakley glasses will feature a centered camera and speakers but will omit a display.
In parallel, Meta is exploring a higher-end smartglass model that would include a small display for notifications. Speculation suggests that these could be aimed at prosumers, with pricing expected around $1000. Input methods under consideration include touch-sensitive frames or wrist strap controls, reminiscent of the experimental Orion AR glasses shown earlier.
Meanwhile, Meta isn’t sidelining the original Ray-Ban Meta glasses, with plans for high-profile Superbowl commercials. Looking ahead, Meta plans to roll out samples of the Orion glasses to developers in 2026, but with commercialization aimed for 2027, featuring a cheaper, less feature-rich model named Artemis.
Meta’s strategy of maintaining a diverse XR lineup, spanning VR/MR and AR with a range of smartglasses, is evident. Catch more insights on this development from Road To VR and Upload VR.
Quest Pro Successor in Development
According to Mark Gurman, Meta is in the throes of creating the Quest 4 VR headset, along with a new high-end model possibly succeeding the Quest Pro mixed-reality headset. Dubbed as the “Puffin,” these lightweight MR glasses connect to an external battery.
Despite the Quest Pro’s disappointing performance, Meta’s exploration of upscale headsets is logical with competitors like Apple’s Vision Pro and others pushing premium devices. The Quest Pro faltered not just due to its price but because of its rushed release filled with issues. A polished Quest Pro 2 could potentially carve out a niche in the enterprise sector.
Read more insights from Bloomberg.
Samsung and Google Tease More Moohan
While many XR enthusiasts anticipated major announcements at Samsung’s Unpacked event, the reveal of AR glasses didn’t materialize. Nonetheless, Google and Samsung demonstrated deeper AI integration through Gemini on Samsung phones, hinting at widespread AI advancement across future Samsung devices, including the Moohan headset.
Additionally, the event offered attendees a glimpse at the headset, although hands-on demos were limited to private sessions. Tech influencer Marques Brownlee shared a first-hand look at the device, highlighting its similarities to Apple’s Vision Pro in design and operating system.
For further details, check out discussions on Project Moohan and its preview at Samsung Unpacked.
News Worth a Mention
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Meta’s Quest Headset Issues Over Christmas: Mark Rabkin, Meta VP of VR/MR, detailed why many headsets were bricked over the holidays, attributing it to a rare race condition bug in Android’s Open Source Project (AOSP). Fortunately, Meta has since patched the issue and shared their solution with Google.
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Into The Radius 2 Earns $3M for CM Games: Having sold 800K units of the original game across platforms, CM Games has grossed $3 million with its sequel, thanks in large part to community-driven development.
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CREAL Miniaturizes Lightfield Technology: CREAL has made strides in reducing the size of their lightfield engine, making it nearly suitable for standard glasses – a significant leap forward in AR realism.
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Automatic Room Scanning for Quest 3: Meta may soon alleviate the hassle of manual room scans by introducing automatic scanning for updated room layouts, enhancing the MR experience.
- Keiichi Matsuda’s Vision for AI and AR Future: In collaboration with Niantic, Matsuda created a short film exploring a future with constant AI and AR presence. It’s an inspiring piece worth viewing.
Upcoming Content Highlights
A variety of new gaming experiences are on the horizon:
- Fitness Fables: Combines fantasy action with VR fitness, launching on Quest January 30th for $12.
- FlatOut VR: An anticipated VR adaptation capturing the best from the FlatOut series.
- Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower: A kung-fu inspired VR fighting game arriving on Quest March 12th.
- Elsewhere Electric: A co-op puzzle game, slated for Quest and PC VR this spring.
- The Smurfs – Flower Defense: A VR tower defense game launching on Quest 3 this May.
- Crysis in VR: Enjoy Crysis gaming experience in VR, thanks to a mod.
For the curious, delve into more info on Fitness Fables, FlatOut VR, and more.
Other News Worth Checking Out
- A GDC survey reveals 35% of game developers are engaged with XR technology.
- Snap Spectacles now available at half price for students and teachers.
- Vrgamerdude experiences the Mudra Link neural bracelet first-hand.
- Apple’s new Miami store features an exclusive Vision Pro area.
- Gabriele Romagnoli offers a detailed analysis of MR apps in the Horizon Store.
- CaddieVision utilizes AI to enhance your golfing experience.
Thoughts from Partners and Friends
The multiplayer mode for SkyClimb is now free to enjoy. Produced by VRMonkey, this arm-movement platform adventure has been well-received on Quest. Don’t hesitate to try it!
Some XR Fun
- Parenting a VR enthusiast comes with its quirks… Enjoy a humorous take here.
- Believe it or not, you can play DOOM inside a PDF! Discover the craziness here.
- Sometimes, the best upgrade to immersive experiences isn’t high-tech. Find out more here.
- Consider the “dangers” of VR romance… with a laugh here.
- One man’s reason for tidying up his space. See more here.
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