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AR, VR, XR: What's the difference?
Let's define reality with a close look at AR, VR, MR, and other technologies to see what they mean
It seems like everyone has a new high-tech headset these days. It's a technology we keep returning to, looking for new ways to use or present it to consumers. It's been almost 19 years since Google Glass died of embarrassment (although that AR project was only officially shuttered in 2023), and now Apple is taking its turn with the Vision Pro. Meanwhile, Microsoft has HoloLens, while Vive and Oculus have been around for years, and there are kid-friendly goggles you can strap a high-quality Android phone to in an imitation of a full VR experience.
Weekend poll: Do you think Google should make another AR or VR headset?
Was Google simply too early to the fight, or is it better off focusing on other projects?
Although you didn't hear too much about it on Android Police this week, Apple's annual developer conference dominated the tech industry over the last few days. Alongside a shiny new 15" MacBook Air and some iterative updates to its lineup of operating systems, the company announced Vision Pro, a new "spatial computing" (read: mixed reality) headset coming next year for the eye-watering price of $3,500. Putting aside what you think about the device — personally, I'd kill to watch movies on it, as long as someone else was footing the bill — it's hard not to think about Google's own attempts in this space, and whether or not the company should give it another shot.
Over the past few years, Sony has aligned mobile efforts with its focus on the camera-to-viewership pipeline. Now, we have clearer ideas of what the Japanese manufacturer will show off in its product launch event tomorrow.
Google was among the first to herald the advent of mobile VR, but that daydream is slowly coming to an end. After the company halted the Cardboard SDK development and open-sourced it in 2019, it has now finally stopped selling the Cardboard hardware altogether in its online store.
Google's Daydream is over — the VR platform is dead (Update: Some services restored)
Support officially ends with Android 11
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You probably barely remember what Daydream is, or rather was, and no-one will blame you for that. Google launched its VR platform back in 2016 and even introduced its own View headset to the market, which it also updated about a year later. Apps became gradually available for the platform until many of them stopped being updated, or worse, entirely dropped support for Daydream. It was clear Google pretty much abandoned it, but it's now made it official with an announcement.
Killing off beloved products can be difficult to do, but Google has gotten pretty good at it over the years. The company even put up a cemetery filled with its own products for Halloween last year. Now it looks like another tombstone needs to be installed, because Google has announced that it's sending Expeditions, its educational VR tour app, on one last outing — and it isn't coming back.
Oculus discontinues the Gear VR-based Go headset
The headset could run software designed for Samsung's Gear VR
Virtual reality company Oculus used to have a tight partnership with Samsung, to the point where both company's devices shared the same software ecosystem. The Oculus Go was released in 2018 as a self-contained VR headset, with a Snapdragon 821 processor and full compatibility with games built for Samsung's Gear VR. Sadly, it's now time to say goodbye to the headset.
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Virtual Reality may not be the hot topic it once was, a few years ago, but it has settled into a nice niche for gaming first and foremost, and media consumption to a more minor degree. If you're intrigued by VR and have been pining for one of those powerful headsets, you can spare your wallet and start small today with the Oculus Go, which is down to $150.The Go doesn't require any powerful PC to run demanding VR games, nor does it need you to slip your phone inside to use its display as make-shift lenses. It's a standalone headset with its own lenses and processor, though you still need your mobile device to easily browse and remotely install games and apps. It comes with one wireless controller for more precision in your actions, a power adapter and battery, as well as a spacer to properly mount on your face even if you wear eyeglasses.The deal is available on both the 32GB and 64GB storage variants, and lasts until December 2.
It has been three weeks since the last Chrome release, and right on schedule, Chrome 79 is now rolling out across desktop and mobile platforms. This isn't the largest update we've seen recently, but there are a few changes worth highlighting. Let's jump right in!
Long before Google introduced Daydream and subsequently left it dead in the water, the company created the Cardboard platform. You can use the carton headsets as an ultra-low-budget entry to VR to this day, and they're compatible with almost any regularly shaped phone on the market. Google has now open-sourced the underlying VR SDK which will allow interested developers to create their own VR experiences on Cardboard viewers and improve and enhance the project as they see fit.
Chrome 78 has rolled out to all platforms, which means it's time for Chrome 79 to hit the Beta Channel. This update is definitely smaller in scope than the last few releases, but there are still a few interesting additions — especially if you're interested in VR/AR.
The VR hype train has slowed down considerably over the last couple of years, but that doesn't stop companies invested in the technology from iterating on their products. The same is true for Facebook, which announced a number of significant improvements to its VR division during its annual Oculus event on Wednesday, making advanced virtual reality experiences more accessible at lower prices. Among a plethora of changes to the platform, you can now let the Oculus Quest track your hands without additional hardware and connect it to a computer via USB, allowing you to get some of the full Rift VR experience.
Hulu told Variety yesterday that it has dropped support for Google's Daydream VR platform. The feature was silently disabled in updates to the Android app over the last few weeks. Hulu's support page also confirms the change.
Samsung's Galaxy Note10 was officially announced last week, and while it's jam-packed with almost everything most people could want in a smartphone, it also dropped a few features: the headphone jack is completely gone, and the microSD card slot isn't present on the smaller model. It has also become evident over the past few days that the Note10 doesn't support any mobile VR platform, marking an end to both Gear VR and Google Daydream.
If you want a virtual reality headset to kill some time with, but don't want to burden yourself with wires or a high price tag, the Oculus Go might be calling your name. It's currently available at its lowest price for both of its storage options at Amazon and Best Buy.The headset uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 and 3GB of RAM to feed content onto a 2560x1440 LCD — which should be able to produce an equivalent viewing experience of a 180" projection display — at up to 72 frames per second. It comes with a motion-tracked controller with three degrees of movement, good enough for messing about with Oculus apps and games in your personal space. It weighs just over a pound, comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 2,600mAh battery that should last at least a couple hours.
Google reveals more Stadia details, including answers about multiplayer and VR
Stadia will definitely never get shut down
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When it comes to massive trade shows like CES, many companies feel the need to get extravagant with booth installations just to stand out from the crowd. Case in point: Google set up a musical, Small World-style ride for Assistant that is the very definition of over-the-top. Thankfully, even those of us who aren't attending the event can give this monstrosity a virtual ride through a 360-degree video posted on YouTube.
Back in September, Mozilla unveiled a version of Firefox designed for virtual reality headsets, fittingly named 'Firefox Reality.' It was a bit limited at first, but version 1.1 is now available that fixes many of the browser's initial shortcomings.
[Deal Alert] Lenovo Mirage Solo drops to $320-330 ($70-80 off), Mirage Camera down to $250 ($50 off)
Lenovo was the first company to release a standalone Daydream headset, and we haven't heard much about the Mirage Solo (or the Mirage Camera) since it launched earlier this year. It looks like there's some excess stock floating around because prices are coming down today. You can get the headset for $70-80 off and the camera for $50 off.The Mirage Solo has an integrated 2560 x 1440 display at 5.5-inches that sits right in front of your face. The display offers a 110-degree field of view, and there are outward-facing dual cameras. Inside, there's a Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It's Daydream, but you don't need to dock a phone. B&H has the headset for $329.99, and Amazon has gone a little further with $319.99. Those are both good discounts, but Oculus Go is $250.
Since the advent of virtual reality hardware, there's been a drive toward wireless. But the dream of an exceptional VR headset that doesn't tangle isn't quite there yet — the performance and graphics quality can't compare to wired systems. Facebook's Oculus seems to believe it has cracked the code, though. At Oculus Connect 5 (OC5), the new all-in-one Oculus Quest headset debuted with the advertising copy: "This is the VR experience everyone's been waiting for." In addition to the new hardware, the VR headset maker announced that its mobile app now supports the Oculus Rift, and that Oculus Go will soon gain access to YouTube VR's full library.