MyOpinion

Meta's Reality Labs, the unit tasked with building the futuristic metaverse, continues bleeding money.

The social media company reported its second-quarter earnings on Wednesday and revealed that Reality Labs logged an operating loss of $4.53 billion while recording $370 million in sales during the period. Analysts were projecting that unit to post a second-quarter operating loss of $4.99 billion while generating $381 million in sales.

Burnley fans will be able to take a seat at Turf Moor for next weekend’s friendly with Lazio – without leaving their own homes.

The Premier League newcomers are to become the first football club in the world to present a game in Virtual Reality, where fans can wear headsets that transport them directly to East Lancashire regardless of where they are on the planet.

Developed by Berlin-based studio Selkies Interactive with a six-person team, Echoes of Mora is an emotional adventure about two siblings across a mysterious underwater world. With Mora searching for her missing brother who disappeared near a cursed lake, you're tasked with exploring a flooded, abandoned village to solve puzzles and search for clues.

Echoes of Mora is coming to Steam with PC VR support at an unknown date, and a public demo will be available at Gamescom next month.

For those with the budget, the TactSuit Air stands as a practical entry into wearable VR haptic tech, providing a lightweight and easy-to-fit design that offers basic tactile immersion. This bundle is best suited for new users or those wanting a more affordable option, and can be purchased at the current sale price of just under $400.

The Pro, with its larger ERM array and extended battery, delivers finer precision and more robust intensity for those gamers wanting to spend more for extra realism in combat or simulation games. With the additional features the Pro has, this model comes at a much higher price tag and is currently on sale for $650.

For anyone wanting VR interaction to be more than just visual and auditory sensations, these bHaptics bundles do provide what I currently consider to be one of the most consistent and technically mature solutions on the market. The advances in physical immersion I got using both Air and Pro make me confident that we're getting closer than ever to the fictional X1 Haptic Bootsuit from Ready Player One.

The Kickstarter campaign for Eldramoor: Haven in the Mist has come to an end, nabbing developer Resolute Games over $170,000 to bring its ambitious VR MMORPG to life.

The one-month campaign celebrated early success when it launched on June 24th, quickly garnering the project its minimum funding goal of $25,000 in just 1.5 hours of going live.

Within only a week, the Kickstarter crossed the $100,000 mark, going on to unlock a number of stretch goals along its way to $171,536: a bonfire healing system, more air and earth abilities, two new playable species, guest access to player housing, and pet abilities.

The 'Game Master Edition' previously cost $50 and lets you host other players and provides full toolkit access, offering an unlimited number of characters, maps, and miniatures. Anyone who didn't buy the original release or the subsequent GM Edition can also participate in these online multiplayer sessions through a free 'Player Edition' with limited features.

Despite today's news, Dungeon Full Dive will not be disappearing. Though it won't receive further updates on Steam and the previously announced Quest version will no longer happen, the GM Edition will become free for everyone to download on August 1 with all current features remaining available.

Online servers will remain live “for the foreseeable future” with no plans to shut them down, and TxK states "we’ll do everything we can to keep them running as long as possible.”

The XR (Extended Reality) headset that Samsung is about to release — dubbed Project Moohan — is apparently just an experiment, and not something long-term. Samsung does not plan on releasing further similar headsets at this time, and Project Moohan will be used to gauge consumer interest in XR.

As with Meta’s Orion smart glasses, the AR glasses that Apple is working on, and Google’s own experiments in this field, Samsung is preparing (translated source) for the future of smartphones. All of these companies are betting on AR smart glasses replacing smartphones in the near future, especially after the advent of modern AI models.

Samsung is apparently only releasing Project Moohan to see whether people even want something like this. If there’s sufficient interest, then the company will more seriously consider investing in the research of AR smart glasses.

There are a lot of factors that will affect consumer demand, however. From the prevalence of immersive content, to the comfort, and the price tag, everything has the potential to turn off a potential customer. At least there shouldn’t be a shortage of apps and content, as the headset will use Google’s new Android XR operating system.

The basic idea here isn't new, and companies like bHaptics even sell haptic VR gloves for $250, and have done for years now. But based on the images and description, Sharp's glove would have much higher tactile resolution, allowing for a far more realistic recreation of textures.

Further, rather than just being a glove, Sharp's device includes the surface of a typical VR controller, including the buttons and thumbstick, attached to the side of your index finger for your thumb to rest on and use. It's essentially a hybrid VR glove and controller, something many VR enthusiasts have been asking for for years.

Sharp's webpage for the project lists a "provisional price" of ¥100,000, roughly $700, though notes that "it has not been decided that this will be commercialized".

Further, the device in its current form does not include any kind of positional tracking or finger tracking, meaning on its own, you'd need to hope that computer vision based hand tracking systems detect it as a hand. The page notes that Sharp is "considering an attachment method to controllers with a high market share, in which case a position tracker will not be necessary".

Still, we imagine Sharp will see significant interest from VR enthusiasts, especially VRChat users, and we'll keep an eye out for any future news of this fascinating hybrid glove controller.

As first spotted by XT Today, Varjo says it’s now “focusing our manufacturing efforts on the XR-4 Series headsets,” which released in late 2023.

The Finland-based company notes in a support FAQ that its companion software, Varjo Base, will receive software updates and bug fixes until the January 1st, 2026 cutoff date.

After its final update, the company says that owners of XR-3, VR-3, and Aero can still use older versions of the software, but this also includes the end of customer support, technical and developer assistance for those devices.

Bigscreen unveiled a new ‘VRChat Edition’ of its slim and light Beyond 2e PC VR headset, which the company says is specifically designed for die-hard users of VR’s most popular social platform.

Bigscreen began shipping the first production units of Beyond 2 late last month, which includes both the standard Beyond 2 and its eye-tracking enabled variant, Beyond 2e.

Now, the company announced it’s also launching an exclusive VRChat Edition of the Beyond 2e, slated to start shipping out sometime in September 2025.

Now available for pre-order for $1,269—just $50 more than the standard Beyond 2e—the upcoming VRChat Edition does however promise a few differences, notably including a translucent Atomic Purple shell and hand-drawn packaging artwork.

UK-based startup Freeaim kicked off a new Kickstarter campaign yesterday to support the release of a pair of motorized shoes designed to enable natural walking in VR, essentially giving your feet two independent treadmills to walk on.

VR treadmills are usually pretty costly and bulky, which means they mostly appeal to enterprise. Now, Freeaim has unveiled its VR Shoes, which aims to reduce the cost and footprint of immersive VR locomotion devices.

Freeaim is offering two versions of the device, with its flagship ‘VR Shoes Advanced’ featuring rotating wheel modules that can automatically reposition the wearer to prevent drifting from a designated play area. This version can be used without a frame in spaces as small as 1.5 x 1.5 meters.

Its ‘VR Shoes Light’ model is a more affordable alternative, which notably lacks automatic rotation, requiring an external support frame to ensure user stability. Freeaim has developed two such optional support frames—the Hex and Swivel—designed to offer users additional balance and spatial guidance, particularly when starting out.

Known for its acclaimed The Room series, Fireproof Games has once again delivered a captivating experience with Ghost Town. Reviewed positively on Quest, we praised it as a standout atmospheric journey filled with mysterious environments, engaging puzzles, and a narrative steeped in sustained suspense and emotional depth.

In this game, you step into the shoes of Edith Penrose as she investigates the disappearance of her brother. Set against the backdrop of a ghost-hunting detective agency, you navigate a spirit-filled London while encountering supernatural mysteries that reveal themselves by solving intricate environmental and mechanical puzzles.

For fans of paranormal adventures, Ghost Town offers an unforgettable journey into the supernatural. Whether you play it on PC or Quest 3, be prepared for a thrilling and engaging experience that showcases Fireproof Games' commitment to quality and deep immersion.