Big news will hit the XR shores next week and the week after that. Both Pico and HTC VIVE are due to unveil new hardware by the end of the month, with each firm looking to drum up interest spurred on by the new 2024 wave of mainstream XR interest.
Moreover, Meta Connect 2024 will momentarily take the market’s eyes for another year next month. Over the past few months, Mark Zuckerberg has been proactively discussing upcoming AR/VR/MR technology and use cases-taking the stage at industry events like SIGGRAPH.
Until Connect and other late 2024 industry events, be sure to catch up with the newest trend XR news and topics.
First Look at Meta’s New Headset
This week, social media reports showed images and minor details about an upcoming Quest 3s MR headset. This news comes just before Meta Connect 2024, during which the company is expected to reveal more information about its immersive technology portfolio.
According to online leakers, Meta will introduce what seems to be a new MR headset based on the leaked images. Additional leaked information indicates that the headset will have specifications such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR Gen 2 chipset, a single fast-switch LCD of 1832 x 1920 per eye, a 90/120 Hz refresh rate, fresnel lenses with 3-position IPD/IA adjustment, a Meta Quest 2-style glasses spacer, 4 IR tracking cameras, two 4MP RGB passthrough cameras, 2 IR illuminators, inside-out body tracking, and Touch Plus controllers.
Meta has not yet disclosed the device’s price; however, it is expected to be lower than the firm’s previous MR products-a lower cost version of the Quest 3.
Most recently, CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized the isolating nature of phone screens and social media applications, referring to this computer interaction as “anti-social.” This criticism is one of the core reasons the CEO believes that smart glasses are the future.
Zuckerberg said:
When you’re building social apps, it’s kind of this weird thing that you primarily are delivering through this tiny little screen that people carry around. It’s like a really, in some ways, anti-social form factor. It’s part of the reason why I care so much about glasses. It’s just such a more natural thing.
The comments are insightful. Smart glasses are often viewed as a progression of mobile computing, transitioning from hand-held devices to eye-worn technology. For instance, the Vision Pro utilizes pinch-and-pull inputs similar to those on a touchscreen smartphone.
Additionally, through its hardware partnership with Ray-Ban, Meta is introducing social media platforms, such as WhatsApp and Messenger, as AR-lite services on the device. With the integration of voice input technology, users can interact with the services hands-free.
Vuzix Corporation Experience Year-on-Year Drops in Q2 2024 report
This week, Vuzix Corporation, a leading enterprise AR technology company, announced its second-quarter results for 2024. The report revealed that Vuzix’s total revenues dropped by a significant 77 percent in Q2, totalling about $1.1 million. Vuzix’s revenue was approximately $4.7 million compared to the previous year. Additionally, Vuzix reported an overall year-on-year gross loss of $0.3 million for Q2 2023.
Other essential points from the Q2 financial report include a 17 percent year-on-year decrease in research and development expenses and an 11 percent decrease in selling and marketing expenses. On the contrary, administrative expenses increased by approximately 5 percent in Q2.
Paul Travers, the President and CEO of Vuzix, explained that the firm expects to see “top-line revenue improvement over the second half of 2024.” According to the CEO, Vuzix also has “a number of enterprise accounts that are on a path to volume deployment of our smart glasses and solutions within their operations to deliver improved productivity, lower onboarding times and fewer errors.”
Furthermore, Vuzix Corporation has unveiled the M400 Xtreme smart glasses kit, designed to withstand extreme weather conditions. The new smart glasses kit offers several features, including the latest lightweight and long-lasting Xtreme Weather power bank. The power bank and the M400 Xtreme are IP67-rated for protection against dust and water and can operate from 20°C to 45°C. Vuzix, the leading smart glasses supplier, has already reported widespread adoption of the M400 smart glasses.
Pico 4S MR Headset Leaked.
Recently, shortly after teasing its new XR headset, Pico, which is owned by Bytedance, faced leaks about its upcoming, still officially unannounced, headset.
Rumours about a new Pico headset have been circulating for some time. However, recent layoffs and other challenges faced by Pico seemed to dim the prospects. Nonetheless, the company recently teased a new headset on its official social media channels, indicating that the Chinese company is still a strong competitor in the XR device market.
The timing coincides with other major hardware announcements from HTC VIVE and Meta. However, it now seems that details about the headset have been leaked to the public before the official August 20th announcement. According to Android Headlines, the upcoming headset is the Pico 4S, a mixed-reality device based on the leaked promotional images.
The device appears lightweight and similar in style to the Vision Pro, with outward-facing cameras supporting mixed reality features. The images suggest support for two input methods. The Pico 4S device is expected to come with controllers for traditional XR navigation and a wristband-style controller indicating hand tracking and gesture control. Other details from the Pico 4S leak include integrating the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and 12GB of RAM.
Pico has hinted at a new device announcement on August 20th at 14:00 China Standard Time. The company shared a cryptic image on its social media platforms with the quote, “Reality, amplified,” but no further details have been provided. The announcement date is strategically set before Meta Connect 2024 and comes shortly after HTC VIVE’s teaser video for a ‘game-changing’ headset.
Apple Vision Pro Cost Could Drastically Drop Next Year
In Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, rumours about a lower-priced Apple Vision Pro MR headset have circulated.
After years of rumours and speculation, Apple debuted the Vision Pro earlier this year. Despite initial interest and impressive specifications, the $3,499 price tag turned many potential customers off the device.
Moreover, since the Vision Pro’s debut, some observers have stated that the device is failing in its goals of launching spatial computing in the mainstream. However, early device adoption may not reflect the Vision Pro’s lifetime success.
In the recent newsletter, Gurman stated that Apple will debut a lower-priced MR headset but will still be more expensive than other marketplace competitors at no lower than $1,499.
Gurman also claims that Apple’s XR development groups are working on a cheaper spatial computing device, a second-generation Apple Vision Pro model, and a pair of more straightforward smart glasses. Gurman noted that the experimental devices will launch as early as next year.
Further rumours surround the device. However, Apple is yet to confirm any information regarding new XR products.
