Meta Begs Apple?

Good morning, folks!

How old do you think virtual reality is? 20 years? 30 years? What if I tell you it’s close to 80?

The Sensorama was an immersive arcade-style theatre cabinet released in the 1950s. It played movies that stimulated all the five senses. The first VR headset, however, was developed in 1968 and was connected to a computer. The contraption was so scary and heavy that they called it the Sword of Damocles.

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 — Joel Johnson, Founder & Chief Editor

Headlines for people in a hurry:

• 👀 A New Breakthrough For AR Contact Lens Technology

• 📱 Meta Is Asking Apple To Let Quest Be An Airplay Receiver

• 🖥️ Sony Working On PC Support For PSVR2

• 👾 Stranger Things VR Game Finally Released For Quest

Read time: 3 minutes

TOP STORIES

META

Pretty Please! Meta Is Asking Apple To Make Quest An iPhone Airplay Receiver

Meta is actively seeking Apple's permission to allow its Quest devices to function as AirPlay receivers, a move that could significantly enhance content-sharing capabilities for iPhone and iPad users. Mark Rabkin, Meta's VP of VR, said it would help users to cast media or their entire screen to the Quest headset as if it were an AirPlay-supported TV.

Will Apple approve? I personally think that it’s less likely, given that their relationship is not exactly great. It must feel weird to be begging your biggest rival, whose iOS 14 software upgrade nearly destroyed your business to the point where you had to rebrand and shift focus to the metaverse. Also, now they have a competing VR headset. Good luck, Zuck!

But if it gets approved for some reason, this could address the Quest's current limitations in native media streaming app availability compared to competitors like the Apple Vision Pro. Despite having apps like YouTube, Netflix, Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video, the Quest platform faces challenges with outdated apps and limited functionality. For instance, the Netflix app on Quest hasn't been updated in years, offering only 480p streaming without support for downloads or passthrough. Similarly, the Peacock app acts merely as a website shortcut, and the Amazon Prime Video app has been so neglected that it no longer connects.

SMART CONTACT LENSES

XPANCEO Announces A Big Breakthrough In AR Contact Lens Technology

XPANCEO, a pioneering deep-tech company, has announced a successful proof-of-concept for the world's first augmented reality (AR) holographic lens testing system.

This groundbreaking development represents a significant leap towards the next generation of computing, transitioning from head-mounted devices like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 to XR smart contact lenses.

The holographic lens testing system is designed to replicate AR experiences across various applications, including sports, gaming, and navigation, allowing for the safe and immediate testing of holographic optical elements without the need for human trials.

Dr. Valentyn S. Volkov, co-founder of XPANCEO, emphasized that this optic testing system is a pivotal step toward creating the first all-in-one XR smart contact lenses. The system enables XR industry players to evaluate critical parameters such as field of view, brightness, contrast, and image sharpness under different conditions, accelerating the development process of smart contact lenses and contributing to the growth of the smart lens market.

SONY

Sony Is Working On Official PC Support For PlayStation VR2

Sony has confirmed that it is developing PC support for the PlayStation VR2, the second most popular VR headset on the market after the Quest (at least it was until the Vision Pro release—we don’t know the latest sales rankings).

The aim is to expand the headset's game library beyond the PlayStation 5. In a recent blog post, Sony revealed plans to allow PS VR2 players to access a broader range of games on PC, with the goal of making this support available in 2024. This move positions the PS VR2 as a versatile and affordable option for VR enthusiasts, featuring OLED panels without the need for external base stations and controllers.

The announcement did not detail the method of PC connectivity, leaving open questions about whether a PS5 would be needed as an intermediary. The original PlayStation VR found PC compatibility through third-party drivers, but the PS VR2's single USB-C cable design presents new challenges. The developer behind the iVRy driver, which enabled SteamVR output for PS VR2, indicated that third-party PC support might require a custom hardware adapter due to the lack of USB-C ports on most PC graphics cards.

NEWS FLASH

META

Stranger Things On Quest 3

• 🎮 Stranger Things VR Launches on Quest 3: Dive into the Upside Down as Vecna in a game that spans all four seasons, offering 4-6 hours of gameplay and a mixed reality mode.

• 🌊 The Sea We Breathe Teaches Kids About Climate Change: Narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, this WebXR app explores how oceans fight climate change, now accessible through web browsers.

• 🔒 Cryptic Cabinet: A Mixed Reality Escape Room: Meta's new game transforms your living room into an interactive puzzle, showcasing the potential of mixed reality.

• 🕒 Wanderer: The Fragments Of Fate Launches This June: Time travel through different periods in this puzzle platformer, coming to all major VR headsets.

• 🧟 Zombie Army VR Announced: Fight through Europe in WWII against undead hordes in this co-op campaign, featuring Rebellion's signature X-Ray kill cams.

• 📚 Wordomi: A Mixed Reality Word Game: Combining Wordle and crossword puzzles, this game offers a new way to play with words in VR.

• 🌐 Meta Quest Browser Update 31.4: Adds support for simultaneous hands and controllers, immersive tabs, and more.

• ⚽ Pixel Ripped Studio Announces PAWBALL: A free-to-play VR soccer game with cats, aiming for viral success with cosmetic upgrades and dynamic gameplay.

• 🏝️ Bootstrap Island Hits Steam Early Access: A Robinson Crusoe-inspired survival game that challenges you to adapt to a tropical island's environment.

• 🎾 Racket Club Update Adds New Spin: Introduces unranked play, new drills, and a points system for a more diverse gameplay experience.

• 🚀 Breathedge: Cosmic Cluck VR Adventure: Join a comedic space journey with a talking chicken, cleaning up the cosmos and confronting villains.

BOOKMARKS

Immersive Articles From The Web

• WIRED: Can You Cry in the Apple Vision Pro?

• One Year In, Has PlayStation VR2 Failed, Or Is Sony Just Getting Started?

• What Apple Vision Pro Will Do To Your Brain

• Forbes: Apple's Ultimate Goal For The Vision Pro

• Meta Settles Lawsuits Over Haptic Feedback Tech In Quest

• List Of Upcoming PSVR2 Games Announced By Sony

• How This Metaverse Informs Residents About Their City Developments

UNREAL MONEY

FUNDING REPORT

VoxelSensors Acquires EyeWay Vision's IP to Advance XR Gaze Tracking

Just two weeks ago, we reported the €9.5 million seed round funding of VoxelSensors. Now it looks like they’ve put that money to good use.

VoxelSensors, a Belgian semiconductor company specializing in 3D perception technology for extended reality (XR), has announced the acquisition of EyeWay Vision’s industrial and intellectual property (IP) portfolio. EyeWay Vision, an Israeli company founded in 2014, has been at the forefront of developing immersive XR glasses with innovative gaze tracking and projection technology. The acquisition, for which the financial details were not disclosed, includes a novel gaze contingent projection architecture that addresses critical XR requirements like power efficiency, daylight visibility, dynamic range, and "virtually pixel-less" photorealistic perceived 5K image quality.

This strategic move is set to bolster VoxelSensors' capabilities in spatial and empathic computing for mobile and XR platforms by integrating EyeWay Vision's technology with VoxelSensors' Single Photon Active Event Sensor (SPAES).

COOL PROJECTS

GAMING

Controlling Mario With Your Mind

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