Horizon Worlds AI NPCs, Meta Connect 2025 Predictions & Expectations

We discuss iPhone 17 Pro still being limited to 1080p 30 FPS for spatial video, Alterego’s “silent speech” approach to discreet dictation, the US Army’s field tests of hundreds of Anduril and Rivet AR headsets, Amazon reportedly working on Echo HUD glasses and the broader smart glasses boom, Porsche’s colocated Apple Vision Pro showcase of its new drivetrain and BMW using Quest 3 to train EV battery technicians, Meta reportedly burying Horizon Worlds child safety research, new scriptable conversational AI NPCs in Horizon Worlds, and our predictions and expectations for Meta Connect 2025.

We discuss Meta’s next steps for smart glasses, including Meta AI gaining calendar access and Meta Connect’s agenda essentially confirming a smart glasses SDK; Wist’s Minority Report-style memory replay on Apple Vision Pro and Quest; a surge in Quest 3 and 3S usage on SteamVR and whether sales and the Xbox Edition drove it; how Windows MR headsets are being revived by the free Oasis SteamVR driver, now auto-installed by the SteamVR beta; Valve bringing Steam Link to Pico headsets; and whether Valve’s newly registered Steam Frame trademark points to its next headset.

Smart Glasses1. Oakley Meta HSTN Glasses Now Shipping2. Meta Doesn't Expect To Sell Many Units Of Its HUD Glasses3. Meta's HUD Glasses Could Support Third-Party Apps4. Google Hasn't Yet Decided Whether To Release Its Own GlassesDevelopment & Computer Vision5. Quest v78 Improved The Passthrough Camera API's Image Quality6. Quest 3 Unity SDK Update Lets Developers Easily Track QR Codes7. Lynx Releases Open-Source Android 6DoF Positional Tracking System8. Horizon Worlds Creators Can Now AI-Generate Islands, And AI NPCs "Very Soon"9. No Man's Sky Is The First VR Game To Use PS5 Pro's PSSR AI Upscaling10. Samsung's Android XR Headset Will Reportedly Be $1800-$300011. Rec Room Halves Staff After 'Pushing A Giant Vision We Couldn't Realistically Deliver'12. Quest v81 PTC Completely Overhauls Your VR Home & Improves Meta AI13. Invisible Mobile Robots Can Make Deliveries To VR & AR, Princeton Researchers Show14. The VR Retail Experience Needs A Hard Reboot

 1. Sony Increases PS5 Console Prices In The US  Meta Quest News 2. Spatial Phone Lets You Use Your iPhone Or Android While Immersed On Quest 3. Hauntify On Quest 3 Now Uses Lasertag's Continuous Scene Meshing 4. Meta Delists Quest App That Let You Install APKs Without A PC 5. Meta CTO Gives Update On Quest 3's Long-Delayed Augments Feature  visionOS Media Watching Environments 6. Disney+ On Apple Vision Pro Gets Alien: Earth Environment 7. Hogwarts Great Hall Opens To HBO Max Subscribers On Apple Vision Pro  8. Vivo Vision Is 40% Lighter Than Apple Vision Pro & "Could" Be 1/3 The Price  Meta Smart Glasses News 9. Oakley Meta HSTN Glasses Preorders Open, Shipping Next Week 10. Meta To Reportedly Sell HUD Glasses With EMG Wristband For $800 11. Why Meta's First HUD Glasses Will Only Have A Display In One Eye

Interesting Quest Apps1. BeamXR Live Lets You Stream To Twitch & YouTube From Quest Without A PC2. Adobe Substance 3D Reviewer Lets Quest Owners View 3D Models Together For FreeQuest SDKs & Development3. Meta's Quest Runtime Optimizer Helps Unity Developers Fix Performance Bottlenecks4. Niantic Spatial SDK Brings Outdoor VPS & Long-Distance Live Meshing To Quest 3M5 Vision Pro & Vivo's Clone6. New Vision Pro With M5 Chip Spotted In Apple Code7. Vivo's Apple Vision Pro Copycat Is An In-Store Demo Only, For Now8. Pico 4 Ultra Gets Enhanced Body Tracking With 5 Pico Trackers & Travel Mode9. PlayStation VR2's Eye Tracking Now Works On PC Via Open-Source Driver ModMeta's Boba 3 & Tiramisu Prototypes10. Meta Boba 3 Prototype Hands-On: Ultra-Wide Field Of View Without Compromise11. Meta Tiramisu "Hyperrealistic VR" Hands-On: A Stunning Window Into Another World

1. Elysian Is The First WebXR Game On Quest's Horizon Store2. Instagram On Quest Now AI-Converts Videos To 3D Too3. Horizon Worlds Can Now Be Accessed Inside Instagram & Facebook360° Video4. DJI Osmo 360 Captures HDR 8K 360° Video At 50FPS5. Touching the Sky Is An Hour-Long 3D 360° Experience From Red Bull & MetaMark Zuckerberg & Tim Cook Quotes6. Zuckerberg: People Without Smart Glasses Will Be At "Cognitive Disadvantage"7. Tim Cook: Apple Continues To Be "Very Focused" on visionOSInteresting Research8. YORO Increases VR Frame Rates By Rendering One Eye & Synthesizing The Other9. Meta Got 3 Full-Body Codec Avatars Running In Real-Time On Quest 310. Proxies Could Be The Key To Interacting With Physical Objects In Mixed Reality11. Meta Shares Details Of Ultra-Wide FOV & "Hyperrealistic VR" Prototype HeadsetsAI For Virtual Worlds12. Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor's 'Creator Assistant' AI Agent Automates Development13. Why Genie 3 Suggests AI 'World Models' Are The Path To Photorealistic Interactive VR

1. Premier League Player Airs A Live VR Recreation Of A Football Match Next Week2. Quest's New Boundary System Is A Dangerous Safety RegressionQuest / Horizon OS Software Updates3. Quest v79 Matches The Color Temperature Of 2D Windows To Your Ambient Lighting4. Meta Avatars Get Deeper Body & Face Customization, AI Outfit AssistMeta Research5. Meta's Prototype 'Codec Avatars' Now Support Changeable Hairstyles6. Meta & Stanford's Thin Holographic Display Brings "VR Glasses" Closer To RealityMeta's Q2 2025 Earnings7. As Ray-Ban Meta Sales Skyrocket, Quest Sales Are Down Again

Interesting Quest Apps1. Zoom Is Now Available As A 2D App On Quest2. Putt Window Lets You Use Your Real Putter & Ball In Quest 3 Mixed Reality3. VR Android File Manager For Quest Lets You Install APKs Without A PC4. Varjo Will Stop Supporting XR-3 & Aero Next Year5. After One Key Change, Meta's Quest UI Overhaul Has Gone From Bad To Great6. ByteDance Reportedly Working On Lightweight Pico HeadsetSmart Glasses & Display Glasses7. Meta Invests €3 Billion In EssilorLuxottica, Taking 3% Stake8. Apparent Renders Of Next-Gen Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Leak9. Meta Details EMG Wristband Gestures You'll Use To Control Its HUD & AR Glasses10. Viture's 'The Beast' Display Glasses Have Industry-Leading FOV & Brightness11. Rec Room Plus Subscribers Get Roomie, A Floating AI Companion12. Billie Eilish Tease Suggests A 180° 3D Release Of Her Latest Concert13. Sharp Is Developing A Hybrid Haptic VR Glove & Controller14. M4 Apple Vision Pro Refresh With New Strap Reportedly Launching This Year15. Meta Shows Off Research Towards Practical Ultra-Wide Field Of View Headsets

1. Quest 3S Xbox Edition Sold Out From Meta2. Bigscreen Beyond 2 Has Started Shipping To Customers3. Meta 'Celeste' HUD Glasses Name, Design & EMG Wristband Gestures Leak4. Apple Vision Air Coming In 2027, Supply Chain Analyst Claims

1. Samsung's Headset Will Reportedly Ship In October, To South Korea First2. WebXR Apps On Quest's Meta Horizon Store Can Now Use In-App Payments3. ModRetro Chromatic Now Displays Nintendo Game Boy Games In Quest Headsets4. Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings Are Held Every Day In Virtual SpacesSmart Glasses5. Oakley Meta HSTN Glasses Have Double The Battery Life Of Ray-Bans & Capture 3K Video6. Google Reportedly Investing In Gentle Monster To Take On Ray-Ban Meta7. A Developer Built A Real-World Ad Blocker For Snap Spectacles8. Quest 3S Xbox Limited Edition Available For $400Immersive & Volumetric Video9. F1: The Movie - Hot Lap Is An Immersive Teaser For Apple's Blockbuster10. China's 4DV AI Releases WebXR Demo Of 6DoF Volumetric Video