1. Sony announced today that the PlayStation VR platform has sold over 3 million PSVR headsets and 21 million PSVR games. The PlayStation 4—needed to run PSVR apps—has sold 82 million consoles, which means the install base is far from saturated. It also puts Sony ahead of console competitors Microsoft and Nintendo, neither of which have a VR solution on their flagship systems. — VENTUREBEAT

2. Nickelodeon has released its new “Slimezone VR Showdown” series that builds on the the IMAX VR slime experiences available to the public since March. According to VRScout, the series features “two teams of two in the virtual ring as they battle one another for Nick Toon dominance.” It sounds like a fittingly slimy experience and is only one part of the children’s media company’s push to create VR and AR content. — VRSCOUT

3. Jumping on the “BFA” bandwagon, Snapchat has introduced a new Shoppable AR lens that lets users transform into an orc or a void elf (ask your friends). In addition to that, the lens lets users “fight sworn enemies of the faction they pick on the front-facing experience by placing them in their physical environment and tapping the screen to attack,” according to Next Reality. The lens also contains a link to the Blizzard online store, where users can purchase the Battle For Azeroth (“BFA”) expansion. — NEXT REALITY

1. I briefly mentioned this yesterday, but there are new details on the StarVR One headset that show next gen functionality. According to information unveiled at SIGGRAPH 2018 (and reported by VRFocus), the headset will include an eye tracking solution, the ability to automatically measure Interpupillary Distance (manually set this generation, and different for each user), and “a VR-optimized AMOLED display with up to 16 million sub-pixels at a refresh rate of 90 frames per second.” StarVR is focused on the enterprise VR sector with this new hardware, according to the company’s CTO: “StarVR is blazing new trails to deliver breakthrough technology for a new world of realism to support real business [decision making] and value creation. With our StarVR One headset we are conquering the VR final frontier – the enterprise.” Pricing and release date information has not been released. — VRFOCUS

2. Apple-focused analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts Apple will reveal its own AR smartglasses product in 2020. According to Next Reality, Kuo has “a long track record of frequently accurate early predictions of Apple’s moves,” and given Magic Leap’s AR appetite-whetting, that sounds about right (if not earlier). Other reports suggest Apple’s smartglasses go by the code name “T2888” and could include VR functionality. Next Reality points out that Kuo’s timeline is a full year earlier than Apple analyst Gene Munster’s 2021 prediction. — NEXT REALITY

3. E-commerce titan Alibaba Group has announced a new AR shopping experience that allows users to browse and buy products in an exceedingly futuristic-looking interface. The platform, Taobao Buy, launches later this year and lets users position “3D holograms of select products from their massive online store into your environment to see how they might look in a room,” according to VRScout. Lots more detail after the jump, including how Taobao could be the first online marketplace available for Microsoft’s AR hardware Hololens 2 when it launches in 2019. — VRSCOUT

4. New VR headset technology launched at SIGGRAPH 2018 could offer a solution for motion sickness, eye strain, prescription glasses that don’t fit under headsets, and more. Attendees are currently testing out Lemnis Technologies’ Verifocal system, which “works to trigger a natural accommodation response in the human eye, which allows for a more comfortable experience when observing nearby objects in VR, meaning less possibility of eye strain,” according to VRFocus. No pricing or release date information is available yet, but this sounds similar to tech being built into next gen VR headsets like Oculus’ “half-dome” headset.  — VRFOCUS

5. Another novel solution on display at SIGGRAPH 2018: Stanford researchers have created prototype “autofocals” that “bring the world into focus when someone lacks the ability to do it on their own,” according to TechCrunch. The prototype—though currently too large for general use—is meant to be a flexible replacement for bifocals and progressive lenses. Using eye-tracking tech currently being implemented for VR headsets, the tech shows a lot of promise in the more medical use case: “Even with an early prototype, the Autofocals are comparable to and sometimes better than traditional correction,” reads the company’s research summary. “Furthermore, the ‘natural’ operation of the Autofocals makes them usable on first wear.” Gives me hope for my failing eyes, at least. — TECHCRUNCH

6. Blind protagonists who see via echo location aren’t new, but upcoming VR puzzler “Blind” looks to be pushing the boundaries of the genre. The game asks users create sound via in-game objects (toss a heavy book), a microphone ("is anyone there?") and more, eventually giving the player a cane, which can blind the user with sound if smacked widely without caution. VRFocus doesn’t have platform, pricing or release date information, but this is one I'll definitely be following—I'll update when new information is available. — VRFOCUS

7. Niantic has announced its popular "Pokémon Go" AR app is getting better parental control options in the near future. "Niantic Kids adds a new portal that gives parents the option to review and approve their kid’s in-app permissions before they start playing, and offers better control over what personal information gets shared in the game," according to The Verge. The controls will likely make the jump to the upcoming Harry Potter AR game, as well. — THE VERGE

8. I wonder if Nickelodeon got the memo...

"Future of Imax VR uncertain after company closes two centers" - @Variety

9. Yet another use case...

"Tokyo 'virtual reality' restaurant combines cuisine with fine art - via @dwnews #VR #VirtualReality http://clikhe.re/rf93h " - @IRM_media

10. Surely they've been working on this for a while...

"#Apple considers ways to improve 360-degree, multi-camera video for use with #VR headsets" - @appleinsider

4. Next Reality is continuing its Magic Leap breakdown, and is naming apps “Screens” and “Helio” as the most immediately mainstream-friendly experiences on the AR device. The key feature, according to writer Adario Strange, is Helio’s website browsing experience: “in case you were wondering, small text on the web via Helio is extremely readable. But if you want to make text or an image larger, you can simply click the front bumper on the Control device and toggle back and forth until the browser is as small or large as you like.” Sure, web browsing isn’t that exciting, but could this be the way one could write, read, and work using only the headset and a bluetooth keyboard (or something similar)? I’ll continue to dream… — NEXT REALITY

5. VR music experience “Soundscape” has announced a new update that brings new content and quality of life improvements to the free software. The update adds the new “Crystalline Summit” audio-reactive world, which reacts to music played by the user and is "full of secrets to be discovered,” according to VRFocus. As I’ve mentioned before, these are the kind of VR/AR experiences pushing the boundaries of the medium—first person shooters are fine, and can also push the boundaries, but there is much more emotional, narrative, and technical innovation out there beyond the traditional gaming themes. Unfortunately, I can’t try it out (yet), so drop me a line if any of you give the free experience a go. — VRFOCUS

6. Have you ever wanted to do the stupid stuff infamous “clown” Steve-O does? I definitely haven’t, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t give a Steve-O VR experience a try, for the right price. According to VRScout, “‘Headset Hotshots’ is a four-episode series available in both VR and 360-degrees (read: both expensive and dirt cheap options) that takes users on a journey through some of the internet’s greatest VR fails, stumbles, accidents, and freakouts.” The content will be available on Steve-O’s YouTube channel. — VRSCOUT

7. 360 video from Reelmedia Film (via VRFocus): "Mudslide360"

“Mudslide360 follows the journey of a family who lost their house and loved ones in the mudslide that swept through Freetown, Sierra Leone in 2017. The film is an immersive audio and visual experience that transports the viewer from the night of the mudslide to the temporary camp for mudslide victims, until finally we are taken [to] one woman’s new home where, with UNICEF’s help, she can support her family and begin rebuilding her life.” — VRFOCUS

8. We're not there quite yet, but soon...

"What we call #VR and #AR is only a stepping stone on the demand for deeper experience of other creative art and breaking away from the normal working days or school days." - @bigpotplant

9. Particularly once 5G rolls out...

"Learn why the massive adoption of #AR & #VR for business applications will inevitably go through mobile in this blog post by @atanasovg" - @Telerik (Telerik .NET controls, reporting & productivity tools for building modern apps with sleek UI)