I’m going to be honest here, I didn’t really know much about XR or Smart Glasses, until I had to edit and follow the work of my incredibly knowledgeable colleague Nick Sutrich.
Through reading his extensive coverage of the world of XR and Smart Glasses, it’s been a lot easier for me to understand how important these two categories have become in the world of Android. And especially with the big announcement that Google and Samsung will launch Android XR as a Meta Quest competitor next year, this mixed-reality space is only going to get more exciting.
For now, congrats to Meta for the Meta Quest 3S, and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and for the best games, we have Batman: Arkham Shadow and Just Dance!
Here’s what Nick had to say.
Best XR headset or smart glasses: Meta Quest 3S
Nick Sutrich: The XR industry continued to grow during 2024, and a few devices have helped attract new users, like the Meta Quest 3S. Meta’s latest headset is our XR device of the year because it delivers unparalleled value in the space, helping to bring in new users and give Quest 2 users an easy upgrade path without spending a ton of money. It might have the Quest 2’s lenses and display, but everything else is a massive upgrade, including the next-gen Snapdragon chipset inside.
Not only that, but Meta included Batman: Arkham Shadow for free with every Meta Quest 3S, further enticing new users into the fold with a series they know and love. For $299, Meta somehow included almost everything that makes the Quest 3 a fantastic experience, including the new controllers with better haptics and full-color, high-resolution passthrough vision. It’s created an explosion of fantastic mixed reality games, and it’s going to help usher in a new wave of next-gen VR games in 2025 and beyond.
Runner-up: Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses
While these technically came out in 2023, Meta basically relaunched the entire product category with the introduction of Meta AI tools on the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses back in April. Further updates were launched in September, including live translation and other impressive multimodal AI features right from your face. Live AI and music recognition, among other features, were added just a few days ago, showing that Meta is all about keeping these glasses as useful and relevant as possible.
Of course, all the base perks of the glasses from last year still stand. They’re a relatively affordable pair of frames with support for nearly all prescription types. I love wearing mine as a replacement for earbuds more often than not, and they’re mind-blowingly handy for taking phone calls, snapping quick pictures or videos (hands-free!), or just listening and responding to messages without having to stare at your phone.
Best new single-player VR game: Batman Arkham Shadow
Nick Sutrich: This year has been a stupendous year for VR gaming, but Batman: Arkham Shadow shines even among the crowded room for its excellence in game design, storytelling, voice acting, and unique gameplay mechanics that perfectly translate the Arkham experience to Meta Quest 3 headsets. Batman: Arkham Shadow takes home our 2024 VR single-player game of the year award.
Arkham Shadow’s original story takes place between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, letting you explore the Blackgate Prison in a way never before seen in a Batman game. You’ll switch between two characters throughout the story to undercover the identity behind the Rat King and experience the most authentic way to feel what Batman feels: by donning the cowl, your unofficial detective badge, and a license to beat up anyone who’s had it coming.
Best new multi-player VR game: Just Dance VR – Welcome to Dancity
Nick Sutrich: The long-awaited VR entry into the storied Just Dance series is the best way to learn the moves you’ve always wanted to, all to your favorite songs of the day. But we’ve been there and done that for the past 15 years with the series, so why did it get our 2024 VR multiplayer game of the year award? Because of Dancity.
Ubisoft and co-developer Soul Assembly put together a brilliant way to not only play and dance with friends but also to hang out with them in a spectacular “metaverse” style world called Dancity. It makes the game come alive in ways the series has never done before, and it makes playing the multiplayer component not only feel unique but also like a cohesive experience that we simply didn’t expect from a rhythm game.
Check out Just Dance VR – Welcome to Dancity today!