![[Review] Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – Tape 2 for PS5](https://www.8bitnewsroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Review-Lost-Records-Bloom-and-Rage-–-Tape-2-for-360x180.jpg "[Review] Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – Tape 2 for PS5")
Certainly! Here’s a reimagined version of the article:
Alright, so imagine this: I’d love to say it’s been a thrill-a-minute week in XR land, but, meh, it really hasn’t. Maybe it’s all the May Day vacations or something? Anyway, not much action this time around. Still, there’s a silver lining—I’m off on some cool trips soon! But more on that tomorrow. For now, let’s sift through the handful of XR bits that caught my eye.
Top News of the Week
Meta Reality Labs Stumbles This Quarter
So, Meta just dropped its Q1 2025 earnings details. Surprise, surprise—Reality Labs revenues fell 6% from Q1 2024. Not ideal, but honestly, it could’ve looked worse if it weren’t for those Meta Ray-Ban Glasses. Losses? Huge, as per usual, with a $4.2 billion hit from a $4.6 billion spend. Some say Quest sales are down by 30%. Bummer, right? Seems that after a blazing start, Quest 3S has fizzled out post-holidays. While engagement’s up, actual sales aren’t cutting it. Bummer squared. Thank goodness for those Ray-Ban glasses—sales apparently tripled! I gotta say, the pivot to smartglasses over VR seems obvious now. The future’s looking like AI and fancy eyewear. No VR/MR on Zuck’s big list of opportunities—go figure.
Moving on…
Other Relevant News
New Camera Access on Horizon Store
Big yay! Meta’s made camera access a standard, not experimental, feature on the Horizon Store. What’s this mean? More apps blending our reality with virtual worlds using AI. I saw this wild demo where ImmerGallery used Quest 3 cameras for 3D images. Now, these aren’t just techie showcases anymore—they could actually sell! Privacy flags are waving, but hey, users have to say “yes” to camera access. Meta’s got rules against creepy surveillance stuff, which is… reassuring? Let’s hope so.
Tidbits Worth Sharing
Quest’s Future Unpacked by Luna
Luna’s dishing out the scoop direct from data mining efforts. So much faster, right? Expect updates to Quest’s UI and windows—crossing fingers for improvements. Also, eye tracking to unlock devices—probably in Quest 4. Cool stuff.
Pimax Teases More News
Pimax Connect’s coming up on May 11. They’re talking about their teeny Dream Air headset. Feeling a mix of curiosity and dread about “new announcements”—how many VR headsets do they think we need?! Can’t wait to see what’s up.
MeganeX 8K Superlight’s Rocky Start
Shiftall’s MeganeX 8K Superlight has landed, but Redditors are grumbling about fit issues and awkward lens spots. Software’s kinda iffy too. On the bright side, if you set it up right, it’s beautiful. Just sucks that refunds aren’t a thing.
Infinite Reality’s Cloudy Vision
Last time around, I mentioned Infinite Reality and their whopping $3B investment… without a known hit product. Forbes dug in and found Sterling Select is backing them, but details are sparse. It’s one big mystery still.
Quest 3 Live Meshing
Last week, I mentioned a developer getting Quest 3 to do live 3D meshing. Turns out, it’s Julian Triveri, and he’s pulling it off with Depth APIs, not camera access. Sucks the battery dry but it’s a neat trick.
Block Horizon Worlds
Fed up with Horizon Worlds but can’t uninstall it from your headset? There’s a Reddit guide for blocking it. You’re welcome. Wonder how long before Meta blocks the blocker, though…
EA Hits Pause on Rally Games
Bad news, rally fans—Codemasters is pausing for future rally games, which bites for us VR folks. The gaming industry’s rough patch and EA layoffs led to this mess.
A Quick Buzz on Content
Psytec’s talked to Upload VR about why Titan Isles launched instead of Windlands 3. Meta-funded VR space sim Remnant Protocol’s coming with HOTAS support. Legends BMX and Surviving Mars: Pioneer hit Quest and Steam Early Access on May 8.
Oh, Some Content Reviews Too
Elsewhere Electric’s a spooky-yet-fun asymmetrical game for VR and mobile team-ups. I, Robot’s made a comeback as a harder-than-ever puzzle game. And Immerrock’s got a cool idea for learning guitar in mixed reality, though MR tech’s still got a ways to go.
Little Extras
Apple’s supporting Apple Vision Pro on Godot Engine—opens new doors for devs. Control your smart home with Apple Vision Pro thanks to Homerise. Design kitchens virtually at Lowe’s with Apple Vision Pro. Motorola phones now work with Quest VR. Also, Meta chatted with a Star Wars MR audio designer—insightful stuff.
Friends and Partners Update
Georgy Molodtsov’s “Under The Pillow: Kitten Mormitten” now on Quest Store—cute story, just 2 euros. Check it out. Oh, and Open Brush now does multiplayer! Collaborative painting is ON.
Looking for Opportunity?
Phygtl’s hiring Unity devs! Heads up to bright minds seeking to shake things up in global mobile-AR. Ping me if Unity’s your jam.
Some Giggles from XR
Quest 3’s looking a bit suspect… but it’s for laughs. Trust me. There’s a bunch more nonsense worth a chuckle too.
Doing Good
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(Header image by Meta)
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