They’re providing panels to Metas next headset.
Meanwhile, Meta and LG confirmed on Wednesday that they had formed an XR “strategic collaboration” that included “next-gen XR device development”. It comes following multiple reports from South Korean news outlets that LG will make future Quest Pro headsets, running the Meta Quest platform, with the first device arriving in 2025 for around $2000.
The same was true with Valve. They were setup as the next official SteamVR sponsored headset and was going to also be manufacturing Lighthouses. So next gen at that time for SteamVR headset.
After awhile Valve made an attempt to market hmd hdk that went nowhere and ended up then making the Index as no one at the time wanted to buy in. WMR was mildly successful but now all 3rdparties seem to have bailed on it.
Making the displays I can see. But they will have to prove with actions that they are actually going to release something on theit own.
The Ultragear had some nice design features at the time like being able to flip up the visor. Their vive Wanda looked decent back then and was going to be called pythons.
It would be good to see LG do something like Samsung had. But only time will tell.
LG completely bailed and went completely silent on the Ultragear like it never existed or was ever mentioned.
If LG could they likely would have wiped the net of all mentions of it and had the MiB wipe ppl’s memory of it 
I think Meta are happy doing what theyre doing, Sony are happy doing what they’re doing, Apple are happy doing what theyre doing while every one else is left in the cold thinking oh Jesus we better do something. lol
Microsoft hung MR out to dry, and PCVR stagnated due to lack of interest.
With Qualcomm making it easy for every Tom Dick or Harry to make headsets these days it’s laughable how long its taken Samsung to do something.
Its now more dangerous not to be on the VR bus than it was waving Meta and Microsoft goodbye thinking the bus was heading off a cliff. lol
I have to imagine the future Quest Pro subcontracting/partnering thing must come with some pretty binding paperwork… :7
Daydream failed because Google’s hardware requirements could only be met initially by their own pixel smartphone (compared to Gear VR which packed the tech into the headset).
The first generation of pixel hardly moved the market, so a lack of users/traction wasn’t a great starting point.
By the time they opened Daydream for non Google phones it was already too late, developers didn’t see any sales potential, some were paid exclusives, unfortunately the non Google phones often offering a sub optimal experience.
I’ve had a number of conversations with Google about Daydream, something else to understand with companies like this is the constant churn of leadership, project funding and expenditure reviews. It only takes a cheerleader to move on, and support quickly drains.
The team leader of London’s AR/VR team (based at Tottenham Court road) left to work in California on the X projects once Daydream was wound down. He had worked in this area since project tango, and all of the team members were serious VR enthusiast with most owning Rift and Vive at home. I was lucky enough to host several sessions for team members in canary wharf during my roomscale plus experiments in early 2017.
For Google it was an attempt to sound out the market, dipping the toes in the river so to speak. The later 6DoF headset and developer motion controllers were a last gasp of a failed project.
Thoroughly enjoyed my time using Daydream (yes I was one of the hundreds that actually bought one) with Google’s software chops clearly on display. Very good UX, Meta could have learned much there.
Google were graceful enough to refund all my Daydream software purchases once the platform was wound down, so no loss there. Great to see titles like virtual virtual reality and eclipse edge of light escape to PCVR.
This new venture seems to be happening at the right time, their leadership will see the value in putting heavy resources into the build out as its now the right time, whereas Daydream was premature in some ways, or testing the water if you prefer.
Unfortunately there has been so many projects over the years with ideas well ahead of the time that just fizzle out and faded from view
Some others of Note
plus many others like SegaVR where the tech needed just wasn’t good enough making ppl noxious.
Yes very true, for every 1 big name there are 1000’s failed startup. I’ve been involved in several over the years.
Sad thing with big corporate dumping technology projects, Microsoft were years ahead of competition with hololens and google with daydream respectively, if you look at Daydream compared to current Meta it’s clear which has the superb humane UX and runs beautifully on lesser hardware.
This was my “Daydream Cool” project with custom facial interface, supportive too strap and finned aluminium heatsink with copper cold plate to prevent thermal throttling
Daydream Cool and Daydream View second generation.
Big upgrade with second generation was custom Fresnel lens designed using Google’s supercomputer to runs billions of light ray simulation. Sort of thing inaccessible to small companies. Result was excellent clarity, generous Field of View and great geometric stability.
But as with any Fresnel perhaps slightly spoiled by slight glare from ring edges, Google gave developer advice on minimising this effect through good application design.
The first generation aspherical lens was actually better for media consumption in this respect.
Looks good. Did you ever hear if “Burbur S” From 3glasses? Looked good and was marketed as Microsoft endorsed? But heard it may have had lots of QC problems
Forgot the AntVR Cyclops also used bumpers on the side? To set ipd.
Cool hadn’t realize it had finger tracking as well!
Umm… I have a hard time imagining there is a reliable precise relationship between the temple-to-temple width of one’s head, and one’s IPD… Sounds like a really neat idea, that made somebody so excited they forgot to do a reality check…
Hard to say. Though typically your eyes are near the outside of that area. I would imagine though an additional soft ipd adjustment would be needed to properly dial it in. For science itt would be neat to get one and see. The roomscale carpet though is a pretty cool idea for scalability
Brad Lynch is reporting Valve Index is now no longer in production. I’m surprised it’s lasted this long, five years in VR is an eternity.
Let’s hope they’re working on a wide FOV headset that costs below £1k.
Based on my contact with Valve I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing else is released after Index? Not believing the hype around deckard, there is no evidence from the supply chain that anything is happening.
They spent $ millions on index and HLA (reported cost $60-70 million) and it barely moved the needle in terms of steamVR users, compared to the wider user base. steamVR users are smaller user base than Steam Linux users which is saying something.
I’m sure they are working on stuff (the hardware Devs I met had all kinds of stuff going on) but whether there is enough consensus within the Valve workforce to give VR another go…the Steam deck has been successful in comparison, and there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm within Valve for that product.
Index may be their last VR product, at least for the foreseeable future
As Gabe Newell famously said to polygon back in 2017:
"We’re optimistic. We think VR is going great. It’s going in a way that’s consistent with our expectations,” says Newell. “We’re also pretty comfortable with the idea that it will turn out to be a complete failure.”
I think Valve had no option but to build their own HMD when they fell out with HTC. Meta were hostile and no other manufacturer wanted to compete.
Now though BSB has at least one base covered and a BSB2 and DPVR has a cheap model while HTC is dragging its heals it might be the reason we’ve not seen a direct Index replacement.
From my limited understanding of Valve a new product has to add genuine value for users, as well as generating revenue whilst minimising risk/loss. They are flush with cash but it’s a small kingdom. I’d be surprised if they broke even with their recent VR adventure starting with Vive and Index then HLA.
The fact they spent the huge resources for tiny 2% portion of Steam users is incredible, shows what a hard-on they must have had for VR. Perhaps this enthusiasm has faded in recent years…
I bet the ridiculous number of RMAs I suspect Valve has swallowed over worn out thumbstick potentiometers in the Index controllers, has contributed quite a bit of red ink to the ledgers… :7
Elsewhere, in what looks like major news to me, apparently the Khronos group delivered the updated (annual minor, if I got it right) 1.1 specifications for OpenXR the other day, and among the changes is foveated rendering via quad views having been consolidated into the core specifications!
-I believe eyetracking is still via extensions for now, due to privacy concerns, but it still sounds extremely encouraging to me.
I wonder whether @mbucchia has shared any thoughts somewhere, on the new specs, and their expected adoption rate, and maybe features one should not sleep on; Has anybody seen anything? …or if he still monitors this place, maybe if he does have an opinion piece, he could link to it himself…? :7
I was an index launch day owner, I received 2 years warranty coverage in EU.
Once this coverage expired I sold my Index kit and months later bought another full kit, again 2 years of warranty coverage.
During this period I had 23 Index controller (left or right) all replaced under warranty for failures. None were impact damage. I also had my launch headset replaced, three tethers and 6 BMR ear speakers.
Top marks to steam support but damn…that must have cost them, and the increasing e-waste wasn’t something to be proud of!
The problems with the Index controllers is what spurred me on to developing the “modular steamVR controller” .
Meta to launch Horizons OS. Are they trying to becomes the global VR OS standard?
What ever happened to OPEN XR becoming the standard?
ASUS seems to be talked about alot. Maybe they’ll be first to announce a new Horizons OS headset.
Rumours going around about a new XBOX HMD, Meta behind it. I suppose it was only a matter of time when Sony has its first wirless HMD on the way.
It getting ridiculous how many HMDs and different platforms are coming.
I can see two main platforms forming over the next 10 years.
PCVR - PSVR - STEAM DECK
vs
META - XBOX - HORIZON OS
