Here’s why Meta is shutting down Echo VR

Image: Meta Last week, Meta announced that it would be shutting down the widely praised VR game Echo VR in August . Since then, Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth has shared some further details about the shutdown, and former Meta consulting CTO John Carmack ... more - theverge

Sony answers your burning PSVR2 questions in an extensive new FAQ

We’re just a couple weeks away from the launch of the new headset. | Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony has posted an extensive FAQ about the PlayStation VR2 ahead of the imminent launch of the next-generation virtual reality headset. Though a lot ... more - theverge

EA and Meta weren’t the only companies to ax games this week

Apex Legends Mobile is one of the games shutting down. | Image: EA Over the course of this week, the developers of several major live service titles announced that their games would be shutting down. That means that players who actively enjoyed those ... more - theverge

A remastered version of Myst is coming to iOS

Indie studio Cyan is bringing its latest Myst remaster to iOS. | Image: Cyan The classic puzzle game Myst is celebrating its 30th birthday this year with a new way to play: on your iOS device. Myst Mobile is based on the remastered version of the original ... more - theverge

Meta’s Quest 3 headset will have better mixed reality tech, according to Zuckerberg

The current-gen Quest 2. | Photo by Owen Grove / The Verge A key feature from Meta’s $1,499.99 Quest Pro headset will make an appearance — in some form — in a more affordable consumer-focused headset coming later this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in ... more - theverge

Meta reportedly wins fight to buy VR startup Within

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge A California judge is reportedly allowing Meta to close its acquisition of virtual reality fitness startup Within, despite an ongoing antitrust case by the Federal Trade Commission. Bloomberg reports that a pair ... more - theverge

Wednesday’s top tech news: happy Samsung Unpacked day to all who observe

Image: Samsung Plus we say goodbye to a VR classic, and AMD issues a prediction on when PC sales might pick up. Continue reading… ... more - theverge

Meta is inexplicably shutting down one of the best Oculus games

We’ve called it a cross between the Battle School from Ender’s Game and ultimate frisbee. We’ve called it Final Fantasy X blitzball meets VR. It made two of our Best VR Games lists — three, if you count the one I did for CNET before returning to The ... more - theverge

PlayStation VR2 sales expectations reportedly halved after disappointing preorders

Sony originally estimated that it would shift two million PSVR2 units this quarter. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony has reportedly reduced sales projections for the launch of the PlayStation VR2 after receiving fewer preorders than expected ... more - theverge

Meta is testing members-only worlds for its social VR platform

Some Horizon Worlds avatars hanging out around a virtual campfire. | Image: Meta Meta is starting to test members-only worlds in Horizon Worlds , its social VR platform, which will allow people to build curated worlds for a select community of users. ... more - theverge

The Meta Quest Pro is $400 off this week

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Meta has given its professional Meta Quest Pro headset a temporary $400 discount, bringing its cost down to $1,099 in the US. The deal, which, according to CNET , runs for one week in the US and two weeks in ... more - theverge

Apple is reportedly working on a way to make AR apps that’s as simple as talking to Siri

“Hey Siri, make an AR version of the Apple logo.” | Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple is apparently working on a way to let you make apps for its long-rumored mixed reality headset using Siri, according to a new report from The Information ... more - theverge

Meta’s flagship VR app is catching up to the NES by making A the jump button

I, too, am throwing my hands in the air for this change. | Image: Meta Meta is making a big improvement to controls in its social VR platform Horizon Worlds : jump is being remapped to the A button, according to a blog post about the app’s new v94 update. ... more - theverge

Tuesday’s top tech news: Lightyear’s buzz fizzles

The Lightyear 0 at its unveiling last year. | Image: Lightyear Plus more details about Apple’s long-rumored VR / AR headset. Continue reading… ... more - theverge

The Meta Quest’s improved hand tracking is now the default

Hand tracking could become a big battleground for virtual reality headsets. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge In April 2022, Meta released Hand Tracking 2.0, its upgraded system that can detect things like high fives and clapping, but the ... more - theverge

Apple’s ‘Reality Pro’ VR headset sure sounds like a monster device

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple’s long-rumored VR / AR headset could be packed with ambitious technologies, including advanced hand tracking, the ability to see your Mac’s display, and even recreating digital versions of users in one-on-one ... more - theverge

AltspaceVR is shutting down as Microsoft’s mixed reality division shrinks

Image: Microsoft Microsoft will shut down AltspaceVR, the social virtual reality (VR) platform it acquired in 2017 (via VentureBeat ), on March 10th, 2023. The company shared the news in a blog post just days after it announced job cuts affecting 10,000 ... more - theverge

PSVR2 adds Tetris Effect and Rez Infinite ports to its ‘launch window’ games list

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge A post on the PlayStation blog lists “over 30” titles for the PlayStation VR2’s monthlong launch window (you can scroll down to see the full list here) that starts when the hardware ships starting February 22nd. While ... more - theverge

Wednesday’s top tech news: layoffs come for Microsoft

Illustration: The Verge Plus good news if you want to repair a Galaxy S22, but bad news if you’re counting down the days to Apple’s AR glasses. Continue reading… ... more - theverge

Apple reportedly shelved its plans to release AR glasses any time soon

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Another Apple rumor from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman focuses on the company’s efforts to create game-changing augmented reality glasses that could make picking up your iPhone obsolete — if they’re ever built. ... more - theverge

Republican lawmakers push for crypto regulation with new panel

House Financial Services chair Patrick McHenry (R-NC) announced the new subcommittee on Thursday. | Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Republican lawmakers announced a new panel on Thursday that will oversee the cryptocurrency industry, ... more - theverge

Apple’s Music and TV apps for Windows are now available in preview

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple’s Music and TV apps for Windows have made an appearance, with preview versions of the apps being spotted on the Microsoft Store by The Verifier (via MacRumors ). LAst October, Microsoft announced they were ... more - theverge

Meta Quest users can now track their heart rate in VR workouts

Both heart rate and Android workout tracking integrations are necessary for VR fitness to become popular. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Meta is adding two new fitness-related features to the Meta Quest. The first is Health Connect integration, ... more - theverge

Intel’s new Wi-Fi chip promises a better way to tether your Meta Quest VR headset

Why yes, that is a Frankenquest, adding a Vive Deluxe Audio Strap. | Photo by Owen Grove / The Verge Intel and Meta have teamed up on a new way to directly connect your Oculus Quest headset to a gaming PC. If you buy or build a computer with its AX1690 ... more - theverge

Meta’s done making new features for the Quest 1 — all updates will end next year

Image: Oculus Meta is planning to stop supporting the original Quest VR headset with new software updates, and soon anyone using the older hardware will be locked out of some social features. Several users on Reddit and Twitter, along with journalist ... more - theverge

Meta is still adding basic moderation features to its VR playscape

Meta will show you a notification when you violate the rules. | Image: Meta Meta is adding some new moderation features to Horizon Worlds , the company’s VR social platform, as part of version 91, according to a blog post published Friday. While the ... more - theverge

Apple may finally debut its mixed reality headset this spring

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple’s getting ready to launch its long-rumored mixed reality headset this spring, according to a report from Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman. The company’s reportedly planning to reveal the device ahead of the Worldwide ... more - theverge

Where was 5G at CES?

From the front row to a no-show. | Image: The Verge When it wasn’t being overshadowed by covid resurgences, CES, for the past few years, has partially functioned as a big 5G pep rally. But as cars, smart home standards, and so many screens took center ... more - theverge

HTC’s new VR / AR headset is the $1,099 Vive XR Elite

The HTC Vive XR Elite. | Image: HTC HTC is opening preorders for a new virtual and augmented reality headset, the Vive XR Elite. The XR Elite is a $1,099 standalone headset that’s designed to compete with Meta’s Quest headsets and the rumored Apple AR ... more - theverge

The BMW i Vision Dee is a future EV sport sedan that can talk back to you

The BMW i Vision Dee is basically KITT with a kidney grille. | Image: BMW KITT with a kidney grille? With a minimalist design, a HUD across the whole windshield, and a digital assistant that talks back, this could be the most polarizing BMW concept yet. ... more - theverge