The XR Weekly Roundup (Jan 29, 2025): Google Acquires HTC Engineers, Meta to Launch Oakley Smartglasses, and More!

Hey there! I hope you’re having a fantastic Lunar New Year! Here’s to a successful Year of the Snake, filled with happiness, prosperity, success, and maybe even a few extra XR headsets! If you’re celebrating, I hope you’re enjoying some great food with loved ones. 😊 I’m currently juggling a lot on my plate, which means this newsletter might be arriving a bit late and a bit shorter than usual, but rest assured, it’s packed with all the must-know updates in the world of XR!

Top News of the Week

Google’s $250M Move: Scooping Up HTC Vive Engineers

In a move that caught many by surprise, Google has acquired a slew of XR engineers from HTC Vive for a hefty $250M, including some rights to HTC’s intellectual property. The details are sparse, but Google aims to use this talent to hasten the development of its Android XR platform for headsets and smart glasses. While it’s unclear whether this is gearing up for an Android XR boost or a potential Google-branded headset, my money’s on the former. This isn’t Google’s first HTC acquisition journey; back in 2017, it picked up HTC’s design team for $1.1M, indicating an ongoing collaboration between the two companies. This significant acquisition underscores Google’s commitment to its XR ambitions, which is exciting, though I remain cautiously optimistic given the unpredictable nature of big corporations. Meanwhile, this raises questions about HTC’s next steps—could this mean a shift in their business strategy or a scaling down of headset production? Only time will tell.

Other Relevant News

Meta’s Expanding Horizon in Smartglasses

Meta is pushing forward in the smartglasses domain, following the success of their Ray-Ban Meta frames. According to Mark Gurman’s report, a collaboration with EssilorLuxottica is in the works to launch new Oakley-branded smartglasses aimed at cyclists and athletes, featuring cameras and speakers. Additionally, a high-end model with a display for notifications is being developed, offering touch-sensitive frames or wrist strap controls. Currently targeting a niche market with a hefty price tag of around $1000, these smartglasses won’t be Meta’s last venture. The original Ray-Bans are still being prioritized for a big Superbowl spotlight, and Meta plans to distribute its Orion AR glasses to more developers by 2026, with commercial releases expected by 2027 under the code name Artemis.

Quest Pro Successor and Samsung-Google Excitement

Meta is reportedly working on a Quest 4 and possibly a successor to the Quest Pro. Despite the Quest Pro’s lackluster performance, it makes sense for Meta to explore higher-end models, especially with competitors launching premium devices like Vision Pro and Project Moohan. Meanwhile, at Samsung’s Unpacked event, we didn’t get an AR glasses announcement, but instead glimpsed at deeper integration of AI into Samsung devices, notably through Gemini AI. The Project Moohan headset was on display, hinting at the similar groundwork laid by Vision Pro and VisionOS, inching closer to unveiling just what Samsung and Google have been cooking up.

Noteworthy Mentions

Meta Clears the Air on Quest Headset Glitch

During the holiday season, many Quest headsets became inoperable, prompting an explanation from Mark Rabkin, Meta’s VP of VR/MR. The culprit was traced to a race condition in the Android OS that corrupted files paired with a security patch issue. Despite the frustration, Meta resolved the issue and coordinated with Google for a fix in the main Android codebase.

CM Games Racks Up Sales with ‘Into the Radius’

CM Games is celebrating the success of ‘Into The Radius,’ with the original selling 800K units and its sequel, still in Early Access on Steam, grossing $3M. CEO Vlad Rannik credits the game’s community-driven development approach for its triumph, stating Steam’s active user base as instrumental in shaping the game before releasing polished versions on other platforms like Quest.

Updates from CREAL and Meta’s Automatic Room Scanning

CREAL is making waves with its ultra-compact lightfield engine, nearing integration into standard wearable eyewear. Meanwhile, Meta may soon revolutionize room scanning with automated updates for MR experiences, removing significant user friction.

Intriguing Content Releases and Industry Tidbits

A wealth of fresh content is gracing the VR space: ‘Fitness Fables,’ ‘FlatOut VR,’ ‘Path of Fury,’ and more are coming to platforms like Quest, coupled with quirky developments like playing Crysis in VR and intriguing concepts from creators like Keiichi Matsuda exploring AI agents’ future.

Miscellaneous News

Recent surveys indicate that 35% of game developers are dabbling in XR. Students and educators can snag Snap Spectacles at a discount, while new tech like the neural bracelet Mudra Link and Miami’s Apple store Vision Pro area continue to push boundaries.

Partners and Collaborations

SkyClimb’s multiplayer mode is now free, a treat for players enjoying this platform adventure game known for its unique locomotion style. Try it out on Quest and see what the buzz is about!

Little XR Joys

Here are some light-hearted XR nuggets to ponder: navigating life as a VR parent, playing DOOM within a PDF, and the unexpected pitfalls of VR escapades. Just another day in the exciting world of virtual fun!

Making a Positive Impact

As always, instead of supporting my blog, please consider donating to the Red Cross and aiding those affected in Ukraine. Your generosity can make a tremendous difference. For those graciously supporting my Patreon, thank you from the bottom of my heart—you help make all this possible!

Alex Gonzalez VR, DeoVR, GenVR, Eduardo Siman, Jonn Fredericks, Jean-Marc Duyckaerts, Reynaldo T Zabala, and so many more amazing supporters—your contributions are beyond appreciated!

You can donate to the Red Cross in Ukraine [here].

And don’t forget, if you click on any affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, helping to sustain this newsletter. Thank you for being part of this journey!