Google is building an augmented reality headset, according to a Thursday news report, part of the search giant’s desire to take on Meta, Microsoft and Apple in the growing AR and virtual reality space. Code-named Project Iris, the headset-development effort is underway at a San Francisco Bay Area facility, according to The Verge, which cited two …
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Why Google is a key piece of the AR glasses race
What seemed likely months ago now seems even more so: Google is reportedly entering the AR headset race. What’s weird is that Google has already been here before. Years and years before. I wore Google Glass in 2013 on my train commute. It was my first pair of smart eyewear. I also used Google Daydream, Google’s VR goggles that worked …
Read More »The race to build AR glasses is heating up, and Samsung is surprisingly quiet
It’s only January, but 2022 is already shaping up to be a big year for augmented and virtual reality. It was one of the most prevalent themes at CES, which featured AR and VR announcements from Sony, Microsoft and Qualcomm (among others). Apple is also rumored to finally make its anticipated move into the smart headset space this or next …
Read More »Haptic gloves for Quest 2 are a small step toward VR you can touch
My very first attempt at trying home VR haptic gloves was awkward. I stretched a pair of knitted gloves over my hands, adjusting little plastic tips, delicately screwing in holsters on the backs of large, plastic battery packs. I slotted Oculus Quest 2 controllers into slots over my gloves. Then, for a few minutes I was picking up robotic parts, …
Read More »Second Life founder returns to revamp his original metaverse
The metaverse isn’t a new concept. Not only did Neal Stephenson coin the idea in 1992, but some of us were literally living in virtual spaces with virtual currency and virtual storefronts nearly 20 years ago. The virtual place many people went back then was Second Life. Philip Rosedale, Second Life’s founder, has decided to task a core team to …
Read More »The AR, VR future coming in 2022: What we learned from CES
This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon. At a show that often felt like it barely existed (and that I didn’t attend in person), it’s hard to figure out what CES 2022 really says about the year ahead. However, one trend that started accelerating in 2021 is already …
Read More »Your wrist might be where VR’s newest accessories live
This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon. It’s big. It’s weird. It’s curved around the wrist like a mouse that melted onto a watch strap. And maybe HTC’s Vive brand has finally hit upon the future of VR controllers. HTC’s product announcements at CES 2022 didn’t include any …
Read More »Panasonic’s tiny glasses
This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon. The future of VR might be glasses-sized. Shiftall, a division of Panasonic, revealed a pair of compact goggles that use MicroOLED displays and seem a lot closer to smart glasses than the Oculus Quest 2. Oh, and there’s also an optional …
Read More »TCL joins the race to create AR smart glasses, challenging Meta and possibly Apple
This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon. TCL, best known in the US for its value-priced TVs, is now looking to leap into lenses with a new smart glasses concept it announced ahead of CES 2022. The Chinese electronics maker joins tech giants like Facebook parent company Meta, Microsoft, …
Read More »Quest Day: Meta’s ‘holiday’ offers a host of weird and wonderful experiments
When the company formerly known as Facebook made the shift to Meta, there were a lot of questions about what that would look like in practice. Today, as Meta celebrates its self-described made-up holiday “Quest Day,” we’re starting to get some answers. VR brand Oculus has now been absorbed into parent company Meta, and this celebration is the first direct effort …
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