Zuck's VR Interview Was Crazy

Good morning folks!

I spent the last few days analysing what the mainstream press and influencers are saying about the Meta Quest 3 (or if they’re even saying anything at all) and I gotta say, I saw people whom I never expected to, mention the Quest 3 release in their content.

I feel like we’re in the initial stages of VR going mainstream. Maybe with the release of a Quest 5 or 6, every home might have a VR device. However, there’s one concerning research report that disagrees with me on this. Read more to find out….

Headlines for people in a hurry:

• 🎤 Zuckerberg’s VR Interview With Lex Friedman Is Turning Heads

• 😲 Ex-Oculus CTO Says Mixed Reality Won’t Drive Headset Sales

• 📉 Improbable Cuts 85% Of Losses By Pivoting To Metaverse

• 😍 Red Matter 2 Gets A Stunning Visual Upgrade

Read time: 3 minutes

TOP STORIES

META

Forget Meta Connect! Lex Friedman’s Interview With Zuck Was The Real VR Event.

Don’t let your eyes fool you, that’s not the real people you’re seeing in the above image. They’re VR avatars!

In a groundbreaking VR interview, Mark Zuckerberg chatted with prominent tech podcaster Lex Fridman using Meta's prototype photorealistic Codec Avatars.

Lex was absolutely blown away by the realism. This is the same guy who doesn’t do online interviews because he feels the intimacy of the conversation is lost. But not this time! He said, “It's super interesting that this intimacy of conversation can be achieved remotely.”

This project, initiated by Meta in 2019, aims to revolutionize remote communication by creating ultra-realistic avatars. The avatars are generated using a capture rig with over 100 cameras, but Meta is working on simplifying this process with a smartphone scan. Meta's roadmap hints at the possibility of Codec Avatars in the next Quest Pro version, set to launch in 2025.

Check out the video here and I promise you, it’ll be worth it!

OPINION

Ex-Oculus CTO Not Convinced That Mixed Reality Will Sell More Headsets

John Carmack, the legendary programmer and former CTO of Oculus, voiced doubts about the potential of mixed reality to boost headset sales, especially after the unveiling of Quest 3 by Meta.

Despite his departure from Meta, Carmack's insights into the XR world remain invaluable. He expressed skepticism about the power of MR apps to drive headset sales, emphasizing that the true potential of VR is to replace, not augment, one's environment.

In a follow-up tweet, Carmack maintains he’s not criticizing the future of augmented reality, but rather how MR-capable VR headsets are being served up today to boost sales.

I kinda agree with him on this, however, a full-colour pass-through that lets you see your surroundings clearly with a tap of a button is incredibly useful in my opinion. Maybe more useful than MR applications itself!

Carmack's comments come at a time when Quest 3 is under pressure to maintain the momentum of its predecessor, especially with a reported slowdown in content sales.

ANALYSIS

VR Headset Sales To Reach 30.3 Mil By 2027. Still Not Enough To Be Mainstream, Says IDC

Remember I told you about a concerning report in the beginning? Well, this is it. Analyst firm IDC predicts that 30.3 million units of VR headsets will be shipped globally by 2027. Impressive as these numbers might sound (and they really are), they're still not enough to push VR into mainstream territory.

Why, you ask? These sales figures are dwarfed when compared to the wearables category. The "earwear" sub-category alone is anticipated to shift a staggering 380 million units by 2027.

I’m personally not worried about these figures because I run my own research firm, also called IDC. It stands for I Don’t Care!

Yup, that’s right. I disagree with this report because most sales predictions are based on looking at past numbers, and year-on-year growth percentages and then, extrapolating this to the future (a complex version of this process).

However, they do not take into account the power of companies like Apple to shift consumer preferences and influence the mainstream narrative. As someone with a marketing background, let me tell you that word-of-mouth, FOMO, and status perception will all play a role in the VR wars to come.

NEWS FLASH

KURZGESAGT

Popular YouTube Channel Creates A VR Experience

• 🐦 Kurzgesagt collaborates for a VR game on Quest 3: The popular science YouTube channel is diving into VR. Their upcoming game, developed with Schell Games, promises to be as enlightening as their videos.

• 🕶️ Meta Quest 3 introduces built-in upper body tracking: Meta Quest 3 is pioneering with its Inside-Out Body Tracking feature, capturing movements of wrists, elbows, and even the torso. Plus, AI-generated legs for avatars are on the horizon. Dance moves in VR, anyone?

• 🌌 New VRChat competitor 'Resonite' debuts on PC VR: From the creators of Neos VR, Resonite is stepping into the social VR arena. With its early access launch on Steam, it's already making waves and raking in support on Patreon.

• 🌐 Creal's AR Solution: Creal is gearing up to introduce its light field augmented reality solution to the market by early 2024. This tech will offer realistic 3D visuals without the need for eye-tracking.

• 🎮 Red Matter 2 Update for Quest 3: The popular VR game, Red Matter 2, is getting a huge graphical and performance upgrade to fully utilize the Quest 3’s improved hardware capabilities.

• 🤝 Campfire's 3D Collaboration: Campfire's 3D collaboration platform is set to launch on the Meta Quest store on November 1, 2023. This platform aims to replace 2D documents with interactive 3D scenes, enhancing remote collaboration.

• 🎮 Epic Games Layoffs: Fortnite developer, Epic Games, is laying off around 830 employees, which is about 16% of its workforce. This decision comes after the company's spending exceeded its earnings.

• 🎮 Roblox Reduces Staff: Roblox has laid off 30 members from its talent acquisition team. Despite having a user base larger than Fortnite and Minecraft combined, the company is slowing down its hiring process.

BOOKMARKS

Immersive Articles From The Web

• How This Law Firm Is Using VR To Stay Ahed!

• Why VR Enthusiasts Were Disappointed With Meta Connect 2023.

• Tim Cook On Why The Vision Pro Is One Of Life’s A-ha Moments.

• Why Spatial Computing Is A Qualcomm-Sized Challenge.

UNREAL MONEY

METAVERSE

Improbable Slashes 85% Of Losses With Metaverse Pivot

Improbable, the virtual reality startup backed by SoftBank, has made a remarkable turnaround on its bottom line. The company announced a whopping 85% reduction in its losses for 2022, attributing this significant improvement to its strategic pivot towards the metaverse.

The British firm's revenues saw a more than twofold increase, reaching £78 million ($95 million) as it expanded its metaverse initiatives.

CEO Herman Narula proudly stated that this was Improbable's "best financial year" on record, underscoring the company's successful bet on the metaverse. The company's innovative approach to the metaverse, combined with advances in generative artificial intelligence, has allowed them to deliver more products with a leaner team.

COOL PROJECTS

VR ADVENTURE

Turning Reality Into A Video Game

WRAP UP

MEME OF THE DAY

Red Pill Guys Be Like:

Have a great week folks.

Never got the chance to ask you: What did you think of the Meta Quest 3? Excited? Disappointed? Hit reply and let me know.

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.