Meta Quest
The Oculus product line (Facebook’s collection of VR products) is now swapping out Oculus for the new Meta branding. The Oculus Quest will be known as Meta Quest.
Curiously, they still are using the Oculus logo for the main graphic in the cover (for now)
Twilight Zone VR
One of the most iconic (/weirdest) shows of the 20th century is getting a VR game. XR Producer Fun Train who also did Tarzan VR announced November 2nd the upcoming VR game for Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR The Twilight Zone VR. According to Fun Train, the game will have three standalone episodes with a several of genres, from psychological horror to science fiction.
Charles River Analytics
Charles River Analytics (developer of intelligent systems solutions), announced that it received funding from the US Army to create a “Virtual Environment Collaboration Tools for Operational Readiness” (VECTOR) augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) system. The idea of VECTOR is to create VR environments so dispersed Mission Command personnel can plan, rehearse, and execute missions together virtually.
FitXR
FitXR, a popular VR fitness app, is adding voice commands to make the app more accessible. Last month FitXR also launched its adaptive fitness classes. Six seated fitness experiences designed for individuals with disabilities, injuries, or mobility issues. During the recent Facebook Connect event, Zuckerberg showcased a new set of developer tools which included Voice SDK, which allows developers to add voice-driven gameplay into their games and apps for new forms of interaction.
Finally, just wanted to call attention to an interesting think piece from Darren Shou published on Wired this week: “I Want My Daughter to Live in a Better Metaverse“. He brings up an issue similar to the plot of Arkangel in Black Mirror.