Hello everyone, and Happy Lunar New Year! Whether you’re celebrating the Year of the Snake or not, I hope it brings you abundant joy, success, love, financial prosperity, and a bunch of XR headsets! For those marking this festive occasion, I trust you’re enjoying quality time with loved ones and indulging in fabulous food. 😃 Things have been hectic on my end, so this newsletter’s a bit delayed and a tad shorter than usual. But rest assured, it still packs all the vital XR news you need!
Top News of the Week
In a surprising move, Google has snapped up a team of XR engineers from HTC Vive, along with some intellectual property licenses, for a staggering $250 million. While Google has been tight-lipped on the details, they have mentioned that these new hires will accelerate the development of their Android XR platform. With HTC’s rich expertise, Google aims to speed up its XR innovations. This acquisition further highlights Google’s dedication to XR – a commitment they’ve been nurturing since acquiring HTC’s design team back in 2017.
This strategic move raises intriguing questions about HTC’s next steps. Are they shifting their focus, perhaps to supplying headsets for others or scaling down their own production? Only time will tell. As someone deeply invested in the XR landscape, I’m keeping a keen eye on HTC’s moves.
Other Important News
META appears to be doubling down on smartglasses following the Ray-Ban collaboration’s success. According to insider Mark Gurman, META’s teaming up with EssilorLuxottica to introduce Oakley-branded smartglasses targeting cyclists and athletes. While these glasses will be equipped with cameras and speakers, a more sophisticated version with a notification display is also reportedly in the works. Notably, META is set to showcase these through high-profile Superbowl ads starring Hollywood celebs. It seems META’s committed to exploring every avenue within XR, from smartglasses to VR and AR.
META is also reported to be working on Quest 4 VR goggles alongside a premium edition dubbed the "Puffin," which might succeed the Quest Pro. Although the Quest Pro didn’t quite hit the mark, a well-developed successor could find a niche within the enterprise market.
Over at Samsung and Google, Project Moohan was expected to make a big XR splash during the recent Samsung Unpacked event, but grand announcements were scarce. However, there were glimpses of better Gemini AI integration and a chance to get a closer look at the Moohan headset, thanks to Marques Brownlee’s hands-on insights.
Noteworthy Mentions
Meta faced an issue where many Quest headsets stopped functioning over the holidays. The culprit wasn’t their OS but a glitch within the Android Open Source Project, which Meta has since fixed. CM Games boasts impressive figures with "Into The Radius 2" hitting $3M in revenue, aided by an active Steam community. Moreover, CREAL has miniaturized its lightfield engine to near-glasses sizes, making wearable AR tech more feasible.
Rumors suggest the Quest 3 might soon feature automatic room scanning — a huge leap forward in reducing mixed reality’s complexity. Meanwhile, a thought-provoking video by Keiichi Matsuda for Niantic envisions a future intertwined with augmented reality and AI agents — definitely worth a watch.
New Content Lineups
Exciting releases including "Fitness Fables," "FlatOut VR," and "Path of Fury – Episode I" are on the horizon for Quest users. Additionally, "Elsewhere Electric" offers co-op puzzle fun, and "The Smurfs – Flower Defense" adds a unique twist with its mixed-reality encounters.
Other News Highlights
Game developers are increasingly venturing into XR territories, with a GDC survey highlighting that 35% are now involved. Students and teachers can snag Snap Spectacles at a discount, and a new area in Apple’s Miami store is dedicated to Vision Pro. CaddieVision promises to up your golf game with AI-powered AR glasses, while SkyClimb’s multiplayer mode becomes freely accessible thanks to VRMonkey.
A Bit of XR Fun
Parenting a VR-loving kid can be quite the adventure, and speaking of adventures, did you hear about playing DOOM from a PDF file? Some VR upgrades aren’t tech-related, and remember to clear your space beforehand, especially during VR ‘sexy times.’
Doing Good
This closing section isn’t about asking for donations to keep the blog running but rather to extend help where it’s needed most. Consider supporting the humanitarian efforts of the Red Cross in Ukraine. A huge thank you to all my Patreon supporters for their continued backing.
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