Our XR News Round-Up is back with another packed edition, bringing together the latest developments across VR gaming, hardware, and app development.
VR Gaming Highlights
This week in VR gaming, we got hands-on with Stellar Café, a quirky and creative project from former Owlchemy co-founder Devin Reimer. The VR Games Showcase delivered a wave of exciting reveals, including Glassbreakers, Street Gods, Tracked, Forefront, Ready or Not, and several others.
Meanwhile, Elysian made history as the first WebXR game on the Horizon Store, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on standalone VR platforms. Another big step forward comes from BeamXR Live, which now allows players to livestream Quest games directly—without the need for a PC.
On the flip side, not all news was positive. Penguin Festival, a much-anticipated social VR event, will no longer launch on the Horizon Store following recent developments around Meta AI.
Hardware & Development Updates
Hardware enthusiasts had plenty to discuss this week as David Heaney shared impressions of two prototype Meta headsets, codenamed Boba 3 and Tiramisu. These prototypes hint at where Meta could be heading with its future hardware lineup.
For developers, Meta rolled out the Quest Runtime Optimizer for Unity, a new tool designed to help identify and solve performance bottlenecks more efficiently. Elsewhere, Adobe Substance 3D Reviewer officially launched on Quest, bringing new creative workflows to VR designers, while Niantic’s Spatial SDK v3.15 added full support for Quest 3 and 3S.
Spotlight: Exoshock
One of the most exciting announcements this week comes from Exoshock, a grimdark co-operative sci-fi shooter inspired by Halo and Gears of War. Developed by Polarity One and published by VRAL Games, Exoshock promises intense squad-based action for up to four players. Originally slated for a 2025 release, the latest gameplay trailer confirms it’s now targeting a fall launch on Quest and PC VR. A flatscreen version and PS VR2 port are also in development, broadening its reach even further.
That wraps up this edition of the XR News Round-Up. From groundbreaking tools for developers to fresh VR worlds and highly anticipated games, it’s clear the XR space isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
