Google announced it’s partnering with HP to commercialize Project Starline, the company’s light-field display for immersive, headset-less video conferences.

Google says it’s partnering with HP to start commercialization of Starline in 2025, which the company says will “focus on connecting distributed teams and individuals in the workplace.”

Additionally, Google says it wants to eventually bring Starline support to video conferencing services such as Google Meet and Zoom—which will be interesting to see given how different livestreaming light-field video is to standard video.

First unveiled in 2021, the telepresence platform was initially a cumbersome, booth-sized unit that Google said would allow for […]

Researchers from Meta Reality Labs, Princeton University, and others have published a new paper detailing a method for achieving ultra-wide field-of-view holographic displays with retina resolution. The method drastically reduces the display resolution that would otherwise be necessary to reach such parameters, making it a potential shortcut to bringing holographic displays to XR headsets. Holographic displays are especially desirable in XR because they can display light-fields, a more accurate representation of the light we see in the real world.

Reality Labs Research, Meta’s R&D group for XR and AI, has spent considerable time and effort exploring the applications […]

China-based VR headset creator Pimax has introduced a new payment model following the recent announcement of its Crystal Light PC VR headset, which will let try it out before plonking down the full price of the headset.

The company calls its new scheme the “Trial Payment, Final Payment” model, as outlined in a recent announcement, making it available first in select regions including the US, Canada, EU, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

The new payment model is slated to go into effect on its website sometime this week. When it does, here’s how the company says it will […]

Holoride, the Germany-based startup bringing XR entertainment to car passengers, has filed for bankruptcy, citing the inability to secure its latest investment round.

In a LinkedIn post, Holoride CEO & co-founder Nils Wollny reveals the company’s latest investment round “appeared secure,” however it fell apart at the last minute.

“Despite the lead investor’s conviction, the negotiated term sheet, finalized contracts, and scheduled notary appointment, the LP funds failed to arrive on time,” Wollny maintains.

The company’s most recent funding round was in December 2021, which was an undisclosed amount led by Vendetta Capital.

In reflection, Wollny says Holoride was “early, imperfect, and […]

The latest major SteamVR update has arrived, coming with it an improvement to Steam Link for Quest.

Initially released in November 2023, Steam Link is Valve’s own app on the Meta Quest Store which allows users to quickly and easily connect their Quest headset wirelessly to SteamVR to play PC VR or flatscreen PC content, essentially letting you bypass Meta’s own Air Link.

The 2.5 update includes a number of bug fixes and quality of life improvements across SteamVR, however if you’re a Quest user, you ought to notice some better stability when it comes to using […]

Niantic, the studio behind Pokémon Go, revealed it’s been working on a Quest 3 mixed reality experience that lets you play with your very own pint-sized virtual pet.

Called Hello, Dot, Niantic calls the app a “mixed reality showcase” from its Peridot AR pet franchise, which the studio launched on mobile last year.

Here’s how the studio describes Hello, Dot:

Hello, Dot, takes the best parts of caring for your adorable Dot companions and brings them to life through the magic of mixed reality. In this immersive experience, you’ll be able to admire just how visually stunning your Dots are up close, […]

Take a look around the web at reviews of Vision Pro and you’ll find that practically everyone agrees: Vision Pro’s display is excellent. Words like “crisp,” “smooth,” and “4K,” are commonly used when people are talking about the headset’s visuals. But what if I told you Apple’s headset actually has a lower effective resolution than Quest 3?

Editor’s Note: Words like ‘display’ and ‘resolution’ are often used as a catchall when talking about an XR headset’s visuals. In this article I’ll be using the term “resolving power” to describe the maximum possible detail that can be seen through a […]

Sandbox VR, the location-based VR attraction, announced it’s opening 25 new locations as a result of a partnership with Apparel Group, the United Arab Emirates-based fashion and lifestyle company.

The partnership is described as a “massive franchise deal” with Apparel Group, which has 85 brands and more than 2,200 stores across 14 countries, including much of the Middle East, South East Asia, India, Pakistan, Egypt and South Africa.

The collaboration will begin by opening 25 locations in the Middle East by the end of 2028, Sandbox VR says, owing to what founder and CEO Steve Zhao calls “an overwhelmingly positive […]

Sandbox VR, the location-based VR attraction, announced it’s opening 25 new locations as a result of a partnership with Apparel Group, the United Arab Emirates-based fashion and lifestyle company.

The partnership is described as a “massive franchise deal” with Apparel Group, which has 85 brands and more than 2,200 stores across 14 countries, including much of the Middle East, South East Asia, India, Pakistan, Egypt and South Africa.

The collaboration will begin by opening 25 locations in the Middle East by the end of 2028, Sandbox VR says, owing to what founder and CEO Steve Zhao calls “an overwhelmingly positive […]

Spin Rhythm XD (2023), the kinetic rhythm-action game, is coming to PSVR 2, PS5 and PS4 this summer, which is also slated to include a free VR update to the original game on Steam.

Releasing on July 9th, Spin Rhythm XD is a bit like a cross between Bop It and Guitar Hero, but instead of a Fender with colored buttons or some strange plastic Plumbus, you’ve got your VR headset’s motion controllers and a sort of kinetic colored wheel.

The game, which was developed by Super Spin Digital and released initially on PC last year, is including […]

Marvel Studios and ILM Immersive today announced a new interactive story coming exclusively to Apple Vision Pro, which is based on the popular Disney+ animated series What If…?.

Called What If…? – An Immersive Story, the developers call it an “immersive, narrative-driven and innovative story in mixed reality,” which is promised to be an hour-long experience.

It’s also said to use both augmented and virtual reality, letting users interact by using both their eyes and hands, also including both new and iconic Marvel Cinematic Universe locations.

Here’s how the developers describe it:

“What If…?” reimagines events from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) […]

Meta announced Batman: Arkham Shadow last week, which is coming exclusively to Quest 3 in late 2024. And wouldn’t you know it, YouTube users absolutely hate it.

Although YouTube disabled the dislike button counter in 2021, you can still get a good idea of how the public is reacting to any given video by installing an extension to your browser, like Chrome’s ‘Return YouTube Dislike‘.

Released officially through both IGN’s main YouTube channel and Meta’s own YouTube channel (linked below) on May 1st, Batman: Arkham Shadow’s announcement trailer really seems to be racking up the dislikes.

These sorts […]

Razer announced its Facial Interface and Adjustable Head Strap System for Quest 3 is now available in the US, Canada, and Europe.

Priced at $70 each, the accessories essentially are the Quest 3 versions of the previously released Facial Interface and Adjustable Head Strap System for Quest 2, which was released in March 2023.

The Facial Interface is made of a soft injection-molded silicone free from latex and PU/TPE additives, and boasts a snug fit which prevents light from spilling in, while airflow vents allow for warm, moist air to escape.

Image courtesy Razer

The Adjustable Head Strap System is said to […]