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Hugo Swart, VP of VR and AR at Qualcomm. Photo: Qualcomm. Illustration: Mike Sullivan
Reality Check

A Q&A With Qualcomm’s VP of VR and AR; Roblox’s Age-Up

By Mathew Olson · Nov 9, 2021 11:00am PST · 1 comment
This morning, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Spaces, a new set of software tools for developers of AR experiences (and yes, if you’re having deja vu from Monday, Niantic debuted its own AR developer tools yesterday, and they can be used with Spaces). Best known for its mobile chips, the San Diego company has been investing heavily in AR and VR, a... This morning, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Spaces, a new set of software tools for developers of...
Niantic CEO John Hanke. Photo: Bloomberg. Illustration: Mike Sullivan
Reality Check

Niantic CEO John Hanke on AR, the Metaverse and Why He’s “Fascinated” With the Crypto World

By Mathew Olson · Nov 8, 2021 10:00am PST
Niantic, makers of Pokemon Go, launched a new platform for AR developers called Lightship today. The company is taking the set of iOS and Android AR tools out of beta and offering worldwide access, with a model that’s initially free to use for all developers through to summer 2022.John Hanke, Niantic’s CEO and formerly the leader of the Google... Niantic, makers of Pokemon Go, launched a new platform for AR developers called Lightship today....
A waveguide lens, photographed showing a hint of the holographic coating. Photo: DigiLens
Reality Check

AR Company DigiLens Jumps in Value; Apple’s Sideloading Ire

By Mathew Olson · Nov 4, 2021 11:00am PDT
Samsung Electronics is leading a funding round for DigiLens, valuing the AR display tech firm at more than $500 million, we learned today. Samsung’s involvement signals that the South Korean hardware giant may be readying to debut AR glasses in the near future.DigiLens has worked for years on the development of transparent waveguides, which have... Samsung Electronics is leading a funding round for DigiLens, valuing the AR display tech firm at...
Avatars dressed as pirates in Rec Room. Credit: Rec Room
Rec Room Touts Record Growth; Meta’s Latest Quest Update
By Mathew Olson · Nov 3, 2021 11:00am PDT
Avatars dressed as pirates in Rec Room. Credit: Rec Room
Reality Check

Rec Room Touts Record Growth; Meta’s Latest Quest Update

By Mathew Olson · Nov 3, 2021 11:00am PDT
Mark Zuckerberg hopes the metaverse can free his company from its dependence on mobile platforms controlled by others like Apple and Google. Here’s a problem: at least two of the metaverse-like platforms that now exist, Roblox and Rec Room, are finding great success on mobile. That raises the question of whether metaverse aspirants can build... Mark Zuckerberg hopes the metaverse can free his company from its dependence on mobile platforms...
A screenshot from the upcoming non-VR remaster of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Credit: Rockstar Games/Take Two
Reality Check

The Team Bringing Grand Theft Auto to VR; Fortnite’s China Woes

By Mathew Olson · Nov 2, 2021 11:00am PDT
The biggest news Mark Zuckerberg had for VR gamers last week had nothing to do with new hardware or with games created by Meta. Instead, it was the announcement of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the Quest 2.As welcome as that news might be, the gloss on the announcement was somewhat tarnished by the news—first reported by UploadVR—that... The biggest news Mark Zuckerberg had for VR gamers last week had nothing to do with new hardware...
Roblox CEO David Baszucki. Photo: Roblox
Reality Check

Roblox’s Ill-Timed Outage; More on Meta

By Mathew Olson · Nov 1, 2021 11:00am PDT
While techies around the world spent the weekend mulling over Facebook’s new name, the company that arguably is the closest to having a functioning metaverse was in a major bind. Roblox, the beloved-by-kids game platform with over 43 million daily active users, suffered a complete outage lasting from Thursday afternoon to late Sunday.The... While techies around the world spent the weekend mulling over Facebook’s new name, the company...
A look at the next Oculus headset, codenamed Project Cambria. Credit: Meta
Reality Check

The Most Important AR and VR News From Connect

By Mathew Olson · Oct 28, 2021 11:20am PDT
The Connect keynote is over, and the company formerly known as Facebook is now called Meta. That’s not the only news of note—here’s some detail and added context on several announcements from Connect 2021.Project Cambria Is the Next Oculus HeadsetOne of the big news items from Connect was the company’s revelation that it plans to release a new... The Connect keynote is over, and the company formerly known as Facebook is now called Meta. That’...
Pikmin creatures, the stars of the new game from the makers of Pokemon Go. Credit: Niantic/Nintendo
Niantic, Nintendo and a Metaverse Made Simpler
By Mathew Olson · Oct 27, 2021 11:00am PDT · 1 comment
Pikmin creatures, the stars of the new game from the makers of Pokemon Go. Credit: Niantic/Nintendo
Reality Check

Niantic, Nintendo and a Metaverse Made Simpler

By Mathew Olson · Oct 27, 2021 11:00am PDT · 1 comment
Niantic’s new AR game Pikmin Bloom was officially released Tuesday and is gradually rolling out across the globe on Android and iOS. The timing is notable, given that Facebook has brought the metaverse discussion to the fore, as Pikmin Bloom is more likely to be a testbed for Niantic’s metaverse vision than anything else.Why? As previously noted... Niantic’s new AR game Pikmin Bloom was officially released Tuesday and is gradually rolling out...
A promotional image for the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset. Credit: Facebook
Reality Check

Facebook’s Earnings; Google’s Police VR Training; Pimax’s Moonshot

By Mathew Olson · Oct 26, 2021 11:00am PDT
We can look forward to more details about Facebook’s AR/VR and metaverse efforts now that the company plans to report its Facebook Reality Labs unit as its own segment starting in the fourth quarter. After years of Facebook not disclosing headset sales figures and with only a handful of cherry-picked statistics to champion the strength of Oculus... We can look forward to more details about Facebook’s AR/VR and metaverse efforts now that the...
Attendees at Facebook's 2019 Connect event gather around a Horizon display. Photo: Bloomberg
Reality Check

How Long Will the Wait for Facebook’s Horizon Worlds Be?

By Wayne Ma · Oct 25, 2021 11:00am PDT · 1 comment
It’s Wayne Ma, filling in for Mat, who’s dealing with another project today.It’s the week of Facebook Connect, one of the most anticipated weeks in the VR/AR calendar. Some might be hoping for news of the next model of the Oculus Quest, new games or even better smart glasses. For my part, I’m hoping Facebook will finally reveal when Horizon, a... It’s Wayne Ma, filling in for Mat, who’s dealing with another project today.It’s the week of...
The Aero VR headset. Photo: Varjo
Reality Check

Varjo’s New VR Headset; Unity’s Path From Multiplayer to Metaverse

By Mathew Olson · Oct 21, 2021 11:00am PDT
VR hardware maker Varjo is jumping into the consumer market, unveiling the new Aero headset earlier today. With a price tag of $1,990, the Aero reflects Varjo’s position at the high end of the market. To Varjo’s credit, though, it knows exactly what kind of buyer it’s pitching to: fans of simulator games.One simulator in particular is having a... VR hardware maker Varjo is jumping into the consumer market, unveiling the new Aero headset...
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: Bloomberg
Facebook’s Too-Late Rebrand; Netflix’s Metaverse Missed Opportunity
By Mathew Olson · Oct 20, 2021 11:00am PDT
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: Bloomberg
Reality Check

Facebook’s Too-Late Rebrand; Netflix’s Metaverse Missed Opportunity

By Mathew Olson · Oct 20, 2021 11:00am PDT
With countless jokes on Twitter behind us, let’s briefly assess The Verge’s report about Facebook planning a company name change: this should have happened sooner.I don’t mean that a new name should have debuted along with all the metaverse talk earlier this year, or that a rebranding would have lifted much of the whistleblower pressure Facebook... With countless jokes on Twitter behind us, let’s briefly assess The Verge’s report about Facebook...
The new AirPods have the head tracking of the Pro and Max models before it. Photo: Apple
Reality Check

Snap’s Pixel Deal With Google; Apple Cuts Price on Spatial Audio

By Mathew Olson · Oct 19, 2021 11:36am PDT
Exclusive Snapchat features are coming to the latest Pixel phones from Google, including some still-unannounced AR Lenses. It could be Snap’s most effective partnership with a phone maker yet, though that will largely depend on whether Google finally has a hit phone on its hands.As announced today, Pixel users will be able to quickly tap the... Exclusive Snapchat features are coming to the latest Pixel phones from Google, including some...
Nick Clegg, Facebook's VP of Global Affairs and co-author of Sunday's EU hiring announcement. Photo: AP
Reality Check

Facebook Promises Metaverse Jobs, VR Gets an Antitrust Nod

By Mathew Olson · Oct 18, 2021 11:00am PDT
Facebook’s announcement on Sunday that it plans to hire 10,000 people to “help build the metaverse” in Europe would double the number of people working on all things AR, VR and metaverse-related by 2026. Why commit to a huge hiring spree in Europe? Concerns about how the EU’s more proactive privacy regulations will shape the metaverse surely has... Facebook’s announcement on Sunday that it plans to hire 10,000 people to “help build the...
The Vive Flow, a VR headset with a compact "immersive glasses" design. Credit: HTC
Reality Check

The Vive Flow Is VR for Downtime; Facebook Wants AR For Your Every Waking Moment

By Mathew Olson · Oct 14, 2021 8:00am PDT · 1 comment
With its Vive VR headsets, HTC beat Facebook’s Oculus to market for a full room-scale virtual reality product. The Vive Flow, unveiled Thursday, will beat Facebook, potentially by a matter of years, to the release of a radically thinner VR headset. At the same time, being first might hold the Flow back.The $499 Vive Flow is primarily intended as... With its Vive VR headsets, HTC beat Facebook’s Oculus to market for a full room-scale virtual...
The Focus 3, one of the Vive VR headsets released earlier this year. Credit: HTC
HTC’s New Headset Leaks; A Streaming Service Aims for VR Relevancy
By Mathew Olson · Oct 13, 2021 11:00am PDT · 1 comment
The Focus 3, one of the Vive VR headsets released earlier this year. Credit: HTC
Reality Check

HTC’s New Headset Leaks; A Streaming Service Aims for VR Relevancy

By Mathew Olson · Oct 13, 2021 11:00am PDT · 1 comment
Like all parts of the tech industry, VR hardware is prone to leaks. In late September we may have caught our first glimpse of new hardware from Oculus, and this time it’s HTC’s turn. Late Tuesday, ahead of an event planned for Thursday, prolific leaker Evan “evleaks” Blass released several images that appear to show off HTC’s latest: the Vive... Like all parts of the tech industry, VR hardware is prone to leaks. In late September we may have...
Photo: AP
Reality Check

Google Pounces on Epic; Making Sense of Magic Leap’s Second Act

By Mathew Olson · Oct 12, 2021 11:05am PDT
Google countersued Epic Games late Monday, opening another front in the legal battle between the Fortnite maker and the tech giants that control the mobile market. We know Epic’s attack on Apple mostly backfired, resulting in Epic frozen out of the iOS ecosystem for what could be years. Will Epic have any more luck in the Android market?That... Google countersued Epic Games late Monday, opening another front in the legal battle between the...
A lineup of Fortnite characters. Credit: Epic Games
Reality Check

The Next Steps for Epic and Apple; October’s AR/VR Hardware Rush

By Mathew Olson · Oct 11, 2021 11:05am PDT
As the Epic v. Apple fight wears on, both remain in somewhat vulnerable positions. Today, Jessica Toonkel and I reported that Epic is considering expanding into scripted entertainment, a move that could help Epic reach a wider audience even while it remains frozen out of the mobile space. Meanwhile, Apple risks having its attempt to set the... As the Epic v. Apple fight wears on, both remain in somewhat vulnerable positions. Today, Jessica...
Promotional artwork for Horizon Worlds. Credit: Facebook
Reality Check

Will $10 Million and a Rebranding Help Jumpstart Facebook Horizon?

By Mathew Olson · Oct 7, 2021 10:00am PDT
Today, Facebook is announcing that its VR project formerly known as Horizon, a social app where people can create games and experiences to share in together, is being renamed Horizon Worlds. It will remain separate from Horizon Workrooms, a productivity focused sister app. Facebook is also announcing a new $10 million fund for Horizon Worlds... Today, Facebook is announcing that its VR project formerly known as Horizon, a social app where...
How Snapchat's new contests with cash prizes will appear in-app. Credit: Snap
Snap’s New AR Incentives; Canon Courts VR Filmmakers
By Mathew Olson · Oct 6, 2021 11:00am PDT
How Snapchat's new contests with cash prizes will appear in-app. Credit: Snap
Reality Check

Snap’s New AR Incentives; Canon Courts VR Filmmakers

By Mathew Olson · Oct 6, 2021 11:00am PDT
Snap is launching a new series of contests with cash prizes to entice creators large and small. On its face, it’s likely a smart move to stay attractive next to other video-focused social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.I’m sure Kaya will have more to say about it and other changes for Snapchat’s biggest stars in today’s Creator... Snap is launching a new series of contests with cash prizes to entice creators large and small....