Apple announced it’s introducing a host of accessibility features to Vision Pro, which is set to include Live Captions for the deaf or hard of hearing. It certainly feels like an important first step in eventually kitting the device with real-time translation at some point down the road.

The visionOS update, which is said to arrive some point later this year, will also add adjustable captions for Apple Immersive Video, and support for ‘Made for iPhone’ hearing devices and cochlear hearing processors. Additionally, accessibility features will include options to Reduce Transparency, Smart Invert, and Dim Flashing Lights for users with […]

Google today announced it’s starting a pilot program that will soon allow select partners to create AR content and display it within Google Maps. While it seems like an important step for Google on the way to owning a piece of the ‘all-day AR glasses’ future, it’s unclear just where it’s all headed for the company in the near term. Because compared to Meta and Apple, Google still seems unable to commit to a coherent XR strategy.

Starting in Singapore and Paris later this year, Google is essentially elevating content built in its Geospatial Creator platform to the world […]

Apple has released detailed schematics of Vision Pro and its various parts, which will likely lead to an acceleration of third-party accessories like headstraps and protective cases for the device.

Vision Pro was announced nearly a year ago and started shipping three and a half months ago. Until now, third parties building accessories for the headset needed to work from their own (or someone else’s) unofficial measurements of Vision Pro to build accessories that fit the headset correctly.

But Apple has finally updated its Accessory Design Guidelines document to include detailed schematics of Vision Pro and its accessories.

The newly […]

Quest users searching the Store will now be able to more easily find games published through its early access distribution channel, App Lab, which previously weren’t visible, effectively giving smaller studios a more level playing field.

Meta is making its operating system and app store available on third-party VR headsets sometime soon, and one of the bigger changes coming to the platform is the blurring of the barrier between the Main Store and App Lab.

Besides offering a way for studios to publish their titles in early access, App Lab also lets any developer who meets basic technical […]

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 […]