🥽 Quest 3 Has Higher Retention

Good morning, folks!

Yesterday, March 25th, was a significant day for the VR industry as it marked the 10th anniversary of VR’s biggest acquisition: Facebook buying Oculus for $2 billion. Since then, Meta has funneled over $50 billion, 20 million+ headsets have been sold, and VR still hasn’t gone mainstream.

The biggest challenge is retention, i.e., people not using their devices enough. Fortunately, our top story today does bring some good news.

 — Joel Johnson, Founder & Chief Editor

Headlines for people in a hurry:

• 📈 Meta Says Quest 3 Has Higher Retention Than Previous Headsets

• 🐉 Tim Cook Confirms Apple Vision Pro Launch In China

• ✏️ Apple Is Testing Apple Pencil Support For Vision Pro

• 🥽 Vision OS 2 Coming Later This Year

Read time: 3 minutes

TOP STORIES

META

Quest 3 Has Higher Retention Than Previous Quest Models, Says Meta

This news definitely puts a smile on every VR veteran out there. A decade after Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus, Meta confirms that Quest 3 is enjoying higher retention rates among users compared to its predecessors.

The details:

• Chris Pruett, Meta's Director of Content Ecosystem, highlighted at GDC 2024 that Quest 3 users are returning to their apps more frequently and consistently than seen with earlier models.

• This trend echoes John Carmack's 2019 observation that the original Quest outperformed previous Oculus headsets in user retention, including the PC-based Rift and Rift S.

• Several elements contribute to Quest 3's success, including the enhanced visual experience provided by pancake lenses and a more powerful chipset, leading to faster load times, sharper graphics, and higher refresh rates.

• Additionally, the headset's slimmer design and improved passthrough mean that people don’t have to take off the headset frequently to interact with the real world.

Why It Matters: Higher retention means that VR tech is decreasingly being viewed as a one-time gimmick and more as a useful tool for everyday life. Higher retention would also encourage more word-of-mouth publicity, increase developer interest in the ecosystem, and convince them to invest more time and resources in building more useful XR apps and services.

APPLE

Tim Cook Confirms The China Launch Of Vision Pro Later This Year

Apple's Vision Pro is poised to make its debut in China later this year, marking a significant expansion for the tech giant's latest venture into virtual and augmented reality. China becomes the second country after the US for an officially confirmed Vision Pro release.

The details:

• Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, announced during the China Development Forum in Beijing, that the Vision Pro will arrive in China later this year.

• Recent findings in visionOS code reveal support for 12 new languages, indicating potential launches in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and possibly Hong Kong and Taiwan.

• Analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman have both suggested that Apple aims to roll out Vision Pro in multiple international markets before WWDC in June 2024.

So What?: Apple's decision to launch Vision Pro in China is a big blow for Meta. Although Meta is the biggest XR headset manufacturer in the world, they still haven’t cracked their entry into China due to several regulations. China is the second-biggest tech market in the world after the US, and Vision Pro’s entry marks a huge advantage over their biggest competitor.

VISION PRO

Apple Pencil Being Tested For The Vision Pro

Apple is reportedly testing a new version of the Apple Pencil that could extend its compatibility beyond iPads to include the Vision Pro headset.

The details:

• Enhanced Compatibility: The new Apple Pencil aims to work with visionOS, allowing for use with drawing apps on the Vision Pro, such as Freeform and Pixelmator.

• Innovative Interaction: Users might be able to draw on physical surfaces like desks, with their creations appearing in visionOS apps, leveraging the Pencil's pressure and tilt sensitivity.

• Software Updates: The integration of Apple Pencil with Vision Pro would necessitate software enhancements, possibly introduced in the upcoming visionOS 2, expected to be unveiled at WWDC in June.

Why It Matters: Currently, drawing in Vision Pro is possible but not accurate enough for professional workflows. Introducing the Apple Pencil to the Vision Pro ecosystem can help designers, illustrators, artists, and other creatives to transfer their workflows from 2D devices to VR, increasing more practical use cases for the Vision Pro

POLLS

NEWS FLASH

APPLE

Playing Half-Life Alyx On The Vision Pro

• 🕹️ Half-Life: Alyx is now playable on the Apple Vision Pro using an ALVR, though with noticeable latency issues in hand tracking.

• 🌐 visionOS 2 is set to revolutionize Apple Vision Pro with 'Spatial Personas,' aiming to enhance social interactions in AR and VR by introducing 3D avatars into shared environments.

• 💼 Mark Zuckerberg's impressive demonstration of a Codec Avatar with Lex Friedman was achieved using a powerful workstation equipped with 4 GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards.

• 🧠 A University of Cambridge study shows VR could help in early detection of Alzheimer's disease by assessing spatial awareness, potentially highlighting navigational impairments years before other symptoms appear.

• ⚓ Varjo and FORCE Technology have announced a partnership to deliver advanced XR training solutions to the maritime industry, utilizing Varjo's XR-4 series headsets for immersive training experiences.

• 🏡 Samsung's smart robot vacuums now can generate 3D spatial maps of a user's home, offering advanced navigation and smart home management through the SmartThings app.

BOOKMARKS

Immersive Articles From The Web

• 10 Years After Facebook’s Acquisition of Oculus: What Happened?

• Guide: How to Tell if Your PC is VR Ready

• Upcoming VR Games 2024 On Quest, PC VR, PSVR 2 & More

COOL APPS

MIXED REALITY

Mr. Beast-Level Challenges At Home

• "Laser Dance" for Quest 3 turns the classic "the floor is lava" game into a VR experience, challenging players to navigate rooms without touching lasers.

• "Spatial Earth" is an app for Vision Pro that brings the Google Earth experience into your living room, offering immersive exploration of the globe's landscapes and cities in 3D.

• "Escape Simulator VR" arrives as a free update for existing owners, introducing "highly interactive" escape rooms that can be played solo or with friends.

• "Paint the Town Red VR" on Quest 3 brings voxel-based mayhem to VR, combining fast-paced action with a variety of weapons.

• A German theater has transformed Schönberg's opera "Erwartung" into a VR game, "Erwartung," where players navigate a dark forest reflecting on love and fears.

• "Toy Monsters" brings mixed reality tower defense to Quest, inspired by Plants vs Zombies, featuring 33 levels, bonus levels, and boss fights.

WRAP UP

MEME OF THE DAY

Me To My Quest 2 Just Moments After Getting The Quest 3

Have a great week folks.

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