The XR Weekly Brief (03/04/2025): Valve Deckard’s Potential $1200 Price Tag, PSVR 2 Gets a Price Cut, and Other Highlights!

As the Carnival festivities wrap up here in Italy, the streets are buzzing with joy. Personally, my celebration involves indulging in some delicious seasonal sweets. But there’s another reason for my high spirits today: Feedspot has ranked me third among the top 60 Virtual Reality websites, placing me just behind the giants, Road To VR and Upload VR. Now, I won’t boast about being the third best—I know a few sites that are underrated, like MIXED, and there’s a mention of the now-defunct Oculus site in the list. So, while it might be a bit unexpected, I’m thrilled to enjoy this achievement, which acknowledges the hard work and dedication I’ve put in over the past eight years. A big thanks to everyone who has supported me on this journey!

Top News of the Week

Valve’s Deckard Could Make a $1,200 Entrance in 2025

Fresh buzz surrounds the anticipated Valve Deckard, with the latest tip-off coming from data miner, Gabe Follower, a trusted source in the past. The word is that we might see the Deckard in 2025, carrying a price tag around $1,200. Gabe Follower claims that alongside the headset, Valve is readying some exclusive games or demos that are perfectly tailored for Deckard, possibly including a demo from the Half-Life franchise, according to Tyler McVicker from Valve News Network. The Deckard will reportedly run SteamOS, like the Steam Deck, and should support SteamDeck flat games on a large VR scale. This is intuitive given that the accompanying Roy controllers mimic a traditional gamepad. Despite its high-end price, the set might be sold at a loss, suggesting some impressive specifications that would certainly thrill Valve enthusiasts.

More Info: [Valve Deckard Rumors] [Half-Life Demo Speculation]

Other Notable News

PSVR 2’s Price Cut Creates Waves

Sony has made a significant move by permanently reducing the PSVR 2’s price to $400 (€450/£400/¥66,980), bundling it with Horizon Call of the Mountain at no extra charge. Previously, the PSVR 2—a commendable headset—was priced steeper than a PS5, which stunted sales despite a recent discount increase. Now, with improved pricing, sales seem poised to thrive, although it lacks an exclusive game library. The new competitive pricing might just enhance PSVR 2’s ecosystem significantly.

More Info

Meta’s Embrace of Free-to-play Strategy

Meta is steering its Quest developers toward a free-to-play model, with over 70% of user time spent on such experiences. Fast Travel Games’ Mannequin and Owlchemy Labs’ Dimensional Double Shift exemplify this trend, both seeing success through free downloads. Yet, while free-to-play booms, concerns about actual revenue linger, and questions about the real financial impact remain unanswered by Meta, stirring curiosity among developers.

More Info: [Free-to-play Impact] [Meta’s Revenue Strategy]

Meta Unveils the Next-gen Aria Glasses

The leap from Project Aria to Aria Gen 2 offers research-focused glasses equipped with advanced sensors. With integral improvements like a Meta custom chip enabling on-device tracking and interaction capabilities, the glasses now promise an efficient, powerful tool for AI model training. Weighing just 75g, these glasses deliver 6–8 hours of action, except only to Meta’s closest research collaborators at present.

More Info: [Road To VR] [Upload VR]

Revamped Meta Services for Education and Enterprise

Meta just released its ‘Meta For Education’ and ‘Horizon Managed Solutions’ programs. These initiatives mean big news for schools and businesses alike, offering comprehensive device management and educational content, plus digital twin campuses for remote experiences via VictoryXR’s Engage XR platform. Pricing plans are designed to unite with existing enterprise tools, broadening appeal, but the subsequent subscription model poses a long-term financial challenge.

More Info: [Meta for Education] [Meta Horizon Managed Solutions]

Quick Mentions

HTC’s VIVERSE Worlds Platform

HTC’s fresh launch of VIVERSE Worlds boasts ambitions of becoming the "YouTube of 3D Content," enabling seamless web integration via a simple iFrame, making access and performance smooth with its innovative Polygon Streaming technology.

More Info: [Road To VR] [Upload VR]

AMD Enters the Graphics Arena

AMD’s newly unveiled RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT cards, priced at $550 and $600, challenge NVIDIA’s offerings with compelling AI accelerators and support for future VR headsets through DisplayPort 2.1a.

More Info: [Upload VR] [The Verge]

Innovation Spotlight: Play Windows Games on Pico 4

A creative twist comes via Virtually Real on YouTube, detailing how to run older Windows games like Crysis on the Pico 4 Ultra using the Winlator Android emulator.

More Info

Community Snippets

Challenges with the Horizon Store

Concerns are mounting over the Horizon Store’s content quality. After Redditors revealed a flood of low-quality Gorilla Tag imitators, there’s a growing call for better curation from Meta.

More Info: [BMFVR] [Clones Insight]

Meta’s Move Tracks its Final Steps

In a surprising update, Meta discontinues its Move fitness app, mainly citing outdated technology. This decision questions past choices such as the acquisition-related shutdown of startup YUR.

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Virtual Avatars: A Meta Reality Labs Showcase

A collaboration between Meta and the University of Munich presents Avat3r, a compelling avatar creation system using just an iPhone, delivering surprisingly realistic facial replication.

More Info

Taste the Virtual Future

Research from Ohio State University explores virtual taste through an innovative e-taste interface, showcasing advancements in immersive sensory technology.

More Info: [Research Experiment] [Detailed Paper]

Spotlight: The VR Critic Launch

Dr. Luke Buckmaster debuts "The VR Critic", offering a wealth of over 100 meticulous VR experience reviews. Wishing Luke’s venture great success!

More Info

VR Content Highlights

From Steam Next Fest bringing free demo excitement to nostalgic releases in shooters and rhythm games, the content landscape continues to evolve. Stay tuned for fresh titles and updates like VR travel adventures or sequels promising to push gaming boundaries.

More Info: [Steam Next Fest] [GORN 2] [Wanderer]

Content Reviewer Insights

Initial previews from NinjaGuyVR and others highlight the challenges and potential in new VR demos and games. Orion Drift, Retronika, and Detective VR all bring varied experiences to the table, promising engaging gameplay despite some room for development.

More Info: [Orion Drift Insights]

Broader Developments

GTA 6’s aspirations as a metaverse platform and strides in VR-assisted lucid dreaming reflect the field’s innovative push. Industry progress is marked by immersive spectacles underscoring VR’s future trajectory.

More Info

Friend and Partner News

Cause+Christi unveils “SHIP HAPPENS”, an innovative WebXR escape room experience partnered with HTC VIVERSE, propelling creative storytelling within VR’s interactive space.

More Info: [Discover SHIP HAPPENS] [Play the Game]

Fun Corner

Explore playful takes on technology’s role, gadgets, and unexpected twists in today’s tech culture. Whether it’s through humorous links or lighthearted commentary, there’s always room for a smile as we navigate the digital universe.

Support for Good Causes

Wrapping up, while I usually don’t ask for donations to my blog, I urge everyone instead to support those affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Contributions to the Red Cross make a meaningful impact, providing much-needed aid during these turbulent times. Huge thanks to my Patreon supporters for their unwavering backing:

[List of Supporters]

And for those interested in contributing, here’s a link to the donation page:

Support The Red Cross in Ukraine

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