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Topic: AR

Xreal News 

Xreal Air 2 Ultra emerges as a cost-effective option to Apple Vision Pro, reportedly.

Adriana Marais

Xreal, previously known as Nreal, had a highly popular booth at CES recently, so it’s not surprising that they are returning with new AR glasses for CES 2024, especially with the highly anticipated launch of Apple’s Vision Pro. After the release of the Nreal Light in 2019, the brand new Xreal Air 2 Ultra now includes 6DoF spatial tracking and hand tracking, along with a wider 52-degree field of view and a sharpness of 42 pixels per degree, all within a lightweight 80-gram titanium package. The company even claims that…

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It’s also canceling ‘NBA All-World’ and ‘Marvel: World of Heroes.’ Gaming 

Niantic to Cut 230 Jobs as ‘Pokémon Go’ Developer Downsizes

Adriana Marais, , , ,

Niantic is set to join the growing number of companies downsizing their workforce. Following the leak of an internal memo to Kotaku, the studio has released an official “organizational update” revealing plans to lay off 230 employees. Furthermore, Niantic will be closing its Los Angeles studio and discontinuing two licensed games, namely NBA All-World and Marvel: World of Heroes. However, fans can take solace in the fact that Pokémon Go, the company’s main product, will continue to thrive. “I’ve made the decision to narrow our focus on mobile gaming investments…

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Google was reportedly working on its own augmented reality solution in the form of an AR headset, code-named ‘Project Iris.’ However, the search giant appears to have abandoned its glasses-like AR project. News 

Google Reportedly Shifts Focus Away From AR Glasses, Focuses on Software

Adriana Marais, ,

According to Insider, Google has apparently decided to abandon its AR project, known as ‘Project Iris,’ which involved developing an AR headset similar to glasses. This follows the entry of competitors such as Meta’s new range of Quest headphones and Apple’s recently announced Vision Pro hybrid headphones. According to an insider, Google has “killed” its AR glass project, internally codenamed Iris. This development comes after several layoffs, with Google’s head of augmented and virtual reality Clay Bavor leaving the company, according to “three people familiar with the matter.” Now the…

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This is partly due to the rapid growth and adoption of accessible technologies like ChatGPT and Google Bard, the report said. News 

Google Searches for Mixed Reality Skyrocket Following Apple’s Vision Pro Launch

Adriana Marais, , ,

According to a report on Monday, the global online searches for Mixed Reality (MR) surged by 1,130% on Google after the recent launch of Apple’s MR headset Vision Pro. An analysis of Google search data revealed that online interest in VR increased by 300 percent on June 5 when Apple unveiled its new $3,499 MR headset at the Worldwide Developers Conference in California, US, Digital-adoption.com reports. Searches for “VR,” “mixed reality,” and “augmented reality” increased by 300 percent, 1,130 percent, and 545 percent, respectively, after Apple announced the Vision Pro…

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It is likely that Apple aims to make 'spatial computing' the next big thing after the iPhone, and to achieve that, it needs to ensure that competitors, including Meta, are kept at bay. News 

Apple’s Purchase of Mira AR Company Paves the Way for a ‘Spatial’ Reality Revolution

Adriana Marais, ,

Mira, a startup that focuses on creating augmented reality (AR) headsets, has been acquired by Apple. The company produces headsets for various organizations, including the US military. Interestingly, this acquisition announcement follows Apple’s recent launch of the Vision Pro headset, priced at $3,499, which signifies the company’s foray into the AR-mixed reality market. Speaking to The Verge, Apple said, “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we don’t usually discuss our purpose or our plans.” Therefore, it is currently not clear what Apple intends to achieve with…

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Los Angeles-based startup Mira also has contracts with the US military. News 

Apple Acquires AR Firm Responsible for Nintendo’s ‘Mario Kart’ Attraction

Adriana Marais, , , , ,

According to reports, Apple has acquired Mira, a startup specializing in AR technology. Mira, based in Los Angeles, is known for creating AR headsets for Super Nintendo World’s Mario Kart ride and has secured contracts with the US Air Force and Navy. In 2017, ReturnByte tested the Mira Prism, the company’s AR headset designed for smartphones. Apple recently unveiled its highly anticipated AR headset, the Vision Pro, during its WWDC 2023 keynote on Monday. The Verge reports that the acquisition was confirmed on the private Instagram account of Mira CEO…

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Expect to learn more details about the Quest 3, the company's next VR and MR headset. News 

The Meta Connect 2023 event will take place on September 27

Jim Hendler, , , , ,

Alongside the official reveal of Quest 3, Meta has announced the release date for this year’s Connect. The event, which focuses on Meta’s development in the spaces of augmented and virtual reality, will take place on September 27-28, according to its website. Connect will take place a little earlier than usual this year. The 2022 edition was held in October. More information about Connect 2023 will be released soon, but one thing is for sure: we will know more about Quest 3 in late September. Meta’s next virtual reality headset…

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Meanwhile, Snapchat has said it now has over 200 million monthly active 'Snapchatters' in India, one of the company's leading global growth markets. News 

Snapchat’s new AR filter that lets users paint their nails

Febin Mathew, , ,

Snapchat’s parent company, Snapchat, has announced a new AR filter that lets users virtually paint their nails. The company launched its new AR nail segmentation technology in collaboration with US drugstore and nail salon OPI, adding an AR filter with a few OPI colors as part of the collaboration, according to Snapchat. Users will find a new filter in the Snapchat Lens Carousel section that uses augmented reality to apply different colors and other 2D patterns to users’ nails. This lens features the first Snap AR technology called Nails Segmentation,…

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Apple appears to have registered its 'xrOS' wordmark. xrOS is likely to be the interface running on Apple's mixed reality headset. News 

Apple registers ‘xrOS’ trademark before revealing AR/MR headset: what it means

Adriana Marais, , , ,

Over the past few years, rumors about Apple’s mixed reality headset have been increasing – and now, with WWDC 2023 just around the corner, Apple appears to have registered its “xrOS” trademark. xrOS is likely the interface that runs on Apple’s mixed reality headsets. According to 9to5Mac, Apple filed for a trademark of the same name after registering the trademark earlier this year. Apple, known for its discretion, applied for the word mark through a shell company based in New Zealand. In fact, Apple used the same company to register…

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Snap has launched "Augmented Reality Solutions for Business" (ARES), offering its AR solutions to retailers and businesses for integration into their apps and websites. News 

Snap is launching a new business unit to provide AR solutions for businesses

Febin Mathew, ,

Snapchat’s parent company Snap has launched a new business unit to offer its augmented reality (AI) solutions to retailers and businesses to integrate into their apps. The new ARES (Augmented Reality Solutions for Business) division will allow companies to adapt Snap’s AR features to their apps and websites to engage customers and create more immersive experiences, reports The Verge. With augmented reality shopping tools, the ARES business hopes to help retailers increase conversions and reduce returns. For this, ARES offers its customers professional services from product marketing to customer support.…

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Meta has delayed its product plans in the last few quarters but its long term plans look solid. News 

Meta shares its plans for AR and VR glasses over the next four years

Jim Hendler, ,

Metalla has ambitious plans for its augmented reality and virtual reality devices in the next few years. Meta puts all its eggs in the Metaverse basket (the name of the parent company clearly shows that) and Mark Zuckerberg believes that AR glasses will become as widely used as mobile phones. Meta will have its first AR glasses on the market by 2027. Over the next four years, Meta plans to acquire not one, not two, but four different devices to build its software for this revolution. New updates from the…

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Flipkart logo. (HT Tech) News 

Flipkart acquires Bengaluru based AR company Scapic

Nitin Misra, , ,

The Flipkart group announced on Tuesday the acquisition of the augmented reality company Scapic. The e-commerce company said the acquisition will help improve its shopping experience capabilities. Scapic describes itself as a code-free platform for brands and e-commerce to create a shopping experience in AR, VR and 3D. The company was founded in 2017 by Sai Krishna V K and Ajay P V and is based in Bengaluru. The company was recently named the winner of the National Startup Awards 2020, in the Industry 4.0 – AR category. Through the…

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Next Generation Oppo AR Glass Coming Soon (Oppo) News 

Oppo to unveil new AR glasses on November 17

Febin Mathew, ,

Oppo is preparing for its “Inno Day” on November 17th. Ahead of the tech-focused conference, Oppo released a teaser for new AR glasses. The laptop is said to be light and comfortable to put on. The AR glasses are also seen with two cameras, each placed on the corners of the two frames. According to Gizmchina, one of the two cameras will be used for AR detection. The company announced plans to invest in smart glasses and showcased an AR glass concept. The original AR glasses came with up to…

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