Audi gives Sonos its first in-car audio win in the new Q4 e-tron EV

Audi and Sonos have quietly partnered on in-car audio, the connected speaker company’s first foray into automotive, with the technology first showing up in the new Q4 e-tron all-electric crossover. Audi previewed the cabin of the new EV earlier this week, ... more - slashgear

Facebook’s smart glasses vision is seductive and terrifying

Facebook has pulled back the curtain a little on its smart glasses project, with the augmented reality eyewear biting off a huge challenge – and facing potential users with a tricky decision about just how much they trust the social networking behemoth ... more - slashgear

The Audi Q4 e-tron’s augmented reality head-up display is dashboard genius

Audi has revealed the interior of its upcoming Q4 e-tron electric compact SUV, potentially the most important model in the automaker’s new EV range, and one which includes a new augmented reality head-up display. Previewed back in early 2019 as the Q4 ... more - slashgear

Noted Apple analyst makes predictions about Apple AR headset

When it comes to the world of ferreting out details about Apple products that haven’t launched, one of the most successful analysts is Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst has been offering accurate information on unannounced Apple gear going back for years, typically ... more - slashgear

Apple VR helmet, AR glasses and contact lens launch dates predicted

Of all the big tech companies, Apple is perhaps the only one left without its own kind of virtual, augmented, or mixed reality headgear. Of course, it has also been rumored to be working on such devices for years now with almost no end in sight. The end ... more - slashgear

Razer Anzu Smart Glasses is more like an open-ear headset

When people talk about smart glasses, most probably think of something like the canceled Google Glass or some more hi-tech augmented reality eyewear. If that’s the image you have in your head with Razer’s first venture into smart eyewear, you might be ... more - slashgear

Google Cardboard VR viewer sales end months after open source change

A few months after making its Cardboard VR platform open source, Google has quietly ended sales for its Cardboard VR, the inexpensive cardboard-based phone viewers that could be used to experience virtual reality experiences using your own smartphone. ... more - slashgear

Doom 3 VR release official for PSVR, unofficial for Oculus Quest

Bethesda Softworks revealed this week that the game Doom 3: VR Edition will be available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this month. This version of the game is completely official, optimized for this gameplay environment with motion controls, 180-degree ... more - slashgear

Microsoft Mesh makes future meetings shared, augmented, virtual experiences

Microsoft Mesh is the next big thing from Microsoft, utilizing the next generation in augmented reality and high-speed internet connectivity to connect people around the world. People “feel like they are in the same room as each other even when they’re ... more - slashgear

Watch: Pokemon GO mixed-reality future demoed at Microsoft Ignite

Niantic demonstrated a proof-of-concept vision today at Microsoft Ignite, showing what Microsoft Mesh could do with Pokemon GO. Microsoft Mesh is a new platform built on Azure that allows developers to connect users with a wide variety of devices and ... more - slashgear

Epson’s new smart glasses get a big field-of-view and blunt expectations

Epson is launching a new set of augmented reality glasses, with the Moverio BT-40 and BT-40S promising a bigger field of view and much higher resolution. Targeting enterprise applications – though not averse to tech-hungry consumers – the new AR eyewear ... more - slashgear

“Hey, Facebook” wake word lands on Oculus Quest 2 and Portal

Almost all the Big Tech companies have smart assistants these days except for Facebook. There have been rumors and signs that the social media giant would be coming out with its own but nothing has materialized so far. It might, however, be taking another ... more - slashgear

Sony reveals the next PlayStation exclusive destined for PC

It’s been a busy day for Sony so far. Not only has the company confirmed that it’s making a next-gen PlayStation VR for the PS5, but it also announced a delay for the highly-anticipated Gran Turismo 7. The announcements aren’t stopping there, though, ... more - slashgear

Qualcomm’s new XR1 AR Smart Viewer design can tether to smartphones and PCs

With the introduction of its XR1 platform, Qualcomm indicated that AR would be something of a big focus for it, and now it has announced a new AR Smart Viewer reference design. We’ve already seen Smart Viewer reference designs from Qualcomm in the past, ... more - slashgear

Next-gen PlayStation VR for PS5 confirmed: Sony’s big promises

Sony has spilled the first details of PlayStation 5 Virtual Reality, confirming that a new PlayStation VR system is in the works, though don’t expect to be putting the headset on this year. The next-generation VR system is still in development, Sony says, ... more - slashgear

Nreal Light AR glasses are coming to the US

Some consider AR or augmented reality to be the next step forward in computing. Unlike VR, AR mixes the real and the digital in an almost seamless manner, at least ideally speaking. That goal is difficult to pull off, however, with bulky and heavy headsets ... more - slashgear

Samsung AR glasses concept videos look very ambitious

Every major tech company except Google might be working on some AR headset or another. While Google may have dropped the ball, rumors about Apple’s own AR glasses refuse to die. Naturally, Samsung won’t be left behind, at least not for long. It has, after ... more - slashgear

Some people may have COVID-19 resistance thanks to Neanderthal DNA

A group of researchers has performed a study that found that some people could have genes inherited from Neanderthals that reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 by 22 percent. These inherited genes are said to be more common in people of European and Asian ... more - slashgear

WhatsApp to wean users into inevitable privacy policy change

Facebook isn’t one to back down from a fight or making controversial changes, at least until its hands are forced by laws. Even as it faces inquiries and lawsuits about its alleged monopolistic business practices, it is still pushing through with unpopular ... more - slashgear

Oculus Quest gets app sharing and multi-user support with a Facebook catch

Oculus Quest is getting two useful features today, particularly for instances where there are multiple people in a household using a single headset. Oculus has rolled out multi-user accounts and app sharing – two somewhat self-explanatory features that ... more - slashgear

LEGO VIDIYO sets and pricing revealed ahead of March launch

Last month, LEGO announced VIDIYO, a new augmented reality system that allows kids to make music videos using LEGO minifigures and music licensed from Universal Music Group. Today, the two companies revealed the products that will be included in the first ... more - slashgear

Report claims Apple and TSMC are teaming to build micro OLED displays

A report is making the rounds that claims Apple is partnering with TSMC to develop micro- OLED displays specifically to be used in upcoming augmented reality devices. Apple currently works with TSMC on multiple fronts. Specifically, TSMC is the sole supplier ... more - slashgear

Zoom just added lip and hair color effects: Here’s where to find them

Zoom just added a feature to video chat called Studio Effects. This feature allows users to add oddities to their face in augmented reality in odd colors and combinations of colors. With this feature, users can add a moustache and beard in human hair ... more - slashgear

Google Daydream VR is truly dead with Play Store shutdown

Google is notorious for killing off projects and products. Sometimes the move makes sense, sometimes they break hearts and dreams. One of those dreams involved a VR experience untethered to any computer and powered by the computer that’s almost always ... more - slashgear

Apple’s hardware chief just switched to AR/VR headsets

Apple’s head of hardware engineering just switched his focus entirely to virtual and augmented reality devices, according to one report. This is only the latest in a line of rumors and tips that the company is preparing their biggest move in augmented ... more - slashgear

Apple’s $3k mixed-reality headset could pack twin 8K displays

Apple’s first mixed-reality headset will be no Oculus Quest alternative, new leaks suggest, with a supposed price tag – and high-end specs – that would put it among the company’s most expensive Mac and display models. Long rumored, though believed to ... more - slashgear

Facebook Messenger is now on the Oculus Quest platform

It has been quite a while since Facebook surprisingly acquired Oculus but, for the longest time, the social network allowed the pioneering VR platform to operate in its own bubble. That has been changing lately, and not exactly in good ways, with Facebook ... more - slashgear

Next Magic Leap AR headset specs teased

Although VR systems like the Facebook Oculus and HTC Vive get the lion’s share of mass media coverage, they are often geared more towards entertainment with a pinch of productivity on the sides. In contrast, AR, at least the ones that involve headsets, ... more - slashgear

High-tech threads sense how and when the wearer moves

Tufts University engineers have developed a flexible thread-based sensor that can measure neck movement and provide data on direction, angle of rotation, and degree of displacement of the head. Researchers say the breakthrough has the potential to be ... more - slashgear

Elon Musk shares a new Starship photo and it’s like something from a movie

SpaceX’s massive Starship prototypes are the subject of a new photo from Elon Musk, and they look like something you’d see in a Hollywood sci-fi movie. The shiny silo-like spacecraft are surrounded by people and vehicles, making it easier to put the sheer ... more - slashgear