Weekly Insights #12

Snap Commemorates Six Months of Spectacles

It’s hard to believe it’s been six months since Snap unveiled Spectacles, Gen 5 at its September Partner Summit. We were there for the unveiling and to moderate a panel discussion at the event. So the milestone caught our attention.

In any case, Snap is commemorating today’s six-month Spectacles anniversary with a series of updates. These include a new developer rewards program, lenses, and features in Snap OS – the platform that was built for and launched alongside Spectacles Gen 5. (AR Insider)

Meta: Open Store & Worlds Push Didn't Affect Spending, Headset Usage Up 30%

Meta's Director of Games, Chris Pruett, gave a talk at GDC 2025 today in which he revealed the new figure and responded to the concerns of some VR developers about Meta's strategic priorities.

The revelation of headset usage per month increasing by 30% in 2024 follows Pruett's announcement at last year's GDC that Quest 3 has higher retention than previous Meta headsets. “The number of people who own and are actively using a headset is larger than it has ever been”, Pruett told the audience today. (Upload VR)

Is 3D Shopping Becoming a Must-Have for Brands?

When Threedium first introduced its 3D and augmented reality (AR) solutions to luxury brands, many executives struggled to see their value beyond the novelty of Pokémon GO-style experiences. Fast forward to today, and 3D content has become a cornerstone of digital transformation for brands across industries.

This was one of many takeaways in a video interview between Mike Festa, CTO of SuperDNA 3D Lab, and Mike Charalambous, CEO and co-founder of Threedium (AR Insider)

Despite Years of Reports to the Contrary, PC VR Just Won’t Die—In fact, It’s Growing

The XR landscape has changed significantly over the last five years with the flourishing of standalone headsets and new entrants like Apple and (soon) Google. Despite all of that, the PC VR platform has continued a slow but steady growth. (Road to VR)

SXSW Signals a New Era for Storytellers

SXSW is where bold ideas in storytelling, technology, art, advertising, health, and more collide to spark what comes next. This year signaled a new era for storytellers, redefining not just what stories are told, but how audiences engage with them. (AR Insider)

Meta: “We Are Still Investing Massively In VR Gaming And Don't Plan To Stop

The talk came just hours after Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth declared on X that "we are still investing massively in VR gaming and don't plan to stop", while noting that "there is a much stronger continuum between social and gaming than there used to be though, true on our platform with things like Gorilla Tag and true elsewhere with things like Fortnite". (Upload VR)

Immersed in Austin: XR Highlights from SXSW

SXSW is the ultimate FOMO conference – you can’t see everything, no matter how hard you try. The XR Experience Exhibition, curated by Blake Kammerdiener, once again stood out as one of the festival’s highlights. With 31 projects—15 in competition and 16 in the XR Experience Spotlight—this year’s showcase underscored the continued evolution of immersive storytelling, from mixed reality (MR) experiences in real-world settings to dome projections and large-scale, multi-user installations. (AR Insider)

CBS Miami to Unveil AR/VR Studio for Sports and Weather

The station group said the studio will redefine how sports and weather are reported in the market. Sports anchor Mike Cugno will introduce the cutting-edge technology, marking a new chapter in broadcast journalism. (Adweek)

If you liked what you read, follow us for more insights, here on LinkedIn and Instagram?at @atomicdigital.design.