This week Oculus Passthrough API Experimental was released, giving creators a way to build and test mixed reality experiences for VR and AR devices. Since this is made by Oculus, it's pretty safe to say that the software will be aimed at Oculus devices, but the implications of what we're seeing is far more important than one platform.
Facebook's acquisition of modern VR pioneer Oculus has always been a mind-boggling one. Naturally, the social media giant wants to leave its imprint on anything that can be remotely tied to being social, including in virtual worlds. That said, it is taking some time for Oculus to add those social features to its Quest platform, but it's finally taking a big step forward in the latest software update that makes it almost trivial to get together with friends or strangers in multiplayer VR experiences.
Facebook has a sort of reverse Midas' touch where everything it touches gets stained by its own stigmas. Every product it buys or gets close to eventually gets involved in its privacy issues or, at the very least, its advertising businesses. It was the latter surprised, shocked, and even disgusted Oculus users last week when the social networking giant announced the start of its advertising tests on the VR platform. Users expressed their opposition so strongly that Blaston, the first and so far only game to test this system, has quickly pulled out from the program.
Earlier this week, we mentioned that the Oculus Quest 1 would gain support for the Air Link as part of the 30.0 update. That update is now rolling out to Oculus users, and the release notes detailing some of the key features for the update are available. One of the biggest enhancements in build 30.0 is a microphone management system.
Facebook is adding adverts to Oculus Quest, revealing today that it's testing in-headset ads in a handful of virtual reality titles. It's an announcement that many predicted would one day happen, after Facebook acquired Oculus in early 2014, though until now the social networking behemoth had seemed content to leave its promotional campaigns to its smartphone and desktop interfaces.
Facebook and Oculus have retired the original Rift VR system, marking the end of headsets that need to be tethered to beefy PC rigs. Moving forward, Oculus said it would be focusing on the Quest system, notably the Oculus Quest 2, but also left the door still open to PC VR experiences. That door is the Air Link technology it introduced back in April, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg now made it known that even the original Oculus Quest headset will be getting this feature as well.
Oculus today announced its v29 software update, which includes new features for gaming and for the company's Infinite Office suite. In a lot of ways, this can be seen as a direct follow up to the big update Oculus launched in February, in large part because this is expanding on the Multi-User Accounts and App Sharing features that rolled out in February's update.
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) will make a number of games available to stream on various platforms this season, giving viewers the opportunity to tune in without a traditional pay-TV service. Of particular interest is the league's plan to make some games available for streaming on Facebook's Oculus platform, meaning you'll be able to strap on your VR headset on game day.
Facebook and Oculus are pushing the Quest 2 as the pinnacle of its VR systems so far because of its versatility. While primarily a standalone headset, the Quest 2 can also run Oculus' PC-based VR content by tethering it to a desktop or laptop. The versatility, however, ends there but SideQuest now has a more mobile solution. The developers have proudly announced an Android app that brings its PC VR content to the Oculus Quest 2 without using a PC.
Capcom has plenty of original IPs but Resident Evil is perhaps its most notable in terms of disturbing imagery and stories. It's a franchise that has gone beyond just games and even has its own live-action film series. In fact, it has one more coming, a reboot that will be joined by a Netflix CGI series. Those, however, weren't the only things announced at Capcom's Resident Evil Showcase, revealing details about the next major installment in the long-running series as well as its first VR incarnation.
Oculus today announced that it's now allowing developers to offer subscriptions to their apps. While perhaps not the best fit for gaming - which Oculus was centered around at the beginning of its life - the company says that by offering subscriptions, it can offer monetization options that make Quest a better fit for other types of apps. Obviously there's no one-size-fits-all solution for subscription offerings, but in today's announcement, Oculus listed several different apps that will offer them to start.
Facebook and Oculus are investing heavily in the Quest 2 VR system, pushing it as the pinnacle of the Oculus' efforts and replacing all previous headsets, both standalone and PC-tethered like the discontinued Oculus Rift S. Its launch may have been tainted by some controversy over Facebook's new requirements but, on a technical point of view, the Quest 2 is admittedly on the road to truly becoming the one headset to rule them all, especially with version 28 of the Oculus Quest system software that opens it up to new ways of enjoying VR worlds.