You might not recognize the name Maxim Zhestkov, but if you paid any attention to the launch of PlayStation 5, you’ll almost certainly recognize his iconic digital art which accompanied the reveal of the console. Now Zhestkov has launched a virtual gallery that he says will feature and ever-growing collection of his digital works.
Vertigo 2 (2023), the sci-fi VR shooter adventure from Zach Tsiakalis-Brown, readily invites comparisons to Valve’s indomitable Half-Life: Alyx, but now the developer is taking another note out of Valve’s playbook by offering a way to create your own Vertigo-based levels and modes in with its sandbox DLC.
Despite some spirited protests against it, Meta and its child-studio Ready at Dawn are set to shut down the popular multiplayer game Echo VR, with plans to turn off servers come August 1st. While the sporty Echo Arena portion of the game has always been free on both Quest and Rift, the squad-based shooter half of Echo VR, Echo Combat, will be free on PC from now until server shutdown.
Eye-tracking—the ability to quickly and precisely measure the direction a user is looking while inside of a VR headset—is often talked about within the context of foveated rendering, and how it could reduce the performance requirements of XR headsets. And while foveated rendering is an exciting use-case for eye-tracking in AR and VR headsets, eye-tracking stands to bring much more to the table.
Meta is putting on its Quest Gaming Showcase in June, and while we’re not certain what standalone goodies the company has in store, a promo video seems to suggest we’ll be getting something from the universe of hit Rift exclusive Asgard’s Wrath (2019).
Meta announced its third annual Quest Gaming Showcase is arriving next month, coming only a few days before Apple’s rumored XR headset announcement at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
Cyborn is bringing Hubris (2022), the sci-fi adventure for PC VR headsets, to PSVR 2 this month, promising a host of improvements we hope will buff out more than a few dull spots in the otherwise visually impressive game.
VR Skater, the skateboarding sim for PC VR headsets, is hitting the launch ramp for a June 21st landing on PSVR 2.
Virtual Desktop has collaborated with Qualcomm to integrate the company’s Snapdragon Game Super Resolution, a software enhancement squarely targeted at increasing the wireless streaming quality and latency of PC visuals to Quest 2 and Pico devices.
Meta announced its latest quarterly results, revealing that the company’s Reality Labs metaverse division is again reporting a loss of nearly $4 billion. The bright side? Meta’s still investing billions into XR, and it’s not showing any signs of stopping.
Room-scale puzzle Eye of the Temple (2021) is available on Quest 2 starting today, bringing one of VR’s most clever room-scale experiences to a platform where it probably makes the most sense.
Propagation VR (2020), the VR survival horror game for PC VR headsets, is getting a sequel called Propagation: Paradise Hotel, and it’s coming next week.
First unveiled at CES 2022 early last year, Canon has now taken its first step into consumer VR software with Kokomo, its fledgling social VR platform. Compared to more full-featured collaboration apps, Kokomo isn’t there yet, but it’s a start in a new direction for Canon, which up until now has been mostly focused on XR hardware aimed at enterprise.
ChatGPT isn’t perfect, but the popular AI chatbot’s access to large language models (LLM) means it can do a lot of things you might not expect, like give all of Tamriel’s NPC inhabitants the ability to hold natural conversations and answer questions about the iconic fantasy world. Uncanny, yes. But it’s a prescient look at how games might one day use AI to reach new heights in immersion.
Though delayed from its commitment last year, Magic Leap today announced that ML2 now fully supports OpenXR. The timing might have something to do with Apple’s looming entrance into the XR space.
