quest

The Quest for Extended Detection and Response (XDR): Unraveling Cybersecurity’s Next Generation

Embarking on an exploration of the extended detection and response (XDR) sector wasn’t just another research project for me; it was a dive back into familiar waters with an eye on how the tide has turned. Having once been part of a team at a vendor that developed an early XDR prototype, my return to this evolving domain was both nostalgic and eye-opening. The concept we toyed with in its nascent stages has burgeoned into a cybersecurity imperative, promising to redefine threat detection and response across the digital landscape.

Discovering XDR: Past and Present

My previous stint in developing an XDR prototype was imbued with the vision of creating a unified platform that could offer a panoramic view of security threats, moving beyond siloed defenses. Fast forward to my recent exploration, and it’s clear that the industry has taken this vision and run with it—molding XDR into a comprehensive solution that integrates across security layers to offer unparalleled visibility and control.

The research process was akin to piecing together a vast jigsaw puzzle. Through a blend of reading industry white papers, diving deep into knowledge-base articles, and drawing from my background, I charted the evolution of XDR from a promising prototype to a mature cybersecurity solution. This deep dive not only broadened my understanding but also reignited my enthusiasm for the potential of integrated defense mechanisms against today’s sophisticated cyberthreats.

The Adoption Challenge: Beyond Integration

The most formidable challenge that emerged in adopting XDR solutions is integration complexity—a barrier we had anticipated in the early development days and has only intensified. Organizations today face the Herculean task of intertwining their diversified security tools with an XDR platform, where each tool speaks a different digital language and adheres to distinct protocols.

However, the adoption challenges extend beyond the technical realm. There’s a strategic dissonance in aligning an organization’s security objectives with the capabilities of XDR platforms. This alignment is crucial, yet often elusive, as it demands a top-down reevaluation of security priorities, processes, and personnel readiness. Organizations must not only reconcile their current security infrastructure with an XDR system but also ensure their teams are adept at leveraging this integration to its fullest potential.

Surprises and Insights

The resurgence of AI and machine learning within XDR solutions echoed the early ambitions of prototype development. The sophistication of these technologies in predicting and mitigating threats in real time was a revelation, showcasing how far the maturation of XDR has come. Furthermore, the vibrant ecosystem of partnerships and integrations underscored XDR’s shift from a standalone solution to a collaborative security framework, a pivot that resonates deeply with the interconnected nature of digital threats today.

Reflecting on the Evolution

Since venturing into XDR prototype development, the sector’s evolution has been marked by a nuanced understanding of adoption complexities and an expansion in threat coverage. The emphasis on refining integration strategies and enhancing customization signifies a market that’s not just growing but maturing—ready to tackle the diversifying threat landscape with innovative solutions.

The journey back into the XDR landscape, juxtaposed against my early experiences, was a testament to the sector’s dynamism. As adopters navigate the complexities of integrating XDR into their security arsenals, the path ahead is illuminated by the promise of a more resilient, unified defense mechanism against cyber adversaries. The evolution of XDR from an emerging prototype to a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity strategies mirrors the sector’s readiness to confront the future—a future where the digital well-being of organizations is shielded by the robust, integrated, and intuitive capabilities of XDR platforms.

Next Steps

To learn more, take a look at GigaOm’s XDR Key Criteria and Radar reports. These reports provide a comprehensive overview of the market, outline the criteria you’ll want to consider in a purchase decision, and evaluate how a number of vendors perform against those decision criteria.

If you’re not yet a GigaOm subscriber, you can access the research using a free trial.

The Quest for Extended Detection and Response (XDR): Unraveling Cybersecurity’s Next Generation Read More »

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Meta’s new $199 Quest 2 price is a steal for the VR-curious

Bargain basement —

Move comes as support winds down for the original Quest headset.

For just $199, you could be having as much fun as this paid model.

Enlarge / For just $199, you could be having as much fun as this paid model.

Meta has announced it’s permanently lowering the price of its aging Quest 2 headset to $199 for a 128GB base model, representing the company’s lowest price yet for a full-featured untethered VR headset.

The Quest 2, which launched in 2020 at $299, famously defied tech product convention by increasing its MSRP to $399 amid inflation and supply chain issues in mid-2022. Actual prices for the headset at retail have fallen since then, though; Best Buy offered new units for $299 as of last October and for $250 by the 2023 post-Thanksgiving shopping season, for instance.

And the Quest 2 is far from the company’s state-of-the-art headset at this point. Meta launched the surprisingly expensive Quest Pro in late 2022 before dropping that headset’s price from $1,499 to $999 less than five months later. And last year’s launch of the Quest 3 at a $499 starting price brought some significant improvements in resolution, processing power, thickness, and full-color passthrough images over the Quest 2.

But for how long?

Those looking to get the Quest 2 at its new bargain MSRP should keep in mind that Meta may not be planning to support the aging headset for the long haul. Meta is currently winding down support for the original Quest headset, which launched in 2019 and no longer has access to important online features, security updates, and even new apps. The Quest 2 is just 18 months younger than the original Quest, and the new price might represent an effort to clear out defunct stock in favor of newer, more powerful Quest options.

The Quest 2 (left) has a 40 percent thicker profile than the pancake-optics on the Quest 3 (right).

Enlarge / The Quest 2 (left) has a 40 percent thicker profile than the pancake-optics on the Quest 3 (right).

Meta

Then again, plenty of developers are still targeting apps and games at the comparatively large audience on the Quest 2, which sold an estimated 15 million units through mid-2022, roughly on par with the Xbox Series S|X in roughly the same time period. But there are some signs that Quest 2 software is selling relatively slower than those hardware numbers might suggest amid reports that many Quest purchasers are no longer active users. And Meta continues to lose massive amounts of money on the VR segment, while Sony is reportedly halting production of the PS5-tethered PSVR2 headset amid weaker than expected demand.

The Quest 2’s new price is the first time Meta has offered a headset below the “$250 and 250 grams” target former Meta CTO John Carmack once envisioned for a “super cheap, super lightweight headset” that could bring in the mass market (the Quest 2 weighs in at 503 grams). The new price is also stunningly cheap when you consider that, just six or seven years ago, VR-curious consumers could easily end up paying $1,500 or more (in 2024 dollars) for a high-end tethered headset and the “VR-ready” computer needed to power it.

If you’ve waited this long to see what virtual reality gaming is all about, this price drop is the perfect opportunity to indulge your curiosity for a relative pittance. Heck, it might be worth it even if your headset ends up, like mine, a Beat Saber machine most of the time.

Meta’s new $199 Quest 2 price is a steal for the VR-curious Read More »

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Xbox Cloud Gaming Coming to Quest 3 in December

Meta announced at Connect 2023 that Xbox Cloud Gaming is heading to Quest in December, meaning you’ll be able to play all of your favorite flatscreen games on offer through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Meta’s full unveiling of Quest 3 yesterday came with a fair bit of news, including specs, price, pre-orders and shipping dates; long story short, you can get Meta’s $500 consumer mixed reality headset starting October 10th, with pre-orders now live.

Sometime in December, Meta says we’ll also get support for Xbox Cloud Gaming on Quest too, which users will be able to use on a virtual screen that can be adjusted and resized.

There’s no specific date yet for when to expect Xbox Cloud Gaming to the Quest platform. On stage, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg only mentioned that it’s “coming to Quest in December,” so it’s possible we’ll see even Quest 2 included in the list of supported hardware in addition to Quest 3 and (presumably) Quest Pro.

As it stands, there are a few standard caveats. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and a supported controller (sold separately) is required. Meta says in a blogpost that some streaming limitations may apply as well, including variable server availability and wait times, and geographical restrictions.


Want to know if Quest 3 is worth it? We haven’t gone in for our deep dive review yet, although we got a full hands-on with the headset right before Connect 2023 this week that goes into everything from confort to clarity.

Xbox Cloud Gaming Coming to Quest 3 in December Read More »

meta-unveils-quest-3-pre-orders,-release-date,-specs-&-more

Meta Unveils Quest 3 Pre-orders, Release Date, Specs & More

At Connect 2023 today, Meta released the long-awaited info drop for Quest 3, its first mixed reality headset for consumers, which includes specs, price, online pre-orders, launch date and more. Here’s the main bits:

Note: Make sure to check out our detailed hands-on with Quest 3, diving into everything from comfort to clarity.

Quest 3 is officially now available for pre-order, with shipping slated to start on October 10th, 2023. In the US, you’ll be able to find Quest 3 online through Meta as well as its official partners, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart.

The mixed reality headset is being offered in two variants, a 128GB version for $500, and a 512GB version for $650. Here are those prices in GBP, EUR, and JPY:

  • £479.99 GBP (128GB), £619.99 GBP (512GB)
  • €549.99 EUR (128GB), €699.99 EUR (512GB)
  • ¥74,800 JPY (128GB), ¥96,800 JPY (512GB)
Image courtesy Meta

Meta announced it’s bundling both variants of Quest 3 with Quest-exclusive sequel Asgard’s Wrath 2, valued at $60. On top of Asgard’s Wrath 2, which is due out sometime this winter, the 512GB version includes a six-month subscription to the PS Plus-style game service Meta Quest+, valued at $108.

Following the release of Quest Pro last year, which initially sold for $1,500 but was later reduced to $1,000, Quest 3 is the company’s first mixed reality headset created specifically with consumers in mind. It includes color passthrough sensors which allow the user to see the outside world, which is not only useful for switching between VR mode and checking out your surroundings, but also for playing AR games using your physically environment as a backdrop.

There are a ton more announcement on the way, so make sure to follow along with us for all of the latest XR news to come from Connect 2023.

Quest 3 Specs

Resolution

2,064 × 2,208 (4.5MP) per-eye, LCD (2x)

Refresh Rate

90Hz, 120Hz (experimental)

Optics

Pancake non-Fresnel

Field-of-view (claimed) 110ºH × 96ºV
Optical Adjustments

Continuous IPD, stepped eye-relief (built in)

IPD Adjustment Range 53–75mm
Processor

Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2

RAM 8GB
Storage 128GB, 512GB
Connectors

USB-C, contact pads for optional dock charging

Weight 515g
Battery Life 1.5-3 hours
Headset Tracking

Inside-out (no external beacons)

Controller Tracking

Headset-tracked (headset line-of-sight needed)

Expression Tracking none
Eye Tracking none
On-board cameras 6x external (18ppd RGB sensors 2x)
Input

Touch Plus (AA battery 1x), hand-tracking, voice

Audio

In-headstrap speakers, 3.5mm aux output

Microphone Yes
Pass-through view Yes (color)
MSRP

$500 (128GB), $650 (512GB)

– – — – –

Connect 2023 kicks off today, taking place September 27th and 28th at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters. There’s been a ton of news already, so make sure to follow along with Connect for all of the latest XR stuff from Meta.

Meta Unveils Quest 3 Pre-orders, Release Date, Specs & More Read More »

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Meta CTO Rebukes Report Claiming Cancellation of Quest Pro Line

According to a recent report from The Information, Meta is allegedly spinning down Quest Pro alongside a broader move to cancel the future ‘Pro’ line of XR hardware altogether. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth says however, “don’t believe everything you read.”

Meta has reportedly stopped ordering new components for the Quest Pro from its suppliers, The Information maintains. While it’s thought Meta will continue selling its $1,000 Pro-branded mixed reality headset as long as there is enough stock, the report alleges the entire Pro line has been suspended, putting a second-generation Quest Pro distinctly out of the question.

Speaking in an Instagram Stories post yesterday, Bosworth rebukes the claim that a potential Quest Pro 2 has officially been cancelled for good, saying that his team is developing multiple prototypes in parallel for all of its projects. Notably, he doesn’t address whether it’s spinning down the current version of Quest Pro, however he implies that the report of Quest Pro 2’s demise was the result of a disgruntled employee whose project was cut.

Here’s Bosworth’s statement in full:

“I have to explain this every year. There is no Quest Pro 2 headset until we decide there is. What I mean by that is there are lots of prototype headsets—lots of them—all in development in parallel. Some of them, we say, “that’s not the right one,” and we shut it down. Some of them, we say, “that’s the right one,” and we spin it up. What you need to understand is, until it goes out the door, it doesn’t get the name. So, there might be a Quest Pro 2, there might not be. I’m not really telling you, but I will say don’t believe everything you read about what’s been stopped or started. A lot of times it comes from someone who’s unhappy their particular project got cut when there are other projects that did not get cut.”

Still, it’s clear there’s been some turbulence in how Quest Pro was handled from the get-go. Originally launched for $1,500 in October 2022, Meta decided only a few months later it would slash Quest Pro by $500, putting at its $1,000 price tag today. Meanwhile, Quest 2 has seen multiple price changes, ranging from $300 to $400 for the same 128GB variant.

Fluctuating prices aside, Quest Pro’s raison d’être has never really been clearly defined, as the company has nebulously pitched it to professionals as a would-be workstation. In practice, Quest Pro has been more of a developer kit for studios hoping to build consumer apps for the cheaper Quest 3, coming in Fall 2023 at $500. Meanwhile, Quest Pro users have reported a host of usability issues since launch, decidedly making it feel a little less ready for prime time than the company probably hoped.

Whatever the case, Quest Pro 2 would need a much clearer value proposition—provided whatever prototypes Meta has waiting in the wings also don’t also get cut.

Meta CTO Rebukes Report Claiming Cancellation of Quest Pro Line Read More »

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Roblox is Coming to Quest, Casting a Shadow on Meta’s Own Social VR Platform

One of the biggest names social gaming is coming to Quest. Roblox is home to tens of millions of daily users and user-generated experiences. “In the coming weeks” Roblox will launch on Quest, casting a shadow on Meta’s own social VR platform, Horizon Worlds.

A Curious Proposition

Meta confirmed today that Roblox is coming to Quest “in the coming weeks” starting as an Open Beta on App Lab before eventually graduating to a full launch on the main Quest store.

On one hand, the move is a win for Meta. Roblox is one of the most popular social gaming and user-generated content platforms; playing in a similar ballpark with the likes of Minecraft and Fortnite. Getting Roblox onto Quest brings a valuable and recognizable IP to the platform, along with a huge new social graph of non-VR players.

On the other hand, Roblox is very nearly a direct competitor to Meta’s own social VR platform, Horizon Worlds. Both Horizon and Roblox are heavily focused on social experiences and user-generated content. But compared to Horizon, which caters only to the smaller demographic of VR players, Roblox has some 66 million daily active players across Xbox, iOS, Android, desktop—and soon, Quest.

For comparison, that means the number of people playing Roblox every day (66 million) is more than the total number of Quest headsets ever sold (believed to be around 20 million).

So ambitious creators looking to build content for the largest audience (and largest return-on-investment) will see the scale tipped vastly toward Roblox over Horizon.

Whether or not Roblox on Quest will stifle the fledgling Horizon remains to be seen, but needless to say this is an awkward situation. Not just for Meta though; Roblox also represents a looming threat to other social VR applications like VRChat and Rec Room.

Roblox Content Compatibility on Quest

Roblox currently has some 15 million playable experiences for users to choose from, but not all (probably not most) will be suitable to play on Quest.

Meta says the Roblox Open Beta on Quest is a “great opportunity for the Roblox developer community to optimize their existing games for Quest and build new ones for VR while gathering input and feedback from the Quest community.”

That said, Roblox Corp plans to automatically enable VR support for some portion of existing Roblox experiences, though exactly how many is unclear.

“[…] we have automatically updated the Access setting for some of the experiences that use default player scripts to include support for VR devices. We have found that experiences that use default player scripts typically run well in VR without modifications. Automatically publishing these experiences allows us to seed our library of experiences that support VR devices,” the company says in its announcement of Roblox on Quest.

Presently it isn’t clear if or how the company plans to ensure that user-generated Roblox experiences on meet minimum performance expectations on Quest.

Modernized PC VR Support for Roblox

Roblox has offered PC VR support for many years at this point and the company appears committed to continue supporting the platform in addition to Quest.

Less than a month ago Roblox Corp announced that it would adopt OpenXR to future-proof its VR support, including for PC VR headsets. The update also included improvements to correctly synchronizing the player’s VR playspace and scale to that of the current experience.

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meta-introduces-‘super-resolution’-feature-for-improved-quest-visuals

Meta Introduces ‘Super Resolution’ Feature for Improved Quest Visuals

Meta today introduced a new developer feature called Super Resolution that’s designed to improve the look of VR apps and games on Quest. The company says the new feature offers better quality upscaling at similar costs as previous techniques.

Meta today announced the new Super Resolution feature for developers on the company’s XR developer blog. Available for apps built on the Quest V55 update and later, Super Resolution is a new upscaling method for applications that aren’t already rendering at the screen’s display resolution (as many do in order to meet performance requirements).

“Super Resolution is a VR-optimized edge-aware scaling and sharpening algorithm built upon Snapdragon Game Super Resolution with Meta Quest-specific performance optimizations developed in collaboration with the Qualcomm Graphics Team,” the company says.

Meta further explains that, by default, apps are scaled up to the headset’s display resolution with bilinear scaling, which is fast but often introduces blurring in the process. Super Resolution is presented as an alternative that can produce better upscaling results with low performance costs.

“Super Resolution is a single-pass spatial upscaling and sharpening technique optimized to run on Meta Quest devices. It uses edge- and contrast-aware filtering to preserve and enhance details in the foveal region while minimizing halos and artifacts.”

Upscaling using bilinear (left), Normal Sharpening (center), and Super Resolution (right). The new technique prevents blur without introducing as much aliasing. | Image courtesy Meta

Unlike the recent improvements to CPU and GPU power on Quest headsets, Super Resolution isn’t an automatic benefit to all applications; developers will need to opt-in to the feature, and even then, Meta warns that benefits from the feature will need to be assessed on an app-by-app basis.

“The exact GPU cost of Super Resolution is content-dependent, as Super Resolution devotes more computation to regions of the image with fine detail. The cost of enabling Super Resolution over the default bilinear filtering is lower for content containing primarily regions of solid colors or smooth gradients when compared to content with highly detailed images or objects,” the company explains.

Developers can implement Super Resolution into Quest apps on V55+ immediately, and those using Quest Link (AKA Oculus Link) for PC VR content can also enable the sharpening feature by using the Oculus Debug Tool and setting the Link Sharpening option to Quality.

Meta Introduces ‘Super Resolution’ Feature for Improved Quest Visuals Read More »

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Meta Launches Monthly VR Game Subscription Service for Quest

Meta today announced a new VR game subscription service that will give you access to two hand-picked Quest games per month, priced at $8 per month, or $60 annually.

Called Meta Quest+, the subscription service will be available to Quest 2, Quest Pro and eventually Quest 3 users.

Similar to PlayStation’s PS Plus service, Meta is offering up two specific redeemable titles on the first of each month which you can download and keep for as long as you’re a paid member.

Meta says members can cancel at any time, which would mean you’d lose access to each game you redeemed, although the company says rejoining allows you to gain access to those previously redeemed titles.

The service is kicking off in July with Cloudhead Games’ physical action-rhythm FPS Pistol Whip and the nostalgia-fueled arcade adventure Pixel Ripped 1995 from ARVORE Immersive Experiences.

August is set to have Mighty Coconut’s highly-rated Walkabout Mini Golf and FPS roguelite MOTHERGUNSHIP: FORGE from Terrible Posture Games.

Meta Quest+ is set to cost $8 per month, or billed for $60 annually, a 37% savings over the monthly charge. You can learn more and also sign up here.

Meta says Quest+ titles are eligible for App Sharing across accounts, although if you happen to already own any of the games on offer monthly, you’ll just have to stick around to see whether something comes up that you don’t already own.

To sweeten the pot, the company is doing a deal for July that reduces the first month’s charge to $1, which is then followed by the regular $8 per month. That specific offer ends July 31st, 2023.

While Quest+ has been the subject of rumors for the past few months, it wasn’t clear which route the company would go—whether it would be a Viveport-style affair that allows you to pick from a pool of eligible games, or what they revealed today, a highly curated system like PS Plus. It’s an interesting route which could signal they’re expecting a substantial raise in new users in the coming months, as the company is set to launch its $500 Quest 3 headset September 27th, 2023, which has come along with a price reduction of Quest 2 to the original $300 price point.

Meta Launches Monthly VR Game Subscription Service for Quest 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 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.

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

2022-was-a-plateau-year-for-vr,-here’s-what-to-expect-in-2023

2022 Was a Plateau Year for VR, Here’s What to Expect in 2023

The end of 2022 marks more than a decade since the Oculus Kickstarter sparked the modern era of VR. While the space has undoubtedly grown tremendously since then, 2022 felt largely like a plateau year, with Meta standing unchallenged as the dominant player in the space—while progressing disjointedly in too many directions at once. But with new headsets, promising new content, and a looming heavyweight positioned to challenge Meta all on the horizon, 2023 could big a much bigger year for the VR space.

The 2022 Plateau

2022 wasn’t a bad year for VR by any means, but for the most part the status quo remained unchanged.

There’s no doubt that Meta has been the central pillar of the VR space in 2022, having pivoted its attention in a very public way by renaming the entire company to Meta just before the year began. The company’s Quest 2 headset has retained its position as the most popular headset on the market, even becoming the most-used headset among PC VR players, despite Meta having all but abandoned PC VR as a platform.

Despite its dominance (or perhaps because of it), Meta has continued to make very good hardware while struggling deeply with its software. Though Quest 2 is certainly more capable than similar products, the user experience is disjointed and unrefined. The Quest Pro only continued this trend; the high-end headset brings a range of impressive improvements to the hardware along with new sensing capabilities, but its new features are significantly hampered by an undercooked software offering.

Regardless of various missteps, Meta is undoubtedly doing the most to keep VR afloat right now. Quest 2 is an affordable headset that’s created a large enough market of users that developers are finding growing success on the platform. In 2022 that’s meant that many developers have begun or continued to treat Quest 2 as their highest priority platform. To that end, we saw many ports of existing VR games coming to Quest 2, and most new releases being either Quest 2 exclusive, or on Quest 2 and some other platforms.

Unfortunately Meta’s dominance has meant that much of the air in the room as been sucked away from other parts of the VR space that were once key pillars.

Despite the release of new and updated enthusiast PC VR headsets, the platform has stagnated due to the content focus shifting away from PC VR. Many of the games released this year on PC VR were designed first and foremost for Quest 2, which means many lacked the scale and polish that resonates with enthusiast PC VR users.

Valve’s seeming disinterest in VR ever since the release of Half-Life: Alyx back in 2020 hasn’t helped either. The company continues to sell its 2019 headset for the same price that it was charging on day one, with no official confirmation that it has plans to do anything major in the VR space (hardware or software) in the near future. Sony’s PSVR1, meanwhile, has largely lost any remaining relevance since the announcement of the upcoming PSVR 2.

On the Horizon for 2023

But there’s lots of interesting things on the horizon for VR in 2023. Crucially we may see some real competition for Meta from several different angles, which is sorely needed to keep the company (and the industry at large) on a steady course toward making VR a more valuable platform in order to increase mainstream viability.

First Up

The biggest near-term event for the VR industry in 2023 will be the launch of PSVR 2 in February. Although Sony has technically continued selling its original PSVR headset over the years, it’s been on the market for more than six years now—and gained ‘last-gen’ status well before that.

Given all that time between—and that the company isn’t bringing its exclusive VR content forward to the new headset—the upcoming launch of PSVR 2 feels like a re-entrance into the VR market for Sony rather than a continuation. But now that the company has made the commitment, they’ll likely put strong support behind the headset for at least a few years.

Importantly, as a console maker, Sony knows well that ‘content is king’, and we can expect to see a new slate of quality VR content funded by the company, some of which could make it onto other headsets. Sony’s original PSVR is still home to some of the best exclusive VR games in the industry, made by its own first-party studios; at a minimum it would be nice to see those top titles updated and improved for PSVR 2, and better yet it would be great to see Sony setting its first-party studios to the task of creating high quality VR content once again.

But PSVR 2 only represents pseudo-competition for Meta, since the headset only appeals to those that already own a PS5 (or who are willing to buy a PS5 just to get the headset).

Real Competition for Meta?

On the other hand, some real competition from the likes of Pico and HTC may be on the way.

On the high-end, HTC’s newly announced Vive XR Elite is clearly positioned to compete with Meta’s Quest Pro. With most of the same essential features, but a lower price point ($1,100 vs. $1,500), the Vive XR Elite at least looks at face value like an alternative choice for those looking for a more compact VR headset with improved passthrough AR capabilities.

And on the low-end, Pico’s recently launched Neo 4 is the first such headset that is truly competing on price with Quest 2. Priced at €20 or €50 less than Quest 2 (depending upon storage capacity), looks like a real alternative. Granted, the company has yet to formally bring its headset to the United States—Meta’s home turf.

But… both Vive XR Elite and Pico Neo 4 share a common problem, and that’s content.

A Big Moment for Content Momentum

Regardless of specs and price, unless the content that users want is available on these headsets, they are difficult to consider real options (and thus real competition). As of now, both headsets lack many of the best-selling and most-played killer apps that are available on Meta’s Quest headsets.

But that could finally be changing. Compared to prior alternative standalone headsets, XR Elite and Neo 4 have a much more significant and recognizable body of content than we’ve seen in the past. If more developers recognize the benefit that both they and consumers alike would see from having a more competitive standalone market… perhaps this could be the start of an important sea change in the industry.

The Elephant in the Room

Of course the single biggest elephant in the room has been and will continue to be Apple. It seems that every month we get a new rumor about when the company will enter the market, with the only certainty being that the company is definitely hard at work on something—though no one knows precisely when they will announced it, let alone launch it.

Apple, more than any other company in the world, has the potential to disrupt Meta at its own game by releasing an XR headset with a highly polished user experience… something the social-media-turned-metaverse company (and frankly the VR industry at large) has struggled with.

Make no mistake, Apple’s entrance into the XR space will have wide reaching implications practically overnight—both within the XR space and outside of it.

Look for UX Innovation, Not a Hardware Breakthrough

But nobody should be expecting hardware breakthroughs from Apple. The company is stuck with the same (largely physical) constraints as the rest of the major players in the industry. Whatever device they launch is likely to have similar specs and form-factor to what the latest headsets we see on the market today. More importantly however, Apple is likely to contribute key software design, device interoperability, and overall UX learnings that other companies in XR have consistently struggled with.

While Apple is certainly a threat to the likes of Meta, the company’s entrance into the market is also likely to be a boon for Meta overall; not only will it be a validation of Meta’s early and ambitious bet on the space, but the best XR design concepts revealed from within Apple will be adopted for the betterment of the industry at large. For Meta, Apple’s entrance into the space can’t come soon enough.

Meta Faces the Same Old Struggles

While Quest 2 has been more widely adopted than any other standalone headset, user retention continues to be an issue. Not only due to substandard UX, but also the headset being stuck in an arcade phase where years-old games like Beat Saber, Superhot VR, and Job Simulator continue to be among the most popular games on the platform—seemingly signaling that only a small amount of compelling new content has reached the headset in the years since Quest 2 has launched. Meanwhile, the headset most enthusiastic userbase—core gamers—is underserved, waiting for the sort of large-scale and highly polished content that they expect from the traditional gaming space.

As for Meta’s 2023… outside of the Apple wildcard, the company has confirmed that it’s working on a next-gen consumer headset due out this year, which is very likely to be Quest 3. And while the company has some pretty wild R&D projects in the oven, more likely than not, Quest 3 will adopt core parts of the Quest Pro headset rather than offering some kind of major leap in features or form-factor.

Last But Not Least

As for PC VR, the only thing keeping the platform alive is an enthusiast player base that’s hungry for greater immersion and starved for next-gen VR content. Unfortunately with so much attention focused on standalone VR by platform holders and developers, PC VR in 2023 will be largely stuck with content built for other platforms that happens to spill over.

Between that content, the VR modding scene, smaller-scope projects from enthusiast indie developers, and the occasional release of VR-optional flight or racing sims—PC VR will feel like it’s on life support through 2023.

PC VR is and continues to be the place where users can push immersion to the next level with niche accessories like full-body trackers, racing & cockpit peripherals, haptic vests, and gun stocks. And while some unannounced PC VR headsets may make an appearance in 2023, the drought of next-gen PC VR content means dwindling reasons to upgrade.

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What’s your 2023 VR outlook? Let us know in the comments below.

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‘Batman VR’ App Allegedly in the Works for Quest, FTC Filing Claims

Among documents released by the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this week is a claim that Meta’s VR studio Camouflaj, the developers behind Marvel’s Ironman VR, have also planned a Batman VR app for release on Quest.

The apparent leak was found by Janko Roettgers, formerly of Protocol and Variety. The document in whole can be viewed here.

“In September 2022, Meta acquired Camouflaj, which currently developing Ironman and Batman VR apps for Quest.”

The information comes as a part of wider antitrust investigation into Meta’s acquisition of Within, the studio behind the VR fitness app. You can read more about that here.

Last we heard from Camouflaj before the acquisition by Meta, the studio said it had “exciting things on the horizon,” maintaining it was still “all-in on VR.”

As early as May 2022, the studio was hiring for a host of positions to work on its “next exciting AAA project.”

A few months later the studio then released Iron Man VR on Quest 2, releasing it from its two-year exclusivity on PSVR.

Camouflaj hasn’t announced any new projects at this point either. We’ve reached out to Meta for comment and will update when/if we hear back.

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