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‘Ghosts of Tabor’ Studio Unveils Fresh Look at Next Co-op Shooter ‘Silent North’

From roadtovr

Ghosts of Tabor studio Combat Waffle today showed off a closer look at Silent North, the studio’s next VR shooter published in partnership with Beyond Frames Entertainment.

Silent North takes multiplayer action to the Swiss Alps, where players will bundle up and hunker down to survive as long as they can in a world overrun by zombies, Combat Waffle says.

“Players can team up or go it solo while scavenging for gear and defending against a never-ending supply of hungry corpses.”

Silent North is slated to bring its mix of PVE and PVP action on the Horizon Store for Quest 2/3/Pro in early access and on Steam Early Access sometime next year.

PSVR 2 Discount More Than Doubled Usual Sales Volume, But Quest Still Leads

From roadtovr

PSVR 2 got its first big sale the other week which resulted in a large lift in sales volume for the headset in the US.

At $550 MSRP, PSVR 2 is actually more expensive than the PS5 console that powers it, at $500. That’s made it a tough sell for some, especially with Quest 3, its nearest  competitor, priced at $500 and not requiring a tethered console.

Demand for Sony’s VR headset may be greater than it appears however, with many seemingly willing to buy once the price is right.

Sony discovered this after its first big sale on PSVR 2 the other week, which dropped the price of the headset alone to $350 (37% discount), and the price of the Horizon bundle to $400 (a 33% discount).

In just the week or so that the sale was active, we can see that sales volume for headset more than doubled on Amazon US compared to the prior months.

PSVR 2’s short-lived Summer sale may tell us something about the forthcoming holiday period, the time of year when the most VR headsets are sold and the biggest sales are generally seen. Sony now has a clear idea of how much its headset sales could ramp up if it offers the same deal during the holiday, or perhaps an even better one.

While the discount appears to have resulted in a nice boost in unit sales for PSVR 2, to put things into perspective we can see that it’s still a far cry from the number of Quest 2 and Quest 3 units Meta has been selling.

Pico to Unveil New XR Product on August 20th in Special Event

From roadtovr

Pico Interactive today announced it’s getting ready to reveal “a new product” this month, promising to boost your “MR/VR experience to the next level.”

The device is slated to get its big reveal on August 20th. An image obtained by Antony Vitillo of Skarred Ghost maintains it will be revealed at 14:00 China Standard Time (local time here).

The company also teased the new headset in a separate X post yesterday, with the hashtags ‘Pico 4’ and ‘Upgrade’:

The tease suggests it will likely be another XR headset and not an optional accessory, although the mention of ‘upgrade’ isn’t conclusive.

Provided it’s indeed a new headset, a possible candidate could be the rumored Pico 4S, which was the subject of a leaked controller design back in March.

Less likely is Pico 5 or prospective Pico 5 Pro Max, both of which have been rumored since late last year. Since then, Pico parent company Byte Dance issued wide-reaching layoffs, which may have dampened its consumer ambitions—at least outside of Asia and possibly Europe where it has launched previous headsets.

HTC Cuts Vive XR Elite Price Ahead of New Headset Reveal

From roadtovr

HTC has reduced the price of Vive XR Elite, its flagship standalone headset, cutting it from $1,100 to $900.

The deal appears to only be available in the US, as Vive XR Elite is still selling for its launch price across other major regions—€1,449 in Europe and £1,299 in the UK.

Released in February 2023, Vive XR Elite was initially positioned as a Quest Pro competitor, offering up a compact and lightweight standalone design and mixed reality capabilities.

Shortly after its release, Meta closed the price gap, dropping Quest Pro from $1,500 to $1,000, essentially removing one of Vive XR Elite’s headlining features.

Photo by Road to VR

Now, at $900, it appears HTC is hoping to move Vive XR Elite stock in the US, or what has been the XR segment’s most performant market for consumer devices.

Additionally, the company is also holding two promotions for Vive XR Elite and Vive Ultimate Tracker bundles in the US, which end on August 31st. You’ll find both available on Vive.com.

  • VIVE XR Elite + Ultimate Tracker 3 trackers + 1 dongle for $1,398
  •  VIVE XR Elite + Ultimate Tracker 5 trackers + 1 dongle for $1,696

Meanwhile, HTC released a video late last month promising something “coming soon,” teasing what promises to be the next XR headset from the company.

While the company hasn’t revealed anything beyond that video, seen above, a supposed leak reported by tech analyst Brad Lynch suggests the headset may be more of an iterative design on Vive Focus 3—delivering what may be Vive Focus 4.

The reported leak maintains the next HTC headset will contain the same displays and optics as Vive Focus 3, however integrate the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset used in Vive XR Elite, and also include built-in eye-tracking, USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode, and work with Vive Focus 3’s accessories—all of which is unconfirmed.

Provided that leak is true, the company may be in danger of undercutting Vive XR Elite’s functionality, becoming a veritable Quest Pro to Meta’s Quest 3, which has a majority of the former’s functionality at  nearly half the price.

‘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.

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 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.