The XR Weekly Roundup (Jan 29, 2025): Google Acquires HTC Talent, Meta to Unveil Oakley Smartglasses, & More!

Wishing everyone a joyful Lunar New Year! As the Year of the Snake unfolds, I hope it brings you lots of joy, prosperity, love, and perhaps a few XR headsets along the way! For those celebrating this vibrant occasion, enjoy the company of loved ones and indulge in delightful feasts! 😊 Due to my hectic schedule, this newsletter is arriving a tad late and is a bit condensed, but it still packs all the essential updates you need from the world of XR!

Major Highlights of the Week

Google Acquires HTC Vive Engineers for $250M

In a surprising move, Google has secured some HTC Vive engineers, paying a hefty $250 million for their expertise and a non-exclusive license to some HTC intellectual property. While the specifics are scarce, Google’s aim is to quicken the pace in developing the Android XR platform across various devices. This acquisition, reminiscent of their 2017 purchase of HTC’s design team, hints at ongoing collaboration between the companies. It solidly reflects Google’s dedication to XR technology, particularly with Android XR ambitions. However, it raises questions about HTC’s trajectory—is it refocusing its business model or trimming its headset lineup? As HTC’s journey unfolds, it will be intriguing to see its next steps, given its past prominence in the VR market.

More details: Road To VR | Upload VR | Google’s XR Commitment

Additional Important News

Meta Is Developing Multiple Smartglasses

Following the triumph of their Ray-Ban collaboration, Meta is intensifying its investment in smartglasses. Reports suggest Meta and EssilorLuxottica are crafting new Oakley-labeled smartglasses for athletes, equipped with centered cameras and speakers but lacking displays. Additionally, a premium smartglasses variant, featuring a notification display and innovative input controls, is underway. While these aren’t for mass consumption, they cater to niche prosumers with a price tag around $1000. Meanwhile, Meta continues to innovate with its original Ray-Ban Meta glasses, planning high-profile commercials, and is advancing its Orion glasses for broader developer access by 2026, with an anticipated wider release by 2027.

More details: Road To VR | Upload VR | Superbowl Ad Plans | Bloomberg Report

Meta’s Quest Pro Successor in Works

Mark Gurman reports Meta’s ongoing development of VR headsets, including a potential Quest Pro successor. This premium "Puffin" model, revealed earlier, seems focused on lightweight mixed reality with external battery packs. Despite the original Quest Pro’s mixed reception, it’s prudent for Meta to remain competitive among high-end VR offerings. Learning from past failures, a refined Quest Pro 2 could carve a niche in the business market.

More details: Details

Samsung and Google Unveil More on Moohan

Samsung’s latest event was light on AR glasses announcements, but noteworthy for deeper AI integration on Samsung devices, hinting at a wider tech adoption beyond the Moohan headset. The Moohan headset, on display but kept behind closed doors, intrigued many, with hands-on reviews trickling out. Observations suggest Samsung and Google’s device draws inspiration from Vision Pro, indicating a deliberate strategy reveal.

More details: Samsung Unpacked Insights | Hands-On Experiences | AI Integration on Samsung

Brief Mentions

Meta Clarifies Quest Holiday Glitch

Mark Rabkin of Meta shed light on the holiday incident where numerous Quest headsets malfunctioned, attributing the issue to a rare Android race condition combined with a critical security fix. Meta’s team not only resolved the problem but also collaborated with Google to address it at the source.

More details: Explanation

CM Games’ ‘Into The Radius 2’ Earns $3M

CM Games is hitting impressive milestones with "Into The Radius 2," having reached $3 million in sales through Steam Early Access. Their success is rooted in a strong collaborative effort with the Steam community, helping polish the game for broader release, including on Quest.

More details: Sales Stats

CREAL Advances Lightfield Technology

CREAL continues to innovate in the realm of lightfield displays, now boasting a miniaturized engine that nearly fits standard eyeglasses. This advancement suggests AR’s realistic visual capabilities are not far from becoming commonplace in wearable tech.

More details: Technology Details

Quest 3 to Feature Automatic Room Scanning

The ever-reliable Luna reports Meta’s work towards simplifying room scanning for mixed reality, shifting to an automatic model that adjusts in real time to changes in your surroundings—a welcome improvement indeed!

More details: Improvements

Thoughts on AI and AR’s Future

Keiichi Matsuda, in collaboration with Niantic, produced a captivating short video envisioning a future where AR seamlessly works with AI agents. It’s not only well-crafted but intellectually stimulating—highly recommended viewing!

More details: Video

Content Highlights

Discover an intriguing mix of upcoming VR titles and experiences launching soon. From fitness games to VR adaptations of classic games, the lineup offers diverse options for all types of players:

• Fitness Fables: A blend of action-packed gameplay with VR fitness, launching January 30th on Quest.
• FlatOut VR: Promises to blend the best elements from the FlatOut series.
• Path of Fury: Kung-Fu style combat headed to Quest this March.
• Elsewhere Electric: A co-op puzzle experience arriving this spring.
• The Smurfs: Flower Defense: Bringing beloved characters to VR eco-battles in May.
• Crysis in VR: A mod lets you finally answer "Yes" when asked, "Can it run Crysis?"

More details: Fitness Fables | FlatOut VR | Path of Fury | Elsewhere Electric | Smurfs Defense Game | Crysis Mod

More Updates

• A GDC survey reveals 35% of developers are also working in XR.
• Special Snap Spectacles discounts now available for educators.
• VRgamerdude explores the Mudra Link neural bracelet.
• Apple’s new Miami store features a Vision Pro section.
• Gabriele Romagnoli dissects Horizon Store’s MR apps.
• AI-powered AR golf aids are here with CaddieVision glasses.

More details: GDC Survey | Snap Spectacles | Mudra Link Hands-On | Apple’s Miami Store | Horizon Store Analysis | CaddieVision Details

Partner News

Exciting times as SkyClimb’s multiplayer mode is now open to all at no cost. This arm-powered climbing adventure receives praise on Quest, marking it worth a try!

Just for Fun

Here’s a lighthearted look at the quirks of VR:

• Navigating the peculiar world of parenting a VR-obsessed child.
• Playing DOOM…inside a PDF file. Yes, really!
• Non-gadget ways to enhance your VR escapades.
• The unexpected hazards of virtual reality "romantic" moments.
• Top reasons to tidy your VR space.

A Call for Compassion

This week, let’s focus on extending help to the victims of ongoing global conflicts. Consider supporting the Red Cross’s efforts in Ukraine. Your support, big or small, makes a profound difference. Here’s the link to donate.

I also want to extend my gratitude to all my Patreon supporters for their unwavering backing:

• [A list of supportive patrons]

And here’s how to donate:

Support The Red Cross in Ukraine

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