- Magic Leap and Google have partnered to make metaverse hardware
- Magic Leap believes that the collaboration will help push the boundaries of extended reality (XR) and the metaverse in general
- The partnership brings another competitor in a field dominated by Apple and Meta
Magic Leap, a company focusing on transparent optics technology, has partnered with tech giant Google to push the boundaries of extended reality (XR). The optics firm disclosed that the two will collaborate to create new metaverse experiences, adding to the competition currently dominated by Apple and Meta. The partnership comes shortly after Google downsized its metaverse team to focus on artificial intelligence (AI), a sign that the tech heavyweight still believes in a blockchain-powered world.
Building the XR Future
In an announcement, Magic Leap disclosed that the collaboration involves interfacing its expertise in augmented reality (AR) with the tech giant’s “technology platforms to” create new AR solutions and experiences.
Google’s AR/XR VP Shahram Izadi said that the cooperation will expand the range of immersive experiences currently available. Izadi added that the experiences will “foster the future of the XR ecosystem.”
Magic Leap’s CTO Julie Larson-Green noted that the partnership will help in exploring more ways of “blending the physical world” with the virtual world in a valuable and relevant manner.
The two haven’t expressly disclosed the nature of the products they’ll be working on, although a metaverse headset will likely be among the products.
Vision Pro has no Market Usage?
The metaverse hardware world, especially headsets, is under the grip of Meta and Apple. Each company has released a metaverse head with Apple’s Vision Pro headset, attracting controversy with some, like popular NFT artist Beeple, saying that the device has no market usage.
Meta’s Quest 3 headset has considerably appealed to users, with Meta’s CEO using it to attend the Lex Friedman podcast as a life-like avatar. Lenovo and Asus have indicated plans to build Quest metaverse hardware. Other tech firms like LG are also exploring the metaverse through partnerships with educational institutions.
With the Google-Magic Leap partnership, it’s to be seen how the two will tackle the monopoly of Meta and Apple when it comes to metaverse solutions.
