HTC is serial-teasing its next VR headset again, this time hyping the reveal of Vive Flow, which is reportedly a slim and light 6DOF standalone focused on media consumption, casual gaming, and VR experiences.
New information reported by Protocol ahead of its October 14th reveal holds that HTC will be likely targeting consumers with the new lightweight Vive Flow headset, something that is said to contain a chipset less powerful than the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 found in Quest 2 and Vive Focus 3.
Reportedly developed under the code name “Hue,” Protocol maintains it will also ship without motion controllers, instead relying primarily on its built-in hand-tracking to control apps and casual VR games.
HTC also released and new hype video on its Instagram, showing a quick flash of Flow’s hardware.
There’s not much to tell from the eight-second video, however it appears the headset’s temples can articulate, which suggests they may fold to some degree. We’ve seen similar hinges and on the Vive Proton prototype standalone first revealed in February 2020, although we’ve never seen it in action.
A thermos-like container previously seen in other marketing images would suggest Vive Flow can be stored in the carrying case though, which may mean it can cinch down into a fairly compact form-factor.
Image courtesy HTC
Light and casual VR media consumption used to be Facebook’s modus operandi with 3DOF headsets Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Go, but has since shifted focus to building out its gaming-focused Quest platform in the recent years. This may have left a niche HTC is looking to exploit with Vive Flow.
Should all of the above prove true when it’s revealed on October 14th, the entrance of Vive Flow could signal HTC’s return to consumer VR—provided it has a suitably consumer-friendly price to match, which hasn’t been the company’s strong suit.
The company has since shied away from directly targeting consumers outside of Asia like Facebook has done with its $300 standalone Quest 2, instead focusing on enterprise and prosumer segments with its latest VR hardware, such as the $1,300 standalone Vive Focus 3 and its $800 Vive Pro 2 PC VR headset.
HTC may also be banking on integration with a rumored social VR service called ‘Viveport Verse’, which sounds like the company’s own stab at building out its own metaverse platform. Companies such as Epic Games, Facebook, and Immersive VR Education’s platform ENGAGE have each already invested cash in the millions to ostensibly build out their own platforms with interconnected services.
Facebook introduced a 128GB version of the Oculus Quest 2 headset last week, entirely replacing the 64GB base model which launched for $300 in October 2020. Now the long out-of-stock 256GB is back on the shelves too, both of which should include protective covers in the box for the minority of users who may experience skin reactions to the stock facial interface.
Update (August 31st, 2021): After a lengthy hiatus, the 256GB version of Quest 2 (priced at $400) is back on sale. You’ll find it direct from Oculus in all supported regions. Follow the links below to see both the 128GB and 256GB variants from other online retailers.
The original article detailing the entrance of the 128GB variant ($300) follows below:
Original Article (August 24th, 2021): At the time of this writing, the 128GB variant [Amazon] is currently the only version on offer, with the 256GB version still listed as out of stock. You should be able to find both models offered from Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Adorama in the US, as well as direct from Oculus.
Other online retailers will likely catch up soon too, as many, such as NewEgg, MicroCenter, and B&H, have listed the 128GB variant as “coming soon” or releasing on August 24th.
Image courtesy Facebook
Facebook globally paused sales on Oculus Quest 2 late last month due to a skin irritation issue with the headset’s face pad, something the company said affected a “very small percentage” of customers. Existing owners of Quest 2 can still request a free silicone cover directly from Oculus regardless of whether they experience skin irritation.
The company says it revealed no issues in its manufacturing process of the original 64GB and 256GB models, claiming that the minority of users were experiencing a reaction non-allergic in nature. Just the same, all newly shipped headsets are said to include the silicone cover just in case.
If you’re just now considering a Quest 2 purchase, make sure to check out our deep dive review where we called it “the best standalone headset” when it launched in October 13th, 2020. Outside of Quest 2’s impressive hardware, that’s even more true today than it was at launch.
Now with more games available from the Oculus Store, which is partially thanks to Oculus relaxing its app submission requirements and opening up its App Lab distribution channel, there’s more reason than ever to have extra on-board storage. Road to VR’s monthly rundown of the top 20 most popular and best-rated games on Quest is a great place to start if you’re looking to see what everyone else is playing.
Besides the flood of games, there’s been a lot more software improvements along the way this past year that have made the headset even more capable. With the entrance of Air Link, you can now play PC VR games wirelessly if you have a VR-capable PC. The company is also experimenting with passthrough augmented reality on Quest 2, something Facebook expects will bring new a brand new class of applications to the platform.
French startup Lynx announced its Lynx R-1 mixed reality headset last year. The standalone headset, which is capable of both VR and pass-through AR, was previously said to launch for business somewhere around the $1,500 price point. Lynx previously said it was pivoting to target both enterprise and consumers however, now adding that the headset will start at $500 when it hits Kickstarter sometime in late September.
Update (September 10th, 2021): Lynx tossed out a new promo yesterday in which an opening price point was revealed, reaching well below the sub-$1,000 price tag previously mentioned in July.
The consumer version is said to be priced at $500. A transparent ‘Limited Edition’ model is said to come in at $700, while a professional edition for businesses will sell for $900.
CEO Stan Larroque explains in a Q&A video that while it won’t be selling hardware below cost, they’ve factored in the price of both limited and pro editions so they can hit that $500 price point for consumers. The original article announcing the Kickstarter follows below.
Original Article (July 9th, 2021): Lynx founder and CEO Stan Larroque announced in the project’s July update a few key changes to its upcoming MR headset. You can check out the full 30-minute video at the bottom of the article.
In short, the headset is now said to include a modified version of its unique “four-fold catadioptric freeform prism” optics which will remove the need for eye-tracking, something that was required due to the headset’s relatively small eye-box—the “sweet spot” area within the headset where you can view the image in focus.
Image courtesy Lynx
One of the biggest revelations from the update was that Lynx R-1 is expected to be “way below $1,000,” or just a “couple hundred dollars,” Larroque says. This was achieved by modifying some components, however it wasn’t specified which ones.
Larroque confirmed the headset will still include Ultraleap hand-tracking, which is the only other change in its overall feature set. All other features are said to be in-tact, and the product “is complete,” including specs and design. The Qualcomm Snpadragon XR-2 is still listed on the headset’s spec sheet, which is nice to see.
A month-long Kickstarter campaign to fund the headset’s refocus towards consumers is expected in September 2021, with shipments targeting February 2022. Lynx says it’s reimbursing those who pre-ordered the headset and will give them a promo code. A special clear version of the headset is also slated to be on offer, which you can see in the image above.
Prototypes of the updated design are said to ship sometime this summer to select members of the press, so we’ll hopefully have a better idea of how everything has come together after the company’s two-year stint in R&D.
HTC today revealed its latest standalone VR headset, the Vive Focus 3. The enterprise-oriented headset will bring Snapdragon XR2, a whopping 6MP per-eye resolution, 120° field-of-view, new controllers, and more for $1,300. The Vive Focus 3 release date is set for June 27th.
HTC is going all out with its latest standalone VR headset, seemingly aiming to position the product as the high-end standalone VR headset choice for enterprises. The Vive Focus 3 will be priced at $1,300 (including a two year business warranty), a significant increase over its predecessor, the Vive Focus Plus, and the Quest 2 business edition, both priced at $800.
Along with the increased price, the Vive Focus 3 will also bring a brand new design and an impressive leap in specs. Here’s the rundown:
Vive Focus 3 Specs
Resolution
2,448 x 2,448 (6.0MP) per-eye, LCD (2x)
Refresh Rate
90Hz
Lenses
Dual-element Fresnel
Field-of-view
120° diagonal
Optical Adjustments
IPD
IPD Adjustment Range
57–72mm
Processor
Snapdragon XR2
RAM
8GB
Storage
Unknown (expandable via MicroSD)
Connectors
USB-C (2x)
Battery Life
2 hours
Tracking
Quad on-board camera (no external beacons)
Controllers
Vive Focus 3 controllers, rechargeable battery
Audio
In-headstrap speakers, 3.5mm aux output
Microphone
Dual microphone
Pass-through Cameras
Yes
Resolution & Lenses
Image courtesy HTC
Certainly one of the highlights of Vive Focus 3 is the class-leading resolution of 6MP (2,448 x 2,448) per-eye. That’s compared to 2.3MP on the Vive Focus Plus and 3.5MP on the Quest 2. It even beats out the Reverb G2 at 4.7MP. Those pixels will be spread across the Vive Focus 3’s two LCD displays and a 120° diagonal field-of-view, HTC says. The dual displays also make way for a physical IPD adjustment which will range from 57–72mm.
Processor, RAM, & Cooling
Powering the headset is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2, paired with 8GB of RAM. Vive Focus 3 also includes an active cooling system with a 15W heat-pipe for keeping the system cool even as the processor starts cranking.
Rear-mounted Battery & Magnetic Pads
Image courtesy HTC
Another move which will help with cooling (and balance)—HTC has placed the Vive Focus 3 battery in the back strap of the headset. With two hours of claimed runtime, it’ll surely be appreciated that the battery is swappable, allowing users to quickly change out for an already charged battery (though the headset must be powered down to change the battery).
HTC sees this as an essential feature for some use-cases, especially commercial settings where user-throughout is important. To that end, the company says it’s also working on a multi-battery charging dock, and says the Vive Focus 3 battery can quick-charge to 50% in just 30 minutes. The headset also has magnetically attached face and rear pads which can be quickly swapped, allowing one set to be cleaned while another is in use.
Inside-out Tracking & New Controllers
Image courtesy HTC
Alongside moving to quad-cameras for the tracking on the Vive Focus 3, HTC is also ditching the ultrasonic controllers of the Focus Plus in favor of brand new controllers tracked via the headset’s cameras. Unlike Vive Cosmos, which used visible light tracking for its controllers, the new Vive Focus 3 controllers appear to be using an infrared tracking solution (similar to Rift and Quest).
Image courtesy HTC
The Vive Focus 3 controllers definitely have a similar vibe to the Oculus Touch controllers, and fortunately match the inputs that have become the norm for VR controllers in recent years: two thumbsticks, two triggers, two grip triggers, four buttons, and two menu buttons. HTC says the Vive Focus 3 controllers include capacitive finger sensing, though we don’t know exactly which areas of the controller will be able to track fingers just yet.
While they might look a good bit like Oculus Touch controllers, the Vive Focus 3 controllers differ in a welcomed way: integrated rechargeable batteries. Charged via a USB-C port, HTC says the controllers will last for 15 hours on a single charge.
PC VR via Tether or Wireless
HTC says the Vive Focus 3 will also join in on the hybrid approach by offering PC VR usage via a tether or a wireless method. The company says it will sell an optional Vive streaming cable for this purpose, though it isn’t clear if this will be a generic USB cable or something proprietary. The cable is expected to be available at launch, but the wireless streaming feature will be available at a later date.
Software, Enterprise Device Management, & App Store
Image courtesy HTC
Built atop Android, HTC says Vive Focus 3 will be running an interface it calls Vive Reality 2.0, which is designed to be a user-friendly menu for enterprise users who may be using VR for the first time.
HTC is also launching an enterprise-focused app store for Vive Focus 3 (and its enterprise-focused PC VR products) called Vive Business AppStore. The company hopes it will be an avenue for enterprises to discover VR software that’s useful for their business. HTC says that 20 apps will be available at launch and 50 developers have signed up so far.
HTC is also touting the Vive Business Device Management System, an ISO-certified MDM which allows mass setup and management of Vive headsets, including managed access rights with the ability to integrate into an organization’s existing user management system. HTC says the Vive Business Device Management System can even manage headsets from other vendors, and also offers Android Enterprise support and support for other MDMs.
Hand Tracking Expected in Q3
Similar to Quest headsets, Vive Focus 3 will also offer controllerless hand-tracking. HTC says the feature will be available only in beta at launch, but it expects to release hand-tracking widely in Q3 of this year.
Vive Focus 3 Price and Release Date
Image courtesy HTC
Vive Focus 3 will be available on June 27th, priced at $1,300, which includes a two year business warranty and Vive Business services.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sat down withCNET for an interview where he speaks about the company’s progress on its next generation of VR devices, namely what it might include in the ‘Oculus Quest Pro’ standalone headset.
Zuckerberg previously spoke about how Facebook is preparing a Quest 3 and 4, saying in March that teams are devoted to building those headsets and exploring things like improved optics, better compute performance, and creating smaller and lighter devices.
Now Zuckerberg confirms that not only is Facebook working on a Quest Pro, but that it could include sensors for both face and eye tracking. That’s a first for any Oculus device, although HTC has beaten them to the punch with its Vive Pro Eye and its more recent face tracker add-on.
The Facebook chief maintains both face and eye tracking will be fundamental pieces to reaching two important goals: a “sense of presence” and “social connection” through its VR devices, he says. There’s a few more reasons why eye tracking is a game changer for VR, although those are certain two of the biggest ones.
Zuckerberg spoke very generally about the headset, saying that, as the name would suggest, Quest Pro is planned to be a higher-end standalone. What isn’t clear is how much it will cost, and who the target market will be. He says it will necessarily be “a little more expensive” than the Quest 2’s $300 baseline price, however the hardware will be priced with some level of mass appeal still in mind.
“We’re not approaching this from the perspective of, how do we charge people as much money as possible and make profit on the devices?” he told CNET. “We want to get as many people as possible to be able to experience virtual reality and be able to jump into the metaverse and then be able to have these social experiences within that. Then that’s really where where our bread and butter as a company is in terms of building those experiences.”
Quest [left] and Quest 2 [right] | Photo by Road to VRZuckerberg maintains some distance from directly promising any specific feature for Quest Pro—like face & eye tracking, or fitness sensor integration—however he mentions that increasing the amount of sensors will necessarily require more compute power.
“We’ve talked a bit about things like eye tracking and face tracking, and you’re talking now about things like different health sensors, whether that’s heart rate monitoring or the different other kinds of fitness sensors that you might have on a fitness watch. The basic thing that these all have in common is that each of them takes additional compute power to power the thing. And the whole device needs to be tuned for that. So if you want to basically have a device over time that is just capable of all these things and is running an increasing number of sensors, you need to kind of get to higher- and higher-end devices. And then the question for us is going to be, well, how do we innovate on what that’s going to look like and be able to deliver something that’s a high-end product?”
Just last month Facebook gave tens of thousands of employees Quest 2 for to keep fit from home. This may very well be another ‘dogfooding’ strategy from Facebook, whereby a company conducts broad internal beta testing before launching a device or service. Zuckerberg maintains that over the next five years, the company will be focusing on both the sensor-packed high-end as well as “devices that can be broadly available to everyone.”
An apparently never-before-seen HTC headset won an IF Design Award today, which arrived with multiple photos of what was listed as a consumer headset targeting release in 2021. The fitness-focused headset is just a concept, the company says, but we’re probably going to see many of its design elements in an upcoming HTC headset.
Update (10:00 AM ET): HTC has provided UploadVR with confirmation that Vive Air is indeed a concept, and not an in-development product despite being listed by IF Design as releasing to consumers in 2021. Here’s the statement from an HTC spokesperson:
“‘It’s exciting to see our concept piece, the VIVE Air VR headset, win an iF Design Award. While this is only a concept, the design language has elements and inspirations you’ll see elsewhere in our products. We’re not ones to rest on our laurels, so although it’s great to win this award, we have business to attend to – hopefully we’ll see you on 11/12 May at VIVECON.”
The original article remains unaltered below for the sake of clarity.
Original Article (8:30 AM ET):According to the page, the headset is called ‘Vive Air’ and is set to launch to consumers in Asia, Europe, and North America sometime this year. The news was first reported by Chinese-language publication Nweon.
HTC is set to unveil a standalone VR headset, as it confirmed earlier this month in a set of Tweets and a blogpost. We don’t have confirmation yet whether this is it, or a variant thereof. We’ll update this piece as soon as we know.
Here’s all of the photos available of the headset.
1 of 5
Image courtesy iF Design
Image courtesy iF Design
Image courtesy iF Design
Image courtesy iF Design
And here’s what HTC allegedly says about it on the IF Design site:
VIVE Air VR headset is specially designed for virtual fitness, optimized for high intensity with long use. Inspired by sports shoes, the new headset introduces knitted materials to VR to provide unprecedented comfort and fit. The breathable and quick-drying fabrics improve ventilation in the heated exercise. The innovative lightweight structure allows users to forget the presence of the head-mounted display to focus on virtual content. The quick-release design allows the removal of ergonomic soft components for washing.
The headset is undoubtedly very Quest-like in overall appearance, offering up four camera sensors for room-scale tracking and possibly also hand tracking. Keep in mind that many standalone headsets have adopted this style of four-sensor layout.
There’s little else to go on for now. The person using the headset seems to be using an armband and handgrip of some sort, however this may simply be regular workout gear and not some new fitness motion controller system.
What is clear however is HTC may be looking to tap into the growing at-home VR workout niche to set itself apart from the reigning champion, Oculus Quest 2. To compete with consumers located outside of the Facebook-less zone that is China, it may try its luck with a sportier piece of kit.
As if there was any doubt about HTC teasing a new VR headset late last week, the company also reconfirmed that it’s definitely on the way with an image of the device sitting under a veil.
A blogpost titled “VR Headset?” featuring the image was released on the same day as the Tweet that saw wider circulation.
The only text to go along with the image was: “VR Headset – Confirmed”.
Image courtesy HTC
As far as veiled images go, there’s little to tell from this image alone. The headset appears to be propped up internally by a box, so it’s difficult to tell whether it indeed has a rigid strap system or not.
The only other image we have of the device for now was released via Twitter last week, showing what appears to be a rendering of the top-left corner of the headset’s faceplate and revealing a single optical sensor.
Image courtesy HTC
HTC has done these sort of Twitter teases in the past, the most recent of which was right before the company launched new VR accessories.
The phrase from last week’s tweet: “now that the accessories are out of the way, let’s get down to business,” could mean that company is getting ready to release a business-focused headset instead of one for consumers. This would track fairly well with its past strategy of releasing its Vive Focus standalone headsets in China for consumers, and pitching the same hardware outside of that country for business.
What do you think is under the veil? PC VR? Standalone? Let us know in the comments below!
Pico Interactive announced last week that Neo 3, the Beijing-based company’s next standalone VR headset, is slated to arrive to consumers in Asia starting May 10th, 2021, and to enterprise in the West sometime this summer. We had only seen a single partial rendering of Pico Neo 3, however now the company has revealed more of the headset alongside revealing a few basic specs.
Update (April 13th, 2021): Pico today released more info on its upcoming Neo 3 standalone. There’s only a short spec sheet for now. Today’s news also came with a new image of the headset, which we’ve included above.
Pico Neo 3 will include:
Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chipset
WiFi 6 antenna
optical controllers with embedded tracking sensors
three physical IPD adjustments
four wide-angle cameras providing “millimeter-level” positioning and tracking
curved screen clocked at 90Hz refresh
Notably, the Snapdragon XR2 is the same chipset inside Oculus Quest 2. The company says its enterprise version for outside of Asia is slated to release sometime in summer 2021. The original article follows below:
Original Article (April 7th, 2021):The company released the news via its official Weibo account early yesterday, stating that the headset will be launched at a special event taking place on May 10th at the Beijing National Aquatics Center, also known as ‘Water Cube’.
As reported by Chinese VR publication Yivian, the headset appears to have four optical sensors and a new Oculus Touch-like controller.
Image courtesy Pico Interactive
There’s essentially nothing else to go on besides the rendering above, however Pico is making definite strides to appeal to consumers in Asia with the launch of its next standalone headset.
In late March, the company announced its was opening its own publishing division, called Pico Studios. The company says it will be partnering with global developers to bring its 6DOF VR apps and games to consumers in Asia. The company has already stocked its Pico Store with around 400 apps, which include a number of fan favorites localized for Chinese consumption such as Superhot VR, Apex Construct, Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, and Racket: Nx.
As for the West, Pico is still focusing on serving enterprise clients and B2B with Neo 3, which makes sense since there are very few companies up to the task of undercutting the successful Oculus Quest platform vis-à-vis Facebook.
It’s important to note that China-based consumers can’t purchase Oculus devices as Facebook is banned in that country, which makes for an interesting state of affairs. Pico Interactive has been armed with a fresh B and B+ funding round though, amounting to around $67M, so there’s no telling what inroads Pico will make outside of Asia in the future.
A newly published patent granted to Valve envisions new Index headsets that could be wireless or standalone, and include new head-mounts for improved ergonomics.
Initially filed back in September, 2020, more than a year after the launch of Valve’s Index headset, a patent published today gives us a glimpse of some of Valve’s thinking about potential next-gen Index headsets.
The patent covers a lot of ground, ranging from wireless and standalone versions of the headset to new ergonomic approaches aimed at making easier and more intuitive adjustments for comfort. While patents aren’t a guarantee that a company is actually building a product, the new patent shows that Valve has been thinking in detail about the designs described therein, right down to the specific way that cables and straps would move and fold as the headsets are adjusted.
The patent appears to show three major versions of an Index-like headset, all of which include a large section on the rear of the headstrap which the patent says could contain hardware for operating the headset either wirelessly or in a standalone fashion.
Image courtesy Valve
The first version looks the most like the original Index, but with a bulky rear section and a new dial on the top strap with a stiffened section designed to make the headset’s straps easier to adjust.
Image courtesy Valve
Another version has a more sleek looking rear section on the headset, out of which a spring-loaded pad protrudes for gripping underneath the occipital bone.
Image courtesy Valve
The third version of the headset seen in the patent has a rigid pad for gripping the occipital lobe, along with two dials, on the same plane, for adjusting the side and top straps.
In the latter two cases, it would appear that an objective of the design, beyond being more comfortable, may be to make room for wireless or standalone components that are kept somewhat away from the user’s head, potentially in order to facilitate heat dissipation. Cooling is a major challenge in both wireless and standalone headsets given the proximity to the user’s head. Keeping a rear section of the headset away from the user’s head brings increased surface area for heat dissipation, which could enable better performance that would be possible if the module was directly adjacent to the user’s head.
– – — – –
While there’s no indication yet that any of these designs will see the light of day, the fact that the patent was filed in the latter half of 2020, well after the launch of the original Index in 2019—and the level of detail on display—suggests that Valve is still actively doing research & development on VR hardware.
Thanks to Ilja Z and Cat Noir VR on Twitter for pointing the patent our way.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple may be planning to release a VR headset with limited AR capabilities as soon as 2022, which is said to be a precursor to its long-rumored, full-fledged AR device. Now, a follow up report by The Information contends the company’s first VR headset will cost around $3,000 and include a bevy of items high on any VR enthusiast’s wish list.
Update (February 4th, 2021): Citing people with direct knowledge of the device, The Information’s report maintains that Apple’s upcoming VR/AR headset will reportedly be equipped with more than a dozen cameras, which will be used for room-scale tracking, hand-tracking, and passthrough AR.
It’s also said to include dual 8K displays which make use of eye-tracking for foveated rendering, a technique of rendering content at its highest resolution where the center of the eye is pointed.
Internal Apple images leaked to The Information showed a late-stage prototype from 2020, which included a “sleek, curved visor attached to the face by a mesh material and swappable headbands.”
The report maintains that Apple internally discussed a $3,000 price point for the device, which suggests it will be pitched at the prosumer segment or at enterprise, similar to how Apple positions its Mac Pro computers.
Original Article (January 21st, 2021): “As a mostly virtual reality device, it will display an all-encompassing 3-D digital environment for gaming, watching video and communicating,” Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter. “AR functionality, the ability to overlay images and information over a view of the real world, will be more limited.”
Apple is reportedly aiming for a niche, high-end category with the VR headset. It’s said the device will be more expensive than rival devices in the VR space, with sales expected to be somewhere around one Apple headset per day, per store—small potatoes in comparison to the company’s fleet of mobile devices, laptops, and desktop computers.
Bloomberg maintains the late-stage prototype headset is codenamed N301, however it’s still being finalized and could be subject to cancellation.
Oculus Quest 2 | Image courtesy Facebook
Much like Oculus Quest, some prototypes of the VR headset are said to include “external cameras to enable some AR features,” which could be used for hand-tracking. Considering it’s described as containing Apple’s “most advanced and powerful chips,” it’s reasonable to assume we’re talking about a standalone device with passthrough AR capabilities.
Weight savings was also a concern, the report maintains. The headset is said to be close-fitting, requiring additional prescription inserts due to the lack of extra room to accommodate for glasses. It’s also said to have a fabric exterior.
The AR prototype, which is projected to follow at some point, is said to be codenamed N421. It’s suggested N421 is still in an early stage of development, and has a reported 2023 unveiling.
A rumor supplied by known tech leaker Jon Prosser back in May 2020 maintained the AR headset will be named ‘Apple Glass’, relies on Apple mobile devices for data processing, and would launch at $499 sometime this year. That may just be some hopeful conjecture though.
If the release strategy can be believed—first a VR headset with limited AR capabilities, then a true AR headset—we’re sure to hear plenty more about the two in the coming years leading up to their respectively release windows. Supply chains can’t always work in complete stealth, accessories are constantly revealed by lower-tier manufacturers, and app ecosystems don’t magically appear out of nowhere—the latter of which can make or break any new product class looking for consumer dollars (or rather pro-sumer if it’s exceptionally expensive).
For now though, all of it needs to be taken with a big grain of salt. Anything in pre-production from such a prolific company as Apple is always subject to cancellation. And like with all things Apple, the Cupertino tech giant also isn’t in a rush.
