Recent Editions

A 3D display. Photo by Looking Glass Factory.
Reality Check

Why 3D Displays Deserve More Respect in AR/VR

By Mathew Olson · Jul 22, 2021 11:00am PDT
The conventional wisdom in AR and VR nowadays is that glasses and headsets will gradually come to replace most existing screens, especially as more content becomes available in 3D. Are proponents of that view missing the bigger picture?After all, companies like Sony and Google are pouring work into 3D screen tech, which won’t require accessory... The conventional wisdom in AR and VR nowadays is that glasses and headsets will gradually come to...
How SketchFab announced it was being acquired by Epic Games. Image by SketchFab
Reality Check

Epic Games Pushes Further Into AR and VR; a Swan Song for Oculus Rift

By Mathew Olson · Jul 21, 2021 11:00am PDT
Epic Games’ planned purchase of Sketchfab, announced this morning, is the clearest sign yet that the maker of Fortnite takes AR and VR seriously.Sketchfab is a New York-based startup best known for its 3D asset marketplace where users can upload and sell ready-made 3D models for use in videogames, 3D animations or AR and VR experiences. Since... Epic Games’ planned purchase of Sketchfab, announced this morning, is the clearest sign yet that...
A HaptX virtual reality glove designed to emulate realistic touch. Photo by HaptX
Reality Check

VR Glove Maker Expands its Reach

By Mathew Olson · Jul 20, 2021 11:00am PDT
On Tuesday morning, HaptX, a startup that specializes in creating haptic gloves for VR, announced a $12 million Series A-1 funding round with participation from Verizon Ventures, among others. It’s a promising sign of life for a part of the VR industry that has yet to make a real appeal to consumers despite questions some have about its... On Tuesday morning, HaptX, a startup that specializes in creating haptic gloves for VR, announced...
A person wearing Campfire's AR/VR headset. Image by Campfire
Why AR and VR Still Struggle to Go Wireless
By Mathew Olson · Jul 19, 2021 11:02am PDT · 1 comment
A person wearing Campfire's AR/VR headset. Image by Campfire
Reality Check

Why AR and VR Still Struggle to Go Wireless

By Mathew Olson · Jul 19, 2021 11:02am PDT · 1 comment
A slew of recent AR and VR devices are hitting the market without cables, most notably Facebook’s Oculus Quest headsets. To fulfill the promise of all-day use, headsets and glasses need to be wireless eventually. But after seeing some of the new hardware coming later this year, it’s clear to me that the freedom of wireless may not be worth the... A slew of recent AR and VR devices are hitting the market without cables, most notably Facebook’s...
Reality Check

Facebook’s Switch on AR Brain Interfaces Reflects Market Realities

By Mathew Olson · Jul 15, 2021 8:49am PDT
Facebook is ditching its research into the futuristic idea of communicating with just your mind. Instead, it will focus on wrist-based neural interfaces—a way of controlling software based on reading nerve impulses via the wrist. Facebook believes that tech shows promise as a way to control AR glasses. And to be honest, it’s sure to be far more... Facebook is ditching its research into the futuristic idea of communicating with just your mind....
Joseph Jerome. Photo by Joseph Jerome
Reality Check

A Vocal Data Privacy Lawyer Joins Facebook’s VR Team

By Mathew Olson · Jul 14, 2021 11:00am PDT · 1 comment
For the better part of a decade, Washington D.C. lawyer Joseph Jerome has pushed state and federal lawmakers to better understand tech privacy issues. In recent years, Jerome has devoted some of his attention to the unique concerns raised by the rise of VR and AR.His next act: tackling AR/VR privacy matters inside Facebook.Jerome announced the... For the better part of a decade, Washington D.C. lawyer Joseph Jerome has pushed state and...
An attendee wears a branded virtual reality headset at MWC Barcelona last month. Photo by Bloomberg.
Reality Check

VR’s Record Growth Year and the Road Ahead

By Mathew Olson · Jul 13, 2021 11:00am PDT
On Monday, PricewaterhouseCoopers served up a promising data point for the VR industry’s health. In its annual Global Entertainment and Media Outlook report, PwC estimated VR content revenue hit $1.8 billion last year, a 31.7% increase over the previous year. That’s an acceleration from the 25% growth reported for 2019.That makes VR the fastest... On Monday, PricewaterhouseCoopers served up a promising data point for the VR industry’s health....
The redesigned Lynx R-1 mixed reality headset. Image by Lynx
A French Startup Aims to Take on Facebook's Oculus
By Mathew Olson · Jul 12, 2021 11:00am PDT
The redesigned Lynx R-1 mixed reality headset. Image by Lynx
Reality Check

A French Startup Aims to Take on Facebook's Oculus

By Mathew Olson · Jul 12, 2021 11:00am PDT
Competing with Facebook in today’s consumer AR/VR market is seemingly too daunting for the likes of HTC, Magic Leap and Microsoft. But not so for French startup Lynx, which has decided to take on Facebook with a headset aimed at consumers and businesses.The firm, which has raised a grand total of $2.3 million so far from French angel investors,... Competing with Facebook in today’s consumer AR/VR market is seemingly too daunting for the likes...
An image of the Potter Portal effect in action. Image by Facebook.
Reality Check

Facebook Sprinkles a Little AR Magic on Portal

By Mathew Olson · Jul 8, 2021 11:00am PDT
Facebook’s Portal device, which offers video chatting and an Amazon Alexa-powered digital assistant, might feel like the odd item out in the company’s AR/VR product division, where it is housed. But news from the company on Wednesday suggests Facebook is doubling down on Portal as another way to get more people using AR.The strategy? Use a big... Facebook’s Portal device, which offers video chatting and an Amazon Alexa-powered digital...
ViewMagic's Rolf Herken and James McCombe. Photo by ViewMagic.
Reality Check

How a Stealth Startup Hopes to Change Video Calls and VR

By Mathew Olson · Jul 7, 2021 11:00am PDT
Video calls became part of daily life during the pandemic and, while the tech has improved in recent years, they’re still far from ideal. ViewMagic, a Bay Area startup that’s been operating in stealth since 2014, has been focusing intensely on overcoming one shortcoming in particular: the difficulty that people have in making eye contact with... Video calls became part of daily life during the pandemic and, while the tech has improved in...
Facebook's Andrew Bosworth. Photo by Bloomberg
Reality Check

The Flaw in Facebook’s VR Ad Defense

By Mathew Olson · Jul 6, 2021 11:00am PDT
Facebook’s initial rollout of ads in virtual reality apps hasn’t even begun in earnest, yet we’re already seeing the company’s head of AR and VR adopt a defensive stance. Facebook needs to face up to the reality that if it wants to put ads in games that people have paid for, they’ll have to cope with a backlash.To recap, Facebook announced in... Facebook’s initial rollout of ads in virtual reality apps hasn’t even begun in earnest, yet we’re...
Facebook's Adam Mosseri. Photo by Bloomberg
How Instagram’s Moves Against TikTok Could Affect AR
By Mathew Olson · Jul 1, 2021 11:00am PDT
Facebook's Adam Mosseri. Photo by Bloomberg
Reality Check

How Instagram’s Moves Against TikTok Could Affect AR

By Mathew Olson · Jul 1, 2021 11:00am PDT
News coverage of Wednesday’s revelations about an upcoming change to Instagram’s main feed focused on how the Facebook photo-sharing app will look more like TikTok. But there’s another aspect to the overhaul: it could mean users who are on Instagram mainly for photos may see a lot more AR than they did before.Instagram chief Adam Mosseri... News coverage of Wednesday’s revelations about an upcoming change to Instagram’s main feed...
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Bloomberg
Reality Check

Snap’s Viber Deal Shows Spiegel’s Long Term Play

By Mathew Olson · Jun 30, 2021 11:00am PDT
When it comes to AR, Snap’s Evan Spiegel truly is playing the long game.That is particularly evident in a partnership announced today between Snap and the messaging app Rakuten Viber, in which Viber will incorporate Snap’s AR technology into its app. We don’t know whether Snap makes much money from this, as terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.... When it comes to AR, Snap’s Evan Spiegel truly is playing the long game.That is particularly...
Facebook's Project Aria device, research glasses to help guide the design of future AR glasses. Photo by Facebook
Reality Check

Looking Past Facebook’s Trillion Dollar Value to the AR Hurdles Ahead

By Mathew Olson · Jun 29, 2021 11:00am PDT
As Facebook made headlines yesterday for—at least temporarily—rebuffing federal and state antitrust cases and hitting a $1 trillion market value, I was listening to Facebook Reality Labs VP Andrew Bosworth muse on the company’s future in AR/VR. It struck me that as strong as Facebook’s business may look today, overcoming challenges posed by AR... As Facebook made headlines yesterday for—at least temporarily—rebuffing federal and state...
An image from the VR-based LGBTQ+ museum.
Reality Check

How a VR Museum Will Tell LGBTQ+ Stories

By Mathew Olson · Jun 28, 2021 11:19am PDT
While I enjoyed a week of rest and relaxation away from VR and AR (and, most of the time, WiFi), there was still plenty of news during 2021’s first week of summer. In the newsletter’s last installment, I covered Facebook’s first foray into advertising inside VR games. Those plans quickly changed: Resolution Games, developers of the multiplayer... While I enjoyed a week of rest and relaxation away from VR and AR (and, most of the time, WiFi),...
A screenshot from Blaston. Image: Resolution Games
Facebook Tiptoes Into Advertising Inside VR Games
By Mathew Olson · Jun 17, 2021 11:00am PDT
A screenshot from Blaston. Image: Resolution Games
Reality Check

Facebook Tiptoes Into Advertising Inside VR Games

By Mathew Olson · Jun 17, 2021 11:00am PDT
Over the next few weeks, people with Oculus Quest headsets will start seeing some advertisements in virtual reality. Facebook calls the introduction of these in-app ads “a key part” of building a sustainable VR business. But many VR users are likely to view them as intrusive. And the ad rollout is sure to raise concerns about whether the... Over the next few weeks, people with Oculus Quest headsets will start seeing some advertisements...
Mapbox technology used in AR-assisted navigation. Image: Mapbox
Reality Check

Tech’s Union Push Meets AR and Maps

By Mathew Olson · Jun 16, 2021 11:00am PDT
San Francisco-based Mapbox offers tools and navigation data that can power just about any use of digital maps you can imagine, including augmented reality. While the company largely operates in Google’s shadow, Mapbox counts Facebook and Snap among its customers and is reportedly in talks for a SoftBank-backed SPAC deal at a $2 billion... San Francisco-based Mapbox offers tools and navigation data that can power just about any use of...
John Carmack. Photo: Bloomberg
Reality Check

Facebook Brings Back ‘Brutally Honest’ VR App Reviews

By Mathew Olson · Jun 15, 2021 11:38am PDT
Legendary graphics programmer and rocketry dabbler John Carmack doesn’t mince words. As one of the creatives behind 1993’s Doom and the former CTO of Oculus (and still an adviser for Facebook), Carmack’s in-person VR app critiques became a popular event at Facebook’s annual VR and AR conferences, as a rare opportunity for up-and-coming designers... Legendary graphics programmer and rocketry dabbler John Carmack doesn’t mince words. As one of...
A screenshot from the ‘Population: One’ game. Image: BigBoxVR
Reality Check

Facebook and Shopify Pick Up New VR and AR Teams

By Mathew Olson · Jun 14, 2021 11:01am PDT
Last Friday brought back-to-back acquisitions in virtual and augmented reality: Facebook said it was buying Seattle’s BigBox VR, makers of Population: One, and would incorporate it into Oculus Studios. And Shopify is taking on the team behind AR home design app Primer. Both deals underscore the appetite of big tech companies for developers with... Last Friday brought back-to-back acquisitions in virtual and augmented reality: Facebook said it...
A Nanome user building a molecule with benzene rings. Credit: Nanome
How Scientists are Using VR to Study the Coronavirus
By Mathew Olson · Jun 10, 2021 11:30am PDT
A Nanome user building a molecule with benzene rings. Credit: Nanome
Reality Check

How Scientists are Using VR to Study the Coronavirus

By Mathew Olson · Jun 10, 2021 11:30am PDT
Researcher Andrey Kovalevsky often dons an Oculus Rift S virtual reality headset as part of his work studying new ways to combat Covid-19. His research team is working on one of the many remaining mysteries surrounding the coronavirus: how to shut down one of the viral proteins that would stop it from reproducing. One of Kovalevsky’s tools... Researcher Andrey Kovalevsky often dons an Oculus Rift S virtual reality headset as part of his...