Sony revealed in a presentation now posted online that PlayStation VR2 excelled in sales in its first six weeks, outselling the original PlayStation VR in the same six week period after launch. The figure that Sony posted was just under 600,000 units, a far cry from an analyst estimate at the end of March that they would only ship 270,000 units by that point. By contrast the original PS VR sold close to 500,000 units in its launch period. PlayStation VR2 has received generally positive reviews for its visual fidelity, accurate tracking, and excellent controllers. The $550 USD price has been a point of contention, with a price drop initially expected after the negative third party sales reports. However it is now expected that the price will remain unchanged after what Sony has described as a, "strong PlayStation VR2 launch."

With a launch lineup of only 42 games, Sony and partnering studios have been hard at work adding more games to the VR library with the list expanding to 112 as of announcements at the most recent PlayStation Showcase. Many older PS VR games are still not ported to PS VR2 though various developers have stated intentions to do so, and new titles yet to be fully announced are still in the works suggesting strong support for the new generation headset.

CL CSOT, a company focused on developing new technologies and innovations in the display industry, today unveiled over 30 of its latest products and advanced technologies, including more than ten firsts in the world, at Display Week 2023 organized by the Society for Information Display (SID), held from May 21 to 26 in Los Angeles, California.

Guided by the vision of "Display A Better Future For All", TCL CSOT showcases its expertise and capacity in providing complete display technology solutions across a range of sizes, categories, and forms - spanning IJP OLED, Mini LED, Micro LED, medical displays, vehicle-mounted displays, light field displays, as well as consumer electronics displays. Among them, six core exhibits include:

TrendForce forecasts a global downturn in AR and VR device shipments for 2023, predicting a shipment total of roughly 7.45 million units—an 18.2% YoY decrease. VR devices are expected to shoulder the majority of this decline, with projected shipments hovering around 6.67 million units. This dip is primarily attributed to weaker-than-expected sales of newly released high-end devices. Consequently, manufacturers are likely to pivot their sales strategies, shifting their focus to more cost-effective offerings. Conversely, shipments of AR devices are expected to remain stable, with projected shipments exceeding 780,000 units. While Apple's latest offerings could stimulate some demand, the high price tags attached to these units continue to pose a significant barrier to broader market growth.

Two key factors emerge when examining the impending decline in shipments in the VR sector. Firstly, brands may have been overly optimistic regarding the sales of their top-tier products. Despite these premium devices offering enhanced features courtesy of advanced hardware and software, consumers are showing reluctance to shoulder the associated higher costs. Instead, they seem to be gravitating towards more budget-friendly models this year. Secondly, the shortage of appealing, new, cost-effective models in the market is exacerbating the downturn. Meta Quest 2 continues to maintain its status as this year's market-leading VR product as the release of Meta Quest 3 has been pushed back to 2024.

The day has arrived... The time is now! Firmament has arrived - the new puzzle-adventure game by the legendary game studio behind the best-selling games Myst and Riven - Cyan Worlds. Featuring deep storytelling and world-building, discover the story of this seemingly abandoned world as you explore and unlock the mysteries of 3 unique Realms…and beyond!

To celebrate our launch, Firmament is available with a special discount for the first week only, in one of two editions:

• Firmament - The Keepers' Bundle (Includes: the game, The Official Soundtrack, The Strategy Guide, and The Art of Firmament)
• Firmament - Just The Game

Thanks for your support, friends! We can't want for you to play Firmament... And now you can!

Porotech, a global leader in microLED and Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology, announces the world's first single-panel, full-color microdisplay suitable for augmented reality (AR) applications. The microdisplay is based on Porotech's groundbreaking Dynamic Pixel Tuning (DPT) technology, where DPT microLED pixels can emit any visible color when driven with a specific current density. Porotech will be unveiling the 0.26-inch monolithic full-color microdisplay, along with an AR development platform, during the SID Display Week in Los Angeles from 21-26 May 2023.

Having already demonstrated how a DPT pixel can create a full range of visible colors, Porotech is now unveiling the new innovative active-matrix 0.26-inch microLED display offering 1280x720 resolution, which utilizes a proprietary driving method developed by Porotech that rapidly displays red, green and blue light to enable a full-color RGB display and richly saturated colors.

As we enter the middle of May, this week's major release—which is hard to call a AAA title—is all about humans and a dog. The rest of this coming week's releases is a mix of everything from action RPGs and alien bugs to laboratory experiments and Lego. Could there be something here for you? Read on to find out.

Humanity / This week's big release and VR game / Tuesday 16 May
A unique blend of puzzle-solving and action-platforming. Play a lone Shiba Inu charged with commanding massive, marching crowds to the goal in Story Mode, or browse a wide array of user-made levels crafted via the in-game Stage Creator!

The Answers Lie Inside…Firmament is a new puzzle-adventure game by the legendary game studio, Cyan Worlds, behind the best-selling games Myst and Obduction. Featuring deep storytelling and world-building, discover the story of this seemingly abandoned world as you explore and unlock the mysteries of 3 unique Realms… and beyond! Firmament will be available on May 18th.

We are overjoyed by the positivity and excitement around Firmament's latest cinematic trailer. Thank you everyone! Can you believe it's only 10 days until launch? Haven't watched or wishlisted yet? Check out the video and links below!!

We're back: The Meta Quest Gaming Showcase returns June 1 at 10:00 am PT on Twitch, Facebook, YouTube (plus YouTube in Japan), and in Meta Horizon Worlds.

This is a banner year for VR, and the third annual Meta Quest Gaming Showcase is our biggest celebration of the depth and breadth of content across the Meta Quest Platform yet. We'll have over 40 minutes of content, including a brand-new pre-show of game updates and debut trailers to help you count down before the Showcase kicks into high gear, as well as a post-show developer roundtable for a deep-dive conversation around some upcoming games. And as in years past, you can expect new game announcements, gameplay first-looks, updates to existing games, and more during the main event.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (formerly known as Facebook) has begun implementing widespread staff layoffs across multiple company departments. The cutback operation was announced last month, with the social media giant targeting 10,000 positions (throughout 2023) in an effort to become more efficient. 13,000 staffers were released from their jobs last year, representing 13% of the workforce at the time - advertising revenues had declined in 2022 and Meta said that the change was required in order to navigate economic downturns. A repeat of that sentiment has been issued this year and two internal games development studios have been affected quite heavily by the latest layoff initiative, reports suggest. Ready at Dawn and Downpour Interactive are getting a lot of press coverage - due to former staffers divulging details of Meta's cutbacks via social media.

Thomas Griebel, a (now former) Senior engine programmer at Ready at Dawn, took to Twitter two days ago and made claim that: "One third of the studio was laid off today, including the studio head." He also observes that the studio has been shrinking over time: "Also lost some really great people just due to attrition. Think we're down almost (down to a) half since when I started in August (2022)." Former Ready at Dawn technical designer Colin McInerney has also released a string of information about co-workers being let go. Michael Tsarouhas (senior designer) and Daan van Zelst (level designer) have confirmed that they were released from their roles at Downpour Interactive.

New store page, new trailer... new EVERYTHING for our upcoming puzzle-adventure game Firmament...Firmament will release on May 18th! Firmament is a new puzzle-adventure game by the legendary game studio behind the best-selling games Myst and Riven. Featuring deep storytelling and world-building, discover the story of this seemingly abandoned world as you explore and unlock the mysteries of 3 unique Realms… and beyond!

EXPLORE THE WORLD
Featuring a unique steampunk aesthetic, Firmament invites you to explore the legendary deep world-building Cyan Worlds is known for. Firmament is a fantastic visual feast, with thrilling new sights to see around every corner. At the same time, the world of Firmament feels completely plausible; as though it were constructed with a bigger purpose in mind… A purpose you will be compelled to discover as you play.

Gaming communities have been engaged in discussions about Half-Life: Alyx being partly playable without a VR headset for the past month or two. The team behind the NoVR modification project has, as of late week, announced that the game's story experience - from start to finish - is totally VR free. This news should satisfy many excited fans who have been anticipating Half-Life: Alyx's campaign being displayed on the small/medium screen. Previous entries in the long running Half Life series have always been two-dimensional traditional monitor affairs.

The GB_2 Development Team cheerfully introduces its latest iteration of NoVR: "This is our biggest update yet and we have no plans on slowing down! With thousands playing Half-Life: Alyx NoVR we are happy to announce our largest update yet! As the titles state the entire game can now be played from start to finish, with the Gravity Gloves fully implemented along with combine fabricators providing weapon upgrades. Also since we are now updating the final parts of the game there may be spoilers! We will do our best to not spoil anything while ensuring we communicate these late game areas have been updated along with their gameplay mechanics."

INTERCEPTOR: INTRODUCING UPDATE 4.2 - Venture to forsaken Sentinel worlds in update 4.2, INTERCEPTOR! Explore corrupted planets, fight a legion of challenging new robotic guardians, hijack their technology, steal their ships, harvest their resources, destroy their freighters, and much, much more! It's been lovely to watch our players enjoying what Fractal (our first No Man's Sky update of 2023) had to offer and it's been thrilling to watch you all cruising around in your shiny new Utopia Speeders and filling up your Wonders Catalogues with your latest discoveries.

Barely six weeks later and we are delighted to launch another major update for No Man's Sky, and it's one of our largest in recent memory. We're calling Interceptor, with a brand new class of incredibly varied Starship, a bunch of new gameplay features, new world variants and a ton of new content! The ever-present tyrants of universe enforcement, the Sentinels, have become prey to a corruption that is spreading through their factions. Only the bravest Travellers will dare venture to forsaken Sentinel worlds to investigate. Those that do, however, will find abandoned encampments to explore, intriguing crystals to harvest and, for the most persistent, the blueprints for a hitherto undiscovered Sentinel Interceptor starship which come in a huge variety of models.

Apple's yet to be announced hybrid VR/AR headset is facing another setback and industry insiders are reckoning that the first iteration of the device will not be unveiled at the WWDC 2023 keynote - starting June 5. An industry analyst has been posting their theories via social media, and based on insider information believes that Apple is delaying production of the hybrid headset to late 2023. Ming-Chi Kuo's proposes this situation: "Apple isn't very optimistic about the AR/MR headset announcement recreating the astounding "iPhone moment," the mass production schedule for assembly has been pushed back by another 1-2 months to mid-to-late 3Q23. The delay also adds uncertainty to whether the new device will appear at WWDC 2023, as the market widely expects. Furthermore, due to the delay in mass production for assembly, the shipment forecast this year is only 200,000 to 300,000 units, lower than the market consensus of 500,000 units or more."

Internal hands-on sessions at Apple HQ have apparently brought to light major user issues with the mixed reality headset, and that feedback has caused a loss in confidence in launching the product in a "ready enough" state, especially in time for summer. Kuo concludes his theory: "The main concerns for Apple not being very optimistic regarding the market feedback to the AR/MR headset announcement include the economic downturn, compromises on some hardware specifications for mass production (such as weight), the readiness of the ecosystem and applications, a high selling price (USD 3,000-4,000 or even higher)."

On the heels of a weaker than expected 2022, International Data Corporation (IDC) has lowered its forecast for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets in 2023. Global shipments are now expected to reach 10.1 million units this year, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker. Despite the revised outlook, total AR/VR headset shipments are expected to grow 14% in 2023 and accelerate over the 2023-2027 forecast period with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.6%.

This coming week's games have something of a horror theme with a remake of a horror game from 2005, which is also this week's AAA title. Two of the games are even in VR, which could cause some further excitement compared to a regular horror game. Overall it's not a super exciting week for new game releases, unless you're into horror themed games that is.

Resident Evil 4 / This week's Remake & AAA title / Thursday 24 March
Survival is just the beginning. Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City. Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors, tracks the president's kidnapped daughter to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals. And the curtain rises on this story of daring rescue and gruelling horror where life and death, terror and catharsis intersect.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has reportedly set an ambitious end of the year launch window for the company's mixed reality headset. Operations Chief Jeff Williams has also pushed in favor of a late 2023 debut of the much delayed VR/AR hybrid product. According to anonymous insider sources who have divulged juicy details to the Financial Times, the decision to launch in 2023 has caused an internal clash with the Apple Design team at its Cupertino, California headquarters.

The Apple Park design team has called for additional development time, this would push the headset's launch back by several years. Insiders claim that the design team would prefer to have more time to refine the product's aesthetics and functionality, with emphasis on creating a sleek and more lightweight visor. Doubts about the efficacy of the headset's proposed internal technology were also expressed, the designers would prefer to delay until Augmented Reality development reaches a satisfying level of maturity.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) announced today the global launch of its next generation virtual reality headset, PlayStation VR2. Featuring high fidelity visuals, new sensory features and enhanced tracking, PlayStation VR2 takes virtual reality gaming to a whole new level, enabling players to feel a heightened range of sensations unlike any other. The PlayStation VR2 headset and included PlayStation VR2 Sense controller is available at the recommended retail price of $549.99 / €599.99 / £529.99 / ¥74,980

"Providing extraordinary experiences to gamers is what we strive for at PlayStation, and today we are thrilled to start this new chapter in virtual reality gaming with PlayStation VR2," said Jim Ryan, President and CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment. "PlayStation VR2's innovative technology has helped unlock the creativity of the industry's finest developers, who have designed outstanding games that deliver a greater sense of presence for players. I can't wait for fans around the world to experience PlayStation VR2 for themselves."

Bigscreen today unveiled Bigscreen Beyond, the world's smallest VR headset. Weighing just 127 grams and measuring less than 1-inch at its thinnest point, Beyond has an unprecedented form factor that is 6X lighter than competing VR devices. Beyond features ultra-high resolution OLED displays, custom pancake optics, and
tethers to a PC for ultimate VR immersion. Each device is custom-built to the shape of a customer's face, providing unparalleled comfort for long duration VR
experiences.

"As passionate VR enthusiasts, we built the VR headset we wanted for ourselves," said Darshan Shankar, Bigscreen's Founder & CEO. "Today's leading VR headsets have doubled in weight compared to headsets from 2016. We built Beyond because we felt VR was too heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable. We invented new technologies to increase comfort, and developed ultra-high-end components like OLED microdisplays and pancake optics to increase immersion. To deliver the best software experience for watching movies in Bigscreen, we also had to build the best hardware with Bigscreen Beyond."

We're already approaching the end of January and this coming week we're looking at both a new AAA title and a remake of an older AAA title that also gets a collectors edition. In other words, a lot of exciting things are happening, if you're looking at getting a new or old game with improved graphics to play.

Forspoken / This Week's AAA Title / Tuesday 24 January
Mysteriously transported from New York City, Frey Holland finds herself trapped in the breathtaking land of Athia. A magical, sentient bracelet is inexplicably wrapped around her arm, and Frey discovers the ability to cast powerful spells and use magic to traverse the sprawling landscapes of Athia. Frey nicknames her new golden companion "Cuff" and sets off to find a way home.

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) at the 2023 International CES set up a small but popular booth, drawing crowds to go hands-on with the new DualSense Edge wireless controllers for the PlayStation 5, and the PlayStation VR2 virtual-reality system, besides a few more interesting bits of gaming gear. The new DualSense Edge goes on sale from January 26, and is a feature-packed new wireless controller that offers advanced new-generation haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, the ability to fine-tune stick sensitivity, user-replaceable stick caps and back button, and button-remapping. The premium controller is expected to be priced at USD $200.

The PlayStation VR2 headset launches in February 2023, and works exclusively with the PlayStation 5, for a new selection of VR2-optimized games. The VR2 packs much faster hardware than the original PSVR from 2016, a higher resolution display with a native resolution of 4000 x 2040 pixels, HDR, a 110° FOV, and refresh-rate of at least 90 Hz, that can be pushed up to 120 Hz in certain high-motion scenarios. The VR2 headset features "inside-out" tracking of the user with cameras embedded in the headset determining your body movements, augmenting the inertial sensors. The headset also features eye-tracking, advanced haptic feedback, and improved 3D spatial audio. We also got to see new gray camouflage body scheme for the PlayStation 5, its stock DualSense wireless controller, and Pulse 3D headset, and "God of War: Ragnarok" themed DualSense wireless controllers.

TrendForce estimates that global shipments of VR devices will come to around 8.58 million units for 2022, showing a YoY drop of 5.3%. There are three notable factors behind the decline. First, the ongoing high inflation has been suppressing the consumer demand for end products this year. Second, VR brands have either opted to not release a new product this year or pushed back the schedule for releasing a new product. Lastly, the demand for Meta's Quest devices has been dampened by a significant pricing adjustment. As for 2023, TrendForce forecasts that global shipments of VR devices will bounce back to a total of 10.35 million units and show a YoY growth of 20.6%. New products including the Sony PS VR2 and the Meta Quest 3 are scheduled for release next year, so they are expected to be a significant demand driver.

Meta has been the most aggressive in committing resources into the VR/AR market. However, the effect of its attempt to offer hardware at a low price has been quite disproportionate to its massive investments in related technologies. Due to mounting cost pressure, Meta has adjusted its pricing strategy for Quest devices. The Meta Quest 2, in particular, is now priced at US$1,499, which is more than three times its previous price. On account of this price hike and its relatively short battery life, the Quest Pro will unlikely follow the footsteps of the Quest 2 with respect to maintaining a strong shipment growth momentum. TrendForce estimates that that shipments of the Quest Pro will reach just to the level of 250,000 units for 2022. Meta will have to wait until next year, when the Quest 3 hit the market, to again see a notable positive growth in its shipments of VR devices. TrendForce currently forecasts that Meta's shipments for 2023 will total around 7.25 million units.

DPVR, a leading provider of virtual reality (VR) devices, has today announced the launch of its newest PC VR gaming headset with the introduction of the 'DPVR E4,' which is aimed at dominating the consumer market for tethered PC VR headsets. In a different category altogether from standalone VR headsets such as the Meta Quest 2 and Pico 4 devices, the DPVR E4 provides PC VR gamers with a tethered alternative that offers a wider field of view (FoV), in a more compact and lighter form factor, as well as offering a more affordable solution compared to high-price tag devices such as the VIVE Pro 2.

DPVR has been making VR headsets for seven years. Prior to E4's launch, the company's efforts were primarily directed towards the B2B market, with a specialized focus on the education and medical industries. Over the last decade, DPVR has completed three successful funding rounds, which the company has used for its research and development efforts into furthering its VR hardware and software offerings. This latest announcement from DPVR marks the company's first step into the consumer VR headset market.

Fringe Realities are pleased to announce that their atmospheric horror VR game Project: Nightlight is planning to be released on Steam VR with a release window of Q1 2023. Project: Nightlight sees the player take control of a nightguard, unravelling the mysteries of The Department and the secrets it's trying to keep from going public. When something is amiss with the contained Artifact, the player will be guided by the distressed co-worker Dave over the walkie-talkie.

Project: Nightlight aims to provide a whole new level of immersion thanks to the unique capabilities of virtual reality. The game allows the player to interact with objects with an acute attention to real-life accuracy, such as handling bolt cutters or melting locks with a blowtorch. Further details will be provided in the leadup to the launch of Project: Nightlight on Steam VR in Q1 2023. For more information and future updates, they'll be available on the official Twitter page @FringeRealities.

During Snapdragon Summit 2022, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. revealed the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 Platform, which delivers groundbreaking AR technology that will unlock a new generation of sleek, highly capable glasses. The Company built Snapdragon AR2 from the ground up to revolutionize the headworn glass form factor and usher in a new era of spatial computing experiences for the real-world/metaverse mix.

Purpose-built for AR: To help create the thinnest possible, high-performance AR glass, we have built a multi-chip distributed processing architecture combined with customized IP blocks. The main processor occupies a 40% smaller PCB area on glass and the overall platform delivers 2.5x better AI performance while consuming 50% less power to help achieve AR glasses that consume <1 W power. This enables rich AR experiences on glasses that can be comfortably worn for extended periods of time and meet the demands of both consumers and enterprise use cases.

During the Snapdragon Summit 2022, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Adobe announced an expanded collaboration to support creative experiences on Snapdragon powered devices across mobile, compute, and XR platforms. Together, the companies will push the boundaries of creativity and document productivity for Snapdragon users.

Building on the rich experiences already found with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom for Windows on Snapdragon devices, Adobe remains committed to bringing the best of Creative Cloud natively to the Snapdragon platform, including Adobe Fresco and Adobe Acrobat. Bringing the strength of Adobe Sensei, Adobe's artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, alongside the dedicated on-device Qualcomm AI Engine on Snapdragon compute platforms, users can experience enhanced device performance for creative workflows and tasks including super-resolution, background removal and color enhancement, editing content on-the-go, and more.