The XR Weekly Roundup (December 2, 2024): Leak of Valve Roy Controllers 3D Models, Top Black Friday VR Deals, and More!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American buddies out there! While we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Italy, I know it’s a special time in the US, Canada, and a few other places. I hope those of you who celebrated had a wonderful weekend filled with family and gratitude. For everyone else, I trust you snagged some fantastic deals on Black Friday! I did a bit of shopping myself and upgraded my phone, which was on its last legs. The hint was pretty clear when a friend from Helsinki asked if there was a donation link to get me a new phone, haha. Before diving into this week’s XR updates, a quick note: I’m now on Bluesky! If you’re on that platform, feel free to follow me there, too. Engagement on X has been tricky lately, so I’m giving Bluesky a shot. But don’t worry, I’m not leaving X just yet.

### Top News of the Week

In an interesting find, dataminers have uncovered 3D models of Valve’s Roy controllers in the SteamVR files. This discovery supports previous leaks, suggesting that Valve is well-advanced in the development of these controllers, hinting that the Deckard headset might not be far from launching—perhaps by 2025! These 3D models confirm several features like bumpers, a D-pad, thumbsticks, and various triggers and buttons, effectively turning the controllers into a gamepad for playing Steam games on a large screen through the headset. Additionally, they’ve incorporated technology from Arcturus Technologies for inside-out tracking, a setup that’s shown promising results in past demos for reliable tracking and stereo-corrected passthrough, inspiring confidence in the upcoming Deckard headset’s mixed reality capabilities.

### Other Relevant News

The VR deals from the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend are still underway! Here’s a quick roundup of standout offers:

– PSVR 2 is slashed to $350, bundled with the popular game Horizon Call Of The Mountain, which could boost sales significantly given the recent upward trend from previous discounts.
– Pico 4 Ultra offers Pico Motion Trackers, three games, and a month of VRChat Plus in a hefty bundle.
– Over in the US, Quest 3S is available for $299.99 with an added bonus of a $75 gift card.
– HTC has joined the sale with deals on its gear: Vive Focus Vision includes a free DisplayPort adapter and a selection of games; Vive XR Elite is $100 off, $150 if bundled; and Vive Pro 2 enjoys discounts of $400 on the full bundle or $200 for the headset alone.

On the Horizon (Quest) Store, you can grab up to 40% off select games using ‘BFCM24’ at checkout multiple times.

In an intriguing throwback, it seems Apple has been dabbling in XR technologies since 2008. While it took seven years for the Vision Pro to see the light of day, aligning with Apple’s strategy of perfection over pioneering, a resurrected patent from 2008 hints Apple was brainstorming a VR headset well before the Oculus Rift era. Even if this patent doesn’t prove an active development back then, it points to Apple’s early interest in immersive technologies, which is pretty fascinating.

Meanwhile, VRChat is rolling out age verification through its partner Persona, requiring users to present a government ID for certain age-restricted instances. While verification isn’t compulsory platform-wide, it facilitates mature interactions among adults and age-appropriate engagement for children—a long-requested feature within the community. The opt-in nature of age verification could aid in balancing privacy concerns with user experience, though it remains to be seen how many will participate.

### News Worth a Mention

Pimax is making waves by opening orders for its new Crystal Super headset, boasting impressive specs such as a resolution of 3840x3840x2 and a PPD of 57, promising nearly retina-quality visuals. Options for different optical systems and features like eye-tracking and dynamic foveated rendering make it a compelling offer—though its track record with delays and market reactions to its pricing and subscription model are factors to watch closely.

XREAL is set to unveil new AR glasses this December, sparking curiosity about whether they’ll cater to media consumers or deliver a more immersive 6DOF experience.

In a quirky twist, researchers have set up a tiny VR environment for insects to study their behavior, while another group has developed a virtual lollipop capable of replicating varied flavors through scientific wizardry. Meanwhile, Tom Emrich releases his insightful book on leveraging AR for business growth—a must-read for entrepreneurs intrigued by spatial computing.

Lastly, gamers should be thrilled about a new mod for Halo: Combat Evolved that integrates full VR capabilities, a delight that’s eliciting joy among players eager to experience Halo like never before.

### Some Reviews About Content

Trombone Champ: Unflattened remains a captivating and highly entertaining VR game that successfully transitions its flat-screen charm into the virtual realm.

### Other News

There’s been an unveiling of Zero V2, a new iteration of open AR glasses by Miroslav Kotalík. Meanwhile, the ANNAPRO A2 strap enhances comfort for the Apple Vision Pro. Unfortunately, the PCVR market shows signs of remaining relatively stagnant, according to recent statistics.

### News from Partners (and Friends)

GroKit Core offers a low-code solution for developing XR applications in Unity, streamlining the process for game developers by handling the intricate parts of interactions and physics.

### Some XR Fun

Get ready for a whirlwind of humor with a Black Friday deal parody and a sprinkle of XR bloopers to tickle your funny bone.

### Donate for Good

This week, please consider contributing to the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine through the Red Cross. Continuing thanks to my Patreon supporters who make my work possible!

—

I hope you find this roundup useful and entertaining! As always, stay tuned for more updates, and keep on gaming.