AR Headset

Magic Leap Won’t Make a Consumer Headset but May License Tech to Someone That Will

October 14, 2021 From roadtovr

Magic Leap just gave us the first glimpse of its Magic Leap 2 AR headset earlier this week. Despite a consumer-focused start, the company has firmly pivoted into the enterprise segment. Comments from the CEO suggest there will be no consumer headset from Magic Leap in the near-term, but the company says its open to licensing its tech for the consumer space.

Despite nearly going bust last year, Magic Leap secured its near-term future with the announcement this week that it has raised an additional $500 million, alongside giving the first glimpse at the new and improved Magic Leap 2 AR headset which is due to ship next year. The company is making it clear that the device is designed (and will be priced) for the enterprise segment.

In a Magic Leap blog post this week CEO Peggy Johnson outlined the company’s activities during her first year as CEO, and affirmed a long-term emphasis on the enterprise space. But she also said the company is open to licensing its tech to anyone building in the consumer sphere.

“While our core business objectives remain focused on enterprise solutions, there continues to be intense interest in the application of Magic Leap’s technology in the consumer space,” Johnson wrote. “In fact, we have received several requests to license our technology and will actively pursue these opportunities if they enhance our position and ability to innovate in the enterprise market.”

The last part is particularly telling… that the company will only consider lending its tech to the consumer space if it benefits its position in enterprise. It’s an interesting admission that both affirms the company’s enterprise focus while suggesting that it has no near-term plans to build products for consumers; that also sounds a lot like saying ‘we don’t want to compete with Facebook or Apple’.

Johnson, a former Microsoft executive vice president who took over as CEO of Magic Leap in 2020, writes that Magic Leap has “one of the most robust IP portfolios I’ve seen for a company of this scale,” and is clearly interested in leveraging its patented tech into an ongoing revenue stream.

Magic Leap Teases Its Next-gen AR Headset for Enterprise

October 11, 2021 From roadtovr

Magic Leap hasn’t come out with new hardware since it launched its seminal AR headset in 2018, Magic Leap 1. Now it seems we’re getting our first glimpse of what may very well be Magic Leap 2.

Update: Magic Leap shared more news and details on Magic Leap 2 today on CNBC, see our coverage here.

Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson released a photo of the device via LinkedIn. She says in the post that more will be revealed during CNBC’s Power Lunch at 2PM ET today. We’ll be following along, so make sure to check back then for more details as they arrive.

In the LinkedIn post, Johnson says she’ll speak a bit about her experiences as CEO at Magic Leap and “share a glimpse of what lies ahead for AR and our organization.”

From what little we can see, it seems the new Magic Leap hardware is looking to replicate a more glasses-like form-factor. It’s not for certain whether this is indeed Magic Leap 2, however in February Johnson said its second-gen headset would be “50% smaller, 20% lighter, with 100% larger field of view.”

The company has stayed tightlipped on Magic Leap 2 thus far, however Johnson previously mentioned that early access availability of its next-gen device is slated for Q4 of 2021, so this may be our first look at what’s to come. General availability is said to arrive in Q1 of 2022.

A previous veteran of Qualcomm and Microsoft, Johnson took over the reigns from company founder Rony Abovitz in 2020 to help pivot Magic Leap away from its roots as a company appealing to prosumers and businesses, and focusing entirely on the enterprise segment.

AR Glasses Creator Nreal Secures $100M Series C Financing to Expand Internationally

September 27, 2021 From roadtovr

Chinese AR glasses startup Nreal announced it’s raised a fresh $100 million Series C financing round, something it says will be used for R&D and to fund wider international expansion.

As first reported by CNBC, the latest round reportedly brings the company’s valuation to $700 million. That figure was obtained by an anonymous source with knowledge of the deal, CNBC says, however the company has yet to comment.

The Series C round was led by YF Capital, NIO Capital, and Angel Plus China, with participation by Sequoia Capital China, GP Capital, GL Ventures. According to data reported by Crunchbase, this brings the company’s lifetime funding to $171 million.

Nreal is probably best known for its smartphone-tethered AR glasses, dubbed Nreal Light which made headlines back at CES 2019 for its relatively small form-factor in comparison to Magic Leap One or Microsoft HoloLens.

Nreal Light achieves this by offloading processing to a compatible smartphone. It also incorporates what are called ‘birdbath’ optics, which are notably cheaper to produce than waveguides and typically have greater light efficiency.

Nreal Light has been on sale through telecoms in Japan, South Korea, Germany, and Spain, typically priced between $600 and $820 depending on the region.

Notably the Beijing-based company hasn’t launched Nreal Light in China or the United States, something Nreal CEO Chi Xu says may happen at some point in 2022 along with “more countries as well,” Chi Xu tells CNBC.

The company’s Series C comes at a time when Apple is clearly making preparations for its own XR headsets. A recent report holds that Apple is sourcing parts for its VR headset. A mid-2020 report from serial leaker John Prosser holds that Apple’s AR glasses are headed to market sometime in late 2021 or early 2022.

Facebook’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Don’t Support AR, And That’s Okay

September 10, 2021 From vrscout

Capture photos and videos, listen to music, and take calls with the new Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses.

Yesterday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg andLuxottica Chief Wearables Officer Rocco Basilico unveiled Ray-Ban Stories, a new line of stylish smart glasses that allow you to capture and share photos and videos on nearly every major social media platform, including Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, and—of course—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Not only that, but you can also make hands-free phone calls and listen to your favorite music thanks to a set of high-quality micro-speakers and built-in microphone. All-in-all, Ray-Ban Stories is an impressive piece of hardware that—while not an AR headset—represents a major step in the right direction for immersive technology.

Let’s dive into this exciting piece of hardware, shall we?

Features

Ray-Ban Stories allows you to capture photos as well as 30-second video clips thanks to a pair of built-in 5MP cameras. Using a combination of HDR and low light fusion, video stabilization, and denoising, Facebook and Ray-Ban promise high-quality images and video, enhanced even further by machine-learning technology. The glasses also feature a three-microphone audio array complete with a bass reflex system, offering crisp audio calls and more engaging video.

All of the aforementioned technology is powered by a Snapdragon® processor and controlled using a capacitive touchpad located on the temple—or arm—of the glasses. To help manage your content, Facebook has launched a new app called Facebook View. Available on iOS and Android, the companion experience allows you to import photos and videos from your glasses to your smartphone and edit your content before sharing it with friends and family on your preferred platforms.

Design

Facebook worked closely with Ray-Ban parent companyLuxottica to ensure the glasses featured the signature Ray-Ban look without compromising on technology. That being said, the results are pretty incredible. Excluding the two forward-facing cameras located near the end pieces of the glasses, there are little to no physical differences between Ray-Ban Stories and a regular pair of Ray-Bans. To charge the glasses, you simply place the device in the included charging case.

“We had to re-engineer components so that everything — that’s two cameras, a set of micro-speakers, a three-microphone audio array, an optimized Snapdragon® processor, a capacitive touchpad, a battery, and more — fit into the smallest possible space and the lightest possible frame. The form factor drove a lot of decisions, from speaker architecture to the camera selection,” states Facebook in an official release.

You can choose from three different models at launch, each featuring unique colors, finishes, and materials. The glasses themselves weigh five grams more than the original Ray-Ban Wayfarer glasses.

No AR. And that’s okay.

Ray-Ban Stories is not an AR headset, Facebook and Ray-Ban want to make that perfectly clear. That being said, the device represents a major step forward for wearable technology; a baby step, but a step nonetheless. Facebook has made its commitment to AR technology perfectly clear in the past. In September of 2019, the company announced that its Facebook Reality Lab is currently in development of its own AR headset.

Based on the adoption rates of existing AR/MR headsets, it makes sense Facebook would takes its time lauching its own AR device.The Microsoft HoloLens and Magic Leap One: Creator Edition—while impressive pieces of hardware—have yet to capture the attention of mainstream audiences. Most recently, Snapchat unveiled the latest version of its Snapchat Spectacles, AR smart glasses capable of generating AR visuals. The only problem is the device is only available to select influencers.

By prioritizing design over technology, Facebook improves its chance of attracting mainstream consumers who may be weary of wearables. While not an AR headset per sey, Ray-Ban Stories represents a major step forward for the technology.

Ray-Ban Stories are available now for $299. For more information visit here.

Feature Image Credit: Facebook

Lynx Mixed Reality Headset to Start at $500 via Kickstarter in Late September

September 10, 2021 From roadtovr

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.

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.