Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses are already pretty fashionable, as they look nearly identical to a few of EssilorLuxottica’s best-selling sunglasses, albeit with the inclusion of neatly integrated cameras, speakers, battery and onboard AI driven by a positively tiny Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 processor. With the launch of a new pop-up store in Los Angeles today, Meta is hoping to test out whether it can move the needle with broader adoption.

Meta calls the LA pop-up store “experiential retail,” having modeled it after the Meta Lab pop-up at Connect 2024 in October, which allowed event-goers to try on a pair of Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses to capture photos and videos and keep the resultant files, or even buy a customized pair of the $300 glasses right then and there.

Ultimately, the idea with its first publicly available pop-up in LA is to increase word-of-mouth marketing, which Creative Director Matt Jacobson hopes will make its users into the “best salesperson ever.”

Adorned with a giant pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses on the outside (with the glasses’ LED privacy light), the flagship pop-up in LA is only going to be around until December 31st, although it won’t be the last.

The company’s next pop-up is planned to hit Phoenix, Arizona in January, which the company calls a “real shop-in-shop,” the exact location of which is still a mystery.

“Can we build a store inside somebody else’s business? Can we drive traffic to it, and can we leverage their marketing as well as ours? By the end of January, we will have tested all three expressions of our experiential first-party retail.”

To boot, the Meta Lab location is doing more than just letting people try on and buy Ray-Ban smartglasses. The company says it will have “regular programming,” which includes stand-up comedy with Desi Banks, a live podcast with Madeline Argy, a ‘paint and sip’ night with Tinashe, a Ray-Ban Meta-focused workshop with Director Drex Lee, and a cooking class with Cassie Yeung.

From there, Meta hopes to share its findings with EssilorLuxottica, which operates over 17,000 stores worldwide, as well among third-party partners. Meta announced in September it was expanding its smartglasses partnership with the eyewear conglomerate into 2030.

As pop-ups go, the LA and Phoenix locations may be a limited engagement, but it may also spark more to come.

“We can’t scale a hundred of these, but we can build a few of them at locations around the country, and then fill in if we decide we want to do more first-party retail. This is aspirational, inspirational. They’re not easily scalable in terms of what they look like, but in terms of experience, they are,” Jacobson says.

If you’re in the LA area, you can find the Meta Lab pop-up over at 8600 Melrose Avenue, open from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm PT seven days a week beginning November 8th through December 31st.

Posted holiday hours are 10:00 am – 3:00 pm on Black Friday and Christmas Eve, with the location closed on Thanksgiving, December 3rd, and Christmas Day.

Alien: Rogue Incursion is coming to Quest later than expected, as developer Survios announced the Quest 3 version of the game is now delayed to “early next year.”

The studio announced the news in an X post, noting that both PSVR 2 and SteamVR versions of the game will still arrive on the original December 19th launch date.

Survios says the delay, which affects Quest 3 and Quest 3S, is to “ensure Alien: Rogue Incursion meets these high standards and provides the Alien VR experience that fans and players expect.” You can find the full message from Survios at the bottom of the article.

This follows the game’s first preview event, where press went hands-on with the game running on Quest 3 tethered to a PC, consequently showing off the SteamVR version. Notably, previews were promising, with previewers from IGN and UploadVR praising the game’s immersive environments, smart narrative beats, and intuitive weapons and tools.

Fitting all of those complex and necessarily lush environments into Quest 3’s comparatively more demanding performance budget however is a big sticking point for practically all VR developers, as it requires a lot more care and polish to meet those ‘AAA’ visuals fans are expecting—making the delay regrettable, if not understandable from a developer standpoint.

A single-player action-horror game, Alien: Rogue Incursion is puts you in the shoes of Zula Hendricks, an ex-Colonial Marine on a dangerous mission that brings her to the uncharted planet Purdan. Accompanied by the sentient AI companion, Davis 01, you’re tasked with fighting to the heart of the infested Gemini Exoplanet Solutions research facility, fighting against packs of Xenomorphs along your way.

The full message from Survios follows below:

At Survios, we take pride in delivering top-tier immersive gaming experiences for our players. To ensure Alien: Rogue Incursion meets these high standards and provides the Alien VR experience that fans and players expect, we’ve made the difficult decision to delay the game’s release on Meta platforms until early next year. PlayStation VR2 and Steam versions of the game will still launch on December 19, 2024.

Our team has been delighted to see the reactions from the community, press, and creators following our first hands-on previews over the past few weeks, and we couldn’t be more excited to deliver this terrifying, action-packed, and authentic game for fans of Alien, VR enthusiasts, and players new to VR.

We can’t wait for you all to immerse yourselves like never before in this fan-favorite universe. Stay tuned to our social channels for the latest updates on the game – we’re confident it will be worth the wait, no matter where you play.

Stranger Things VR (2024), the Quest game from Tender Claws, is leaving timed Quest exclusivity next month.

Originally launched on Quest 2/3/Pro in February, the studio announced it’s bringing Stanger Things VR to to PSVR 2 and SteamVR-compatible headsets on December 5th.

Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of Tender Claws:

Experience the world of Stranger Things from the never-before-seen perspective of Vecna as he explores unknown realities, forms the hive mind, and enacts his plan for revenge against Eleven and Hawkins.

Players will invade the dreams and memories of fan-favorite characters and harness telekinetic powers to possess minds and battle creatures, as Henry Creel’s transformation into Vecna and his influence on the events of prior seasons is revealed.

In our review on Quest earlier this year, we lauded the game’s visually intense retelling of the show’s last two seasons, showcasing extremely deft art direction in the process. On the flipside, it retreads a lot of familiar ground for fans of the show, and puts some of its most engaging gameplay mechanics in the backseat, presenting itself as more as mélange of interesting scenes than a truly indispensable addition to the franchise’s lore.

Still, it’s a visually intense experience, letting you follow the show’s villain Vecna and protagonist Eleven as you traverse the terrifying world of the Upside Down and a shattered version of Hawkins, letting you confront Dr. Brenner and duke it out with Demodogs and Demobats alike—culminating in around four hours of gameplay.

You can pre-order Stranger Things VR on the PlayStation Store for PSVR 2, priced at $20, and wishlist the game on Steam for PC VR headsets.

Meta may be rethinking its approach to third-party app funding, as the company has reportedly cut funds to some outside VR game developers whilst reshifting its focus to non-gaming apps.

According to a report from The Information, Meta is becoming “more discriminating” in how it spends to stock its Horizon Store for Quest.

Citing unnamed Meta staffers, the company has reportedly cut funding for some outside app developers amid a wider shift to fund apps that have seen comparatively better traction. The Information maintains Meta is hoping to boost “lifestyle apps,” such as fashion, beauty and music. Funding for these apps is said to arrive at some point via an accelerator that grants seed-stage funding.

Meanwhile, The Information has cited two VR developers that have taken a hit as a result, requiring them to slash staff numbers following the funding pull.

Netherlands-based studio Monks has reportedly halved its team of 100 people, which was creating content for the company’s Horizon Worlds social app. France-based Atlas V, known for work on Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway (2023) and Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom (20240, has also apparently cut half of its team, according to The Information report.

This follows Meta’s shutdown of first-party VR studio Ready at Dawn in August, creators of the Lone Echo franchise and Echo VR.

A few months prior, the studio concluded a protracted legal battle with the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to acquire Within, the studio behind popular VR fitness app Supernatural.

Apple has released initial access to the long-promised panoramic display feature for Vision Pro’s Mac Virtual Display, which now brings three virtual screen sizes via its visionOS 2.2 beta release.

Having initially launched with Vision Pro back in February, Mac Virtual Display only included a single virtual screen size, albeit allowing Vision Pro users to have multiple app windows open at the same time.

Many were hoping Apple would release the new ‘Wide’ and ‘Ultrawide’ display formats for Mac Virtual Display last month during the company’s online Mac product reveal event. Now, as reported by MacRumors, visionOS 2.2 is here in beta, allowing Vision Pro users who opt in to finally take advantage of long-awaited wider screen real estate.

Apple said during the feature’s unveiling in June the update would bring an “ultra-wide display that wraps around you,” allowing for resolutions “equivalent to two 4K monitors, side by side.” Mac-side dynamic foveated rendering also keeps content “sharp wherever you look,” Apple said.

While it’s unclear exactly when Apple plan to push out visionOS 2.2 to the stable branch, it’s likely to come alongside the next ‘X.2’ updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS Sequoia, watchOS, and tvOS, MacRumors suggests.

In the meantime, to enroll in the visionOS 2.2 beta, simply follow these few steps:

Updating Vision Pro via OTA updates

1. Sign in to the Apple Developer Center with with your Apple ID and accept the ToS.
2. Put on Vision Pro, and go to Settings General > Software Update > Beta Updates and choose the developer beta.
3. When a new developer beta is available, you can install it from Software Update.
4. From there, you should see the new ‘Wide’ and ‘Ultrawide’ options when tethered to your Mac.

Human Within is a sci-fi interactive VR film coming to Quest in January that explores how AI affects humanity. Departing from standard VR films, which are usually pretty ‘one-and-done’, the upcoming interactive experience promises to give you the choice in how the story progresses and ends.

Created by Signal Space Lab and Actrio Studio, Human Within is set to arrive on Quest on January 9th, and “soon” to SteamVR headsets.

Like the interactive Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch, Human Within is slated to offer the user choices and consequences, but also explore digital recreations of the films environments, displayed as point clouds, in addition to viewing some of the action from what the studios call “a virtual internet space.”

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Directed by Avi Winkler and Anne Weigel, Human Within follows engineer Nyla, and her sister Linh, who are employed at Forward Industries. Having pioneered a groundbreaking supercomputer that harnesses the human brain’s processing power, Nyla pulls back from the project after confronting its implications. But the sisters are forced by the company to continue their work, and Lihn’s consciousness is transferred to the metaverse.

Lihn’s now-digital brain is where the narrative plays out, presented as a mix of 3D spaces, and both 2D and 360 video, offering a total of five possible endings.

“At key moments in the story the events that take place are defined by the user’s choices. These moments define how events unfolded in the past and determine how it all ends in the present,” the film’s Horizon Store page says.

“We wanted to explore how advanced tech affects the human experience, and how we connect to one another,” said Avi Winkler, Creative Director at Signal Space Lab. “Launching at a time of rapid advancements, like ChatGPT 4.0 and Neuralink, Human Within no longer feels like science fiction, but rather a timely reflection on the shifting realities of modern life.”

Virtual reality was a key component, Winkler says, noting Human Within “immerses viewers in the reality of now – and where we’re headed – in a more immersive, nuanced way than through a traditional film or video game.”

You can pre-order Human Within on the Horizon Store for Quest 2 and 3, regularly priced at $18, and wishlist it on Steam for PC VR headsets.

Code discovered in a recent Google Play update indicates the company may soon roll out support for XR headsets on its Android app store, which would mark a decisive shift in the competitive landscape.

As reported by Android Authority, code in version 43.3.32-31 of the Google Play app contains mention of “XR headset,” including a new headset icon that ostensibly indicates whether an app works with the supported device.

Google has technically hosted XR games on Play in the form of Cardboard apps since 2014, which use Android smartphones as ad hoc VR displays—something that was big in kickstarting user interest in the early days of consumer VR, but not so much in the day of standalone headsets like Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro.

The addition of a dedicated section in the Play store and official device support however points to something bigger than Cardboard, or even its now-defunct Google Daydream platform, which the company abandoned in 2019.

So what’s spurred this renewed interest in XR? There are a few things, arguably the largest of which is the Google, Samsung and Qualcomm headset collaboration, which was announced in early 2023. Samsung is building the hardware, Qualcomm the chipset, and Google the Android-based XR operating system.

Although the companies have confirmed the headset will be announced (and possibly launched) by the end of this year, practically nothing is known about the XR collab. Industry rumors maintain Samsung initially delayed the device to better compete with high-end mixed reality headsets, such as Vision Pro.

Then there’s the recent report from The Information that claims Google and Samsung are looking to partner on a Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses competitor, which would be materially ‘easier’ to produce than a full-fledged XR headset, since the comparatively cheaper AI-centric smartglasses don’t include displays.

Still, such a device likely wouldn’t need such a close tie-in to the broader Android ecosystem like a potential Vision Pro competitor, which would likely trade on its ability to not only play XR games published on Google Play, but also run standard 2D apps too, like Vision Pro does with its millions of compatible iOS apps.

This follows revelations from earlier this year that Meta and Google held talks in effort to bring Android XR to Quest, however talks apparently stalled due to Google’s terms being too restrictive for the liking of Meta. In the meantime, Meta has been making overtures to Android developers to bring their apps directly to Quest in a bid to further flesh out Quest as a general computing platform.

Cyan Worlds has released its big 2.0 update to MYST (2020), the VR-supported remake of the classic ’90s point-and-click adventure game, which includes performance boosts and improvements to stability for PC VR users.

The studio says in a recent Steam update that many of those performance woes have been resolved thanks to upgrading Myst from using Unreal Engine 4.27+ to Unreal Engine 5.3.2.

This has also pushed Cyan Worlds to adopt OpenXR in Myst, as it previously relied on the older OpenVR API, which is compatible with SteamVR. This, according to the studio, brings stability improvements, more generic launch options, and a more flexible environment for VR users.

Now, when booting the game for PC, users will see a single launch option that should work for all officially supported headsets, and possibly unsupported ones too, the studio says, which is largely thanks to OpenXR support.

While Myst can unofficially run on any SteamVR-supported headset, the studio says the new update drops official support for the original Rift headset and Quest 1 through Quest Link, as well as the original HTC Vive.

“This doesn’t mean that you CAN’T play Myst with those headsets, it just means that we are unable to give official support for them anymore. This statement also applies to WMR headsets, of which we only supported the HP Reverb 2 previously, but we will unfortunately no longer be able to officially support it, especially because of Microsoft’s own announcements to deprecate this support on Windows,” the studio says.

For PC VR users, Cyan warns that “mileage may vary” based on your machine, however the studio reports increased performance on some hardware, and decreased performance on others, to which the studio recommends toying with the existing and updated supersampling options.

The studio also fixed a number of VR-specific issues in Myst’s 2.0 update, such as resolving a height change bug when teleporting and menu visibility issues in certain game areas. The update also fixed backward movement glitches, random teleport loss, crashes upon exiting certain rooms, and inconsistencies in visual effects between eyes, along with refining VR menu bindings for smoother access across different SteamVR configurations.

It remains to be seen when the standalone Quest version will get similar focus from the studio, which released Myst sequel Riven (2024) back in June—optimized for Quest 3. Cyan Worlds says Quest and other platforms will get a patch “soon,” however the studio hasn’t released a clear estimate at the time of this writing.

Skydance’s Behemoth is coming to all major VR headsets in December, and developer Skydance Games has entered full hype mode with the release of its latest trailer, which shows off a new Behemoth and a good slice of fresh gameplay.

Ahead of its December 5th launch on Quest 2/3/Pro, PSVR 2, and SteamVR headsets, Skydance is revealing more of what’s to come for its single-player combat adventure, which is said to feature a 12-hour campaign.

Developed by the studio behind The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners franchise, Skydance’s most recent trailer shows off a new bat-like Behemoth, which aims to take you into an epic skybound battle.

“The curse dooms our home. Black rot eats our flesh, and bloodlust consumes every soul,” the trailer narrates. “Salvation lies in the Forsaken lands, where foul Behemoths are the source of our affliction. Be our light in the dark. You walk on hallowed ground. Listen to me, Ren—there is no freedom while the curse remains. I can still feel the black rot in my veins. Together, we will be stronger. Show no mercy. Ren, I won’t let the curse take my people. I’ll fight, no matter what it takes.”

If you’re looking for more Behemoth lore, the studio also published a free graphic novel that prominently features the new giant bat Behemoth, revealed to be named ‘Nightscraper’.

In addition to a good slate of concept art covering Behemoths and in-universe areas, we also learned from the graphic novel that a previously revealed boss, featured in the first public hands-on, is named ‘Shacklehide’, owing to his main ball and chain weapon.

This follows the announcement in September that Skydance’s Behemoth was delayed beyond the original November 14th release date, pushing launch to December 5th. As recompense, the studio also released a trailer then revealing the boss ‘Dreddstag’, which similarly tasks you with grappling your way up the suitably mountainous Behemoth.

Nintendo has published a new patent that could point to its next iteration of Labo VR for its long-awaited Switch successor.

While news of the company’s next Switch console is expected “within this fiscal year,” Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said in May, rumors however suggest the company has delayed release to early 2025, which has only fueled speculation among Nintendo acolytes hoping for what promises to be a bigger, better Switch.

Now, Nintendo has published a patent (Japanese) that appears to be a VR add-on similar to its Labo VR kit first released in 2019, which allowed users to essentially ‘build’ a VR display add-on for use in experimental mini-games, and for playing a handful of traditional Switch titles in 3D.

Called an “auxiliary device and stereoscopic image display system,” the patent describes a “portable main unit that displays a stereoscopic image, and an auxiliary equipment that assists the user in viewing the stereoscopic image.”

Unlike Labo VR, which was primarily made of cardboard and featured a loose slot to house Switch, the patent shows off a more refined clip-in mechanism that more securely cradles the console. Images also show the console with controllers attached, with patent literature describing how a user holds it in the their left and right hands.

Some images show the device without controllers, however no such headstrap configuration is specified—essentially positioning it to work like Nintendo’s 2019 Labo VR, albeit without mention of the optional ‘Toy-Con’ game accessories offered at release.

So, not a VR headset as such, but an encouraging development considering Nintendo hasn’t fully invested in XR tech with a standalone headset release, like Meta Quest 3 or its new Quest 3S, which was launched earlier this month starting at $300.

Revisiting Labo VR with a follow-up device for its new Switch doesn’t seem that far-fetched though, as the kit widely sold out at retailers at launch, and used Switch in innovative, patently Nintendo ways.

Still, we’re taking this (and any patent) with a grain of salt. A mantra worth remembering: every product has a patent, but not every patent has a product.

Canon today announced a more affordable lens option designed for social media creators and videographers interested in VR and 3D content creation.

Back in June, Canon announced its RF-S3.9mm F3.5 STM Dual Fisheye lens, which was designed to allow its line of cameras to take spatial video and photos—priced at $1,099.00.

Now the company is widening its line of dual lens optics with an even more affordable VR lens system with the introduction of RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens, which is going on sale this November for $449.99.

As the name suggests, the lens offers a 7.8mm focal length, as well as a 60-degree angle of view. Like the previously released Dual Fisheye lens, the new lens is also compatible with Canon’s latest cameras that support RF mounts, which includes EOS R, R5, R6, RP, and the R7.

While admittedly offering a lower field-of-view (FOV) than the 144-degree FOV of its bigger brother, it’s also less than half the price.

Previewed at Apple’s 2024 WWDC, Canon intends to use the new lens to meet the growing demand for accessible spatial video creation.

Notably, the new RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens is said to operate like a traditional 2D RF lens, enabling easy setup for newcomers, and allowing anyone with its latest RF mount cameras to create immersive content for headsets like Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3.

According to Hiroto Kato, Canon’s vice president of Imaging Products & Solutions, the RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens is “an exciting step” in making 3D content creation accessible.

“With the RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens, Canon is not only providing a new visual tool but also enhancing the way creators communicate using emerging VR, spatial and 3D technologies,” said Kato says. “This lens allows users to capture immersive content, bridging the gap between traditional content creation and the latest in VR and Spatial imagery. It’s an exciting step forward in making high-quality 3D content more approachable for everyone.”

The new dual lens is scheduled for release in November 2024, priced at $449.99. Check out the specs below:

Valve officially released a feature to the SteamVR stable branch that adds basic hand-tracking to Steam Link for Quest users.

Previously only available in the Beta test branch released back in August, the new SteamVR 2.8 update doesn’t actually bring full hand-tracking support to SteamVR’s UI, but rather allows Quest users to DIY their setup for each game by experimenting with input bindings.

To enable hand-tracking through Steam Link, make sure both SteamVR and the Steam Link app for Quest is updated and head into the Binding UI in SteamVR’s Controller Settings to toggle on hand-tracking. From there, simply tap your controllers together and you’ll be able to start experimenting.

Valve says in the SteamVR 2.8 release notes (seen below) that the update also comes along with a number of bug fixes and quality of life improvements across SteamVR, Valve’s OpenXR API, and Steam Link for Quest, such as improvements to overall 2D and 3D streaming stability via Steam Link.

“We continue to focus on OpenXR as our preferred API for new games and applications,” Valve says. “SteamVR’s official OpenXR subforum is here and we’d love to hear your feedback, as well as suggestions for new features.”

Check out the full SteamVR 2.8 release notes below:

SteamVR

• Dashboard Grab Handles have a new movement model that includes accelerated movement towards and away from the user. The acceleration factor can currently be adjusted in the dashboard settings tab. The dashboard settings tab is hidden by default; select Show Advanced Settings in the lower left to unhide.
• The controls for desktop windows have been restyled.
• Allow Tundra trackers to bind to left and right ankle roles.
• Fixed the SteamVR settings page crashing if drivers attempt to show settings on the page before an HMD connects.
• Curl data from GetSkeletalSummaryData will now report 0.0 (rather than 1.0) if fingers are hyperextended.
• Improved behavior with very low FPS scene apps on non-native headsets (Quest, Steam Link, Virtual Desktop, etc)
• Fixed workshop bindings not displaying for popular titles that had changed input systems.
• Fix black screen bug for Pico users using Virtual Desktop on some games.

OpenXR

• Fix inconsistencies in xrLocateViews when switching between stage and local space.
• Fix bindings for left_ankle and right_ankle in XR_HTCX_vive_tracker_interaction.
• Fix non-base projection layers displaying in the wrong space.

Steam Link

• Enable hand-tracking pass through for SteamVR Input and XR_EXT_hand_tracking.
• Eye gaze information may be passed through OpenXR via XR_EXT_eye_gaze_interaction if enabled in the Steam Link settings. Note: Any users who previously had the “Share eye tracking data to other apps on this PC via OSC” option enabled, they will need to enable “Share eye tracking data to other apps on this PC” in Steam Link settings, and it will enable eye tracking data sharing both for OpenXR and OSC (if enabled).
• Improved 2D/3D VR Steam Link behavior.
• Fix image binding locations in binding UI for hand tracking controllers.
• Updates to SteamVR for Steam Link use with Quest 3S, fixing AMD users and improving experience for NVIDIA users.

Some of the first hands-ons with Survios’ upcoming Alien: Rogue Incursion have emerged, revealing a promising look at one of the biggest entries in VR this year.

In case you haven’t been following along, Alien: Rogue Incursion is coming to all major VR headsets this December, letting you take on the role of Zula Hendricks, a resilient former Colonial Marine with a complicated past on a dangerous mission to rescue friend and former squad mate.

Tackling the ship’s Xenomorph infestation, you fight alongside your synthetic companion Davis 01, tasking you to fight your way to the heart of the Gemini Exoplanet Solutions research facility and confront the secrets waiting within. There, we’re promised “deadly horrors” which could spell the end for humankind.

Now, a few outlets have published the first hands-on reports with Rogue Incursion.

In Leanne Butkovic’s preview for IGN, she said it “certainly had classic moments of Alien horror.” There’s no “but” there either. Butkovic goes on to praise the Rogue Incursion’s immersive environment, smart narrative beats, and intuitive weapons and tools.

It’s doesn’t appear to go too hard on wave shooter mechanics either, as Butkovic says the game “wasn’t endlessly frenetic.”

“If anything, it deliberately moves slowly in parts to spatially acclimate, to give people like me who can’t help but touch things that are laying around, a chance to explore and discover the story of this Alien property for myself,” Butkovic said.

Rogue Incursion also doesn’t appear to be the sort of experience that throws a ton of classic ancillary ‘gamer engagement’ mechanics at you. Butkovic calls it a “cinematic experience that isn’t obsessed with leveling up or unlocking map areas.”

Notably, we also learned the Xenomorphs’ pack-style hunting behavior was based on the “clever girl” Velociraptors in Jurassic Park, making for what seems like a more active game of cat and mouse, where roles are constantly switched given the mission at hand.

UploadVR’s Ian Hamilton also went hands-on with Rogue Incursion, which promises to offer an eight-hour story.

You can find video of Hamilton’s gameplay below, which includes a short interview with Survios Chief Product Officer TQ Jefferson and Writer Alex White, who talk about how Rogue Incursion fits into the franchise’s lineage, and how Xenomorphs work in this “thriller-paced” shooter.

So, while it’s clearly not Alien: Isolation (2014) replicated for the modern age of VR games, which was more about hiding from a near-invisible Xenomorph, gameplay suggests it’s definitely capable of offering up thrills.

White says Rogue Incursion was designed to “hype up the action, hype up sense of empowerment of being a soldier,” which is said to constantly “flip that power dynamic” between you and the Xenomorphs ahead.

Alien: Rogue Incursion comes out December 19th, 2024, launching simultaneously on PSVR 2, PC VR, and Quest 3 and Quest 3S (exclusively). You can pre-order now on Steam, the PlayStation Store and Horizon Store.

Trombone Champ: Unflattened, the VR-ified version of the 2022 indie rhythm game, is coming to Quest on November 26th.

Trombone Champ: Unflattened reimagines the viral rhythm game for VR, allowing you to take the stage in dynamic concert halls and toot around on some increasingly wibbly trombones.

Starting with one trombone, players can unlock a diverse collection, each with unique properties, sounds, and animations. Trombone Champ: Unflattened also introduces a rhythm and timing challenge-filled campaign, including interactive environments that respond to your performance and real-time audience reactions.

At launch, the game is slated to arrive with 50 tracks spanning classical to modern genres. Collect Tromboner Cards, customize instruments, and unveil the ‘Trombiverse’ secrets. The game is also coming with custom track support, giving players freedom to create and perform.

Launching on November 26th on Quest, Trombone Champ: Unflattened also offers mixed reality support for Quest 3 and Quest 3S. Pre-orders are now available on the Horizon Store for Quest, which also supports Quest 2 and Quest Pro.

Additionally, the game is headed to SteamVR headsets and PSVR 2 at some point, however neither Flat2VR Studios nor original developer Holy Wow Studios has mentioned when to expect either of those releases.

Bigscreen, the social VR screen sharing platform, is spectacularly good at letting users hold communal watch parties dedicated to anything they can show on a PC’s screen, Quest users included. But now the studio is launching a paid cloud-streaming service that aims to make it even easier for Quest users looking to get away from their PC entirely.

Bigscreen already offers a remote desktop client for Quest, which allows you to cue up content on your PC for playback in the Quest-native app. It’s a really handy way of sharing your screen without technically needing a beefy, VR-capable PC, as practically any PC will do, even Intel CPUs with integrated graphics which support Quick Sync Video.

Now the studio is rolling out what it calls its ‘Cloud Browser’, a paid service that lets you host rooms and stream content without needing a PC at all.

While DRM restrictions technically black out services like Netflix and Disney+ on Bigscreen’s new Cloud Brower, it does allow Quest users to stream movies from less litigious services, such as Plex, Dropbox, and Vimeo.

And as the name implies, it also allows you to browse the web for anything worth chatting over, such as websites and web-based games.

As a paid service, Bigscreen’s Cloud Browser comes with a free two-hour trial; day passes are priced at $1.99 for 24 hours of access, and a monthly pass are priced at $9.99 for 30 days of access. You can learn more over on the Bigscreen website.

Apple announced in June it was planning to release a wider, higher-resolution version of Mac Virtual Display for Vision Pro. Now, the company says its holding a bevy of Mac announcements starting Monday, October 28th, which many are hoping includes the still unreleased mode.

“We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning. Stay tuned,” Apple marketing executive Greg Joswiak recently revealed on X.

The coming week of announcements seems to be a replacement for its annual Mac event, traditionally held in October, which in the past has seen the release of new iPads and Macs. The event is very likely centered around the reveal of the company’s new slate of Macs featuring various flavors of its M4 chipsets.

The Mac event however may present the ideal opportunity to highlight the promised panoramic Mac Virtual Display feature for Vision Pro, which was planned to release sometime after the debut of visionOS 2.0 in June.

At the time, Apple said its new Mac-tethered virtual screens would include an “ultra-wide display that wraps around you,” allowing for resolutions “equivalent to two 4K monitors, side by side.” Thanks to Mac-side dynamic foveated rendering, Apple maintains content will “stay sharp wherever you look.”

Like everyone outside of Apple sphere of influence, we haven’t seen it in action yet beyond the initial WWDC keynote, although on-stage teaser showed a simple UI toggle, letting Mac Virtual Display users choose ‘Normal’, ‘Wide’ and ‘Ultrawide’ modes.

If you’re looking to follow along, you can bet Apple will be livestreaming announcements on its website, and also very likely on its YouTube channel too. There’s no word yet on when to tune in, so check back soon.

Typically, Apple events start at 10 AM PT. You can click here to find your local time, although we’ll be updating this article once we know more.

VitruviusVR, the studio behind Shadow Legend VR (2019), finally announced the release date for its upcoming single-player sci-fi shooter, Arken Age.

Coming to SteamVR and PSVR 2 on January 16th, 2025, Arken Age promises a 10 to 15-hour story-driven campaign set in the lush arboreal environment of a terraformed world.

Here’s how VitruviusVR describes it:

Celestial Custodian’s Tower on the shores of the Bio-Chasm, a terraformed realm created to harvest Arkenite Energy. Its divine founder, the Grand Arborist, has ceased cultivation of your planet and every transmission sent to him has been met with abject silence. Uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the Grand Arborist, forge alliance with the Nara alien race, and take up arms against the usurper Hyperion & his legion of corrupted soldiers.

Additionally, the action-adventure game promises to let you freely jump, climb, and swim as you engage in physics-based combat, featuring a modest arsenal of weapons you can switch up with 30 different mods.

Check out the new gameplay in its new trailer, which features a thick slice of the game’s weapons, modding system, and surprisingly frangible baddies, which you can dismember and destroy in some pretty interesting ways.

Notably, the new trailer includes a more in-depth look at what appears to be the first boss battle, showing off the different tactics required to down a fairly gnarly four-legged tree-beast.

You can wishlist Arken Age on Steam and PSVR 2 ahead of its January 16th release.

Cisco updated its Webex networking app to include even more immersive support for meetings on Vision Pro, which now marries the app with its spatial video streaming hardware.

Cisco released Webex on Vision Pro back in February, allowing for mostly everything you’d expect from a Vision Pro version of the cross-platform video chatting app, letting users meet via Webex using their Persona avatars, and do things like place 2D chat windows around their mixed reality environment.

Now the company has gone one step further with the release of Cisco Spatial Meetings for Vision Pro, which now lets users stream stereoscopic video with the help of Cisco’s Room Bar Pro. Essentially, it spatializes non-flatscreen participants for the benefit of Vision Pro users.

Cisco’s new Webex spatial meeting update holds implications beyond the comparatively more simplistic face-to-face chats, including things like product demos, remote training, education—essentially anything enhanced by the added depth perception of viewing objects and environments in three dimensions.

“Think of all the use cases for companies in industries like manufacturing, retail, and healthcare. I believe that this combination of Cisco Spatial Meetings and Apple Vision Pro will drive unprecedented levels of creativity, productivity, and innovation,” says Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer.

Additionally, Cisco updated Webex for Vision Pro to include its AI Assistant, letting users improve productivity with AI-enhanced capabilities to catch up on meetings, get summaries, writing assistance, and more.

Bringing more immersive support for Vision Pro users is another step in the company’s ‘Distance Zero’ initiative, which the Cisco launched last year in effort to shorten the distance between users by using video and AI to make meetings more immersive.

PlaySide Studios, developer behind the upcoming Quest 3 party game Dumb Ways: Free for All, announced it’s releasing a psychological thriller on later this year that turns your physical space into a mixed reality escape room.

Called Shattered, the single-player MR game promises to turn your living room into a labyrinth of escape rooms and mind-bending puzzles.

“Investigate and alter memories to bend reality itself to your will as you collect evidence to expose the secrets of Greyvale and escape to safety,” the studio says.

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Coming to Quest 3 and Quest 3S in December, Shattered is slated to use your floor, ceiling, and walls to pull objects and characters from memories into your own playspace, which you use to find the clues and solve puzzles.

Here’s how the studio describes the action:

Step into the shoes of Jessica, a private investigator tasked with uncovering the dark secrets of a twisted mental health facility. This MR adventure transforms your living space into a dynamic playground, letting you interact with your environment in unprecedented ways. Navigate through eerie vignettes filled with intricate puzzles and unsettling scenarios, all while exploring Jessica’s fragmented memories.

Developed by PlaySide Studios and published by Meta’s in-house Oculus Publishing arm, we can expect the game on Quest 3, Quest 3S and Quest Pro sometime this December.

You can wishlist Shattered now on the Horizon Store.