💰 Meta to make VR affordable again

Good morning everyone!

This week is buzzing with news about the leak of Meta's successors after the Quest 3. But wait, what if I told you that your favourite fast-food chain uses Virtual Reality to train their workers to become even more efficient?

Today’s Topics:

• 🛒 Meta plans on making VR affordable again

• 👩‍💻 Apple Vision Pro Set to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

• 🍔 Five Guys Embraces VR Training

Reading time: 5min

🛒 Meta plans on making VR affordable again

Following the launch of the Quest 3, Meta is reportedly planning to release two new headsets, addressing both the high and low ends of the VR headset market 👾.

Details:

• Meta is said to be working on a new VR headset, codenamed Ventura, which is expected to be a successor to the Quest 3 but at a lower price of $200 💸.

• The specific technical details of this low-cost headset are not yet disclosed, but it's likely to involve compromises 🔍 compared to the Quest 3. Some features like pancake lenses and advanced mixed reality sensors may be omitted to meet the budget price point.

• Meta also has plans for a high-end VR headset 🛠️, the Meta Quest 4 Pro, in collaboration with LG Electronics, slated for a 2025 release with a target price of $2,000 💸.

Why it matters: This rumour sets the stage for an exciting showdown between Meta, Samsung, and Apple in the VR arena, ushering in a new era for virtual experiences. With these tech giants vying for market dominance, consumers are the real winners, poised to enjoy the benefits of innovation and choice.

👩‍💻 Apple Vision Pro Set to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

Apple's highly anticipated Vision Pro headset, is attracting XR developers aiming to create immersive productivity tools using its SDK 🕶️. Unified communications (UC) provider Wildix is among those developers, poised to bring enterprise MR applications to Vision Pro.

Details:

• The Wildix UC integration will grant Vision Pro users access to features like meetings, text chats, and phone calls 📞 within the headset's spatial computing OS.

• Wildix's immersive service also offers fully developed virtual meeting rooms, enabling global users to "walk into a room" 🚪🔮 and interact with others, significantly improving the user experience.

• The collaboration with Wildix opens up new possibilities for hybrid work, moving from standard webcam interactions to a more complete virtual room setting, making hybrid work more effective 🌐.

• While the current application focuses on a heads-up display design, Wildix has plans to introduce richer immersive features in the future 📈.

Why it matters: The Wildix partnership aligns with the shift towards remote work accelerated by Covid-19. Successful software adoption could lead to significant cost savings by reducing the need for physical office spaces and fostering flexible company structures.

🍔 Five Guys Embraces VR Training

Five Guys, known for its quality burgers and fries, is stepping into immersive training with ARuVR to ensure consistency across its stores. In a recent XR Today interview, Corey Smith, an instructional designer, discusses the move to immersive learning.

Details:

• Five Guys established a proficient L&D team, combining technology and adult learning expertise to maintain food quality standards across all locations 🍟.

• The shift towards ARuVR's immersive learning tech 🤖 aims to make training more functional, interactive, and enjoyable.

• The immersive theory experience allows trainees to virtually work in-store, mastering tasks before hands-on practice, like grilling burgers 🍔.

• Five Guys prioritizes inclusivity in training, offering "bite-sized" modules for diverse learning styles and accommodating various demographics.

• While currently using laptops, smartphones, and tablets for training, Five Guys plans to transition to VR headsets after extensive testing 🕶️.

Why it matters: Five Guys' adoption of immersive VR training reflects a growing trend in the restaurant industry. VR technology promises more effective, engaging, and inclusive training, setting the stage for fully immersive, interactive store environments.