Meta’s Q1 AR/VR Revenue Up 35%, ‘Driven By Sales Of Quest 2’

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Meta’s Reality Labs revenue grew 35% year-on-year in Q1 2022 – but costs grew 55%.

Reality Labs is the division of Meta responsible for Quest VR hardware & software, Portal video calling appliances, and the Ray-Ban Stories camera glasses – as well as researching and developing AR glasses and other future AR and VR devices.

The division brought in $695 million revenue in Q1 2022, up from $534 in Q1 2021. But the cost of this division was a whopping $3.6 billion, up from $2.36 billion in Q1 2021. The result is a loss of $2.96 billion, up from a loss of $1.83 billion in Q1 2021.

Meta’s CFO said the Reality Labs revenue growth was “driven by sales of Quest 2”. While costs are growing significantly, revenue is clearly growing too – Quest 2’s success shows no signs of slowing down:

This increase in costs isn’t unexpected however – Mark Zuckerberg warned investors in October that investments in AR & VR would reduce Meta’s overall 2021 profit by $10 billion, and said “I expect this investment to grow even further for each of the next several years”.

Zuckerberg today told investors he intends to spend tens of billions of dollars over this decade “laying the groundwork for what I expect to be a very exciting 2030’s when this is established as the primary computing platform”, saying he’s even prepared to trade off short term profits for the long term opportunities AR and VR present if it comes down to that. This could turn out to be the largest bet in the history of the tech industry – but will it work?

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Ghostbusters VR Isn’t Linked To Afterlife, May Feature Character Customization

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The recently-announced Ghostbusters VR isn’t a sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Sony Pictures VR’s Jake Zim confirmed as much to IGN’s Taylor Lyles. “It is not a sequel to Afterlife,” he said. “It does not go deeper directly into the stories. It is a new story, it’s a new concept, but it ties closely back into lots of things that people loved from Afterlife and the broader Ghostbusters world itself.”

We may see plenty of easter eggs calling back to older movies, then, but Zim confirmed there likely wouldn’t be any returning characters. Instead, Ghostbusters VR will feature a brand new story set in San Francisco, with a new team of budding Ghostbusters setting up shop.

Providing more quotes on her Twitter feed, Lyles also noted that character customization looked to be included in the game. “[C]haracter customization is a safe assumption to make right now,” Zim said. Given the game’s focus on cooperative multiplayer (though it can also be played in solo modes), this definitely seems like a great opportunity for some personalized outfits.

Currently we know that Ghostbusters VR is on the way to Quest 2. Last week we confirmed that it’ll be a launch exclusive for the platform, but nDreams says it will talk about coming to other headsets at a later date. Zim also reiterated that it was in VR’s interests to be on many platforms, adding: “[I]f you look at the larger ecosystem of how important the whole space is in terms of all the platforms and all the channels and growing the space, there’s so much room to grow, I think that’s really important for [Sony Pics VR], as a company, to consider.”

A launch window hasn’t been confirmed at this time.

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Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever Adds Roguelike Arcade Mode

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A new mode is coming to Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever, more than a year since the game first launched.

It arrives tomorrow in the Arcade Attack update, adding a roguelike arcade mode that is designed to be much more approachable and instant compared to Story Mode.

In each arcade run, you’ll play through five randomly-selected levels, compete for a high score and search for hidden TP — a currency that can be spent in between levels. In the store, you’ll be able to use your TP to purchase new guns, med kits and perks, such as the Big Head perk pictured below. You’ll find weapons and upgrades throughout each run as well.

This update is the latest in a series of additions and fixes since launch in March 2021, including optimization for Quest 2, improved collision models, reworked gun vfx, new gun skins and 12 new levels.

On release, we had mixed feelings about Zombieland VR. In our review, we found it didn’t reinvent the well-tread ground of zombies in VR, but still offered some enjoyable elements:

The action is fast and enjoyable, level design encourages replaying, and you’re never short of something to upgrade or the means to upgrade it. Some finicky reloading, less than stellar character models, and skimpy tutorials keep it from being an essential game, but if you can look beyond that, you’re in for a much more entertaining light-gun game than meets the eye.

You can read our full review here.

The Arcade Attack updates launches tomorrow for Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever. You can find the game on SteamVR and Meta Quest headset.

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Green Hell VR Dev Believes PSVR 2 Will Bring ‘Millions Of New VR Enthusiasts’

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Green Hell VR developer Incuvo sounds bullish on PSVR 2.

Speaking to Gamerant, CEO Andrzej Wychowaniec touched on the subject of Sony’s new headset and the features he was looking forward to. Particularly, Wychowaniec said he was looking forward to what the new Sense controllers could offer along with new features like eye tracking.

“These solutions will be crucial to the progress of VR gaming, as they will allow developers to invent entirely new kinds of experiences,” the developer said, adding that PS5’s Tempest 3D audio tech could also deliver much more immersive experiences.

As for how he thinks the headset might perform in the market, Wychowaniec was optimistic that PSVR 2 could match the original PSVR’s 5 million units and then some.

“I certainly hope that the new headset will repeat the success and will accelerate the market growth and bring new possibilities in terms of features, user experience, and a fresh dose of competitiveness which always stimulates technological innovation,” he said. “It’ll also be good for developers. New platforms mean new sources of income, as well as the opportunity to raise the quality standards. So basically better games. I believe that Sony will succeed again, and NGVR [next-gen VR, a codename cited by PSVR Without Parole last year] will bring millions of new VR enthusiasts to the community.”

Currently Incuvo is working on two different versions of Green Hell VR. The first is a Quest release that launched earlier this month as a streamlined version of the game designed specifically for the mobile headset. The full Green Hell experience is also coming to PC VR, with launch planned in the near future. Currently, though, Incuvo hasn’t confirmed if the game might also come to PSVR 2. We thought the Quest version was great, giving us high hopes for future editions.

Currently we know about the specs and design of Sony’s new VR headset, but still don’t have an idea of when it might launch. Rumors and speculation have been pointing to a Q1 2023 release due to the stresses of the component shortage. You can keep track of everything we know about the headset right now over here.

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Tokyo Chronos Dev Wants You To Choose Its Next VR Project

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MyDearest, developer of the Chronos series, wants you to choose its next VR project.

The Tokyo-based studio this week announced Project: Gathering, an initiative that asks fans to vote on one of three concepts for its next game. Each title is a multiplayer game but the ideas range from camping to a VR MOBA. Those interested will need to share their thoughts over on the developer’s official Discord server. The titles would likely come to Quest 2.

MyDearest has even gone to the effort of making concept trailers for each game. The three projects are as follows.

Code: Camp

This would be a multiplayer adventure game that lets you explore a fantasy world with friends. Activities would include cooking and dragon riding.

Code: Gauntlet

A VR action game in which you play as a ninja with the powers of kinesis. You’d throw objects at opponents in 3 vs 3 battles.

Code: Bell

Similar to Dead by Daylight, this is a 4 v 1 multiplayer game in which teams are hunted by a gruesome executioner.

Casting your vote will secure you access to the winning idea’s closed beta program, and MyDearest also says it’s offering up limited rewards like a Quest 2 for taking part.

MyDearest aims to release the chosen project in 2023 but, currently, the studio is still working on the latest installment in the Chronos series, Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate. That’s due for release sometime this summer.

Which of the three concepts for Project: Gathering would you like to see get made? Let us know in the comments below!

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Moon VR Player Lets You Watch Videos In Passthrough On Quest 2

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Moon VR Player lets you watch regular and 180° videos in passthrough on Quest 2.

Moon VR was around years ago on the Samsung Gear VR, developed by a full team. In 2017 they ran out of funding and had to suspend development – though the app was maintained voluntarily and ported to Oculus Go. With the success of Quest 2 the Moon team is now back together, and the app is now available on App Lab with a unique feature: passthrough support.

The Quest 2 Passthrough API launched in August last year. It lets developers use the view from the headset’s greyscale tracking cameras as a layer (eg. the background) or on a custom mesh (eg. a desk in front of you).

In Moon VR that means you can position videos in your real room and keep awareness of your surroundings. This can either be standard flat videos where most of your view is your real surroundings, or immersive 180° videos so you can just look behind you.

The player also claims the following features:

• Moon Link: wirelessly watch vr videos from your Windows PC, Mac or other local devices
• Fix ghosting: remove faulty ghosting in the video
• Gaze-based control: head tracking and effortless hands-free control
• Screen adjustments: Brightness, distance, zoom, and curved display
• Rotate, mirror and single-eye viewing: watch videos from the perspective you like
• Background environments: galaxy, sea view and more other options to be released
• Advanced antialiasing to smooth shaking: Multisampling Antialiasing, Supersampling Antialiasing, and Subpixel Morphological Antialiasing
• Multiple video formats supported: mkv/ mp4/ wmv/ mov/ avi/ rmvb/ flv
• Automatic recognition of video format without manual setup
• Multiple subtitles and audio tracks from external sources

Moon VR is currently completely free, but the developer plans to either ship a premium version in future or add paid features.

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Maker of the Taser Acquires VR Studio to Bolster VR Police Training

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Axon, the company best known for its Taser stun guns, has announced the acquisition of VR studio Foundry 45 which it says will bolster its VR training offerings.

Founded in 1993, Axon is the company behind the well known Taser stun guns which are employed by police and military forces around the world. In modern times the company has also focused on body cams and software for administration and management of public safety organizations. This month Axon announced the acquisition of the VR studio Foundry 45.

Formed in 2015, Foundry 45 has focused on combining VR with training and marketing. The company says it has built VR experiences for the likes of Delta Air Lines, The Weather Channel, AT&T, and others.

Axon, which has previously offered VR training, says the Foundry 45 team will merge with the existing Axon VR team to bolster the company’s ability to offer VR-based training solutions.

“Virtual reality is rapidly becoming a game-changing training tool across many industries, and the acquisition of Foundry 45 will help accelerate Axon to deliver innovative skills- and scenario-based training in public safety, and will catalyze Axon’s expansion into new growth markets globally,” the company said in its announcement of the acquisition.

Axon says its goal is to use “new immersive technologies to better prepare officers for real-life situations in the field. Axon’s VR products provide virtual reality content that helps officers develop critical thinking, de-escalation techniques and tactical skills across a diverse set of highly realistic scenarios.”

The acquisition appears to have been an all-stock deal, with Axon saying that 29,507 restricted stock units (valued around $3.87 million) were “granted to two individuals in connection with the acquisition,” with a vesting schedule of three years. Axon says the deal also includes up to an additional 15,249 restricted stock units (valued around $2 million) if the company’s VR unit achieves certain performance-based goals.

Axon—which calls its stun guns “non-lethal”—understandably has a vested interest in making sure the users of its Taser products are well trained. Not just for the safety of users and targets but also for liability and the company’s image, which hinges on claims that its weapons result in no serious injury in the vast majority of cases where they are deployed.

One unfortunate incident that recently brought the Taser into the public eye was the 2021 killing of Daunte Wright in Minnesota, in which an officer claimed to have accidentally pulled out and fired her firearm instead of her Taser.

And that isn’t the only time that mistaking a gun for a Taser. According to the Star Tribune there have been at least 16 cases in the US where officers mistook the two weapons, four of which resulted in deaths.

The promise of VR training is not only that it can feel more real—which has studied benefits to lasting recall—but also that it can be cheaper and easier for public safety organizations to deploy, allowing for more training time with a broader range of scenarios and less overhead.

Whether or not VR training could have helped avert the tragic situations mentioned above isn’t clear, but one can surely hope.

The post Maker of the Taser Acquires VR Studio to Bolster VR Police Training appeared first on Road to VR.

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