A strong competitor in the release of AR headsets
The AR and VR market is rapidly growing and developing. New devices supporting this technology are released every year, hundreds of games and applications for virtual reality are being developed. We recently told you that Apple will release an innovative augmented and virtual reality headset, and now the huge corporation that has given us almost limitless possibilities for searching information on the Internet, Google, is entering the game. Active work has begun on the project of an AR device with the working title Project Iris, which, according to preliminary data, will go on sale in 2024.
The device is based on an algorithm already familiar to us: the external cameras of the headset will read information from the environment, and the built-in displays will show the user a picture supplemented with digital graphics. One of the first prototypes of the device looks like ski goggles. The AR headset will work autonomously, without connecting any other gadgets.
Since the project is at the initial stage of development, there is no exact data on the release plan for the device yet. So, for example, it is known that the first prototypes of the headset work on the Android operating system, however, there is also information that Google will develop its own OS specifically for virtual and augmented reality devices. At the moment, the Pixel team is developing the headset, but it is not known for sure whether the new device will be released under this name. The headset operates on the proprietary Tensor chipset, which runs one of Google's devices - Pixel 6 smartphones.
Previously, the company has already been engaged in the creation of such devices, but the Google Glass device, released in 2012, was ahead of its time and did not gain recognition from the audience. Therefore, Google developers have become actively involved in the development of Lens and AR elements in Google Maps.
The development of the new device is strictly classified. Project Iris is created by a team of about 300 people in a separate building.
The company's management emphasizes that the field of augmented and virtual reality will be the main category of Google's investments. It is not known whether the company will invest as much in this area as Meta, which currently spends about $10 billion annually on the development of AR and VR products, but it is certain that Google has all the resources to achieve leadership in this area.
