The Ghost Howls

MARCH 20, 2023

More info (Official statement by Mark Zuckerberg) More info (Meta to lay off 10,000 people — Road To VR) More info (Meta to lay off 10,000 people — Upload VR) More info (Meta focusing more on AI — Yahoo Finance) More info (Meta focusing more on AI — CNN) Other relevant news Google is discontinuing Glass It’s the end of an era.

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XR Today - Augmented Reality tag

MARCH 17, 2023

This week, Google officially announced the retirement of its flagship smart glasses product. In a company document , the firm confirmed the retirement of Google Glass Enterprise Edition effective this Wednesday (March 15). Google will also drop official support for its enterprise-grade immersive hardware on September 15, 2023.

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Upload VR

FEBRUARY 1, 2023

During today’s Samsung Unpacked event, Samsung announced plans to create new ‘Extended Reality’ (XR) hardware in partnership with Google and Qualcomm. This new XR platform was far from the main focus of the event, which centered around the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone and other hardware announcements.

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Road to VR

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Microsoft’s enterprise-focused HoloLens 3 may be dead in the water, as a recent report maintains that internal divisions have hobbled the company’s efforts to release its next AR headset as planned. Alex Kipman wearing HoloLens 2, Image courtesy Microsoft. Microsoft Responds.

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AR Insider

MARCH 11, 2020

After examining Amazon and Microsoft , it’s time to zero in on Google. For Google that of course means search. Several Google moves over the past decade had that same underlying goal. Meanwhile, Google’s AR play is visual search , which similarly traces back to the goal of driving search volume.

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AR Insider

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

After examining Amazon last week, it’s time to zero in on Microsoft. In addition to standard audio fare like music and phone calls, they’ll integrate natively with Microsoft products like Office. Microsoft had a similar fate in smartphone era. So how do wireless earbuds better position Microsoft?

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Road to VR

MARCH 17, 2021

Microsoft says however that the error message was inaccurate, and that VR for Xbox is still not a happening. Some prognosticated that Microsoft has mistakenly leaked VR support for Xbox, something it has repeatedly rebuked in the past. This tracks with Microsoft’s long-term stance on VR for Xbox consoles going back to Xbox One.

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GizModo VR

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

We already know Microsoft is launching Windows 11 on Oct. 5, but what would a new operating system be without new hardware to showcase it? Microsoft is having what many have pegged as a Surface hardware event on Sept. 22 at 8 a.m. It’s all virtual, of course, and there’s a link available if you want to… Read more.

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Road to VR

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2, the company’s most recent smartglasses (or rather smart glass ), was only available to partner companies when it launched in May 2019. Now Google is allowing its third-party hardware vendors to sell the headset direct to developers. Image courtesy Google.

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Road to VR

MAY 19, 2018

Google is allegedly developing a standalone augmented reality headset that aims to offer users a tethereless AR experience, German tech publication WinFuture reports. Google A65 is reportedly a collaboration between Google and the Taiwanese contract manufacturer Quanta, who built Google devices in the past, including the Pixel C Tablet.

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ARVR

JUNE 14, 2021

That could be wayfinding with Google Live View , or visual search with Google Lens. As you can tell from the above examples, Google will have a key stake in this “Internet of Places.” continuing here with Microsoft. This ties to Microsoft’s DNA, as enterprise productivity has been its core business for 30 years.

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Road to VR

APRIL 22, 2024

Meta also says it’s collaborating with Microsoft on a “limited-edition Quest” that’s “inspired by Xbox,” surely leaning into the partnership which brought the Xbox Cloud Gaming app to Meta’s existing headsets. Will the same thing happen with XR headsets?

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VRScout

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

After a mixed year for VR hardware sales in 2016, two new separate reports are painting a more optimistic outlook for the VR market going forward. In a new consumer VR report just released by SuperData Research , the findings show that global VR hardware revenue is expected to hit $3.6 billion in 2017, up 142% year-over-year.

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The Ghost Howls

APRIL 22, 2024

Zuck’s genius move before Google I/O I was kinda shocked reading this piece of news, but I was also quite happy because I’m all in for open platforms, and seeing finally Meta breaking the walls of its walled garden is for me a good thing. And with the operating system comes also Meta’s store.

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GizModo VR

APRIL 28, 2021

I also have 17 Microsoft Edge tabs open, which take up 535MB of memory. Complaints about the resource-hogging Google Chrome… Read more. As I sit at my desk typing this blog, I have 15 Chrome tabs eating up 790MB of memory. Aside from those two extra tabs on Edge, I have the same webpages open, yet Chrome is hogging more memory.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

AUGUST 9, 2024

NVIDIA Blackwell Delays Affect Meta and Microsoft XR/GenAI Goals NVIDIA’s highly anticipated Blackwell chipset faces a delay due to design flaws. Furthermore, XR companies like Microsoft and Meta are investing in AI-empowered XR services. Hopefully, the delays with Blackwell will not hinder Meta and Microsoft’s XR objectives.

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Road to VR

JUNE 22, 2023

At least from the outside, it appears Microsoft isn’t actively competing for a seat at the XR table, which is fairly odd coming from a company that pioneered enterprise AR while simultaneously wrangling some of its top OEM partners to make a fleet of PC VR headsets for consumers in 2017. If Microsoft goes in half-cocked, maybe.

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XR Today - Augmented Reality tag

AUGUST 23, 2024

On the other hand, Microsoft might lose out on its most significant partner. Meta is also expected to unveil its AR and MR hardware. Qualcomm will join the group with other significant players such as STMicroelectronics, Meta, Essilor Luxottica, Corning, Dispelix, Optofidelity, MICROOLED, and Google.

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XR Today - Augmented Reality tag

MAY 11, 2023

Google has unveiled its Geospatial Creator for Unity platform, allowing developers to preview 3D assets via the Unity Editor. Viewing spatially-linked assets on a hyperrealistic 3D planet map, the toolkit powers ARCore and Photorealistic 3D Tiles via the Google Maps Platform, it said on its website.

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VRScout

JULY 12, 2021

In terms of compatibility, the platform is cross-compatible with nearly every major VR & AR device, including the HTC Vive, Oculus Quest 2, Microsoft HoloLens 2, as well as AR-enabled iOS and Android devices; it’s never been easier to take your friends’ money!

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Road to VR

MARCH 12, 2024

To boot, myMako is very much the sort of thing that could have launched on any number of XR headsets—Magic Leap (1 or 2), Microsoft HoloLens (1 or 2), or any VR headset for that matter, as it basically presents surgeons with 3D images obtained from computer tomography (CT) based scans. And that’s in spite of its $3,500 price tag.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 22, 2022

It was even featured on Google News. Image by Google). Google acquires micro-LED startup Raxium. This week Google has performed another strategic move towards the development of its future XR glasses. Microsoft IVAS program is not doing great. More info (Quest 2 new parental controls?—?Road Upload VR). Other news.

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Road to VR

FEBRUARY 17, 2023

The company has since refuted this claim with Reuters , stating instead it will be making adjustments to some business teams as development plans for XR hardware had changed. This follows a widening trend of layoffs which have affected nearly every big name in tech, including Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft.

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Upload VR

JANUARY 19, 2023

Microsoft is reportedly reducing the size of its HoloLens group. Microsoft is far from the only big tech company to make this move – this week Amazon started laying off 18000 people, Meta laid off more than 11000 in November, and Snap laid off 20% of its staff in September.

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Tech Trends VR

MAY 8, 2018

We need to ask ourselves not only what computers can do, but what they should do,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in his opening keynote at Build. Microsoft sees the “intelligent cloud” as the backbone of this revolution. Microsoft want to enable developers to reach customers in a multi-sense, multi-device way Click To Tweet.

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The Ghost Howls

APRIL 25, 2018

One of the biggest news of the last days is that finally, Google Chrome for Windows has added support for WebVR. It was absurd that Google, that is pushing on WebVR and WebAR (let’s say WebXR and we’re all happy, apart from Charlie Fink that hates the term XR), wasn’t supporting it in its famous browser.

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XR Today - Augmented Reality tag

MARCH 1, 2024

According to reports, Meta reportedly snubbed a potential partnership with Google that would have seen the pair collaborate on an extended reality platform. First reported by The Information, Meta and Google executives are rumoured to have met late last year about the proposal to build “Android XR” together, with Meta ultimately walking away.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 11, 2017

In a keynote today Microsoft is revealing a long-awaited missing piece of its Windows mixed reality platform – motion controllers. According to Microsoft, the controllers would be shown on stage at its keynote but wouldn’t be available for hands-on demos at its Build developer conference this week.

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XR Today - Augmented Reality tag

JANUARY 20, 2023

Google parent company Alphabet announced layoffs on Friday of roughly 12,000 workers, totalling 6 percent of its global workforce. The news comes just days after Microsoft and Amazon announced cutbacks of roughly 10,000 employees. The company recently began beta testing for its Google Glass follow-up across the US in July last year.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

JANUARY 5, 2024

This week saw Microsoft, Google, Samsung, Qualcomm, Meta, and Sony move to optimize their product offerings and business operations. Qualcomm is positioning the XR2+ Gen 2 as a tipping point in XR hardware design and innovation due to its breakthrough features and specs combined with its launch partners.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

OCTOBER 24, 2022

One such platform, the Microsoft Reactor meetup, has united many thought leaders, tech giants, and organisations as a guiding compass for the growing community of technology enthusiasts, developers, journalists, and even senior executives. Excellent @Microsoft Reactor #meetup in #London with @VR2AR , Alexander Karim, and @seanmtracey.

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Road to VR

JUNE 9, 2017

Augmented Reality has played a huge role at the developer conferences for Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, and Google, which is a great sign that the industry is moving towards spatially-aware computing. I also compare and contrast the recent AR announcements from Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook in my wrap-up.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Alongside Apple’s XR device debut, other firms, from Zoom to Microsoft, are jumping on the spatial computing bandwagon. First adopters of Vision Pro users can access Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Loop, complete with integrated Co-Pilot features, starting tomorrow. VR|MR 2024 wrapped up this week.

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ARPost

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

In the first part , I dealt with investing possibilities in hardware that will take us to the metaverse. Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) for AltspaceVR. Microsoft again, because some time ago they bought AltspaceVR , a VR social platform that was on the verge of bankruptcy. Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOGL) for Servers.

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AR Insider

MAY 4, 2021

That includes Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Snap and others. Starting with Google, it acquired Fitbit to accelerate its lingering WearOS platform by having its own hardware. When it failed to market the Fire Phone last decade, it lost a consumer touchpoint and ceded years of pole position to Google and Apple.

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ARPost

DECEMBER 10, 2022

XR hardware is on the move. So, more and more XR providers are providing cloud services in addition to their hardware and platform offerings. For Varjo clients, a lot of the management and IT solutions that make up cloud services for other developers are handled through software subscriptions bundled with almost all Varjo hardware.

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Road to VR

OCTOBER 24, 2024

This year saw the introduction of the Meta Orion AR glasses prototype and the Quest 3S headset—two pieces of hardware that are not only crucial to Meta’s future but will be pivotal in shaping the industry’s direction as a whole. And finally Meta has a flagship game for its Quest 3 & Quest 3S hardware.

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