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The Immersive Wire - 23 September 2020

September 23, 2020

By Tom Ffiske // 23 September 2020Like the content? Support the newsletter via Patreon.

The Big Story

How well will the Oculus Quest 2 sell this Christmas, compared to Xbox and PlatStation? The battleground is set, and the arena of festive capitalism welcomes its combatants; Facebook wants the standalone VR headset to become the hot consumer tech item of this holiday season. It's certainly an uphill battle, as it is facing stiff competition against the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.Oh, while battling the headwinds of a global recession during a destructive pandemic. Can't forget that.With all that in mind, how well could it do in the circumstances? Based on my research, I predict that:

  • The global recession will have a small and insignificant impact on Oculus Quest 2 sales;

  • The standalone VR headset will not sell as well as the Xbox Series X/S or PlayStation 5;

  • The headset will sell well, but not as well as the Oculus Go last Christmas.

Other Stories

Got a news story? Let me know at tom (at) virtualperceptions (dot) com.

  • Another XR arts festival has entered the game! 

    • VIFF Immersed, the XR part of Vancouver International Film Festival, is happening 24 September - 7 October. As a fan of XR films,this looks fantastic.

  • Lockheed Martin uses Scope AR to build the Orion spacecraft. 

  • Got a creative VR project that you want to profile in an international event?

    • VRDays Europe has an open call for their Church of VR;have a lookand consider submitting your work.  

  • EarthXR launched a virtual nature reserve... somehow?

    • CalledWild at Home, it includes a selection of 360°  videos and ties to Climate Week. 

    • Personally, I think it is a stretch to call it a virtual nature reserve; they're a collection of videos based in Africa, Asia, and the Amazon. Still, have a peek if you wish. 

  • Want to learn how to make VR content enterprise-ready? 

  • Or alternatively, want your kids to learn about dinosaurs in AR?

    • Universal Terminal Systems added a new mode to SandBOX where kids can take a look at them. Looks cute! 

    • (Is there something universal about kids loving dinosaurs? Must be). 

  • V&A and HTC VIVE Arts are making a VR event for Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser

    • This will be hosted at the V&A. No links yet, but I'll definitely take a peek. 

  • Pico is launching the Neo 2 Lite, a standalone VR device.

    • It looks dinky and good! Interested to see what content will be part of its ecosystem. Also interested to see how the Chinese market will respond to it.  

  • AGL Automation are partnering with Epsom.

    • The teams are working together to sell Moverio smart glasses, complete with remote assistance software, to eliminate the need for sending specialists onsite to provide technical support.Very cool. 

  • FundamentalVR hires Allan May as chairman.

    • He knows his stuff; May has raised over $70 million to fund more than 30 Medtech startups and brings a unique expertise toFundamentalVR. 

  • Fancy defeating waves of zombies for free?

    • Propagation VRlaunches on 25 September on Steam, releasing for free. 

    • Got to say, it looks amazing! And horrifying. Amazingly horrifying.

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360 Programmer – Immersive Studio – 100% Remote -

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That's all for this week! Want to have a chat, let me know about a news story, or talk business? Either reply to this email, or contact tom (at) virtualperceptions (dot) com. Have an excellent day!