Sure thing, let’s dive into the whimsical world of XR news, shall we? Buckle up because this might be a bumpy ride through my thoughts and sidetracks.
Honestly, was this week exciting for XR? Nah, not really. It was kinda like watching paint dry, probably ’cause everyone was off enjoying May Day or something. But hey, I’m still jazzed up because I’ve got a couple of trips lined up. You’ll hear all about them tomorrow—promise! But for now, let’s dig into what little XR news I’ve managed to scrape together for you hopelessly devoted tech nerds.
Weekly Highlights… or Something Like That
Meta Reality Labs Had… a Meh Quarter
Let’s cut to the chase—Meta didn’t exactly hit a home run this first quarter. Revenue’s down by 6% compared to last year. Now, a 6% drop isn’t exactly the sky falling, but it did make me do a double-take… well, sorta. Reality Labs splurged $4.6 billion, which is cool if you like spending money to lose $4.2 billion. Quest sales tanked, around 30% down, making me wonder if they’re just lying to themselves about Quest 3S doing well. It’s like thinking your dog understands physics—cute but delusional. The Horizon Store’s a ghost town, literally and figuratively. But what’s saving Meta’s behind? Ray-Ban glasses. Yeah, the fancy shades that tripled sales last year. Even Zuck was all smiles about these.
Publish Those Apps with Cameras on Horizon Store
So Metaverse decides to play nice and officially lets developers put apps using camera access in the good ol’ Horizon Store. Finally, apps mingling real and virtual are making a commercial splash! ImmerGallery turned Quest 3 into some sort of 3D camera, and now that these innovations aren’t just locked away as tech demos, it’s a party. Privacy still nags at the back of my mind but whatever, as long as the user consents. Shrug.
Some Dates to Circle
Pimax has some big announcements coming up at their ever-so-unique event named “Pimax Connect” (so original, right?). I have this weird feeling they’re going to dump a million VR headset models on us. I mean, who needs 73 headsets? But, you never know, could be something exciting. I’m keeping an eye out, one eyebrow raised.
MeganeX 8K Superlight: A Rough Start
Shiftall launched this beast of a headset but it kinda stumbled out of the gate. Apparently, it’s like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole on your head. Super crisp visuals—if it works. If not, you’re stuck with a non-refundable headache. Sounds like a thrilling ride… not.
Infinite Reality’s Air of Mystery
Remember when Infinite Reality got a mind-boggling $3B from some shadowy investor? Yeah, me neither. They’ve been gobbling up companies, leaving us scratching our heads over what they’re even doing. Turns out, it’s all Sterling Select’s doing, which is related to Sterling Equities. But don’t expect to find this grand investment on their site. Looking more and more like a mystery novel, minus the murder… hopefully.
Live Meshing on Quest 3: Cool but Battery Killer
Julian Triveri’s been busy! Turns out, he’s using Depth APIs for live 3D mesh reconstruction on Quest 3—not camera access like I thought. It’s awesome but drains your battery faster than you can say “charging cable.”
Anyway, if you’re still reading, good for you. Life’s about little victories like ignoring Horizon Worlds, or EA pausing on rally games and ruining VR rally dreams. It’s all fun and games until someone stops making the games, right?
Oh, you all have to check out some of the cool games launching soon:
- Legends BMX for some freestyle cycling fun in MR.
- Remnant Protocol, a strategy-laden space sim funded by Meta.
- Psytec Games is back with updates on Titan Isles over Windlands 3.
The app support landscape is shifting with Godot and Apple’s Vision Pro. Motorola phones are now playing nice with Quest. Sometimes, it feels like the gadgets and gizmos world is constantly learning to hold hands across technology divides.
Wrapping it up! If you’ve got a few bucks, consider donating to the Red Cross in Ukraine. The situation there is way more serious than any quarterly earnings call. Here’s to hoping for peace and technology that actually works. Cheers!
[Header image by Meta]
