Quest 2

vr-creation-tool-‘masterpiece-x’-comes-to-quest-2-for-free

VR Creation Tool ‘Masterpiece X’ Comes to Quest 2 for Free

Masterpiece Studio, the developers behind the titular PC VR creative suite, released a new version of its software built natively for Quest 2, something its creators hope will appeal to people looking for an easy way to make models, avatars, and other 3D assets.

Called Masterpiece X, the free creation tool is now live on the Quest platform, bringing with it the ability to remix existing models and make it your own through “a more playful and fluid workflow: 3D remixing, which is the process of creating new content by modifying old content,” explains studio founder Jonathan Gagne in a Meta blog post.

The developers say Masterpiece X hopes to target the hobbyist creator market by offering people an easy-to-use app that lowers historic barriers of entry.

“Traditionally, 3D creation has been an extremely complex and technical topic,” says Masterpiece Studio Designer Polina Berseneva. “That’s why so many traditional tools are so challenging for beginners—there’s just so much to learn.”

Here’s how the studio describes Masterpiece X:

  • remix any part of your model – from mesh to texturing, rigging, and animation
  • find free-to-use models in the community library (or import or generate your own – coming soon!)
  • export your model to your game, virtual world, or creative project, and
  • share it with our community to inspire & help others!

The studio says Masterpiece X isn’t targeted at experienced 3D modelers, animators, or creators looking for a tool to build assets from scratch instead of remixing, as the app emphasizes ease of use over complexity.

You can find Masterpiece X is available for free on Quest 2 and Quest Pro.

VR Creation Tool ‘Masterpiece X’ Comes to Quest 2 for Free Read More »

new-quest-2-&-quest-pro-update-brings-performance-boost-and-new-home-environments

New Quest 2 & Quest Pro Update Brings Performance Boost and New Home Environments

Meta says it’s has begun pushing out a software update which will bring some pretty profound performance boosts to both Quest 2 & Quest Pro.

Update (June 21st, 2023): Meta says Quest update v55 is now starting to roll out to Quest 2 & Quest Pro users. The company is promising the update will deliver a significant boost to the devices’ performance which should make the VR experience smoother overall while allowing apps to render at somewhat higher resolutions.

Update v55 also includes a standalone Messenger app and a revamped ‘Explore’ tab (which now shows Reels from Instagram and Facebook, if your accounts are connected). The update also adds multi-touch capability to the in-headset browser for hands-on zooming of web pages.

And last but not least, users will find two new home environments for their headset. The first is ‘Futurescape’, which was the backdrop of this year’s Quest Gaming Showcase; the second is ‘The Great Sand Sea’, which is exclusively available to users who have pre-ordered Asgard’s Wrath 2.

As ever, Meta advises that these updates roll out gradually to the population of headset users, so if you don’t see it right away you might need to wait a little longer.

The original article, which covered the update’s performance improvements, continues below.

Original Article (June 1st, 2023): Meta unveiled Quest 3 today, its next consumer-focused headset slated to launch in fall starting at $500. Quest 3 is going to be more powerful than Quest 2 by a good margin; the company says it has “more than twice the graphical performance as the previous generation Snapdragon GPU in Quest 2.”

Now the company says it’s tossing out a software update to both Quest 2 and Quest Pro chipsets that will provide up to 26% CPU performance increase for both. As for the headsets’ GPUS, we’re told to expect up to 19% GPU speed increase for Quest 2 and 11% for Quest Pro.

“As developers take advantage of these changes, you can expect smoother gameplay, a more responsive UI, and richer content on both headsets,” the company says in a blogpost. “And we’re enabling Dynamic Resolution Scaling for both Quest 2 and Quest Pro, so games and apps can take advantage of increased pixel density without dropping frames.”

The company hasn’t said just when to expect the update, but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled on Meta blog and social channels in the coming days. In the meantime, check out all of our Quest 3 coverage so far which has come right ahead of the big Quest Gaming Showcase kicking off today:

New Quest 2 & Quest Pro Update Brings Performance Boost and New Home Environments Read More »

meta-to-reduce-quest’s-minimum-age-restriction-to-10-years

Meta to Reduce Quest’s Minimum Age Restriction to 10 Years

Meta announced it’s reducing age requirements for Quest users, bringing the previous 13+ minimum down to 10+. The company says the policy change will come alongside new parent-managed accounts for Quest 2 and the upcoming Quest 3, which the company says will help keep preteens safe.

As anyone who has dipped their toes into social VR apps such as Rec Room or VRChat can probably attest, young kids are broadly already using VR headsets. Now Meta is introducing a scheme that will allow 10, 11 and 12-year-olds to have their own parent-managed accounts for the first time.

Slated to launch later this year, Meta says in a blogpost that its new parent-managed Meta accounts will require preteens to get their parent’s approval to set up an account, giving adults control over what apps their preteens can download from the Meta app store.

Image courtesy Meta

These parent-managed accounts will include controls to manage things like screen time limits, privacy and safety settings, and access to specific types of content, which will specify whether apps have a social component.

Additionally, Meta says preteens won’t be served ads, and parents will be able to choose whether their child’s usage data will be shared with Meta. Parents will also be able to delete profiles, including all of the data associated with it, the company says.

That’s a fairly strong policy reversal. At the time of this writing, Meta’s Safety Center portal maintains that Meta VR headsets “are not toys” and that younger children have “greater risks of injury and adverse effects than older users.”

Notably, Meta’s own social VR app Meta Horizon Worlds is also retaining its 13+ age requirement in the US and Canada (18+ in Europe).

Meta to Reduce Quest’s Minimum Age Restriction to 10 Years Read More »

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‘INVERSE’ is a 4v1 Survival Horror for Quest, Free Early Access Now Live

INVERSE, a multiplayer survival horror unveiled by MassVR, has launched into early access on Quest. Be the monster, or the agents working together to restore power to the facility.

In this 4v1 asymmetric game, players can choose to be the Agents, working together to restore control terminals, or take on the role of the Nul monster, seeking to corrupt and disable unsuspecting victims—so basically Dead by Daylight, but for VR.

During its early access period on Quest, which is now available for free through Quest App Lab, there are currently two multiplayer maps and one single player challenge map available, which includes the ability to play as one of the ‘Reaper’ monsters.

The studio says at the game’s full release, which is slated to come in Fall 2023, INVERSE will up the player count to five Agents and two playable monsters, with more content promised in the future.

Early Access is free, although the studio says the price will increase at full release. Check out the announcement trailer below, which was released during UploadVR’s Summer Showcase.

‘INVERSE’ is a 4v1 Survival Horror for Quest, Free Early Access Now Live Read More »

‘bulletstorm’-to-bring-skillshot-carnage-in-standalone-vr-version,-gameplay-trailer-here

‘Bulletstorm’ to Bring Skillshot Carnage in Standalone VR Version, Gameplay Trailer Here

Among Meta’s avalanche of Quest gaming news today, the company revealed that Bulletstorm, the co-op shooter first launched on flatscreen in 2011, is coming to VR for the first time.

The game is currently under development by Incuvo, known for Green Hell VR, and the game’s original developers People Can Fly.

If you haven’t played the original, or the remastered version Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition (2017) on flatscreen, Bulletstorm sets itself apart from other shooters by emphasizing skill points, which you earn by creatively dispatching the enemy.

Here’s how Incuvo describes the VR version:

Back in 2011, Bulletstorm introduced the world to the “Skillshot.” Kick an enemy into a cactus? Skillshot. Crush one under a hot dog cart? Skillshot. Grab one with your Energy Leash and fling ‘em into a burner? Definitely a skill shot. Today, People Can Fly and Incuvo (developer of Green Hell VR) announced they’re bringing Bulletstorm to the Meta Quest Store. Skillshots new and old, as well as the action-packed story—all of it recreated from the ground up to take advantage of VR.

Today’s announcement of the co-op shooter also arrived with a gameplay trailer, showing off the game’s skill-based carnage, fast-paced locomotion, and massive monsters.

It’s not clear when we’ll see Bulletstorm on Quest 2, or what other platforms it might arrive on in the future. In the meantime, take a look at the trailer below:

‘Bulletstorm’ to Bring Skillshot Carnage in Standalone VR Version, Gameplay Trailer Here Read More »

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70% of the 20 Best-rated Quest 2 Apps are Now Available on Pico 4

The standalone VR market is continuing to grow, and with it, we’re increasingly seeing platform competition for quality content. Pico made its biggest push into consumer VR so far with the launch of the Pico 4 last year, and the company has been gaining ground on getting top VR content onto its store.

Top Quest Apps Showing up on Pico 4

Looking at the 20 best-rated apps on the Quest store (data as of April 2023), to date 70% of the list is available on Pico’s standalone headset:

Title Pico 4 Quest 2
Moss: Book II
The Room VR: A Dark Matter
Puzzling Places
Walkabout Mini Golf
I Expect You To Die 2
Breachers
COMPOUND
Vermillion
Swarm
DYSCHRONIA: Chronos Alternate
PatchWorld – Make Music Worlds
I Expect You To Die
Moss
Red Matter 2
ARK and ADE
Ragnarock
Cubism
Ancient Dungeon
Into the Radius
The Last Clockwinder

Another way of looking at Pico’s content traction is by the 20 most-rated apps on the Quest store. Breaking it down that way (data as of April 2023), 50% of the list is now available on Pico.

Title Pico 4 Quest 2
Beat Saber
Blade & Sorcery: Nomad
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
SUPERHOT VR
GOLF+
BONELAB
Vader Immortal: Episode I
Onward
Job Simulator
The Room VR: A Dark Matter
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted
Resident Evil 4
The Thrill of the Fight
Walkabout Mini Golf
Pistol Whip
Eleven Table Tennis
GORN
Virtual Desktop
Vader Immortal: Episode III
A Township Tale

Building good VR hardware is really just half the battle when it comes to being a serious player in the industry. The other half is getting compelling content onto the headset.

While Quest 2 still has a considerably larger library of apps and several big standalone exclusives (like Beat Saber) Pico looks to be doing a pretty good job so far in its push to legitimize its platform by making sure that some of the top VR content is available for its customers.

And there’s likely more to come. The company has yet to launch its latest Pico 4 headset in the US, which is a major VR market of both customers and developers. Without the US market in play, there’s less incentive for VR developers to bring their apps to Pico. But if Pico finally launches its headset in the US, it could be the nudge needed for more top VR content to make the leap to the store.


Special thanks to @CkYLee for helping to title availability on the Pico store

70% of the 20 Best-rated Quest 2 Apps are Now Available on Pico 4 Read More »

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Quest’s Favorite Rocket League-style Sport ‘NOCK’ Coming to PSVR 2 Soon, Trailer Here

NOCK, the Rocket League-inspired VR sport that arms you with bow and arrow, is coming to PSVR 2 next week, bringing its fast-paced action to cross-platform online play.

First launched on Quest 2 in in early 2022, developing studio Normal says Nock will arrive on PSVR 2 on May 25th.

The studio says in a PS blog post that Nock will run at 90hz on the highest resolution with no foveation or reprojection. To boot, the team says there was enough leftover compute to render a second camera, letting live observers watch a match in progress, or stream to other platforms.

Nock on PSVR 2 is set to arrive with a free season pass, letting you unlock over 30 skins, bows, and blocks as you progress through the game.

The studio says its supporting cross-platform play with all major platforms. The game is currently available on Quest and Pico headsets, and is marked as ‘coming soon’ on Steam for PC VR.

You can wishlist the game on the PS Store here.

Quest’s Favorite Rocket League-style Sport ‘NOCK’ Coming to PSVR 2 Soon, Trailer Here Read More »

quest-update-includes-more-home-customization,-in-headset-app-notifications-&-more

Quest Update Includes More Home Customization, In-headset App Notifications & More

The latest software update for Meta Quest, version v54, is now rolling out, bringing with it a few new quality-of-life features, such as new customization options for Home environments, in-headset app notifications, and better tracking for Quest Pro’s controller.

Customizable skyboxes let you change the sky above your head in your Home space, so you can choose from a number of presets, or even upload your own skybox to get the perfect atmosphere. Meta says its goal is to make Home Environments more personalized and customizable in the future.

The update also introduces in-headset notifications for 2D apps, such as Messenger, letting users interact with these apps without leaving their current game or app.

Meta says you’ll also be able to consolidate messages from the same source to streamline your notification feed, toggle a ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode, or disable notifications entirely for specific 2D apps. App notification are an opt-in feature that should prompt the first time you open a compatible app, so you won’t just start randomly receiving stuff, which is reassuring.

Additionally, Meta says v54 has improved Quest Touch Pro controller to enhance positional accuracy. Meta says these updates are gradually rolling out to all headsets.

Quest Update Includes More Home Customization, In-headset App Notifications & More Read More »

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Meta to Host Quest Gaming Showcase Just Days Ahead of Rumored Apple Headset Announcement

Meta announced its third annual Quest Gaming Showcase is arriving next month, coming only a few days before Apple’s rumored XR headset announcement at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Meta is livestreaming the Quest Gaming Showcase on June 1st, a bit unusual for the company, as it traditionally holds the annual event in late April.

Calling it their “biggest celebration of the depth and breadth of content across the Meta Quest Platform yet,” Meta is slated to share over 40 minutes of content, including a brand-new pre-show covering game updates and debut trailers, starting 15 minutes before the show begins.

Meta says to expect new game announcements, gameplay first-looks, updates to existing games, and more. There’s also set to be a post-show developer roundtable, which will feature conversation around upcoming games.

There could be at least one clue to what’s in store, as we get a brief glimpse at a horned helmet in the showcase’s promo video, which seems very much like Loki’s helmet from Rift exclusive Asgard’s Wrath (2019). Maybe Meta’s Sanzaru Games has slimmed down the Norse-inspired RPG?

Meanwhile, previous reports maintain Apple is finally set to unveil its long rumored mixed reality headset during the company’s WWDC keynote, taking place on Monday, June 5th.

Provided Apple indeed plans to announce its headset at WWDC, Meta could be looking to generate so called ‘strategic noise’ to better manage market reactions, and potentially offset any negative sentiment prior to Apple’s expected announcement—undoubtedly slated to be a pivotal moment for the entire XR industry.

Meta recently released its Q1 2023 earnings report, showing a consistent investment of around $4 billion per quarter into its XR division Reality Labs. With Apple rumored to be unveiling their own XR headset and a host of apps, reportedly set to include everything from fitness to VR/AR gaming, Meta may want to showcase where some of that investment is going.

Who knows? We may even hear more about Meta’s promised Quest 3 at the gaming showcase, which the company has confirmed will “fire up enthusiasts” when its released at some point this year, notably targeting a higher price point than its Quest 2 headset.

To find out, tune into the Quest Gaming Showcase on June 1st at 10AM PT (local time here), livestreamed across the company’s various channels, including TwitchFacebookYouTube, and in Meta Horizon Worlds.

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Popular Quest 2 PC Streaming Software Adds ‘Super Resolution’ Feature for Enhanced Visuals

Virtual Desktop has collaborated with Qualcomm to integrate the company’s Snapdragon Game Super Resolution, a software enhancement squarely targeted at increasing the wireless streaming quality and latency of PC visuals to Quest 2 and Pico devices.

Virtual Desktop is a great tool not only because it provides standalone headset users wireless access to their computers, but because its developer, Guy Godin, is constantly adding in new features to tempt users away from using built-in solutions, e.g. Air Link.

That’s a tall order since built-in stuff like Air Link are typically free and usually pretty great, letting Quest and Pico users connect to their VR-ready PCs to play games like Half-Life: Alyx, but Virtual Desktop goes a few steps further. With its PC native application developed for high quality wireless streaming, you can do things like cycle through multiple physical monitors and even connect to up to four separate computers—a feature set you probably won’t see on the Air Link change log.

Now Godin has worked with Qualcomm to integrate the company’s Snapdragon Game Super Resolution for built-in upscaling, essentially creating higher resolution images from lower resolution inputs so it can be served up to standalone headsets in higher fidelity. Check out the results below:

Because producing clearer visuals with fewer resources is the name of the game, Qualcomm says in a blog post that its techniques can also reduce wireless bandwidth, system pressure, memory, and provide power requirements.

Godin says in a Reddit post that the new upscaling works with “Potato, Low, Medium quality (up to 120fps) and High (up to 90fps), and it upscales to Ultra resolution under the hood. It can work with SSW enabled as well and doesn’t introduce any additional latency.”

You can get Virtual Desktop on Quest over at the Quest Store, priced at $20. It’s also available on Pico Neo 3 and Pico 4, and will also soon arrive on Vive Focus 3 and XR Elite too, Godin says.

Update (10: 30 ET): Guy Godin reached out to Road to VR to correct that the new Snapdragon Game Super Resolution is available on Quest, Pico, and will soon come to Vive Focus 3 and XR Elite. We’ve included that in the body of the article.

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meta-quest-reportedly-had-over-6-million-monthly-active-users-last-october

Meta Quest Reportedly Had Over 6 Million Monthly Active Users Last October

A Wall Street Journal report maintains Meta’s Quest platform had 6.37 million monthly active users as of October 2022.

The report doesn’t include a breakdown of which headset is seeing the most engagement, however it’s likely a majority of those users come from Quest 2. The original Quest, which was released in 2019, is currently on its way out. The company’s enthusiast-grade headset Quest Pro costs $1,000, a $500 drop from its original $1,500 launch price.

Meta hasn’t officially detailed just how many Quest headsets it’s sold since the company released the standalone in 2019, or its Quest 2 follow-up a year later for that matter, however a report by The Verge last month alleged the company has sold nearly 20 million Quest headsets. Although not confirmed, this figure likely includes all Quest headsets.

It’s nowhere near what traditional game consoles have achieved, however for VR it’s fairly impressive. For scale, Sony has shipped over 32 million PlayStation 5 units and over 117 million PS4 units to date; the PlayStation platform as a whole garnered 112 million monthly active users in Q3 2022.

For the still-nascent industry, Meta is far and ahead the leader of the space. Of its 500+ titles on the Meta Quest Store, 40 have grossed over $10 million in revenue. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Quest platform has now seen more than 200 apps make over $1 million as of February 2023, an increase of 44% from the previous year.

This comes alongside the news that Meta’s best-performing app, the block-slashing rhythm game Beat Saber, has generated over a quarter billion dollars in sales since launch in 2018.

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flipside-xr-launches-free-vr-app-flipside-studio-for-animated-content

Flipside XR Launches Free VR App Flipside Studio for Animated Content

Virtual reality company Flipside XR has launched a new app designed for creators called Flipside Studio. Launched on March 2 with support from Meta, the VR app enables users to build animated content in real time, using advanced virtual production tools. Finished projects can be uploaded and shared on YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and other social media platforms.

Flipside Studio virtual reality app

The VR app is part of Flipside XR’s goal to impact the entertainment industry using virtual and augmented reality.

A VR App to Empower Creators

In creating Flipside Studio, Flipside XR aims to encourage video content creators to harness virtual reality for creative expression. The app contains a number of tools and features that allow users to produce engaging, high-quality videos powered by VR.

With almost 100 video tools available, content creators will find that making videos has become more fun and more imaginative. The app works with Meta Quest 2 and Rift/Rift S VR headsets for motion capture technology, so animation production is easier.

In the press release shared with ARPost, Flipside XR CEO and co-founder Lesley Klassen emphasized the potential for users. “Creators can easily produce innovative, professional animated content that can be monetized across their social media channels offering endless opportunities to share original, engaging content with their audiences,” Klassen said. In addition, he noted the wide variety of added features since the early access version of the app, allowing users to create animated content more efficiently with VR.

And perhaps the best part of Flipside Studio? The app is available on the Meta Quest Store for free, so anyone can try it out and discover or unleash their inner animator.

Features That Bring Creative Ideas to Life

From amateurs to professionals, video creators will find Flipside Studio’s tools easy to use. It’s packed with features that will bring to life their most creative stories. Flipside XR aims to drive VR technology to the mainstream of arts and creativity. Thus, this new VR app is a step closer to their vision of accessible VR technology to everyone.

Some of the notable features of the Flipside Studio app include:

  • Sets and props – The VR app has a wide selection of sets to choose from, plus hundreds of props.
  • Character customization – The virtual reality app is integrated with Ready Player Me, so users can customize their own characters. Meanwhile, those without Ready Player Me access can use available in-app characters.
  • Production tools – Take advantage of multiple professional production tools like virtual cameras, lights, and teleprompters. Users can adjust and manipulate cameras as in real life, with a variety of camera angles and speeds.
  • Collaboration tools – Users can share the fun of video production with other creators using Flipside’s collaboration features. Creators can work on one virtual set, whether they’re doing a solo project or working with two or more people.
  • Live-streaming and recording capabilities – Share animated content via live-streaming on major social media platforms; users can also record and upload it on their channel at a more convenient time.
  • Advanced Flipside creator tools – Fully customized sets, props, and characters are possible with Flipside’s advanced creator tools through its Unity plug-in.

Virtual reality app Flipside Studio

After six years in development and thousands of beta testers, Flipside Studio is finally available for those looking for a way to upgrade their animated content production.

Leveling Up Entertainment With Flipside Studio’s VR Technology

In recent months, creators like comedians Jordan Cerminara and Rodney Ramsey have used Flipside to add value to their content. No longer confined to gaming, AR/VR in entertainment is unlocking creative ideas in the creator economy.

The release of the Flipside Studio app coincides with the growth of the creator economy, estimated by experts to reach more than $100 billion. With the tools provided by the app, creators can elevate their content using VR for more immersive and engaging experiences.

Flipside XR Launches Free VR App Flipside Studio for Animated Content Read More »