Big news is coming. Major headset vendors will be announcing new headsets at various stages later this month. This will coincide with the launch of Connect in late September, allowing XR industry players and others to capitalize on mainstream events to spotlight their solutions.
Despite being a consumer product, Meta’s Quest lineup is still the most popular brand in the XR headset space, and if there’s really big news, the rest of the market will take notice.
However, the market is currently somewhat sluggish, as companies are preparing for big news. Some changes in the market may occur quietly before you know it, so hold on tight.
NVIDIA Blackwell Delay Impacts Meta and Microsoft XR/GenAI Goals
NVIDIA’s highly anticipated Blackwell chipset has been delayed due to a design flaw. The nearly three-month delay could spell trouble for companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft, who are eagerly awaiting its release, competing in the rapidly evolving field of AI innovation.
An NVIDIA spokesperson said:
As mentioned earlier, Hopper demand is very strong, Blackwell sampling has begun extensively, and production is expected to increase in the second half of the year.
NVIDIA introduced the Blackwell chipset at GTC earlier this year, highlighting the potential of parallel use cases that connect XR and AI in a business context. With the current advancements in GenAI, chipsets like Blackwell are expected to become even more valuable and in demand. Despite the delay, NVIDIA is committed to meeting that demand.
Moreover, XR companies like Microsoft and Meta are investing in AI-based XR services. Access to powerful GenAI chipsets and supporting hardware could be critical to the adoption of smart glasses and VR headsets. Hopefully, Blackwell’s delay won’t derail Meta and Microsoft’s XR goals.
Pico Tease MR/VR Headset Launched
This week, headset vendor Pico hinted at a new device announcement on August 20th at 14:00 China Standard Time. The company shared a mysterious image on its social media channels along with the caption “Reality, amplified.”
No additional details were provided for the post, but the timing of the announcement is strategically ahead of Meta Connect 2024. The August 20 reveal date also comes shortly after HTC VIVE teased the launch of its “game-changing” headset in a YouTube video.
This suggests a growing interest in the XR hardware vendor space to coordinate their hardware launches around Meta Connect 2024 lead-up and events, perhaps hoping that Meta’s event can spark mainstream interest in XR once again. This trend is similar to how XR companies coordinated their launches around WWDC and Vision Pro news earlier this year.
Meta Connect is scheduled to take place on September 25-26, 2024. The event will showcase the latest digital solutions from Meta’s social media and XR portfolio.
Microsoft orders mixed reality displays from Samsung
Microsoft is in the process of purchasing OLED display panels for use in its unreleased MR headsets/devices.
What’s interesting is that the OLED panels are being supplied by Samsung Display, a subsidiary of Samsung, which plans to release its own XR headset later this year or early next year.
The exact number of Microsoft’s OLED orders is currently unknown, but insiders say the orders could be in the hundreds of thousands, as reported by South Korean outlet Elec. However, shipment numbers do not necessarily mean Microsoft will be releasing an MR headset anytime soon.
According to Elec’s sources, Microsoft is likely to launch a device with an OLED panel “as early as next year.” The news comes shortly after Microsoft filed a patent request, which could see it unveil a pair of augmented reality smart glasses for the first time.
Meta’s Horizon OS Debuts on Third-Party VR Headsets
Reliance Jio has partnered with Meta to bring its Horizon OS platform to new Jio-branded XR devices. The move involves bringing the Quest-based framework to third-party VR headsets. The decision is as follows: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg We’re reintroducing the Horizon platform as an open service that promotes VR content creation on third-party headsets beyond the Quest ecosystem.
The focus of this partnership is to bring Horizon services to the new Jio VR headset. The announcement comes just over a year after Jio launched JioDive, a VR headset to complement its smart glasses offering.
At the 2023 India Mobile Congress (IMC), Jio unveiled its first spatial computing device, Jio Glass. In addition to its various electronic devices like laptops, smartphones, and broadband gadgets, the company has also expanded into the XR market with the Jio Glass head-mounted display.
Reliance Jio has acquired Jio Glass Solutions to support XR development in India and across the globe. The company is working to build an ecosystem of hardware, software and solutions to drive XR technology.