🥽 LG And Meta Break Up

Good morning, folks!

The biggest problem with Apple Vision Pro, at least according to long-time VR enthusiasts, is the lack of haptic feedback. Even the $250 Quest headsets have good haptic motors installed in their controllers.

But now, scientists have announced that they’ve created a device that can stimulate haptic feedback directly in your brain.

 — Joel Johnson, Founder & Chief Editor

Headlines for people in a hurry:

• 💔 Meta & LG End Reportedly End Partnership To Rival Vision Pro

• 🧠 Researchers Invent Device For Haptic Feedback In Your Brain

• 🥽 Key Specs Of Cheaper Quest 3 Lite Leaked

• 🌎 Vision Pro Will Be Your Next Translator

Read time: 3 minutes

TOP STORIES

META

The Meta-LG Partnership Is As Good As Dead

In the biggest turn-off news ever for VR enthusiasts, the Meta-LG partnership to take on Vision Pro seems to be over. Reports indicate the Meta might’ve failed LG’s ‘vibe check.’ However, LG claims this is false news.

The details:

• According to reports from Korean media, the partnership announced back in February could be completely kaput. Allegations are that LG pulled the plug after deciding there wasn't enough "synergy" to make the union worthwhile. (That’s also what my girlfriend said when she broke up with me.)

• However, LG itself says that the news isn’t entirely true, but they're now "controlling the pace" and throttling things back. This might lead to the headset being delayed to 2027 if it even happens at all. Doesn't exactly scream full-steam-ahead enthusiasm.

• Some whispers point to LG potentially looking to partner with Amazon instead to provide the software/OS backend for an XR device they may unveil next year.

• LG hasn’t given up on XR. They had just unveiled a “next-gen” 4K OLED display for VR headsets that’s better than anything available in the market right now.

Why It Matters: Meta has deep experience with VR; however, they cannot take on the hardware prowess of Apple. That’s why an LG-Meta tag team to take on Vision Pro made so much sense. But now, this breakup stifles proper competition to the $3500 headset and might hinder innovations in the sector as a whole. The only hope now lies in the Samsung-Google XR headset that’s set to release in 2025.

RESEARCH

VR Researchers Tap Into Your Brain for Next-Level Haptics

If you have one of those dads who keeps saying that VR will destroy society, please don’t send him this. A team of researchers at the University of Chicago may have cracked the code for creating truly immersive physical sensations in VR...by directly stimulating your brain. No, this isn't an episode of Black Mirror.

• The device, dubbed the "Haptic Source-Effector", uses transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to zap specific areas of your sensorimotor cortex.

• This supposedly tricks your brain into feeling haptic effects like explosions, recoil from firing a gun, stepping motions, and even objects impacting your body.

• By mechanically moving the magnetic coil around the user's scalp, the researchers claim they can simulate around 15 distinct haptic sensations across the hands, arms, legs, feet and even jaw.

• The downsides? The prototype is extremely loud, quite bulky and heavy for now. There are also limited haptic variations possible so far.

Why It Matters: Long-time VR enthusiasts say that they’ll take better haptics over some 10% display improvements, any day of the week. That’s because haptics play a big part in immersion. But that also means you need controllers, haptic gloves, body suits, and other bulky hardware. For controller-less headsets like Apple Vision Pro, a better version of this tech might be the solution for complete immersion.

META

Key Specs Of Quest 3 Lite Leaked

Popular VR enthusiast, Luna, claims to have received insider information about the upcoming Quest 3 Lite.

• According to Luna's alleged info drop, this toned-down Quest 3 variant would rock the same beefy Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip as the pricier model but cut some corners on the display and optics.

• We're talking a single fast-switch LCD panel instead of dual QD-OLEDs, with a lower 1832x1920 per-eye resolution (same as Quest 2). The lenses would be more basic Fresnel optics rather than the slimmer pancake numbers on Quest 3.

• However, the claimed specs suggest it would keep a lot of Quest 3's core features - 90/120Hz refresh, multiview cameras, hand/body tracking, and even those fancy ring-less Touch controllers.

• Luna doesn't mention pricing, but with those compromises, analysts are speculating the Quest 3 Lite could debut around $300 to replace the aging Quest 2 as Meta's entry-level option.

Why It Matters: The affordable $299 Quest 2 was the best-selling VR headset in history by a long shot. The price-to-performance ratio compiled with a huge library of Meta’s VR content was the major reason. If history is to be repeated again, this Quest 2 successor will revitalize the industry and encourage more user-adoption into the ecosystem.

NEWS FLASH

APPLE

Your Next Translator Will Charge You $3500

• 🖋️ Vision Pro introduces a new Live Captions feature, potentially paving the way for real-time translation.

• 🎮 Meta Quest games are currently discounted by 30% during the pre-summer sale, ending on May 27th.

• 💬 Andrew Bosworth states that Discord integration for Quest is unlikely in the near future.

• 🚴‍♂️ Holobike offers an immersive indoor cycling experience with holograms instead of VR headsets.

• 📐 Apple Vision Pro releases schematics and measurements to aid third-party accessory developers.

• 🎬 Loud Minds and White Spark Pictures partner to deliver high-quality VR documentaries.

• 🕹️ Meta tests virtual wrist buttons for Quest, enhancing user interface options.

• 🎧 Meta reportedly developing AI-powered earbuds with built-in cameras for advanced functionalities.

BOOKMARKS

Immersive Articles From The Web

• Apple Vision Pro May Find More Success Outside Of The U.S

• This $1,000 App is Now the Most Expensive on Quest—At Least There’s a 20 Minute Free Trial

• I tried Quest's new panorama import, and here are my impressions

• Vision Pro Fatigue: My Journey from Wow to Nah

• This year's Meta Quest Hackathon produced interesting mixed-reality concepts

• VR fitness improves memory performance and mood, study finds

COOL APPS

SPACE EXPLORATION

One Giant Leap For VR

• 🌌 Astra: Explore the solar system from your couch with this immersive Quest 3 app.

• 🧛‍♂️ Silent Slayer: Experience the thrill of slaying vampires in this stealth-action game for Quest 3.

• 🚜 MudRunner: Navigate challenging terrains in this off-road simulation now coming to VR.

• 🧼 Clean the DeLorean: Get hands-on with the iconic DeLorean from Back to the Future in virtual reality.

• 🥋 MMA Experience: Step into the mixed martial arts ring and train like a pro with this VR experience.

• ✨ Masters of Light: Use hand-tracking to perform magic and solve puzzles in this enchanting VR game.

COOL PROJECTS

STAIRWAY TO PARADISE

Developer Turns Balcony Into A Mixed Reality Paradise

VR blogger Tony Vitillo, also known as "ScarredGhost," shows how he added a virtual forest to his real balcony using Unity and Meta Quest 3.

WRAP UP

MEME OF THE DAY

“This Isn’t Even A Joke Tho”

Have a great week folks.

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