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Vision Pro To Sell Out In 1 Month
CES, Apple's XR Controller Leak, Top AR Glasses, AI Games
Joel Johnson
January 12, 2024
Good morning, folks!
It’s CES week, baby! It’s the biggest talent show for tech companies to show off their latest innovations that they’ll probably never release. This year, XR products generated a lot more interest from visitors than usual.
Despite a big, upcoming product to sell, one of the companies that wasn’t present in these booths was Apple. However, a cheap Chinese knock-off of the Vision Pro did generate a lot of buzz in the VR stalls.
Headlines for people in a hurry:
🥽 Apple Only Has Less Than 80K Vision Pro Units At Launch
😲 An AR Glass That Can Restore Vision & More
🔪 Google Lays Off A Thousand Staff: Guts Most Of AR Division
🎮 Apple’s Working On An XR Controller For The Vision Pro
👨💼 Steam Now Allows Games Made With AI
Read time: 3 minutes
TOP STORIES
APPLE
REPORT: Apple To Launch With Limited Stock Of Only 60-80K Vision Pros
If you already sold your kidneys to buy the Apple Vision Pro, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. According to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has been reporting on Apple's suppliers for more than 10 years, only about 60,000 to 80,000 units will be manufactured for the US release.
VR skeptics will say that’s still way too much, but for reference, Meta is said to have produced close to 2.5 million Quest 3 headsets by the end of 2023 alone. Similarly, 18 million Quest 2 units were sold in the 2.5 years since their release. So, these numbers tell you that the AVP might go out of stock within the first month itself. Prepare for a Black Friday-like riot at Apple stores.
The constrained production is attributed to the complexity of the device and challenges in manufacturing its near-4K OLED microdisplays, supplied by Sony, which have a low yield and complex development constraints
If you want to experience the AVP, Apple plans to host in-store demos of the Vision Pro in US stores from February 2nd through the weekend. These demos, available on a first-come, first-served basis, will allow customers to experience the headset firsthand.
Furthermore, Mark Gurman leaked Apple’s review rollout plans, saying, “A hands-on “experience” with chosen reviewers will happen on January 16. Then, a follow-up meeting to go over the device again on January 23. The device will then be shipped to reviewers, and reviews will be published at the end of the month.”
AUGMENTED REALITY
AR Takes Center Stage At CES 2024
Top: Vuzix Z100, Sightful Spacetop | Bottom: Asus AirVision M1, OcuLenz
At CES, augmented reality (AR) technology took center stage with several groundbreaking innovations. My favorite among them is the pair of glasses that can restore eyesight.
OcuLenz, a high-resolution AR headset, showcased its ability to compensate for vision loss caused by advanced macular degeneration (AMD), offering a new lease on life for those with central vision impairment. The device includes two 2.5K displays and a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1, with custom software that repositions details to areas where users can see well.
Sightful launched the Spacetop, a screen-less laptop that comes with smart glasses, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1. This portable computer, paired with Xreal Light AR glasses, offers multi-screen productivity and over five hours of battery life, revolutionizing the way we interact with digital content.
ASUS introduced the AirVision M1, which kinda sounds like an Apple product. It’s a pair of glasses housing a wearable display, featuring a 1080p Micro OLED display with a 57-degree vertical perspective field of view. The AirVision M1, similar to TCL's NXTWear glasses, offers built-in speakers and a wired connection, with added features like a touchpad on the temple and the ability to pin the virtual screen in a specific location.
Vuzix launched the developer's edition of its new Z100 smart glasses, designed for frontline workers. These ruggedized safety glasses, based on the Ultralite platform, weigh just over an ounce (36g) and feature a monocular display with a 30-degree field of view. The battery lasts for two days, making these among the most efficient smart glasses available.
Google Lays Off Hundreds From AR Hardware
Google has laid off close to a thousand employees, among which hundreds are from its AR hardware team. The majority of the layoffs affected the team working on first-party AR hardware. Despite these changes, Google remains committed to other AR initiatives, including AR experiences in its products and product partnerships.
The company had previously shut down an AR glasses project codenamed Iris in early 2023. Since then, Google has seen the departure of several key AR figures, including former XR head Clay Bavor, AR operating system architect Marc Lucovsky, and Vice President of Hardware Engineering Paul Greco.
Google is still collaborating with Samsung on a mixed-reality headset, which is rumoured to be released by the end of 2024. This move indicates a shift in Google's focus within the AR space, possibly towards more collaborative efforts rather than in-house hardware development.
NEWS FLASH
REC ROOM
“Where yo legs at?”
🚶♂️ Rec Room introduces full body avatars in March, initially for level 50 players, with plans to expand access over time.
🎮 Valve updates Steam's rules for AI-generated content in games, requiring developers to disclose AI use and ensure legality.
🕵️♂️ HTC unveils Full Face Tracker for Vive XR Elite, enhancing facial expression tracking in VR.
🚂 Toy Trains VR captures childhood nostalgia, offering a cozy puzzle game experience on Quest 3.
🎵 Effex, a mixed reality music visualizer for Quest 3, brings Winamp-style visuals to your living room.
🌟 Amanda Watson, creator of Air Link, teases a new project at CES 2024 that could add thousands of games to standalone VR.
🎭 VRChat now automatically generates mobile avatar versions, bridging the gap between PC and mobile users.
🍎 Patent leak suggests Apple is working on a new XR controller for the Vision Pro
BOOKMARKS
Immersive Articles From The Web
UNREAL MONEY
FUNDING REPORT
Rokid Raises $70 Million To Rival Vision Pro
Chinese augmented reality (AR) glasses and software company Rokid has announced a significant funding boost of $70 million, led by the government of Hefei City. This investment marks a major step for Rokid in its development and expansion of AR technology.
The company, known for its consumer AR glasses, plans to focus on using AR in industrial settings, particularly in factories. This strategy aligns with Rokid's goal of enhancing equipment safety checks and reducing training time for workers, leveraging AR's capabilities.
Rokid's collaboration with Hefei City includes plans to establish an "industrial metaverse headquarters, an ecosystem center, and a research and development center." With over 60% market share in industries like energy in China, Rokid is well-positioned to lead the AR market, especially in industrial applications.
COOL PROJECTS
PRODUCTIVITY
This Is Genuinely Pretty Cool!
WRAP UP
MEME OF THE DAY
“How Could You?”
I feel like Apple’s spatial computing push is for the better, as VR has a lot of negative connotations surrounding it in the public eye. A fresh coat of paint was needed. But emotionally, I’m not ready to see hardcore VR fanatics I know to change their Twitter bios in a jiffy, and hence, I had to make this meme.
Have a great weekend folks.
I can’t believe we’re only a week away from the Apple Vision Pro pre-order date. For the past six months, I’ve been covering every development in my newsletter and now we go from leaks to reviews in a few days. If you like what you read, it’d be great if you could share this with other VR enthusiasts. Use the link below.
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