MyOpinion

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On September 25 and 26, Meta will unveil new products that will shape the future of the XR industry.

Meta Connect (formerly Oculus Connect) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and will be the most important Connect since the launch of Quest 2 four years ago, perhaps the most important ever.

Meta Quest 3S: Can it surpass the success of Quest 2?

The stakes are high for Meta. On the VR front, Meta will announce the Meta Quest 3S, a more affordable version of the Quest 3, which is aimed at the mainstream. The device is the successor to the Quest 2, which is expected to have sold over 20 million units by now. The Quest 3S needs to sell at least as many units to be considered a success and grow the industry.

After the failure of the Playstation VR 2 and the lukewarm response to Apple Vision Pro, it's up to Meta to get consumers excited about VR, with mixed reality and exclusive software. Ad

A major VR focus of the conference will be Meta Horizon. We will probably see improved avatars for Horizon Worlds. We should also get a look at new APIs for Horizon OS, the operating system of Meta Quest, such as the spatial app framework. Hopefully, there will also be an update on the planned OEM headsets based on Horizon OS. First look at Meta's AR vision

We also expect major announcements in the AR space. After more than ten years of R&D, Meta will finally unveil a prototype of full-fledged AR glasses. The device, codenamed Orion, will not become a product because it is too expensive to manufacture. For now, the AR glasses are something else entirely: a vision of the future to appease investors, inspire tech enthusiasts, and encourage developers to create the first applications for Meta's upcoming AR platform.

Hopefully, Meta will provide a glimpse into the AR roadmap for the next few years, both in terms of hardware and software. Even if it will be a long time before affordable AR glasses hit the market: It's time for Meta to get real. The hype around AR glasses has been dead for many years, and Meta has a chance to revive it with Orion.

What's already here and affordable are AI-powered smart glasses with useful features. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are also part of Meta's AR future and are likely to play an important role at the conference, especially as they have been a surprise success and an ideal form factor for artificial intelligence. Although no new iteration of the glasses is expected this year, Meta is likely to unveil far-reaching new AI features for the smart glasses.

Developed by No Brakes Games and published by Curve Games (Lawn Mowing Simulator VR), Human Fall Flat VR adapts the 2016 physics-based flatscreen game with a new control scheme. Each controller represents the respective "wobbly" arms of your avatar, and each level takes place across different environments.

In a press release, Curve Games states the VR adaptation is a "completely new experience" from the original game that uses a third-person view. Though solo gameplay is supported, Human Fall Flat VR supports co-op for up to three friends as you tackle various challenges. All the original levels are included alongside a selection of "Extra Dreams" crafted by the community.

"Together, you'll navigate tricky traps and solve mind-bending physics puzzles, all while laughing at the unpredictable antics along the way. Imagine yourself wobbling through whimsical dreamscapes, now with the power to flail your arms in every direction, just like a real-life ragdoll. Whether you're swinging from ledges or pulling levers, the all-new VR control system lets you reach out and touch the madness," states the studio in a press release.

A specific release date remains unconfirmed, but Human Fall Flat VR is "coming soon" for $13 to the Meta Quest platform, Steam, and PlayStation VR2.

In a recent Q&A on Instagram, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth was asked if Meta was working on motion trackers for Meta Quest. He denied it, saying that Pico would have to be successful with its devices before Meta would consider a similar product.

Here is his full answer:

"No. Those Pico trackers seem cool, and I think it's fun that they're doing that. I haven't had a chance to play with any of the new stuff out of there, but it's great to see people continuing to push and innovate and try different things.

I think there's just not that many use cases where people need that high of a degree of precision on extremities. It's not zero, if you're a dance enthusiast in VRChat and you want to show off those moves, it's great. I'm glad people have a chance to do that, and they have a path for that.

But for getting these things to be mainstream where we make this something that way more people use, I'm not sure that the juice is worth the squeeze. And I don't mean that from a business standpoint, I mean even for the consumer in terms of what they get out of it. I hope it goes so well for them, and they prove me wrong, and then we'll have to do it."

You may wonder at this point how you can compare the Vive trackers with the Pico ones. Well, to me the comparison feels more or less like the one between SteamVR headsets and standalone ones: the first offer the premium expensive experience that works in all the cases, while the second ones work in most of the useful cases and are much cheaper.

Vive trackers relying on SteamVR offer very precise and reliable tracking, and thanks to the use of multiple base stations, they are usually not occluded. But they require an expensive SteamVR setup. The Vive Ultimate Tracker lets you get rid of the base stations and is able to track in all conditions without occlusions thanks to its onboard cameras. But they both cost around $130-150 each, a price to which you have to add the cost of the straps to wear them.

A Pico Motion Tracker is very cheap ($80 for a couple) and already comes with the strap to wear it. But it requires to be seen by a Pico 4 Ultra headset to work: if it is occluded, the tracking fails. Plus the accuracy is probably less than the sub-mm offered by SteamVR. But in most cases, like doing full-body VR in VRChat, Pico Motion Tracker is good enough, so its advantages overcome its shortcomings. A setup with a SteamVR headset, basestations, and 2-3 Vive Trackers, worth more than $1300, could be substituted by a Pico 4 Ultra and a couple of trackers, which are half of the price! This can truly be a game changer.

PSVR 2 games could benefit from the PS5 Pro in several ways, provided developers deliver visual upgrades:

A higher frame rate: Particularly performance-hungry PSVR 2 games use reprojection to artificially double the frame rate. Sony's reprojection technology is controversial, however, as it can cause unwanted visual effects and even nausea. With the PS5 Pro, some titles may be able to avoid reprojection and render natively at a higher frame rate.

A higher resolution: Developers could use the power for a higher resolution, making games look much sharper.

Better 3D models, textures, and effects: The most elaborate way for developers to use the PS5 Pro would be to improve graphical assets.

PSVR 2 games could theoretically improve in all three areas, but it remains to be seen what improvements will be announced in the coming weeks.

Meta has leaked an image of the supposed Quest 3S via an update to its PC software, showing off what is likely the upcoming cheaper alternative to Quest 3.

As first spotted by Reddit user ‘Gary_the_mememachine‘, the image of can be found in the files of Meta Quest Link client for PC.

At the time of this writing, Meta hasn’t removed the image from its latest software update. Provided your client is updated, you can find it yourself by following this pathway:

C:\Program Files\Oculus\Support\oculus-dash\dash\data\js\assets\src\apps\dash\asset_files\experience-panels

The headset, like many in the ‘experience-panels’ folder, is referred to by its codename, which is labeled as ‘Panther’. The codename was first spotted by serial dataminer Luna when digging through the v65 UX files in the Quest software.

All signs currently point to an imminent launch of Quest 3S, as a new Meta headset was recently certified by the FCC, which is now just a few weeks before Meta Connect 2024, taking place September 25th – 26th.

Subside is an immersive aquatic VR experience with multiple areas to explore and lifelike aquatic creatures to interact with. Crafted with unparalleled realism, it aims to replicate the nuances of real-life swimming and diving in shallow waters.

Dragon Front Rising, a VR collectible card battler, adds a new faction and more cards in a free update. Launched last November, Dragon Front Rising revived the 2016 Rift and Gear VR game, Dragon Front, where you fight across a 4x4 grid using a 30-card deck in a high fantasy setting. Featuring solo campaigns and online multiplayer, it's now received a major patch with today's 'Aegis Update.' That introduces the Aegis faction with new units and further abilities, like adding 'Cursed Cards' to an opponent's hand.

Korea Economic Daily reports that Mark Zuckerberg will meet with LG Electronics CEO William Cho in South Korea on February 28 to discuss details of the partnership, including the joint development of a mixed reality headset to be released in the first half of 2025.

The news site writes that the companies are forming an "AI & Metaverse alliance," which includes plans to incorporate Meta's AI technology into LG products. It's been ten years since Zuckerberg visited Korea, so the meeting is significant. The partnership could be announced on Wednesday.

According to the report, LG will contribute the hardware part and Meta will contribute the software and AI technology, with LG's smart device operating system "WebOS" to be implemented in the headset.

Sony is working on official support for using PSVR 2 on PC. Here's exactly what Sony said today in a blog post announcing upcoming PlayStation VR2 games: "Also, we’re pleased to share that we are currently testing the ability for PS VR2 players to access additional games on PC to offer even more game variety in addition to the PS VR2 titles available through PS5. We hope to make this support available in 2024, so stay tuned for more updates."