According to a rumor, Valve is working on a new Index virtual reality headset. The last one came out six years ago, and it is due for a refresh. Codenamed the Valve Deckard, the headset was initially believed to have a late 2025 release date, but details were few and far between, suggesting it might come out in 2026.
On Tuesday, Google showed off prototype glasses that combine a miniature display with the company’s Gemini AI assistant. Android XR head Shahram Izadi and a colleague showed the glasses, which look similar to a standard pair of specs, performing live translation from Farsi to English, scanning a book, and performing other tasks. These glasses work with your phone, streaming back and forth, allowing the glasses to be very lightweight and access all your phone apps,” Izadi said.
The Ray-Ban Meta Glasses have quietly been one of the more successful wearables launched by big tech. At around $300, they offer classic styling with a camera, voice control, and more. Meta is working toward true augmented reality with a deluxe version code-named Hypernova. Meta also plans to upgrade the camera. Internally, the company considers the 12-megapixel camera on the current models on par with an iPhone 11 from 2019. For the new model, it would like to rival the iPhone 13 from 2021, the people said. It’s also planning a new carrying case, shaped like a triangular prism, which folds up. It should cost $1000.
Two years after Arizona State University replaced all of its introductory biology labs with virtual reality labs, the university’s rising tide of STEM majors are getting better overall grades and persisting longer in their programs, according to the results of a longitudinal study released Monday.
After a packed VisionOS 2.4 update and rumors that VisionOS 3.0 will be the most significant update to Apple Vision Pro, a new report indicates that Vision Pro 2 might be released this year. According to IT Home, Apple has increased production of its next headset and plans to release it “within the year.”
In the months following Apple’s announcement of the Vision Pro, several companies revealed or teased similar devices, including Samsung, which announced in 2024 that it was working on an Android-based XR headset in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm. At the 2025 Boao Forum for Asia, Vivo unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the “Vivo Vision.”
Michael Kozlowski has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past twelve years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.