The XR Week Peek (2023.07.18): Roblox is coming to Quest, Google has an unclear XR vision, and more!

It is summer and usually nothing relevant in tech happens in this period, but actually, there have been quite a few relevant pieces of XR news this week. So, while I’m melting like Terminator in the hot lava (sorry for the spoiler of Terminator 2, but if you haven’t watched the movie yet, you deserve it), here I am summarizing these topics for you, so you are sure to not lose the most important things that have happened in XR! Top news of the week (Image by Meta)Roblox is coming to Meta Quest We already heard a few rumors about Roblox possibly coming to Meta Quest, but now it is official: Meta itself has stated that the popular gaming universe is coming as a beta to Meta Quest App Lab in the coming weeks, before being released to the official Meta Quest Store when it will be ready.  Roblox features around 15M experiences

The XR Week Peek (2023.06.20): Samsung to change its XR plans, Upload made a cool showcase, and more!

Another week, another roundup! I didn’t forget my promise of a big article about the Vision Pro, I just had to postpone it because I was too busy. But it’s coming this week, so be prepared… Top news of the week (Image by Google)Samsung may have changed its plan because of the Vision Pro announcement We just finished reporting the rumors about the Vision Pro and we start now reporting the rumors about the next big headset, the XR device that Samsung is designing together with Google and Qualcomm.  We all joked about Samsung waiting for the Apple Vision Pro announcement to copy it, but according to some rumors, this is exactly what is happening. It seems that the Korean brand was building a Galaxy XR device with a 2,000 PPI display, but after Apple revealed that the Vision Pro will boast 3400 PPI, the new plan is a device with at

10 Top Use Cases of Blockchain in Virtual Reality

While talking about blockchain technology, we should keep in mind that this is a new and still evolving industry. There are several use cases of blockchain in different industries, including virtual reality. Here are the top use cases of blockchain in VR. 1. Decentralized Asset Ownership Blockchain can be used to verify and track the ownership of virtual assets in VR, making it impossible for fraudulent transactions to occur, one example is DeFi (Decentralized Finance) in which there is no threat of fraud or theft as DeFi offers an emerging model for organizing and enabling cryptocurrency-based transactions without relying on intermediaries or traditional banks. 2. VR Advertising and Sponsorship Blockchain and VR can work together to verify sponsorship and verify traffic, promoting transparency and trust between brands and consumers. Through blockchain, advertising and sponsorship in virtual reality can be made more secure and reliable. By using blockchain-based smart contracts, brands

Play A Puzzle-Solving Canine In VR Game HUMANITY

Guide humanity to safety in this “paw-some” VR action-platformer.Available now on PC VR and PlayStation VR headsets, HUMANITY is a uniquely-crafted VR puzzle-action game that puts you in the shoes (paws?) of a supernatural Shiba Inu tasked with guiding hordes of people through a series of increasingly-elaborate stages, each of which features their own challenges to overcome.In order to safely usher these massive crowds through each challenge, you’ll issue commands such as climb, float, jump, shoot, and turn. According to the official game page, we can expect a healthy combination of action, platforming, and puzzle-solving gameplay as you make your way through 90 story-mode stages. Along the way, you’ll unlock new skills and take on intimidating bosses in the process. [embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=HA-zcWoQ4X4&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent[/embed] There’s even a built-in level editor, allowing you to craft your own complex stages and share them with other players online. You can also discover new stages created

The XR Week Peek (2023.05.15): Google confirms headset with Samsung, Ultraleap teases a new device, and more!

It’s time for another roundup of amazing XR news. Are you ready? Top news of the week (Image by Google)Google announces important AI and XR news at Google I/O This Google I/O has seen immersive realities back to the menu. During the keynote, CEO Sundar Pichai and his collaborators announced interesting features both for AR and VR. I’ve written a dedicated news roundup article dedicated to Google I/O today, so I won’t go deep into details here and I invite you to read that post (linked here below) if you want to have the details about the news. But to summarize, the most important XR-related tidbits have been: Google confirmed that is still working with Qualcomm and Samsung to build an XR headset. More information about it is coming “later this year” Project Starline, the booth to have volumetric 1-to-1 calls has been improved and optimized. Some journalists have tried it and

New VR Games & Releases May 2023: PSVR 2, Quest 2 & More

Searching for new VR games releasing in May 2023? We’ve got you covered.Following a strong start this year, April 2023 was comparatively quieter but that doesn’t mean we lacked big VR games. On our side, we reviewed Gambit!, Breachers, Call of the Sea VR, Kill It With Fire VR, A Knight In The Attic, Tennis League VR and Eye of the Temple, alongside interviewing New Blood Interactive about Amid Evil VR. Elsewhere, other notable games included Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition, Fruit Ninja 2 and the Half-Life 2: Episode 2 VR Mod, making it a busy month all around.Here’s a rundown of all the big upcoming VR releases arriving on Meta Quest 2, PC VR, PSVR 2, Pico 4 and more in May 2023.Propagation: Paradise Hotel – May 4 (Quest 2, PC VR) [embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=4J6NTGz3II8&feature=oembed[/embed] Developed by WanadevStudio, Propagation: Paradise Hotel is a sequel to Propagation VR. A survival

The XR Week Peek (2023.04.24): Apple headset to have iOS apps, Pico launches Pico 4 Pro in China, and more!

This week we had quite a few interesting pieces of XR news. From the nth rumor on the Apple headset to the announcement of the Pico 4 Pro in China, there have been a few things happening that you as an XR enthusiast can’t miss. Here in this roundup, of course, you can find them all. And together with them, you can also find a giveaway of keys for the audiobook about the metaverse by Luis Martins! :O Top news of the week (Image from an Apple event)Apple headset to run iOS apps The rumored launch of the Apple headset is getting closer, so the rumors about it are intensifying. The usual Mark Gurman has published an interesting report about it, in which he talks about the applications that should be available on the device. This is the list of apps, kindly reported by my friends at RoadToVR: iPad apps adapted for mixed

Humanity Follows A Shiba Inu Onto PC VR & PSVR 2 On May 16

Surrealist puzzle platformer Humanity releases May 16 on PC, PSVR and PSVR 2.First revealed back in 2019, Humanity is the latest game from Tetris Effect and Rez Infinite publisher Enhance. Reminiscent of Lemmings, you play as a Shiba Inu, guiding the mindless masses across levels by making them jump, climb, swim and more to reach the exit. Beyond the main campaign, Humanity also lets you create and share custom-built stages. Announcing the news with a retro-themed trailer, you can watch that below: [embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=iM1yO7bcqqk&feature=oembed[/embed] Better still, Enhance confirmed that PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members can play Humanity on day one at no extra cost, by way of the subscription’s Game Catalog. If you’re curious to know more, here’s the official description:A unique blend of devious puzzle-solving and platformer-action mechanics, HUMANITY’s ever-changing and eclectic gameplay experience will have you lead a horde of ever-forward-marching people into the light. Place commands to

Skarredghost does not exist, he has always been an artificial intelligence

Today’s article will be a bit different than usual. Who is writing is not Skarredghost, but a spokesperson of UmbrellAI which has been authorized by the company to speak publicly. With today’s post, we want to communicate to the whole VR community a piece of news that may shock some of you, but that signals an important advancement of artificial intelligence technology: the VR blogger that goes under the pseudonym of Skarredghost does not exist, but he is a virtual human developed by our company. UmbrellAI Our logo, which inspires happiness and trust UmbrellAI Corp. is a company that has been focused on artificial intelligence for many decades. We were early believers in AI even in times when the technology was rough and its usability was questioned by many technology professionals. Over the years, we developed an incredible team hiring always

The XR Week Peek (2023.03.27): Vive inside-out Tracker announced, Pico’s launch in the US delayed, and more!

This has been quite an interesting week. We had at the same time the Game Developer Conference (the GDC) and the GPU Technology Conference (GTC) by NVIDIA, so we had lots of announcements about 3D technology in general and also about XR. Since there are these two conferences with a very similar name happening at a similar time and a similar place, I wonder why they don’t unify them in a single one called GTDC, or GXC, or something like that. Ok, of course, I’m kidding, but, you know, the possibility of saying the wrong name is so high that my proposal actually starts making sense… Top news of the week (Image by HTC Vive)HTC reveals inside-out-tracked Tracker With a totally unexpected move, HTC has revealed a new kind of Tracker.  The Tracker is one of the most successful products sold by HTC: it is mostly used by the VRChat community people