Apple Working On Smart Glasses

Quest Pro 2 in first half of 2025, massive layoffs in VR gaming industry, Oppo smart glasses and more

Author

Joel Johnson
February 27, 2024

Good morning, folks!

The AR smart glass wars are heating up as a new company enters the race: a little upstart from California called Apple Inc. Meanwhile, Chinese smartphone giant Oppo has also unveiled their new AI smart glasses. The renewed interest in AR comes after the unexpected success of Meta’s RayBan glasses.

Meta is way ahead of the race, as they’re about to release the “world’s most advanced pair of glasses” by the end of 2024. On the VR side of things, it’s doom and gloom as usual, with massive layoffs in VR game studios.

 — Joel Johnson, Founder & Chief Editor

Headlines for people in a hurry:

  • 👓 Apple Working On AI Glasses & Airpods With Cameras

  • 🥽 Meta & LG Working On Quest Pro 2: Release In Early 2025

  • 🫡 Layoffs In Major VR Game Studios

  • 🎥 WB Promotes Dune: Part 2 With AR Experience On Snapchat

Read time: 3 minutes

TOP STORIES

APPLE

Apple Working On AR Smart Glasses

Meta’s RayBan smart glasses

After Apple almost destroyed Meta’s social media business with a privacy update, then went after their VR business with a competing product, they’re now trying to steal Meta’s lunch money again in the AR space.

Apple is reportedly exploring the development of AI-powered smart glasses and innovative AirPods equipped with cameras, signaling a potential expansion of its wearable technology portfolio.

According to insights from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, these projects are currently in the exploratory phase, with the smart glasses positioned as an alternative to AirPods, featuring additional sensors, AI capabilities, and enhanced battery life.

Unlike the high-end AR ambitions associated with the Vision Pro, these glasses are anticipated to be a more accessible head-worn device, akin to Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which incorporate a camera and AI assistant but lack a display.

If you’re wondering why everyone’s suddenly interested in AR, it’s because, in the last earnings call, Zuckerberg said that the Meta RayBans were more popular than expected. If you think about it, there are a lot of fierce debates around VR tech as some say it’s the greatest invention ever while others say it will ruin society. As a result, VR gets a bad rep which dissuades new people from trying. But AR? Not so much. So is AR the future? Only time will tell.

META

Meta’s Quest Pro 2 Is Coming In First Half Of 2025 To Take On The Vision Pro

The Apple Vision Pro’s biggest competitor will be the next iteration of the Quest Pro. Developed in partnership with LG, it is slated for release in the first half of 2025. This collaboration marks a significant step for Meta as it seeks to expand its VR hardware capabilities with the expertise of LG Electronics.

The partnership was hinted at following reports of Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, planning a meeting with LG Electronics' CEO in South Korea, marking Zuckerberg's first visit to the country since discussions with Samsung in 2014 about the Gear VR.

This partnership follows Meta's history of collaborating with established consumer electronics companies for VR headsets, including Samsung for the Gear VR, Xiaomi for the Oculus Go, and Lenovo for the Oculus Rift S.

The Quest Pro 2, rumored to be priced around $2,000, represents Meta's determination to take on the new kid on the block, the Vision Pro, and could potentially feature advanced technologies like Codec Avatars for photorealistic virtual interactions.

GAMING

Layoffs In Major VR Game Studios

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has announced significant layoffs, affecting approximately 900 employees globally, or about 8% of its workforce, as part of an organizational restructuring.

The layoffs have notably impacted PlayStation London Studio, known for "Blood & Truth" and "PlayStation VR Worlds," which will be closing entirely.

Additionally, “Horizon Call of the Mountain” co-developers Guerrilla Games and Firesprite are facing reductions, though not outright closures. This move has raised concerns about the future of PlayStation VR2, especially considering the layoffs at two of Sony's most experienced VR developers.

In a related development, Supermassive Games, the studio behind "Until Dawn: Rush of Blood" and "The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR," is reportedly laying off "roughly" 90 employees following a restructure.

The studio is entering a period of consultation that anticipates redundancies, affecting a significant portion of its workforce. This news comes amidst a broader trend of layoffs within the gaming industry, with over 7,500 estimated job losses this year alone, following an estimated 10,000 layoffs in 2023.

NEWS FLASH

OPPO

Oppo Unveils New Air Glasses 3

BOOKMARKS

Immersive Articles From The Web

UNREAL MONEY

FUNDING REPORT

KIT-AR Closes €3.3M To Grow Industrial AR Platform

KIT-AR, an augmented reality (AR) platform designed for the manufacturing industry, has successfully closed a €3.3 million funding round. The investment was co-led by 3XP Global and Blue Crow Capital, with additional contributions from Sintef Venture V, Criteria Venture Tech, and Armilar Venture Partners through its NOS 5G Fund and TechTransfer fund.

This financial boost aims to accelerate KIT-AR's global growth, expand its team, and advance its mission to become the leading platform for augmented workers in manufacturing.

The funding will support KIT-AR's platform, which minimizes errors and optimizes resource utilization in industrial workflows through AR technology. The company's patented technology enables manufacturing enterprises to digitize human-centered shop floors, enhancing efficiency and workflow clarity.

KIT-AR's strategic partnerships with PWC Portugal and NOS, the largest communications and entertainment group in Portugal, are set to strengthen its market reach and value proposition, both in Portugal and internationally.

COOL PROJECTS

MAGICAL CARPET

This Is Actually Pretty Cool

WRAP UP

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