Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality News & Discussions

[weatheriscool]

Google Quietly Reveals Android XR Apps Ahead of Galaxy XR Headset Launch
The headset will be able to play titles like Asteroid, Vacation Simulator, NFL Pro Era, and Naver CHZZK XR.
By Devesh Beri October 21, 2025

Just hours before Samsung's Galaxy extended reality (XR) headset reveal, Google provided a closer look at what users can expect from Android XR, a platform developed by Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm. A new Play Store section titled "immersive experiences made for your XR headset" is now live, showing several apps and games prepared for the upcoming platform. This section has titles like Asteroid, Vacation Simulator, NFL Pro Era, and Naver CHZZK XR. The update is timed to launch along with Samsung's first headset that uses this new ecosystem, as reported by Android Authority.

The listings also include Virtual Desktop, a PC streaming app that lets users connect to their computers to watch movies, browse the web, or play PCVR titles. Out of the box, Android XR is expected to have remote PC access and high-quality game streaming capabilities. Many existing Android apps could also adapt to extended reality using Google's developer tools.

https://www.extremetech.com/electronics ... set-launch

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Samsung takes on Apple’s Vision Pro with new Galaxy XR headset
Aisha Malik
7:53 AM PDT · October 22, 2025

After months of speculation, Samsung has finally unveiled its Galaxy XR headset to take on Apple’s Vision Pro. The headset runs on Google’s Android XR operating system and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 platform.

Galaxy XR costs $1,800, nearly half the price of the Vision Pro. It’s available now in the U.S. and Korea. The headset offers up to two hours of general use and up to two and a half hours of video playback.

The headset’s micro OLED display has 27 million pixels, six million more than the Vision Pro, and a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840. It has a 90Hz refresh rate, compared to the Vision Pro’s 120Hz. Galaxy XR features two high-resolution pass-through cameras, six world-facing tracking cameras, and four eye-tracking cameras.

The headset weighs 545g, while the latest Apple Vision Pro weighs around 750g-800g.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/22/samsu ... r-headset/

[weatheriscool]

Retina e-paper promises screens 'visually indistinguishable from reality'
By Michael Franco
October 23, 2025

In what could be an industry shifting breakthrough, researchers have created a screen about the size of a human pupil with a resolution that breaks through the limits of pixels. The invention could radically change virtual reality and other applications.

While most video screens such as those on our phones, TVs, and stadium jumbotrons seem to improve in resolution on a monthly basis, there has been an issue in improving the resolution of the tiny screens required in virtual reality apps. The problem is that as the screen moves closer to the human eye, the pixels that comprise it need to get smaller and smaller. Yet, if pixels get too small, their function starts to degrade and the image suffers. On a micro-LED screen, for example, pixels can't get much smaller than one micrometer wide before losing their ability to render a clear, crisp image.

https://newatlas.com/materials/retina-e-paper/

[weatheriscool]

Magic Leap, Google Unveil New Android XR Smart Glasses
Magic Leap and Google have a history in AR, but previous hardware launches did not achieve big commercial success.
By Devesh Beri October 31, 2025

https://www.extremetech.com/electronics ... rt-glasses
Magic Leap is back. The AR firm has joined forces with Google to introduce a new pair of Android XR smart glasses, the first prototype of which it refers to as a "reference design for the Android XR ecosystem."

Magic Leap says the new glasses combine Magic Leap's new waveguides and optics with Google's Raxium microLED light engine, giving users a wearable suitable for all-day use. The frames on these smart glasses are thicker than most ordinary eyeglasses, but not so thick as to look unusual. Early images appear to show a camera embedded in the frames, but Magic Leap hasn't mentioned one yet.

Magic Leap and Google have a history in AR, but previous hardware launches didn't exactly achieve big commercial success. Magic Leap One, launched in 2018 for $2,295, sold only 6,000 units in six months before being discontinued. Google Glass, revealed in 2014, was abandoned as privacy and usability problems emerged.

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Valve has a new VR gaming headset – and a clever feature for high-res graphics
By Abhimanyu Ghoshal
November 13, 2025
https://newatlas.com/vr/valve-vr-gaming ... streaming/

Valve – which runs the Steam game store and made the legendary Half-Life series – already makes a VR headset for hardcore gamers who care to tether themselves to a beefy PC for an immersive experience. Its new headset, the Steam Frame, is designed to make VR gaming a lot more accessible to folks who want to easily jump into their favorite titles, with some clever tech hidden inside.

The Steam Frame straps onto your noggin without wires to thrust you into the action in VR and non-VR titles. It can either stream games from your PC using a dedicated 6-GHz wireless adaptor, or use its own onboard computing power for running a limited selection. We'll get to the details on this in a bit.

The bigger deal is a new technology Valve has pioneered, called foveated streaming. Essentially, it tracks your eyes inside the headset, and uses that data to ensure that in-game visuals are sharp and detailed only where you're looking – rather than taxing the system to needlessly deliver high-resolution graphics outside your field of view.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_Frame

[weatheriscool]

Fingertip haptic device brings lifelike texture to touchscreens
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-fin ... xture.html
by Northwestern University

VoxeLite features an array of tiny, individually controlled nodes embedded into a paper-thin, stretchable sheet of latex. These soft nodes function like pixels of touch, each capable of pressing into the skin at high speeds and in precise patterns. Credit: Sylvia Tan/Northwestern University

Northwestern University engineers have developed the first haptic device that achieves "human resolution," meaning it accurately matches the sensing abilities of the human fingertip.
Called VoxeLite, the ultra-thin, lightweight, flexible, wearable device recreates touch sensations with the same clarity, detail and speed that skin naturally detects. Similar to a bandage, the device gently wraps around a fingertip to give digital touch the same realism people now expect from today's screens and speakers.

[weatheriscool]

New augmented reality tech can turn any surface into keyboard
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-aug ... board.html
by Kim Horner, University of Texas at Dallas

Virtual keyboards are a frequent source of frustration for augmented reality (AR) users. The virtual surfaces are slow and error prone, and raising an arm to type on them can cause muscle strain known as "gorilla arm."

To improve virtual-typing experiences, University of Texas at Dallas researchers have designed a unique interface that allows users to transform everyday objects into typing surfaces within an AR environment.

[weatheriscool]

Shoei launches world's first helmet with fully integrated AR
By Utkarsh Sood
November 23, 2025

https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/shoei- ... ai-helmet/
Helmet tech has been advancing rather quickly of late. We’ve seen helmets that promise 100% blind-spot elimination, others that filter the air you breathe in, and even the likes of Sena and Cardo jumping in with their respective “smart” helmets.

Now, Shoei has just turned up with the GT-Air 3 Smart, the world’s first to feature fully integrated augmented reality. To do so, it partnered with the France's EyeLights – the same company that churned out the elusive Rocket One concept last EICMA.

[weatheriscool]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/27/alibaba ... specs.html

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Google to Introduce New AI Glasses, Galaxy XR Update in 2026
One device category will boast a built-in display, while another will feature solely audio.
By Devesh Beri December 9, 2025

Google announced Monday that it is developing two categories of AI-powered smart glasses to compete with Meta's beginning next year. One such group will contain displays, while the other will offer audio.

Most of Google's new glasses will connect wirelessly to a phone (though at least one device will be wired). This will allow the phone to process requests while keeping the glasses slim and light. During a demo in New York, Google showed off two prototypes: one monocular with a single screen in the right lens, and the other binocular with a display for each eye. Both types support augmented-reality overlays for apps like Google Maps, though the binocular design gives a bigger virtual display. Google says it wants to give users the freedom to choose the right balance of weight and style.

https://www.extremetech.com/electronics ... te-in-2026

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

[firestar464]

this acc is reposting ancient news from 2009 to gain attention

https://www.engadget.com/2009-02-26-cir ... ealit.html

[weatheriscool]

[firestar464]

More on that at TechXplore:

https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-key ... suals.html

[weatheriscool]