Microsoft Teams In VR

Good morning, folks!

Greg Peters, the Co-CEO of Netflix, said the reason there is no Netflix app on the Vision Pro is that they’re “careful in not investing in places that are not yielding a return” and that they’ll “see where things go” with the device adoption.

Yeah, I call BS on that one. I can understand why they haven’t released a native app, but to ban their existing Netflix iPad app entirely from Vision Pro suggests that something is wrong with their relationship.

 — Joel Johnson, Founder & Chief Editor

Headlines for people in a hurry:

• 🥽 Microsoft Teams Now Supports VR Meetings

• 😲 Meta Working On Crazy AI Tech, Airplane Mode, Spatial Vids

• 💸 Immersed Visor Introduces A New Subscription Model

• 🤖 A Robot Avatar That Lets People See & Feel With VR

Read time: 3 minutes

TOP STORIES

PRODUCTIVITY

Microsoft Mesh Now In Teams: It’s Horizon Workrooms But Better

Microsoft launched its immersive 3D meetings inside Microsoft Teams on Wednesday. Microsoft Mesh, the company’s XR platform, is officially out of preview and fully integrated into the Teams ecosystem.

As of now, it’s only available on Quest headsets. You can still join a Mesh meeting without a VR headset, but you’ll be shown as a 2D feed on a screen.

This is really great news for the industry because, if mainstream VR adoption has to increase, productivity use cases will certainly influence companies to buy VR headsets for their staff and thus introduce first-time users to the ecosystem.

I know this because that’s literally how I entered the VR world. Our company gave us Quest headsets for communication during COVID, and a few years later, I’m here writing a VR newsletter. The problem then was that we had to join a new app (Horizon Workrooms) rather than our usual Zoom sessions.

But with Teams, it’s a different story. It’s already the most popular video conferencing tool for businesses and has over 320 million users. 91% of Fortune 100 companies use Teams. When some of your coworkers are seen as 3D avatars while you’re just floating as a flat video stream, you will naturally have the urge to switch to the VR ecosystem.

META

What’s Meta Cooking? Turning Real Objects Into Virtual, Airplane Mode, Codec Avatar Release, Spatial Video & More

This week, we got so many leaks, teasers, and reports about the inner workings of Meta, and I’ve compiled the most interesting ones in a single article. Let’s see what they’re up to.

• Meta’s Mind-Bending AI: Meta's Reality Lab is working on impressive tech that takes AR scene responsiveness to the next level. This lets you convert your real objects (like the furniture in your room) into virtual objects, and you can play with them as you like. You should definitely watch this short demo video; it’s crazy!

• Airplane Mode: Just like Apple’s Vision Pro demo, Meta is also working on making the Quest usable in moving vehicles like cars and airplanes.

• Codec Avatars Coming Soon: Meta has been teasing their hyper-realistic VR avatar technology for a while now but it looks like they’re coming to Quest headsets sooner than we thought. In version 62 of Meta Quest firmware, there are mentions of Codec Avatars. In the past, such findings accurately predicted upcoming Meta features.

• iPhone Spatial Video Support on Quest: Another significant initiative by Meta is the introduction of iPhone spatial video support on the Quest. This feature will enable iPhone users to seamlessly integrate their videos with the Quest VR platform, enhancing the content creation and sharing experience.

IMMERSED

No Need For $1K Upfront! Immersed Visor’s New Subscription Model Announced

Immersed has introduced a new subscription model for its upcoming Visor, one of the most anticipated XR glasses of the year. Rather than an outright purchase, customers can now preorder for $400 plus a monthly subscription—$60/month for 1 year or $40/month for 2 years.

A subscribing buyer can return Visor after 30 days, but will be charged a 20% restocking fee, Immersed says. To prevent fraud, Visor headsets that haven't been fully paid off will require an internet connection every 30 days to validate their ownership status.

Apart from the financing benefit, Visor Plus will have all Immersed Pro features, a lifetime warranty, an AI assistant, customizable 3D workspaces, discounts on Visor accessories, VIP co-working Spaces, priority support, trade-ins, and more.

Although this sounds like a great move, not everyone in the industry supports this move. Reboot Imagine CEO José Santiago says that the new pricing model won’t incentivize any IT service providers to drive the adoption forward. Another point of skepticism is the fact that Immersed has still not shown any prototypes of the device (that ships mid-2024) to any reviewers or tech journalists.

NEWS FLASH

ROBOTICS

Robot Avatar Lets People See & Feel Remotely Through VR

• 🤖 A VR robot avatar enables remote seeing and feeling for users, pushing the envelope in virtual telepresence.

• 🚫 Talks between Meta and Tencent for bringing Quest 2 to China reportedly fall through, halting Meta's re-entry into the Chinese market.

• 🦸‍♂️ The VR superhero simulator 'Project Demigod' set for a February launch, stirring excitement for immersive heroics.

• 🚢 Titanic VR 'A Space Between,' offers a poignant and immersive storytelling experience set against the backdrop of the historic ship.

• 🎲 Dungeons & Dragons brings fantasy to life in VR, developed by Resolution Games for Quest and Steam.

• 🛍️ Steam's sale offers up to 70% off on top PC VR titles, tempting gamers with major discounts.

• 🎤 A microphone update for Quest 3 promises better voice clarity, enhancing in-game communication.

• 🏭 Lynx's R1 mass production is still pending, raising questions about its future availability.

• 🎮 Rec Room says the port to PSVR 2 is not worth it.

• 🕶️ Immersed Visor might integrate SteamVR support for high-definition VR gaming, sparking interest among enthusiasts.

• 👀 Inseye and Thundercomm team up to embed camera-free eye-tracking into XR devices, paving the way for more intuitive interfaces.

• ✈️ 'Ultrawings 2' is ready for takeoff on PlayStation VR 2, promising an elevated flying experience.

BOOKMARKS

Immersive Articles From The Web

• Sony Reveals Top 10 Downloaded PSVR 2 Games In 2023

• Demeter Review: The Best Mixed Reality Game Yet?

• Quest Massively Outsold PSVR In The Holiday Season

UNREAL MONEY

EARNINGS REPORT

Ghosts Of Tabor Crosses $10 Million In Revenue

"Ghosts of Tabor," the VR game by Combat Waffle Studios, is set to move from the Quest App Lab to the main Quest store on February 8, 2024, after achieving over $10 million in revenue across platforms and reaching a player count of 500k.

Back in August, the company released figures saying that the game earned $3 million on App Lab alone and reached 100k players.

“It’s hard to believe that only 22 months after launching our studio, we’ve amassed such a massive and dedicated community... In the last month alone we saw more than 120,000 players on active duty," said Scott Albright, founder and CEO of Combat Waffle Studios.

The game's success signifies a significant milestone for the developer and highlights the potential for indie games in the VR space. There's also a planned price increase after January 31 to $24.99 for both the Quest and SteamVR platforms.

COOL PROJECTS

APP DEVELOPMENT

Turn Your 2D Apps Into Spatial Computing Apps

WRAP UP

MEME OF THE DAY

“It’s Not My Fault, It’s Apple’s!”

Have a great weekend folks.

Just one week left before Apple Vision Pro finally reaches the hands of consumers. I have no idea what butterfly effect it will have on the future of humanity, but I’m still excited about it.

SHARE: It took me hours to read, research and compile these news stories. So, if you wouldn’t mind sharing, it would do a great deal to grow our little VR newsletter community. Copy and paste this link and share it with your friends.