Meta opens up Horizon OS: Microsoft, Lenovo and Asus build VR hardware
Meta is renaming its VR platform to Meta Horizon OS and opening it up to third parties. Meta, leading sales figures in VR hardware by a country mile, hopes to create an ecosystem around its OS. Microsoft, Lenovo and Asus are already shuffling in.
Previously, the operating system for Quest headse... Read more
Apple Vision Pro: first-generation not ready for business use
The Apple Vision Pro is Apple's first major product launch in 2024. The headset hovers somewhere between forming the pathway to a virtual reality (VR) world and digitizing the real world with augmented reality (AR). What exactly can you buy for US$3,500?
Individuals who have already tested the ... Read more
Windows Mixed Reality reaches end-of-life in 2026
In late 2023, Microsoft announced that Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) was no longer being developed. However, it turns out that the application's end-of-life status will not arrive until November 2026. Even then, VR headsets that rely on WMR will still continue to operate.
We previously noted that ... Read more
Five Apple Vision Pro competitors enter renewed VR battle
Now that Apple has turned its focus to virtual reality, it looks like it may get five competitors. Qualcomm this week announced the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, which promises a slight improvement on previous chipsets. However, it's software where the renewed VR battle is heating up, with help from Googl... Read more
Windows Mixed Reality dies a quiet death
Microsoft has decided to remove Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) from new releases of Windows. Few users will notice its disappearance, despite the fact that the VR solution once debuted with much fanfare.
Tucked away in Windows' "deprecated features" list, Microsoft confirms that WMR is going away. ... Read more
Meta’s VP metaverse is optimistic: ‘The metaverse hype is dead’
Meta is quietly beginning to realize the state of the metaverse: "The metaverse hype is dead," says Vishal Shah, vice president of metaverse at Meta. But don't think we won't hear Zuckerberg and his team say another word about the metaverse. According to Shah, the time is now to actually build the ... Read more
AR chief leaves Google: “unstable commitment and vision”
Shortly after Google appeared to have quit its VR plans, now XR- and AR-focused Senior Director of Engineering Mark Lucovsky is also leaving. Via a tweet, he let it be known that his decision was heavily influenced by an "unstable commitment and vision" at the company.
Lucovsky previously worked... Read more
Samsung revises VR product to compete with Apple
The Apple Vision Pro won't be available until next year, but is already causing major shifts among competitors. Shortly after Google stopped developing its planned VR glasses, Samsung is reviewing what specifications its own virtual reality product should offer.
Korea's SBS Biz has seen internal... Read more
Almost no one is enthusiastic about the metaverse
Research by Gartner indicates that the metaverse has little support. VR applications do not yet meet expectations in business environments, and "immersive meetings" with avatars do not seem to add value for the time being.
Gartner interviewed 52 metaverse providers and examined 170 implementatio... Read more
Apple Vision Pro: will it shake up the way we work?
It's been confirmed: Apple will be releasing a headset that it has called Apple Vision Pro. For the first time since the Apple Watch in 2015, the Cupertino-based tech giant is coming out with an entirely new product line. The $3499 price is a steep one, but the kicker is that the new piece of kit i... Read more