Virtual & Augmented Reality and 3D

Apple is rumored to be heavily considering releasing a pair of smart glasses with augmented reality (AR) capabilities, according to a renowned Apple insider and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.

Gurman wrote in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter that he is hearing rumblings of Apple "seriously considering" releasing AR glasses. Most notably, these AR glasses wouldn't be completely independent as they would be tethered to an iPhone that would provide the glasses with any necessary processing power. Additionally, these glasses will reportedly transform into an accessory for watching movies, while also retaining a stylish look.

The Bloomberg reporter also writes that if Apple released these glasses, it would reinforce the iPhone as the center of its ecosystem, providing even more value to the device and potentially making it even more popular, especially considering the massive price reduction compared to the $3,500 Vision Pro, Apple's latest wearable venture. Now, Gurman has said that Apple has already started gathering feedback from employees in focus groups about the possibility of smart glasses.

Apple hasn't been selling many units of its Vision Pro headset, however, the 2025 model will feature the company's new M5 processor.

In a new post on X by analyst and insider Ming-Chi Kuo, we're learning that Apple's "only new head-mounted display device in 2025 will be the Vision Pro with an upgraded M5 processor". Kuo said: "As I understand it, production of the cheaper Vision Pro has been delayed beyond 2027 for a while now. This means Apple's only new head-mounted display device in 2025 will be the Vision Pro with an upgraded M5 processor".

The cheaper version of the Apple Vision Pro is something that has been rumored for the last few months, with Kuo adding that the production of the cheaper Vision Pro has been "delayed beyond 2027 for a while now".

In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to the lukewarm response to the company's Vision Pro mixed reality headset and how the $3,499 price (for the base model with 256GB of storage) has impacted the device's appeal.

"At $3,500, it's not a mass-market product," said Cook. "Right now, it's an early-adopter product. People who want to have tomorrow's technology today - that's who it's for." Although enthusiasts with $3,500 to burn on an impressive mixed-reality headset picked one up on day one, sales for the Vision Pro have fallen below expectations.

The headset not only failed to ship 100,000 units in the first three months of its release, but sales have continued to slow. Apple's not backing out of the headset market, as several rumors are pointing to Apple developing a more affordable Vision Pro for 2025. However, a new report over at The Information (via Mac Rumors) is now saying Apple is winding down production on its first-gen Vision Pro - and production could stop completely before the end of 2024.

Apple is reportedly set to release smart glasses with AirPods packing cameras, in a bid to compete with the runaway success of Meta and its Quest 3 headset.

In a new post on Bloomberg, analyst and insider Mark Gurman said: "Into 2027, the team is considering launching smart glasses on par with the Meta Ray-Bans, as well as AirPods with cameras. The idea is to salvage the billions of dollars spent on the Vision Pro's visual intelligence technology, which can scan the environment around a user and supply useful data".

He continued: "We'll get a taste of this with an upcoming visual intelligence feature on the iPhone 16, but the plan is to bring the Vision Pro's ability to understand its surroundings to more products".

Apple is rumored to be working on a cheaper version of its higher-end, expensive (and not-so-great selling) Vision Pro headset, which would cost around $2000 with a slower chip, and made from cheaper materials.

The news on the cheaper Apple Vision Pro headset is coming from industry insider Mark Gurman, in a new post on Bloomberg, where he said that he expects Apple to release a lower-end Vision Pro headset to arrive as "early as next year" with a second-generation Vision Pro (with a faster chip inside) following in 2026.

Apple's new lower-end Vision Pro headset will cost "about $2000" and probably use an "inferior processor" and made from "cheaper materials" says Gurman. The new Vision Pro could lack EyeSight, which he said is the "gee-whiz feature that shows a user's eyes on the outside of the headset". Gurman continues, adding that with the lower price, Apple is expecting sales of the device to "be at least double the level of the Vision Pro" with Gurman adding "but that's not saying much" and he's right... the Vision Pro isn't selling well, at all.

Apple has just released the trailer to its first scripted immersive video for its Vision Pro headset, a new short film called Submerged.

Submerged was written and directed by Edward Berger, as is set inside of a WWII submarine as the crew scrambles to deal with a "harrowing torpedo attack". The trailer above shows some of the behind-the-scenes work behind Submerged, with fisheye-looking clips and a voiceover from Berger, claiming that the immersive format displayed on the Apple Vision Pro will "change the future of filmmaking".

Berger adds that putting on Apple's new Vision Pro headset changes "the way you think about storytelling". The vibes of the narrow you-can't-escape halls of the submarine are amplified when you're seeing it in an immersive format with a headset strapped to your head.

A Microsoft company spokesperson has informed The Register there will be no more production of the HoloLens 2, and that Microsoft isn't planning on releasing a replacement model for the foreseeable future.

According to a new report from The Register, a Microsoft spokesperson said that this is the signal for any last consumers looking to pick up the HoloLens 2, as Microsoft won't be producing any more units. As for the HoloLens 2's that are already out in the world, Microsoft said it will continue rolling out support for the product until December 31, 2027. As for the future of mixed reality with Microsoft, the spokesperson said Redmond will continue investing in "mixed reality opportunities with first-party software solutions and services."

The spokesperson added that Microsoft plans to partner with the "broader mobile phone and mixed reality ecosystem" to bring new products to market. Through these sentences from the spokesperson, we can distill that Microsoft wants to step away from producing a mixed reality headset by itself and instead wants to combine its technology with other companies' technology to produce something together.

Meta has announced a more affordable version of its Meta Quest 3 mixed-reality and VR headset with the new Quest 3S. Starting from $299.99 USD for the 128GB model ($399.99 for the 256GB version), the new Quest 3S is positioned as an upgrade or direct follow-up to the popular Meta Quest 2 by hitting the same price point.

Featuring the same Snapdragon processor as the Quest 3, the Quest 3S's performance will be identical when playing games and firing up various apps. Before the announcement, rumors pointed to Meta removing the headset's mixed-reality and video passthrough features to keep costs down - however, that's not the case.

The Meta Quest 3S includes six front-facing cameras like the Quest 3, albeit arranged in a different formation. According to reports, the Quesr 3S uses cheaper lenses than the mainline Quest 3, which is one way it has kept the cost down. Although the press release doesn't include full specs for the new Quest 3S, it does note that the cut-down headset lacks the state-of-the-art 4K pancake lenses as the baseline model and features a smaller field of view.

HTC is launching its new Vive Focus Vision XR headset aimed at enterprises and high-end gamers, with the new extended reality (XR) headset the latest member of HTC Vive's Vive Focus Series of high-end VR and XR headsets.

The new HTC Vive Focus Vision XR headset is priced at $999 and features high-end features for high-end gamers and enterprises that want to be immersed in PCVR and standalone gaming. The new XR headset is built as a model for Location-Based Experiences (LBE), industrial training, collaboration, and mixed-reality applications.

Shen Ye, global head of product at HTC Vive, told VentureBeat in an interview: "Not only is it great for gamers, but it's also going to be great for gamers that are experiencing this in arcades and other LBE experiences. We've now brought Vive Focus Vision to PCVR gaming".

The Omni One from Virtuix is an all-in-one full-body VR gaming system that allows full 360-degree movement because you're on a treadmill. We've covered this product a few times here on TweakTown, as it solves one of the key issues with movement-based VR gaming: being limited to a very small play space.

More than a gimmick, treadmill-based gameplay has seen several impressive VR games, including Amid Evil VR, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, and Sniper Elite VR, optimized for the new Omni One system. The system ships with a customized Pico 4 Enterprise headset with controllers, a treadmill that can be packed away when not in use, tracking sensors, and 'overshoes.'

Orders for the Omni One, priced at $2,595, are now open, and Virtuix also offers the system on a $90 monthly plan. That said, with the company currently shipping out over 3,000 preorder units, this 'greater-than-expected' demand for the Omni One means those placing orders now can expect to receive their Omni system in January 2025.