Google has acquired a number of HTC’s XR engineers, something the company says will “accelerate the development of the Android XR platform across the headsets and glasses ecosystem.”

Google’s announcement of Android XR last month represents a critical shift in the competitive landscape, as Samsung will ostensibly be the first to launch a headset running Android XR. Excitement for familiar faces offering up competition in the consumer XR space was tempered somewhat by the usual questions surrounding Google’s ability to commit to the project long-term.

While Google has […]

Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is making its latest Spectacles AR Glasses more affordable to students and teachers with a new educational discount that cuts the $1,200 launch price in half.

Initially released in September 2024, the company’s fifth-gen Spectacles (called Spectacles ’24) are primarily targeted at developers, priced at $100 per month for a one-year commitment.

While Snap’s latest AR glasses made some key improvements over the fourth-gen device released in 2021, including a wider field-of-view, better resolution, the addition of hand-tracking, and […]

Samsung Unpacked didn’t have any big XR revelations this year, although the South Korean tech giant has finally shown off the near-final version of its Android XR headset, codenamed Project Moohan.

We went hands-on with Moohan at the headset’s unveiling last month, the company’s upcoming mixed reality headset built on the newly announced Android XR platform.

At this year’s Unpacked, we were holding out hopes to see a more detailed look at Project Moohan and maybe even controllers, which so […]

Poland-based indie Immersion Games are getting ready to launch their next title later this month, which puts a fantasy gameplay twist on some tried and true VR fitness mechanics.

Called Fitness Fables, the game promises a host of features you’d expect to see in your bog standard fantasy game, including 80 levels, 16 boss fights, and bonus challenges galore, promising 24 hours of total gameplay.

The on-rails experience also puts a heavy emphasis on its 24 exercises, such as power squats, rope swings, sky presses, […]

Even with onboard AI, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses aren’t as smart as they could be, since the glasses lack any sort of display for doing simple tasks, like reading incoming messages. Now, a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman maintains Meta is not only looking to expand its line of smart glasses with the inclusion of a sportier model this year, but also a high-end model that includes a built-in display.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the […]

Google’s announcement of Android XR last month was largely met with excitement, but there was a notable undercurrent of concern about Google’s long-term commitment to the platform. The company has a storied history of launching new products and platforms, only to drop them a few years later—often leaving third-party developers in the lurch.

Google has earned a reputation among third-party developers as a company that will tout the launch of exciting new platforms, only to cancel them unless they achieve breakout success.

The site Killed by Google […]

Despite industry woes, XR development has largely stayed consistent, according to the annual Game Developer Conference (GDC) State of the Game Industry Survey, noting that 35% of developers who responded are building for XR.

The San Francisco-based conference is a veritable Mecca for game developers across the industry, as it not only gives studios a chance to show off their wares, but also connect with […]

COLD VR, one of the most promising spiritual successors to smash-hit game Superhot VR, isn’t arriving today as previously planned, with developer ALLWARE and publisher Perp Games maintaining it still needs a little more time in the oven.

Slated to launch today, January 21st, Cold VR is headed first to Quest and PC VR headsets, and to PSVR 2 at a later date.

Now the studios say they’re delaying the launch “for a week or two,” adding that they’ll post updates soon to show it […]

A non-inconsequential number of new Quest 3 and 3S headsets couldn’t update properly this past Christmas, leaving some users scrambling for last-minute replacements or knee deep in support chats looking for a fix to their freshly bricked VR headsets. Now, Meta has clarified just what transpired. And it wasn’t a buggy update either, as previously thought.

Mark Rabkin, Meta Vice President of VR/MR, took to X to explain why some Quest users were left to deal with spiraling boot loops on […]

Firewall Ultra (2023), the tactical team shooter, hasn’t seen an update since developer First Contact Entertainment shut down in late 2023, or just four months after the game’s release on PSVR 2. Now, Sony has dropped a patch out of the blue, tweaking incentives to get new players in… for who knows what reason.

As spotted by Reddit user ‘ROBYER1’, over the weekend Sony tossed out an update that quadruples the amount of XP and in-game ‘Crypto’ currency, making […]

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey is announcing something in a few weeks, which he says will prove he isn’t out of the ‘XR game’.

Luckey confirmed back in June he’s building a new XR headset, although the device in question seems to be primarily “driven by military requirements” in addition to “non-military stuff,” he said at its AWE 2024 announcement.

Now, as first reported by MIXED, Luckey says he’s set to announce something in “a few weeks”.

Wait till you […]

Meta is fairly tight-lipped when it comes to detailing just how many headsets it sells, although there are a few ways to gauge the platform’s popularity, one of which is fresh downloads of its required companion app, Meta Horizon, available on Android and iOS devices.

Citing data obtained by independent analyst Omdia, Game Developer (via Forbes), notes that downloads of the Meta Horizon app fell by 27% on Christmas Day 2024 when compared to 2023, which is historically the app’s yearly peak […]

Somnium Space, the Czechia-based social platform creator, has raised prices on its enthusiast-grade PC VR headset, Somnium VR1, something the company says was done to “maintain the highest quality standards.”

The company announced last month it was paring down the number of previously offered configurations of Somnium VR1 alongside the news that, after January 16th, 2025, it was going to raise prices on its three remaining variants—but not by how much.

Now, the company has released that updated pricing info (excluding local taxes), which […]

Assetto Corsa EVO made its big Early Access launch on Steam yesterday, bringing the next iteration of the racing franchise to both flatscreen and PC VR headsets. It’s getting mixed reviews, although VR users in particular are warning that you should wait for incoming patches, which will hopefully address the game’s currently questionable optimization.

KUNOS Simulazioni, developer behind both Assetto Corsa (2014) and Assetto Corsa Competizione (2018), released their long-awaited follow-up, Assetto Corsa EVO. The Early Access version boasts five tracks, 20 vehicles, single player, support for SteamVR headsets, […]

Shuhei Yoshida (aka ‘Shu’) has left Sony, closing a near 32-year chapter of his life with the company.

Yoshida announced he was leaving Sony back in November, setting his retirement date for January 15th, 2025. Now, the one-time President of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios has bid farewell to the company.

At farewell party yesterday pic.twitter.com/hpiPWQIO1z

— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) January 14, 2025

“I’ve been with PlayStation from the beginning, and […]

Meta announced in 2020 it was working with UK-based AR display maker Plessey, which was tapped to provide Meta with AR displays over the course of multiple years. Now the companies have announced they’ve developed what they’re deeming “the world’s brightest” red microLED display for AR glasses.

Plessey and Meta say the new red microLED display offers brightness up to 6,000,000 nits at high resolution (<5um) with ultra-low power consumption, something they hope will overcome technical challenges in building all-day AR glasses, which […]

Soul Assembly, the studio behind the Drop Dead VR shooter franchise, announced it’s laying off 15% of its team, maintaining the reduction is required for the success of upcoming projects.

The UK-based VR developer and publisher announced the news following in inquiry by UploadVR, which followed a series of affected developers posting the dreaded ‘Open to Work’ banner on LinkenIn.

“We can confirm a reduction in our team by 15%. This decision was taken to ensure the studio is aligned with the requirements of our upcoming […]