Microsoft announced it’s released a public preview of Azure Remote Rendering support for Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro, something that promises to allow devs to render complex 3D content in the cloud and stream it to those VR headsets in real-time.
One thing that didn’t get much attention during the announcement of Apple Vision Pro is the headset’s modular design. With straightforward connections and magnetic mounting, the company’s robust ecosystem of third-party accessory makers will no doubt be scurrying to offer options.
A VR version of Sega’s futuristic block-breaker, which you might remember from its launch on Dreamcast in 2001 or in arcades throughout Europe and Japan, is now live on PSVR 2, dubbed C-Smash VRS.
Masterpiece Studio, the developers behind the titular PC VR creative suite, released a new version of its software built natively for Quest 2, something its creators hope will appeal to people looking for an easy way to make models, avatars, and other 3D assets.
Until You Fall (2020), the critically acclaimed VR sword fighting game, is now available for PSVR 2.
At least from the outside, it appears Microsoft isn’t actively competing for a seat at the XR table, which is fairly odd coming from a company that pioneered enterprise AR while simultaneously wrangling some of its top OEM partners to make a fleet of PC VR headsets for consumers in 2017. Microsoft gained a great early start, but now the Redmond-based tech giant is positioned to play catchup, which historically hasn’t worked out that well. Could we be in for another ‘Zune moment’? If Microsoft goes in half-cocked, maybe.
Quest 3 was announced just three weeks ago, and yet the headset is already listed at Best Buy. Though its resolution hasn’t been officially announced, the page gives us a big clue.
Looking to get your hands on arguably the best PC VR headsets out there? Well, you might consider GameStop’s refurbished units for $600.
Apple has released new and updated tools for developers to begin building XR apps on Apple Vision Pro.
Meta says it’s has begun pushing out a software update which will bring some pretty profound performance boosts to both Quest 2 & Quest Pro.
Industry Direct by the Snapdragon Spaces Team
Industry Direct is our program for sponsors who want to speak directly to the Road to VR newsletter audience. Industry Direct posts are written by sponsors with no involvement from the Road to VR editorial team. Links to these posts appear only in our newsletter and do not intermix with our on-site editorial feed. Industry Direct sponsors help make Road to VR possible.
It’s clear that we’re undergoing another massive shift on how we connect, play, work and interact with the world around us. More specifically, a shift on the devices we use every day.
Mixed reality (MR) is taking the world by storm and headworn devices are quickly winning the hearts (and habits) of consumers. Extended Reality (XR) devices are getting lighter, sleeker, and more performant providing unprecedented immersive experiences. New players in the market means a boost for the industry and more options for developers looking to create the next generation of AR, VR and MR apps and experiences.
At AWE 2023 (Augmented World Expo), Qualcomm announced that Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform now supports the new generation of MR devices, including Lenovo’s ThinkReality VRX, Oppo’s new MR Glass Developer Edition, all-in-one AR devices from DigiLens, TCL RayNeo, and other prominent headworn devices expected to be released later this year. Powered by Snapdragon chipsets purposefully built for XR, these devices are a game changer for developers looking to combine computer vision, AI, and 5G capabilities to build immersive and ultra-realistic experiences.
By expanding the perception technology stack from AR to MR, Snapdragon Spaces enables more developers to push the boundaries of reality, all thanks to the video passthrough capabilities combined with features that seamlessly understand environments and users.
With the wide variety of devices available and soon to be available in the market, developers can reap the benefits from working with a platform that is based on OpenXR. Snapdragon Spaces enables developers to easily deploy applications across multiple devices while being part of an open and rapidly growing ecosystem.
Developers are in the driver’s seat leading, disrupting and creating this new era of spatial computing.
Hugo Swart, VP and GM of XR, highlighted the incredible traction the Snapdragon Spaces ecosystem is getting: thousands of developers have joined the Snapdragon Spaces community, more than 80 members have joined Snapdragon Spaces Pathfinder Program, three new Metaverse Fund venture investments and an inaugural group of 10 companies joining the Niantic Lightship and Snapdragon Spaces developer initiative.
The platform has been a critical building block for developers across productivity, gaming and entertainment, health, education, training and other verticals to deliver innovative apps based on the world’s most popular development engines: Unity and Unreal.
The XR market is about to experience a huge influx of content, applications, new devices and increased adoption.
Snapdragon Spaces continues to expand and create an open ecosystem that enables developers to pioneer innovative experiences for the next generation of immersive technology. For developers who want to help build this new era of spatial computing, check out Snapdragon Spaces.
Apple Vision Pro has brought new ideas to the table about how XR apps should be designed, controlled, and built. In this Guest Article, Sterling Crispin offers up a concise guide for what first-time XR developers should keep in mind as they approach app development for Apple Vision Pro.
Valve is back at it with Steam Next Fest, the indie showcase that features free demos for upcoming PC games. We picked out some of the most promising demos among the two dozen VR games showcased this week.
Apple has confirmed that Safari on Vision Pro will support WebXR, a web-standard that allows immersive experiences to be delivered through the browser.
Hubris (2022), the VR shooter from Cyborn, is arguably among the most visually intense VR games out there. Now the studio is slimming it down the game to fit on PSVR 2 and the Quest platform, and it’s coming this week.
