Mixed Reality: the ultimate goal, with current technology
Hardware focused exclusively on virtual reality (VR), such as Play Station VR2 or Meta Quest 2, is losing relevance to mixed reality (MR) headsets that simulate augmented reality (AR) through external cameras and can still generate complete immersion in VR. These hybrid devices, led by Quest 3 and Quest 3S, are gaining ground in productivity, content viewing and social experiences. Without giving up gaming, they offer a more human approach (less isolating) to the XR experience. Apple and Google have also opted for this model as their initial proposal, giving rise to a triple clash of ecosystems.
Battle of the ecosystems: Meta Horizon OS vs Android XR vs visionOS
Google’s entry with Android XR, in partnership with Qualcomm, marks its attempt to unify a fragmented market. This year, together with Samsung, they will launch the first extended reality glasses, Project Moohan. It will be a device similar to Vision Pro and with Gemini, Google’s AI model, as its central pillar. It aims to be an open and multimodal ecosystem, adaptable according to the product (for mixed reality or augmented reality glasses) and benefiting enormously from its existing user base, migrating Android applications directly to immersive environments and integrating all existing Google products into the experience. This approach seeks to compete with Meta Horizon OS and Apple Vision OS. The former has a dominant position in HW and gaming, and declared itself open to external manufacturers in April 2024, although it has not made any further statements on the matter. Apple, for its part, focused on Vision Pro as a disruptive product, changing the interaction model and the user experience. Apple has positioned this premium device as a cornerstone on which to build its ecosystem by progressively generating content.
AI as a central pillar
The incorporation of Gemini as an assistant in Android XR is no coincidence: the AI effect has also had an impact on glasses, benefiting from the physical positioning on our body and the cameras incorporated in the product: what the user sees, the AI sees. Since the launch of the second generation of Meta RayBan in October 2023, and following its success with 2 million units sold, the production of smart glasses (without a display screen or visual information, but with cameras and AI) has skyrocketed. These multimodal assistants are capable of translating languages or generating visual reminders, as well as interacting with what the user observes, making generative AI the key element for the development of intuitive everyday use cases, whether at home or on the street. And therein lies much of the success: Meta has collaborated with Essilor Luxottica as a tool for public adoption, using recognisable silhouettes and familiar brands such as Ray-Ban to get closer to the consumer.
Smart Glasses with HUDs: the natural next step
The success of Ray-Ban Meta leads one to think about the logical evolution of the product. The inclusion of visual elements seems obvious, or at least that is the perspective of companies like Even Realities and Brilliant Labs, which offer glasses with Head Up Display (HUD) in light and discreet designs. This projection technology, often monochromatic, helps the user with teleprompting, instant translation, notifications and even navigation directions, and is also ideal as a product dedicated to sports use cases. Popular at CES, we will see which is the first company to bite the apple: it seems that Meta and Essilor have already taken the lead.
Spatial AR: the new (distant) frontier
Prototypes and dev kits presented in 2024 such as the Meta Orion or the Snap Spectacles 5 are redefining spatial AR technology with advances in optics and design. These devices, whose production costs are still too high, are a window to the future, such as the incorporation of holographic waveguide technology, allowing for ultra-thin screens with a wide viewing angle in AR. In addition, accessories such as Meta’s Neural Wristband open up new possibilities for interacting with holograms and visual content through microgestures, without the need for camera tracking from the glasses.
Services and content: in search of use cases
Alongside the development of hardware in different categories, all the players are also participating in the identification of content or experiences capable of generating interest among consumers and the B2B segment, and therefore accelerating the adoption of XR.
Developers are mainly focused on three macro-categories: Entertainment, especially augmented reality and immersive gaming experiences and the enhancement of live event broadcasts, especially sports (extended information in real time, VR experiences, etc.); Education and Culture, with interactive content aimed at training in various fields and virtual tours and experiences; and the retail industry, where XR solutions can offer consumers virtual product trials, better shopping experiences and AR interaction in physical stores.
These are just some of the possibilities that are beginning to be explored, although they are not the only ones, as in specialised sectors such as healthcare, industry, design and marketing, other opportunities based on the use of XR technology are appearing.
It is hoped that the evolution of the different categories of devices, both in terms of technology – combining virtual and immersive capabilities with generative AI tools – as well as in terms of connectivity, usability and price, will enable the emergence of those use cases that will progressively impact the development of these opportunities.
MWC 2025: high expectations
MWC 2025 will be key to observing how these trends evolve. The evolution of mixed reality, the popularisation of smart glasses (and the inevitable incorporation of HUDs), together with the battle between ecosystems, promise to define the future of this technology. With more ergonomic, efficient, accessible and intelligent devices, extended reality is slowly but progressively becoming integrated into our daily lives.
