XR = eXtended Reality (everything VR, AR, MR)

🥳 But there’s more:

🏰 Sid Meier’s Civilization VII - VR brings the legendary strategy franchise to virtual and mixed reality

🏀 Meta Quest brings courtside VR access to NBA All-Star 2025

🪖 Palmer Luckey's defense company, Anduril, takes over Microsoft's $22 billion IVAS AR headset contract for the US military

eXtend your gaming:

Welcome to XR Gamer Digest #51

Discounts and Tips

🤩 Don’t forget you can get up to 25% discounts when you buy a game from the Meta Quest store. Go here and look for your game (we’re not affiliated with the website, but it’s a great tool).

XR Games

⚔️ Ancient Dungeon VR on PSVR 2 finally gets its long-awaited four-player co-op mode, with cross-play for Quest and PC VR planned for a future update. 

🏰 Sid Meier’s Civilization VII - VR brings the legendary strategy franchise to virtual and mixed reality for the first time, launching exclusively on Meta Quest 3 and 3S in Spring 2025.

🔫 Harpagun, a gravity gun-powered VR shooter-smasher, enters early access on Quest on February 13, with PC VR, PSVR2, and Pico versions planned for a later date.

🪄 Waltz of the Wizard becomes the first PlayStation VR2 game to support hand tracking, bringing controller-free interactions in a free update available now.

🧩 Shores of Loci: SkyHaven, the new expansion with new worlds and challenges for the 2022 VR puzzler, is now available on Quest, with a Steam release coming.

🧠 Selina: Mind at Large, a Jungian-inspired VR puzzle adventure exploring memory and psyche, launches on Meta Quest headsets on February 20.

🎮 PlayStation VR2 fans can expect exciting new games in 2025, including Dreams of Another and upcoming releases like Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic and The Midnight Walk.

👽 Alien: Rogue Incursion arrives on Quest 3 and 3S today, February 13, but poor optimization makes it hard to recommend—players should wait for improvements or choose another VR platform, according to this review. 

🤖 Atari and Jeff Minter are remaking the '80s arcade classic I, Robot, featuring optional PlayStation VR2 support but no announced plans for PC VR or Quest.

🕹️ Dystopian action RPG Resist is coming to PlayStation VR2 with new enhancements, following its previous releases on Quest and Steam.

XR Entertainment

🏀 Meta Quest brings courtside VR access to NBA All-Star 2025 for the first time, streaming live games and interactive experiences in Xtadium and NBA Arena. 

💄 Laura Mercier launches an immersive shopping app for Apple Vision Pro, offering AR try-ons, shoppable videos, and a virtual boutique experience.

⚽︎ Paris Saint-Germain partners with beIN SPORTS to stream live Ligue 1 matches in VR via Xtadium, offering U.S. fans an immersive pitch-side experience.

🎨 TouchDesk transforms your desk into a fingerpainting surface on Apple Vision Pro, allowing multitasking and mixed reality sketching with future updates planned.

🦸‍♂ Meta Horizon introduces a limited-time Captain America avatar, marking the first superhero IP integration, with more premium avatars and customization options coming soon.

XR News

📷 Meta Quest 3's camera access API is still set for early 2025, promising major advancements in mixed reality development. 

🧭 nDreams consolidates studios into new internal team 'Compass,' closing Orbital and nDreams Studio, with layoffs amid VR market challenges.

🕶 Apple's standalone AR glasses development remains on track despite delays, aiming to integrate augmented reality seamlessly into everyday life.

🪖 Oculus founder Palmer Luckey's defense company, Anduril, takes over Microsoft's $22 billion IVAS AR headset contract for the US military, aiming to enhance battlefield awareness.

💰 John Carmack offered a $1 million sales guarantee to bring Team Beef's VR ports to the Quest Store, but id Software, now under Microsoft, rejected the deal.

🥽 Google confirms Android XR will allow apps to access the passthrough camera view, giving developers more control over mixed reality experiences.

🕹️ Virtuix expands Omni One VR treadmill lineup with nine new games, including Arizona Sunshine Remake and Into The Radius.

Until next time, enjoy your other reality gaming!

Bobby Voicu