Augmented Reality (AR)

I’ve always been skeptical of AR and VR glasses. The tech is undeniably cool—especially with devices like the Vision Pro absolutely blowing me away —but the bulky, invasive form factors have always made them feel more like toys and demo machines rather than practical tools. Even with sleeker options like the Meta Ray-Bans, you still deal with oversized frames and those cameras. So when I came across the Even Realities G1 at CES and tried them on, I was in absolute awe. Let me tell you why.

If Ray-Ban Meta glasses are not your style, the company is expected to launch a pair of Oakley smart glasses later this year. These will likely mirror the functionality of Meta’s existing AI glasses, but with very different styling.

The Oakley glasses are reportedly based on the Sphaera model, which is primarily aimed at cyclists and other athletes …

Apple’s long-term goal for Vision Pro is believed to be an Apple Glasses product, in which an ordinary-looking pair of glasses will be able to display both text and AR content.

We’ve seen some competitors take early steps in that direction, and the RayNeo X3 Pro AR glasses look like the closest thing we’ve yet seen in a real-world product …

There’s been a lot of talk about augmented reality tech lately, especially with the unveiling of Snapchat Spectacles and Meta Orion. Those are both highly expensive and unobtainable to consumers – but there is a growing market of affordable glasses, that provide some of the benefits of AR glasses at a much more palatable price tag. The RayNeo Air 2s’ are one of them, and I’ll be providing some of my thoughts.

Ray-Ban Meta have been the most successful smart glasses to date, offering an appealing mix of features in a form factor which is visually indistinguishable from normal sunglasses.

So far, all of the AI functionality, notifications, and messaging features have relied on the glasses reading things to you through integrated speakers, but a new report says a future model will get a display, and that it could launch as early as next year …

For the longest time, we’ve heard rumors about Apple developing some form of AR smart glasses. Nothing has come to light of that, though we do now have Apple Vision Pro, which has a number of similarities with potential AR glasses, albeit in a much bulkier form factor.

However, despite companies like Meta and Snapchat showing off cool demos of augmented reality glasses, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reports that Apple is around 3-5 years away from “getting the approach right.”

Snapchat unveiled a new version of Spectacles back in September, providing a peak at the future – with augmented reality glasses. I got the opportunity to try them out earlier this week, and honestly, they’re pretty impressive. Far from perfect, but definitely amazing.

Sightful, nana, unveiled a new product last year called Spacetop G1, which is described as an “AR laptop.” That’s because the device consists of lightweight AR glasses combined with a laptop computer that has a keyboard and trackpad. Spacetop G1 is now available for pre-order, but what does it tell us about the future of AR/VR devices?

A new Best Buy Vision Pro app uses augmented reality to let you see how things like big-screen TVs, furniture, kitchen appliances, and more would look in your home.

Once you find something you like, you can also buy it from within Vision Pro by opening the product page in Safari and completing the purchase there …

Apple and Meta won’t just be competing with their VR headsets – they are also likely to be gearing up for a later battle between Apple Glasses and Meta Glasses.

While both devices are believed to be years from launch, a new report today says that we’ll get a sneak peek at Meta Glasses later this year …

We saw the first potential Vision Pro competitor yesterday, in the form of the $699 Xreal Air 2 Ultra – and Sony has also now announced its own device. Interestingly, it doesn’t yet appear to have a name.

As with the Xreal glasses, how much competition the Sony headset will pose to Vision Pro depends on who would be buying it, and for what reason …

A studio that adapted Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens into an augmented reality experience for the Magic Leap 2 believes that combining a physical book with AR content could make a cool Vision Pro experience.

Rather than the purely virtual book brought to life in Magic Leap, the studio sees the potential for using Vision Pro’s high-resolution passthrough feature to create something truly special …

In September 2020, Apple started a tradition of including an AR Easter egg in the announcement of its major events. Now after unveiling its Vision Pro headset at WWDC this year, the “Wonderlust” announcement is the first iPhone event in years to not include an AR surprise.

There aren’t many cases of another company charging more than Apple for a similar product, but the Varjo XR-3 mixed-reality headset is a rare example.

Not having been one of the chosen few to be invited to try Vision Pro (was it something I said?), I took advantage of an invitation to try what Varjo believes is the most advanced mixed-reality device available. In particular, I wanted to see whether it could change my view of the tech as something that doesn’t yet justify the steep price-tag when it comes to my own needs …

Apple has limited a Vision Pro safe area to 10 feet by 10 feet, when using fully immersive VR experiences. It follows earlier news of a speed limit when using the device.

The limit is likely designed to prevent the sort of virtual reality headset accidents frequently seen in YouTube videos, but some are saying that it might prove too limiting for some types of gameplay, as well as proving a significant limitation for some commercial and industrial uses …

The announcement of the $3500 Vision Pro starting price didn’t go down well with those in the keynote audience, but a company which makes an even more expensive mixed-reality headset believes that Apple’s entry into the field is a good thing for its own prospects.

Varjo’s XR-3 VR/AR headset comes in at an even more eye-watering $6500, but the company claims that it welcomes the competition …

There are very mixed views as to whether the Apple headset and its successors can be the device to transform AR/VR from a niche interest to a mass-market product. But a report today says that those working within the sector firmly believe that it can.

Oculus founder Palmer Lucky said last month that the Apple headset is “so good,” and others in the business are said to be “jubilant” at today’s announcement …

I won’t be buying Reality Pro. That’s partly down to the anticipated price, but also because I haven’t yet found either augmented or virtual reality to be in any way compelling.

Cute, yes. Impressive, also yes. But I can’t remember the last time I used an AR app, and while I did buy a VR headset, I also can’t remember the last time I dug it out of the back of a drawer …

Just a few days before Apple officially unveils Reality Pro, an Oppo MR headset has been announced – but it will only be available in China, and is aimed solely at developers.

The Oppo MR Glass Developer Edition has the same mixed-reality (MR) focus, reflected in the name, and the company’s long-term goal is very much in line as that rumored for Apple Glasses …

Apple has officially posted the event page for the WWDC23 keynote (first live in the UK) and with that comes the company’s latest Easter egg. Following several years of hiding fun AR surprises on the event page, this year marks the first where the event will include AR/VR announcements from Apple.