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As AR improves, the SE's single rear camera and limited sensors could hold iPhones back. Credit: Apple
Reality Check

Apple’s First 2022 Event; A VR Accessory’s Chip Shortage Struggle

By Mathew Olson · Mar 7, 2022 11:00am PST
Apple holds its first product event of the year tomorrow, March 8. An updated version of the iPhone SE, currently the company’s entry-level $399 smartphone, is expected to headline the event—this time with 5G support. That’s a big deal. By bringing it to their lower-end device, Apple will help broaden adoption of 5G across the population.That... Apple holds its first product event of the year tomorrow, March 8. An updated version of the...
A Vive Flow headset next to a smartphone. Credit: HTC.
Reality Check

A $10 Million Raise for AI “Native Inhabitants” of the Metaverse

By Mathew Olson · Mar 3, 2022 11:06am PST
Regardless of who you talk to or the degree of company spin you’re dealing with, most discussions and pitches involving the metaverse will touch upon the idea of feeling present with your fellow users, i.e. with other real people on the platform. But there’s also a strong push—backed by proven talent and reputable investment—to populate virtual... Regardless of who you talk to or the degree of company spin you’re dealing with, most discussions...
A rendering of Snap's developer-only AR Spectacles. Credit: Snap.
Reality Check

Snap’s Ukrainian AR Roots; The Void Teases Return With “Bigger” VR Ambitions

By Mathew Olson · Mar 2, 2022 11:00am PST
As Russia continues to lay siege to Ukraine, we’re continuing to see an outpouring of statements and support from tech companies the world over. Snap, for instance, pledged over $15 million to relief organizations in Ukraine. In doing so, Snap has also recognized that its long-ago purchase of a young Ukrainian startup helped lay “the foundation”... As Russia continues to lay siege to Ukraine, we’re continuing to see an outpouring of statements...
One of the main streets in Kyiv, photographed during the capital's curfew. Photo: AP
A Ukrainian AR/VR Founder’s Call For Support
By Mathew Olson · Mar 1, 2022 11:00am PST
One of the main streets in Kyiv, photographed during the capital's curfew. Photo: AP
Reality Check

A Ukrainian AR/VR Founder’s Call For Support

By Mathew Olson · Mar 1, 2022 11:00am PST
On the second day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Daria Fedko left her house in a town near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv for a town about 200 km southeast. From there, the co-founder and CEO of WE/AR Studio, an AR and VR developer, is trying to keep in touch with her 27 employees to ensure they’re safe.“Some of them left the country, and some of... On the second day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Daria Fedko left her house in a town near...
A promo image for Supernatural, one of the VR apps Zuckerberg name-checked on Fridman's podcast. Credit: Within.
Reality Check

Zuckerberg Goes Meta on Metaverse; Qualcomm and ByteDance Team Up on More VR

By Mathew Olson · Feb 28, 2022 11:01am PST
In Mark Zuckerberg’s first big interview since Meta Platforms’ historic stock drop—and really, as Zuckerberg joked, one of his longest Q&As not before Congress—the increasingly product-focused CEO tried to have some fun. He entertained the idea of letting the interviewer, MIT computer scientist and podcast host Lex Fridman, try some... In Mark Zuckerberg’s first big interview since Meta Platforms’ historic stock drop—and really, as...
A metaverse wine tasting, as depicted in the "Viverse" concept reel. Credit: HTC.
Reality Check

HTC’s New Metaverse Plans Are Not Going Over Well With Customers

By Mathew Olson · Feb 24, 2022 11:00am PST
We learned on Wednesday just how much HTC wants to be seen as a fully fledged, all-around metaverse player, not just a company known for capable VR products. The maker of Vive VR products released a new concept video of the “Viverse,” a day-in-the-life depiction of a theoretical metaverse. The video mixes real Vive VR products with a heavy dose... We learned on Wednesday just how much HTC wants to be seen as a fully fledged, all-around...
A game created inside Horizon Worlds, Meta's newest social VR app. Credit: Meta Platforms.
Reality Check

Why Meta’s AI Research Could Make or Break Its Metaverse Ambitions

By Mathew Olson · Feb 23, 2022 12:30pm PST
Today, Meta Platforms gave a first look at an in-development AI tool called Builder Bot. In essence, Builder Bot works like a voice assistant for quickly sketching out virtual worlds. The company hopes such assistants will help spur creativity—and, by extension, economic activity—in the metaverse. It’s a compelling idea, and one that could go a... Today, Meta Platforms gave a first look at an in-development AI tool called Builder Bot. In...
The PlayStation VR2 headset, flanked by right and left hand VR2 "Sense" controllers. Credit: Sony.
Sony’s PlayStation VR2 Headset Design Sports New Comfort Features
By Mathew Olson · Feb 22, 2022 11:00am PST
The PlayStation VR2 headset, flanked by right and left hand VR2 "Sense" controllers. Credit: Sony.
Reality Check

Sony’s PlayStation VR2 Headset Design Sports New Comfort Features

By Mathew Olson · Feb 22, 2022 11:00am PST
Sony unveiled the design of its upcoming PlayStation VR2 headset, revealing a device that on first glance looks quite similar to Meta Platforms’ Quest 2 headset. But a few new features suggest the new headset could be significantly more comfortable to wear than the original PlayStation VR headset. The only caveat is the headset’s cable... Sony unveiled the design of its upcoming PlayStation VR2 headset, revealing a device that on...
A look at the Peceptus Lego demo. Tagged pieces can be used to build a specific model. Credit: Singulos Research.
Reality Check

Perceptus Pitches Smarter AR; Kid Cudi Raises $9 Million for AR Concerts

By Mathew Olson · Feb 17, 2022 11:00am PST
It can take newborns a couple years to understand object permanence, and then a few more years after that to have a deep understanding of the characteristics and rules that define those objects, like puzzle pieces or coins with differing values.You can imagine, then, how hard it would be to make an AR app that does anything close to what a... It can take newborns a couple years to understand object permanence, and then a few more years...
A group of AltSpaceVR avatars. Credit: Microsoft.
Reality Check

Microsoft’s Belated AltspaceVR Safety Changes

By Mathew Olson · Feb 16, 2022 12:00pm PST
AltspaceVR, the social VR platform that Microsoft acquired in 2017, is undergoing some major changes in the name of safety. Open public areas hosted by AltspaceVR are being eliminated, existing safety bubbles and mute options are becoming defaults, and users will soon need to sign in with a Microsoft account.Announced in a blog post by Microsoft... AltspaceVR, the social VR platform that Microsoft acquired in 2017, is undergoing some major...
The ThinkReality A3 enterprise AR glasses, seen here cabled to a PC laptop. Credit: Lenovo.
Reality Check

Motorola’s New AR/VR Accessory; Nintendo Plays Wait-and-See With the Metaverse

By Mathew Olson · Feb 15, 2022 11:00am PST
Hoping to be in the vanguard of AR/VR users over the next few years? If so, you may need to sport not one, but two wearables to get the most from your chosen headset or glasses.Motorola, in collaboration with its parent company Lenovo as well as Verizon, has announced a new “5G XR neckband,” an accessory designed for use with AR glasses or VR... Hoping to be in the vanguard of AR/VR users over the next few years? If so, you may need to sport...
A promotional image for the Quest 2 VR headset. Credit: Meta Platforms.
The Uphill Battle of Moderating Horizon Worlds; Unity’s New AR App
By Mathew Olson · Feb 14, 2022 11:00am PST
A promotional image for the Quest 2 VR headset. Credit: Meta Platforms.
Reality Check

The Uphill Battle of Moderating Horizon Worlds; Unity’s New AR App

By Mathew Olson · Feb 14, 2022 11:00am PST
About 48 hours before Meta Platforms rolled out its nostalgia-infused Super Bowl ad for the Quest 2 and Horizon Worlds, BuzzFeed published a report on Meta’s latest VR social platform that brings back memories of past moderation struggles.To test Meta’s moderation of user-made Horizon Worlds content, BuzzFeed set up a world full of QAnon slogans... About 48 hours before Meta Platforms rolled out its nostalgia-infused Super Bowl ad for the Quest...
A plaza in Decentraland, where Samsung has opened a virtual store called 837X. Credit: Decentraland Foundation.
Reality Check

Samsung’s Latest AR Moves; Microsoft’s Potent App Store Promises

By Mathew Olson · Feb 10, 2022 11:00am PST
Gadget hounds more or less knew what to expect from Samsung’s first big event of the year yesterday: new phones and tablets under the Galaxy brand. Compared to Apple and even Google with its refresh of the Pixel phone last year, Samsung isn’t pitching its phones on the merits of AR all that hard—but that doesn’t mean the company’s interest in... Gadget hounds more or less knew what to expect from Samsung’s first big event of the year...
One of the "calm" visual settings available in the Tripp VR app's composer tool. Credit: Tripp.
Reality Check

Finding Meditation’s Place in the Metaverse; Snap’s Spending Money

By Mathew Olson · Feb 9, 2022 11:00am PST · 1 comment
When Facebook bought Oculus, fitness was not a VR category people had high hopes for. But it now appears that all VR needed to make exercise apps an attractive business was wireless headsets. Could meditation be on a similar path?There’s certainly reasons to think so. Indeed, VR is already key to mindfulness or spirituality for some. There’s the... When Facebook bought Oculus, fitness was not a VR category people had high hopes for. But it now...
A promotional image for Meta's upcoming Quest 2 Super Bowl ad campaign. Credit: Meta Platforms.
Reality Check

VR and AR at the Super Bowl; Tobii’s CEO on the Rise of Eye Tracking

By Mathew Olson · Feb 8, 2022 11:00am PST
Super Bowl ads don’t come cheap. This year, broadcaster NBC said that some 30-second spots sold for up to $7 million, setting a new record for what’s routinely the most-watched U.S. sports event. And this Sunday’s game is poised to include some of the biggest advertising pushes for immersive tech yet.Pepsi will integrate AR features as part of... Super Bowl ads don’t come cheap. This year, broadcaster NBC said that some 30-second spots sold...
An illustration of the new "personal boundary" system in Horizon Worlds. Credit: Meta.
Meta’s Personal Space Patch; PC VR Figures and an Earnings Roundup
By Mathew Olson · Feb 7, 2022 11:00am PST
An illustration of the new "personal boundary" system in Horizon Worlds. Credit: Meta.
Reality Check

Meta’s Personal Space Patch; PC VR Figures and an Earnings Roundup

By Mathew Olson · Feb 7, 2022 11:00am PST
To sell people on the potential of AR and VR, Meta Platforms has often referred to “superpowers” that the technology can grant people, such as teleportation. Meta wants people to embrace these ideas not as sci-fi fancies, but as shorthand for how people will go about their lives with the aid of the metaverse. But a problem arises whenever Meta... To sell people on the potential of AR and VR, Meta Platforms has often referred to “superpowers”...
A stage presentation for the first Quest headset in 2018. Photo: Bloomberg.
Reality Check

Meta’s New VR Content Stats; HoloLens Turmoil; Behind a VR MMO Launch

By Mathew Olson · Feb 3, 2022 11:04am PST · 1 comment
Meta Platforms, remaining tight-lipped about Quest unit sales during its fourth quarter earnings report, instead dangled a juicy datapoint about VR software sales. More than $1 billion has been spent in the Quest Store since its launch in 2019. While this is promising news for developers who’ve made it on the Quest Store, the more you try to... Meta Platforms, remaining tight-lipped about Quest unit sales during its fourth quarter earnings...
The PlayStation 5 console, which will be required for the PlayStation VR2 headset. Credit: Sony.
Reality Check

The PlayStation Chip Squeeze; Meta’s Earnings Anticipation

By Mathew Olson · Feb 2, 2022 11:00am PST
The chip shortage is taking a bite out of Sony’s PlayStation 5 business. Sony Corp today lowered its forecast for the console’s sales in the fiscal year that ends next month by 22%, to 11.5 million, guaranteeing the current generation console will badly trail its predecessor in total sales until supply constraints ease up. And that could become... The chip shortage is taking a bite out of Sony’s PlayStation 5 business. Sony Corp today lowered...
The exterior of an Apple retail store. Photo: Bloomberg.
Reality Check

Apple May Warm to WebXR; What’s Next In Games and Metaverse M&A?

By Mathew Olson · Feb 1, 2022 11:00am PST
AR/VR developers, take note: new evidence suggests Apple will support the WebXR standard both in its Safari browser and on its upcoming headset. Such a move would help shift development for AR/VR further away from a discrete app model and toward something a bit more open like the old web (or even, yes, like the m-word everyone is throwing around... AR/VR developers, take note: new evidence suggests Apple will support the WebXR standard both in...
A look at how Meta's avatars will be integrated into Instagram. Credit: Meta Platforms.
Meta’s Avatars Meet Instagram; Ubisoft’s Metaverse Missteps
By Mathew Olson · Jan 31, 2022 11:01am PST
A look at how Meta's avatars will be integrated into Instagram. Credit: Meta Platforms.
Reality Check

Meta’s Avatars Meet Instagram; Ubisoft’s Metaverse Missteps

By Mathew Olson · Jan 31, 2022 11:01am PST
Today, for the first time since the company’s rebranding, Meta Platforms announced a step forward for its metaverse ambitions that isn’t reliant on VR or AR. Meta’s avatar system—the tools it gives users to make 3D caricatures of themselves—is getting an update that brings the avatars into Instagram for the first time.What use are these avatars,... Today, for the first time since the company’s rebranding, Meta Platforms announced a step forward...