Meta Reportedly Invests $3.5 Billion in EssilorLuxottica, Further Strengthening Smart Glasses Partnership
It was rumored last year that Meta was seeking a minority stake in French-Italian eyewear conglomerate EssilorLuxottica, not only the largest eyewear manufacturer in the world, but also Meta’s partner behind its growing line of smart glasses. Now, a new report suggests the deal has gone through.
‘Zoom’ App Comes to Quest, Letting You Join Work Meetings as Your Avatar
Meta announced it’s now added an official Zoom app to the Horizon Store, letting you host and join online meetings as your Quest avatar.
Smart Contact Maker Raises $250M Investment at a Whopping $1.35B Valuation
Spatial Design Prototyping Tool ‘ShapesXR’ Adds Powerful Animation Features
ShapesXR (2021), the 3D and XR prototyping platform, just got a new animation feature that allows design teams to make their XR prototypes even more expressive and lifelike.
Apple Acquires Digital Avatar Company TrueMeeting to Bolster Vision Pro Personas
Apple quietly acquired 3D avatar company TrueMeeting in January, which could help bolster the company’s digital Personas on Vision Pro.
25 Free Games & Apps Quest 3S Owners Should Download First
Not ready to plonk down your first $100 on Quest games? Thankfully there’s an impressive number of free games, experiences, apps, and social VR platforms to keep you playing before you’re paying.
VR Design Unpacked: Why ‘Embodiment’ is More Important Than ‘Immersion’
Our series Inside XR Design examines specific examples of great XR design. Today we’re looking at the game Synapse and exploring the concept of embodiment and what makes it important to VR games.
Quest’s Leaked Theater Environment Suggests Meta Could Be Gunning for Social VR’s ‘Bigscreen’
Meta announced in January it was working on a home theater environment for Horizon OS, which would let Quest users view content on a massive screen in a proper theater setting. Now, a leaked prototype of the environment shows that it’s focusing on multiplayer too, making it look a bit like VR’s most popular shared viewing app, Bigscreen.
Meta Acquired 9 Leading VR Studios Starting in 2019: What’s Happened Since
Between 2019 and 2022, Meta went on a veritable shopping spree of experienced studios to help push its VR game portfolio, culminating in nine VR studios acquired to date. Here we take a look what’s happened over the past six years, including everything from recent successes to outright shutdowns.
‘Eldramoor: Haven in the Mist’ Kickstarter Hits $100K Milestone with No Signs of Stopping
Resolute Games launched a crowdfunding campaign late last month to kickstart a VRMMO called Eldramoor: Haven in the Mist. Now the campaign has officially crossed the $100,000 mark, and it’s not showing any signs of stopping.
Meta Leak Suggests Smart Glasses With Display is Nearing Launch, Includes Wrist-worn Controller
Meta recently unveiled Oakley Meta HSTN, the company’s latest smart glasses created in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica. Now, data miner and serial leaker ‘Luna’ has obtained images of what appears to be Meta’s next pair of smart glasses, this time including a built-in display and wrist-worn controller.
Apple Reportedly Has Numerous XR Headsets & Glasses Coming Between Now & 2028
Independent tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple’s XR and smart glasses roadmap will feature multiple XR devices, including a spec-bumped Vision Pro slated to release later this year. At the far end of the spectrum, Kuo also says Apple is making AR glasses, reportedly coming in 2028.
‘PianoCafe’ is a Wildly Creative Approach to Gamifying Piano Lessons
As with any instrument, learning the piano can be intimidating when you first start out. But indie developer Plai Technologies is developing an interesting approach to gamifying piano lessons with its upcoming mixed reality app, PianoCafe.
