Okay, let’s do this. Bear with me, I’ve got lots to say, and some of it might just surprise you. So, I was reading some news the other day—well, news and a bit of spaghetti recipe swapping, but that’s beside the point. Right, picture this: an Italian tennis player just snagged the Wimbledon title. First time ever! Might’ve punched the air more than once when I heard. Anywho, as a fellow Italian (I swear, I can almost hear the pasta boiling), I feel the urge to do something historic myself. Ideas, anyone? Just shout them out in the comments, or maybe text me. But for now, I guess I’ll stick to what I know—yep, you guessed it—sum up this week’s top XR happenings.
So, onto the juicy bits. XPANCEO, this startup from Dubai, just became a shiny ‘unicorn’ in the land of business creatures. Smart contact lenses—sounds like a sci-fi flick, doesn’t it? They scored a sweet $250M investment, and now everyone’s tossing around numbers like $1.35 billion in the air. I got to peek into their lab once (virtually, of course, but it still counts, right?). They’ve moved from hard lenses to your everyday soft hydrogel kind. Tried a few prototypes at a tech event, and guess what? They worked! Imagine the lens checking blood sugar for folks with diabetes—wild. Roman Axelrod and Valentyn Volkov, keep rocking it, you two. Dubai trip when?
Now, onto the indie XR games—unpredictable like Sunday’s family lunch. Upload VR hosted their 2025 Summer Showcase, showcasing some indie gems. Picture this: Elsewhere Electric, a game where your phone’s involved, alongside your VR headset—kind of like solving puzzles with your grandma, but way cooler. Then there’s Reach (more like, I can’t reach, my PS VR2 is late!), coming soon with a trailer that’s just, wow.
I heard, maybe even daydreamed (oops), that Samsung would lift the curtain on their Moohan headset at the Unpacked event. Nope. Nada. Silence. Funny how speculation keeps us on our toes, but also kinda makes us fall flat on our faces sometimes. Maybe they’re planning a surprise or I just bumped into someone holding a script for a Samsung sitcom. Who knows?
And oh, Meta throwing a casual $3.5 billion to gobble up some shares of EssilorLuxottica. Feels like they’re setting up a plot twist for a future episode. Smartglasses takeover, anyone? Meanwhile, somewhere in the mystery land of innovation, Canon’s got their hands on some mixed reality magic, hoping we won’t have to sell kidneys to afford it.
Quick pop-in here—have you ever been to a VR LAN party? Picture 130 headsets, all together, an orchestra of virtual chaos! Jeff Baz—yes, that’s a real name, not a typo—put that together. Massive props!
To wrap up this wild ride, check out Viture’s new glasses—watch movies like you’re in the cinema, but without the sticky floors and popcorn thieves. And there’s talk of a revamped Apple Vision Pro with a new chip—is it M4? No clue, just as confused as the rest.
Alright, I need to get back to that pasta and maybe figure out how donating to the Red Cross helps keep balance in the universe. Feel free to toss in your thoughts or…pasta recipes. Just kidding…or am I? Until next time, ciao!
