Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is making its latest Spectacles AR Glasses more affordable to students and teachers with a new educational discount that cuts the $1,200 launch price in half.
Samsung Unpacked didn’t have any big XR revelations this year, although the South Korean tech giant has finally shown off the near-final version of its Android XR headset, codenamed Project Moohan.
Even with onboard AI, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses aren’t as smart as they could be, since the glasses lack any sort of display for doing simple tasks, like reading incoming messages. Now, a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman maintains Meta is not only looking to expand its line of smart glasses with the inclusion of a sportier model this year, but also a high-end model that includes a built-in display.
Google’s announcement of Android XR last month was largely met with excitement, but there was a notable undercurrent of concern about Google’s long-term commitment to the platform. The company has a storied history of launching new products and platforms, only to drop them a few years later—often leaving third-party developers in the lurch.
Despite industry woes, XR development has largely stayed consistent, according to the annual Game Developer Conference (GDC) State of the Game Industry Survey, noting that 35% of developers who responded are building for XR.
COLD VR, one of the most promising spiritual successors to smash-hit game Superhot VR, isn’t arriving today as previously planned, with developer ALLWARE and publisher Perp Games maintaining it still needs a little more time in the oven.
A non-inconsequential number of new Quest 3 and 3S headsets couldn’t update properly this past Christmas, leaving some users scrambling for last-minute replacements or knee deep in support chats looking for a fix to their freshly bricked VR headsets. Now, Meta has clarified just what transpired. And it wasn’t a buggy update either, as previously thought.
Firewall Ultra (2023), the tactical team shooter, hasn’t seen an update since developer First Contact Entertainment shut down in late 2023, or just four months after the game’s release on PSVR 2. Now, Sony has dropped a patch out of the blue, tweaking incentives to get new players in… for who knows what reason.
Oculus founder Palmer Luckey is announcing something in a few weeks, which he says will prove he isn’t out of the ‘XR game’.
Meta is fairly tight-lipped when it comes to detailing just how many headsets it sells, although there are a few ways to gauge the platform’s popularity, one of which is fresh downloads of its required companion app, Meta Horizon, available on Android and iOS devices.
Somnium Space, the Czechia-based social platform creator, has raised prices on its enthusiast-grade PC VR headset, Somnium VR1, something the company says was done to “maintain the highest quality standards.”
Assetto Corsa EVO made its big Early Access launch on Steam yesterday, bringing the next iteration of the racing franchise to both flatscreen and PC VR headsets. It’s getting mixed reviews, although VR users in particular are warning that you should wait for incoming patches, which will hopefully address the game’s currently questionable optimization.
Shuhei Yoshida (aka ‘Shu’) has left Sony, closing a near 32-year chapter of his life with the company.
Meta announced in 2020 it was working with UK-based AR display maker Plessey, which was tapped to provide Meta with AR displays over the course of multiple years. Now the companies have announced they’ve developed what they’re deeming “the world’s brightest” red microLED display for AR glasses.
