Announced during the VR Games Showcase, Flat2VR Studios revealed it’s collaborating with Squanch Games to again work its flatscreen-to-VR magic on the comedic sci-fi shooter, High on Life (2022).
The official VR port is targeting Meta Quest, PSVR 2 and SteamVR headsets.
In the announcement video (seen below), we get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the work Flat2VR is doing right now on High on Life, translating the game’s living guns, traversal, and NPC interactions into VR-native interactions.
Notably, the studio says it can already run natively on Quest, which is no small feat.
There’s no release date yet beyond the 2027 window for High on Life VR, which will be separate from the flatscreen original. You can now wishlist the game on the Horizon Store for Quest, Steam for PC VR headsets, and the PlayStation Store for PSVR 2.
In case you’ve never played on flatscreen, High on Life throws you into the middle of a war with an alien cartel who wants to use humanity as drugs. It’s up to you to rescue and partner with charismatic, talking guns, take down Garmantuous and his gang, and save the world.
The VR Games Showcase’s second anniversary event just wrapped up, delivering massive new game announcements.
Missed the show? Fear not – we’ve wrapped up every announcement for you right here, including all trailers show in both the main and pre-show. Enjoy!
VR Games Showcase Main Show Titles
1. Total Chaos VR Revealed For Meta Quest & SteamVR
Game Name: Total Chaos VR
Developer Name: Trigger Happy Interactive
Publisher Name: Apogee Entertainment
Platforms: SteamVR, Meta Quest
Release Date: TBA
Synopsis: Total Chaos is an atmospheric first-person psychological survival horror experience where every bullet, every resource, and every decision matters. Explore the decaying ruins of Fort Oasis, scavenge for supplies, craft improvised weapons, solve environmental puzzles, and uncover the disturbing mystery behind a once-thriving mining community consumed by madness. Built from the award-winning DOOM II total conversion mod, Total Chaos delivers a haunting blend of survival horror, immersive storytelling, and relentless psychological tension.
2. Bootstrap Island Surprises Launches On PS VR2 Today
Game Name: Bootstrap Island
Developer Name: Maru VR
Publisher Name: Maru VR
Platforms: Steam PS VR, PlayStation VR2
Release Date: March 12, 2026 on Steam VR, August 13, 2026 on PlayStation VR2
Synopsis: A Robinson Crusoe–inspired VR roguelike survival adventure set in the 17th century. Shipwrecked on a ruthless tropical island, you must survive without guidance. Trust your instincts as you face wild beasts, nature’s fury, and a mysterious local tribe.
3. Gunman Contracts – Stand Alone Will Launch Alongside Steam Frame
Game Name: Gunman Contracts – Stand Alone
Developer Name: ANB_Seth
Publisher Name: 2080 Games
Platforms: Playable in VR on PC / Non-VR on PC and Steamdeck
Release Date: Alongside Valve Frame
Synopsis: “Gunman Contracts – Stand Alone” is an action-movie inspired shooter playable both in VR and Non-VR. As a professional hitman, the player takes on ruthless forces in the criminal underworld, bringing justice and order in the world beyond the reach of law – one contract at a time.
4. Tiny Flock Is The New VR Puzzler From Human Fall Flat Developer No Breaks Games
Game Name: Tiny Flock
Developer Name: No Brakes Games
Publisher Name: No Brakes Games
Platforms: Meta Quest/Steam
Release Date: 29th September – tbc (Still no word from Meta)
Synopsis: Tiny Flock is a cosy, physics-based VR puzzle game for all ages. Help guide your adorable, wayward sheep through beautiful hand-crafted diorama puzzles using the environment around you to guide them to safety!
5. Out of Sight VR Resurfaces With PS VR2 And Quest Release Windows
Game Name: Out of Sight VR
Developer Name: Flat2VR Studios, The Gang
Publisher Name: Flat2VR Studios, Starbreeze
Platforms: SteamVR, PS VR2, Meta Quest
Release Date: PS VR2 Holiday 2026, Meta Quest 2027, SteamVR Out Now
Synopsis: Out of Sight VR pulls you into a chilling nightmare where you see through the eyes of a child’s only comfort: her teddy bear. Guide Sophie through a sinister mansion and evade the lurking horrors that stalk her every move. The shadows are watching. And Sophie is counting on you.
6. DRIFTERS: Blackout Crew Reveals Fresh Details In Latest Deep Dive
Game Name: DRIFTERS: Blackout Crew
Developer Name: Salmi Games
Publisher Name: Salmi Games
Platforms: Meta Quest, SteamVR
Release Date: Coming Soon
Synopsis: Raid ancient alien temples in a PvE co-op extraction shooter built for tactile VR gunplay. Steal energy for your dying mothership, scavenge rare resources, survive the temple’s defense systems, and decide how deep your crew can push before extraction turns desperate.
7. Spirit Ritual Is A Terrifying Virtual/Mixed Reality Horror Game
Game Name: Spirit Ritual
Developer Name: Nyamyam
Publisher Name: Nyamyam
Platforms: Pico, Steam
Release Date: Coming Soon
Synopsis: Spirit Ritual is a supernatural horror VR/MR game. Become a psychic medium and break the demonic curse threatening the life of Shu-Mei Lin. Equip your camera, enter the spirit realm and capture ghosts to reveal the truth. Fail, and the demon will consume your soul.
8. All On Board Adds Virus! As A Free New Game Starting Next Week
Game Name: All On Board!
Developer Name: The Game Kitchen
Publisher Name: The Game Kitchen
Platforms: Meta Quest, Steam
Release Date: 27 February 2025
Synopsis: Built for board game lovers, All On Board! brings back the magic of game nights to VR. Enjoy adapted versions of your favorite titles with friends, lifelike physics, and thoughtful design that make every match feel real, like gathering around a table wherever you are.
9. R.A.I.D. Reveals Full Gameplay Trailer & Pre-Order Bonus
Game Name: R.A.I.D.
Developer Name: FusionPlay
Publisher Name: Impact Inked
Platforms: Meta Quest, Steam
Release Date: Coming Soon
Synopsis: A co-op VR sci-fi shooter where you inspect interstellar cargo ships, hunt smugglers, and raid hostile spacecraft. Scan trucks, board enemy ships, upgrade outrageous weapons, and choose between protocol or profit in solo or 4-player co-op action.
10. COVR Is A Military Simulator Tactical Shooter From Zero Caliber Dev XREAL GAMES
Game Name: COVR
Developer Name: XREAL Games
Publisher Name: XREAL Games
Platforms: Meta Quest, SteamVR
Release Date: 2026
Synopsis: COVR is a hardcore tactical VR milsim focusing on next-gen visuals, realism, tension, and stealth gameplay.
12. Green Hell VR Reveals Customisation-Based Painting Update
Game Name: Green Hell VR
Developer Name: Incuvo
Publisher Name: Incuvo
Platforms: Meta Quest, PS VR2,
Release Date: Out Now
Synopsis: Brave the rainforest with up to three friends in co-op! Construct shelters from wood, bamboo, and mud. Band together to hunt and defend against the dangers of the rainforest. Now you can take care of wildlife with the new Animal Husbandry Update: earn their trust, build enclosures, and pet your friendly capybaras.
Meta Quest Discount Code: 40OFFVRGS – EDBF03 (Code will work for Green Hell VR between August 13 to August 14 with 40% discount)
13. Dive Deeper Into The Lightkeepers, Launching September 10
Game Name: The Lightkeepers
Developer Name: Spectral Games
Publisher Name: Meta
Platforms: Meta Quest Store
Release Date: 10 September, 2026
Synopsis: You’re the last line of defense between light and the insatiable darkness of the deep. The day is a frantic race – explore the area by sailing to nearby islands, plunder forgotten buildings, discover secrets hidden in dark dungeons. Be ready, because when the cursed moon rises, the sea will spew out nightmares, and there will be no turning back. Plan, cooperate and fight until dawn, because if the light of the lighthouse goes out, the Lightkeepers will fail, and darkness will consume everything. Do you dare to complete the contract?
14. Get A Fresh Look At Solo-Developed VR Adventure, Adrian’s Quest
Game Name: Adrian’s Quest
Developer Name: Digital Waste Factory
Publisher Name: Digital Waste Factory
Platforms: SteamVR
Release Date: Coming Soon
Synopsis: Adrian’s Quest is a single-player VR action-adventure game filled with physics-based puzzles and bizarre gunfights, set on a dusty, run-down alien planet home to strange creatures and a declining population.
15. Explore A New Biome In Parkour-Based VR Roguelike, The Rifted Skies
Game Name: The Rifted Skies
Developer Name: DreamVR
Publisher Name: DreamVR
Platforms: Meta Quest 2+, PCVR, PICO
Release Date: Fall 2026
Synopsis: A parkour roguelite action where every move is physical. Run faster as the world is collapsing behind you. In The Rifted Skies, swing your arms to sprint, leap across ruins, climb anything in sight, and fight at full speed with minimal buttons and no motion sickness. Deflect attacks, cut through enemies, and push deeper with every run. Unlock wild new powers, experiment with upgrades, and master the fast-paced flow before the Rift catches you.
16. CONVRGENCE Confirms September Release For 1.0 Update
Game Name: CONVRGENCE
Developer Name: Monkey-With-a-Bomb
Publisher Name: Monkey-With-a-Bomb
Platforms: Steam (PCVR)
Release Date: 17 Sep, 2026 (full release)
Synopsis: CONVRGENCE is an atmospheric VR extraction shooter set in the ever-changing Chernokamensk Anomaly Zone. Scavenge loot, hunt mystical artifacts, and survive alongside your loyal dog companion. Version 1.0 launches on September 17, introducing the long-awaited story and bringing the game out of Early Access.
17. Knights of Fiona Launches September 3, Beta Testing Coming Soon
Game Name: Knights of Fiona
Developer Name: CharacterBank Inc
Publisher Name: CharacterBank Inc.
Platforms: Meta Quest / Steam VR
Release Date: September 2026
Synopsis: Gallia is a land where thoughts become power. For a hundred years, that land has been at war. Dragons — the manifestation of hatred itself — rise from the earth and fall to the blades of those brave enough to stand against them. Empires have held the line. Generations have given their lives. But the hatred that fuels the dragons has only grown. A new order has risen to answer it. Knight Commander Fiona has taken a Gesh — a binding oath that turns hope into power — and she is calling for knights to take it with her.
18. Terrifying Survival Horror Rustmourne Hits PC VR In Early 2027
Game Name: Rustmourne
Developer Name: Rustmourne Team
Publisher Name: Rustmourne Team
Platforms: SteamVR
Release Date: Early 2027
Synopsis: Rustmourne is a Survival Sci-fi Horror with detailed, VR-designed interactions. Traverse the corridors of an ancient, derelict structure, and face the tortured beings in it: hide, run, or cut off their limbs to survive. Will you be able to understand the purpose of your awakening and get out alive?
19. PAYDAY: Aces High Launches Playtesting Next Week
Game Name: PAYDAY: Aces High
Developer Name: Fast Travel Games
Publisher Name: Fast Travel Games
Platforms: Meta Quest 3, Steam Frame/SteamVR
Release Date: 2026
Synopsis: Nothing hits like the moment the mask goes on. Plan bold jobs, pull off stylish chaos, and dismantle a criminal titan’s empire one explosive score at a time. High stakes, big money, no mercy: Payday – Aces High is the definitive VR co-op heist game for up to 4 players. Coming 2026. Wishlist Now.
20. Drop Dead: The Cabin Is Coming To PS VR2 Alongside More Unannounced Titles
Game Name: Drop Dead: The Cabin
Developer Name: Flat2VR Studios / Soul Assembly
Publisher Name: Impact Inked
Platforms: Playstation VR2
Release Date: August 27 2026
Synopsis: Lost in the woods. Trapped in a cabin. Face wave after wave of undead horrors in this intense 80s-themed zombie survival shooter. Play solo or co-op with up to 4 players, in VR or on PC. Keep the lights on, defend the cabin, and survive the night if you can!
21. Trombone Champ: Unflattened Launches Disney Movie Magic DLC
Game Name: Trombone Champ: Unflattened
Developer Name: Flat2VR Studios
Publisher Name: Impact Inked
Platforms: Meta Quest, Steam, Playstation VR2
Release Date: Out Now
Synopsis: A whole new world of VR trombone magic is coming to Trombone Champ: Unflattened. The song pack includes six beloved classics: A Whole New World from Aladdin, Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid, You’ve Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story, Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast, Circle of Life from The Lion King, Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. The pack also includes two new themed performance environments, bringing even more music, magic, and very serious VR trombone energy to the stage.
22. High on Life VR Is Coming To Meta Quest, PS VR2 and SteamVR
Game Name: High On Life VR
Developer Name: Flat2VR Studios
Publisher Name: Impact Inked
Platforms: Meta Quest, Steam, Playstation VR2
Release Date: TBD
Synopsis: Humanity is being threatened by an alien cartel who wants to use them as drugs. It’s up to you to rescue and partner with charismatic, talking guns, take down Garmantuous and his gang, and save the world!
23. System Shock VR Is Coming To Meta Quest, PS VR2 and SteamVR
Game Name: System Shock VR
Developer Name: Flat2VR Studios
Publisher Name: Impact Inked
Platforms: Steam, Meta Quest, PlayStation VR2
Release Date: TBD
Synopsis: System Shock is the fully fledged remake of the ground breaking original from 1994, combining cult gameplay with all-new HD visuals, updated controls, an overhauled interface and all-new sounds & music; it even has the original voice actor of SHODAN, one of gaming’s most iconic villains. Witness the rebirth of one of the greatest and most influential games ever created.
1. BrushHammer: Miniature Painter Gets August 26th Release Date
Game Name: BrushHammer Miniature Painter
Developer Name: Soliton Interactive
Publisher Name: Soliton Interactive
Platforms: Meta Quest
Release Date: August 26th 2026
Synopsis: BrushHammer Miniature Painter is an innovative mixed-reality experience that lets you live your miniature painting hobby, without the mess! Paint virtual miniatures using a robust suite of digital tools, from spray cans and airbrushes to shade washes, edge highlights, dry brushing, decals, high-gloss finishes, and more.
Synopsis: Vertigo Rush is a high-speed VR racing game where your hands are your engine. Climb, swing and launch yourself through the air with a polished movement system built to feel responsive, precise and satisfying. Play through the single-player Story Mode, race against AI, compete in Time Trials with global leaderboards, or play online with up to 10 friends across visually stunning, highly detailed tracks.
Meta Quest Discount Code: VERTIGOVRGS-5DF9A8 (48 hours 10%)
3. Omega Pilot: Evolution Launches On PS VR2 Today
Game Name: Omega Pilot Evolution
Developer Name: Xocus
Publisher Name: Funtech Publishing Ltd
Platforms: PS5 and PS VR2
Release Date: 13 August
Synopsis: Omega Pilot Evolution is a fast-paced sci-fi anti-gravity racing game bringing VR and flatscreen players together in one cross-platform experience. Race across 28 unique tracks, take on Championship events, jump into quick bot races, or challenge up to five players online in Standard and Combat Races. Career Mode brings asynchronous rivals with global leaderboards, while your racing ship can be customized and upgraded across speed, handling, and nitro. Out now on PS5 & PSVR2, coming soon to Meta Quest, Steam, Steam Deck, and PICO.
4. BattleGroupVR2 Plans A Quest Launch On August 28th
Game Name: BattleGroupVR2
Developer Name: SpaceOwl Games
Publisher Name: N/A
Platforms: STEAM, Meta Store
Release Date: Aug 28th, 2026 (Meta Store Early Access)
Synopsis: BattleGroupVR2 is a real-time virtual-reality space strategy game where you explore the galaxy and lead a fleet of powerful warships from the bridge of your flagship. Explore, mine, trade, hunt. Grow your fleet, upgrade your ships, train your captains, and battle the enemy from the captain’s chair.
5. STUFFED: Two Foot Hero Is A VR Port Of A Toy-Based Multiplayer Shooter
Game Name: STUFFED: Two Foot Hero
Developer Name: Waving Bear Studio
Publisher Name: Amplified Games
Platforms: Meta Quest 3 & 3S, Steam
Release Date: Fall 2026
Synopsis: Become a two-foot-tall teddy bear in this wave shooter where you wield homemade weapons, build defences and protect a little girl from her nightmares. Play solo or online in up to 4-player co-op.
6. Grablings: Paint n’ Seek Is A Chaotic Social VR Game From Triangle Factory’s New Triangle Labs Label
Game Name: Grablings: Paint n’ Seek
Developer Name: Triangle Labs
Publisher Name: Triangle Factory
Platforms: Quest
Release Date: Summer 2026
Synopsis: Players become Grablings, interdimensional creatures who live for mischief and chaos. Their prime purpose in life is to have fun and wreak havoc across the multiverse, which they consider their ultimate playground. In their first adventure, the Grablings play silly games of hide and seek. Hiders paint themselves into wacky environments to avoid getting found, and the seeker(s) aim to win by finding all hidden Grablings!
Breakout VR rhythm game Beat Saber has been priced at $30 ever since its 2019 launch, and has never once gone on sale since. In a surprising move, Meta has quietly slashed the price of Beat Saber to $20 on Quest, SteamVR, and PSVR 2.
Unlike many games, including other first-party Meta titles, Beat Saber has never once gone on sale or deviated from its $30 launch price. That’s why it’s surprising to learn that Meta has just cut the price of Beat Saber to $20 across all platforms, as spotted by our friends at UploadVR. Meta also confirmed this is a permanent price cut.
Another reason this is surprising news is that Beat Saber has only grown in value since launch. The game has added new features like multiplayer, higher difficulty maps, expanded modifiers, and new game modes. And Beat Saber’s included track list has grown from 10 at launch to more than 60 today. That’s not counting more than 250 tracks available as paid DLC.
In cases where games expand significantly after launch, some even increase in price. And justifiably so; Pistol Whip (2019) raised its price from $25 at launch to $30 after adding significant new features and content.
And we haven’t even touched on inflation. Beat Saber’s $30 launch price in 2019 is nearly $40 in 2026 money, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
My Take
So why did Meta drop the price of Beat Saber? My gut says the company is testing the waters as it considers moving Beat Saber to a free-to-play model.
Yes, Beat Saber has made staggering amounts of money for Meta. But its reign as a top seller has been dwindling in recent years as free-to-play games have become increasingly dominant on the Quest platform. Even though free-to-play games are ‘free’, they often earn more per player in the long run through in-game monetization. Below you can see the latest official Top Selling chart among Quest games, with free-to-play titles in blue and paid titles in red.
At #9 on the list, Beat Saber is lagging behind.
But, there’s a risk in moving the game to free-to-play, especially considering that it wasn’t designed with that monetization model in mind. It’s possible that making Beat Saber free-to-play would increase its average revenue generated by allowing people in the door for free, then hoping they will outspend the original game price by purchasing DLC. But there’s also a chance the move could decrease average revenue.
The key risk is that once the game is made fully free-to-play, reverting that decision (if the free-to-play model was worse for reveune) would be extremely unpopular.
Finding out if you can significantly boost revenue by reducing the price first, before taking the plunge all the way to free-to-play, is a prudent idea.
Crementif released the ‘BetterVR’ mod for Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) last December, bringing full 6DOF support and motion controls to the game on PC VR headsets. Now, nearing the mod’s 1.0 launch, not only has BetterVR gotten even better, but Crementif teased a Mario Kat 8 (2014) VR mod is also now in the works.
BetterVR is a flatscreen-to-VR conversion mod for BotW, which is available for free on the project’s GitHub, including 20 updates since the first trailer was released in December 2025.
In those short eight months, Crementif has pushed out a number of improvements, fixes, and polish tweaks to the mod, which you can see in the the new trailer below.
That said, Crementif says there are still more updates yet to come, and that the 1.0 is “[s]till very much happening.”
The modder notes that a few things are already on the horizon, some of which patrons can test early “pretty soon,” they say.
This includes the long-awaited multiplayer support, which is ported to the new Cemu version but still needs syncing, a substantial performance update reworking all the stereo rendering, and more.
What’s more, the trailer showed off BetterVR may soon become somewhat of a VR mod suite in the vein of Praydog’s own UEVR mod for PC, as BetterVR is aiming to support Mario Kart 8 too, which Crementif notes has the goal of “making this a really cool race kart game adaptation for VR with the same level of quality as my BotW mod.”
There’s no indication when the BetterVR mod for BotW will hit its big 1.0 release, although considering the overall polished (i.e. near perfect) state of the mod right now combined with the fact that Mario Kart 8 is now on the table, it’s a good bet we’ll see it sooner rather than later.
Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) announced they’re bringing a handful of live baseball games to Vision Pro, with livestreamed games starting on August 28th.
When Apple initially announced the number of games it had licensed in the August baseball schedule, it wasn’t clear whether Apple TV subscribers would get any immersive games to round out the 2026 season.
Now, Apple announced it’s bringing four live ‘Friday Night Baseball’ games leading up to September 18th, which will feature commentary from Paul Severino (play-by-play), Xavier Scruggs (analyst), and Michelle Margaux (sideline reporter).
Here are the full schedule of games available on Vision Pro:
Friday, August 28: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees – 7PM ET (local time here)
Friday, September 4: Los Angeles Angels at Pittsburgh Pirates – 6:30PM ET (local time here)
Friday, September 11: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants – 10PM ET (local time here)
Friday, September 18: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers – 10PM ET (local time here)
Like the Los Angeles Lakers’ livestreamed immersive NBA games earlier this year, MLB games will be broadcast in Apple’s own 180-degree, 3D spatial Immersive Video format, offering up multiple vantage points to view the game in addition to replays, team lineups, and stats floating in the viewer’s space.
Livestream games will be available to Vision Pro users with an Apple TV subscription across a number of regions, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK, and the U.S.
Notably, if you missed a game, full game replays and various highlights packages will also be available on demand in the Apple TV app for Vision Pro.
Our series Inside XR Design examines specific examples of great XR design. Today we’re looking at the game Electronauts and what it can teach us about smart VR interface design.
Editor’s Note: Electronauts was released eight years ago this week! It was featured in the pilot episode of Inside XR Design. Incredibly, Electronauts still has a lot to teach when it comes to VR interface design. In celebration of its release anniversary and enduring insights, we’re bumping this episode of Inside XR Design back up to our front page to highlight the game’s cleverly designed interface and what it shows us about ease-of-use, hierarchy, and flexibility.
You can find the complete video below, or continue reading for an adapted text version.
Electronauts is a music making game by developer Survivors that’s designed to make it easy to feel like a competent DJ, even if—like me—you don’t have much musical talent. It’s available on every major VR headset; check out our full review here.
And while it’s easy to think that the game’s interface has little relevance outside of music, nothing could be further from the truth. The Electronauts interface is smartly designed at the core, and for reasons that have nothing to do with music or rhythm games.
There’s three pillars to this interface that make it great: ease-of-use, hierarchy, and flexibility.
Ease-of-use
It’s clear to see why the designers would give the players drumsticks for a game with drum-like instruments, but what’s really smart is also making the drumsticks the tools for manipulating the interface. Humans are evolutionarily adept at manipulating tools—in fact studies have shown that with enough practice, we subconsciously and proprioceptively consider tools to be an extension of ourselves.
In the case of Electronauts, the extra reach provided by the drumsticks allows the interface to be comfortably large to overcome issues with precision, making the entire interface easier to use with less chance for mistakes.
We can see this clearly in the way that the game’s buttons work. While the intuitive idea would be to have buttons that are pressed as they are touched, Electronauts does things differently for the sake of precision and reliability. Instead of simply touching a button to activate it, you actually insert your drumstick into the button and then pull the trigger.
This is a very smart solution to the issue of missing physical feedback in VR. Real life buttons are deeply designed around physical feedback, and this feedback helps you press them reliably. Because there’s nothing to push back on the drumstick in VR, it’s harder to confidently target and activate a physically simulated button.
Asking the user to intersect the button with their drumstick and then pull the trigger to confirm their selection greatly increases the precision of the game’s buttons compared to a physical button simulation.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy is an essential part of any interface. It’s the way in which you organize the functions of the interface so that it’s logical, easy to remember, and easy to access.
Electronauts has a very smart hierarchy where all of the game’s functions are contained within tools, and all of the tools are represented as cubes. To access the functions of any tool, you simply place a cube into a pedestal.
You can think of each cube as it’s own little mini-app, just like the way that smartphone apps are shown as icons on a screen, each containing specific functionality. This makes it really easy to remember where to access certain functions without the interface needing to overwhelm the user by displaying all the functions at once.
With a limit of three cubes active at any one time, Electronauts does a good job of having a clearly organized hierarchy that’s not too deep. A hierarchy that’s too deep—like having folders inside of folders inside of folders—can mean too much time spent digging to reach the function you’re looking for, even if it means everything is clearly organized.
Flexibility
The hierarchy design in Electronauts also lends itself well to flexibility. With tools contained in physical cubes, the user is free to manipulate them in whatever way is most useful for their specific needs. This also makes the interface inherently ambidextrous; instead of having the Backing Tracks tool hard-coded into the right position, for instance, I can easily swap it to the left side which is better for me because I’m left-handed.
Being able to quickly and easily arrange the interface in the way that’s best for you is a lot like being able to drag windows around on a computer. In the context of making music, being able to quickly and easily adapt the workspace for the given task makes the interface more useful than if it was hard-coded to a single arrangement.
– – — – –
One test of a great interface is if it can be used quickly and precisely, without getting into the way of the user. Electronauts couldn’t demonstrate this more clearly, as it allows users to smoothly control tons of variables even while being rushed along by the beat of each song.
What I really want people to take away from this though is that the principles of ease-of-use, hierarchy, and flexibility are ideal in any VR user interface, not just in a music game. The core design concepts imbued in the Electronauts interface can be applied to many other VR experiences, right down to using drumsticks—or some kind of hand-held implement—as the primary means of interface interaction.
China-based projector manufacturer XGIMI launched a crowdfunding campaign in June for its first smart glasses, MemoMind One, which is banking on consumer interest in display-clad smart glasses that don’t contain cameras. Now the campaign has reached $1 million, giving the segment anther early vote of confidence.
The News
MemoMind One quickly surpassed its lowball fund goal of $80,000 HKD (~$10,000 USD) when the Kickstarter launched on June 28th, going on to secure $500,000 in less than a week after launch. Now the project just topped $1 million with 20 days left in the campaign, which closes on August 28th.
If you haven’t followed its progress, MemoMind One was first shown at CES 2026 in Las Vegas in January, pitching a pair of smart glasses that don’t include any sort of camera, instead sporting dual green micro-LED displays (2,000 nits), integrated audio, and a host of AI-assisted actions, such as real-time translation, note taking, contextual assistance, and navigation.
MemoMind One (Nomad) | Courtesy XGIMI
Notably, MemoMind One is positioning itself as one of the least expensive display smart glasses on the market, with pricing starting at $400 for the Standard Edition of all stylings: Nomad, Gotham and Archive. There is also the option to add prescription lenses ($500) and a Custom Edition with multiple colorways starting at $450, all of which are expected to ship in August 2026.
XGIMI hasn’t released any sort of stretch goals, as it appears the campaign is more oriented toward pre-orders. You can learn more about it on MemoMind One’s Kickstarter here.
My Take
This is a bit of a casual rehash of my original take when MemoMind One reached the $500,000 mark, but I’ll save you click with this (slightly) condensed version.
If MemoMind One’s campaign is any indication, not having an onboard camera is a much stronger marketing position than you might think, partly due to blowback Meta is getting from its own display-less camera smart glasses right now.
Until recently, Meta hasn’t properly kept creepers from drilling out capture LEDs, or otherwise vaunting the system by other means. It’s too early to tell since there are no major competitors yet, but Meta may have ‘poisoned the well’ somewhat.
While MemoMind isn’t the first to claim camera-less display smart glasses as a unique marketing proposition, it is doing it at a cheaper price than the main competition: Even Realities G2, which are priced at $600 before adding prescription lenses.
That said, I’m not certain ‘display only’ smart glasses will ever be truly massive; cameras and displays are difficult to run together in today’s power and compute constraints, so it seems more like a temporary division that’s being fashioned into a marketable segment. I’ll be putting those assumptions to the test when I go in for a long-term hands-on with MemoMind One, so check back soon.
