Meta's Horizon+ subscription service has crossed over 1 million active subscribers in 2025, according to Meta. The /month service gives Quest owners access to around 100 premium VR titles.

Meta's Horizon+ subscription service for Quest headsets has reached over 1 million active subscribers in 2025, offering access to around 100 VR games, including major titles and indie games. Subscribers receive two free games each month, and the service provides excellent value at $8 per month. This milestone signifies a shift in how VR headset owners access premium content, potentially benefiting developers and reducing costs for subscribers.

Meta plans to add facial recognition to its smart glasses, according to a report. The feature, internally known as "Name Tag," would allow wearers to identify people and get information about them via Meta's AI assistant, raising significant privacy questions.

Apple's smart glasses will have two cameras, one for capture and the other for computer vision, and launch in early 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The device will use high-end materials and be powered by an Apple-designed chipset.

Apple's upcoming smart glasses are set to feature two cameras, one for high-quality image and video capture and the other for computer vision, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The glasses, which will launch in early 2027, will be designed with high-end materials and will offer functionalities like phone calls, music playback, live translations, turn-by-turn directions, and multimodal AI. Apple plans to distinguish its hardware from competitors like Meta by focusing on build quality and camera technology.

Meta is explicitly separating Horizon Worlds from Quest and shifting focus to third-party apps. The company will no longer push Horizon Worlds on Quest owners, instead funding and supporting the third-party developer ecosystem.

Meta is explicitly separating Horizon Worlds from Quest, focusing on third-party apps. Horizon Worlds will become almost exclusively mobile, while Meta will support the third-party developer ecosystem on Quest. Meta is removing individual Horizon Worlds destinations from the Quest in-VR store and separating worlds from the Store in the smartphone app.

VRChat reached a new all-time high of 156,716 concurrent users during the Sanrio Virtual Festival, particularly for a performance by Kaguya from the anime Cosmic Princess Kaguya.

VRChat broke its all-time concurrent user record with a Japanese anime concert, reaching 156,716 users. The platform hosted the Sanrio Virtual Festival, featuring a performance by Kaguya from the Netflix series Cosmic Princess Kaguya.

World Labs, co-founded by Fei-Fei Li, secured a $1 billion funding round, including a $200 million investment from Autodesk. The partnership will explore integrating World Labs’ AI models, which generate immersive 3D environments particularly for entertainment.

TechCrunch reports that World Labs, an AI startup, has secured a $200 million investment from Autodesk as part of a larger $1 billion funding round. The partnership aims to integrate World Labs' AI-generated 3D environments with Autodesk's 3D design tools, starting with entertainment use cases. Autodesk will advise World Labs and collaborate at the research and model level, with plans to initially focus on media and entertainment.

Roblox demos AI tool to build virtual worlds with text prompts.

The rise and fall of Oculus: How Meta's VR ambitions once began. Oculus VR shaped modern virtual reality like hardly any other company and now threatens to disappear for good. It's time for a look back.

This article from heise online provides a comprehensive overview of the rise and fall of Oculus, a pivotal company in the modern virtual reality industry. It began as a hobby project by Palmer Luckey, who developed the first VR prototype at the age of 17. Oculus quickly gained momentum through a successful Kickstarter campaign and the support of industry legends like John Carmack. The company was eventually acquired by Facebook (now Meta) for around two billion US dollars, which marked a turning point. The acquisition led to strategic shifts, community rifts, and the departure of key founders. Despite significant investments and the release of successful products like the Oculus Quest, Meta's vision for the Metaverse has not met expectations. The Oculus brand is now largely phased out, and the future of the once-celebrated start-up remains uncertain.

The Expedition 74 crew aboard the International Space Station focused on robotics and virtual reality research. They prepared for a student robotics challenge using Astrobee robots and conducted virtual reality experiments to study spatial orientation in microgravity.

The Expedition 74 crew aboard the International Space Station engaged in a variety of activities, including promoting education through robotics and virtual reality, inspecting safety equipment, conducting cargo swaps, and performing Earth observations. Students from the Asia-Pacific region prepared for a robotics challenge to control the Astrobee robotic helpers inside the Kibo laboratory module. Meanwhile, cosmonauts tested their balance and spatial orientation in microgravity using virtual reality goggles.

Renault Group is utilising digital twins, virtual reality, and immersive simulation to accelerate vehicle development and reduce costs.

This article explores how Renault Group is reshaping car development by merging real-life testing with virtual reality, using digital twins and immersive simulation to accelerate development and reduce costs.

Eye Tracking Is The Missing Piece In Mark Zuckerberg's VR Strategy.

This article discusses the importance of eye tracking in virtual reality (VR) and how Meta's decision to pause on eye tracking after the Quest Pro has limited VR's scale. It highlights how competitors like Apple, Google, and Valve are leveraging eye tracking in their latest VR headsets. The article also touches on Meta's broader strategy and its impact on the company's future in the VR space.

Everything Will Be Represented in a Virtual Twin, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Says at 3DEXPERIENCE World.

Meta remains optimistic about VR and is investing heavily in content: Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, acknowledged the cuts to its Reality Labs division as a cause for sadness. Bosworth emphasised that Meta’s commitment to VR and wearables are not mutually exclusive.

Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, acknowledges the recent cuts to Reality Labs as a 'real cause for sadness,' but maintains the company's optimism on VR. Despite the over $70 billion in losses since 2020, Bosworth insists that Meta remains 'extremely bullish on VR' and continues to invest more in content than any competitor. He clarifies that the cuts are due to the slower-than-expected growth of the VR ecosystem, not a lack of belief in its potential.

The PREMIERE project, an EU-funded initiative, explored the integration of AI and VR in live performances. The project showcased a performance where a dancer interacted with AI-controlled lights and sound, streamed live in VR.

In September 2025, a live performance at Porto’s Coliseum theatre in Portugal showcased how AI and virtual reality (VR) can transform live art. The Re-embodied Machine performance featured a dancer interacting with AI-driven lights and sound, watched by over 300 in-person and 200 online VR viewers. The EU-funded PREMIERE project explored these technologies' potential in the performing arts, with positive feedback and promising results.

Gaming companies saw share prices drop after Google launched Project Genie 3, an AI tool that generates virtual worlds from text prompts. While impressive, the tool’s limitations suggest it won’t replace traditional game development anytime soon.

Following the launch of Google's Project Genie, an AI tool that allows users to generate virtual worlds from text prompts, gaming companies' share prices have plummeted as investors fear AI could replace game development. However, experts emphasize that AI tools like Project Genie cannot currently replace the game development process. The tool is limited in its interactive elements and can only generate environments for a minute, making it unlikely to challenge game engines like Unity and Unreal anytime soon.

The Epstein files reveal a stark patriarchal world where powerful men network and exchange favours: The files offer a glimpse into the private conversations of this male ruling class, showcasing their disdain, indifference, and objectification of women.

This article from The Guardian reveals the role of women in Epstein's men's club, showcasing a world where powerful men network and joke, while women are tolerated only for their services, including organizing schedules, arranging food, and providing sex.

While Meta shifts focus to AI wearables and mobile platforms, other metaverse-adjacent platforms like Decentraland are thriving with a user-centric approach.

Meta is scaling back its metaverse operations, which could be a good thing for VR, experts tell Euronews. The metaverse as a pitch was a mistake, and the technology wasn’t mature enough to support a consumer platform. Meta’s pivot from virtual worlds has given other metaverse-adjacent platforms the freedom to nurture their relationships with real users.

Apple was the only Big Tech company to see capex decline YoY in Q4, dropping 17% to $2.4B. While peers like Google ($175-185B) and Amazon ($200B) plan to spend $660B combined in 2026, Apple forecasts just $14B for 2026 - less than one-tenth of Google's.

Following significant earnings reports, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft experienced a collective market value loss of $900 billion due to investor concerns over escalating AI-related capital expenditures. Despite AWS revenue growth and record-breaking results, investor skepticism persisted, contrasting with Apple's rise, which is attributed to its asset-light AI strategy and lower capital expenditures.

Google’s Project Genie, an experimental research prototype, allows users to create and explore interactive virtual environments through a web interface. While it has limitations, such as inconsistent character control and limited session time, it offers a glimpse into the future.

Google’s Project Genie is an experimental AI system that allows users to create and explore interactive virtual environments in real-time. It features two main prompt boxes for environment and character creation, and a third for modifying the initial look. While it offers exciting possibilities for the future of VR, it currently has limitations such as inconsistent character control, 60-second session limits, and the inability to generate VR worlds on the fly. It is currently available to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US.

Spotify is now limiting each app to only five users in developer mode, and requires developers to have a Premium subscription. If developers need to make their app available to a wider user base, they will have to apply for extended quota.

Spotify has updated its Developer Mode API, requiring developers to have a Premium subscription and limiting each app to five users. These changes aim to curb risky AI-aided or automated usage. Developers seeking to expand their user base must apply for an extended quota.

Women in rural India report experiencing trauma from data annotation work, which requires them to review violent content and porn for global tech companies. The workers describe hours of exposure to abusive content while training AI systems, with lasting psychological effects.

Women in rural India describe the trauma of moderating violent and pornographic content for global tech companies. These 'ghost workers' view up to 800 videos and images daily, which leads to lasting cognitive and emotional strain, including intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Despite the psychological risks, many firms do not provide adequate mental health support, and workers are often isolated due to strict non-disclosure agreements.

Sources: Intel and AMD have notified Chinese customers of supply shortages for server CPUs, with Intel warning of delivery lead times of up to six months.

Meituan agrees to buy Dingdong, a Chinese fresh grocery e-commerce company, for $717M in cash; Dingdong had 7M+ monthly transacting users as of September 2025.

China’s Meituan has agreed to acquire Dingdong, a leading on-demand commerce platform in China specializing in fresh groceries, for an initial consideration of US$717 million. This acquisition highlights Meituan’s strategic focus on grocery e-commerce and on-demand consumption in China. The deal is expected to strengthen Meituan’s position in the instant retail market by combining the strengths of both companies in products, technology, and operations. The transaction is subject to conditions including antitrust clearance in China and completion of the required filing with the National Development and Reform Commission.

Roblox’s Q4 2025 saw explosive growth, driven by international expansion and a rapidly growing, higher-spending 18+ user base. The company is boosting creator payouts as a core strategy, with developer exchange fees growing 70% year over year.

Roblox experienced explosive growth in Q4 2025, driven by international expansion and a growing 18+ user base, with bookings at $2.2 billion and revenue at $1.4 billion. The platform focuses on boosting creator payouts and investing in AI to enhance content complexity and safety. Facing legal challenges over child safety, Roblox has accelerated safety reforms. The company is now targeting older core gamers, with the 18+ cohort growing at over 50% and monetizing 40% higher than younger cohorts.

Anthropic launched Claude Opus 4.6, an AI model with improved coding, task sustainability, and professional work output. The model excels in coding, planning, code review, debugging, and financial analysis, and is available through various platforms.

Anthropic has launched its latest AI model, Claude Opus 4.6, which excels in coding, sustaining tasks for longer periods, and creating high-quality professional work. This model marks Anthropic's first major release of the year and follows the launch of three other models last year. Popular among enterprise customers, who constitute around 80% of Anthropic's business, the new model enhances coding skills, planning, code review, debugging, and operates reliably within large codebases. It also improves at pulling relevant information from large document sets, conducting research, and performing financial analyses.

New research contradicts claims of TikTok censorship following a U.S.-led investor takeover. The study, analysing viewership metrics of political and non-political content, found a data centre outage, not censorship, caused a drop in views.

Researchers examined claims that TikTok's new owners were suppressing political content, but found no evidence to support the allegations. The analysis, conducted by eight academics, found that a data center outage disrupted all categories of posts, rather than singling out political content. However, the researchers noted that it is still possible that small numbers of posts were removed or shadowbanned in a way that is not visible in the overall trends.