Welcome back. It's time again for our monthly "all you need to know", covering the latest in the world of XR. 

As we hurtle towards 2024, we've been busy keeping our ears to the ground to bring you the latest and most relevant happenings in all things extended reality.

October is finally upon us and with it comes huge news of the Quest 3, a Unity scandal and more…

Meta Quest 3 specs and accessories leak

With the Quest 3's supposed launch date imminent, we've seen a recent surge in leaks about the headline-grabbing device.

Assuming they're genuine, the new details promise a very competitive gaming device. Meta is keeping up with the latest VR hardware technologies by incorporating pancake lenses, inside-out tracking and colour passthrough cameras. The device will also use Qualcomm's powerful XR2 Gen2 processors. 

The leak also detailed several accessories – along with prices for each. Apparently, you can get your hands on an official Quest 3 charging dock (for $199.99), an elite strap with battery (also $199.99) or the Quest 3 carry case ($59.99). 

The device should be available to take home on October 10th, with pre-orders available any day now. Meta is releasing two versions of the headset – a base 128-gigabyte device that will retail for $499 and one with increased storage of 512 gigabytes that will cost around $599. 

Unity forced to backpedal after pricing uproar

Cross-platform software engine, Unity, has faced a massive backlash after announcing a new pricing model for its users. 

This change, if implemented, would see a shift from a per-seat subscription system to a per-install system. Basically, if an application created on the engine surpasses a certain number of downloads and revenues then a per-install fee would be put into place.

Thresholds and fees would be different depending on the account type. For Unity Personal users, any downloads past 200,000 (or $200,000 in revenue) would incur a charge of $0.20 per install. 

The threshold for Unity Pro or Enterprise users, however, would be much larger – with only $0.01 being charged after one million installs. 

The overriding opinion online seems to be that this new system punishes a developer's success and that changing software that's already on the market puts the company's integrity into question – especially after talk of a similar change in the past was quashed by Unity.

Users have also questioned how Unity would reliably track download numbers and how pirated software would be monitored. Although the engine has spoken on Twitter claiming to have a means of doing this, there was no clear explanation of how.

Unity is one of the most popular gaming and software engines around and the outcry to this sudden change has been monumental. So much so, in fact, that Unity has since announced sweeping changes to the policy based on its users' "honest and critical feedback".

It remains to be seen whether the policy will change further – or, indeed, be scrapped entirely.

Metaverse to tackle climate change 

The end of September saw news that Microsoft is using the Metaverse as a tool to unite policymakers and business leaders in tackling polar warming. 

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has previously partnered with Microsoft and Accenture to create the Global Collaboration Village. This is a VR-driven collaboration platform designed to bring together international leaders in government, business and education to collectively tackle pressing global issues. 

We are now seeing plans to expand this Metaverse service by adding a new "Polar Tipping Points Hub". 

The Hub will use the power of virtual reality to help decision-makers visualise and better understand emerging climate issues. WEF hopes that interactive features like live VR simulations and immersive data will drive leaders with "clarity and urgency" – and aid in better collaborative decision-making on polar warming. 

WEF is a strong believer in the Metaverse and its potential for positive impact in enterprise. The organisation has recently posted a report that speaks highly of the Metaverse, how it is changing the future face of business and how firms can leverage Metaverse platforms.

It seems this new expansion will work to strengthen an already strong relationship. 

New details emerge about the Vision Pro ecosystem

Finally, some news about Apple.

Tim Cook recently reiterated that the Vision Pro's development is proceeding as expected and the release date should remain as early 2024.

What's interesting to see is how Apple is using this interim period to create a solid ecosystem, ready for the device to slot into. 

The new iPhone 15 was launched on 22 September. The Pro model can shoot spatial videos natively. These can then be transferred and viewed on a Vision Pro headset. 

The new AirPod Pro model, meanwhile, will support the ultra-low-latency audio technology from the Vision Pro – meaning increased privacy and immersion while using the device. 

Lastly, the Apple Watch now includes a "double-tap" feature that works through hand gestures. The watch will be able to recognise the gesture of touching your thumb and index finger together, then transform it into a "click" or "select" action. This seems to set the device up nicely for use alongside the Vision Pro as a kind of input system. 

These new features and updates should work symbiotically with the Vision Pro and show a clear example of Apple's intention to create a self-sufficient digital ecosystem for its products.

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