I hope you are enjoying your summer! And I’m sure you’ll enjoy it even more by reading this collection of the most interesting XR news of the week and by participating in the included BEATABLE giveaway!
Top news of the week
Datamining unveils new upcoming features on Quest
The usual Luna has written a post on Upload VR to summarize their latest finding about the possible upcoming features on Quest. The main takeaways from the article are:
- Horizon Home is getting a new environment. But especially, the current static home is being removed and substituted with a new one, which is social and dynamic. It basically seems that the Home is becoming an extension of Horizon Worlds. In the home, it will also be possible to put portals to worlds, 2D windows (which are shareable with other people), and pinned 2D apps
- The central plaza of Horizon Worlds is being fully reworked, and the UI of Horizon Worlds optimized by running at the system level. Furthermore, when you are in a world there, you will be able to see, as a distant place in the sky, the home space you were in. This is to create a connection between the home space and the destinations you may go to
- In Horizon Worlds, there will be a new place called Events Arena, where various events and initiatives are going to happen
- Do you remember Horizon Hyperscape, the amazing demo showcasing a few locations reproduced with Gaussian splats? Well, it seems that Meta is transforming that demo into a complete app called Horizon Photoreal. People will be able to scan places with their phone using the Meta Horizon app and upload them to Photoreal for everyone to enjoy. This can become a social media of places, something I already envisioned happening a few years ago
These are all very interesting updates, but remember that these are not official news, but just the result of Luna’s datamining. Some of these updates may be confirmed at Meta Connect, while others may even never happen.
Other relevant news
Brilliant Labs is launching its new smartglasses
Brilliant Labs has announced that on July 31st at 10 am PT is going to announce its new smartglasses. This launch is very relevant because Brilliant Labs has in the past already delivered two very interesting products in this sense: the Monocle, which was appreciated for its openness, and the Frames glasses, which were lightweight, stylish, and optimized for AI integration. Considering its past track, it’s highly probable that this third product will also be very well-made. And especially that it will be open for developers to build applications on it, which is still not something common to all smartglasses.
Bobak Tavangar, the cofounder of the company, will participate in an AMA on the /r/augmentedreality subreddit contextually to the launch, so that to answer to all the questions of the community.
I personally think that everyone interested in smartglasses with an open ecosystem should keep an eye on this one.
More info (Brilliant Labs announces new smartglasses)
More info (Bobak Tavangar to participate in an AMA on Reddit)
News worth a mention
Sharp unveils prototype VR controller
No one was asking for it, but Sharp decided to unveil anyway a VR controller it is working on. As you can see from the picture, it seems like a mix between a glove and a controller. The elements you see on the fingers are not tracking sensors, but “multi-segmented tactile elements” that provide haptic vibrations to make the VR experience more immersive. The company recently closed pre-registrations through its Japan-facing website, pricing units at ¥100,000 (circa $680). If the product is actually delivered, it will be interesting to read the opinions of the first testers.
More info (Sharp VR controller prototype — Road To VR)
More info (Sharp VR controller prototype — Upload VR)
Meta unveils more details about its EMG Wristband
We all know that Meta is working on an EMG Wristband to deliver with its future glasses. This week, the company has published on Nature a research paper that defines some interactions that seem ideal while using the device.
The video released alongside the paper shows four types of gestures (Courtesy Upload VR):
- Writing individual characters on a surface using your index finger, which are converted to digital characters for text entry.
- Rotating your hand, using your wrist, to control a 1-dimensional cursor.
- Swiping your thumb against the side of your index finger.
- Tapping your thumb against your index finger, or holding, as a tap/click.
These are all very natural and very easy-to-do gestures. It seems that the wristband can also adapt to your particular way of performing these gestures.
More info (Meta wristband interactions — Upload VR)
More info (Meta wristband interactions — Meta blog)
Google prototype smartglasses may be a lab prototype
According to the display expert Karl Guttag, the smartglasses demos performed by Google at TED and I/O may have been carried on with smartglasses using Raxium microdisplays. The problem with Raxium is that it has a yield of 1%, which basically means you have one good display out of 100 you manufacture, which is something unfeasible for a commercial product. It so seems that Google is showcasing a lab prototype, exactly like Meta is doing with Orion. This information is not confirmed by Google, though.
The VR Games Showcase is back
VR Games Showcase returns for its Summer 2025 event on August 12th at 8:40 AM PT. The organizers promise “major reveals and […] updates on anticipated titles such as Forefront from Triangle Factory, Reach from nDreams Elevation, and the latest news from Flat2VR Studios”. There is also a 20-minute pre-show called “XR Indies & Friends” that will feature some minor indie games, which will be overshadowed by the later major announcements.
Enjoy the Pico Summer sale
If you have a Pico headset, you had better know that thanks to the Pico Summer sale, you have amazing discounts up to 50% on selected titles until August 10. It’s time to open your wallet!
Putt Window lets you use your real golf ball and club
Putt Window is an innovative Quest 3 game that lets you use your real putter and golf ball in mixed reality. Thanks to the opportunities offered by the camera access on Quest, you can now realistically play golf in your home by using a real ball and putter and a virtual field. Of course, you have to be careful of where you throw your ball, but I find this a very interesting concept.
Dungeon Full Dive studio is shutting down
This week, we had another sad news of a studio shutting down: TxK Gaming Studios, the studio behind the D&D game Dungeon Full Dive, has announced it is terminating its activities. Since the studio is closing, it is making the VR tabletop RPG toolkit’s $50 GM Edition (the one for game masters) free next week. This is a very nice gesture on their side.
This news saddens me a lot, but at the same time, I think we should stop with Kickstarter campaigns not requiring the actual money to ship a product. The studio was able to raise $250K to build this game, which seems a lot of money, but it is actually not enough to build this ambitious platform to play Dungeons & Dragons and to keep evolving it. In the current VR market, where it is very hard to make revenues unless you are making meme games for kids, studios should ask for the actual money needed to deliver the product in full. It’s better to fail a Kickstarter campaign, than succeed it and then abort the project after an initial incomplete delivery. This is the nth case of a game having the same fate, and this is hurting the trust of the community. Making VR games is expensive, making VR platforms is even more expensive, and $100–200K are breacrumbs only good to make prototypes.
Some news about content
- Sound Bath is a new relaxing audiovisual experience by the team behind meditation app TRIPP
- The Kickstarter campaign for Eldramoor: Haven in the Mist has come to an end, raising $170,000 to bring its ambitious VR MMORPG to life. I don’t think this money is enough to build this product (see my comment above), so the team should also look for money elsewhere
- Billie Eilish, during a recent concert, hinted at the fact that she was being filmed in 180° 3D for future viewing on Meta Quest headsets
- Rec Room Plus subscribers now get a customizable “AI buddy” called Roomie
- Sabrina Carpenter’s mega-hit Espresso is the latest Beat Saber Shock Drop
- Spotify’s web app is now available on Quest’s Meta Horizon Store
More info (Sound Bath)
More info (Eldramoor: Haven In The Mist)
More info (Billie Eilish)
More info (Rec Room)
More info (Beat Saber)
More info (Spotify)
Some reviews about content
- The Pirate: Republic of Nassau is a promising pirate-themed VR experience. Naval combat, underwater treasure hunting, and bartering in the Caribbean to grow your outlaw society are all activities that feel enjoyable in the game
- Dreams of Another is a very original and emotional storytelling experience, where you use a gun to make the story advance
- Elsewhere Electric offers a compelling asynchronous co-op mystery worth exploring. The team still has to improve some of its usability, though
- Clone Drone in the Hyperdome is a highly satisfying VR action game that excels in its versatile combat. Its new roguelite Skyscrapper mode also improves its longevity
More info (The Pirate: Republic of Nassau)
More info (Dreams Of Another)
More info (Elsewhere Electric)
More info (Clone Drone In The Hyperdome)
Other news
DannieVR has written a hands-on review on the Xiaomi AI glasses
Viture is offering very interesting smartglasses with higher brightness than XREAL
The VR Android File Manager lets you sideload APKs without developer mode
Pimax now discounts Crystal Light headsets if you claim that you want to migrate from your current headset to Crystal Light
VRgamerdude reviewed Bhaptics Tactsuits
A teardown of the Rayneo Air 3S
A good guide on how to implement VR training in your company’s production processes
Google’s new AI feature lets you virtually try on clothes starting from just a photo
News from partners (and friends)
BEATABLE giveaway!
XR Games’s innovative hand-tracked rhythm game BEATABLE is now out of Early Access! The game, which has received amazing feedback until now, has just added the following features:
- Custom Song & Map Editor — Players can now create, share, and compete on their own tracks
- Visual Upgrades — including new glove skins and updated table skins
- 24 Total Songs — Up from 12 in EA, including a J-Pop anthem by Kudo Haruka and a heavy track from Mikee Goodman (SikTh)… with loads more coming from the community
You can get all of this from the Horizon Store for around $10, or, if you are very lucky, you can get it for free using one of the keys here below! First come, first served:
CJTJF-AWQYX-X44Y4-HWNFJ-PQFXN
9RN46-R7CJC-6QQK4-4XTHP-X9CQN
Get the game on the Horizon Store
Curve the world around you in Unity
My previous colleague Medhi Sam has just written his first blog post, and I want to support him with this newsletter mention! It is a Unity tutorial that teaches you how to do some shader magic to make the 3D elements around you bend so that you see the world wrapping around you. A pretty nice trick.
I wish best of luck to your blog, Medhi!
Discover FM DUO camera!
Meet the FM DUO, a VR camera that is capable of filming up to 12K @30fps, and 8K @60fps. With built-in RTMP live streaming and 5G connectivity, the FM·DUO will immerse your viewers in real time! The FM·DUO features 2 full-frame CMOS sensors, with 6000 x 6000 pixels each. This allows for high-resolution zooming capabilities. Not only can you narrow in on one subject, but you can also focus on singular details of the subject’s facial expressions, clothing textures, and a multitude of other small details, enabling a much more immersive experience of VR video.
Some XR fun
I didn’t know people wanted to remove clothes when in VR…
Donate for good
Like last week, also this week in this final paragraph I won’t ask you to donate to my blog, but to the poor people who are facing the consequences of the war. Please donate to the Red Cross to handle the current humanitarian situation in Ukraine. I will leave you the link to do that below.
Let me take a moment before to thank anyway all my Patreon donors for the support they give to me:
- Alex Gonzalez VR
- DeoVR
- GenVR
- Eduardo Siman
- Jonn Fredericks
- Jean-Marc Duyckaerts
- Reynaldo T Zabala
- Richard Penny
- Terry xR. Schussler
- Ilias Kapouranis
- Paolo Leoncini
- Immersive.international
- Nikk Mitchell and the great FXG team
- Jake Rubin
- Alexis Huille
- Raghu Bathina
- Chris Koomen
- Cognitive3D
- Wisear (Yacine Achiakh)
- Masterpiece X
- Dimo Pepelyashev
- Carol Dalrymple
- Keith Bradner
- Jennifer Granger
- Jason Moore
- Steve Biggs
- Julio Cesar Bolivar
- Jan Schroeder
- Kai Curtis
- Francesco Strada
- Sikaar Keita
- Ramin Assadollahi
- Juan Sotelo
- Andrew Sheldon
- Chris Madsen
- Horacio Torrendell
- Andrew Deutsch
- Fabien Benetou
- Tatiana Kartashova
- Marco “BeyondTheCastle” Arena
- Eloi Gerard
- Adam Boyd
- Jeremy Dalton
- Joel Ward
- Alex P
- Lynn Eades
- Donald P
- Casie Lane
- Catherine Henry
- Qcreator
- Ristband (Anne McKinnon & Roman Rappak)
- Stephen Robnett
- KaihatsuJai
- Christopher Boyd
- Anonymous Supporter
- Giuseppe Pippi
- Mark Frederiksen
- Ken Lin
- Sb
- Boule Petanque
- Pieter Siekerman
- Enrico Poli
- Vooiage Technologies
- Caroline
- Liam James O’Malley
- Hillary Charnas
- Wil Stevens
- Francesco Salizzoni
- Alan Smithson
- Steve R
- Brentwahn
- Michael Gaebler
- Tiago Silva
- Matt Cool
- Mark G
- Simplex
- Gregory F Gorsuch
- Paul Shay
- Matias Nassi
And now here you are the link to donate:
Support The Red Cross in Ukraine
(Header image by Luna, from Upload VR)
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