The XR Weekly Update (December 23, 2024): Meta Gears Up for Rivals, Niantic Advances in Spatial Intelligence, and More!

With the holidays right around the corner and the year wrapping up, I wanted to squeeze in a special surprise for you all before diving into festivities tomorrow. Consider me your early Santa because I have not one, but two fantastic XR games to give away. Stay tuned throughout the roundup to catch how you can snag these cool gaming experiences for free.

Top News This Week

Let’s dive into what’s been making waves this week. The spotlight is on Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, who took to the company blog to share some reflections on 2024 and a glimpse of what’s to come in 2025. Alongside him, Mark Rabkin, the VP of MR/VR at Meta, and Janko Roettgers from the Lowpass newsletter chimed in. You’ll hear about the usual fanfare regarding Meta’s innovations, such as the launch of the Quest 3S, but let’s focus on the gems within those posts without sifting through all the fluff.

• Quest 3S Sales and Market Penetration: Boz highlighted the strong sales during Black Friday, anticipating more headset activations over the holidays. Post-holiday sales figures will be intriguing to compare with the Quest 2’s history.
• New User Growth: Interestingly, not all Quest 3S buyers are upgrading from Quest 2. Instead, there’s a significant influx of first-time Quest users, thanks to its attractive pricing.
• Shifting Demographics: A younger audience is reshaping the Quest store, favoring social and multiplayer games with IAPs, like "Gorilla Tag". Meanwhile, adults lean towards entertainment experiences.
• Development Trends: Meta is driving content creation towards popular genres with funding opportunities for developers focusing on social gaming, entertainment, and MR-first apps.
• Top Immersive Applications: Gorilla Tag, YouTube VR, and Horizon Worlds are topping the charts, indicating strong interests in various media and social VR spaces.
• Ray-Ban and AI Integration: Meta’s smart glasses got a boost with AI capabilities, and future plans could include proactive AI assistants, raising privacy talks.
• Competitive Landscape in XR: With Apple and Google stepping into the XR game, Meta acknowledges it can’t rest easy. Competition promises benefits for users and developers alike, even if it keeps Meta on its toes.

For all detailed insights, check out Bosworth’s post on Meta’s blog, the Lowpass newsletter, and Rabkin’s commentaries on X.

Other Relevant News

• Spatial Intelligence Evolution: This week, large strides in Spatial Intelligence were noted. Niantic shared insights on Geospatial Models for spatial understanding, crucial given their VPS systems. Similarly, NYU explored spatial understanding in AI, presenting VSI-Bench for AI spatial awareness assessments.
• New Tech on the Horizon: Immersive tech continues to advance. Blackmagic’s 8K camera for Apple Immersive Video is up for pre-order, marking a leap for professionals, and Meta’s SDK now includes an audio-to-expression feature to enhance avatar animations.

Scroll further for tidbits that are too good to miss: some potential fixes for Quest performance on Steam VR, Tokyo’s digital cityscape release, the Meta Winter Sale for VR game enthusiasts, and more.

What to Anticipate in XR Gaming

December’s surely the season of giving, and among these surprises are insights into the VR gaming scene. Upload VR’s awards for 2024 showcase top VR/AR games by category, with no surprise victories for some well-loved titles. Yet, not all new releases hit it out of the park. "Alien Rogue Incursion", despite its intriguing presence, didn’t wow to expectations—though its atmosphere was spot-on.

Innovation and Community

Finally, emerging tech in VR and AR calls for innovation. Initiatives like PatchWorld’s new update or community events such as DeoVR’s CES party, add momentum. Plus, check out our giveaways for titles like "Home Sports" and "Party Versus"—fun rides into mixed reality.

In the spirit of the season, if you’re able, please consider supporting those in dire need by donating to the Red Cross for Ukraine.

Your support makes these updates possible, and with a fresh year on our doorstep, let’s continue to explore the infinite possibilities XR and the gaming world offer us.

(Header image courtesy of Meta)

Looking for even more innovation news? Share with fellow trailblazers and let’s keep this community buzzing.