Meta is delaying the international roll-out for Ray-Ban Display Glasses with Neural Band while a handwriting feature arrives in the United States.
Meta's handwriting feature promises heads-up input on any surface while wearing the Neural Band. The feature launches first in Early Access in the United States for the English language with the "ability to send messages on WhatsApp and Messenger by writing with their finger on any surface."
Citing "unprecedented demand and limited inventory," Meta said it is also pausing "our planned international expansion to the UK, France, Italy, and Canada, which was originally scheduled for early 2026."
"Product waitlists now extend well into 2026," a Meta blog post reads. "We’ll continue to focus on fulfilling orders in the US while we re-evaluate our approach to international availability."
Meanwhile, Meta is rolling out pedestrian navigation for the Display glasses in Denver, Las Vegas, Portland and Salt Lake City joining dozens of existing cities with support. Meta also announced a "phased rollout" for a new teleprompter feature for the Display glasses.
Our review described the Display glasses as "first generation heads-up mobile computing" and we awarded the band "Best New Hardware" of 2025 for its breakthrough interface.
The Canada-based development studio that describes itself as "VR's Creative Heart" laid off 70 percent of its staff.
CEO Denny Unger of Cloudhead Games released a statement announcing deep cuts at the studio behind Pistol Whip and The Gallery.
"Due to industry forces beyond our control, Cloudhead must make the difficult choice to reduce our workforce effective January 7th 2026. 30% of us will remain to continue the mission," a note from Unger reads. "Our belief remains in the power of VR as a medium, as a shared dream machine that will one day transform humanity. We have no doubt VR's mainstream relevance is predestined, with future devices that do "everything", but it will take studios like ours to be there when that time comes."
Unger promised further updates about the "challenges and potential opportunities of our industry" while posting a document titled "reverse recruitment" with contact details for more than 30 staffers departing Cloudhead in the layoffs. Most are based in Canada and list a preference for a remote job.
16 people remain at Cloudhead following the cuts, according to Unger, with 40 people in total affected by the layoffs. The studio had been hinting at work on additional projects back in 2022.
"We released a steady stream of new content for Pistol Whip over a 5 year period but more importantly we've been working on new projects in stealth for 3 years," Unger wrote in our comments below. "Games take a long time to fund and produce."
Cloudhead released Pistol Whip in 2019 to wide acclaim. I rated it "fantastic" at launch and, in the years after, the studio stacked on considerable updates including multiple campaigns and even a "growing library of explosive Scenes created by the Pistol Whip modding community directly in-game." At $29.99 today on Steam, Quest, and PlayStation VR2, the title remains a fantastic cinematic action experience delivered in one big package rather than metered out as paid DLCs.
Pistol Whip is also a member of Meta's Horizon+ subscription games program and the title is offered at a discount with new membership in Sony's program. A large number of other top tier VR developers have their games in those games programs, which have helped supplement income from sales in the past.
We'll be curious to hear more from Unger about his particular path at Cloudhead. In 2019, the studio was buoyed by the development of Aperture Hand Lab for Valve as a sampler experience for the Valve Index. With Steam Frame around the corner, Cloudhead will have a new surface for Pistol Whip sales in 2026, but the layoffs would suggest no partnership materialized for a project specific to the system.
The layoffs are unlikely to be the last major reduction in the VR space for an experienced development studio – Myst creator Cyan let half go last year among many others – as creative groups continue to be shocked by shifting platform priorities.
Please reach out to ian@uploadvr.com if you have anything to share regarding funding and recruitment in the VR and AR space.
Apple revealed six upcoming Lakers games broadcasting live in Apple Immersive format to local Vision Pro owners.
The live schedule broadcasts from several angles at the Crypto.com Arena with one game from Ball Arena. Some angles are closer than a courtside seat with wide field of view stereoscopic views including "the scorer’s table, the area beneath each basket, a high-and-wide view of the arena, the player tunnel, the broadcast booth, and a roaming courtside perspective for interviews and commentary." We'll be curious to see how Lakers fans feel watching these games live as they air simultaneously on TV for most others.
Here's the schedule:
Friday, January 9 – Milwaukee Bucks vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 7:30 p.m. PT
Thursday, February 5 – Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 7 p.m. PT
Friday, February 20 – Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 7 p.m. PT
Thursday, March 5 – Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets – 7 p.m. PT
Tuesday, March 10 – Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 8 p.m. PT
Monday, March 30 – Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 7 p.m. PT
NextVR's full broadcasting schedule from 2016 is here on UploadVR for you to compare, with our report at the time noting that a free trial was offered ahead of the full broadcast schedule locked to NBA League Pass.
Apple later acquired the "leading broadcaster of VR events" and the technology has been reborn as Apple Immersive, with the company investing heavily in broadcast rights and equipping sports venues with immersive camera systems that can offer better than a front row seat. In the case of "Spectrum Front Row" in 2026, Apple, the NBA, and Charter Communications require some authentication to view a live broadcast in headset.
"In Southern California, Hawaii, and parts of Nevada, Spectrum Internet customers and video subscribers of any provider with a package that includes Spectrum SportsNet can access live games, full-game replays, and highlights by downloading the new Spectrum SportsNet app for Apple Vision Pro and authenticating their active subscription. Users with a free NBA ID will also have access to live games, full-game replays, and highlights via the NBA app."
After-game replays should be available in markets where Apple Vision Pro is sold as early as 24 hours after each live game, with the first available on Sunday, January 11.
Connexion
