Hey, so I’m supposed to dive into this week’s XR madness, but of course, everyone’s poking me to spill the beans on Project Moohan. Why’s Google so hush-hush, huh? Maybe it’s the $$$ thing. I suspect if it costs an arm and a leg, they’re avoiding hype to dodge the awkward “VR is so over” chat months later. Just a hunch. Let’s see what dish we get in the weeks ahead.
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### Weekly Scoop
#### Meta’s Cashing In on Ray-Bans
Let’s talk Meta’s latest cash news. Reality Labs did okay-ish, but not ’cause Quest gadgets are flying off shelves. Nope, it’s those swanky Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses that are, surprise surprise, knocking it out of the park. Meta teamed up with EssilorLuxottica and they’re cranking up production big time. Luxottica’s stats back it up, claiming these glasses are tripling last year’s sales. Analysis pegs them at around 600K sold versus 500K for Quest stuff.
Feels like the VR world’s tilting, doesn’t it? As per my jabbering elsewhere, seems mixed reality headsets just ain’t clicking. Folks still gobble up purely VR games instead. Maybe that’s why Meta ditched the Quest 4’s old look. Imagine chasing a design that’s flopping—isn’t it bonkers? Anyways, Meta’s betting on AI-powered lightweight glasses, expected—fingers crossed—by 2026. Meanwhile, smartglasses are crushing it. They look cool, aren’t heavy, and they’re pocket-friendly. Plus, they vibe with AI, another Meta focus. Zuckerberg, in an interview, went as far as saying not using these glasses in the future is like shooting yourself in the foot. Yeah, he dropped the M-word: metaverse, again. What do you think? Are smartglasses gonna be the next “gotta-have-it” tech?
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### Other Buzzing News
#### VR Limits by Meta
Meta threw out an idea about VR session times. They claim the sweet spot is 20-40 minutes. No joke. Less than 20? Not worth the rigmarole of getting it all set up. Over 40? Your forehead might just scream at you. True story from my side too. Tried quick checks, but it feels like a pain. Meta advises game devs to break experiences into 20-40 min chunks, not making entire games that length. A heads-up for those mingling VR and mobile; VR needs to be more compelling due to the hassle of starting it up. Food for thought.
#### Halo Glasses by Brilliant Labs
Now for something different: Brilliant Labs’ Halo glasses. Weighing in light, they’re meant for all-day wear. These things are smart; they even have a memory feature via the AI assistant, Noa. Open-source and built mindfully with privacy. I’ve ordered mine for $299. Can’t wait to tinker with these.
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#### Miscellany Here and There
Oh, did I mention Alibaba’s stepping into smartglasses too? Their Quark AI Glasses sound tech-savvy with real-time translation and such, launching by 2025. Meanwhile, DJI’s making waves with its 360° Osmo camera and Microsoft’s immersive events in Teams. Meetings in 3D, yay or nay? Well, meetings still suck.
### Game News Roundup
A bunch of VR games are shaking things up. Boxing games, storytelling immersive worlds, and more hitting platforms near you. Even tales of long-promised VR support in places like Star Citizen—better late than never, huh? Keep your goggles peeled.
Oh, and some classic games are switching to VR. Remember Syberia? It’s getting a VR makeover soon. Shoot, I’m lost in this nostalgia trip now.
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#### Wrapped Thoughts and Realities
If you’re into the techie side or just curious about XR tidbits, my head’s constantly spinning on this merry-go-round. The XR space is wild, and just when you think you’ve got it handled—whoosh, the landscape shifts again. The mix of AI and XR is likely a wild card that’s going to reshape how we interact with, well… everything.
Now, go on and let’s see where this roller coaster of tech takes us. If it feels too chaotic, well, maybe it is. Or maybe that’s the charm.
