Facebook Connect is the company’s AR/VR developer conference that often plays host to product reveals, industry insights, and plenty of talks to get developers on the right path towards building for the company’s existent and upcoming XR hardware. Here’s the top-down skinny on what, when and where.
The latest version of Ultraleap’s hand-tracking tech is finally available today on Windows for use with the Leap Motion Controller accessory and promises to improve two-handed interactions, speed, and robustness. The release includes a demo experience showcasing how hand-tracking can be used as a primary input for a standalone XR device.
Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife, the single-player horror-adventure set in the storied ‘World of Darkness’ universe, is finally set to launch on PSVR October 27th, delivering frights, intrigue, and plenty of opportunity for Alien: Isolation-style hide-and-seek.
In a livestreamed presentation this week, VR headset maker Pimax announced its Reality “12K” QLED headset which aims to pack in a kitchen sink’s worth of wishlist features, not least of which is a dual-mode capability which allows the headset to function as a standalone headset or a native PC VR headset. With the slew of capabilities and specs the company hopes to deliver with the headset, it comes as no surprise that it’s also their most expensive device yet; the Pimax Reality “12K” QLED starts at $2,400 and is expected to ship at the end of 2022.
In the company’s Q3 2021 earnings call Facebook today said it expects its XR investments this year to top $10 billion, and advised investors that it plans to spend even more than that in subsequent years.
Block-slashing VR rhythm game Beat Saber launched a multiplayer update one year ago which made its way to every supported platform but PSVR. Although Facebook-owned developers Beat Games remained mum on exactly why multiplayer for the PSVR version was so behind, the studio has finally released multiplayer support on PSVR.
Official tutorial videos uncovered today show a previously unseen Oculus headset, controllers, and charging dock. The videos may reveal a new Quest 2 Pro or Quest 3 headset which could be officially revealed this week at Facebook Connect.
Fan favorite Physics-based VR melee fighter Blade & Sorcery is still going strong nearly two and a half years after its initial early access release. Back in June, we got our first peek at the next major development which is slated to expand beyond the game’s sandbox roots and introduce a more linear experience with procedurally generated dungeons for players to plunder. Now a new trailer reveals that the update is just around the corner, with a release date set for October 24th.
Facebook has made good on a promise to release an unlocked OS build for its discontinued Oculus Go headset which will allow it to be modified beyond what was originally possible with the device.
HP announced today that it’s launching an updated version of its Reverb G2 headset in the US that brings improvements to controller tracking, eye-relief, and AMD compatibility. Alongside the headset’s improvements, changes to the Mixed Reality Portal software in Windows 11 aim to streamline the experience for SteamVR users and improve performance.
Unplugged is like Guitar Hero, although instead of picking up a dedicated peripheral and jamming away, it relies on Quest’s native hand-tracking to let you shred on an air guitar without controllers. It’s a fun idea that can work really well at moments, however the headset’s optical hand-tracking still isn’t super reliable, which adds a layer of frustration on top of what could truly be a great game.
Spacefolk City is a city building simulator that aims to get you plonking down a dense city landscape in free-floating space. It launches today on the Oculus Store for Quest and Rift, with a release on SteamVR headsets slated for sometime next month.
Varjo, maker of high-end enterprise XR headsets, today announced Aero, a pared down version of the company’s latest headset that offers industry-leading fidelity and advanced features for a cheaper (but still hefty) price that makes the company’s offering more attractive to medium-sized businesses and wealthy VR enthusiasts.
Varjo today announced Aero; while it’s the company’s most affordable headset yet, its $2,000 price point still limits its to businesses and wealthy enthusiasts. But with stunning clarity its sure going to be a dream headset for VR simmers who aren’t afraid to trade cash for immersion.
Resident Evil 4 for Oculus Quest 2 definitely shows its age—it would be impossible not to given its lineage as a groundbreaking survival horror game initially launched on GameCube in 2005. Despite leaning on what have now become well-worn gaming tropes, RE4 for Quest proves to be an expert VR port that still manages to deliver a lot of fun.
