Samsung, Google and Qualcomm VR project makes a U-turn after Vision Pro sales slump
*Header image is referential and showcases the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. | Image credit — Meta
Some time ago we were told that Samsung, Google and Qualcomm were partnering up to collaborate on a VR device. Initial reports from inside the industry suggested it was going to be a competitor to the Apple Vision Pro with very few units being manufactured. Now, it seems the entire project is following in the footsteps of the much more successful Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses.
The success of the Ray-Ban smart glasses, despite the lack of a visual display, was so unexpected that Meta restructured Reality Labs: its XR (Extended Reality) division. There is now a new subdivision that will focus on wearables similar to the Ray-Ban glasses. According to Qualcomm’s CEO, this is the same position Qualcomm is taking with Google and Samsung.
Some time ago we were told that Samsung, Google and Qualcomm were partnering up to collaborate on a VR device. Initial reports from inside the industry suggested it was going to be a competitor to the Apple Vision Pro with very few units being manufactured. Now, it seems the entire project is following in the footsteps of the much more successful Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses.
But what I really expect to come out of this partnership, I want everyone that has a phone to go buy companion glasses to go along with it.
— Cristiano Amon (CEO at Qualcomm), CNBC, September 2024
There’s a good reason that glasses are gaining popularity over traditional headsets. It’s much more socially acceptable, not to mention convenient, to wear glasses in public instead of a bulky face computer. It also doesn’t help that the Vision Pro received poor sales. Couple that with the aforementioned unprecedented success of the smart glasses and it’s a no-brainer why the project seems to have taken a sharp U-turn.
For what it’s worth, the Meta Quest 3 is an excellent VR headset. | Video credit — Meta
What Amon is talking about is sort of similar to what Xreal did with the Beam Pro. Except now you’re buying glasses to complement your phone instead of the other way around. This might also seem like a more agreeable solution given that both Samsung and Google make phones as well.
As I mentioned above, smart glasses are gaining popularity. Meta, for example, has been working on AI-powered AR smart glasses for ages and is finally almost ready to demo them. There’s never been a better time than now to jump into VR, and I am quite excited to see where the industry goes from here.
As I mentioned above, smart glasses are gaining popularity. Meta, for example, has been working on AI-powered AR smart glasses for ages and is finally almost ready to demo them. There’s never been a better time than now to jump into VR, and I am quite excited to see where the industry goes from here.
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