The XR Weekly Glimpse (December 23, 2024): Meta Readies for Rivalry, Niantic Advances Spatial Intelligence, and More!

The holiday season is upon us, and as we bid farewell to the year, I’ve got a festive surprise for you—a double giveaway of keys for two exciting XR games! Consider me your digital Santa. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s dedicated holiday post, but for now, read through this roundup to discover how you can snag these goodies!

Weekly Highlights

(Image by Andrew Bosworth)

Meta Gears Up for Future Competition

Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, recently shared insights into the company’s successful year and its plans moving forward on Meta’s blog. His reflections were echoed by Mark Rabkin, Meta’s VP of MR/VR, and in Janko Roettgers’s Lowpass newsletter. While much of the content touched on familiar topics—like the launch of the Quest 3S, hailed as the most budget-friendly mixed reality headset—there were several standout points worth noting:

• Quest 3S Sales: Boz highlighted impressive sales during the Black Friday weekend, with expectations of more headset activations over the holidays. It’ll be interesting to compare these with Quest 2’s previous years’ performance.

• New Customers: Rabkin pointed out that many Quest 3S buyers are new to the Quest ecosystem, indicating either a first-time experience with MR/VR or a switch from another brand, showcasing the device’s appeal.

• Youth and Gaming Trends: An influx of younger users is reshaping the Meta store landscape, favoring social, multiplayer games, often free-to-play but with in-app purchases. Mark Rabkin notes that adults are spending more time on entertainment experiences, while kids gravitate towards new hits like Gorilla Tag.

• Store Analytics and Development Focus: Meta’s data analysis is guiding investments toward successful genres like social gaming, MR-first experiences, and free-to-play models.

• Top Quest 3S Apps: Gorilla Tag, YouTube VR, and Horizon Worlds are leading among immersive apps, emphasizing continued interest in media content and the growing popularity of Meta’s social VR platform.

• AI and Smart Glasses: Meta’s smart glasses have been a success, with AI enhancements on the way. Bosworth hints at evolving AI assistants that could proactively assist throughout your day—a potentially revolutionary but privacy-sensitive development.

With Apple and Google entering the XR market, there’s mounting pressure on Meta to maintain its lead. Bosworth acknowledges the stakes, noting that competition, although challenging, is ultimately beneficial for consumers and developers.

For a deeper dive into these insights, check out Boz’s post or Lowpass newsletter.

Other News in XR

(Image by Niantic)

The Rise of Spatial Intelligence

AI and XR continue to merge, with exciting developments in Spatial Intelligence. Niantic recently explored Large Geospatial Models, leveraging AI to fill geo-scanning gaps. Similarly, New York University has been investigating LLMs for spatial understanding, introducing VSI-Bench to assess AI’s 3D comprehension. These advancements hint at significant future trends in XR.

New Hardware: Apple 8K Camera Pre-Orders

Blackmagic Design is now accepting pre-orders for its URSA Cine Immersive camera, tailored for 8K VR180 content in Apple’s video format. This $30,000 equipment might be steep for hobbyists but fits well within professional studio budgets. DaVinci Resolve support enhancements are expected soon.

Meta’s SDK Audio Feature

Meta’s SDK has introduced an intriguing audio-to-expression feature that animates avatars’ facial expressions using vocal audio, moving beyond simple lip-syncing to a full facial animation experience.

Solving Steam VR Stuttering

A potential fix for the stuttering issues on Quest via Steam VR has emerged, focusing on disabling the Motion smoothing feature, which has shown promise for smoother gameplay.

Tokyo’s Digital Resource

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has released a comprehensive point cloud of the city. This resource can be used for a myriad of applications, from developing a digital twin to training AI systems.

Meta Winter Sale

This festive season, take advantage of significant discounts on popular VR games during the Quest Holiday Sale, with deals on titles like Demeo and Assassin’s Creed VR.

Top VR Games of 2024

As the year wraps up, Upload VR has revealed its top AR/VR games of 2024 across various categories. Can you guess which game snagged the Best VR Game title? (Hint: it starts with "Bat").

Game Releases and Reviews

• COLD VR: Available for preorder, this SUPERHOT-inspired title delivers a fresh take on action gaming.

• Figmin XR: Now supports Apple Vision Pro with extended headset colocation.

• Dino Hab and Grimlord: These new releases offer unique experiences in dinosaur simulation and action RPG genres, respectively.

For reviews and more game news, check out details on these and other highlighted games.

Additional Updates

• Genesis Engine: This open-source tool enables 3D world generation, pushing boundaries in animated environments.

• OpenAI’s o3 Model: A superior and pricier offering from OpenAI, promising enhanced capabilities.

• Vail’s Revenue Success: AEXLAB’s VR shooter Vail has achieved impressive sales, surpassing $5.5 million.

• Holiday Gaming Features: Upload VR has curated a list of games incorporating special holiday-themed content.

Keep an eye on these developing technologies and trends as they are poised to define the future of the XR space.

Community and Fun

Join partners like PatchWorld, with its exciting update and discount offer, or attend DeoVR’s CES party to mingle with fellow VR enthusiasts. Also, don’t miss fun links and XR humor that guarantee a good laugh.

Lastly, in the spirit of giving, consider donating to relief efforts through the Red Cross to help those impacted by ongoing conflicts.

Stay engaged, stay entertained, and have a wonderful holiday season!