Executive summary
Welcome to your weekly briefing on the metaverse and spatial computing. Here are your snippets to sound smarter in meetings this week:
Top stories: Meta is reportedly developing a lightweight VR headset codenamed Phoenix, expected around H1 2027.
Event: Laval Virtual will take place from 8 to 10 April 2026, bringing three days of XR exhibitions, conferences and business meetings to Laval, positioned as Europe’s XR capital.
Study: A study in Nature Neuroscience found that rats’ hippocampal neurons respond differently in VR versus real environments, with VR causing seemingly random neural activity and reduced spatial mapping due to the absence of auditory and olfactory cues.
This week’s stories: Loughborough University researchers used VR to study how adults and children respond to emergencies in self-driving taxis, identifying safety and accessibility needs to inform the design of future autonomous vehicles and safe in-vehicle activities.
Kingdom Come Deliverance II is dominating my life. I didn’t realise I would love blacksmithing my own sword over five minutes, or meticulously making in-game health potions. Related to this, I am still single.
Main story
Meta is reportedly developing a lightweight VR headset codenamed Phoenix, expected around H1 2027.
What’s different? It may include a separate “puck” which will handle compute.
Separately… I wonder if the RAM crisis would impact its launch or price?
This week’s stories
Cortopia Studios and Beyond Frames Entertainment are launching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City, a VR game on Meta Quest, SteamVR, and Pico this spring, letting players explore New York City’s sewers and rooftops while fighting the Foot Clan and Shredder.
InnerspaceVR has announced Spymaster, a new espionage-focused VR adventure inspired by classic spy films, featuring multiple playable agents and a time-rewinding mechanic.
Loughborough University researchers used VR to study how adults and children respond to emergencies in self-driving taxis, identifying safety and accessibility needs to inform the design of future autonomous vehicles and safe in-vehicle activities.
NHS Supply Chain plans to launch a £210 million national framework for medical simulation devices and technologies, creating a commercial structure to supply healthcare organisations across England and Wales.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust is trialling VR experiences for patients undergoing long interventional radiology procedures, using virtual environments and meditative soundtracks to reduce pain and anxiety.
Note: The Immersive Wire is run by Tom Ffiske, who also works at Accenture. The contents of the newsletter should not be regarded as Accenture’s views.
All spelling mistakes are deliberate, actually.
