Google reportedly puts multiyear 'Project Iris' augmented reality glasses on hold

According to reports,GoogleA multi-year project to commercialize an AR headset, Project Iris, has been put on hold.

According to "Business Insider" (Business Insider) reports, Google shut down Project Iris earlier this year, which is a large-scale restructuring, including layoffs, adjustments andGoogle ARand the departure of VR head Clay Bavor. The report, which was not confirmed by Google, cited "three people familiar with the incident."

According to a report from The Verge earlier this year, which first mentioned Project Iris. Around 300 people are said to have been involved in the development of the headset, with "hundreds" expected to join the project as production progresses further.

At the time, the prototype device was billed as a self-contained ski goggle-style headset with built-in power, computing, and outward-facing cameras for world perception, similar to the description and functionality of headsets like HoloLens or Magic Leap . Project Iris is said to be on the market as early as 2024.

According to "Business Insider", two unnamed Google employees said that the company may restart the Project Iris project at some point, because the team working on AR technology has not completely disbanded. However, it appears that partnerships and AR software development for Samsung's XR headset have taken center stage.

Samsung's future, Daydream's past

With its own hardware no longer a focus, Google will continue to focus on AR software development, including the Android XR platform, which can be licensed to OEM partners. Google is currently developing such a platform for the XR headset Samsung announced this year, and is also developing an internal prototype platform called "Betty," a tiny XR platform for XR glasses.

Google often puts projects on hold for a variety of reasons, so it's not a surprise that an expensive hardware project was put on hold during an economic downturn. Google's early VR hardware projects looked like they might have seen a competitive future, but didn't have enough staying power.

2016年，该公司的Daydream VR平台定位于与Meta（当时是Facebook）的移动VR产品Samsung Gear VR竞争。该公司希望通过类似于三星/Meta的策略，认证与专用Daydream View头盔外壳和控制器配合使用的智能手机。谷歌认证了多款智能手机可在Daydream上使用，包括Pixel、LG、Asus、华为和一些支持Gear VR的三星手机。

Google's ambitions are huge. At I/O 2016, senior product manager Brahim Elbouchikhi said on stage that Google intends to attract "hundreds of millions of users to Daydream devices." As of today, no modern VR headset platform has reached such a high number of users, and Meta may lead in sales, with nearly 20 million Quest headsets sold between 2019 and early 2023.

Despite an ambitious start to dominate the space, the Gear VR emerged as the clear winner in the nascent mobile VR market. Still, Google broadened its horizons in 2017, opening up the Daydream platform to the first truly standalone VR headset, the Lenovo Mirage Solo standalone, which combines 6DOF positional tracking with a 3DOF controller. Combined, this combination is a bit awkward. The Lenovo Mirage Solo is confusing because its indoor-scale content is limited to a single remote-style controller, which, crucially, isn't tracked in 3D space.

Ultimately, Google shut down the entire Daydream platform in 2019 because it couldn't attract enough developer support. From the outside, this might seem like Google has completely lost the VR race, but most standalone headsets on the market today run on a modified version of Android. Of course, since it doesn't control a personal app store like Google Play for VR, revenue from independent VR content doesn't flow into Google's coffers.

But with its new Samsung/Qualcomm partnership, Google has a chance to grab a piece of the growing mixed reality (MR) race.

MR headsets walk, AR headsets run

MR headsets are virtual reality headsets that use color see-through lenses. In addition to allowing you to play games and other virtual reality activities in a fully immersive environment, you can also shoot zombies in the real environment or watch virtual reality in the bathroom through the see-through lenses. Huge TV (for user comfort).

MR头戴设备仍处于早期阶段。虽然像Meta Quest Pro（1000美元）和苹果最近推出的VisionPro（3500美元）这样高价格的产品可能吸引专业用户和企业用户，但消费者市场上也存在激烈的竞争。只要三星XR头戴设备的价格对消费者有吸引力，其品牌知名度和专利全球覆盖范围可能对Meta即将推出的售价为500美元的Quest 3头戴设备构成强大竞争。

Price aside, companies that launch MR headsets today will be better prepared to launch 24/7 AR headsets in the future. Platform holders such as Meta are using their MR headsets to test the AR content that consumers are most interested in. Apple will do this on a higher level when it launches the Vision Pro in 2024, as the Cupertino tech giant appears to be reducing its focus on VR.