VR news of the week
As part of a weekly series, Android Central Senior Editors Michael Hicks and Nick Satrich are rounding up all the hardware news, game announcements, leaks, and cool updates related to the Meta Quest 3, Oculus Quest 2, and other VR headsets.
It’s an interesting time covering virtual and mixed reality in 2023. On the one hand, the hardware for immersive experiences and the software behind them have become more advanced over time. On the other hand, we see more and more how challenging it really is for companies Make Money Outside of VR
Thanks to Meta Connect 2023 and the post-launch frenzy of Quest 3, we’ve ironically neglected to cover the week’s VR news for the past month, so we’ll jump right in with some exciting developments – mainly involving meta earnings and Quest’s latest hidden tricks. 3, as well as new augmented reality glasses and new games that we’re most excited about.
From SteamVR 2.0 to the Quest v59 update, here’s all the coolest VR and XR news of the week you missed.
SteamVR 2.0 is finally here
The title here speaks for itself. Steam announced its new platform update on Thursday, stating that it will allow them to add new features “much faster and more” than before by integrating the SteamVR experience with a “more consistent experience across devices.” We first heard about the update in 2019, which led to a four-year long wait for improvements.
Some of the new updates include a redesigned user interface inspired by Steam Deck, easy-to-access Steam notifications, integrated Steam and voice chat, an improved keyboard, and changes to the storefront.
Despite Quest 2 selling 20 billion, Meta’s Reality Labs division has lost tens of billions of dollars in its quest to create Metaverse, investing in future VR hardware and augmented reality glasses. Now, according to Meta’s recent earnings report, no matter how well Quest 3 sells, that won’t change.
“we expect [Reality Labs] Meta’s chief financial officer Suzanne Lee said during Wednesday’s earnings call: “Operating losses will widen significantly.” And next year, the company expects even more losses.
Meta itself is already doing a booming business thanks to advertising, the popularity of Reels, new AI developments, and its decision to lay off thousands of employees. can absorb these losses.
However, it will be interesting to see how the upcoming Quest 3 and Quest 4 can exist as other parts of the meta business subsidize it. It’s clear why other companies might struggle to adapt the Meta to their wireless VR headsets.
Just look at Pico: Bytedance was forced to deny reports this week that it might shut down its VR business entirely, according to Reuters. Obviously, the brand that owns TikTok needs to decide whether it wants to spend that sweet app money on headsets that are struggling to make a profit, even if they are the most popular headsets in China.
You can (sort of) use your Quest 3 as a 3D camera!
The best hidden Quest 3 feature you didn’t know about: It’s a 3D camera! With a baseline of 63mm, it can actually take very good 3D photos. These photos were taken with Quest 3 using QuestGamesOptimizer! Find it here. : https://t.co/VkKf2XrR1X pic.twitter.com/J8g1I74qI1October 27, 2023
Nima Zaighami, who created the app Within AR Wonderscope, posted on X/Twitter about a Quest 3 feature that most people (including ourselves) didn’t know about: its ability to take 3D photos.
You’ll need to install and load Quest Games Optimizer to use this tool, but considering the main feature of the headset is its powerful resolution passthrough, it’s an interesting idea. We’ve seen plenty of hardcore VR fans walking around wearing their Quest 3s outside, so using it for shooting while out and about seemed like the next logical step.
Xtadium brings 52 NBA games to Quest 3 for free
@nba returns to your @MetaQuestVR headsets on Xtadium. We will broadcast 52 immersive NBA games! That means you can watch 52 NBA games courtside for free! Users can also log into NBA League Pass to experience the new multiplayer mode. https://t.co/QVZl6f06FB pic.twitter.com/uqUkmuKWCqOctober 25, 2023
On Quest’s Xtadium app, you can watch NBA games “filmed in 180-degree virtual reality” from a courtside seat without having to pay for a concession.
I remember the NBA VR games happened in early 2017, when NextVR first tried live VR sporting events (before Apple bought them). Now, at least, we can expect higher resolution feeds and the benefit of watching it in mixed reality with a full view of your living room – so you’re not stuck without a view of your surroundings for two or three hours.
You can see the full schedule of NBA VR games in this link. As a Warriors fan who can’t afford Chase Center tickets, I’m looking forward to watching the game on November 3rd to see if the courtside view of “Cef” Curry on the Quest 3 is better than watching the game inside me. LG TV.
The Quest v59 update confirms the Quest 3’s short battery life
Meta Quest 3 barely lasts 2 hours per play session. The Quest 2 wasn’t much better, but you could sometimes get 3 hours out of it before needing a battery pack. Now, the improved graphics make Quest 3 relatively short-lived.
The new Meta v59 update addresses this with a battery saving mode that switches the refresh rate to a hard 72Hz, reduces brightness by 50% and applies fixed fovid rendering. We don’t know how much battery it saves because the game you’re playing might default to 90Hz or 120Hz. Only you can decide if the graphic exchange is worth it. You can find this option in the Power settings on the headset.
This link and the meta release notes run through many other changes, but here are the highlights: an early-access beta version of YouTube live chat for live streamers, an Oculus button shortcut for submitting bug reports, a suggested Quest-only border 3 for each time you place the headset in a new space, and a change in the appearance of your hands in mixed reality so that objects and menus behind them are easier to see.
The v59 update was released this week. Whether you’ve already received it or not, now is probably a good time to purchase the Quest 3 Band Upgrade with Battery Pack if you haven’t already. My VR guy Nick Satrich called it “a Quest 3 accessory you really need.”
AR glasses had a good week
A few months ago, we heard that Google had shut down its Iris AR/VR glasses prototype in favor of XR software development. other Glasses companies, while building several new AR prototypes in competition with each other. It is still unclear whether Google’s smart glasses have a reliable future.
Then last week, we saw some exciting code in Google’s beta program:iris_finish_setup_description_no_hotword”>To talk to your assistant, just touch and hold the right temple.This code, seen by 9to5Google, proves that Google is partially committed to the Iris smart glasses, and that Google’s current plan is to create one. The Assistant can be accessed with a simple button shortcut.
I recently reviewed the Meta smartglasses—which have no AR elements but offer voice assistant, photography, and music streaming—and I have to admit I’m still longing for a more modern Google Glass, even if I can’t help it. But beware of privacy concerns.
Meanwhile, Xreal (formerly Nreal) this week introduced its new Air 2 and Air 2 Pro AR glasses, primarily built for indoor video streaming or gaming, with dual 1920 x 1080 displays, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Max 330 virtual inches. show. I have now had a pair sent to me and am very excited to try them on.
The best horror games released this week
Thanks to Live Action Movies, an AC contributor wrote this hands-on version of The 7th Guest VR, a remake of the 1992 FMV classic and one of Quest 3’s biggest titles at around 13GB. It has a great spooky environment and challenging puzzles, which makes for an overall engaging experience with some unfortunate bugs that we hope Vertigo fixes soon. It has already made its way into our list of the best Quest games.
Our work with Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord comes out next week, but the highly-anticipated game features both single-player and co-op elements, as well as a mixed reality mode that I tried out at Meta Connect over at Stay. -Puft Marshmallow Man breaks down the walls of your living room and you have to fight him. Early fan reviews seem to be mixed right now, but I’m still curious to try it out.
Otherwise, you can check out our list of upcoming Quest 3 and 2 games to see what’s available next month, or check out our list of games with Quest 3 developments so far!
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