Oculus Quest v25 Update Brings Messenger, Guardian Improvements, Bluetooth Mice & More
Report: Apple’s First VR Headset Rumored to Cost $3,000 & Include 8K Displays
According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple may be planning to release a VR headset with limited AR capabilities as soon as 2022, which is said to be a precursor to its long-rumored, full-fledged AR device. Now, a follow up report by The Information contends the company’s first VR headset will cost around $3,000 and include a bevy of items high on any VR enthusiast’s wish list.
Quest 2 Leaps to 2nd Most Used on Steam as Headsets Hit Record High of 2.6 Million
Although Quest 2 is a standalone headset, it can also be plugged into a PC to play PC VR games through Oculus PC and Steam. The headset’s holiday success has clearly bled through into the PC VR landscape, as the latest data shows that Quest 2 is now the second most used headset on Steam, with the total number of monthly-connected headsets on the platform reaching a new all-time high of 2.6 million.
Vertigo Games Acquires VR Arcade Game Distribution Platform SpringboardVR
Vertigo Games, the studio behind Arizona Sunshine (2017) and upcoming VR shooter After the Fall, today announced that it has acquired SpringboardVR, creators of the eponymous location-based VR content distribution platform.
Facebook Messenger Comes to Oculus Quest in New Update
Facebook announced that the v25 software update for its Quest platform is set to include Facebook Messenger, which will be available to anyone who is logged into their Facebook account on either Quest or Quest 2.
Oculus App Lab Lets Devs Distribute Apps on Quest While Bypassing Curation Process
Oculus today introduced a program called App Lab, a new effort which will allow developers to distribute their VR apps on Quest without being subject to a quality review ‘curation’ process. Though apps still need to meet Oculus’ technical guidelines, and won’t appear in the Quest store like formally approved apps, they can be independently distributed and even sold without a cumbersome sideloading process.
‘Beat Saber’ Has Sold 4M Copies & 40M Songs, an Estimated $180M Revenue (and Accelerating)
Beat Saber has officially reached 4 million units sold, Oculus today announced, along with 40 million songs of paid DLC, pushing the app’s estimated revenue to $180 million.
How to Watch the Super Bowl in VR With Friends for Free
Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s Super Bowl is set to be very different. If you have a VR headset though, you can still host that Super Bowl Sunday party with your buddies while staying safe at home. Here’s how you can watch the Super Bowl in VR for free with with your friends using the Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, and all SteamVR-compatible headsets.
This Developer’s VR Vacuuming Game Gives a Peek into the Future of Gamified Chores
Completing your weekly chores can be an absolute drag, but doing repetitive tasks like vacuuming the house might not always be so boring when VR and AR come into the mix.
‘Tilt Brush’ Derivative Apps Come to PC VR & Quest Mere Hours After Google Open Sources
Google’s VR art creation app Tilt Brush isn’t free, but the company made it open source a few days ago after announcing it has stopped active development, so it was only a matter of time before independent developers got under the hood to publish their own Tilt Brush-derived apps. Now you can play around with the first batch on PC VR and Oculus Quest.
Ultraleap’s New ‘Gemini’ Software Overhaul Drastically Improves Two-handed Interactions
Ultraleap, the company behind the Leap Motion hand-tracking controller, has released a Developer Preview of its hand-tracking engine Gemini. By many accounts, Ultraleap’s latest software overhaul dramatically increases the ability of the company’s camera modules to do more precise and stable two-handed interactions.
Total Quest Games Reviews Have Exceeded Oculus PC Reviews in Less Than Two Years
Adding to a growing number of data points showing why Facebook has shifted its attention away from Oculus PC is the difference in momentum between the two platforms as revealed by game review counts over time. This month, the number of reviews across all Quest games has exceeded the number of reviews across all Oculus PC games.
Gladiator Sim ‘GORN’ Releases on Oculus Quest Today
GORN (2019), the single-player arcade battle simulator, is finally coming to Oculus Quest today.
‘Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife’ to Release in Spring 2021, More Gameplay Revealed
Fast Travel Games, the studio behind Apex Construct (2018) and Budget Cuts 2 (2019), are bringing their ‘World of Darkness’ horror game Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife to all major VR platforms this spring. Now the studio has served up a fresh gameplay video featuring the mysterious ‘Shadow’ who guides you.
Magic Leap Founder Rony Abovitz Unveils New Startup to Build Virtual Humans
Rony Abovitz, founder of Magic Leap, is starting on a new path after his departure as CEO of the well-funded augmented reality company last year. Abovitz just unveiled his next project, a startup called Sun and Thunder, which aims to build what he calls “synthetic beings.”
