Meta and Apple enter the ring (alongside many, many other headset makers)

Executive summary

Welcome to your weekly briefing on the metaverse. Here are your snippets to sound smarter in meetings this week:

• Headline: Meta unveiled the Quest 3. (analysis below).

• Stat of the week: Sales of extended reality devices to reach 9.8m in 2023, according to CCS Insight.

• Conversation-starter: Beijing released a web3 whitepaper that focused more on the metaverse than crypto.

• Other stories: ILMxLAB rebranded as ILM Immersive, Ultraleap announces the launch of the Leap Motion Controller 2, and 1,000 Cut Journey is a VR experience raising awareness on the effects of racism (more below).

Analysis

Apple hype is frustrating right now.

• Did you hear? A white knight from Cupertino will unveil a mind-boggling headset, and we will marvel at its technical capabilities. Legions of tech professionals are already salivating at the reveal, assuming that it will usher in a new era for XR.

• It all feels presumptive. The headset will likely work really well, and it will push the boundaries on the types of services that Apple can provide. My analysis will soon follow after today’s announcement. But I don't want to assume that the headset will be incredible based on brand affiliation alone - if anything, it shows how powerful brand-building is. The amount of trust in Apple is astonishing.

Meta unveiled the Quest 3.

• The headset provides a spec bump with a short price hike. The headset looks good, and we can expect more details in September.

• What more is there to say? Not much right now; the more interesting question is whether the Quest 2’s price drop will help to move the units it has in stock. I can see festival companies picking them up for a smaller fee, to help with upcoming events.

• How does it compare to Apple’s nonexistent device? Ben Wood, Chief Analyst at CCS Insight, said: “We do not expect that Meta and Apple will be competing for the same share of the market for the foreseeable future. Apple’s offering is rumoured to be extremely expensive, meaning that more affordable devices like the Quest 2 and Quest 3 may stand out as people look to take the leap into virtual worlds.

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Other notable stories

Got any stories? Let me know at tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com.

• 1,000 Cut Journey is a VR experience raising awareness on the effects of racism.

• AWE announces the winners of the $100,000 XR Prize Challenge.

• Hong Kong Police Force’s cyber security segment launched CyberDefender, a platform to educate the public about the risks associated with the metaverse.

• ILMxLAB rebranded as ILM Immersive.

• Meta made a range of announcements during its Gaming Showcase, such as Racket Club and Asgard’s Wrath 2.

• OPPO released the OPPO MR Glass Developer Edition.

• R3DT announced a VR studio solution that helps professionals to present newly planned rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms, or apartments.

• Squint, a startup that uses AI+AR to optimise factory procedures and empower operators, announced $6m in funding.

• Ultraleap announces the launch of the Leap Motion Controller 2.

• XRSI is now the X Reality Safety Initiative.

Help corner

Need some assistance from other readers? Let me know at tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com.

• For a new project by new media artist Katharina Haverich, the team is looking for VRChat designers, coders, and assets. The team is aiming at designing an inclusive theatre stage in VRChat to rehearse and perform excerpts from a play by German playwright Bertolt Brecht. For more information visit the open call on the website.

• Lowpass is a new newsletter run by Janko Roettgers, who wrote a multitude of XR-related exclusives at Protocol. Check it out here.