As the vibrant Carnival festivities draw to a close across Italy, the streets here are buzzing with joy and laughter. While many join in the street celebrations, I find my own happiness in savoring traditional sweets typical of this season. But today holds an extra reason for rejoicing: Feedspot has recognized my blog as the 3rd best Virtual Reality website in their list of the top 60, second only to the giants Road To VR and Upload VR. While I do question certain rankings, such as the now-defunct Oculus site or overlooked gems like MIXED, it’s exhilarating nonetheless. I’m aware that others might surpass my site in quality, but I’ll savor this acknowledgment as a reward for eight years of dedicated blogging. A heartfelt thank you goes to all of you whose support has made this possible!
Weekly Highlights
Rumors about Valve Deckard’s potential launch in 2025 have surfaced, pricing it around $1200. This leak, not from the usual sources, comes from data miner “Gabe Follower,” who also anticipates dedicated games and demos for the device, possibly including a Half-Life universe demo. The device is expected to run on SteamOS and will reportedly support SteamDeck titles on a large VR screen, given the gamepad-similar controls of the Roy controllers. Despite its hefty price tag, rumors suggest it’s sold at a loss, hinting at premium specifications likely to delight the Valve fanbase.
In other significant news, Sony has reduced the PSVR 2 headset’s price to $400. This adjustment, matching many buyers’ preferences for bundling with the game Horizon Call of the Mountain, comes after initial high prices led to sluggish sales. The permanent price cut aims to boost the headset’s accessibility and expand its user base, although its library of exclusive games remains modest. The PSVR 2’s ability to connect to PCs for Steam gameplay further enhances its appeal.
With Meta now urging developers to embrace the free-to-play model for their growing youthful audience, it’s clear that over 70% of Quest user time is dedicated to these experiences. This trend is already showing success stories with games like Dimensional Double Shift amassing significant downloads. Yet, concerns about revenue persist—numbers not disclosed by Meta might suggest less than profitable outcomes despite high engagement, leading developers to question whether this is the optimal business model.
Meta’s reveal of the Aria Gen 2 glasses showcases advancements like powerful Meta silicon for on-device processing, making these glasses a standout for research purposes. Although not yet commercially available, its lightweight, sensor-rich design opens exciting possibilities for AI training and AR developments, heralding a new era of wearable tech.
Meta’s educational and enterprise offerings have also received a facelift, with the Meta For Education program bringing VR-assisted learning to schools. Updated services now allow better management of educational headsets, with the added bonus of digital twin campuses for a more immersive learning experience. Similarly, the “Horizon Managed Solutions” enables better device integration with existing systems, crucial for enterprises managing multiple headsets.
Further supporting VR content creators, HTC has introduced the “VIVERSE Worlds” platform, a web-based hub for VR experiences that streamlines integration without downloads. Complementing this, AMD’s upcoming RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards promise high performance for VR, rivaling NVIDIA’s latest offerings.
For those curious about cross-platform gaming, Winlator enables Windows games on the Pico 4 Ultra headset, expanding gaming options with older titles. Meanwhile, the quality of content on the Horizon Store has been criticized for its proliferation of low-quality clones, highlighting a need for improved curation.
In tech updates, Meta discontinues its Move app for outdated tech reasons, casting a spotlight on their evolving focus and competitive tactics, much to the frustration of some users. Yet, they are pushing the envelope with realistic avatar creation through their Avat3r project, demonstrating cutting-edge facial replication from mere photos.
Innovation continues in the realm of sensory VR with Ohio State’s experimental work on taste emulation, an exciting frontier albeit still in its early stages. As an Australian venture, Dr. Luke Buckmaster’s “The VR Critic” website comes to life, delivering in-depth reviews of VR experiences with a rich backlog freshly available to explore.
Content-wise, Steam Next Fest delighted the community with numerous VR demos, while titles like Orion Drift and GORN 2 emerge as anticipated releases alongside updates in existing games, all hinting at a thriving and diverse gaming landscape.
In review notes, Orion Drift shows potential but needs expansion and polish, while the immersive Detective VR offers a promising, albeit still evolving, gameplay experience in mixed reality.
Lastly, GTA 6’s potential as a metaverse platform, and stress-relieving virtual experiences are on the horizon, with Lumus leading advances in AR vision technology, complemented by internal whispers at Google of cutting-edge VR chipset developments.
In our closing vignette of XR fun, humorous takes on AI trust and VR’s industry quirks remind us of the lighter side of tech. As always, our appreciation extends to the unwavering support of our community, urging everyone to aid humanitarian efforts, notably the Red Cross’s work in Ukraine. Thank you for journeying with us through these VR and gaming insights!
