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Today marks the final day of the Carnival festivities here in Italy, and the streets are buzzing with joy. As for me, I’m choosing to celebrate in my own way, indulging in some delightful traditional sweets of the season. But there’s another reason for my celebration: Feedspot has ranked me third among the top 60 Virtual Reality websites, acknowledging my authority in the field. I’m following closely behind the established giants, Road To VR and Upload VR. While there are some inaccuracies in the list, such as the now-defunct Oculus webpage, and I personally believe there are more deserving publications like MIXED, I still find it hard to believe I stand at third place, perhaps not even fourth or fifth. Nevertheless, I’m taking a moment to enjoy this achievement—it’s a testament to my eight years of tireless work as a blogger. Heartfelt thanks to all of you for the unwavering support that brought me to this milestone!
Top News of the Week
(Image by Valve)
Valve Deckard May Launch in 2025 for $1200
Exciting news surrounding the Valve Deckard has emerged, and this time, it’s not our usual suspects spilling the beans. A credible data miner known as Gabe Follower, who has relayed trustworthy leaks before, suggests that the Valve Deckard could debut in 2025, priced around $1200. Gabe Follower also indicates that Valve plans to roll out games or demos ready for the Deckard, with Tyler McVicker (Valve News Network) hinting at a potential demo from the Half-Life universe. The device is anticipated to run on SteamOS, akin to the Steam Deck, and should support SteamDeck flatscreen games in VR, thanks to the Roy controllers that resemble a traditional gamepad. Although $1200 seems steep, Gabe Follower notes it’s being sold at a loss, hinting at some top-tier specifications that are bound to please classic Valve fans.
Sony Permanently Lowers the Price of PSVR 2
Finally, Sony has slashed the price of the PSVR 2 headset once and for all. Priced at $400 (€450 / £400 / ¥66,980) from this month, you can opt for the headset alone or bundle it with Horizon Call of the Mountain at no extra charge (why anyone would choose just the headset is beyond me). The PSVR 2 has always been a solid gadget, but its previous pricing was outrageous—costing more than the PS5 itself. Recent discounts led to a noticeable uptick in sales, making this permanent price cut a wise move. While its library of exclusive games isn’t vast, the growing number of available titles and a PC adapter for Steam games do enhance its appeal. I wouldn’t count on sales skyrocketing, but it could significantly bolster the PSVR 2 ecosystem.
Quest Leans Further Into Free-to-Play
Meta has reiterated its strategy for Meta Quest, urging developers to lean towards free-to-play games given its youthful audience. In a recent post on X, they highlighted that such experiences now account for over 70% of Quest users’ time. Following this freemium model, Fast Travel Games has recently made Mannequin free-to-play, and Owlchemy Labs’ latest title, Dimensional Double Shift, has already hit 500K downloads, showcasing the strategy’s success. Yet, there are key observations worth mentioning. Free experiences like Horizon Worlds, included almost by default, skew these numbers. Furthermore, there’s been no word on revenue statistics. If players dedicate hours to a game but revenue remains minimal, developers face closures regardless. Hence, I’m curious about the median revenue for free-to-play games on the Horizon Store—this data would better guide us in assessing the viability of this model.
Meta Unveils Aria 2 Glasses
Meta has announced its latest Aria Gen 2 glasses, a leap forward from the previous Project Aria. Unlike commercial devices, Aria is designed for research, packed with sensors to capture detailed data of its environment to train AI models. The Gen 2 boasts enhanced specifications, including an upgraded sensor suite with an RGB camera, positional-tracking, eye-tracking cameras, spatial microphones, and more. This version introduces new features like a contact microphone for vocal distinction and speakers for audio output. Notably, it now hosts a robust Meta chip for onboard tracking and speech recognition, a leap from its predecessor’s reliance on external analysis. Weighing just 75g, it supports 6–8 hours of active use and remains exclusive to select partners, with broader distribution later this year.
Meta Refreshes Enterprise and Educational Offerings
In a recent move, Meta revamped its offerings for educational institutions and enterprises. The Meta For Education program, now out of beta, lets schools purchase headsets for educational purposes, complete with two facilities: device management and access to a rich catalog of educational content by Meta and other partners. Additionally, Meta and VictoryXR have crafted over 30 "metaversities" using the Engage XR platform to enhance remote student interactions. According to Meta, of the 43 schools engaged with VR, 87% of students felt more engaged, and 85% of teachers found it beneficial to their teaching. However, as a touch of skepticism, I often wonder about the objectivity of proprietary stats. Meta For Education falls within the broader “Quest For Business” initiative, now refreshed as “Horizon Managed Solutions”, offering integration with renowned MDM solutions—making it more appealing for organizations. Pricing is robust: under Meta for Education, Quest 3 comes in at $630 and Quest 3S starts at $400 or $500 based on storage. Notably, "lifetime" service access is purchasable for $100 per headset, providing a one-off alternative to prolonged subscriptions.
News Worth Mentioning
HTC recently launched its "VIVERSE Worlds" platform, designed as the “YouTube for 3D Content”. It’s web-based, allowing easy embedding in websites and access without installation. Using Vive Polygon Streaming technology, performances remain robust. While it’s an intriguing approach, it remains to be seen if it’ll stand out in the crowded marketplace.
AMD announced the upcoming release of their RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards, set to rival the NVIDIA RTX 5070 and possibly the RTX 5070 Ti. Offering competitive pricing and performance, they also introduce AMD’s second-gen AI accelerators and support for advanced display standards.
A fascinating YouTube video shows Virtually Real making Crysis run on the Pico 4 Ultra using Winlator, an Android-based Windows emulator. This opens up avenues for older Windows games on VR headsets, offering potential fun for enthusiasts of retro gaming.
In the community, dissatisfaction is brewing over the Horizon Store’s curation, criticized for its influx of low-quality titles mimicking popular games like Gorilla Tag. Discussions on forums highlight the urgent need for improved store governance.
Meta is discontinuing its Oculus Move fitness app, citing reliance on outdated tech for its removal. This decision echoes a broader issue, given Meta’s market moves disrupted smaller companies like YUR, now to be sidelined.
Meta Reality Labs and the University of Munich have unveiled an intriguing avatar project, Avat3r. Capable of creating realistic head avatars from a few iPhone photos, it effectively mirrors user expressions, promising a leap forward in avatar realism.
Ohio State University’s novel experiment with virtual taste aims to recreate flavor sensations through virtual means, still early in development but an exciting avenue for immersive VR experiences.
Dr. Luke Buckmaster, a passionate Australian VR enthusiast, has launched a comprehensive review site, “The VR Critic”, bubbling with over 100 VR content reviews. This site promises to be a valuable resource for those curious about VR experiences.
Content News Highlights
Steam Next Fest recently treated us to over 20 free VR demos.
Stratogun is a nostalgic 3D shooter launching later this year with VR mode.
Sportvida CyberDash offers stress-relief through intense physical challenges and lands on Quest and PC VR next month.
Orion Drift, a new project from the creators of Gorilla Tag, enters Early Access.
Symphoni, launching March 6th, mixes conducting with spellcasting in a unique rhythm game experience.
Beat Saber fans can enjoy Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us as a new DLC.
GORN 2 is set to launch later this year with familiar yet refreshed gameplay.
VR time-travel adventure Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate releases March 27th on Quest and PS VR2.
Alien: Rogue Incursion’s major patch for Quest 3 brings visual enhancements.
Farming Simulator VR is now priced at $25 on Quest headsets.
Upload VR delivers its regular dose of XR news in their latest round-up.
Reviews on Offerings
NinjaGuyVR explored all Steam Next Fest VR demos, highlighting widespread reliability issues.
Both Upload and Mixed have reviewed Orion Drift. Though the game holds promise, it remains incomplete in its current Early Access state and onboarding needs polish.
Retronika, with excellent visuals and engaging gameplay, offers a fresh racing action experience.
Detective VR provides an interesting mixed reality detective adventure, with room for gameplay enhancements.
Additional Tidbits
GTA 6 is reportedly aiming for metaverse status with "Project Rome".
Discover how VR could assist in achieving lucid dreaming.
Stress Level Zero discusses viability challenges in targeting only PC VR for game development.
Lumus introduces a waveguide boasting a superior field-of-view fitting traditional eyeglasses.
Google might be developing boards compatible with the upcoming Snapdragon XR2 Gen 3 chipsets.
Partner and Friend News
Creative studio Cause+Christi teamed up with HTC VIVERSE to launch SHIP HAPPENS, a fully interactive WebXR escape room game available for free. Set in 3025, it places you on a chaotic Loot Transport Ship, promising a thrilling experience for adventurers.
A Light-Hearted Note
You can always rely on OpenAI—kind of… (funny link)
At least she’s adept at cooking… (funny link)
Everyone’s a fan of Horizon Worlds—sort of… (funny link)
Current dynamics in VR gaming studios (funny link)
Support for A Cause
I invite you, instead of contributing to my blog, to consider supporting the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. The Red Cross is actively working on providing relief, and your donations can make a significant difference. Below is the link to contribute:
Support The Red Cross in Ukraine
I would also like to personally express gratitude to all my Patreon supporters, whose generosity and encouragement are invaluable:
(List of Patreon supporters)
Here’s the link to donate:
Support The Red Cross in Ukraine
(Header image by Afference)
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