Meta stopping app support for the Quest 1

INSIDE: Horizon Workrooms losing a great feature, WWDC24 could feature VisionOS 2.

Greetings, AR enthusiasts.

Say goodbye to the Quest 1 as it gets closer to its end of life, while Meta’s next headsets are just around the corner.

One of the biggest features in Horizon Workspace app is gone, but there is a reason to stay optimistic.

In today’s Phantom Thread, we will look at:

  • Meta is winding down support for the Quest 1

  • Meta Horizon’s Workspace app Workrooms is losing a key feature

  • VisionOS’s future will be revealed at WWDC 2024

  • Tencent to help Meta bring the Quest 3 Lite to the Chinese market

  • Make your first AR app for Android

  • 3 AR Tools

WEEKLY THREADS

The weave: The original Quest 1 has reached its end of life, and Meta has announced they are dropping support for the headset starting April 30th.

The strands:

  • The Quest 1, launched in 2019, has already stopped getting new apps as developers have transitioned completely over to the newer models.

  • After April 30th, Meta will stop letting developers upload builds for apps that only support the Quest 1.

  • You can still upload apps that support other headsets along with the Quest 1, but Meta will block Quest 1 support.

The fabric: Meta is looking to sunset the Quest 1, and they want devs to not spend development time and resources on making their apps work on the Quest 1. This also indicates that Meta is targeting a 5 year life cycle for their headsets, which could mean the same for the Quest 2 in the coming years.

The weave: Horizon Workrooms is getting an overhaul soon with an interface refresh to bring it into Quest’s overall design language, but whiteboards are going away.

The strands:

  • The new update does make setting up and joining meetings far easier within the headset by removing most of the friction and streamlining the interface.

  • The UI has also been updated to reflect the Quest’s current design language and has updated graphics and adjustable virtual monitors.

  • You can download the update when it comes out on May 30th, but before you do, make sure you download your web chat and files if you want to keep them; the new update will be deleting everything.

The fabric: Horizon Workrooms hasn’t seen a big update like this since launch but it does a lot for regular users and newcomers as well by making the whole process of getting into a meeting. But the removal of whiteboards and tracked keyboard support is puzzling to say the least.

The weave: Apple has confirmed in their press release announcing WWDC 2024 date that they will be talking about the Vision Pro and VisionOS.

The strands:

  • WWDC 2024 is set to happen on June 10 and could have an announcement for the VisionOS 2.

  • VisionOS received an update recently to its 1.1 version that improved Personas, Mac Virtual Display and other UI elements.

  • VisionOS 2 could also have other features Apple had teased before the release of the headset but was never included at release.

The fabric: WWDC24 could be the first conference from Apple that has the VR industry waiting with bated breath as Apple is known to disrupt any industry they enter, and this first conference after the Vision Pro launch is critical for the long term success of the headset.

The weave:For foreign companies to sell a product in China, they will have to partner with a local company or set up a subsidiary in China. Meta has decided to take the former route and partner with Tencent.

The strands:

  • The gaming giant is said to be in a provisional agreement with Meta to sell the Quest 3 Lite in China. 

  • There was news of the agreement being suspended but new information suggests that the partnership is still alive.

  • Meta and Tencent have agreed to split the revenue, with the hardware revenue mostly going to Meta, and the content revenue mostly going to Tencent.

The fabric: China is the biggest market for any technology which also includes VR and the Quest 3 Lite could capture the market before the very expensive Vision Pro can. Apple devices are hugely popular in China, and if Meta could capture the market before Apple, it could be a massive win for them.

AR TUTORIAL
Make your first AR app for Android

The weave:ARCore is Google’s SDK for developing AR apps, and it is the first tool you should know when developing for Android. Before you starting making your app, you need to set up ARCore on your machine.

Here’s our step-by-step guide:

  1. Make sure you have an ARCore supported Android phone or emulator and you have Unity installed on your PC.

  2. Install the AR Foundation Unity package.

  3. Find and install the ARCore XR plugins for Android. You can also get the iOS plugin if you want to.

  4. Begin an AR Session and Session Origin and delete the Main Camera. It will be replaced by an AR camera.

  5. Go to Build Settings and set the platform to Android.

  6. Then go to Player settings and make changes to the rendering settings and API levels.

WEEKLY AR TOOL ROUNDUP

Featured AR tools:

  • Spatialify - An app exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro that lets you record Spatial videos at 1080p60 or 4K60 and watch it on your Vision Pro.

  • Sandstorm -  An aggregator tool that lets brands connect with your Metaverse project and see what others have built in VR.

  • Mondly VR - A language learning app that lets you practice the new language you are learning with a virtual character in VR.

FLASH FRAMES

You could soon watch the highlights for the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs with your Vision Pro using Apple’s Immersive Video format, giving you a 180 degree view of the pitch and the games. 

A new IEEE standards alliance, called the IEEE-ISTO AR alliance, has been formed as IEEE thinks this is the best time to standardize the industry and bring in IEEE standards just like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

AR could be used in the future to recreate vehicle crash scenes as Allstate patents a new technology that lets them do just that.

The English Premier League has reaffirmed a contract with Rezzil to create a VR video game that lets you put yourself into the shoes of your favorite Premier League player and recreate iconic moments that the league has had to offer throughout the years.

THAT’S ALL FOR THE WEEK