I’m crunching like hell for a project I have to deliver these days. But don’t worry, I’m still getting you covered by writing my usual roundup of news to keep you informed about what is happening in the XR space. Who needs sleep, anyway?
(By the way, next Sunday I’m traveling to Germany to be a speaker at the Next Reality Festival in Hamburg… I hope to meet you all there!)
Top news of the week
Samsung launched the Galaxy XR headset
Samsung finally unveiled the headset that it has been developing for years together with Google and Qualcomm. The device is called Galaxy XR and has features mostly comparable with the Apple Vision Pro: it has 3,552 x 3,840 pixels resolution, 109° x 100° FOV, eye and hand tracking, and a battery lasting 2–2.5 hours. It costs $1800. The headset ships without controllers, but if you want, you can buy them separately for $250. The controllers are already sold out, and I think this proves how controllers are still very important for us XR people. People who buy the headset now also get an Explorer package, with lots of free perks to start enjoying their headset.
Galaxy XR is clearly aimed at prosumers, developers, and early adopters. There is also a clear business license so that companies may also buy it, always at $1800. Even if it is half the price of the Vision Pro, it is still too high to get the attention of the average consumer. Especially because XR currently does not have a clearly established use case that makes it appealing to the vast majority of people.
During and after the event, Samsung and Google showcased various functionalities, like using Google Maps, watching YouTube videos, editing videos, having video calls, or seeing PC games on a giant virtual screen in front of you. Most of them were things they had already shown in other events, so there were no big surprises. For Google, the main unique selling point of its Android XR operating system is the integration with Gemini AI. On Galaxy XR, AI is always with you, and can give you suggestions about the virtual content in front of you, the real environment around you, or a mix of the two. It has to be seen how much AI is perceived as a big value from VR users: in my opinion, AI is of paramount importance on AR glasses and smartglasses, but it is not very relevant when used in VR.
Regarding the content, it is clear from the pricing and from the fact that it ships without controllers that this device is not primarily meant for gaming. Notwithstanding this, many games have already been ported to Android XR, and there is also some exclusive content like INSIDE JOB by Owlchemy Labs or Enigmo. Many games are easy to port from Quest to Android XR, especially if they have been built with the cross-platform tools offered by engines like Unity. Google has also showcased a video editing application, Adobe Pulsar, that can run natively on the headset. Netflix will be natively available on Android XR. Virtual Desktop is there to let people play SteamVR games.
The first reviews (I appreciated particularly the one on Upload VR) about the headset are pretty positive, and all praise the visual quality of the OLED displays. But they also show that this headset is not without issues: the rigid strap, similar to the Quest Pro, may be uncomfortable for some people, and other people found that their eyes ended up pretty distant from the lenses, affecting the perceived FOV. Hand tracking is not comparable to that of Quest 3. And the special avatars similar to Apple Personas, called Likeness, are not yet available to use. But thanks to the use of foveated rendering and Qualcomm’s latest chipset, the runtime is pretty fast and fluid. Someone also discovered that the headset freely allows for sideloading and has an open bootloader. As someone who loves openness, I sincerely appreciate this.
At the end of the day, Galaxy XR had a positive launch. No one is expecting this device to become mainstream, but it is the first step through which Google and Samsung are re-entering VR, hopefully this time to stay. In the long term, this can have a big impact on the whole ecosystem, hopefully bringing to XR headsets an ecosystem that is open and that involves both expensive and cheap devices, as Android is on phones today.
Ah, and one more thing: Samsung and Google confirmed they are working together on glasses to launch soon…
More info (My summary of the Galaxy XR launch event)
More info (Galaxy XR launched — official blog post)
More info (Galaxy XR launched — Road To VR)
More info (Galaxy XR launched — Upload VR)
More info (Galaxy XR hands-on — Road To VR)
More info (Galaxy XR hands-on — The Verge)
More info (Galaxy XR hands-on — Upload VR)
More info (Galaxy XR hands-on — Reddit)
More info (Galaxy XR hands-on — UrGamingTechie)
More info (Galaxy XR controllers are sold out)
More info (You can develop for Android XR on Unity 6)
More info (The games available on AndroidXR)
More info (Games are not the main focus for Samsung and Google)
More info (INSIDE JOB available on Android XR)
More info (Enigmo available on Android XR)
More info (Adobe Pulsar available on Android XR)
More info (Hidden USB port on the Galaxy XR)
More info (Easy sideloading and open bootloader on Android XR)
Other relevant news
Apple released its M5 refresh of the Vision Pro
One day after the announcement of Galaxy XR, Apple has released on the market the refresh of the Vision Pro featuring the new M5 chipset. The headset is basically the same as before, but has a new processor and a new headband, the Dual Knit Band. The new band is heavier than the previous one, and this is because this way it counteracts a bit the front-heaviness of the headset. Various reviews online praise this new band, saying that it improves the comfort of the headset. There is also a third gadget that has been refreshed: a developer strap worth $300 that offers an external USB-C port for the headset with an impressive bandwidth of 20 Gbps.
In the meantime, Apple is continuing to work on improving its ecosystem. Some games like Pickle Pro or Spatial Rifts are now supporting the PSVR 2 controllers. And there are rumors about Apple installing many cameras in the stadium of Real Madrid (a very famous soccer team, in case you didn’t know it), probably because it is evaluating bringing immersive soccer content on its platform. Count me excited on the last one.
More info (Apple released the M5 Vision Pro)
More info (UploadVR’s first impressions on the band)
More info (DannieVR going hands on with the headset)
More info (High-bandwidth developer strap)
More info (Cameras installed in Real Madrid’s stadium)
More info (Pickle Pro out now)
More info (Spatial Rifts out now)
Smartglasses are a serious driver of growth for Luxottica
We all know how smartglasses are important for Meta, but it is a bit less obvious how much they are relevant for EssilorLuxottica, the French-Italian company that has a dominant position in the traditional eyewear market.
Well, in its latest quarterly call, Luxottica made it clear that smartglasses are a very positive business for it, too. The company stated that its revenues grew by 11.7% factor, of which “in excess of 4 percentage points” was from its Wearables division, hence mostly smartglasses. Some months ago, the company stated that its annual production capacity for smart glasses would be increased to 10 million by the end of 2026. Now it says that it is accelerating to reach that target even sooner.
The fact that smartglasses are becoming important for Luxottica, a company that is not into tech and targets average consumers, is a very serious indicator that they are not just niche devices, but they are products that are of mainstream interest. And their sales numbers are growing pretty fast; that’s why so many companies have entered the smartglasses business recently. I really hope that glasses can grow fast and bring us to AR glasses at a certain point in the future.
Amazon shows its glasses for delivery drivers
A few months ago, a report by The Information talked about Amazon working on two types of smartglasses: one for its delivery drivers and another one to release to consumers. This week, the company confirmed the first project.
Amazon stated that it has been working on smart glasses that have a green monochrome display. They were designed and optimized with input from hundreds of delivery drivers, and include the ability to identify hazards, scan packages, capture proof of delivery, and navigate by serving up turn-by-turn walking directions. A “small controller” worn on the delivery vest, meanwhile, contains what appears to be a button dial, as well as a swappable battery for “all-day use”.
Amazon is not revealing plans for future developments, but the report by The Information states that it intends to start mass production of the delivery driver glasses by mid-2026, with an initial production run of around 100,000 units.
More info (Amazon confirms its smartglasses for drivers — Road To VR)
More info (Amazon confirms its smartglasses for drivers — Upload VR)
News worth a mention
Oakley Meta Vanguard has been released
Meta and Luxottica have released their Oakley Meta Vanguard, aimed at athletes and performers. The glasses have a central camera for first-person footage with a wide field of view of 122 degrees, plus stabilization software to record better videos. Their price starts at $499.
Alibaba and RayNeo launch their glasses
Thanks to VRAR World, I have been able to discover two interesting pieces of news about glasses coming from China. Alibaba has officially launched its first self-developed Quark AI Glasses, smartglasses that use Alibaba’s LLM as the backend. RayNeo, instead, has launched RayNeo Air 4 Pro, media-consumption glasses that are meant to make people watch movies in full privacy.
More info (Alibaba glasses)
More info (Rayneo glasses)
Some news about content
- Long-awaited game Laser Dance, which makes you move in your room in mixed reality while you avoid virtual lasers, is finally being released in early access on Quest on November 6th
- Dark, narrative-driven FPS Of Lies and Rain is coming sooner than expected and is launching on November, 4th on Quest and PSVR 2
- Tracked: Shoot to Survive, a new single-player VR survival adventure, launches on November 13 on Quest 3 and 3S
- Hotel Infinity, a surreal roomscale adventure puzzle game, is heading to PlayStation VR2 and Quest, also on November 13
- Wizardtag is a spellcasting version of the frictionless colocated multiplayer Quest 3 mixed reality shooter Lasertag. The author is the amazing Julian Triveri
More info (Laser Dance)
More info (Of Lies And Rain)
More info (Tracked: Shoot to Survive)
More info (Hotel Infinity)
More info (WizardTag)
Some reviews about content
- Elsewhere Electric is a very original asymmetric co-op puzzle game for VR (and mobile). It is pretty good, but also hampered by minimal onboarding, no built-in voice chat, and distracting visual issues
- Stranger Things Catalyst is the latest experience in Sandbox VR venues. It’s a wave shooter, so for us VR people, it feels a bit dated
- Björk: Vulnicura VR Remastered is a mixed bag that alternates videos that are not up to today’s standards, weird things, and breathtaking experiences
- Broken Spectre is a VR horror adventure that feels like a visual novel or point-and-click adventure adapted for VR
- Memoreum is a very ambitious game, probably too much for the small studio that developed it. So it mixes very good things with other things that are less good
- DecartXR is a first attempt to modify your reality through AI lenses, but it is too early-stage
- Trenches VR is a horror game full of jumpscares that weirdly uses the World War 1 settings
More info (Elsewhere Electric)
More info (Stranger Things)
More info (Björk: Vulnicura VR Remastered)
More info (Broken Spectre)
More info (Memoreum)
More info (DecartXR)
More info (Trenches VR)
Other news
Persephone is a DiY SteamVR 6DoF Controller
(Thanks Rob Cole for the tip)
News from partners (and friends)
Discover Salmon Man
The epic ValemVR has released a new game: Salmon Man. He described the game this way on LinkedIn: “a VR rage platformer where you control a paddle with both hands to climb upstream. Think Gorilla Tag on a stick… or Getting Over It in VR.”
Valem has always helped us XR developers with his tutorials, so now it’s time to pay him back by having a look at his game!
Learn more
Discover the winners of Pico’s Web To Spatial program
A few weeks ago, I told you about an initiative that Pico was carrying on to promote its Web Spatial framework, where monetary prizes were also involved. Now the winners of that initiative have been announced: you can check out their names and the content they created on the LinkedIn post linked below.
Learn more
Discover FM DUO camera!
Meet the FM DUO, a VR camera that is capable of filming up to 12K @30fps, and 8K @60fps. With built-in RTMP live streaming and 5G connectivity, the FM·DUO will immerse your viewers in real time! The FM·DUO features 2 full-frame CMOS sensors, with 6000 x 6000 pixels each. This allows for high-resolution zooming capabilities. Not only can you narrow in on one subject, but you can also focus on singular details of the subject’s facial expressions, clothing textures, and a multitude of other small details, enabling a much more immersive experience of VR video.
Some XR fun
What the hell Meta Quest
Funny link
When you become too dependent on ChatGPT
(Thanks Tommaso Di Bartolo for the tip)
Funny link
No, being compared with Quest Pro is not good…
Funny link
Donate for good
Like last week, also this week in this final paragraph I won’t ask you to donate to my blog, but to the poor people who are facing the consequences of the war. Please donate to the Red Cross to handle the current humanitarian situation in Ukraine. I will leave you the link to do that below.
Let me take a moment before to thank anyway all my Patreon donors for the support they give to me:
- Alex Gonzalez VR
- DeoVR
- GenVR
- Eduardo Siman
- Jonn Fredericks
- Jean-Marc Duyckaerts
- Reynaldo T Zabala
- Richard Penny
- Terry xR. Schussler
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- Immersive.international
- Nikk Mitchell and the great FXG team
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- Marco “BeyondTheCastle” Arena
- Eloi Gerard
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- Sb
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- Mark G
- Simplex
- Gregory F Gorsuch
- Paul Shay
- Matias Nassi
And now here you are the link to donate:
Support The Red Cross in Ukraine
(Header image by Samsung)
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