The past week has not been the most exciting one in the XR space. After both Apple and Google fired their shots in the previous two weeks, nothing incredibly relevant happened. But these are pretty interesting times for me, at least: I shipped my project (fingers crossed), I’m traveling to Hamburg to speak at the NextReality Festival, and I’ve even seen my interview with Ben Lang published on Road To VR! So be happy for me, and let’s celebrate in Hamburg if you’re there.
Top news of the week
Google and Magic Leap consolidate their partnership
When Magic Leap was a hot startup showing flying whales, Google was one of the first companies believing in it, with a huge investment of around half a billion dollars. The two companies have always been connected, and last year, they announced a strategic partnership. This week, they have announced a three-year agreement with Google that will position Magic Leap as “an AR ecosystem partner to support companies building glasses”.
This seems to mean that Magic Leap will help in the creation of reference design glasses that other companies may use to build their own AR glasses running Android XR. Remember that Magic Leap stopped building hardware itself 1–2 years ago, and now proposes itself solely as a provider of AR technology, IP, and expertise.
In an event in Riyadh, Google and Magic Leap also showed prototype AR glasses they have built together, using Google’s Raxium microLED and Magic Leap waveguides. Google commented on the prototype, stating that “Magic Leap’s precision in optics and waveguide design gives the display a level of clarity and stability that’s rare in AR today”. This means that what Google is looking for in this partnership is the superior clarity that Magic Leap waveguides seem to offer.
It’s clear that Google is using all the means that it has to go ahead of the others in this AR race. Magic Leap is a company that has very good expertise in building AR glasses, and this partnership can be beneficial to help the Android XR glasses ecosystem have high-quality devices. If Google puts the operating system, Magic Leap the expertise in waveguides, and Warby Parker the style of the frames, we should obtain a very interesting final gadget.
More info (Google and Magic Leap’s partnership — Road To VR)
More info (Google and Magic Leap’s partnership — Upload VR)
Other relevant news
Meta restructures internally, while revenues go up
According to a Business Insider report, Meta Reality Labs is undergoing a restructuring, with “Horizon OS” spinning out of the “metaverse” division.
Meta Reality Labs is now made up of three main divisions:
- Wearables, working on Ray-Ban Meta, glasses, and the neural band
- Metaverse, caring about Horizon Worlds, and content for XR headsets
- Horizon OS, developing the Horizon OS operating system and related hardware (e.g. Quest)
This operation has been accompanied by a reshuffling of the various executives handling the various divisions.
It is refreshing to hear Andrew Bosworth say in an internal memo that “the priority of the metaverse work remains unchanged and it continues to be a companywide priority”, because it means Meta has not abandoned this vision, yet. He also added that “VR is evolving beyond its roots in gaming to become a broader platform for entertainment, productivity, and connection” and this confirms what I’ve been saying in the last few months: especially thanks to the Vision Pro, now XR is not considered only a technology for gaming anymore, but it is evolving to become general-purpose, as it is the smartphone or the PC.
I have no idea what the consequences of all of this could be, to be honest. For sure, Horizon OS has other priorities now that it also involves other headsets from other companies, so it makes sense that it has its own division.
All of this restructuring happens while Meta Reality Labs saw one of the best Q3 quarters in its history, with a whopping +74% revenues compared to the same period of last year. But you shouldn’t rejoice too fast: one of the main reasons is that retailers are stocking Quest headsets for the holiday season, so this means that Q3 revenues are higher than expected, but Q4 may be lower than expected. Still, it is good news.
More info (Meta Reality Labs is restructuring)
More info (Meta Reality Labs seeing +74% revenues)
News worth a mention
VRChat releases on Android and iOS
After some time spent in beta, the popular social VR platform VRChat has finally been released on Android and iOS. It will be interesting to see how VRChat competes with the other social platforms in the field. In the VR space, VRChat is leading, but on mobile, we have behemoths like Roblox that attract millions of users every day.
Roblox keeps improving its impressive numbers
Talking about Roblox, the company just released the numbers related to its platform, and they are nothing short of impressive. In Q3 this year, the company had revenues of $1.5B and 151M DAU (Daily Active Users). The last number is crazy: more than 1.8% of the worldwide population is playing Roblox every day. This confirms the appetite of young people for digital 3D worlds where they can connect with other people (yeah, some sort of metaverse)
Meta to ship Aria 2 in 2026
Among the various paths through which Meta aims to achieve AR glasses, we shouldn’t forget about Project Aria. These are glasses with cameras and other sensors installed, which are meant to let research centers collect and analyze data from the point of view of a user, for instance, to train a robot. These glasses attracted the interest of many research groups, and Meta announced that it is shipping the second generation of Aria glasses to them in 2026.
Meta ships v81 of Horizon OS and prepares for v83
Meta is now shipping the v81 of its Horizon OS operating system. This version of the OS brings a new immersive home space, full integration with Windows 11 (so that you can operate your laptop using your headset as a display), closer integration with Horizon Worlds, and the possibility of scanning your room with Horizon Hyperscape Capture. It is a pretty big update, but Meta is not stopping here: the company has already put in PTC the v83 (I dunno where the v82 has gone). In this upcoming version, Meta will release the new interface of the operating system, where the Main Menu is basically copied from the Apple Vision Pro. Other features have to be expected, like better scene understanding and the possibility of logging in to websites using the phone.
More info (Meta releases v81 of Horizon OS)
More info (Quest’s integration with Windows 11)
More info (Meta releases beta of Horizon OS v83)
Hints at eye tracking found in the Quest runtime
The usual Luna and the usual dataminers found references to eye tracking input and eye-tracking-based automatic IPD adjustment in the latest Horizon OS version. This means that Meta is preparing to ship a headset with eye tracking incorporated. Most probably, this is going to be the device codenamed Puffin, which, from the rumors, seems to be a lightweight version of the Apple Vision Pro.
More info (References to automatic IPD adjustment)
More info (References to eye-tracking based input)
Android XR is fully open to sideloading
People have started receiving their Galaxy XR headsets and evaluating the pros and cons of them. One of the things that they appreciate most about the Android XR operating system is that it is fully open to sideloading. You do not need any external app on your PC to perform it: you can just download an APK and install it, all from within the headset. This is amazing and completely liberating.
A trick to get your Galaxy XR controllers for free
Some people in the XR community are reporting that if you have bought a Galaxy XR headset and you threaten Samsung to return it, the company is going to offer you a 180$ discount (basically the cost of the controllers) given back to you as a refund if you decide to keep your headset. Take this information and use it as you want (wink, wink)
Robot helper NEO is controlled via VR headsets
Silicon Valley startup 1X is offering a robot called NEO to help you with your household tasks. The robot should operate autonomously, but for the most complex tasks that it can’t perform, there will be a human operator who will move it using a VR headset and controllers from a remote location. I find this to be a bit weird and privacy invasive, but maybe there will be people who are more open to “innovation” than me.
Lenovo releases smartglasses in China
Lenovo has announced some smartglasses with a display in China, priced at 3999 yuan ($560). The display is monochrome, and what is peculiar about that is that the user can switch between binocular and monocular modes, even deciding if the monocular visualization should be on the left or right eye.
VR & Halloween
On the occasion of Halloween, Meta has announced a discount on many games on the Store and also released a special “haunted” immersive home. Many VR games have also released special characters, game modes, or environments dedicated to Halloween: discover them all in the links below!
More info (Quest Halloween sale)
More info (Quest Halloween Immersive Home)
More info (All the VR games updates for Halloween)
Some news about content
- Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is coming to all major VR headsets on December 4th
- Flight Unlimited wants to be the first “full-fledged” flight simulator available standalone on Quest headsets. It is set to be released this month
- The Amusement, an Art Deco-inspired roomscale adventure set in a 1920s theme park, heads for PC VR and Quest next year
- A Long Survive, a new co-op horde survival shooter, is out now on Quest
- Reach has released its first big patch, improving compatibility with Virtual Desktop and PCVR in general
- Mega Fireball is a mixed reality sports game that reimagines regular domestic areas as competitive arenas. It is out now for Quest
More info (Thief VR)
More info (Flight Unlimited)
More info (The Amusement)
More info (A Long Survive)
More info (Reach)
More info (Mega Fireball)
Some reviews about content
- Zero Caliber 2 Remastered brings a lot of graphical improvements on PCVR to an already very good Quest game. It has some small bugs, but it is a very good shooter game that lets you enter into war action
- House of Golf VR offers the very interesting feature to let you play minigolf in mixed reality in your house. It still needs some improvement, though. The VR version of it can’t compete with the more famous Walkabout Mini Golf
More info (Zero Caliber 2 Remastered)
More info (House Of Golf VR)
Other news
A group of researchers proposed a novel e-ink display solution that could make way for super compact, retina-level XR headsets
Some studies show that the human retina can see much more than 60 PPD (60 PPD is just the point of diminishing returns)
Sam Altman is going to run a startup about reading brainwaves
CNET’s Scott Stein talked with Apple about its latest Personas avatars and discovered they’re made with Gaussian Splats
News from partners (and friends)
Play the demo of Road To Yvhalon
An Italian VR indie game studio is working on an RPG called Road Yvhalon. They’ve just released a demo you can play for free on Steam, so if you like the genre, be sure to check it out! This is how they describe their game:
Road To Yvhalon is an action RPG designed specifically for Virtual Reality, combining soulslike elements with innovative capture and exploration mechanics. Set in a vast, non-linear, and mysterious world, the game invites players to wander through forgotten lands, ancient ruins, and hidden paths, where the true adventure lies far from the main trails.Among the core gameplay elements are:
- Sword crafting
- Enemy capture
- Boss combat
- Exploration of large VR maps
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.
Visit Product Website
Some XR fun
Apple fanboys’ reaction to Galaxy XR
Funny link
ChatGPT be like…
Funny link
Speedrunning setting up for VR
Funny link
The VR rollercoaster
Funny link
The comments to this post are fun… and very Halloween-themed
Funny link
Just get some copium
Funny link
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
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- Raghu Bathina
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- Cognitive3D
- Wisear (Yacine Achiakh)
- Masterpiece X
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- Keith Bradner
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- Marco “BeyondTheCastle” Arena
- Eloi Gerard
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- Qcreator
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- Sb
- Boule Petanque
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- Vooiage Technologies
- Caroline
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- 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 Google)
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