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HOTTEST VR NEWS OF THE DAY

‘The New Salsa Academy’ Teaches You All The Right Moves, Now Available on Quest

From roadtovr

Taking a dance course can be intimidating, not to mention time consuming—but it doesn’t have to be. At least not when you can do it in VR (and MR).

Led by instructors Rodrigo Cortazar and Asya Sonina, The New Salsa Academy launched recently, guiding you through each step of an entire beginner salsa course.

Exclusively available on Quest, The New Salsa Academy comes with a few unique features to get you up and salsa-ing, making for a much more immersive experience than simply following dance tutorials on YouTube.

Boasting a AI-powered virtual dance partner that follows you as you dance, the app is said to analyze your dance performance, adapting the exercises to your skill level. You’ll need to master timing, accuracy, and connection to your partner to get the best grade—whether you’re learning to follow or lead.

While you can dance in the virtual studio, the app also includes a mixed reality mode, letting you practice your moves at home with your virtual partner. You can find The New Salsa Academy on Quest 2/3/Pro on the Horizon Store, priced at $20.

You may recognize The New Salsa Academy developers Dance Reality from their eponymous mobile AR app for Android and iOS, which teaches you to dance by following animated footprints and a virtual dance instructor.

Global Hackathon for Vision Pro Development, Vision Hack, Kicks Off Next Month

From roadtovr

Vision Hack is a forthcoming remote hackathon for developers building apps for visionOS. Open to all skill levels, the event is set to take place September 13–15th.

Guest Article by Cosmo Scharf

Cosmo Scharf is an Emmy-nominated product designer and entrepreneur with a decade of experience in XR. He co-founded Vision Hack and visionOS Dev Partners to support visionOS developers. Previously, Scharf created MovieBot, an AI-powered 3D animation app, and Mindshow, a VR platform for animated content creation. His also started VRLA, one of the world’s largest immersive technology expos.

Imagine building the first iPhone apps in 2008. That’s where we are with visionOS today. Vision Hack is your launchpad into the new frontier of spatial computing.

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the virtual reality industry evolve from a niche technology to a transformative medium. From the early days of clunky prototypes to the sleek, powerful devices we have today, the journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Now, with the introduction of Apple Vision Pro, we’re standing at the threshold of a new era.

As one of the organizers of Vision Hack, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of the first global visionOS hackathon. Scheduled for September 13–15th, this event represents a significant milestone in our industry’s progression. It’s an opportunity to explore and shape the future of spatial computing as Apple Vision Pro continues its global rollout.

Vision Hack is designed to be a truly immersive experience. We’re encouraging teams to communicate in Vision Pro itself using spatial Personas, in addition to Discord. This approach not only showcases the device’s capabilities but also provides participants with authentic, hands-on experience in visionOS development.

Our three-day program caters to both seasoned spatial computing developers and newcomers:

  • Day 1: Workshops and team formation
  • Day 2: Intensive development with mentorship from industry experts
  • Day 3: Development, project presentations, and awards

To foster collaboration while ensuring focused development, we’ve capped team sizes at 5 people each. Understanding the global nature of our community, we’re organizing local meetups in various cities so developers can connect in person.

While we highly recommend access to a Vision Pro for the full experience, it’s not a strict requirement for participation. However, developers will need a Mac with an Apple chip to run the visionOS simulator. This setup will enable meaningful participation even without the physical device.

The organizing team brings extensive experience from major VR expos (VRLA), Metaverse hackathons, and XR startups.

As spatial computing evolves, we believe early developer engagement is crucial in building a robust ecosystem. Vision Hack aims to play a key role in nurturing the visionOS developer community, potentially influencing the trajectory of spatial computing applications.

For developers keen on exploring visionOS, Vision Hack offers a unique opportunity to dive into this emerging platform. There’s a $25 registration fee, which helps us cover some of the event costs and ensures committed participation.

For companies interested in being at the forefront of spatial computing development, we offer various sponsorship opportunities. These partnerships not only support the event but also provide sponsors with direct access to a pool of talented developers working on cutting-edge spatial computing applications.

More details, registration information, and sponsorship opportunities can be found at visionoshackathon.com. We’re excited to see the innovative projects and ideas that will emerge from this event, and we look forward to welcoming you to the next chapter of spatial computing development.

Latest Quest Update Includes Meta AI, New ‘Layout’ Utility App & Performance Boosts

From roadtovr

Following Meta’s big v67’s multitasking update earlier this month, the company announced it’s now rolling out its v68 software update for Quest, which features experimental access to Meta AI, a new utility app centered on home improvement, and some performance boosts too.

Previously only available on Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses, Meta AI lets you do your standard assortment of AI voice chat stuff through Bing, but it also taps into the headset’s camera sensors so you can ask it questions about what it sees.

It’s now launching on v68 in experimental mode on Quest 3, although at first it will only be avialable in the US and Canada in English.

Another update to come along with v68 is an app called Layout, a new tool that helps users visualize real-world items in their physical space. Meta expects you to do things like measure your room for furniture, make sure items are level, and see how common items might fit into your space—something the company says will help users simplify home arrangements and lessen store visits.

It also includes a host of virtual objects to play around with too, such as chairs, beds, couches, shelves, TVs, etc—allowing you to move and rotate stuff around your home. Check it out in action below, courtesy of MIXED:

While Meta is pitching Layout as an easy way to visualize potential changes before grabbing that 72-inch TV, the app may also serve as a ‘best practices’ guide on how companies might tap into XR for the future of e-commerce. Notably, Meta’s Horizon Store doesn’t have any sort of retailer experience like you might see on Vision Pro, which now includes a similar XR app by Best Buy.

Quest 3 also now supports Content Adaptive Brightness Control, which reduces contrast in darker scenes, improving the display experience. You can turn on this feature from Experimental in Settings.

Additionally, the v68 update introduces performance improvements, including faster app downloads with a new “Downloads” tab for better management. This also include a new frame timing algorithm to enhance graphic performance by improving frame rate and reducing latency in OpenXR apps, resulting in smoother visuals and less stuttering. As always, you can check out the full release notes here.

Like all Quest software updates, v68 is releasing on a rolling basis. To confirm, you can follow these steps to check your current software version, or manually download available updates:

  • Press Meta button for VR headset controllers/oculus icon on your right Touch controller to pull up your universal menu.
  • Hover over the clock on the left-hand side of the universal menu. When Quick settings appears, select it to open the Quick settings panel.
  • Select Settings in the top right-hand corner.
  • Select System, then select Software update from the left menu.

Meta Quest App Now Called ‘Meta Horizon’ in Preparation for Third-party OS Licensing

From roadtovr

You might have noticed an unfamiliar icon in your app drawer today. Don’t be alarmed, because that’s the new logo for Meta’s XR content store, and it’s setting the stage for more changes yet to come.

Two short years ago, Quest’s content store was simply called ‘Oculus’, making for one of the last holdouts of Oculus branding after Facebook rebranded to Meta in 2021.

The mobile app eventually got the rebrand too, renaming it from ‘Oculus’ to ‘Meta Quest’ in August 2022.

Image courtesy Google

Now, Meta is preparing for another strategic shift as it readies its XR content store for third-party headsets for the first time, renaming its mobile app to ‘Meta Horizon’.

The company announced back in April it plans to open up the Quest operating system to third-party OEMs, including Asus, Lenovo, and Xbox. When, how and what those devices will look like, we just can’t say—although we’re hoping to learn more at Meta’s Connect 2024 dev conference in September.

This comes part and parcel with two superficial changes the company announced back in April: Quest OS is now called ‘Meta Horizon OS’, and the Quest Store is now called the ‘Meta Horizon Store’.

The Quest name isn’t going anywhere though, at least not in the short term. Meta said in April it’s going to continue producing Quest to showcase its hardware and software advancements. This also means the company will effectively be competing against its hardware partners, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg envisions will need to tap into “specific use cases” to best differentiate themselves.

Magic Leap Lays Off Sales & Marketing Amid Report of “last ditch” Pivot to License AR Optics

From roadtovr

Storied AR headset unicorn Magic Leap has laid off its entire sales and marketing departments, making for around 75 jobs cut from its rolls.

Initially the focus of a Bloomberg report, Magic Leap has now confirmed the layoff round, stating the move was to adjust its strategy moving forward:

“Magic Leap has been evolving our go-to-market approach to better align with market dynamics and emerging opportunities, optimizing how we support our customers and our ecosystem,” Magic Leap told Bloomberg. “As part of this, we have consolidated our frontline engagement to our developer support and care teams. We will continue to actively support Magic Leap’s customers, developers and our large ecosystem through the Developer Support and Care teams.”

Citing two people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports Magic Leap has been struggling in recent months, as the company allegedly told employees earlier this year it would pivot from selling AR headsets to enterprise, and instead move to license its AR optics tech.

Magic Leap 2 | Photo by Road to VR

While no such plans have been made public, one of the insiders told Bloomberg it represented “a last-ditch effort” by leadership to salvage its remaining value. The other insider maintains laid-off employees will receive two months of severance pay, stating the layoff came “out of left field” despite the company’s recent struggles.

Founded in 2010, the Plantation, Florida-based company initially had high hopes it could pitch Magic Leap 1, its first headset released in 2018, to both consumers and enterprise. Priced at $2,300, the AR headset had difficulty gaining traction, forcing Magic Leap to pivot and drop its consumer-focused ambitions in mid-2020 amid the departure of CEO and co-founder Rony Abovitz. The company released Magic Leap 2 in late 2020 solely targeted at enterprise.

The company has amassed nearly $4.5 billion in funds to date, which included early investments from Google, Qualcomm, Alibaba, and AT&T. In late 2022, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund became majority stakeholder after injecting $450 million into the company. That country’s investment fund further pumped in an additional $590 million in January 2024.

More recently, Google announced earlier this summer it was forming a “strategic technology partnership” with Magic Leap, the details of which still aren’t well understood.

Considering Magic Leap’s recent layoff and further claims of potential optics licensing, it could potentially mean Google is looking to leverage some of Magic Leap’s waveguide tech in future AR hardware.

Apple Unveils New Immersive Video Series and Films Coming to Vision Pro

From roadtovr

Apple is launching a new slate of immersive video content for Vision Pro using Apple Immersive Video, a 180-degree video format combining 8K 3D video and spatial audio for immersive experiences.

Premiering on July 18th is Boundless, which features unique travel adventures, starting with a hot air balloon journey over Cappadocia, Türkiye—the episode suitably named ‘Hot Air Balloons’.

In August, Vision Pro users will get to see the next installment of Wild Life, a nature documentary series captured at Kenya’s Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Coming in September is Elevated, which promises aerial views of stunning landscapes, beginning with Hawaii.

Image courtesy Apple

Additionally, Apple will release an immersive experience featuring The Weeknd, the first scripted short film Submerged by Edward Berger, and exclusive sports content like behind-the-scenes access to the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend.

A new sports series with Red Bull called Big-Wave Surfing will also be available, showcasing elite surfers tackling massive waves in Tahiti.

Apple says it’s collaborating with Blackmagic Design to enhance the production of Apple Immersive Video with new tools and workflows, including the URSA Cine Immersive camera.

All of these immersive videos will be accessible for free via the Apple TV app in several countries.

Meta Reportedly Targeting Quest 4 Launch in 2026, Vision Pro Competitor in 2027

From roadtovr

According to a report from The Information, Meta plans to release its next flagship consumer headset, Quest 4, in 2026. Meanwhile, a Vision Pro competitor—likely Quest Pro 2—is reportedly planned for 2027.

According to The Information’s Wayne Ma and Kalley Huang, Meta is planning two consumer-focused headsets for 2026. Codenamed Pismo Low and Pismo High, these are thought to represent Quest 4 and a more affordable Quest 4S (or whatever naming scheme Meta picks for a more affordable variant). That would be two years after the widely rumored launch of a more affordable ‘Quest 3S’ that’s expected to be revealed in September, and three years after the launch of Quest 3.

Beyond those headsets, Meta is also reportedly planning a Vision Pro competitor set for 2027, codenamed La Jolla. While the company’s first “pro” headset, Quest Pro, didn’t find much traction given its price and lack of some key capabilities, Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro has busted open the price ceiling.

That could make even a $2,000 pro headset from Meta look affordable. At the same time, Apple has paved a clear path for what productivity in an XR headset looks like, which Meta has been rapidly adopting.

In the backdrop however, Meta is reportedly tightening its belt on its XR and metaverse organization, Reality Labs. According to The Information, Meta is trying to cut Reality Labs spending by 20%, following years of costs far outpacing revenue.

Image created by Road to VR, data courtesy Meta

This has coincided with some reshuffling of the inner workings of Reality Labs, including laying off “more than a dozen directors and vice presidents in Reality Labs,” The Information’s report claims.

The report also claims Meta plans to launch its first augmented reality glasses next year, but curiously specifies that it will have a display only “in the right lens” of the glasses, suggesting perhaps an advanced pair of smartglasses (Meta Ray-Ban 3?) more than full AR.

Meta Reportedly in Talks with Ray-Ban Maker to Deepen XR Ties via Minority Stake in Company

From roadtovr

Meta is reportedly in talks with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica to take a minority stake in the company. The move is seen as doubling down on a partnership that created the Meta Ray-Ban smartglasses.

The report, which comes from the Wall Street Journal, alleges Meta is currently considering a stake of about 5% of the Italian-French luxury eyewear group.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the report maintains the investment is not an assured deal, however if it goes through, it could be worth €4.33 billion euros ($4.73 billion) based on EssilorLuxottica’s latest market value of €86.50 billion euros.

This follows news that Meta has restructured its Reality Labs XR division to better focus on smartglasses and other wearables.

Moving forward, Reality Labs has been divided into a central ‘Metaverse’ organization, responsible for Quest, and the new ‘Wearables’ organization to dedicated to other hardware, including its Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses.

The Meta Ray-Ban smartglasses currently on sale is a second-gen follow-up to its Facebook Ray-Ban Stories glasses released in 2021, which includes improved cameras, audio and more design options.

Notably, Meta Ray-Ban smartglasses lack any sort of display, meaning user input is handled by voice assistant or by basic touch on the glasses’ struts for things like taking pictures, videos, and listening to music.

What they do have though is iconic styling backed by a wide consumer appeal, something Meta would have trouble generating on its own. A minority stake in EssilorLuxottica could not only allow the company wider access to a host of sub-brands too, but also its retail locations that span Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters, Vision Express, Pearle Vision and Target Optical.

Neither Meta nor EssilorLuxottica responded to requests for comment.

Netflix Discontinues Quest App Following Browser Streaming Quality Bump

From roadtovr

Netflix has pulled its video streaming app from the Quest content store.

As first reported by UploadVR, the long-neglected Netflix app for Quest is now gone from the store. If you already downloaded the app before then, you’ll find it no longer works.

That doesn’t mean you can’t watch Netflix on Quest though. The streaming giant recently bumped streaming quality in the Quest Browser to 1080p, which comes in stark contrast to the app’s 480p capped resolution, which notably didn’t support mixed reality passthrough or downloads.

Originally released in 2015 for Samsung Gear VR and developed by former Meta CTO John Carmack, the app experienced very few updates over the years, with the latest arriving in 2019 alongside the launch of the original Quest.

Why not simply develop a new official app? Netflix requires devices to be certified in order to push streaming beyond that 480p cap, which requires meeting technical requirements, submitting the device for testing, and even possibly negotiating a licensing agreement, which are all things Meta would have to initiate.

Notably, Quest has native apps for Amazon Prime Video, Pluto TV, MLB, in addition to its own Meta TV app. It lacks Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, and HBO Max.

Google’s Early VR Modeling Tool ‘Blocks’ is Getting Revived as Open Source Software

From roadtovr

Google announced that Blocks, the 3D asset creation tool released for VR in 2017, is following in the footsteps of Tilt Brush by going open source.

Google announced the news in a blogpost, noting that development of Open Blocks is following the example put forth by Open Brush, a version of Google’s Tilt Brush XR creation tool which was open sourced in 2021.

“We now wish to share the code behind Google Blocks, allowing for novel and rich experiences to emerge from the creativity and passion of open source contributors such as the Icosa Foundation,” Google says.

The Icosa Foundation is also known for developing Open Brush and Google Polygon replacement Icosa Gallery.

“Over the coming months, we’ll be working hard to bring the Open Blocks codebase up to modern standards,” Icosa Foundation says in a blogpost. “First up, we’ll be switching to use the OpenXR framework and new input system within Unity, enabling us to target Open Blocks for a much wider range of XR devices. At that point, we will be aiming to create a standalone XR port, and bring Open Blocks to the Quest and Pico platforms. Along the way, there will be plenty of opportunity to add immersive XR features such as MR passthrough.”

The team maintains its long-term roadmap will “transform Open Blocks into a full modelling suite, giving you more control over materials, adding texturing support, and enabling more powerful tools from traditional CSG pipelines.”

The open source archive of the Blocks code can be found on github. Additionally, versions of Google Blocks will remain available on both Steam and the Meta PC Store, although you should not the last time these have received an update was in 2018.