Reality Check by The Information Staff

Recent Editions

A look at the forward-facing cameras in Magic Leap's new AR headset. Credit: Magic Leap.

New Details on the Magic Leap 2; Twitter Says Goodbye to Oculus

By Mathew Olson · Jan 27, 2022 11:10am PST

Earlier this week, Magic Leap disclosed some new information about its upcoming headset at a conference held by the International Society for Optics and Photonics. In particular, Magic Leap detailed plans for the Magic Leap 2’s controller and operating system that make the device sound promising.While pivoting to enterprise AR to and reset its... Earlier this week, Magic Leap disclosed some new information about its upcoming headset at a...

Population: One, a Meta-owned VR game with many cosmetic options. Credit: BigBox VR/Meta.

Meta VP Tempers Gaming NFT Hype; Snap Upgrades Its AR Shopping

By Mathew Olson · Jan 26, 2022 11:00am PST

You have to hand it to Meta. While the company has talked up the potential of the metaverse, it hasn’t gone overboard with the potential riches of NFTs the way some in the NFT market have. Instead, Meta executives have stuck to talking about the potential of NFTs for small businesses and digital items like concert merchandise. On Tuesday,... You have to hand it to Meta. While the company has talked up the potential of the metaverse, it...

Ready Player Me avatars sporting New Year's outfits. Credit: Wolf3D/Ready Player Me.

Why Wolf3D Went All-In on Avatars With Ready Player Me

By Mathew Olson · Jan 25, 2022 11:03am PST

Everyone will need an avatar (at least one) in the metaverse, or so the thinking goes. That’s probably one of the few things that the tech giants, startups and non-profit groups driving toward its creation can agree upon. But while making convincing digital humans is one notoriously hard problem, building customizable avatars that can move from... Everyone will need an avatar (at least one) in the metaverse, or so the thinking goes. That’s...

A 3D face rendered and animated in real-time with Ziva's ZRT Face Trainer tech. Credit: Ziva Dynamics.

Unity Buys Ziva in Photoreal 3D Race; Game Makers Balk at Metaverse

By Mathew Olson · Jan 24, 2022 11:00am PST

A 3D face rendered and animated in real-time with Ziva's ZRT Face Trainer tech. Credit: Ziva Dynamics.

Unity Buys Ziva in Photoreal 3D Race; Game Makers Balk at Metaverse

By Mathew Olson · Jan 24, 2022 11:00am PST

Game engine maker Unity is acquiring Ziva Dynamics, a company that uses machine learning to make more lifelike and efficient models of human characters. Its tech opens the door to creating hyper-detailed characters (and not just photorealistic ones) for games and AR/VR apps while also more easily letting those characters interact with users in... Game engine maker Unity is acquiring Ziva Dynamics, a company that uses machine learning to make...

A detailed city simulation made to promote the new "Matrix" film. Credit: Epic Games.

What a Veteran VR Philosopher Thinks of the Metaverse; Google’s Project Iris

By Mathew Olson · Jan 20, 2022 11:20am PST

David Chalmers, a professor of philosophy and neural science at NYU, has been studying the potential of life in VR for years, long before Mark Zuckerberg promised to build virtual worlds that make people “feel present” and totally immersed. And in a new book, he says he believes that while it’s already possible to have good experiences in... David Chalmers, a professor of philosophy and neural science at NYU, has been studying the...

Promotional artwork for the original PlayStation VR headset. Credit: Sony.

Parsing Meta Ad Patents; Sony’s Xbox-Inflicted Stock Hit

By Mathew Olson · Jan 19, 2022 1:30pm PST

Meta Platforms is evidently eager to figure out a Facebook-like advertising model for AR and VR. A recent report on Meta’s patent portfolio from the Financial Times points to technologies the company could use to heighten the targeted advertising techniques it honed in social media.But many of these ad concepts warrant a heavy emphasis on “... Meta Platforms is evidently eager to figure out a Facebook-like advertising model for AR and VR....

Activision Blizzard's booth at a 2013 gaming trade show. Photo: AP.

Microsoft’s Activision Deal Is Almost More of an Anti-Metaverse Play

By Mathew Olson · Jan 18, 2022 11:20am PST · 1 comment

Microsoft claims its $68.7 billion dollar purchase of Activision Blizzard will provide the “building blocks of the metaverse.” In reality, the deal is more likely to refocus the metaverse conversation on gaming, to the detriment of the companies that need the metaverse to encompass so much more. If anything, this deal is more like an... Microsoft claims its $68.7 billion dollar purchase of Activision Blizzard will provide the “...

Philip Rosedale, High Fidelity's CEO and founder of Linden Labs. Photo: High Fidelity. Illustration: Mike Sullivan.

Founder Philip Rosedale on His Return to Second Life, the Metaverse and Meta’s Missteps

By Mathew Olson · Jan 13, 2022 11:00am PST · 1 comment

Philip Rosedale, High Fidelity's CEO and founder of Linden Labs. Photo: High Fidelity. Illustration: Mike Sullivan.

Founder Philip Rosedale on His Return to Second Life, the Metaverse and Meta’s Missteps

By Mathew Olson · Jan 13, 2022 11:00am PST · 1 comment

Philip Rosedale has spent a long time thinking about the metaverse. Nearly 20 years ago he founded Linden Lab, the makers of Second Life, and led the creation of one of the first 3D social platforms to gain any kind of mainstream attention. He left Linden to launch VR startup High Fidelity in 2013, which later pivoted to spatial audio (its tech... Philip Rosedale has spent a long time thinking about the metaverse. Nearly 20 years ago he...

Promotional art for the VR fitness app Supernatural. Credit: Within

Quest 2’s Future Amid Antitrust Scrutiny; AR in the OR

By Mathew Olson · Jan 12, 2022 11:00am PST

With the government’s antitrust lawsuit against Meta Platforms proceeding, it’s too early to tell whether Meta will pull back on its AR/VR acquisition strategy. For starters, though, I suspect that Meta will continue to pursue whatever hardware deals the Reality Labs division believes it needs, as per usual.But that doesn’t mean nothing will... With the government’s antitrust lawsuit against Meta Platforms proceeding, it’s too early to tell...

Job Simulator is a non-violent hit VR game, rated appropriate for ages 10+ by the ESRB. Image: Owlchemy Labs

Can Meta Keep Dragging Its Feet on Child-Safe VR?

By Mathew Olson · Jan 11, 2022 11:00am PST

Meta’s reluctance to acknowledge VR’s popularity with children is becoming a bigger problem for the company as mainstream outlets, regulators and others in digital entertainment pose varying questions about its responsibility to kids and parents alike. What’s emerging is a familiar pattern in light of how Meta has responded to criticism of its... Meta’s reluctance to acknowledge VR’s popularity with children is becoming a bigger problem for...

A concept image of Minecraft running on HoloLens, from the product line's early days. Credit: Microsoft

More on Meta AR Poaching Spree; Snap’s Latest Hardware Acquisition

By Mathew Olson · Jan 10, 2022 11:00am PST

Last summer, Microsoft’s leader on its HoloLens AR headset initiatives told The Wall Street Journal that the company is “absolutely working on” a consumer AR device, but declined to give any kind of timeline on when to expect it. It’s likely that Microsoft’s new AR chip collaboration with Qualcomm is also part of this plan, but a new report from... Last summer, Microsoft’s leader on its HoloLens AR headset initiatives told The Wall Street...

A meeting in Horizon Workrooms. Image: Meta

Decoding This Week’s Metaverse Backlash; Developments in Driver AR

By Mathew Olson · Jan 6, 2022 11:00am PST

A meeting in Horizon Workrooms. Image: Meta

Decoding This Week’s Metaverse Backlash; Developments in Driver AR

By Mathew Olson · Jan 6, 2022 11:00am PST

As we near the end of the first week of 2022 and glide through what might as well be a hybrid Consumer Electronics Show, the metaverse is being mocked and torn into on Twitter. It would be a pity, however, if what is justifiable skepticism about the over-use of the term obscures the real potential of the underlying concept.Since Facebook’s... As we near the end of the first week of 2022 and glide through what might as well be a hybrid...

A scene from Sony's Horizon Call of the Mountain VR game. Image: Guerrilla/Firesprite Games

How Sony’s PlayStation VR2 Measures Up to Meta’s Quest 2

By Mathew Olson · Jan 5, 2022 11:00am PST

On Tuesday night, Sony officially released hardware specifications for the PlayStation VR2, its upcoming headset for the PlayStation 5 console. The specifications aren’t mind-blowing, but they’re in many ways a step above what most current VR owners have today. From here, we can begin to get a good understanding of how the PlayStation VR2 might... On Tuesday night, Sony officially released hardware specifications for the PlayStation VR2, its...

Mojo headquarters in Saratoga, CA. Photo: Mojo Vision

Another $45 Million for AR Contact Lenses; The Latest From CES

By Mathew Olson · Jan 4, 2022 11:00am PST

This morning, Saratoga, CA-based startup Mojo Vision announced that it has raised an additional $45 million for its Series B-1 funding, bringing the total for the round to $96 million. New investors—including Amazon’s Alexa Fund and enterprise AR player PTC—evidently have some faith in Mojo’s progress toward AR contact lenses.As I’ve noted in... This morning, Saratoga, CA-based startup Mojo Vision announced that it has raised an additional...

Yosuke Matsuda, president of Square Enix. Photo: AP

A Japanese Gaming Giant’s Metaverse Play; Intel’s Cold Feet on AR

By Mathew Olson · Jan 3, 2022 11:00am PST

Square Enix, the Japanese gaming publisher behind the long-running and beloved Final Fantasy series, is the latest entertainment company to publicly embrace the concept of the metaverse. And it’s not unreasonable to think that Square Enix could emerge as a metaverse leader if it makes a serious effort.Yosuke Matsuda, Square Enix’s president,... Square Enix, the Japanese gaming publisher behind the long-running and beloved Final Fantasy...

A developer wearing Snap's AR Spectacles. Photo: Snap

Looking Back at 2021 and at What’s Ahead for AR and VR in 2022

By Mathew Olson · Dec 28, 2021 12:10pm PST · 1 comment

A developer wearing Snap's AR Spectacles. Photo: Snap

Looking Back at 2021 and at What’s Ahead for AR and VR in 2022

By Mathew Olson · Dec 28, 2021 12:10pm PST · 1 comment

This is the last dispatch from Reality Check for 2021. It is also the end of the newsletter’s first year of publication. Whether you started reading back in March when we began, or are just diving deeper into AR and VR now, thank you for spending time away from your headsets and try-on filters to read Reality Check.For The Information’s annual... This is the last dispatch from Reality Check for 2021. It is also the end of the newsletter’s...

Meta's incoming CTO Andrew Bosworth wearing a recent prototype headset. Photo: Meta

Quest 2’s Holiday Sales Pose Upgrade Dilemma; Apple Nabs Meta Spokesperson

By Mathew Olson · Dec 27, 2021 11:02am PST

Christmas 2021 has come and gone, and it’d be reasonable to guess that it was the single biggest day for consumer adoption of VR in history. In lieu of official stats, various Meta employees on Twitter were eager to trumpet the headset’s holiday success over the weekend, and a handful of independent developers shared anecdotes about peaking... Christmas 2021 has come and gone, and it’d be reasonable to guess that it was the single biggest...

A close up of the Magic Leap 2 AR headset. Credit: Magic Leap

Magic Leap Departures; A Look at Meta’s VR Open Source Support

By Mathew Olson · Dec 23, 2021 11:30am PST

A string of executives have lately exited Magic Leap, Reality Check has learned, including some people who joined earlier this year. These exits, previously unreported, add to the air of uncertainty around the company’s future. Tracey Trewin, Magic Leap’s Chief Product Officer, and Anuj Gosalia, Chief Software and Cloud Officer both left... A string of executives have lately exited Magic Leap, Reality Check has learned, including some...

Elon Musk. Photo: Bloomberg

Elon Musk’s Metaverse Skepticism; Niantic’s Key AR Metric

By Mathew Olson · Dec 22, 2021 11:00am PST

Back in March, when Meta Platforms was still Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg said he didn’t think anyone would “want to get their head drilled open” to use AR or VR. The comment served to distance his vision for neural input from that of Elon Musk who (in typical fashion) has made bold and questionable claims about the potential of brain implants.Now,... Back in March, when Meta Platforms was still Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg said he didn’t think...

A person wearing a Quest 2 headset. Photo: Meta

Meta’s New Optics Advantage; Untangling a Messy Quest Sales Story

By Mathew Olson · Dec 21, 2021 12:23pm PST

A person wearing a Quest 2 headset. Photo: Meta

Meta’s New Optics Advantage; Untangling a Messy Quest Sales Story

By Mathew Olson · Dec 21, 2021 12:23pm PST

It’s time to add another company to the list of Meta’s acquisitions in the AR/VR industry. Meta has acquired ImagineOptix, a small North Carolina-based team specializing in liquid crystal lenses, Meta confirms. This may prove to be a coup for the company’s hardware division, although it’s not clear whether Meta will have the regulatory leeway to... It’s time to add another company to the list of Meta’s acquisitions in the AR/VR industry. Meta...