Leaked images reveal Lenovo’s Steam Deck competitor that may connect to AR glasses

Image: Windows Report Valve’s Steam Deck might be getting more competition. Last month, Windows Central reported that Lenovo is working on a handheld gaming PC that runs Windows called the Legion Go. On Wednesday, Windows Report published what appear ... more - theverge

Meta’s Quest 3 headset might be coming out sometime soon

Image: Meta Meta’s Quest 3 VR headset might be available to purchase sometime soon. A new Meta-made VR headset has just shown up in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) database, meaning the device can be sold in the US. As noted by UploadVR ... more - theverge

Meta and the UFC are teaming up on a UFC-themed experience in Horizon Worlds

Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta and the UFC are working together to make a special UFC-themed experience in Meta’s Horizon Worlds social VR platform, according to a Meta blog post on Wednesday. In the UFC zone, you’ll be able to watch 4K, 180-degree ... more - theverge

Roblox on Quest VR headsets has gotten ‘well over’ 1 million downloads

Illustration: The Verge Roblox just launched in open beta on Meta’s Quest VR headsets last week, and it’s already been downloaded “well over” 1 million times, according to Roblox CEO David Baszucki. That number suggests that the app could potentially ... more - theverge

Meta’s Horizon Worlds mobile app might actually be launching soon

A screenshot from the Horizon Worlds game Super Rumble . | Image: Meta Meta’s long-in-the-works mobile version of Horizon Worlds , its VR metaverse social platform, may finally launch soon, according to Friday’s Lowpass newsletter from Janko Roettgers. ... more - theverge

Roblox is now available to try on Meta Quest VR headsets

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Roblox is now available in open beta on Meta’s Quest VR headsets. Roblox and Meta had announced earlier in July that the social metaverse platform would be arriving on the headsets soon, and now, you can try ... more - theverge

Wayfair’s AI tool can redraw your living room and sell you furniture

Screenshot: Wes Davis / The Verge Wayfair has launched a free “virtual room restyler” called Decorify. It employs generative AI to show you a redecorated version of the room you want to zhuzh after you upload a picture of it and choose the visual style ... more - theverge

Apple is taking applications for Vision Pro developer kits

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple announced that developers can now apply to get a Vision Pro headset on the company’s website. In addition to the Vision Pro headset, the dev kit also includes help setting up the device, code-level support requests, ... more - theverge

Meta is improving Quest VR hand tracking and adding system-level live captions

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Meta’s newest update for its Quest VR headsets, v56, will add a lot of welcome upgrades, including improved hand tracking, system-level live captions, and the return of livestreaming to Facebook. The improved ... more - theverge

Meta’s AR glasses reportedly won’t feature the high-end displays it planned

Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge The first part of Meta’s augmented reality glasses it sells to the public won’t come with the high-end displays originally planned for the device, according to a new report from The Information . Sources tell the outlet ... more - theverge

Nothing CEO Carl Pei on the Phone 2, AI, and the future of gadgets

Nothing CEO Carl Pei knows better than most how hard it is to make a dent in the hardware world. | Image: Nothing Nothing wants to invent the future. But you don’t get to invent the future if you can’t first make it in the smartphone biz. Continue reading… ... more - theverge

Google and Taito’s AR Space Invaders game is out now on Android and launching soon on iOS

Image: Google Google and Taito’s new augmented reality game that lets you wave around your phone to destroy AR Space Invaders aliens is out now on Android and launching at midnight local time on July 18th on iOS, according to a blog post from Google. ... more - theverge

Roblox is coming to Meta’s Quest VR headsets

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Roblox will be coming to Meta’s Quest VR headsets starting with an open beta that will be available in the “coming weeks,” according to a blog post from Meta. You’ll be able to try out this Quest version of ... more - theverge

Google’s AR software leader is out over the company’s ‘unstable commitment and vision’

Illustration: The Verge Mark Lucovsky, the former head of operating systems on Google’s augmented reality team, has left the company. In a tweet on Monday, Lucovsky says “changes in AR leadership and Google’s unstable commitment and vision” contributed ... more - theverge

Pokémon Go creator Niantic accused of ‘systemic sexual bias’ in lawsuit

James Bareham / The Verge A former Niantic employee filed a lawsuit against the AR gaming company on Friday, alleging that it devalued the work of female employees and women of color, denied equal pay to women employees and women of color. The lawsuit, ... more - theverge

The MLB will debut a new ‘virtual ballpark’ this weekend

The MLB virtual ballpark. | Image: Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) has a new “virtual ballpark” coming to the web, opening to the public this Saturday for a celebrity softball game. The MLB says it will have a social component, letting ... more - theverge

Apple considered a finger-worn controller for the Vision Pro

The Vision Pro almost had a dedicated controller. | Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple’s new Vision Pro headset, which is coming later this year, will use hand-tracking and eye-tracking for control, but at one time, Apple considered a finger-worn ... more - theverge

Sony’s Mocopi system is bringing affordable motion tracking to the US

Mocopi is fully wireless and only requires a Bluetooth connection to your phone, so you can use it anywhere. | Image: Sony Sony is introducing Mocopi, its wireless, phone-based motion capture system for controlling virtual avatars, to the US following ... more - theverge

IRL’s ex-CEO says he’s ‘shocked’ about the company’s fake users

IRL’s company logo. | Photo illustration by William Joel/The Verge I have a packed issue this week, starting with the implosion of a once-hot social media startup called IRL. It raised $200 million at over a $1 billion valuation, and now its board is ... more - theverge

Niantic lays off staff and shuts down games as it focuses on Pokémon Go

Photo by Sam Byford / The Verge Niantic is making some major organizational changes, including layoffs, game shutdowns, and the closure of its Los Angeles studio, according to an email from Niantic CEO John Hanke shared on the company’s website. The ... more - theverge

Google has reportedly killed its Project Iris augmented reality glasses

This is a Google prototype, but is it the one Google killed? | Image: Google Last January, we revealed Google was building an AR headset, too — “Project Iris” would be the company’s bet against the then-yet-to-be-announced headgear from Meta and Apple. ... more - theverge

Why CEO David Baszucki is ready for Roblox to grow up

Roblox , the virtual world and game platform, has 66 million daily users who spent 14 billion collective hours on it in just Q1 of 2023. If you have kids, you’ve probably heard of Roblox . If you haven’t heard of it, Roblox CEO David Baszucki wants to ... more - theverge

Meta launches Quest Plus subscription for VR games

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg just announced Quest Plus, the company’s new “virtual reality” subscription that gives users access to “the best titles on the platform.” In a post on his Instagram broadcast channel, ... more - theverge

The Apple Vision Pro could come with a ‘travel mode’ for plane rides

Image: Apple The Apple Vision Pro may come equipped with settings specifically for plane rides. When digging into the first beta of visionOS, MacRumors found that the device’s operating system may have a Travel Mode option that you can use during a flight. ... more - theverge

Meta is increasing the performance of its Quest 2 and Pro headsets

The Meta Quest 2 is about to get performance enhancements (and not a new strap). | Image: The Verge Mark Zuckerberg announced the Meta Quest 3 VR headset at the beginning of this month, which should bring enhanced capabilities for those who want to upgrade ... more - theverge

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino will be at the Code Conference

It’s a big year for the Code Conference — Vox Media’s annual tech-and-media gathering founded by Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg has a new location and new hosts: CNBC’s Julia Boorstin, Platformer’s Casey Newton, and... me. It’s going to be a big one, ... more - theverge

Meta is lowering the minimum age for the Quest to 10 years old

The Meta Quest 3 headset ships later this year. | Image: Meta Government scrutiny of how tech companies handle their underage users is continuing to heat up. A flood of bills in Congress on this topic seeks to strengthen the power of regulators and even ... more - theverge

Meta is adding public text-based chat to Horizon Worlds

A voice chat feature is already available in Meta’s Horizon Worlds platform, but the new world chat will work more like a text-based group message. | Image: Meta Meta is introducing a public, text-based social feature to its Horizon Worlds VR platform. ... more - theverge

Phasmophobia is coming to Xbox Series S / X, PS5, and PSVR 2 with crossplay

Image: Kinect Games Do you love hunting creepy ghosts in the dark with friends? Good, because Phasmophobia is coming to Xbox Series X / S, PS5, and PSVR 2 in August. The paranormal horror game will even include optional crossplay support so console and ... more - theverge

Assassin’s Creed Nexus brings first-person assassinations to VR

Image: Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed is heading to virtual reality. At its Ubisoft Forward event, the publisher properly unveiled Assassin’s Creed Nexus , which is coming to the Meta Quest 2 and 3 (it’s launching “holiday 2023”) and will be the first game ... more - theverge