‘The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners 2’ Coming to PSVR 2 & PC VR in March, Original Gets Free PSVR 2 Upgrade

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Image courtesy Skydance Interactive

Skydance Interactive announced the sequel to The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Chapter 2: Retribution, is leaving timed Quest exclusivity soon. You can also now add the original game to the list of PSVR titles getting a free PSVR 2 upgrade.

NBA Deepens Multiyear Partnership with Meta, Bringing More Ways to Watch Live Games on Quest

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Image courtesy Meta, NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Meta announced they’re extending a multiyear partnership which is set to bring a few new ways for basketball fans to enjoy NBA League Pass games on Quest.

A Failed XR Startup is Back With Compact Optics That Switch Instantly Between AR & VR

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Photo by Road to VR

AntVR, an early VR startup which struggled with several XR headset projects that ultimately didn’t find traction, has reemerged with novel optics which can instantly transition between AR and VR modes.

High-flying Co-op Adventure ‘Windlands 2’ is Finally Coming to Quest 2 Next Month

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Psytec Games announced its grappling hook-flavored platforming adventure Windlands 2 (2018) is finally swinging its way onto Quest 2, coming to Meta’s standalone for the first time on February 2nd.

Hands-on: Pimax Crystal Touts Impressive Clarity, But Suffers From a (potentially fixable) Flaw

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Photo by Road to VR

At CES 2023 Pimax was showing off its latest high-resolution headset, the Pimax Crystal, which uses new lenses and new displays for what the company says is its clearest looking image yet. And while it’s definitely an improvement in many areas over the company’s headsets, there’s a key flaw that I hope the Pimax will be able to address.

‘Gorilla Tag’ Reports $26M in Revenue, Over 700K Users Played on Christmas Day

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Image courtesy Another Axiom

Gorilla Tag is undoubtedly a hit. Its primate-centric locomotion style and infectious game of tag has vaulted it into the top spot as the most-rated game on the Quest Store, surpassing even the Meta-owned rhythm game Beat Saber. Now, the indie team behind Quest’s most popular game revealed they’ve generated over $26 million with Gorilla Tag.

PSVR’s Top Downloads in 2022 Betray Stagnation, PSVR 2 Looks to Change That

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Original PSVR (2016) & PS5 console | Photo by Road to VR

It’s more than a bit disheartening to see essentially the same top PSVR game downloads repeated throughout the years, although here’s to hoping this may be the last time we utter the names Beat Saber, Job Simulator, and SUPERHOT VR in sequential order as the upcoming platform’s best-performing titles.

Report: Apple’s MR Headset Said to Arrive Early 2023, AR Headset Sees Further Delays

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Image courtesy Apple

Apple’s long-awaited mixed reality headset is still deep under wraps, although recent reports have not only shed what appears to be new light on some of the features coming to the fruit company’s first AR/VR headset, but also a possible unveiling window and naming scheme. On the flipside, it also now appears Apple may be delaying its plans for a full AR device, which were allegedly planned as a follow-up to the company’s MR headset.

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is putting its plans to release a full AR headset on hold, as the company is allegedly planning what is described as a “lower-cost version” of its MR headset first—stipulated to arrive sometime in 2024 or early 2025. Its first MR headset, which reportedly will cost around $3,000, is said to arrive sometime this year.

Citing people familiar with internal deliberations, Apple’s 1,000-person Technology Development Group dedicated to AR/VR is focused on the first two mixed reality headsets now, however the company still maintains teams dedicated to technology that would go into standalone AR glasses.

A fresh Bloomberg report maintains Apple’s upcoming MR headset is set to be unveiled ahead of the company’s World Wide Developer Conference in June. The report maintains the name is likely Reality Pro, and is slated to ship sometime in Fall of 2023.

Bloomberg says the device is already in the hands of “a small number of high-profile software developers for testing,” which will allow them to get started on third-party apps. The device’s operating system, currently code named ‘Borealis’, will be publicly named xrOS. The original article, which includes reported specs and features, follows below:

Original Article (January 4th, 2023): There’s a lot of new details here, and of course we can’t substantiate it even if we tried. We’ve restructured the main takeaways, courtesy of The Information via MacRumorsinto a sort of fantasy spec sheet:

Reported Apple MR Specs

  • Resolution: Dual Micro OLED displays at 4K resolution (per eye)
  • FOV: 120-degrees, similar to Valve Index
  • Chipset: Two 5nm chips. Includes a main SoC (CPU, GPU, and memory) and a dedicated image signal processor (ISP). Chips communicate via a custom streaming codec to combat latency.
  • Battery: Waist-mounted battery, connected via MagSafe-like power cable to the headset’s headband. Two-hour max battery life, although hotswappable for longer sessions.
  • PassthroughISP chip contains custom high-bandwidth memory made by SK Hynix, providing low latency color passthrough
  • Audio: H2 chip, providing ultra-low latency connection with the second-generation AirPods Pro and future AirPods models. No 3.5mm and possible no support for non-AirPod BT headphones.
  • Controller: Apple is said to favor hand-tracking and voice recognition to control the headset, but it has tested a “wand” and a “finger thimble” as alternative control input methods.
  • Prescription Lenses: Magnetically attachable custom prescription lenses for glasses-wearers.
  • IPD Adjustment: Automatic, motorized adjustment to match the wearer’s interpupillary distance.
  • Eye Tracking: At least one camera per-eye for things like avatar presence and foveated rendering
  • Face & Body Tracking: More than a dozen cameras and sensors capture both facial expressions and body movements, including the user’s legs.
  • Room Tracking: Both short- and long-range LiDAR scanners to map surfaces and distances in three dimensions.
  • App Compatibility: Said to have the ability to run existing iOS apps in 2D.

Then there are some design rumors, which don’t fit so well into our fantasy spec sheet. The Information says it has reconfirmed these previously reported rumors.

Design Rumors

  • Outer Shell: Aluminum, glass, and carbon fiber to reduce its size and weight. Cameras are largely concealed for aesthetic reasons.
  • Presence Displays: Outward-facing display can show user’s facial expressions and also presumably eye movements. Said to be an always-on display similar in latency and power draw of Apple Watch or iPhone 14 Pro.
  • Dedicated Passthrough Switch: Digital Crown-like dial on its right side to switch between VR and passthrough.
  • Headstrap: Various available, including consumer-focused headstrap similar in material to Apple Watch sport bands with built-in speakers. Unspecified, but different headstrap targeted at developers.

Apple supplier Pegatron is said to have already assembled “thousands of prototype units of the headset” over the course of 2022 at its Shanghai-based facility.

According to four people with knowledge of the matter, The Information reports that Apple could price its MR headset around $3,000 or more depending on its configuration.

The report maintains the headset was initially supposed to launch in 2022, although by now it’s clear it’s obviously been delayed. A previous Bloomberg report alleged this was due to “overheating, cameras and software” having been stumbling blocks along the way to launch.

The 20 Best Rated & Most Popular Quest Games & Apps – January 2023

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While Oculus doesn’t offer much publicly in the way of understanding how well individual games & apps are performing across its Quest 2 storefront, it’s possible to glean some insight by looking at apps relative to each other. Here’s a snapshot of the 20 best rated Oculus Quest games and apps as of January 2023.

2022 Was a Plateau Year for VR, Here’s What to Expect in 2023

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The end of 2022 marks more than a decade since the Oculus Kickstarter sparked the modern era of VR. While the space has undoubtedly grown tremendously since then, 2022 felt largely like a plateau year, with Meta standing unchallenged as the dominant player in the space—while progressing disjointedly in too many directions at once. But with new headsets, promising new content, and a looming heavyweight positioned to challenge Meta all on the horizon, 2023 could big a much bigger year for the VR space.

PSVR 2 Unlikely to Ever Work on PC, Says Creator Behind PSVR 1 Compatibility Driver

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Created using images courtesy Valve

No more ungainly break-out boxes to contend with; thankfully PSVR 2 connects to PlayStation 5 via a single USB-C cable. But if you think you’ll be able to plug in that seemingly standard cable to a VR-ready PC to play Half-Life: Alyx like you might with standalones such as Quest 2, Vive XR Elite or Pico 4, you’ll be sorely disappointed. PSVR 2 won’t work as a PC VR headset, and according to the developer behind unofficial conversion software iVRy Driver, you shouldn’t buy one with the anticipation that it ever will.

US Congress Halts Orders of Microsoft AR Combat Goggles Amid Reports of Headaches & Eyestrain

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Image courtesy Microsoft

In 2021, Microsoft won a United States Army defense contract worth up to $22 billion which would support the development of an Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), a tactical AR headset for soldiers based on HoloLens 2. Now Congress has rejected the Army’s request for $400 million to buy as many as 6,900 more of the AR combat goggles this year, a Bloomberg report maintains.

‘Rec Room’ Teams Up with NFL for New Virtual Merch Featuring All 32 Teams

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Image courtesy Rec Room, NFL

Rec Room announced it’s partnering with the National Football League (NFL) to bring a host of officially licensed virtual merch to the social VR platform.

‘Roblox’ Rumored to Launch on Meta Quest in Late 2023

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Image courtesy Roblox Corporation

Roblox already supports PC VR headsets in addition to every conceivable traditional platform out there, although a recent report maintains the metaverse powerhouse may land on Quest later this year.

Meta Sharpens the Axe for Quest 1: First-party Social Ends in March, Security Patches in 2024

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Image courtesy Meta

It seems Meta is finally taking the original 2019 Quest behind the shed this year, as the company announced it’s set to deprecate first-party social features on the device, which includes access to Parties and Meta Horizon Home. Meta also announced it won’t be delivering new features beyond critical bug fixes and security patches until 2024.

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