The XR Weekly Highlights (March 18, 2025): Niantic Sells Pokémon Go, Meta Launches Passthrough APIs, and More!

This week has been incredibly busy for me, but in a refreshingly exciting way. Just as I was beginning to think my schedule was full, Meta made an announcement that shook up my plans. They released camera access for the Quest, and I simply couldn’t resist diving into this new opportunity! Let’s jump into the most intriguing XR news of the week—there’s plenty to cover. Stick around because I have a giveaway announcement towards the end!

Highlights of the Week

Niantic Sells Gaming Division to Scopely

In a surprising turn of events, Niantic has parted ways with its entire gaming division, including its crown jewel, Pokémon Go, selling it to Scopely for a whopping $3.85 billion. With Scopely now under the ownership of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Pokémon Go’s new royal ties are intriguing. Niantic is pivoting full steam ahead into its geospatial technology, combining AI, AR, spatial intelligence, and geolocation under its new venture, Niantic Spatial, backed by an initial $250 million.

It’s a bold move. Although $3.85 billion is no small sum, giving up Pokémon Go and the promising Monster Hunt Now is risky. This gamble hinges on XR technologies becoming profitable soon—perhaps within three years. Yet, heading into this tech frontier without the cash flow from Pokémon Go is risky. Should the adoption of AR take longer than anticipated—a common issue in XR—the company might face challenges. Plus, with Pokémon Go, they could have had a crucial app to support their upcoming AR glasses.

Kudos to John Hanke for making this gutsy pivot. Regardless of the outcome, his all-in approach in XR deserves respect.

Meta Unveils Passthrough APIs for Quest 3/3S

Meta has indeed moved forward, unveiling the Passthrough APIs to allow developers to engage with camera frames, thus enabling mixed reality applications on Quest systems to analyze their environment with AI/ML models. This development, packed in the SDK and runtime of Quest and Quest 3S, comes with sample applications to guide users in exploring this tech.

A similar methodology to Google’s Android XR, the integration requires user permission for camera access, facilitated via functionalities developers have used in smartphones. Sporting this ease of cross-platform development between phones, Meta Quest, and AndroidXR headsets, the news is quite promising.

However, a slight damper remains: while still experimental, applications using this API cannot be distributed through the Horizon Store, but based on past occurrences, this could change within a few months.

2025 VR Games Showcase Unveils Exciting Game Updates

Led by Jamie Feltham, the 2025 VR Games Showcase was a treasure chest of VR gaming news. While nothing earth-shattering was revealed, several intriguing updates shined through. Here’s a rundown of my top picks:

• "Stay: Forever Home" will launch on Quest this April, complete with a new trailer highlighting adventures with a virtual dog-like companion.
• "Hitman: World of Assassination" for PSVR 2 released a well-crafted trailer, raising hope for its March 27th launch.
• "Memoreum," a sci-fi survival horror, is set to hit Quest in September, offering a new, intriguing trailer to whet appetites.
• "Slender: The Arrival VR" is arriving on PS VR2, PC VR & Quest this spring, promising a chilling experience.
• Flat2VR Studios announced four new titles, bringing flatscreen games like "Out of Sight" and "Surviving Mars" to VR.

Explore the links below for all the latest announcements!

Ultraleap’s End and Samsung’s Motion Controllers

This week saw the somewhat tragic unraveling of Ultraleap, once a frontrunner in haptics and hand tracking. According to Sifted, the company sold its hand-tracking tech to Roli, a musical instrument company, while laying off significant staff. This move reflects a loss for a company that didn’t quite capture the eye of a major headset manufacturer in time.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s upcoming Project Moohan headset will feature its own first-party motion controllers, revealed through SamMobile’s report. Unlike Apple, Samsung isn’t betting solely on hand tracking, opting instead for controllers which tantalizingly hint at broader content compatibility and enriched library offerings.

Challenges in Meta’s Horizon Worlds and Google’s Acquisition Plans

A report by New World Notes highlights struggles within Meta’s Horizon Worlds. Unexpectedly, developers seem unenthusiastic, reportedly faking headset use to meet time requirements inside the app. Issues arise, possibly due to team members inexperienced with VR being shifted from social app development. Why Meta continues prioritizing this ‘metaverse’ over greater support for its Quest ecosystem and independent developers remains baffling.

In contrast, Google’s XR commitment is clear. Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reports the tech giant plans to acquire AdHawk Microsystems for $115 million, a firm specializing in non-optical eye-tracking—a promising yet slightly less accurate approach delivering privacy benefits and low power consumption.

Valuable Developments and Marketplace Movements

Valve is brewing excitement with work on a “SteamVR Link Dongle,” set to connect a headset and PC via dedicated Wi-Fi, enhancing wireless PC VR experiences. This endeavor might unleash greater VR gaming possibilities across Pico and HTC platforms.

Additionally, Meta has unveiled support for detecting microgestures, providing nuanced interaction layers within mixed reality apps. Notably, Immersed announced further delays for its troubled Visor headset’s timeline, amidst financial complexities and restricted community engagement.

Market Withdrawals and Exciting Innovations

The economic climate claimed victims this week, with Phaser Lock closing and People Can Fly pulling out from VR game publishing, signaling less investment from platform holders into new VR titles.

Yet amidst heaviness, two mind-boggling innovations has surfaced: Cortical Labs’ $35,000 biological computer blending neurons with silicon and experiments enabling communication within dreams. These ventures whisper of distant, fantastical digital futures.

MAGE’s Advanced Physics and Metallica Immersion

On the Quest 3, early access game MAGE captivates with high-speed physics-based gameplay running at impeccable framerates—a feat challenging to achieve with standard engines like Unity or Unreal.

Elsewhere, Apple has debuted a mesmerizing Metallica concert experience for Vision Pro, captured in its pioneering 8K 3D and spatial audio format. While the community welcomes the initiative, some note traditional film approaches within its production.

Celebrate Immersive Art and Sale Events

SXSW 2025 celebrated narrative brilliance within immersive art, while both Steam and the Horizon Store host spectacular sales on VR titles like Half-Life: Alyx, priced irresistibly at just $18.

Stay tuned for other newly announced VR games, like BEATABLE and a fresh VR RoboCop adaptation, rounding out a week brimming with VR content updates and reviews.

In closing, consider donating to the Red Cross amidst the ongoing humanitarian needs in Ukraine, and here’s a heartfelt thanks to my benefactor community. Your support is invaluable. Don’t forget to explore more XR fun links and partner updates!

(Header image attributed to Niantic.)

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