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Oculus Quest 2 Passes 30% Of SteamVR Usage, Vive Pro 2 Debuts

From uploadvr.com

Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 now accounts for 31.07% of the VR headsets used on Steam.

That figure was revealed this weekend as Valve updated its monthly Steam Hardware Survey to account for errors published at the beginning of July. Quest 2 grew by 0.95% on the platform last month (May’s results here); users can access SteamVR content either by connecting the device to their PCs with a USB cable or via Facebook’s recently-launched AirLink wireless feature.

Headsets with close to or above 1% SteamVR market share

Meanwhile, HTC’s newly-released Vive Pro 2 made its debut on the platform with 0.08% of overall headset usage. That’s less growth than the 0.19% the Valve Index enjoyed, and even the 0.12% gain for the original HTC Vive. Then again, the Vive Pro 2 is an expensive proposition at $799 for the headset alone and $1,399 for the full kit with controllers and trackers.

In what seems likely to be another bug: Valve reports that 1.86% of Steam users used a VR headset in June, down significantly from Mays 2.31% and much lower than it’s been in some time. It’s possible that the excitement of E3 2021 drove more non-VR users to Steam than normal, but it seems far more likely that another fix is due. We’ll update this article if that’s the case.

VR Headsets On Steam

Facebook headsets accounted for 60.24% of VR headsets used on Steam in June, with Valve at 16.7% and HTC at 15.2%. Broadly speaking then, it’s all hovering around pretty much the same numbers we’ve seen for the past few months.

With currently no major VR headsets on the horizon for the rest of the year, don’t expect to see a massive change in these results for the next few months.

Lynx R1: XR2 AR-VR Hybrid Ships 2022 For ‘A Few Hundred Dollars’

From uploadvr.com

French startup Lynx is shifting strategy for its upcoming AR-VR hybrid headset, dramatically lowering the price to target consumers too.

Lynx R1 was initially announced in February 2020 as a $1500 product focused on businesses & professionals. It has the same Snapdragon XR2 processor found in Oculus Quest 2 & HTC’s Vive Focus 3. But whereas those headsets can only show a low resolution black & white view of the real world, Lynx R1 has two dedicated high resolution color cameras for passthrough AR.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGRybx3wFso&t=2s

This week, CEO Stan Larroque announced a radical shift in his company’s approach. The previous lenses needed expensive eye tracking sensors to account for a relatively small eyebox, but a new lens design has a much wider eyebox.

Since eye tracking is no longer needed for the lenses, Lynx R1 is ditching the feature. Larroque says this enables a price of “just a few hundred dollars” for consumers. The other specifications – including dual 1600×1600 LCD panels running at 90Hz with independent lens separation adjustment – remain unchanged.

Larroque expects headset sales to consumers will generate “very little” profit, but higher-priced sales to businesses and fees from a planned app store will subsidize this. He suggests the pivot to consumer is “a bet”, partly motivated by a need for competition in the VR space.

“On the privacy side of things, on the open ecosystem, I don’t see a lot of good things happening. I don’t want to live in that future where VR is Facebook Reality”

The new design also adds two IR cameras to the front of the headset for Ultraleap hand tracking, the device’s primary input method. Lynx R1 won’t ship with tracked controllers, but it will support the upcoming FinchShift controllers – announced at $249 in 2019. Larroque says Lynx R1 might build its own tracked controllers in future “depending on how the Kickstarter goes”.

Like Oculus Quests, Lynx R1 runs a modified version of Android and will have a boundary safety system similar to Facebook’s Guardian. Lynx has its own SDK, but also plans to support OpenXR content like Quest.

The app store on Lynx R1 will offer VR apps, AR apps, and even apps that can switch between each at will. Lynx plans to show off games running on the headset in the coming weeks. Larroque is already in talks with several Oculus Quest developers keen to port their titles – though given the front-oriented camera positioning Lynx R1 might not be able to support all games.

In VR mode, a separate facial interface can be attached to block out peripheral light.

At launch Lynx R1 will support SteamVR via USB-C cable to a gaming PC. A future update will add wireless SteamVR streaming. Virtual Desktop developer Guy Godin says he looks forward to supporting other OpenXR headsets.

Larroque acknowledges the enormous challenges involved of shipping consumer tech hardware at scale. He admits he initially underestimated the time needed to develop the product, but almost three years later, with the help of partners like Qualcomm, he’s confident his team can deliver.

“We have a mission to bring a product that people will love, and not be afraid to put on their head.”

Lynx plans to launch a 30 day Kickstarter campaign in September. Larroque expects the product will ship in February 2022. As with all hardware startups, this should be taken as a goal, not a promise.

UploadVR plans to get hands-on with Lynx R1 in the coming months to bring you our impressions of this exciting new device.

Facebook’s ‘Artificial Reality Hat’ Is Ridiculous And Intriguing

From uploadvr.com

A recently published Facebook patent filing reveals work on an ‘Artificial Reality Hat’.

Yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like.

Facebook Artificial Reality Cap

Images in the filing (first filed in 2019 and originally spotted by Founders Legal) depict a visor that attaches to the front of a cap and dangles in front of the user’s eyes. But it’s not just caps – images also show the solution attached to fedoras and other headwear. There’s even drawings of the concept in use with finger-tracking gloves and what looks like the CTRL-Labs wristband that Facebook acquired in 2019.

One image shows the inside of a cap that’s lined with “embedded haptic and/or brain-computer interface components”. The visor looks to be detachable for when you just want to wear hundreds of dollars worth of tech on your head and see the outside world, too.

Facebook Artificial Reality Hat Underside

Though it may look a little odd, the filing outlines the designs as an approach to improving comfort for VR and AR systems. It even notes that current systems make it “difficult to incorporate advanced computing components such as complex processors, eye-tracking systems, and the like” without increasing the weight and the heat generated by all of those components all working together. Distributing some of those components across a user’s entire head instead of only on your face could definitely help improve comfort.

As always, patent filings are only an indication of some of the work Facebook might have been doing behind the scenes in its R&D labs, and not a sign of actual product plans. Still, it’s interesting to see the company looking at entirely new form factors to tackle VR and AR comfort issues – the Oculus Quest 2 is a smaller, lighter headset than its predecessor but still has plenty of room to improve.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the company take a different approach. Back in 2019 we wrote about another filing that featured a standalone headset’s carrying case as the computing component that would stream to a lighter, more comfortable headset.

Would you wear Facebook’s Artificial Reality Hat? Let us know in the comments below!

Amazon Prime Day Oculus Quest Deals: Headsets For UK, Accessories For US

From uploadvr.com

Here’s the best Amazon Prime Day Oculus Quest deals you’ll find this year.

It’s Amazon Prime Day or, rather, Days. From now until the end of Tuesday the mega retailer is slashing prices on a bunch of items across its entire stock. That includes a small but notable number of Oculus Quest deals.

Or at least it does in the UK. There you can get some small savings on headsets and accessories, whereas in the US it’s just the latter that’s getting any attention this year.

256GB Oculus Quest 2 And Official Carrying Case – UK Deal (£399.99)

This is one we’ve seen in the UK before but it’s back for Prime Day. If you buy the more expensive of the two Quest models today (which offers four times as much space as the £299.99 64GB model), you can get Facebook’s official Carrying Case thrown in for free. Usually that’d set you back another £50 or so, though it’s also thrown in with the Elite Battery Strap.

64GB Oculus Quest 2 – UK Deal (£279.99)

Look, it’s not much, but in fairness the Quest 2 is already pretty affordable at £299.99. Shaving £20 off the price isn’t going to make the largest different but, hey, it’s the price of most games on the platform, so look at it as sort of getting one of those for free, right?

Various Oculus Quest 2 Accessories – US Deal

Unfortunately pickings are pretty slim over in the US. There aren’t any major headset deals to mention but there are a heck of a lot of accessories of the unofficial variety. 3D-printed head straps, lengthy Link cables, grips for controllers, take your pick. They’re all in the $5 – $10 off category and, while we can’t speak to the quality of any of these products, you might find something worth picking up.

And that’s pretty much it for Amazon Prime Day Oculus Quest deals. Not an especially strong year but then, with Quest 2 doing so well, that’s not exactly surprising is it? Will you be picking anything up? Let us know in the comments below!

PS5 VR Headset To Launch Holiday 2022 With OLED Display – Report

From uploadvr.com

A new report from Bloomberg claims that the PS5 VR headset will launch in the holiday 2022 period with an OLED display.

The article, which largely covers Japan Display Inc’s shift to making LCD VR displays, cites “people with knowledge of the matter” in saying the device will launch later next year and feature OLED panels from Samsung.

The original PSVR also uses an OLED display, as did the original Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. But Facebook & HTC now use cheaper, higher resolution LCD panels. Bloomberg’s report suggests this shift to LCD will continue in VR, with Sony as the exception to the rule.

Sony confirmed it was working on a new VR headset for the PS5 earlier this year, but stated it would not be released in 2021. A holiday 2022 window isn’t too surprising; developer kits for the device are being sent out around now, giving studios a decent window to prepare software for the device. The original PSVR launched in October of 2016, too.

That said, the window between now and late 2022 leaves plenty of room for Facebook to grow in the VR space. The company’s Oculus Quest 2 standalone headset has already outsold every other Oculus headset combined and the company has acknowledged a possible ‘Pro’ version of the device that could well also launch in 2022.

Last month we reported that the PS5 VR headset — which doesn’t have an official name — featured a resolution of 4000×2040 pixels (2000×2040 per eye), a lens separation adjustment dial, and gaze tracking capable of foveated rendering.

What do you think of the new PS5 VR headset potentially launching in late 2022? Let us know in the comments below.

Turtle Beach Reveals Elaborate Microsoft Flight Simulator Controller

From uploadvr.com

Turtle Beach just announced a new PC and Xbox controller designed to be used with Microsoft Flight Simulator, and it looks incredibly detailed, even if some of its features won’t be very meaningful to VR players.

The Velocity One will be launching in the near future and features multiple impressive components. It’s got a 180-degree yoke handle, a modular throttle quadrant and a huge amount of buttons, switches and levers to bring you closer to the experience.

Microsoft Flight Sim Controller

It looks exciting but it’s important to point out that many of Velocity One’s coolest features won’t really be that relevant to VR players. For example, the LCD display for flight stats is a very cool idea, but not of much use when you’ve got a headset obscuring your view of the real world.

There also isn’t any force feedback or rumble to speak of, which will take away from the immersion somewhat.

And, just to temper those expectations a tiny bit more, Velocity One costs $349.95. That might be worth the price for flatscreen players (especially those looking to pick up the soon-to-launch Xbox version), but it’s a big ask for VR players that won’t be utilizing all of its bells and whistles. Still, you can sign up for pre-orders right here, and it’s due to release this summer.

Elsewhere, Flight Simulator is due to get a tie-in with the new Top Gun movie later this year. There’s not much info on what it will include but expect some skins and maybe some incredible music at the very least.

Kuo Claims 2022 Oculus Headset Will Have New Lenses

From uploadvr.com

Android Central says it viewed a note from Ming-Chi Kuo claiming Facebook & Sony have ordered high quantities of new, more expensive VR lenses for 2022.

Kuo is a TF International Securities analyst mostly known for predicting Apple products & moves over a year in advance. Apple Track gives him a 77% accuracy rating.

oculus rift s display lenses
Facebook announced its current lens design in late 2017

Facebook last shipped a new lens design in May 2018 with the launch of Oculus Go (now discontinued). That same ‘Super Libra G’ lens was used in Quest and Rift S, and is still used in Quest 2.

The PlayStation VR headset launched back in late 2016, and had been shown at trade conferences since 2014. Sources tell us Sony’s next-generation headset for PlayStation 5 has significantly higher resolution, inside-out tracking, a vibration motor, and even foveated rendering – so new lenses wouldn’t exactly be a surprise.

HTC recently introduced new, wider field of view lenses in Vive Focus 3 & Vive Pro 2

Current VR lenses have a field of view roughly around 100 degrees wide. New lenses could allow Facebook & Sony to increase the field of view, the area of clarity, or both. In an Instagram AMA back in March, Facebook’s VP of AR/VR Andrew Bosworth said he likes the idea of a taller field of view, which he claimed could be more impactful than wider.

Android Central’s headline names the 2022 Oculus headset as ‘Oculus Quest 3’, but the article notes the source isn’t actually claiming that. In a public Q&A session in April, Bosworth said Quest 3 “doesn’t exist yet” and claimed “Quest 2 is going to be in the market for a while – for a long while”.

In that same April Q&A session Bosworth did, however, discuss the idea of a ‘Quest Pro’, suggesting it could add new features but won’t launch in 2021. It’s possible Facebook plans to introduce new lenses in a Pro model – unlike Sony, Facebook also has to include a mobile processor and battery. As the cost comes down over time, it could then bring these lenses to a mainstream Quest 3 – but of course that’s just our speculation based on Kuo’s claim & Bosworth’s statements.

Vive Focus 3 Launches Pre-Orders In Europe This Week

From uploadvr.com

HTC’s new enterprise-focused standalone headset, the HTC Vive Focus 3, launches pre-orders this week.

The headset will be up on HTC’s official site on June 10 for and £1,272/€1,404 in Europe. We’ve asked HTC if this is the same date for the US, where the kit costs $1,300. HTC previously told us that it will sell the headset via some commercial channels so that smaller businesses can pick up the headset too, but no details on that today.

The Focus 3 is impressive on paper – it boasts Qualcomm’s XR2 platform just like the Oculus Quest 2 but also delivers 2.5K per-eye resolution and a 120-degree field of view. There’s also four-camera inside-out tracking and built-in audio. You can get a full spec rundown right here. But, while these specs may indeed be impressive, the headset is strictly aimed at business use – it will launch with an app store of generalized apps including Vive’s own B2B software, but don’t expect any games or entertainment experiences.

When we asked earlier this year, HTC declined to confirm if there will ever be a consumer version of the Vive Focus 3.

The news comes as the first shipments of the HTC Vive Pro 2 started arriving. The PC VR headset is aimed at both enterprise and high-end consumers. We’re hoping to have impressions of the device with you as soon as we can.

Valve Index Finally Comes To Australia In August

From uploadvr.com

After almost 2 years of waiting, Australian customers will finally be able to purchase the Valve Index from August 18.

The headset and controllers will be available in Australia through games retailer EB Games, an Australian division of GameStop. In other markets, the Index is available to purchase online through Valve directly on the Steam Store. When Australian customers visit the Steam store listing, the checkout buttons read ‘Not Available In Your Country’. This forced many customers to use shipping redirect services to import the headset from the US. However, this comes with large added costs, as well as complications with warranty and customs import fees.

For now, the store listings seem to indicate that EB Games will be the Index’s exclusive Australian retailer. It’s unclear if it will also be available through the Steam Store come August 18.

In Australia, the complete Index kit is available to pre-order for $1,899.95 AUD. The headset by itself is available for $999 AUD, the headset and controllers for $1499.95 AUD, a single base station for $249.95 and a 2-pack of controllers for $499.95.  The Index and its peripherals are modular, allowing you to use parts of the system with select other, non-Index hardware within the SteamVR ecosystem. For example, the Index controllers can be used with an existing room-scale setup and Vive Pro headset. Likewise, the Index headset can be used with old Vive wand controllers. Those with an existing PC VR setup may be able to cut some costs depending on the equipment they already have.

Valve also announced that individual replacement controllers and tether wires are available to purchase on Steam as of this week. However, these replacement items are unavailable in Australia via Steam at the moment, and are not listed on EB Games either.

The Valve Index remains a solid but expensive pick if you’re looking to get into PC VR. If you’re not sure if it’s the right headset for you, read our thoughts on the pros and cons of the Index and other available options here.

Are any of our Australian readers planning on picking up a Valve Index in August? Let us know in the comments.

Quest 2 Propels VR Headset Usage On Steam To All-Time-High

From uploadvr.com

In May 2.31% of Steam gamers used a virtual reality headset, a new all-time-high.

Companies like Facebook, Valve, & HTC don’t reveal sales figures. The Steam Hardware Survey remains the most reliable indicator of PC VR’s adoption.

The survey is offered to a random sample of Steam’s userbase each month. If you choose to accept, it uploads your PC specifications along with SteamVR’s log of any headsets connected in the past month.

The Hardware Survey also breaks down which specific VR headset models are used, as seen above. Oculus Quest 2 continues to be the primary driver of growth, with Valve Index & Vive Cosmos also growing slightly.

The market share landscape hasn’t much changed since last month. Facebook continues to hold roughly 60%, while HTC & Valve hold roughly 15% each.

The two standalone Quest headsets together make up just over a third of SteamVR. Quest didn’t officially support PC VR until six months after launch, but third party WiFi streaming apps like Virtual Desktop filled the gap. Quest 2 is marketed as a hybrid headset, last month getting an official WiFi streaming mode.

PC VR’s growth doesn’t get as much attention as standalone VR, and it clearly isn’t at the same pace. But if even modest gains continue, it could soon be more popular than having a 4K primary monitor.