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

🥳 But there’s more:

😔 The RoboCop VR game Streets of Anarchy has been canceled entirely

💍 Bvlgari launches Infinito, a mixed reality app for Apple Vision Pro

⚕️A new study shows VR can significantly reduce cancer-related pain

eXtend your gaming:

Welcome to XR Gamer Digest #58

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).

🎁 Meta Quest+ subscribers can redeem Breachers, a tactical 5v5 shooter, and Thrasher, an abstract puzzler with a standout soundtrack, as April’s featured games.

XR Games

🧟 Zombie Army VR launches May 22 on Meta Quest, bringing intense solo or co-op action against undead Nazi hordes in the franchise’s first VR entry.

👨‍🚀 Into Black, the co-op mining shooter inspired by Deep Rock Galactic, is coming soon to PSVR 2 with upgraded visuals, haptics, and a new PvPvE mode—though cross-play with Quest won’t be available at launch.

😔 The RoboCop VR game Streets of Anarchy has been canceled entirely due to lacking an official license from Amazon MGM, and its website has been taken offline.

❌ System Shock 2 VR is no longer in development due to Meta's project cancellations, but Nightdive may revive it depending on the remaster's success.

🦑 Sandbox VR’s Squid Game Virtuals gets a major season 2 update with a new mini-game, expanding the hit VR experience ahead of the show's third season.

🚂 Train Sim World VR: New York launched on Meta Quest, letting players drive a realistic recreation of the Harlem Line in an immersive train simulation experience.

🪄 Masters of Light brings hand-tracking to PSVR 2, making it only the second game on the platform to support controller-free spellcasting.

🐻 Bearly Escape, a cinematic VR puzzler about rescuing animals with a drone in trap-filled labs, launches in Early Access on Quest 3 and SteamVR this May.

✈️ Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 adds fixed foveated rendering for better VR performance, with dynamic eye-tracked foveated rendering coming soon.

XR Entertainment

💍 Bvlgari launches Infinito, a mixed reality app for Apple Vision Pro that lets users explore its iconic jewelry in immersive 3D, blending luxury craftsmanship with digital art.

🚴 Race Yourselves! launches on Meta Quest, using VR and AI to turn any static bike into an immersive, cost-effective fitness game where you race against past versions of yourself for a more motivating workout.

🏰 Versailles launches a multi-user VR experience that lets visitors explore three long-lost 17th-century gardens guided by André Le Nôtre, available onsite until 2026.

XR News

⚕️A new study shows VR can significantly reduce cancer-related pain while enabling objective pain measurement through brain activity analysis.

🚧 Meta Quest's revamped Boundary system now auto-adjusts to your position, making seated and standing VR use smoother and far less frustrating.

☹️ Myst creator Cyan has laid off half its team while seeking funding for its next project, citing tough industry conditions despite its strong VR legacy.

🤩 VisionOS 2.4 brings Apple Intelligence to Vision Pro, adds an iPhone companion app, improves Guest Mode, and introduces the new Spatial Gallery for immersive content.

🔫 VR shooting sim Ace partners with SIG SAUER to release realistic gun-shaped controller replicas for immersive training on Meta Quest.

🖥️ Virtual Desktop 1.34 brings major macOS improvements with lower latency, native M-series support, and adds compatibility with Pico Motion Trackers and new video features.

🤑 Xreal plans to build a $138 billion AR glasses ecosystem in Shanghai, targeting over 1 million units shipped by 2025 and leveraging local partnerships for rapid growth.

🙋🏻‍♂️ Alibaba's TaoAvatar brings lifelike, expressive 3D virtual humans to AR workspaces, enabling natural real-time communication for training, collaboration, and customer support across devices.

🕶 Meta is reportedly launching new Ray-Ban smart glasses later this year for $1,000–$1,400, featuring a built-in display, upgraded camera, and bundled wrist-worn XR controller for hand-gesture input.

👨🏻‍🦳 VR is showing promise as a non-invasive tool for early Alzheimer’s detection by assessing spatial memory and navigation impairments linked to key disease biomarkers.

Until next time, enjoy your other reality gaming!

Bobby Voicu