To be honest, I didn’t know much about XR or smart glasses until I had to edit and follow the work of my incredibly knowledgeable colleague Nick Satrich.
After reading his extensive overview of the world of XR and smart glasses, it became much easier for me to understand how important these two categories have become in the Android world. And especially with the big announcement that Google and Samsung will release Android XR as a competitor to Meta Quest next year, this mixed reality space is about to get even more exciting.
In the meantime, congratulations to Meta on the Meta Quest 3S and the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and among the best games we have Batman: Arkham Shadow and Just Dance!
That’s what Nick said.
Best XR headset or smart glasses: Meta Quest 3S
Nick Sutrich: The XR industry continued to grow throughout 2024, with some devices helping to attract new users, e.g. Meta Quest 3S. The latest Meta headset is our XR Device of the Year because it delivers unprecedented value, helping to attract new users and giving Quest 2 users an easy upgrade path without spending a ton of money. It may have the lenses and display of the Quest 2, but everything else is a massive upgrade, including the next-generation Snapdragon chipset inside.
What’s more, Meta has included Batman: Arkham Shadow for free with every Meta Quest 3S, further attracting new users to the series they know and love. For $299 Meta somehow includes almost everything it does Quest 3 fantastic experience, including new controllers with improved haptics and high-resolution, full-color, see-through viewing. It has created an explosion of fantastic mixed reality games and will help usher in a new wave of next-generation VR games in 2025 and beyond.
Second place: Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses
Although technically released in 2023, Meta essentially relaunched the entire product category by introducing Meta AI tools at Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses back in April. Further updates were launched in September, including direct translation and other impressive multi-modal AI features straight from your face. Living AI and music recognition, among other features, were added just a few days ago, showing that Meta is committed to making these glasses as useful and relevant as possible.
Of course, all the basic benefits of last year’s glasses still apply. These are a relatively affordable pair of frames that support almost all types of prescriptions. I like to wear my earbuds more often as a replacement for headphones, and they’re incredibly convenient for taking phone calls, taking quick photos or videos (hands-free!), or just listening to and responding to messages without looking at them. on your phone.
Best New Single-player VR Game: Batman Arkham Shadow
Nick Sutrich: This year has been amazing for VR games, but Batman: Shadow of Arkham shines even in a crowded room with superb game design, storytelling, voice acting and unique gameplay mechanics that perfectly bring the Arkham experience to the Meta Quest 3 headsets. Batman: Arkham Shadow takes home the award for Best Single-player VR Game of 2024.
The original Arkham Shadow story takes place between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, allowing you to explore Blackgate Penitentiary like never before in a Batman game. Throughout the story, you’ll switch between the two characters to discover the identity of the Rat King and experience the most authentic way to feel what Batman feels: donning the cowl, an unofficial detective badge, and a license to beat up anyone who had it. coming.
Best New Multiplayer VR Game: Just Dance VR – Welcome to Dancity
Nick Sutrich: The highly anticipated VR game from the legendary Just Dance series is the best way to learn the moves you’ve always wanted while listening to your favorite songs of the day. But we’ve been there and done that for the last 15 years with this series, so why did it win the Multiplayer VR Game of 2024 award? Because of Dancity.
Ubisoft and co-creator Soul Assembly have created a brilliant way to not only play and dance with friends, but also hang out with them in an immersive metaverse-style world called Dancity. It brings the game to life in a way that the series has never seen before, and makes the multiplayer component not only unique, but also a holistic experience that we simply weren’t expecting from a rhythm game.
Check Just Dance VR – Welcome to Dancity Today!