Former Head of Qualcomm’s XR Division Joins Google to Guide XR Strategy
Hugo Swart, previous head of Qualcomm’s XR division, announced he’s joined Google where he’ll lead the company’s XR Ecosystem Strategy and Technology efforts.
Meta Restructures Reality Labs to Better Focus on Ray-Ban Smartglasses and Other Wearables
Reality Labs, Meta’s XR division formed in 2020, is now being reorganized into two distinct groups, ‘Wearables’ and ‘Metaverse’, which reportedly comes along a “relatively small” number of layoffs.
‘Gorilla Tag’ Has Topped $100M in Revenue, Making it One of VR’s Most Successful Games
VR studio Another Axiom today announced that its breakout title, Gorilla Tag, has surpassed $100 million in revenue. The company shared other key metrics about its player population that shine light on the state of the VR market.
Quest ‘Augments’ Feature for Concurrent AR Apps Needs More Time to Cook, Says Meta CTO
Last year Meta announced the so-called Augments feature, planned for Quest 3, which would allow persistent mini AR apps to live in the world around you. Now, eight months after the headset hit store shelves, Meta’s CTO explains why the feature has yet to ship.
Report: Apple Focuses on More Affordable Vision Headset Over High-end Follow-up
At $3,500, Vision Pro is undoubtedly expensive, which many are rightfully hoping will be remedied in a prospective follow-up. Now, according to a report from The Information, Apple may be ditching the ‘Pro’ aspect of its next-gen Vision headsets altogether, instead aiming to release a single “more affordable” device in late 2025.
SteamVR Games Come to Vision Pro Thanks to Public Launch of Free ‘ALVR’ App
Did you know you can technically play SteamVR games like Half-Life: Alyx (2020) on Vision Pro? Well, now you do, as the leading app dedicated to bringing SteamVR connectivity to a ton of standalone headsets is now available for Vision Pro on the App Store.
Major ‘ShapesXR’ Update Streamlines Collaborative XR Prototyping, Releases Web Editor for PC Users
Spatial design and prototyping app ShapesXR (2021) just launched its 2.0 update which better streamlines cross-platform support, letting team members more easily edit and collaborate in both mixed or virtual reality, but also now the web.
New Tool From Niantic Aims to Make Web-based XR Easier to Build
Pokémon GO developer Niantic announced it’s releasing a new visual editor and “powerful web gaming engine” called Niantic Studio, which aims to let creatives build immersive XR, 3D experiences, and casual web games.
Somnium VR1 PC Headset Slated to Go on Sale June 20th with Broader Launch in July
Somnium Space, the Czechia-based company behind the upcoming Somnium VR1 headset, announced that orders for its long-awaited PC VR headset will be opening on June 20th, coming first to reservation holders.
Hands-on: Logitech’s MX Ink for Quest Could Legitimize VR Styluses as a Whole
Over the last decade I’ve reported on and tested many different VR styluses, but none of them have actually caught on. But the new MX Ink stylus for Quest stands a real chance at legitimizing the VR stylus as a whole, thanks to its thoughtful design, strong lineup of launch apps, and tight integration with Quest’s software.
VR’s Top Combat Sandbox Releases Massive 1.0 Update Today Featuring 7+ Hour Campaign
Blade & Sorcery, arguably VR’s top physics-based combat sandbox, is leaving Early Access today on Steam, which comes alongside the long-awaited 1.0 update that brings its final major content drop: the ‘Crystal Hunt’ campaign.
6 Things Vision Pro Needs Before It Can Go Mainstream
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is over, and while Vision Pro was a big focus with the announcement of its visionOS 2 update, it’s pretty clear Apple’s first mixed reality headset isn’t in a hurry to feature-match other XR headsets at this point, let alone Meta Quest 3. When Apple eventually does step down to the XR playing field with a more consumer-friendly headset though, there are a number of things would-be owners are probably hoping for that have so far gone missing.
Quest Gets Its First Third-party Input Device Thanks to Logitech
Logitech today unveiled an XR stylus that comes as Meta Quest’s first third-party motion peripheral, targeting creatives working in both 2D and 3D media.
Fantasy Blacksmithing Game ‘BlackForge’ Releases on Quest & PC VR Today, New Trailer Here
Indie studio ManaBrigade and publisher Fast Travel Games today announced that BlackForge: A Smithing Adventure, a fantasy VR blacksmithing game, is now available on Quest and PC VR headsets.
‘Astro Bot’ Developer: Don’t Hold Out Hope for VR Port
ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission (2018) is one of most popular PSVR exclusives to date, however Sony-owned developers Team Asobi are releasing its widely hyped PS5 follow-up Astro Bot without the addition of VR support. Don’t hold out hope for a VR port either, as the studio has now confirmed it’s simply not in the cards.
