Sony's PSVR2 coming to PC

Greetings, AR enthusiasts.

In what is great news to PC VR gamers, Sony is currently considering adding PC support to their VR headset.

Apple is in the news again this week as people seem to be reporting that their Vision Pro’s glass started cracking.

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

• Sony PSVR2 possibly getting PC compatibility by the end of the year

• Vision Pros have a new problem: A Cracking front glass

• The LG made Quest Pro could start shipping in the first half of next year

• Play your SteamVR games on your Microsoft MR headset

• 3 New AR Tools

WEEKLY THREADS

^SONY
Sony PSVR2 possibly getting PC compatibility by the end of the year

The weave:  The PSVR2 could possibly get PC compatibility by the end of the year after Sony announced that it had started testing for PCs.

The strands:

• The PSVR2 hasn’t seen the success that the PS5 had this generation.

• By bringing the headset to PC, Sony aims to tap into the PC VR market, which is far more matured than the console VR market.

• While there are quite a few PSVR titles from popular franchises, it hasn’t seen the success Sony expected from it.

The fabric: While it remains to be seen if PSVR coming to PC might bring exclusive titles along with it as well, the PC VR market already has tough competition from Oculus and Valve. Sony could bring those titles to incentivise people to get their headset over their rivals.

^{VISION PRO}
Vision Pros have a new problem: A Cracking front glass

The weave: Several people on reddit and even Engadget had reported their Vision Pro unit developing a crack in the front glass. All the reports  have a vertical crack appearing above the nose bridge.

The strands:

• No one knows why this happened because all of the affected units were stored just like Apple told them to, and hadn’t been damaged accidentally

• Some speculate it could have been a heating issue caused by storing the headset in the case while it is being charged.

• This could also be a design flaw which could have put too much pressure on the glass at the nose bridge area.

The fabric: Apple has not commented on these reports yet, but they do have a history of products running into design flaws like the infamous bendgate during the iPhone 6 era and the more recent overheating issue with the iPhone 14. These issues could be ironed out in future iterations of the AR headset.

^{QUEST PRO}
The LG made Quest Pro could start shipping in the first half of next year

The weave: Meta’s partnership with LG to make the new Quest Pro could see the headset reach your hands by the first half of 2025. This was in the context of Zuckerberg meeting the CEO of LG Electronics this week.

The strands:

• Meta has partnered with other industry giants before to gain their expertise in manufacturing hardware.

• LG will be working on the hardware, while Meta will handle the software. There is also news that LG’s webOS will also be incorporated. 

• If webOS is actually added, we could see all of the popular streaming services

The fabric: webOS could finally bring in Netflix, Prime Video, and all the other popular streaming services to a Quest headset. The streaming apps that are currently on the headset either haven’t been updated or are web versions. With webOS, you will be able to get a streaming experience equal to that on your TV.

^{AR TUTORIAL}
Play your SteamVR games on your Microsoft MR headset

The weave: Your Windows MR headset can also play SteamVR games and experiences. You only need Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR installed.

Here’s our step-by-step guide:

1. Copy your installed SteamVR and Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR folders to a USB stick.

2. Put these files in the computer you have the Windows headset connected to and open Command Prompt.

3. Type in this command:

chdir "C:\SteamVRInstall".\SteamVR\bin\win64\vrpathreg.exe adddriver "C:\SteamVRInstall\MixedRealityVRDriver"

4. Replace "C:\SteamVRInstall\“ with your SteamVR install location

5. Double click “vrstartup.exe” to launch SteamVR

WEEKLY AR TOOL ROUNDUP

Featured AR tools:

• Decky Dashboard - A dashboard app for Vision Pro which lets you make constantly updating dashboards in your headset.

• UGScan - A Lidar based app which can scan your surroundings using point clouds, model and floor plan modes.

• Flow VR - A VR guided meditation app that can take you through a personalised meditation course.

FLASH FRAMES

The astronauts in the International Space Station is now using VR headsets to simulate cycling at home to keep in shape in zero gravity.

OpenBCI has a new headset on the horizon: the Galea Beta. It combines VR and mixed reality alongside physiological sensors that keep an eye on your heart, skin, eyes and brain activity.

Meta’s Quest gets a new mixed reality escape room demo called Cryptic Cabinet.

Huawei is rumored to be developing a high end VR headset to rival Apple and Meta, but it remains to be seen if it would get a worldwide launch.

A study by Stanford has found out that a majority of retired people enjoy VR, which was something quite unexpected

The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and Anglia Ruskin University have collaborated to create a VR experience that will let you visit the southernmost part of the world.

THAT’S ALL FOR THE WEEK