Here in Italy, the streets are bustling with joy as today marks the final day of the Carnival celebrations. While many are out enjoying the festivities, I’m indulging in some traditional sweets typical of this season. But that’s not the only reason I’m celebrating. Feedspot has ranked my website third among the top 60 Virtual Reality websites by authority! Surpassing such esteemed platforms as Road To VR and Upload VR feels like a dream come true. Admittedly, there are some discrepancies in the list; the Oculus website, for instance, no longer exists. Plus, as someone deeply embedded in the field, I recognize outstanding publications like MIXED that didn’t make the cut. Realistically, I’m not sure I deserve the third spot, or even the fourth or fifth, but for now, I’m relishing this achievement as a reward for eight years of hard work as a blogger. None of this would be possible without your incredible support—thank you all!
Top news of the week
Valve Deckard Rumored for 2025 Release at $1200
Exciting whispers have surfaced about Valve Deckard—this time not from our usual insiders. This scoop comes courtesy of data miner Gabe Follower, known for hitting the mark with previous leaks. According to him, Valve Deckard is set to launch in 2025, priced around $1200. He also suggests that Valve is working on games or demos exclusively for Deckard, possibly including a demo from the Half-Life universe, as Tyler McVicker of Valve News Network speculated. The operating system for Deckard is likely to be SteamOS, mirroring Steam Deck’s setup, allowing gameplay of flat SteamDeck games in VR on a large screen. Its accompanying Roy controllers share the same layout as a gamepad. Despite its steep price tag, Gabe Follower hints that it’s being sold at a loss, indicating superior specs ideal for pleasing die-hard Valve fans.
More info (Valve Deckard 2025 Launch Rumors)
Sony’s Permanent Price Drop for PSVR 2
In a welcome move, Sony has permanently reduced the PSVR 2 headset’s price. Now, the headset costs $400 (€450/£400/¥66,980)—whether you purchase it alone or alongside Horizon Call of the Mountain. I imagine most won’t just buy the headset on its own! Initially pricey (even exceeding PS5’s cost), the headset began selling significantly better once discounts rolled out, making Sony’s decision appear spot-on. Although PSVR 2’s exclusive game selection isn’t vast, a growing library is accessible, especially with a PC adapter for Steam games. At $400, it looks like good value in my book. While I don’t foresee a massive sales surge, I do expect the PSVR 2 ecosystem to improve notably.
More info
Meta’s Shift to Free-to-Play on Quest
Meta appears keen on attracting a younger crowd to Meta Quest, urging developers to create free-to-play experiences. It was recently noted in a post on X that over 70% of time users spend on Quest involves free-to-play content. Fast Travel Games has embraced this trend with Mannequin, and Owlchemy Labs’ free-to-play Dimensional Double Shift recently hit 500K downloads, highlighting the model’s effectiveness. However, this trend seems facilitated by prominently featuring Horizon Worlds and free shovelware content on the Horizon Store. Despite being a direction all stores gravitate toward eventually, it’s notably accelerated here. More crucially, Meta hasn’t shared revenue figures—unprompted gaming for 10 hours doesn’t balance if my earnings only reach $5, forcing studios to close. My question for Meta: what’s the median revenue for free-to-play games on the Horizon Store? Such transparency could significantly guide developer strategy.
More info (Free-to-Play Trends on Quest)
Meta Unveils Aria Gen 2 Glasses
Meta has introduced Aria Gen 2 glasses, an upgrade from the previous Project Aria model. While not a consumer product, these research glasses come equipped with numerous sensors for data collection, beneficial for training AI models needing user-perspective data, especially in AR. The enhanced specs include an RGB camera, position and eye-tracking cameras, spatial microphones, IMUs, a barometer, a magnetometer, GNSS, and Meta’s custom silicon. New additions include a heart rate sensor, contact microphone for voice differentiation, and built-in speakers. Advanced features now enable real-time positional, eye, hand tracking, and speech recognition without needing external processing. At just 75g, Aria operates for 6–8 hours of active use. Currently, only key partners have received it, but wider availability for research centers is expected soon.
More info (Aria Gen 2 Glasses)
Meta’s Refreshed Offerings for Education and Business
Meta has expanded its educational and enterprise offerings. The Meta For Education program, now live post-beta, allows schools to purchase headsets for their students, along with two key services: an MDM for managing devices and a catalog of educational content from Meta and third-party partners. Additionally, Meta and VictoryXR have collaborated on creating digital twin campuses, enhancing remote learning via Engage XR. Meta Senior VP Ruth Bram states that VR integration in classrooms has boosted engagement and improved academic performance, though skepticism about objective data analysis persists. This is now part of "Horizon Managed Solutions," replacing "Quest For Business," and includes user and device management, custom stores, and integrations with third-party solutions like ArborXR. The pricing involves Quest 3 at $630 or Quest 3S at $400 or $500 (based on storage), inclusive of two years of managed backend services, with optional lifetime access for education customers.
More info (Meta For Education Update)
Quick Bits You Might’ve Missed
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HTC launches the 3D content platform "VIVERSE Worlds," aiming to be the "YouTube of 3D Content," leveraging web-based experiences and Vive Polygon Streaming for performance optimization.
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AMD unveils its RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards, poised to challenge NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 series, boasting AI acceleration and DisplayPort 2.1a support for future high-refresh 4K gaming.
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A YouTube video by Virtually Real demonstrates playing ‘Crysis’ on the Pico 4 Ultra using Winlator, an Android emulator for Windows games, a surprising yet promising development.
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Concerns rise over Horizon Store curation as filler content clogs listings, with many being derivative of Gorilla Tag.
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Meta discontinues ‘Move,’ its fitness app on Meta Quest, citing old tech as the reason, leaving some questioning the fate of the venture after absorbing a similar startup.
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Meta and the University of Munich release ‘Avat3r,’ a tool creating realistic avatars from just a few images, furthering advancements in avatar realism.
- Taste in VR? The Ohio State University explores simulating flavors in VR, an intriguing yet nascent area of development.
New Reviews and Content Drops
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Dr. Luke Buckmaster, an Australian VR enthusiast, launches The VR Critic, a new website featuring over 100 early VR reviews.
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Over 20 free VR demos hit the scene through Steam Next Fest.
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Stratogun, a throwback shoot-’em-up with VR support, to launch later this year.
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Sportvida CyberDash, an intense VR fitness journey, lands next month.
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Studio behind Gorilla Tag unveils ‘Orion Drift’ in Early Access.
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Symphony turns rhythm gaming into a mixed reality experience.
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Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ is now a Beat Saber DLC.
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GORN 2 to arrive later this year, expanding on its successful formula.
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Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate aims for a March 27 debut.
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Alien: Rogue Incursion gets a major Quest patch enhancing visuals.
- Farming Simulator VR is now available on Quest for $25.
This week has been hectic with numerous updates from the VR world, and I, for one, am thrilled to see such innovation and growth in the industry. Until next time, stay curious and keep exploring the endless possibilities of VR!
