Future XR Highlights (2025.04.30): Meta Advances Ray-Ban Meta, Quest 3S Refurbished for $270, and More!

Sure, here goes:

Oh man, these days it feels like XR news is in hibernation. Maybe everyone’s off chilling for May Day—kinda ironic, right? Celebrating workers by not working and here I am, grinding away like a good little drone. That’s why this newsletter is fashionably late. But hey, quality’s still top-notch, promise! For those lucky folks who have tomorrow off, enjoy it with your loved ones. And just a random thought—you can snag a free copy of Harpagun in today’s giveaway. Talk about rewards, huh?

Headliners of the Week (Or Whatever)

Meta and Ray-Ban’s On-Again, Off-Again Relationship

Meta’s got that October deadline for its HUD glasses, but hold up—it’s also tweaking its Ray-Ban Meta glasses lineup. This week’s updates aren’t earth-shattering, but I can’t just let ’em slide:

• Ray-Ban Meta’s bagged live translations in English, French, Italian, and Spanish. Why not German? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe Essilor-Luxottica wanted to throw a bone to the romance languages.
• Meta AI goes transatlantic, or whatever, as it hops over to Europe. Privacy be damned, or so it seems.
• AI live sessions are on a North American tour soon. What a time, eh?
• Can now do Instagram calls. Because scrolling on your phone just isn’t enough anymore.
• Skyler glasses get a triple threat with three new styles. Yay for variety?
• Ray-Ban Meta is doing an international tour. Welcome, Mexico, India, and UAE.

Look, these glasses might be the next big thing—or just another fad. Watch this space. Or don’t. I can’t control you.

Random Tidbits That Caught My Eye

Meta’s Bargain Bin Trick: The Quest 3S

Who doesn’t love a bargain? Meta’s offer: refurbished Quest 3S for just $270. Yeah, the 128GB one, folks. There’s also a roomier version for $360. But don’t expect Batman VR to be in the package. Still, a sweet deal? Oh, definitely.

Oh, BigScreen, What Are You Up To?

BigScreen’s Beyond 2 is on a ‘hold your horses’ kind of vibe with its shipping. What was the hiccup this time? A faulty circuit board. They made 5000 of ’em before anyone went, "Oops." But hey, they’re playing the long game: better to delay than ship junk, right? Kudos, I guess.

Italy’s Playing Catch-up in the Metaverse

As an Italian (yeah, don’t hold it against me), I just found out we’ve got a metaverse strategy. Apparently. The doc reads like a ChatGPT script. No offense, but it needs some reality check. I mean:

• Italy, AR/VR frontrunner? Get outta here.
• XR was “born” in 1992, says who? Screw that.
• And here’s a gem: Luxottica co-developed Oculus. Hello? Palmer Luckey, anyone?

Guys, let me rewrite this mess; I’d even do it for free. Kinda.

Headlines Worth Your Chuckle

Spacetop Software Hopes and Dreams

Remember that laptop with AR glasses? Yeah, it’s basically just software now. Works on Windows tablets, but only the cool ones. You’ll need high-end specs, so let’s wait and see if this really takes off.

Varjo’s Back, Baby!

Teleport 2.0 drops with some fine-tuned room scanning. Now you can use your phone, a drone, even a DSLR. That’s nifty, right? And it’s free to try, so why not?

Meshing Your Room on Quest 3

Someone worked some VR magic for room meshing on Quest 3. This ain’t a system feature yet, but imagine blending reality and VR at will. I’ve seen the teaser and—I’m impressed. Color me intrigued.

And on, and on, and on… many things floatin’ in VR space. Games, cameras, even some kooky TV augmentation ideas crossing my newsfeed. It’s a wild world out there.

Random Nuggets You Didn’t Know You Needed

Celebs in Horizon Worlds? Sure, Doja Cat’s in. Meanwhile, Google’s diving deeper into XR with some tech sessions. And let’s not forget Relic’s attempt to redefine TV viewing. Could be genius, could be a dud… flip a coin.

Anyway, that’s a wrap on this week’s dose of chaos and XR love. Don’t forget: if you’re feeling generous, support the Red Cross. Or just tell them they’re doing great. Human touch, y’know?

Oh, and if you’ve read this far, here’s a big thank you to my Patreon supporters—you’re the unsung heroes.

(Header image courtesy of Meta—because why not?)