XR weekly round-up: Meta Quest 3S attracts new customers despite weaknesses, VR blockbuster gets mixed reviews
December 21, 2024
Meta Quest 3S review, Looktech presents AI smart glasses, Meta Quest gets new avatar mimic and mixed reviews for Alien: Rogue Incursion — the week’s top XR news.
In our weekly “XR Update” overview, you will always find the most important XR news from the past week with a brief summary. If you are interested in a topic, click on the link to the full article in the relevant paragraph. As usual, we provide you with background information and opinions in addition to the facts.
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MIXED Comment
Why the Meta Quest 3S could fail in the long term
Meta’s plan to lure as many VR newcomers as possible into its own ecosystem with the affordable Meta Quest 3S could backfire. The reason: the built-in Fresnel lenses with a small sweet spot result in a blurred image. This could put many users off in the long term. A comment.
MIXED Reader Question
When will virtual reality be like in “Ready Player One”?
MIXED reader Loki19 wanted to know when VR will provide an experience like the one in “Ready Player One”. The answer: Probably never, at least not in our lifetimes. VR technology is still a long way from creating a hyper-realistic parallel world. And that’s a good thing.
XR hardware: News on VR, AR and mixed reality headsets
Meta Quest 3S review: entry-level VR headset with weaknesses
The Meta Quest 3S makes getting into VR more affordable than ever, but does not offer an optimal experience. The Fresnel lenses with a small sweet spot, the impractical eye distance adjustment and the poor wearing comfort are the main problems. Suitable for occasional users, but not recommended for demanding VR fans. Click here for the full review of the Meta Quest 3S.
Looktech announces smart glasses with AI assistant
Looktech presents innovative smart glasses with voice assistant based on GPT4o, Gemini and Claude. The headset offers a 13 MP camera, long battery life and open-ear speakers. They were available on Kickstarter for early bird backers from $200. Delivery starts in April 2025.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses get new AI features
Meta is giving the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses an update with new AI functions such as live translation, Shazam integration and an improved AI assistant. However, the update is only being rolled out in the USA and Canada for the time being.
XR market and business news
Meta’s head of technology: This is why there is no Quest with a wireless computing unit
Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth explains why wireless computing units are currently not an option for VR headsets such as the Meta Quest. They would increase costs and complexity without saving any significant weight. However, wired compute pucks could be a viable middle ground.
Meta Quest 3S: Meta is satisfied with sales
Meta comments on the sales of the Meta Quest 3S for the first time and is satisfied. The budget headset is bringing many VR newcomers into the ecosystem. Younger users in particular are keen on social games and freemium content. Horizon Worlds is also benefiting from the influx.
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PlaystationVR 2: Diving simulation Subside impresses in the demo
The graphically impressive diving simulation Subside will soon be released for Playstation VR 2. A demo gives a first impression of the realistic underwater world and the successful swimming mechanics. The game should also benefit from the additional power of the Playstation 5 Pro.
Meta Quest: Party Versus connects your living room to a mixed reality playground
The new mixed reality party game Party Versus for Meta Quest 3 and 3S lets you compete against each other with up to four players. The special feature: The participants’ living rooms merge into a shared game environment. Over a dozen mini-games provide chaotic multiplayer fun.
Alien: Rogue Incursion in the press review: Great alien atmosphere, but also weaknesses
According to initial reviews, Alien: Rogue Incursion perfectly captures the visual style and atmosphere of the Alien films. In terms of gameplay, however, the VR title is more of an average sci-fi shooter with repetitive gameplay. There is also still room for technical optimization. The game also ends with a cliffhanger.
Batman: Arkham Shadow: Update 1.2 brings German voice acting and more
Batman: Arkham Shadow receives new voiceovers in different languages, a character viewer, four new challenge maps and numerous bug fixes and improvements with Update 1.2. The VR hit’s latest update takes up almost 9 GB on the Meta Quest 3 and 3S.
Meta Quest: New avatar mimicry translates speech into facial expressions
Meta has introduced a new AI feature for Meta Quest avatars that translates verbal utterances into convincing facial expressions. Audio to Expression replaces the older Lipsync system and ensures significantly more expressive avatars without the need for face tracking. However, developers must first integrate the feature into their apps.
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