Subside Demo Delivers Breathtaking Swimming Visuals On SteamVR

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Graphics can be a touchy subject in VR. Standalone headsets are only capable of so much on their own, but consoles and PCs are expensive. When something like Subside comes along, though, even an early access Steam demo can help us all pause, look around, and take in what really eye-catching visuals can do to transport you somewhere else.

The new demo from A2D is available on Steam as of this writing with a full release listed as "coming soon".

You can simply reach out in front of you and spread your arms out to swim beneath the churning waters to see a world that's teeming with life. Schools of fish dart through the water with fluid motion while sunbeams filter through the water creating shafts of light in a visual feast. Some may never get to experience diving into clear waters like these, making Subside immediately transportive on the power of these elements alone.

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A2D's swimming mechanic feels intuitive and, more importantly, realistic. The resistance of water feels palpable as you paddle through the sea, and buoyancy seems to replicate the feeling of bobbing and diving.

The demo for Subside offers a glimpse of a satisfying underwater excursion and we'll be curious to take a deeper dive into whenever we get the chance. Subside is definitely on our radar now, and if you have a PC and VR headset around we recommend giving the free demo a quick look on Steam.

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Alien: Rogue Incursion Announced For Quest 3, PlayStation VR2, And PC VR

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Alien: Rogue Incursion was just announced, a new made-for-VR game in the Alien franchise.

The game is being developed by Survios in collaboration with 20th Century Games. Survios has been developing VR games for over 10 years now. It's the developer behind Raw Data, Battlewake, Electronauts, Sprint Vector, and Creed: Rise to Glory.

Survios says Alien: Rogue Incursion will be "the biggest, most ambitious VR game we have developed in our decade-long history".

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Here's how it describes the game:

"This brand-new single-player, action-horror VR game features an original story that fully surrounds players within the terrors of the Alien universe.

Designed by Alien fans for Alien fans, Survios brings their expertise to crafting this technically advanced, and frightfully immersive Alien virtual reality game."

Alien: Rogue Incursion is set to launch "holiday 2024" on Meta Quest 3, PlayStation VR2, and PC VR via Steam.

This is the biggest title yet listing support for Quest 3 but not Quest 2 and Quest Pro, something we've been warning about happening for some time now. Meta is rumored to be preparing to launch a cheaper version of Quest 3 with the same chipset, so this game should run on that headset too.

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‘Alien: Rogue Incursion’ Finally Announced From Veteran VR Studio, Set for Late 2024

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We’ve been waiting patiently for veteran VR studio Survios to finally offer up some details on its next game, and today we finally have them. Alien: Rogue Incursion is described as a “single-player, action-horror VR game,” with an “all-new storyline full of heart-pounding action, exploration, and terrifying Xenomorphs.”

Almost two full years after Survios confirmed development on an Alien game in partnership with 20th Century Games, the studio has now confirmed the game’s title, target platforms, and release window.

Alien: Rogue Incursion is planned for a release date of “holiday 2024” (so very likely early December). The game will be released on PSVR 2 and PC VR, and for Quest our understanding is it will be exclusively available on Quest 3.

“Our team at Survios are huge fans of Alien and have been building Alien: Rogue Incursion for a long time, honing our ability to pair the most technically advanced, immersive, and engaging VR experiences with best-in-class franchises,” says TQ Jefferson, Chief Product Officer at Survios. “This fully original story embraces all our favorite elements from 45 years of Alien, from kinetic action and heart-pounding exploration to our terrifyingly resourceful Xenomorphs that will truly make your skin crawl. We can’t wait for fans to get their hands on it this holiday season.”

The post ‘Alien: Rogue Incursion’ Finally Announced From Veteran VR Studio, Set for Late 2024 appeared first on Road to VR.

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Pimax Says ‘VR Station’ PC VR Console is Still in Development

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Two and a half years ago, Pimax announced VR Station, a compact, console-like computer for running PC VR content that would be wirelessly streamed to its Reality “12K” and Crystal headsets. And while the “12K” still hasn’t shipped (and the Crystal still doesn’t have its wireless streaming add-on), Pimax insists the VR Station is still in the works.

Pimax announced two new headsets last week, but the company still hasn’t delivered much of what it announced years prior, including the VR Station.

The VR Station was announced in late 2021, and is said to be a compact PC that’s designed to play PC VR games wirelessly thanks to a high-resolution 60GHz accessory.

In its announcement last week, Pimax offered an update on the 60GHz ‘Airlink’ wireless accessory: it should ship later this year with a $300 price tag. While it can be used with any PC, the Airlink tech is an essential part of the VR Station.

Pimax’s 60GHz Airlink accessory | Image courtesy Pimax

But there was no update about the VR Station itself, so we reached out to ask. Pimax tells Road to VR that VR Station is still in development.

“Currently, the development of the VR Station is progressing smoothly. We are focusing on optimizing software usability, and our collaborating PC case manufacturers are producing a new batch of PC cases. Once delivered, we will assemble some VR Station prototypes,” a spokesperson says. “We believe that we will soon have further updates to share with everyone. For now, we can share that VR Station is a comprehensive solution combining a portable desktop PC with a [wireless transmitter for streaming VR games]. With VR Station, we aim to enhance the PC VR user experience and ultimately achieve a “plug-and-play” experience similar to gaming consoles. In our planning, both software usability and hardware stability are top priorities. Therefore, we are still in contact with several PC manufacturers to explore the possibilities of VR Station.

So there you have it. It’s still not clear when, but Pimax still expects to eventually deliver the VR Station.

When it does launch, it unfortunately won’t be compatible with either of the company’s latest headsets (Crystal Light and Crystal Super), because only the original Crystal headset is compatible with Airlink. But perhaps the Reality “12K” headset—which Pimax also says is still in development—will be ready by the time VR Station launches.

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Note: We put the “12K” part of the headset’s name in quotes because Pimax isn’t referring to the same 12K that is often used to describe TVs and monitors. The headset’s total horizontal resolution is near 12K, but this is split across each eye. Additionally, the resolution height is just half the height of what one would expect from a 12K TV. When referring to the headset’s name, we put “12K” in quotes to help our readers understand that it’s being used differently than they might expect.

The post Pimax Says ‘VR Station’ PC VR Console is Still in Development appeared first on Road to VR.

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Contractors Showdown Brings VR's Largest Battle Royale Map To Quest Today

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Contractors Showdown, a VR battle royale shooter that supports 60-player matches, is out now.

Developed by Caveman Studio, Contractors Showdown is a sequel to 2018's Contractors. Set across a 16-square-kilometer map, you can dive in with doubles, trios, or solo, and everyone can choose between three types of perks per match for strategic advantages. Progression lets you earn resource points, fulfill contracts, unlock blueprints, obtain cosmetics, and more.

For more details on gameplay, here's an official description:

Navigate the high-stakes arena using an array of tactical props, including airstrikes and UAVs. These game-changing elements elevate the intensity, offering players the opportunity to unleash powerful tools and outsmart their opponents. Plan your moves, coordinate with your squad, and deploy these strategic assets to dominate the battlefield. 

It was initially unclear if Contractors Showdown would reach both Steam and Quest simultaneously, and we were told “unforeseen circumstances“ have held back a Steam release at the last minute following last month's open beta tests.

Contractors Showdown is available now on the Meta Quest platform and “a new release date” for Steam should be announced soon. The title is priced $19.99.

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No, Apple Didn't Just Dramatically Cut Vision Pro Production Due To Weak Demand

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Headlines are circulating claiming Apple cut Vision Pro production by almost 50% due to weak demand. Here's why they're almost certainly false.

The source of these articles is a new note from supply-chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has been reporting on Apple's supply chain for more than 10 years. Kuo's claims sometimes turn out to be true, but not always, and his latest contradicts not only what we know about Vision Pro production, but what Kuo himself said just a few months ago.

Specifically, Kuo is claiming that Apple reduced its sales forecast from Vision Pro from a "market consensus" of 700-750K units to 400-450K units, a roughly 40% reduction.

Kuo claims this is due to weaker than expected US demand, leading to a production cut ahead of global launch. Yet as recently as February Kuo said Apple's US target was 150-200K units for 2024, and in January he said Apple sold almost 200K preorders. MacRumors separately cited "a source with knowledge of Apple's sales numbers" as saying Apple had sold 200K preorders, particularly ironic given it's now presenting Kuo's claim and as if it were official news.

Further, in January Kuo was also referencing Apple Vision Pro "achieving a shipment volume of 500,000 units". This isn't just a random number - it's what multiple sources report is Apple's supply limit for the year, regardless of demand.

The Financial Times, The Information, and The Elec have previously reported that Vision Pro production is heavily constrained by the extremely limited supply of micro-OLED displays. All three sources reported that Sony, the supplier, can only produce enough micro-OLED displays for less than half a million headsets in 2024. Given this, why would this claimed "market consensus" be 700-750K headset units in the first place? It simply doesn't make sense.

Apple Reportedly Can’t Make Many Vision Pro Headsets

Apple reportedly can’t make more than half a million Vision Pro headsets per year due to limited supply of its near-4K OLED microdisplays.

UploadVRDavid Heaney

With a $3500 entry price Apple Vision Pro was never going to be a breakout mass market hit. The product's very name suggests it's just the beginning of the Vision headset line, and multiple sources have reported that Apple plans a more affordable model later in the decade. But Vision Pro's price is dictated by its production and supply constraints, and it's those constraints limiting its volume, not lower than expected demand.

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Meta's AR/VR Division Sees 30% Quarterly Revenue Growth "Driven By Quest Headset Sales"

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Meta's Reality Labs division's quarterly revenue grew 30% year-over-year in Q1 2024.

Reality Labs is the division of Meta behind Quest headsets, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and research & development toward AR glasses and their neural wristband input device.

In its Q1 2024 earnings call today Meta reported $440 million Reality Labs quarterly revenue, 30% higher than Q1 2023. Meta CFO Susan Li told investors this record revenue was "driven by Quest headset sales". However, it's also 36% lower than Q1 2022 and 18% lower than Q1 2021.

This suggests Quest 3 is continuing to sell well after its launch quarter, which saw Reality Labs' highest quarterly revenue ever, though isn't maintaining post-launch sales momentum as well as Quest 2 did (though it does have higher retention).

That's almost certainly because Quest 3 launched with a $200 higher entry price. Even adjusted for inflation, that's still $150 higher, putting it in a different price segment than Quest 2.

A leaked Meta hardware roadmap from last year and reports from The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and a Chinese analyst who has been reliable in the past suggest Meta plans to soon launch a cheaper version of Quest 3 to directly replace Quest 2, rumored to be called "Quest 3S" or "Quest 3 Lite". Meta's recent actions suggest it's trying to clear stock of Quest 2 and its official accessories to make way for this new lower priced headset.

This cheaper version of Quest 3 will be crucial for Reality Labs' prospects of achieving overall yearly growth.

Reality Labs reported $4.29 billion costs in Q1 2024, a minuscule decrease of 1% compared to Q1 2023.

That means Reality Labs made a $3.85 quarterly "loss" in Q1 2024. But while describing this as a loss is technically correct in a financial sense, in reality it's more accurate to describe most of it as long term investment. XR headsets like Quest are still a relatively early technology, far from maturity, and Meta hasn't even launched its first AR glasses yet. More than 50% of Reality Labs spending is on the research and development of AR glasses.

Also, Meta managed to decrease quarterly costs by 1% while increasing revenue by 30%, this suggests Reality Labs is slowly progressing on the path to profitability. It might also suggest Quest 3 is less subsidised than Quest 2 was.

As in previous quarters, Susan Li told investors she expects these losses to continue to increase meaningfully over the next year due to "ongoing product development efforts and our investments to further scale our ecosystem".

Mark Zuckerberg has in the past told investors that he doesn't expect Reality Labs to be profitable until the 2030s, seeing it as a long-term investment in the future of computing.

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