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

🥳 But there’s more:

🔪 Drop Dead: The Cabin is heading to Steam later this year

⚽ Wrexham AFC's historic promotion is celebrated through a Meta Quest collaboration

🕶️ Google is reportedly acquiring a stake in Gentle Monster

eXtend your gaming:

Welcome to XR Gamer Digest #69

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

🌸 The strategic VR tower defense game The Smurfs – Flower Defense has officially launched, bringing its unique blend of charming characters and tactical gameplay to Meta Quest.

🏞️ VR survival game Neolithic Dawn entered early access on Quest on June 27, offering players a prehistoric adventure where they must craft, hunt, and survive.

🧟 Medieval-era VR action game Undead Citadel, already available on other platforms, brought its physics-driven combat against hordes of undead to PlayStation VR2. 

🥊 The Thrill of the Fight 2 recently received a major 0.2.1 update, introducing casual matchmaking, a new hotel venue, and refined damage system balancing for an enhanced VR boxing experience.

👻 Bandai Namco announced Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes, a new VR game developed by Iconik Studio, set to immerse players in the puzzle-platformer's signature creepy and atmospheric horror.

♾️ Hotel Infinity, a new VR puzzle game and spiritual successor to Manifold Garden, promises mind-bending challenges and infinite spaces, set to release later this year for PS VR2 and Quest.

🐉 DrakkenRidge invites players to explore dungeons and fight mythical beasts, launching exclusively on Quest 3 on September 4.

⛳ The asymmetrical VR party game Fruit Golf has launched in early access on Quest, allowing mobile players to hilariously sabotage VR players during their rounds.

🔪 Drop Dead: The Cabin is heading to Steam later this year with a new flatscreen mode and four-player multiplayer, promising expanded horror for PC VR users.

💡 Laser Matrix, an innovative mixed reality puzzle-action game developed by Breach, is set to challenge players this Summer on the Meta Quest platform by blending virtual lasers with real-world environments.

🎮 Firmament, a new puzzle adventure from Cyan, has launched on PlayStation VR2, yet its release is overshadowed by a second round of layoffs at the studio amidst challenging industry conditions.

🌳 Green Hell VR has significantly enhanced its visuals on Quest 3, introducing improved environments, water effects, and a new plant cultivation system through its latest update.

♟️ Table Troopers, a tactical mixed reality multiplayer game reminiscent of Worms, is poised for its early access launch on the Meta Quest platform on July 17.

🚚 Players can now drive big rigs through a virtual re-creation of Springfield, Missouri, with the new American Truck Simulator Missouri DLC, offering an immersive Route 66 experience for VR headset users.

XR Entertainment

🚀 Vast's Haven-1 VR experience offers users an immersive virtual tour of the forthcoming private space station, allowing exploration and Earth views on Quest, Apple Vision Pro, and PC VR ahead of its May launch next year.

⚽ Wrexham AFC's historic promotion is celebrated through a Meta Quest collaboration, offering fans an exclusive 3D 180-degree video of their festivities in Xtadium and showcasing Meta Quest 3's use in player training.

🛶 Kayak VR: Mirage's new Yucatán DLC invites players to explore ancient cave systems, embark on guided tours, and enjoy thrilling water racing in the heart of the virtual Yucatán.

🎹 PianoCafe, a mixed reality game launching on Quest on July 30, 2025, gamifies piano lessons by transforming keys into cooking ingredients for serving virtual customers.

XR News

👓 Prada and Meta are reportedly developing luxury smart glasses, according to a CNBC insider source revealing their confidential collaboration.

🎮 A limited edition Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition, priced at $399.99, bundles a uniquely colored 128GB headset, matching controllers, an Xbox controller, an Elite Strap, and subscriptions to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Meta Horizon+.

🗺️ Niantic and Snapchat are teaming up to enhance their real-world AR experiences using shared location-based technology and visual positioning systems.

🤖 SoftEye Dynamics, a smart glasses company, has been acquired by TDK to strengthen its wearable AI capabilities and expand its presence in spatial computing.

🕶️ Oakley and Meta’s latest announcement confirms a new line of smart glasses, combining Meta’s tech with Oakley’s signature sporty design.

📈 A new forecast anticipates that headworn AR devices will generate $13 billion in revenue by 2029, driven by increasing enterprise and consumer adoption.

💰 XR startup Swave Photonics has raised $14 million in Series A funding, aiming to commercialize its holographic display technology.

🚀 Bigscreen Beyond 2 has entered its first shipping wave, with the company promising immediate fulfillment for all preorders by September.

🧠 Xiaomi has unveiled AI-powered smart glasses with features resembling Meta's Ray-Bans, blending intelligent assistant tech with wearable form.

🕶️ Google is reportedly acquiring a stake in Gentle Monster, signaling a deeper move into premium smart eyewear through fashion-tech collaboration.

💸 Virtuix has secured another $3 million in crowdfunding, raising its valuation to $200 million as interest in VR treadmill tech continues to grow.

🧘‍♂️ Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are now taking place in VR, offering a new dimension of support by blending community healing with immersive tech.

🍎 Apple is said to be working on lightweight XR smart glasses, building toward a broader lineup that complements its Vision Pro headset.

🏭 The industrial metaverse could become a $600 billion market by 2032, a new report predicts, driven by enterprise XR adoption in manufacturing and design.

🧙 The fantasy VR RPG Eldramoor: Haven in the Mist has smashed its $100k Kickstarter goal, with community momentum showing no signs of slowing.

🎬 Meta's upcoming Quest Theater, recently leaked via Bigscreen code, appears to be a new social VR space for shared media experiences in headset mode.

🧤 The Meta Celeste project leak revealed wristband-controlled smart glasses with HUD-like functionality and a minimal, slim design approach.

🌐 Xreal and Google have reportedly joined forces to launch AR glasses by 2026, combining Chinese hardware with American software expertise.

🎮 The Kiwi K4 Duo controller mod repositions Quest 3 tracking rings for a more ergonomic feel and improved precision in VR gameplay.

🎨 ShapesXR just added animation tools, empowering designers to prototype motion and interaction directly inside spatial XR scenes.

💸 Hololight has secured $12 million in Series B funding, with plans to scale its industrial XR streaming platform across global enterprise markets.

🧑‍💻 Apple's recent acquisition of avatar company Truemeeting hints at enhanced Vision Pro telepresence experiences with personalized digital identities.

📞 Zoom’s Meta Quest app update now allows users to join video calls from within VR, creating a hybrid between physical meetings and virtual presence.

👁️ XPANCEO raised $40 million to develop AR smart contact lenses, aiming to bring display technology directly to the human eye without headsets.

👓 A new version of the Apple Vision Pro, with an upgraded chip and a more comfortable strap, is rumored to be released later this year. 

🕶️ Deepening their partnership, Meta has invested €3 billion in EssilorLuxottica, acquiring a 3% stake in the eyewear giant.

Until next time, enjoy your other reality gaming!

Bobby Voicu