Whether you’re strapping in for a Peloton ride or buying up virtual real estate, Mark Zuckerberg says you’ve joined the metaverse. On an August episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the Meta CEO said the evolution of virtual reality will unfold similarly to computers and cell phones: Gamers are the first to explore new technology, followed by mainstream users who want to use it to socialize.

Apple has begun the trademark application process for a variety of ‘reality’ names, as it prepares to introduce its first augmented reality headset device.

Last week, Meta showed yet another cringeworthy product of its $10.2 billion investment in the metaverse: a demonic VR porcelain doll of Mark Zuckerberg that looked worse than a Second Life avatar from 2003. Hastily released in response to yet another round of universal mockery from all over the internet, it was still only marginally more expressive, and slightly more alive, than a Ken doll.

The Meta CEO posted his new, high-res avatar on Instagram on Friday after Monday's low-res iteration was widely mocked.

I don't want to start this post by personally attacking Mark Zuckerberg's eyes, which have in years past been described as "two weird lil black marbles" and "vacant, black shark eyes." Who wouldn't look utterly bereft of a soul after trying to explain the internet to the United States Senate? I also don't need to suggest Mark Zuckerberg may in fact be a robot, since there's an entire meme community devoted to that joke. I am avoiding these easy, obvious dunks on ol' Zuck because his latest "metaverse" selfie looks so bad, he's already owned himself harder than I possibly could.

Apple and Meta are developing technology for mixed reality that requires a lot of expensive parts and a powerful headset.

As the concept of the metaverse has entered the mainstream, everyone from comedians to Wall Street analysts have taken to framing the much-hyped concept as a vague business meme that doesn’t stand a chance at success. Now, a survey from McKinsey refutes some of the skepticism directed at the metaverse.

The superhero game was a commissioned work by Sony and the last big exclusive title for Playstation VR. It was released for Playstation VR in 2020 and received a lot of attention from the press because Iron Man is a big name.

Apple plans to ship approximately 1.5 million units of its upcoming AR/VR headset in 2023, according to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a research note, Kuo reiterated that Apple plans to announce its long-rumored mixed-reality headset during an event in January 2023. The company's first AR/VR headset is expected to cost upwards of $2,000, making it a niche product. As a result, Kuo says shipments of the device are unlikely to exceed 1.5 million units in 2023.

In an unprecedented move, Meta has announced that it’s hiking the price of its normally affordable Quest 2 headset by $100 starting on August 1. Although Meta claims that the price bump is meant to allow the company to invest more in VR in hopes of “moving the VR industry further,” I’m left skeptical about the plausibility of that outcome. The move will not only hurt VR fans’ wallets but potentially hurt Meta’s goals as it attempts to turn the Metaverse into a mainstream experience.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission sought a court order on Wednesday to block Facebook parent Meta Platforms from buying virtual reality (VR) content maker Within Unlimited.

An Oculus Quest 2 price hike is on the way, as Meta has announced plans charge more for its popular VR headset. As you’d perhaps expect the social media giant is already receiving backlash over the move, as the increase could make virtual reality financially inaccessible for some players.

Meta's Q2 results showed us that Mark Zuckerberg's vision of the metaverse is still very expensive, with a $2.8B loss in VR division in Q2.

A fight over "what direction the internet should go in"

To understand what we are—and should be—building, we need to look beyond Snow Crash.

Credit where credit is due: The Meta Quest virtual reality platform, previously known as Oculus Quest, will soon remove its obnoxious Facebook account mandate. As announced on Thursday, starting in August, both new and existing Quest headset users will be able to use the system's default operating system and digital download store without tying their "real-name" social media accounts to the service.

In "Snow Crash," Neal Stephenson envisioned a world transformed by the metaverse, inflation and a virus. Now he's launched a metaverse start-up.

An Apple VR and AR headset is reportedly on the way

Apple’s mixed reality headset has been shrouded in rumors for months now, and a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman indicates that it could come with Apple’s flagship M2 processor. According to Gurman, Apple’s most recent version of the device, which is reportedly capable of delivering augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences, includes a base M2 chip and 16GB of RAM.

In a detailed post on Medium, Kuo explained that Apple's headset will be a "game-changer" for the augmented-reality and virtual-reality market. Describing some of the headset's functionality, Kuo said that while Apple has repeatedly touted its focus on AR, the headset will "offer an excellent immersive experience" and a "video see-thru" mode. The headset is expected to boost demand for immersive gaming and multimedia entertainment experiences.