⏳ Microsoft waits for VR, yet again

Good morning!

There is quite some diversity in the news this week, from companies that don’t believe in the economic success of VR to other ones that have to deal with unsupervised kids in VR. Keep scrolling to stay updated!

Today’s topics:

• ⏳ Microsoft waits for VR, yet again

• 🔒 Meta reducing the age requirements for the Quest 2

• 🥊 The Zuck vs Musk, who will win?

• 🛠️ Apple releases the SDK of the Vision Pro

Reading time: 6min

⏳ Microsoft waits for VR, yet again

While the VR industry is currently generating significant attention, particularly with recent announcements from Apple, the tech giant Microsoft has adopted a cautious stance. Rather than hastily joining the party, Microsoft is carefully observing 👀 the industry's growth and determining if it is worth joining or not. Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios, shared Microsoft's perspective on VR:

• Booty believes that the virtual reality market is currently too small to achieve commercial success on a large scale, making it challenging to sell products in the millions 📈.

• While recognizing the advancements made by companies like Sony, Meta, and Valve in the VR space, Microsoft's focus primarily lies on software rather than hardware 💻.

• Microsoft's approach appears to be more inclined towards exploring niche cloud gaming, including compatibility with AR/VR headsets, as demonstrated by Apple's Vision Pro, rather than heavily investing in VR 🔍.

In essence, Microsoft is prioritizing measurable success and is cautious about taking on the role of a pioneer. However, it is worth noting that pioneers often have an advantage over newcomers who must establish themselves in the market.

Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge the substantial growth of the VR industry in recent years. According to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC), VR sales have experienced double-digit growth, with the Oculus Quest 2 emerging as the best-selling headset, boasting nearly 15 million units sold. In comparison, Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S consoles sold approximately 12 million units 📊.

It will be intriguing to witness the point at which Microsoft reevaluates the market and deems it ready for their entry.

🔒 Meta reducing the age requirements for the Quest 2

If you've ever set foot in the Metaverse, you're likely aware that young kids have already established a presence there, often without proper supervision 👨‍👧‍👦. This has been a long-standing concern for Meta, who aims to create a unified digital space while safeguarding its youngest users from online dangers. Here's what they have announced:

• Meta is reducing the age requirements for Quest users from 13 years to 10 years, acknowledging the presence of younger users in the virtual realm 🌐.

• To ensure the safety of these young users, Meta will introduce parent-managed accounts, empowering parents to oversee screen time limits, privacy settings, safety measures, and access to specific content available in the Meta app store 🔐.

• Notably, preteens using Meta will not be exposed to ads, and parents will have the option to decide whether their child's usage data is shared with Meta 🚫📺.

Recognizing the inevitable reality that parents will purchase VR headsets for their children, even if they are under the age of 13, Meta has chosen to embrace this fact rather than imposing further restrictions 🤝👨‍👩‍👧‍👦.

To learn more about this check the latest article from Road to VR.

But this is not the only story that is on Meta’s mind right now… 👀 👀

🛠️ Apple releases the SDK of the Vision Pro

This SDK empowers third-party developers to create applications for the Apple Vision Pro, even without owning the headset, by utilizing an emulator. As users explored this emulator, they uncovered additional features not mentioned in the Apple keynote presentation, including:

• The Vision Pro will have limitations in running all MacOS apps natively 🚫.

• Full body tracking will be supported thanks to the downward-facing cameras (quite useful for fitness 🏋️‍♀️ and Metaverse 🌍 lovers)

• A convenient "travel mode" will enable users to easily utilize the headset during travel, be it on a plane or in a car ✈️🚗.

• While wearing the headset, there will be instant translation of text from the real world 📚.

These new features are accompanied by an insider leak, suggesting that Apple is projecting sales of 150,000 headsets 📉, a significant decrease from their initial target of one million. Supply chain issues are likely to play a significant role in this drop, and if you want to learn more about it check our previous article in which we cover the matter in detail.