Sony Unveils Playstation VR2, Meta Backlash, Groped In VR Chat

If the press is to be believed, the Metaverse is clearly headed for a “trough of disillusion,” where it will likely languish for some time, perhaps until it actually exists. This has to be one of the fastest falls from grace a new technology ever had. In the 90s, we thought e-commerce would eat retail. And twenty five years and a pandemic later, it really has. The Metaverse could similarly take decades to ripen. Meanwhile, the beatings gleefully continue. Zuckerberg Has Burned $500 Billion Turning Facebook to Meta said a New York Magazine feature. Why Facebook’s metaverse is destined to be the biggest flop in tech history said another. And, as Sony reminded us this week, Meta does have consumer VR to itself. Macrumors reported this week that Apple’s $3000+ AR/VR Headset Said to Enter Mass Production in August-September

Sony unveils new virtual reality headset for PlayStation The only thing not to like about the new PS5 VR2 HMD is that it’s still tethered to the game console, but even that has been simplified and improved. But through that cord, the VR2 will deliver superior 4K 2000×2040 per eye resolution, with a 110-degree field of view, eye tracking, 3D audio, headset haptics, and foveated rendering. The headset-tracked PS VR2 Sense controllers are a real upgrade as well. No word on the street date or price. 

Meta Metaverse Will Use AI To Assist Users in Generating Worlds Meta hosted a virtual event yesterday where they shared some of the  latest artificial intelligence innovations to help build a metaverse that’s accessible to all. BuilderBots will enable users to import things into a virtual world just by using voice commands.

Meow Wolf: More Immersive Than VR Meow Wolf’s real world location in Las Vegas, Omega Mart, is a unique, funny and thought-provoking take consumer culture. The faux grocery store has had over a million visitors since it opened a year ago. 

Groped in VR Chat The BBC says VR Chat has unsavory adult content in some user built worlds, and they’re all open to kids. Good point but have you seen the Internet lately?

Minecraft VR Is Now Available On The Meta Quest This is a game that wants to be spatial. It was even featured in the Ready Player One movie.

You don’t have to be rich to race in the America’s Cup anymore. Marineverse launches on the Quest today.

Unity CEO, John Riccitiello confirmed as a keynote speaker at AWE USA 2022. 

This Week in XR is now a podcast hosted by Ted Schilowitz, Futurist at Viacom, and Charlie Fink, the author of this weekly column. Our guest this week is Dan O’Brian, GM of HTC America.  You can find us on podcasting platforms Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube. In addition, our podcast is posted on Awe.live at 12pm/3pm EST Friday afternoon, where I’ll be chatting with you like during the podcast.  

What We’re Reading

This Quest 2 Mini Golf Game Sold me on the Metaverse (Hamish Hector/Techradar)

The Metaverse Is Coming: We May Already Be in It As in the world of The Matrix, we may not be able to tell what’s real and what’s not. (Rizwan Virk/Scientific American)

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Metaverse—But Were Too Afraid to Ask How do you navigate an immersive virtual world that’s still mostly conceptual yet manages to generate billions of visits and even more dollars? Buckle up, because the deeper you go, the weirder it gets. (Josh Condon/Robb Report)