Returning from my exciting adventure at CES in Italy, I find myself still in awe of the incredible experience! Every part of my being is exhausted, but the thrill of attending such a massive event keeps my spirits high. Participating as a blogger, an enthusiast, and an entrepreneur was immensely rewarding. While this week’s roundup focuses heavily on CES, there’s some other fascinating news that wasn’t directly connected with the event. Let’s dive into it! (By the way, apologies for the delay in this newsletter’s release. My schedule was packed upon returning from Las Vegas.)
Top News of the Week
Many XR Products Unveiled at CES
CES, undoubtedly the tech highlight of the year, dedicated a specific space to XR companies. This move alone underscores XR’s growth, although it still caters to a niche market. From the latest smart glasses integrated with AI, like Ray-Ban Meta and the diminutive display-equipped Halliday glasses, the range was impressive. Goertek, known for XR device manufacturing, revealed fresh designs for smart and AR glasses, potentially sparking more innovations in this sector. While there weren’t earth-shattering announcements, significant contributions came from NVIDIA and Sony. NVIDIA rolled out the RTX 50 graphics cards, promising a leap in PCVR performance at prices similar to the series 40, though the 5090 is pegged at $2000. They also announced that Geforce Now will soon be available on Quest, Pico, and Apple Vision Pro, allowing MR users to enjoy flatscreen games in a massive virtual theater setting.
Sony, meanwhile, announced a new XR line, XYN, aimed at creatives. Despite the vagueness of the reveal, it includes a revamped headset (evolving from their over $4000 enterprise headset) that wasn’t available for testing yet. They also discussed using Mocopi sets for precise body tracking and new techniques to digitize real-world items, though integration details remain scant. This development reaffirms Sony’s dedication to XR realms. HDMI’s introduction of a 2.2 standard, boasting a phenomenal bandwidth of 96Gb/s, hints at possible returns to this port type by headset manufacturers. I’ve published some detailed posts about the gadgets I explored at CES, like the Shiftall MeganeX SuperLight 8K, Ray-Ban Meta, and others — links provided below. My personal standout was the Play For Dream headset, generating universal acclaim, even from Amanda Watson, whom I met for the first time at CES. She echoed my sentiments about its excellence. For those who couldn’t attend, I captured a comprehensive video of the XR section, linked for your enjoyment. While CES wasn’t groundbreaking for XR, it was certainly noteworthy.
Other Relevant News
Meta Quest 3S: Amazon’s Best-Selling Console of 2024
In delightful news, the Meta Quest 3S topped Amazon US sales charts for consoles in 2024. And that’s not limited to just VR consoles or specific months — it topped the entire year, surpassing all gaming consoles. Amazingly, it ranked as the third highest-selling item in the whole Video Games category despite only launching in October. This suggests that the Quest 3S was a big hit over the holidays. Beyond Amazon’s top spots, Meta Horizon’s accompanying app surged to Apple App Store’s top rankings too. Additionally, game activity surged, evidenced by the gaming achievement data showing a spike in Batman Arkham Shadow players around Christmas — a testament to the Quest 3S’s sales bump during the festive period. While it’s premature to claim VR’s mainstream acceptance just yet, it’s undeniable that VR headsets were popular gifts, marking yet another step forward for VR adoption.
Meta Ceases Quest Pro Sales
Meta has discontinued its Quest Pro headset — the first of their prosumer models — meaning it’s no longer available on their website. A visit to its store page recommends the Quest 3 instead. The Touch Pro controllers remain available though, as they’re compatible with other Quest devices. The market greeting this news with little upset isn’t surprising. Hastily launched amidst fears of Vision Pro competition, the Quest Pro arrived overpriced and undercooked at $1500, quickly seeing its price reduced to $1000 due to lackluster sales. In one event, Meta even gave away Quest Pros, akin to corporate freebie keychains. Its downfall had been written on the walls for quite some time. The one lingering regret? The Quest Pro was Meta’s sole headset with eye and face-tracking features — functionalities valuable for research applications. Remarkably, just days post-discontinuation, leaks surfaced about ASUS’s headset, boasting similar eye and face tracking, fueling suspicion of a strategic leak to reassure Horizon ecosystem users of these ongoing features.
News Worth a Mention
ASUS ROG VR Headset with Face Tracking on the Horizon
Prominent leaker Luna has shared fresh intel on the upcoming ASUS ROG VR headset. Code-named Tarius, this device plans to introduce eye and face tracking, and will be one of the inaugural third-party headsets featuring HorizonOS. It will employ either QD-LCD screens with local dimming or micro OLED. While details are sparse, the fact that leaks are emerging is encouraging. It confirms progress in developing third-party Horizon headsets.
Infinite Reality’s $3 Billion Investment
Infinite Reality, an innovator in immersive web content through WebXR, recently announced an astounding $3 billion fundraising round, aimed at bolstering their vision for the internet’s future. This revelation left the XR community stunned — a sum half of what OpenAI raised recently, spotlighting an as-yet under-the-radar initiative. Even more intriguing, the funding originates from a single anonymous investor — a mysterious benefactor (perhaps from the Middle East) impulsively supporting Infinite Realities to the tune of billions. This revelation humorously highlighted my own lack of similar benefactors, as wrangling a lunch invite feels challenging by comparison!
Unveiling New VR Experiences and Gaming Tech
Among this week’s wilder moments is a novel VR research project exploring supine locomotion — essentially walking in VR while lying down and mimicking a cycling motion, which seems as curious as it is ab-intensive. This week’s What The F video inspired amusing thoughts of “WHY, though?” In a more practical realm, DotLumen is revolutionizing accessibility for the visually impaired with a headset that guides users by scanning the environment and highlighting clear paths, a potential breakthrough for those with vision challenges. In sales news, Meta’s promoting the Quest 3S (256GB) with a $50 discount, still bundled with Batman Arkham Shadow. This indicates lower sales than expected for the high-storage version during holidays. Meanwhile, Sanzaru Games is concluding updates for Asgard’s Wrath 2 to focus on their next big endeavor, rumored to be packed with "AWESOME stuff." Speculation suggests a mixed reality project backed by parent company Meta. In content news, Boneworks is heading to Quest 3. Synth Riders unveils its latest music pack, Human Within launches as a storytelling game on Quest, and more captivating releases arise in the immersive gaming realm, promising various gaming experiences.
Reviews of Recent Gaming Releases
Some of the week’s highlights include reviews, pointing out noteworthy releases — from Epyka’s enthralling yet short puzzle adventure, Pirates VR with captivating visuals but needing more design polish, to Shardfall: FitQuest VR’s fitness-focused escapade reminiscent of Ring Fit Adventure, and Gears & Goo’s engaging tower defense on Apple Vision Pro.
Additional Industry Tidbits
Among other intriguing developments, an inventive Redditor has concocted enhancements for Oculus Touch controllers, presenting potential improvements for VR gaming. Additionally, a film inspired by Exit 8 is in the works, which sounds like a challenge to make compelling. Road To VR offers first impressions on the Surreal Touch controllers, while mod-heavy VR Minecraft vanquishes gamers to its virtual worlds with full-body tracking. Finally, a primer on Lens Studio tailored for Unity developers is introduced.
News from Partners and Friends
Take a moment to explore Ty’s YouTube channel — his outstanding XR content creation is gaining momentum post-CES 2025, thanks in part to our collaborative coverage. He’s a source of intriguing technology insights, and subscribing means you won’t miss out on upcoming content we explored together.
Some XR Fun
For a light-hearted closing act, delve into some whimsical XR antics: from trucks traversing in mixed reality, to Gemini’s humorous paranoia, a child’s toes-in-the-water VR experience, the signature "special moments" of Steam Sales, and Neo’s playful antics.
Donate for Good
Just like last week, I’m ending with a humanitarian plea. Instead of supporting my blog, consider donating to the Red Cross to aid those affected by conflict. They are providing vital support in the current Ukrainian humanitarian crisis. Your contributions can make a significant impact.
Special thanks to my incredible Patreon supporters:
- Alex Gonzalez VR
- DeoVR
- GenVR
- [And many more]
Your support means the world.
Here’s the link to donate to the Red Cross in Ukraine:
[Support The Red Cross in Ukraine]
This blog contains affiliate links which help keep it running. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I might earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Feel free to check out my boring full disclosure for more details.
