XR Weekly Roundup (January 29, 2025): Google Acquires HTC Engineers, Meta to Launch Oakley Smartglasses, and More!

Happy Lunar New Year to everyone celebrating! I hope the Year of the Snake showers you with joy, prosperity, and perhaps a few XR headsets! For those marking the occasion, may you enjoy delightful moments with loved ones and indulge in delicious treats. 😊 Things have been hectic on my end, so this newsletter comes to you a bit late and a bit shorter, but it’s packed with all the updates you need in the XR sphere.

Let’s dive right into the big news of the week.

Top News of the Week

Google Splashes $250 Million on HTC Vive Engineers

In a surprising twist, Google has acquired a team of XR engineers from HTC Vive for a substantial $250 million. This transaction also includes a non-exclusive license to some of HTC’s intellectual property. Google says the move is to expedite the development of the Android XR platform across various headsets and glasses. With HTC’s seasoned team on board, Google aims to push its XR ventures forward. While it’s unclear whether this signals the development of an Android XR platform or a Google-branded headset, my money’s on the former.

This isn’t Google’s first HTC-related acquisition; back in 2017, they snapped up HTC’s design team for around $1.1 million, highlighting a growing synergy between the two companies. This latest deal seems to underline Google’s serious commitment to XR and assures us their VR projects won’t join the infamous Google Graveyard. However, with corporate dynamics ever-changing, we should remain cautiously optimistic.

But what’s next for HTC? With Google nabbing top talent, does this herald a strategic pivot for HTC? Maybe a shift towards building headsets for others or scaling back their own releases? We’re watching keenly to see HTC’s upcoming moves.

For more details, check out coverage from Road To VR and Upload VR.

Other Significant News

Meta’s Plans for New Smartglasses

The buzz around Ray-Ban Meta glasses has propelled Meta to explore more in this arena. According to Mark Gurman, Meta is teaming up with EssilorLuxottica to launch new Oakley-branded smartglasses targeting athletes like cyclists this year. The Oakley version might not have a display but will include speakers. There’s also talk of a high-end model featuring a small screen for notifications and innovative input methods like touch-sensitive frames or wrist straps, paralleling Meta’s Orion prototype.

Meta hasn’t forgotten their Ray-Ban Meta glasses either, lining up star-studded ads for the Superbowl. And for developers, the Orion glasses might become available in 2026. Meta is certainly working on broadening its XR product range across VR/MR, smartglasses, and AR.

Get more insights from Road To VR, Upload VR, and catch the Superbowl promo buzz.

Meta’s Quest Pro Successor in the Works

Mark Gurman reports that Meta is on the quest for a new Quest 4 VR headset and a high-end model possibly succeeding the Quest Pro mixed-reality headset. The "Puffin" seems to be the rumored next step—lightweight MR glasses paired with an external battery.

Given the Quest Pro’s underwhelming performance, it makes sense for Meta to develop a premium headset that rivals others like Apple’s Vision Pro. The Quest Pro flopped not just due to its price; it was rushed with flaws. A finely-tuned Quest Pro 2 could carve a niche in enterprise use.

Check out more info on these developments here.

Samsung and Google’s Unveiling of Project Moohan

Many hoped for groundbreaking AR announcements at Samsung’s Unpacked event, but it was more about Gemini AI integration across Samsung devices, hinting at AI’s expanding role across their tech.

However, attendees could glimpse the much-anticipated Moohan headset, akin to Vision Pro in design and software. Even YouTuber Marques Brownlee got a sneak peek, revealing more of what this collaboration could offer.

Learn more about these developments from Samsung Unpacked and Marques Brownlee’s experience.

Highlights Worth Mentioning

Meta Clarifies Bricked Headsets Issue

Meta’s VP of VR/MR, Mark Rabkin, shed light on some holiday-season headaches with headsets. A glitch came from a rare issue in the Android Open Source Project affecting the ext4 filesystem. Meta effectively identified and patched the bug, helping Android solve it directly.

Read more here.

CM Games’ Hit with ‘Into The Radius 2’

CM Games is thriving with ‘Into The Radius’, revealing 800,000 units sold for the original and $3 million earned from the sequel in Early Access on Steam. CEO Vlad Rannik credits the Steam community for aiding in game refinement before broader Quest releases.

Catch up on these stats and insights here.

CREAL’s Lightfield Display Breakthrough

CREAL is raising the bar, unveiling a miniaturized lightfield engine nearly small enough for regular glasses. This advancement brings us closer to integrating realistic AR objects into everyday wearable tech.

Find out the details here.

Quest 3’s Room-Scanning Advancements

Luna hinted at Meta reducing friction in room scanning for mixed reality, shifting towards automatic room adaptation to real-time changes. This could vastly streamline user experience.

Discover more here.

Future Visions with AI Agents by Keiichi Matsuda

Keiichi Matsuda teamed up with Niantic to produce a visionary short video exploring life with constant AR and AI agent interaction. It’s thought-provoking and beautifully crafted—worth a watch.

Watch the video here.

Content Corner

Here’s a taste of what’s coming to the gaming world:

• Fiery action meets VR fitness in Fitness Fables launching on Quest on January 30th for $12.
• FlatOut VR is set to captivate with the best elements of previous FlatOut games.
• Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower, a Kung-Fu inspired VR game, hits Quest on March 12.
• Team up in Elsewhere Electric on Quest and PC VR, a co-op puzzle game arriving this spring/summer.
• The Smurfs – Flower Defense heads to Quest 3 in May, blending VR and mixed-reality tower defense gameplay.
• Experience Crysis in VR, finally letting you say “Yes, it can run Crysis”!

More information on these exciting releases here.

Miscellaneous Updates

• A GDC survey indicates 35% of game developers are engaging with XR.
• Special deals on Snap Spectacles for students and teachers.
• Vrgamerdude breaks down Mudra Link, a neural bracelet technology.
• Apple’s Miami store dedicates space for the Vision Pro.
• Gabriele Romagnoli provides insights on MR apps in Horizon Store.
• CaddieVision’s new AI-driven AR glasses help golfers fine-tune their game.

Explore further details on these topics here.

Friendly Notes from Partners

Good news for multiplayer fans—VRMonkey is making SkyClimb’s multiplayer mode free for all users. Skyclimb offers a gripping platform adventure with dynamic locomotion akin to Gorilla Tag. With rave reviews on Quest, it’s worth experiencing.

Discover more about the game here.

A Little XR Humor

• Juggling parenting and a VR-loving child? You’ve got to see this—Funny link.
• Ever played DOOM within a PDF? It’s real and mind-blowing—Funny link.
• Boost your VR setup without any tech gadgets—Funny link.
• Tread carefully when it comes to VR’s more… intimate moments—Funny link.
• A compelling reason to tidy up your VR space—Funny link.

Support for Greater Good

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Here’s the link to contribute: Support The Red Cross in Ukraine

With gratitude to all my supporters, including Alex Gonzalez VR, GenVR, Nikk Mitchell and more. Your backing means everything.

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Share Your Thoughts and Innovate!

Feel free to spread the word and share these updates with anyone interested in XR and gaming innovations.