This week, I had my Meta Connect experience, and I have to say it was great. There were many amazing XR people, I tried some cool demos, I ate a lot of free food… I really had a good time there. Now that the event is over, I’m still in the US, and I’m writing this article a bit from LA and a bit from NY. I’m happy to stay here some extra days to connect with other people from the XR community! And it’s my first time in New York, so it’s something to be excited about!
Do you know what else I’m excited about? The XR news of the week, so here you are a roundup of the most relevant XR news you may have missed.
Top news of the week
(Image by Meta)
At Connect Meta revealed new smartglasses and Horizon Worlds updates
Meta had its annual flagship Meta Connect event. This one has been mostly about smartglasses and Horizon Worlds.
If you want to read a very good summary of the event and its announcements, you can check out this article by David Heaney.
More info (Summary of Meta Connect)
Anyway, it would be too lazy for me to just link a summary article inside my summary article, so let me briefly review the most important announcements from there.
Meta has announced a refreshed version of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses that adds 3K video recording, double the battery life, and other features that were announced for the Oakley Meta HSTN. Their price starts from $379.
Talking about the Oakley Meta line, a new device has been announced: Oakley Meta Vanguard, which is made starting from the Oakley Sphaera design. It is made for athletes and it offers a wide-angle central camera for better video recording of sports performances, and water resistance. These glasses can also integrate with Strava and Garmin devices. Their price starts at $499.
More info (Pre-Connect leak of the upcoming glasses)
More info (New Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses)
More info (Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses)
More info (Garmin and Strava integrations)
The star of the show was, anyway, the new Ray-Ban Meta Display, the first smartglasses with a display. They can be controlled by the Meta Neural Band, an innovative wristband that is able to track the pose of your fingers from the electrical signals going through your wrist. Ray-Ban Meta Display is bulkier than its sibling devices, but for the first time, it offers a tiny color display to show information. Even if the display is only 600×600 pixels in resolution and occupies 20° of FOV, it already enables many interesting use cases like live captioning and translation.
These glasses are going to launch on September 30 in dedicated US stores, and expansion to other countries (including my Italy) is expected for 2026. The price starts at $799.
Hands-on feedback on the device highlights how this is an important step forward for Meta, and it is cool to see the use cases enabled by a display. But the device is a bit bulky, and the monocular display is uncomfortable to use, since the brain is used to stereo vision. The neural wristband works very well instead. The common consensus from the more tech-savvy people (me included) is that this is an interesting first-generation device that may appeal to prosumers, tech enthusiasts, and developers. But mainstream adoption may need at least one (if not two) more iterations.
More info (Ray-Ban Meta Display announcement — Road To VR)
More info (Ray-Ban Meta Display announcement — UploadVR)
More info (Hands on impressions on Ray-Ban Meta Display — Skarredghost, that is me)
More info (Hands on impressions on Ray-Ban Meta Display — UploadVR)
More info (Hands on impressions on Ray-Ban Meta Display — Road To VR)
Meta announced some cool new features for its glasses, and my favorite one is “Conversation Focus”. Long story short, it lets you hear better the people you are talking with. The glasses will enhance the voices of the people you are looking at, so even if you are in a noisy environment, you can speak with them very well. This is something that Meta teased years ago and that is now finally coming.
More info (Conversation Focus)
Two of the live demos of the smartglasses failed during the event, creating a worldwide buzz. Meta CTO later on explained the reasons for these failures, and one of them is pretty incredible: when a person on stage said “Hey Meta, start Live AI session”, he triggered a live AI session on all the Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the room, DDoS-ing Meta Servers. This is a pretty naive error, considering that this kind of problem is known since the release of Amazon Alexa…
More info (Glasses demo failures explained)
More info (What the teleprompted showed during the live demo)
During the developer Keynote, Meta also announced the release of an SDK for glasses called Wearable Devices Access Toolkit. It is still very early stages, and it only allows for a few features, but this is still an interesting step forward that will allow us developers to enter a new, growing market. Be warned though, that applications can’t run directly on glasses: this SDK is meant to add glasses support to native mobile apps.
Some companies like Disney and Twitch are already working with this SDK.
More info (Meta launches the Wearable Devices Access Toolkit)
More info (Disney is already experimenting with the Wearable Devices Access Toolkit)
Talking about VR, Meta managers mentioned it on the stage, and Mark even said the word “Metaverse”. The 3rd parties headsets for Horizon OS are confirmed, too, but we don’t know when they are coming.
More info (Headsets by Asus and Lenovo are confirmed)
The best news for VR people was that, finally, Discord is coming to Quest.
More info (Discord for Quest announced)
There were many updates for Horizon Worlds. Meta announced a new Horizon Engine on top of which a new version of Horizon Worlds has been built. With this engine, worlds on Horizon can load faster and have more than 100 concurrent players.
A new Horizon Studio, with very deep AI integration, will also let creators build worlds and their logic by just chatting with an assistant.
Meta also announced a new contest for mobile-optimized Horizon Worlds worlds worth $2.5M
More info (New Meta Horizon Engine)
More info (New Meta Horizon Studio)
Do you remember Horizon Hyperscape? It was an amazing demo released last year with 3D environments reconstructed with Gaussian Splats. This technology has been improved, and now it is also possible for Quest users to scan environments using only their Quest and publish them on Hyperscape. Many people are trying this feature these days, and everyone feels impressed by it.
More info (Meta Horizon Hyperscape)
Meta has also teased the new UI of the Quest, which is basically the old UI of the Vision Pro.
There is also news about storytelling content. The new Horizon TV will have Disney+ and other streaming platforms. Blumhouse Enhanced Cinema will show M3GAN and other movies with some special ambient effects.
James Cameron had a fireside chat with Boz during Connect to talk about why he’s a big believer in movies seen inside the headset (brightness and clarity are a big pro, according to him). They also announced that the trailer of the upcoming new Avatar movie will be available on Quest headsets.
More info (Blumhouse Enhanced Cinema)
More info (Avatar trailer on Quest)
More info (James Cameron talks about the Quest and generative AI)
Other relevant news
Snap OS 2.0 prepares the AR glasses for consumer adoption
Snap has just released the runtime Snap OS 2.0 for its Spectacles AR glasses. This update is very big and contains many features that will be useful for consumers adopting the glasses next year, when the first consumer version of Spectacles comes out. These are some of the features that have been added in this version of the operating system:
Travel mode, which lets you use the glasses when you are on a train or a plane
An overhauled Snap OS web browser that is now “faster, more powerful, and easier to use”. The browser also supports WebXR now
A gallery lens that lets you see and share all the captures you performed on the glasses
Spotlight, which is the Snapchat phone app’s equivalent of TikTok and Instagram Reels.
The company also announced that a special version of the popular game Synth Riders is coming to its glasses.
It’s good to see so many updates, and I guess that many others are coming with the release of the first consumer version of the Spectacles. This confirms what I reported a few weeks ago, that Snap considers the launch of the glasses to be very strategic for its future.
More info (Snap OS 2.0 — Road To VR)
More info (Snap OS 2.0 — Upload VR)
OpenAI is considering making smartglasses
It is well known that OpenAI started working together with Jony Ive’s design studio LoveFrom. What is not clear is what these two companies are building together.
A new report from The Information tries to shed some light on this. According to it, OpenAI and LoveFrom are working on a full line of devices. In particular, they are working on a smart speaker, in addition to its pocket-sized device, and have “considered” making glasses, a digital voice recorder, and a wearable pin.
Some time ago, Altman declared he doesn’t love smartglasses, so probably glasses won’t be the first product they are building. But considering that glasses are the best interface between humans and AI, because they can see what you are seeing, it is very probable that it will be one of the devices down the line.
The first device is expected for the second part of 2026 — beginning of 2027. So if some OpenAI glasses are to be released, it will be from 2027 on. That timeline seems distant, but it is when more or less it is rumored that Apple will release some sort of glasses, too.
More info (OpenAI is considering working on glasses — The Verge)
More info (OpenAI is considering working on glasses — UploadVR)
Apple releases VisionOS 26
Apple announced at WWDC some amazing updates coming to VisionOS 26. These new features were available in beta, and now they have finally been released on the public channel for everyone to enjoy. This is the list of the most important ones:
Personas just got an upgrade. The look and feel of the “avatars” is much more realistic, and they also look less like ghosts. When I saw the trailer video of the new personas, I was genuinely impressed because they look very realistic. If Apple continues to improve Personas this way, the moment Meta releases its long-awaited Codec Avatars, their “wow” effect will totally be lost. This would be a huge blow to Meta
Vision Pro is getting permanent Widgets that the user can put in his/her room. Apple will provide some standard widgets like the calendar, the weather, etc… and also an SDK, called WidgetKit, through which developers can build their own. I’m a big believer in these widgets because in the long term, we all will have AR widgets in our homes. Also in this case, Meta promised us the Augments, with their related SDK, but then there were delays, and they were never released. Apple beat Meta on time, also for this
Vision Pro is getting support for PlayStation VR2 controllers, as it was rumored for a long time. Thanks to this, it will be possible to have new types of games working on the headset
Vision Pro is getting support for Logitech Muse Spatial Stylus, which is a tracked 3D pen that looks very similar to the Mx Pen that works together with Quest. This is great for creative people who want to use Vision Pro to paint and sculpt in 3D
Hand Tracking got an update, now working at 90Hz, for increased responsiveness
Volumetric ‘Spatial Scenes’: basically, thanks to some AI magic, the spatial photos for Vision Pro will become a little volumetric, and you will be able to move your head a bit and see the 3D photo from different points of view from the one it was shot from
Vision Pro will also offer the ability to have colocated AR experiences (Shareplay), so multiple people wearing the Apple Vision Pro headset in the same physical space may be able to see the same augmentations in the same place and interact with them in a coherent way. Given the price of the device, it’s difficult that two people who have the headset are in the same house, so most probably this feature has been thought for companies and enterprises
The new Safari will allow web developers to embed 3D models in web pages, and the user can “manipulate” these 3D models directly in the page. This is pretty cool for the future of the spatial web
macOS Spatial Rendering: it will be possible to offload the execution of XR applications to a Mac, so that the XR experience may be executed by a faster chip than the M2 of the Vision Pro, and then streamed to the headset. This is basically Apple’s answer to the Meta Air Link
Native support for traditional 2D 180° and 360° video, not just Apple’s own 3D Apple Immersive Video format
A new Jupiter home environment.
These are only the most important updates, but there are also some minor ones. As you can see, this new version of VisionOS is incredibly more powerful, and some features like the upgraded personas and the widgets undercut Meta and its work on Codec Avatars and Augments.
It is good to see Apple continuing to improve the operating system for its headset: it shows commitment to immersive realities.
Samsung may launch its headset on October 21
The latest rumor about when the Samsung headset MAY come out comes from South Korean news outlet ETNews. It states that Samsung will finally release the “Project Moohan” device on October 21, in a dedicated event. A previous rumor was saying that it was September 29th, but considering we heard nothing about an upcoming Samsung event for that day, probably this is not going to happen.
Let’s wait and see… either it is October 21, or later on, there will be another rumor saying another date…
More info (Samsung headset launching on Oct 21 — UploadVR)
More info (Samsung headset launching on Oct 21 — Road To VR)
News worth a mention
(Image by Rokid)
AI glasses may reach 10 M sales milestone in 2026
Analyst firm Omnia has just published a forecast about the sales of smartglasses in the upcoming 5 years. The predictions are pretty encouraging: 5.1 million units should be shipped globally in 2025, and more than 10 million units by 2026. The expected sales by 2030 are beyond 35 million units per year. These numbers are very positive and hint at the mainstream adoption of these devices.
Remember, anyway, that these are predictions and have to be taken with a grain of salt. For instance, I’m pretty sure that smartglasses will follow the Gartner Hype Cycle and will have a moment of “disillusionment” with slower sales after the hype we are seeing now.
Quest v81 may allow Quest users to directly launch PCVR games
A few users published on Reddit pictures of a beta version of the v81 or the Quest runtime that has in the library a tab related to PCVR games. Clicking on one of the buttons there automatically connects the Quest Link (if available) and then launches the related game. This is incredibly handy and allows users to avoid using the Rift runtime, which is abandonware, to launch PC games.
This is not the first time that I have seen something similar. Viveport on the Vive Focus Plus already had a similar feature. And Meta teased years ago that it wanted to unify the interfaces of Quest and PC in only one interface. Maybe this is finally happening.
More info (PCVR tab on Quest — Reddit post)
More info (PCVR tab on Quest — X post)
The launch of the Steam Frame may be approaching
While Meta Connect was happening in Menlo Park, a few VR influencers decided to go to Seattle, close to which there are Valve’s headquarters. The rumor in town is that these people have been called either to go hands-on with the device so that to publish a review when it will be out (meaning that the launch is imminent); or to go hands-on with a device prototype so that to provide feedback for a future launch (and in this case, it would mean the launch is happening next year). In any case, this would mean that a launch is approaching.
There is another option: that many of these people just wanted to go on vacation there and enjoy the rain of Seattle…
The science behind the sense of disconnection after a VR session
Many people, after having tried a VR headset for the first time, see the physical reality as weird, or they perceive their hands “as not being theirs anymore”, or have the sensation of being stuck in a virtual reality. This issue is pretty common, and Road To VR has written an interesting article about it. This problem falls into the “depersonalization-derealization disorder” category, and it is given by the fact that the brain must do some adaptations to perceive the virtual reality as real, and when you return to the physical reality, these adaptations do not hold anymore, and the brain has to re-adapt to the reality.
Some news about content
VR action adventure Arken Age is finally launching on Quest: it is landing on the Horizon Store on October 30th, with pre-orders now live at $25 (discounted from $30 launch price)
Roguelite tactical RPG Successor is now available on Quest for $20, and PC VR support is coming at a later date
Cubism is celebrating its 5th anniversary! On this occasion, it is also releasing a big update for Quest
Oktoberfest: The Official Game, a free-to-play social experience with fairground minigames and playable rides inspired by the actual Oktoberfest, is now available for free on Quest
Unseen Diplomacy 2, the sequel to the successful spy PCVR game Unseen Diplomacy, is headed to Quest and Steam on September 25th (in early access)
The devs of Zero Caliber 2 are changing the final price of the game depending on the wishlists they are getting: the more the wishlists, the cheaper the game! This is an interesting marketing strategy
More info (Arken Age)
More info (Successor)
More info (Cubism)
More info (Oktoberfest)
More info (Unseen Diplomacy 2)
More info (Zero Caliber 2)
Some reviews about content
Reach has received enthusiastic preliminary reviews from Road To VR and UploadVR. The game has been optimally designed for VR, and it truly provides you with embodiment into your character. Interactions are great, and combat is fine. This promises to be one of the best games of the year
Arken Age seems to have been ported very well to Quest: graphics are downgraded but still good, sound is great, and framerate is mostly stable
Virtual Boy Go provides an emulation of the Virtual Boy, provided you own the original games
Table Troopers is like Worms in mixed reality: intuitive, easy to use, and very fun to play with friends
ZIX is a roguelike action game that gets addictive very soon. Its graphical style is pretty peculiar and may not be liked by everyone
Out There is a very nice storytelling experience for Quest and Vision Pro. It reminds a bit of Henry (by Oculus Studio)
More info (Reach — Road To VR)
More info (Reach — Upload VR)
More info (Arken Age)
More info (Virtual Boy Go)
More info (Table Troopers)
More info (ZIX)
More info (Out There)
Other news
Viture has launched its lineup of “Ultra” AR glasses and smartglasses
We have more info (like the price) on Project Beyondex, the kit that lets you mix the great visuals of Bigscreen Beyond with the great audio of Valve Index
In China, Meizu launched its “StarV Snap AI” smartglasses
VAL has published on LinkedIn a very interesting article on how it successfully did the marketing of some Horizon Worlds worlds
News from partners (and friends)
Vandalizer is coming
Osoi studio, the gaming studio behind Painting VR, has just announced Vandalizer, a game where you can vandalize artworks. It is an original concept, which I personally like. You can join the private beta, or wait for October 25, when the Early Access version will come out.
Learn more
Discover FM DUO camera!
Meet the FM DUO, a VR camera that is capable of filming up to 12K @30fps, and 8K @60fps. With built-in RTMP live streaming and 5G connectivity, the FM·DUO will immerse your viewers in real time! The FM·DUO features 2 full-frame CMOS sensors, with 6000 x 6000 pixels each. This allows for high-resolution zooming capabilities. Not only can you narrow in on one subject, but you can also focus on singular details of the subject’s facial expressions, clothing textures, and a multitude of other small details, enabling a much more immersive experience of VR video.
Some XR fun
This is how Terminator will start in real life.
Funny link
LOL Grok.
Funny link
This answer by the creator of Virtual Desktop is great
Funny link
I had a stroke reading this, and you can, too
Funny link
Classical VR user
Funny link
Donate for good
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