I will be sincere right here, I did not actually know a lot about XR or Sensible Glasses, till I needed to edit and observe the work of my extremely educated colleague Nick Sutrich.
By way of studying his in depth protection of the world of XR and Sensible Glasses, it has been loads simpler for me to grasp how necessary these two classes have grow to be on the earth of Android. And particularly with the large announcement that Google and Samsung will launch Android XR as a Meta Quest competitor subsequent yr, this mixed-reality area is just going to get extra thrilling.
For now, congrats to Meta for the Meta Quest 3S, and Ray-Ban Meta sensible glasses, and for the very best video games, now we have Batman: Arkham Shadow and Simply Dance!
Here is what Nick needed to say.
Greatest XR headset or sensible glasses: Meta Quest 3S
Nick Sutrich: The XR trade continued to develop throughout 2024, and some units have helped appeal to new customers, just like the Meta Quest 3S. Meta’s newest headset is our XR system of the yr as a result of it delivers unparalleled worth within the area, serving to to herald new customers and provides Quest 2 customers a straightforward improve path with out spending a ton of cash. It might need the Quest 2’s lenses and show, however the whole lot else is an enormous improve, together with the next-gen Snapdragon chipset inside.
Not solely that, however Meta included Batman: Arkham Shadow without spending a dime with each Meta Quest 3S, additional engaging new customers into the fold with a collection they know and love. For $299, Meta by some means included nearly the whole lot that makes the Quest 3 a unbelievable expertise, together with the brand new controllers with higher haptics and full-color, high-resolution passthrough imaginative and prescient. It’s created an explosion of unbelievable combined actuality video games, and it’s going to assist usher in a brand new wave of next-gen VR video games in 2025 and past.
Runner-up: Ray-Ban Meta sensible glasses
Whereas these technically got here out in 2023, Meta mainly relaunched the complete product class with the introduction of Meta AI instruments on the Ray-Ban Meta sensible glasses again in April. Additional updates have been launched in September, together with dwell translation and different spectacular multimodal AI options proper out of your face. Stay AI and music recognition, amongst different options, have been added just some days in the past, displaying that Meta is all about protecting these glasses as helpful and related as potential.
After all, all the bottom perks of the glasses from final yr nonetheless stand. They’re a comparatively reasonably priced pair of frames with assist for almost all prescription sorts. I like sporting mine as a substitute for earbuds most of the time, they usually’re mind-blowingly helpful for taking telephone calls, snapping fast footage or movies (hands-free!), or simply listening and responding to messages with out having to stare at your telephone.
Greatest new single-player VR sport: Batman Arkham Shadow
Nick Sutrich: This yr has been a stupendous yr for VR gaming, however Batman: Arkham Shadow shines even among the many crowded room for its excellence in sport design, storytelling, voice appearing, and distinctive gameplay mechanics that completely translate the Arkham expertise to Meta Quest 3 headsets. Batman: Arkham Shadow takes residence our 2024 VR single-player sport of the yr award.
Arkham Shadow’s authentic story takes place between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, letting you discover the Blackgate Jail in a approach by no means earlier than seen in a Batman sport. You’ll change between two characters all through the story to undercover the id behind the Rat King and expertise probably the most genuine technique to really feel what Batman feels: by donning the cowl, your unofficial detective badge, and a license to beat up anybody who’s had it coming.
Greatest new multi-player VR sport: Simply Dance VR – Welcome to Dancity
Nick Sutrich: The long-awaited VR entry into the storied Simply Dance collection is one of the best ways to study the strikes you’ve at all times needed to, all to your favourite songs of the day. However we’ve been there and completed that for the previous 15 years with the collection, so why did it get our 2024 VR multiplayer sport of the yr award? Due to Dancity.
Ubisoft and co-developer Soul Meeting put collectively a superb technique to not solely play and dance with pals but in addition to hang around with them in a spectacular “metaverse” model world referred to as Dancity. It makes the sport come alive in methods the collection has by no means completed earlier than, and it makes enjoying the multiplayer part not solely really feel distinctive but in addition like a cohesive expertise that we merely didn’t count on from a rhythm sport.
Take a look at Simply Dance VR – Welcome to Dancity as we speak!
