Google AR & VR

ARCore gained a Geospatial API at Google I/O 2022 to let developers more easily place virtual content in the real world. To encourage adoption, Google is starting the ARCore Geospatial API Challenge.
Expand Expanding CloseBack in October, Google announced it was testing AR features with Glass Enterprise devices paired to Pixel phones. As part of this effort, a new Glass Enterprise Companion app is now available on Google Play.
Expand Expanding CloseBack in September, Google previewed the ability to search for nearby places using augmented reality. AR search in Google Maps Live View will start rolling out next week, while Google Lens multisearch will let you take a food picture and see where the dish is available nearby.
Expand Expanding CloseIn August, Google started real-world testing of AR (augmented reality) prototypes in the US, and is now expanding to Canada.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle made its augmented reality (AR) work official at I/O 2022 in May, and is now using Glass Enterprise to test productivity-focused capabilities with the help of Workspace and Pixel phones.
Expand Expanding CloseIn addition to a slew of Workspace updates at Cloud Next 2022, Google shared today that Project Starline is entering the “next phase of testing,” where more people outside the company can experience it.
Expand Expanding CloseLive View is one of Google’s most promising augmented reality (AR) features and it will soon be faster to launch in Google Maps, while also adding nearby search.
Expand Expanding CloseI/O 2022 closed with a very unexpected look at the company’s augmented reality efforts. Google announced today that it will “test AR prototypes in the real world” starting in August.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle’s platform for mobile augmented reality is available on 1.2 billion Android devices today. At I/O 2022, ARCore is getting foundational improvements to make it work faster and more reliably on the Pixel 6 and in Google Maps Live View.
Expand Expanding CloseTo close out I/O 2022, Sundar Pichai very surprisingly previewed Google’s upcoming augmented reality efforts for glasses, starting with AR language translation.
Expand Expanding CloseFollowing rumors, Google announced today that it has acquired microLED startup Raxium to join the Devices & Services team.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle is actively developing an operating system for AR hardware, and a deal to acquire microLED startup Raxium continues that work.
Expand Expanding CloseIn recent years, Google has pretty much shut down most of its earlier virtual reality efforts. However, it still owns VR game studio Owlchemy Labs, which is launching Cosmonious High later this month.
Expand Expanding CloseBack in September, we spotted that Google was developing an “Augmented Reality OS” for an “innovative AR device.” A new report today reveals that Google is working on an AR headset with “Project Iris.”
Expand Expanding CloseIn recent years, Google has notoriously kept its work on augmented reality hardware secret. That has started to change recently, while a new report today provides explicit confirmation that “Google is working on a new iteration of smart glasses.”
Expand Expanding CloseCompared to Apple and Facebook, Google has been very quiet about its plans for augmented reality glasses. That’s starting to change as Google is actively hiring to create an “Augmented Reality OS” for an unspecified “innovative AR device.”
Expand Expanding CloseAt I/O 2021 in May, Google unveiled Project Starline has a conferencing booth that can capture and display realistic 3D video. The company today shared more technical details about the effort and how it surpasses 2D calls.
Expand Expanding CloseCompared to Meta, Microsoft, Niantic, and a slew of other metaverse announcements, Google has been very quiet about its augmented reality plans in general. In a recent interview, Sundar Pichai gave his thoughts on the metaverse, but positioned Google’s future as a continuation of the core Search mission.
Expand Expanding CloseAn internal Google reorganization sees the company create a new group to oversee “high-potential, long-term projects.” Overseen by Clay Bavor, Google Labs includes AR & VR and Area 120.
Expand Expanding CloseEver since Mark Zuckerberg showed off Facebook’s – now Meta’s – vision for the future of technology and social interaction, I’ve been trying to imagine what the Google equivalent would be. I’ve concluded that such a metaverse direction is a direct contradiction to Google’s modern vision of tech that assists.
Expand Expanding CloseDuring the Alphabet Q3 2021 earnings call, Sundar Pichai was asked about augmented reality and the CEO shared some brief thoughts about what Google is working on in the AR area.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle sharing some details on Tensor, its “first custom-built SoC,” was as important as today’s tease of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. In an interview, Rick Osterloh was asked about Google Tensor in the context of AR, and the hardware boss shared some rare thoughts on smart glasses.
Expand Expanding CloseIn May 2017, amid a big virtual reality push, Google announced that it acquired Owlchemy Labs. Known for Job Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, Owlchemy shared today that it’s making a new VR game.
Expand Expanding CloseIn March, Google Maps AR navigation was updated to work inside complex buildings. After launching in some US malls, Google is expanding Indoor Live View to transit stations in Japan.
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