Google is working on an AR headset to rival Apple, Meta

Development has reportedly begun at Google on an augmented reality headset, possibly launching in 2024, and aimed at rivalling Apple AR.

After its prominent Google Glass failed to catch on, Google appeared to leave the AR field for some years. It later resurrected Google Glass as an enterprise headset, but now is believed to be looking anew at a consumer product.

According to The Verge, Google has 300 people working on a secret development called Project Iris. Working in a separate facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, Project Iris is said to be at a prototype stage.

These early prototypes are said to resemble ski goggles. They're powered by a custom Google processor and run on Android, although it's possible a new, specific OS is being developed too.

Currently the reported plan is for the Google AR headset to not require tethering to a phone. However, Google intends to use its own data centers to remotely process and render graphics that are then to be transmitted into the headset.

Two unspecified sources told The Verge that there is a plan to launch a headset in 2024. However, it's so early in development that this is likely to be a hopeful target rather than a specific plan.

Separately, it's been reported that Clay Bavor, Google head of AR and VR, set up the facility in November 2021. However, in 2019 he told CNET that the company was working on AR.

"On the hardware and devices side... I characterize the phase we're in as deep R&D, focused on building the critical Lego bricks behind closed doors," he said. "If you can dream it, we probably have a prototype of it somewhere in one of our labs."

12 Comments

ravnorodom 8 Years · 721 comments

About 2 years ago

Everyone is jumping on the wagon. Let see who will be first. Let me guess...... Samssssssssuuuuuu.....Nah.

highframerate 2 Years · 40 comments

About 2 years ago

ravnorodom said:

Everyone is jumping on the wagon. Let see who will be first. Let me guess...... Samssssssssuuuuuu.....Nah.

Samsung isn't a software company like Microsoft, Facebook and Google, doesn't have a successful operating system like Apple, isn't a gaming company like Sony and as a result doesn't have a platform. They tried with Tizen and it failed, with Tizen now relegated to being an IoT platform for their smart appliances. Their best bet will be to lay low for now and in a couple of years make a platform-independent set of goggles capable of accessing other platforms. It isn't as if Microsoft, Google and Facebook are going to tell Samsung "no." The former already has a multi-billion dollar partnership agreement with Samsung to promote their apps and services on Samsung hardware (to the tune of some 300 million phones and 25 million tablets a year) and reciprocates with an app that connects and mirrors a Samsung phone to a Windows 10/11 PC. The latter two do not have the brand name, supply chain, retail agreements etc. to manufacture, ship and promote a product all over the globe. Google has been making Nexus and Pixel devices for over a decade and they still have limited availability outside North America and western Europe (along with frequent supply problems). And all of Facebook's attempts to make hardware - phone, watch, smart display - except Oculus have been failures, which is probably the reason for the rebrand. Samsung sold Galaxy VR glasses in the previous decade, but they supported Oculus, not Google's Cardboard or Daydream (this was in the era when Google and Samsung were squabbling) and was a huge reason why Cardboard/Daydream failed.