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A New Dimension in Technology: Spatial Computing's Impact

The realm of spatial computing, as championed by Lumus, is rapidly revolutionizing our daily experiences.  Forecasts show a staggering projection for the AR/VR B2C industry:  $31.12 billion by 2023, with an impressive leap to $52.05 billion by 2027.  This technological marvel spans from pure reality to virtual reality, encompassing augmented and mixed reality in between. 


Consider Lumus’ Z-Lens.  It is a perfect blend of AR functionality with vision prescriptions, eliminating the need for cumbersome inserts.  Moreover, the device is light, strap-free, and aesthetically appealing.  Then there's Apple Vision Pro, a testament to the wonders of mixed reality.  It fuses our physical environment with digital content, while the device shrinks in size.

A New Dimension in Technology: Spatial Computing's Impact #Infographic



Meta is reportedly going to be launching the mobile version of Horizon Worlds soon, according to a Lowpass newsletter by Janko Roettgers. The platform is currently available on Meta’s Quest VR headsets only. While Meta did complete the development of a mobile version last year, the company revealed that it could not ship it at the time.

 

While Meta has not confirmed the news of a release happening soon, Metaverse VP at Meta, Vishal Shah, did disclose to Roettgers that with the release of the mobile version of Horizon Worlds, one of the first games that will be tested on the platform will be Super Rumble.

Meta to Reportedly Release Horizon Worlds as a Mobile App Soon



Meta has finally revealed exciting details of its new next-generation virtual and mixed reality headset ‘Quest 3.’ With a starting price of $US499.99 for 128GB, the device will be available for purchase this fall.

 

The three main technical elements that the Quest 3 will be featuring include a 2x improved processing power, high-fidelity color Passthrough that produces AR experience, and a smaller and sleeker design making the headset more comfortable to wear than the previous model.

 

According to Meta, the Quest 3 headset features the tech giant’s “highest resolution display and pancake optics.” The increased processing power of the Quest 3 results from a Snapdragon chipset integrated in the device that helps enhance its visual capabilities. “You’ll get smoother performance and incredibly crisp details in immersive games,” Meta claims.

Meta Shares Thrilling Preview of Quest 3 Headset, Announces Lower Prices and Software Upgrades for Quest 2



Microsoft first launched the 3D avatar feature for Teams in 2021 and has been privately testing it since. The company has now officially announced the integration of avatars in Teams, which will enable users to have their 3D avatars represent them without having to appear on the camera.


Primarily, the feature has been designed to facilitate video call interactions when a user doesn’t want to appear on video. In such moments, users can select their animated 3D avatars to appear in their place and interact with other members based on the vocal cues interpreted to them. Users can choose their avatar from a variety of customized options that best suits their own appearance.

Microsoft is Officially Bringing its 3D Avatar Feature to Teams



The latest update of Meta’s v50 Quest headsets will feature Direct Touch as an improvement to the device’s hand tracking technology. It enables the wearer to use their hands to “touch” the menu buttons or virtual keyboards, hence allowing more natural hand gestures.

 

The previous version of hand tracking in the Quest headsets was limited to the pinch motion to click something or scroll through text. The new hand tracking is designed to create a more interactive virtual experience, similar to using touchscreen on a phone.

Meta Launches Improved Hand Tracking Feature for its v50 Quest Headsets: Direct Touch



Google announced 360-degree virtual backgrounds for video calls in Google Meet last month and is now rolling it out to mobile phone users of both iOS and Android.

 

The specialty of these backgrounds is that they move using the device’s gyroscope. During video calls, the background will change according to the position and movement of the device, hence making the scenery appear more realistic.

 

Google Meet Now Features 360-Degree Virtual Backgrounds for Video Calls on Mobile



In a limited alpha test, Meta is introducing the ability to form curated communities on its Horizon Worlds platform. These are known as ‘Members-Only’ Worlds that are limited to 150 members and 25 concurrent visitors.

 

Within these spaces, users of Horizon Worlds can create groups based on shared interests, such as book clubs, gaming groups, VIP creator supporters, or just hangout spots for friends. In other words, it’s like a Facebook Groups experience but in VR.

 

Creators of Members-Only worlds will have complete control over these Worlds, including who can access them and what goes on inside them. In Meta’s words, the goal is “to put design in the creators’ hands so that they can fully craft the experience they want to offer others.”

Meta Introduces ‘Members-Only Worlds’ in Horizon Worlds



A new Bloomberg report revealed that Apple could be announcing its mixed reality headset this spring, ahead of the Worldwide Developers Conference that is to be held in June.

 

The prediction has also been confirmed, in a way, by a recent tweet shared by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who provided an update on the development progress of the headset. He stated that due to issues involving the mechanical component drop testing as well as the availability of software development tools, the headset would most likely not be revealed in the January media event. Ming-Chi Kuo further confirmed that the headset would most likely be announced in the spring.

Apple is Reportedly Preparing to Launch its Mixed-Reality Headset in Fall

The Best-Reviewed VR Games of All Time

Virtual reality gaming has become more popular than ever in recent years, with so many different varieties of VR games across several different types of virtual reality headsets. Of all of the virtual reality video games on the market, which are the best for VR gamers to enjoy?

The Best-Reviewed VR Games of All Time #Infographic



Meta hosted its Connect conference for 2022 just now to reveal its latest VR products and tools. These include a new version of the Quest headset, new professional integrations with Microsoft, updated interaction tools, and control devices.

 

Meta’s new Quest headset is priced at $US1,499 and called ‘Quest Pro’, which the company describes as its first entry in its new “high-end line” of devices. Meta has redesigned the headset in its appearance, which is more sleek-looking, and has developed it with innovative features including high-resolution sensors for mixed reality experiences, a more realistic display with more pixels, crisp LCD displays for sharp visuals, and an eye-tracking system.

 

Additionally, the Quest Pro facilitates multi-screen display, as well as Meta’s new VR feature called ‘Magic Rooms’, which is a combination of VR and the display of participants in a video conference.

Meta Displays its Latest VR Advancements at the 2022 Connect Conference



Meta prepares to host the 2022 Meta Connect Conference on the 11th of October, where it aims to showcase a range of its new AR and VR creations, along with a virtual design of the Metaverse. “Industry leaders will share the latest technologies and developer sessions will cover how to use them. Our goal is to bring the world closer together and deepen human connection through new experiences,” says Meta.

 

One of the major exhibits in the conference will be Meta’s latest ‘Cambria’ VR headset that it had first previewed last October. The headset features advanced, high-end technology, including higher resolution image quality and outward-facing cameras, hence enabling the wearer to experience a unique mixed-reality. The only drawback of the Cambria headset, it seems like, is its price, which is around $1000 and would likely result in lower take-up.

Meta to Unfold its Vision of Metaverse and New Technologies at 2022 Connect Conference



To enhance its AR and VR experiences further, Meta is now developing new spatial audio tools. With the help of this integration, people will be able to live moments of immersive graphics and sounds when they put on their AR glasses.  

 

Spatial audio is one of Meta’s key drivers for the Metaverse, and the company has already introduced a bit of the spatial audio experience in its Ray-Ban Stories glasses that feature open air speakers to deliver sound directly into the wearer’s ears, without an earpiece.

 

Currently, Meta is creating three new models for audio-visual understanding and inviting developers and audio experts to contribute to its research. According to Meta, the models “focus on human speech and sounds in video.”

Meta is Creating New Spatial Audio Tools for AR and VR Experiences

Which Virtual Reality Games Burn the Most Calories per Minute?

On average, you could burn between two and four calories per minute by going out for a walk. However, by putting on your virtual reality headset and getting into the boxing ring, you could burn nearly five times that amount in the same amount of time. Thrill of the Fight is a popular virtual reality game that allows players to step into a VR boxing ring, all the way getting a good sweat and shedding some fat.

Which Virtual Reality Games Burn the Most Calories per Minute? #Infographic



To further expand its avatar feature, Meta is launching a new avatar fashion store that features a variety of collections from big fashion houses like Balenciaga, Prada and Thom Browne. Meta plans to launch the store across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.

 

In addition to this, Meta has plans of allowing digital creators and brands to design their own fashion items for the store and sell them, which ultimately makes this initiative a monetization tool as well.

 

Meta Develops Avatar Fashion Store, Set to be Released Across its Social Platforms



Meta is launching its ‘Horizon Worlds’ VR creation platform in the UK, after first launching it in the US and Canada. The platform was originally developed to share Meta’s big plans for the metaverse with the public and welcome users to contribute to the metaverse by creating their own virtual spaces using a range of 3D objects and tools.

 

Meta describes Horizon Worlds as a “creator-friendly VR environment featuring top tier social world-building tools.” To keep the platform up-to-date, Meta is integrating interactive elements into it, such as an asset library that it recently launched, which consists of pre-made items that creators can use any time they want.

 

The assets library would play a significant role in improved eCommerce display, as it would enable creators to build 3D models of their products, hence ensuring new promotional opportunities in the advancing digital space. Wendy’s, for instance, has already created its own interactive environment in the Metaverse, where users can engage with its virtual products and activations.

Meta’s 'Horizon Worlds' Creation Platform Makes its Way to UK


Meta is putting in efforts to make its digital avatars more interesting and interactive. The company had earlier introduced 3D avatars on Facebook, Messenger and within stickers on Instagram, and is now bringing avatar reactions to Instagram Stories.

 

Meta is testing the option of reacting to Stories with new Avatar reactions that have been spotted by some users on the app. The option also prompts users who haven’t created their avatars by directing them to customize their avatar characters.

 

Meta is Testing Avatar Reactions Within Instagram Stories


Meta is continuing to grow its VR market and the company’s most recent move in this domain is the launch of its first ever retail and experience store, in Burlingame, California. The store will showcase Meta’s wide range of product displays along with interactive demonstrations.


 

The main attraction of the store is its large Quest 2 ‘display wall’ where people can experience a range of Meta’s VR games and apps. Alongside, a big, wall-to-wall curved LED screen displays the content that a user sees in their headset. If that isn’t interesting enough, people can also access a 30-second mixed reality clip of their demo experience, which they can later share with others.

Meta Announces Launch of First Retail and Experience Store, Mainly Focused on VR Experience

VR Companies Ranked by Headset Revenue

Virtual reality has become a much more prominent part of the gaming world in recent years, and the evidence is in the amount of revenue that the most popular virtual reality headsets are generating. From the team at VR Space comes this infographic that lists out the six virtual reality headsets that have generated the most revenue.

VR Companies Ranked by Headset Revenue #Infographic

VR Headsets Throughout History

Mark Zuckerberg has been at the forefront of hyping up virtual reality, changing the company name to Meta and hawking his Quest 2 VR headset. With VR projected to make more than 45 billion dollars by the year 2027, I would say Zuck is yet again on the cutting edge of new technology. But he isn't the only one, there are many VR headset makers, games and consoles out there.

VR Headsets Throughout History #Infographic

The 50 Most-Downloaded VR Games of All Time

Virtual reality games are being more popular than ever in gaming, as VR games are being more widely available on even more platforms than ever before. 


The team at VR.Space has released this infographic which looks at the most popular VR games of all time. The research is based on the estimated rankings of the "all reviews" figure on Steam, for both VR experiences and VR-only games, and includes the 50 top titles.

The 50 Most-Downloaded VR Games of All Time #Infographic

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