Niantic moves beyond games with Lightship AR platform and a social network

Niantic Niantic made a name for itself in the mobile gaming industry through the enduring success of Pokémon Go . Now the company is hoping to become something else: a platform for other developers to build location-aware AR apps on top of. This plan ... more - theverge

Apple reportedly chose a standalone AR / VR headset over a more powerful tethered design

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple’s rumored mixed reality headset seems like the worst-kept secret in tech, and a new report about the device from The Information (its second this week) is chock full of details about the unannounced product’s ... more - theverge

Qualcomm’s new AR glasses are thinner and wireless

Qualcomm Qualcomm is introducing a wireless version of its augmented reality Smart Viewer, a reference design that manufacturers could adapt into commercial headsets. The Wireless AR Smart Viewer updates Qualcomm’s earlier smart glasses design with a ... more - theverge

Amazon hardware exec takes another swipe at Zuckerberg’s metaverse fantasy

“We wanna enhance the here and now.” | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg can’t catch a break — everyone just keeps saying that they don't want to live in the metaverse. This week, it’s Amazon’s head of devices David ... more - theverge

Apple’s board of directors reportedly tried out its upcoming AR / VR headset

It may not come in time for WWDC, though. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple showed a mixed reality headset capable of both augmented and virtual reality to its board of directors last week and has engineers hard at work on an operating ... more - theverge

Meta is testing end-to-end encryption for Quest’s VR Messenger app

The test is included in software update v40. | Image: Meta Meta has been on a multiyear push with Messenger’s end-to-end encryption (E2EE) features, and it’s now starting to test E2EE messaging with its Quest VR quest headsets. With the new v40 software ... more - theverge

SteelSeries is offering up to 40 percent off gaming headsets and mice today

The SteelSeries Arctis 7P Plus works with almost everything... except Xbox consoles. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge SteelSeries is running a spring sale promotion that takes up to 40 percent off some of its gaming headsets, mice, and mousepads ... more - theverge

Google’s AR translation glasses: it’s really not that simple

Of course it’s simulated. | Image: Google At the end of its I/O presentation on Wednesday, Google pulled out a “one more thing”-type surprise. In a short video, Google showed off a pair of augmented reality glasses that have one purpose — displaying ... more - theverge

Here’s Mark Zuckerberg demonstrating Meta’s high-end Project Cambria VR headset

Mark Zuckerberg demoing the Project Cambria headset, which has been blurred out to hide its appearance. | Image: Meta Mark Zuckerberg just shared a short demo video showcasing some of the capabilities of Meta’s upcoming high-end virtual reality headset, ... more - theverge

Google shows off AR glasses that might make a case for augmented reality

Google wrapped up its I/O presentation with one big surprise: a look at its latest AR glasses. The key feature Google showed off was the ability to see languages translated right in front of your eyes, which seems to me like a very practical application ... more - theverge

Google Maps’ new ‘Immersive View’ combines Street View with satellites

Google launched a new mode for Maps on Wednesday, designed to give users a more real-life look at the places they’re going before they even go. The new Immersive View is sort of a Street View in the sky: you can look over a location from above to get ... more - theverge

Microsoft teams up with VW to make HoloLens work in cars

HoloLens showing a driver an upcoming left turn. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft has officially announced a new “moving platform” feature for the HoloLens 2, which is designed to let the augmented reality headset work in places like cars. It addresses a ... more - theverge

These features make the Meta Quest 2 even better

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Meta Quest 2 is one of those rare products that keeps getting better. Part of this has to do with the hardware, which has received several useful updates since we reviewed it in late 2020, including 120Hz ... more - theverge

Google bought a MicroLED display company that could help make AR headsets better and cheaper

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Today Google hardware boss Rick Osterloh confirmed that the company has acquired Raxium, a five-year-old startup with MicroLED technology that could be key in building a new generation of augmented, virtual, and ... more - theverge

Meta’s VR roadmap reportedly has four new headsets, with both high-end and cheaper Quest units

Last month we took a deep dive into Mark Zuckerberg’s grand metaverse plan, and some of the hardware Meta is working on to deliver it, in the form of Project Nazare augmented reality glasses. Now The Information reports on a roadmap for virtual reality ... more - theverge

Sony’s new QD-OLED and Mini LED TVs are just as expensive as you’d guess

Today, Sony announced the full pricing and availability details for its 2022 Bravia XR lineup of TVs. The range is led by the flagship 8K Mini LED series — this is Sony’s first year making Mini LED sets — but also includes 4K Mini LED, QD-OLED, and more ... more - theverge

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel thinks the metaverse is ‘ambiguous and hypothetical’

CEO of Snap Inc. Evan Spiegel presents at the livestreamed Snap Partner Summit 2022 | Photo by Snap, Inc./Getty Images for Snap, Inc. Snap isn’t the only social media company with smart glasses and an expanding hardware portfolio, but what’s separating ... more - theverge

Snapchat’s Dress Up feature turns your phone into an AR shopping mall

Image: Snap It’s becoming a fundamental law of the internet: where people socialize, they must also shop. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and practically every other social network and messaging app on the planet has spent the ... more - theverge

A VR company is using an artificial patient group to test its chronic pain treatment

Applied VR Virtual reality company AppliedVR is taking an innovative approach to a new trial for its chronic pain treatment. Rather than try to find a group of people with chronic back pain to sign up for the trial and not get the treatment, they’ll ... more - theverge

PlayStation Plus’s upcoming game trials will reportedly be at least 2 hours long

Image: Sony New details have emerged about the time-limited game trials that Sony previously announced would be part of its new PlayStation Plus Premium subscription tier. According to sources speaking to Game Developer these free trials will be required ... more - theverge

Meta is opening its first retail store next month

Meta Meta is launching its first hardware retail store on its campus in Burlingame, California. The store, which opens May 9th, will let visitors try out and buy Meta’s Portal videophones and Quest virtual reality headsets. They’ll also be able to demo ... more - theverge

Save on several Meta Quest 2 VR games this weekend only

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Meta held its 2022 games showcase this past week, lifting the curtain on several new virtual reality games in the works for the Quest 2 headset. We’ve got a roundup of the titles that we’re most excited about ... more - theverge

This Earth Day, cut through the corporate climate hype

An activist from the Extinction Rebellion (XR) climate change group, wearing a mask depicting Jeff Bezos, takes part in a protest outside of Amazon’s headquarters in central London on November 26, 2021. | Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images A lot ... more - theverge

The biggest announcements at the Meta Quest games showcase

Meta hosted its 2022 games showcase, which was filled with games that you can expect to play on your Quest 2 virtual reality headset at some point this year. Last year’s surprise announcement was the VR port of Resident Evil 4 (which turned out to be ... more - theverge

Meta’s Quest hand tracking can now detect high-fives and clapping

Meta Meta is updating its mixed reality hand tracking system with support for more types of motion, including gestures like clapping. A new version of its Presence Platform API is launching for everyone after a limited preview with a few developers, ... more - theverge

Amazon is working on a mysterious AR smart home product, according to job listings

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon might be the next big tech company to get into augmented reality, as the company is hiring for a “new-to-world smart-home product” that uses “XR” technology in some fashion, according to job listings reported ... more - theverge

HP’s 11-inch Chromebook x2 11 is a much better deal now at $300

The HP Chromebook x2 11 tablet comes with its keyboard and pen in the box. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Almost anything becomes a little more appealing once the price goes down. Take HP’s Chromebook x2 11 tablet, for example. It’s currently selling ... more - theverge

Vergecast: Meta’s future AR glasses and Elon Musk’s attempt to take over Twitter

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast , where Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel discusses the week in tech news with the reporters and editors ... more - theverge

Meta is working on a web version of its Horizon Worlds metaverse platform

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Meta is planning to bring its Horizon Worlds social metaverse platform to the web, Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth said in a tweet on Thursday. Being available on the web would mark a major expansion for the platform, ... more - theverge

Pokémon Go developer Niantic is making an AR pet game called Peridot

Niantic, the developer behind the blockbuster success Pokémon Go , has announced its next augmented reality game — and once again, it’s full of adorable creatures. Called Peridot , the game is all about caring for and breeding magical critters. Think ... more - theverge