When we talk about mixed realityit is almost natural to think of Apple and Meta, two technology companies that are leading this sector that not only promises to transform the way we interact with the physical and digital world, but also generate multimillion-dollar revenues in the coming years. Google wants a piece of this pie.
The search giant Android XR just announced. It is an operating system developed in collaboration with Samsung that seeks to promote a new generation of extended reality devices. That is, it aims to encompass what we know as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR).
New system, new extended reality device
The firms’ plans go beyond software. This Thursday they also unveiled Project Moohan, the first extended reality glasses that will integrate Android XR. As we can see, this is a project that is still in full development and does not yet have a commercial name, but there are some certainties on the table.
Google and Samsung have promised that the device in question will hit the market as early as next year. We are facing a quite important statement that is a reflection of the company’s need to start building its presence in this market. Samsung’s glasses take a similar approach to Apple’s Vision Pro.
The proposal is quite simple: those who buy the product will be able to easily interact between the virtual and real environments. Apps like Web Browser, YouTube, Google Photos, and more will float in front of your eyes. Now, an important part of the experience will come with Gemini’s artificial intelligence.
Gemini promises not only to act as a personal assistant by understanding the user’s voice requests, but also by understanding their environment. You’ll be able to instantly translate a sign written in another language, offer real-time Google Maps directions, or offer turn-by-turn directions for things like installing a shelf on the wall.
It should be noted that at this time we do not know how much the Samsung glasses powered by Android XR will cost, and we also do not have details of their technical characteristics. By way of comparison, the Apple Vision Pro They have a price of $3,499and they are a high-end product, “an early adopter product”, as Tim Cook says.
In the case of Meta, the Meta Quest 3 They have a price of 549.99 euros, and the most ambitious version, the Meta Quest Prothey raise their price to 1,199.99 euros. Here we indicate the prices in euros since, unlike the Apple product, it is possible to buy them in Spain and in many other countries in the European Union.
Apparently, Google seeks to replicate the success that Android had on smartphones. The first mobile phone with this system was the HTC Dreamappeared in 2008 and the rest is history. Will something similar happen with Samsung glasses? Well, we should also see Android XR land on devices from Sony and other manufacturers.
Both the technology and the mixed reality market have a lot to evolve. The firm led by Sundar Pichar has just taken the first big step to begin building its ecosystem, and Samsung to develop a commercial product.
Images | Google | Samsung