Mixed Reality (MR) merges real and virtual worlds into a more complex form of augmented reality. It’s the convergence of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and the Internet of Things (IoT), creating a complex environment where digital objects intersect with the real world. Mixed Reality is often used to describe the experience found in Microsoft’s HoloLens and Magic Leap’s Magic Leap One HMD. Intel had a parallel concept in the idea of Merged Reality (though Project Alloy has been canceled). The concept is in a state of flux and may eventually disappear or become a universal concept, subsuming VR and AR underneath it.
In fall 2019, Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 is focusing solely on enterprise applications. In contrast, there are rumors that Magic Leap may be having funding issues, though they plan to release version 2. finding use in education, work, and retail environments. Mixed Reality devices are being used in STEM and Medical education environments. Microsoft’s HoloLens has been adopted by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to help with navigation of the Mars Rover.
It’s always been hard to know what to make of the highly funded and innovative Florida startup. But recent news suggests that Magic Leap’s future looks bleak. A last-minute funding round raised $350 million – paltry …
Read more Magic Leap’s Future in Doubt as CEO Rony Abovitz Exits
Despite billions in funding and years of development that finally gave us a Mixed Reality headset, Magic Leap is cutting staff and shifting its focus to the enterprise market. The Florida based company had already been …
We haven’t been the only ones to question Magic Leap’s future over the years. The well-funded Florida company took forever to release their Mixed Reality headset and, until the last moment, refused to do live demos. …
Read more Magic Leap’s Future in Doubt with Sale or Partnership
Varjo continues to develop innovative Mixed Reality experiences with their human-eye resolution headsets. We’ve demoed their headsets before – at the AWE last spring – and were blown away by the realism. Varjo’s latest development is …
Read more Varjo’s Innovative Mixed Reality Merges the Real and Virtual
News broke a few weeks ago on the funding woes and staff exits for Magic Leap Glasses. A new article in The Information (by subscription) adds to the tale of Magic Leap’s troubles. The release of …
Ready for some alien animal husbandry? That’s the promise of a new AR game for Magic Leap. The Mixed Reality experience, Strangelets, is the last release from Insomniac Games, which was recently acquired by Sony. It …
This is not turning out to be a good month for the Magic Leap glasses. Funding challenges and a couple of big-name departures have hit the company hard. The glasses were released only 15 months ago …
After close to a year, Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 second-gen mixed reality headset is finally out. It was introduced back in February 2019 art Mobile World Congress, and the intervening delay has brought few surprises. There’s the …
No surprise that we’re huge fans of The Matrix around here. And we’re waiting impatiently for the next version (which goes into production next year). In the meantime, we’ll focus on Microsoft’s DreamWalker project, a fascinating …
Read more Microsoft’s DreamWalker – an Early Version of the Matrix?
If you happen to be near Copenhagen later this month, drop by the Unite Copenhagen conference to see Varjo’s incredible mixed reality demo of a Volvo. Working with the auto manufacturer and Unity, Varjo has created …
We tried out nReal’s AR Glasses at the Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Santa Clara last week and were impressed – by both AWE and nReal’s glasses. Celebrating its tenth year, AWE has suddenly become a …
First, Lenovo, now a new Google Glass AR announcement. This is turning out to be a week for augmented reality glasses. Anyone else waiting in the wings? You remember Google Glass. That first plunge into wearables …
Can the Lenovo AR headset beat Microsoft at its own game – Mixed Reality in the enterprise market? Microsoft’s HoloLens is already on version 2 with significant improvements. They have a laser focus on the corporate …
Read more Can The New Lenovo AR Headset Shake Microsoft’s Grip on Mixed Reality?
Microsoft’s Build 2019 conference got underway today with announcements, surprises and one major HoloLens demo fail. There are lessons here for all of us working in VR and Mixed Reality, and you have to applaud Microsoft …
The latest work of the Weather Channel tackles climate change in mixed reality. We’ve highlighted their work before on hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes. This time, we get a visualization of Charleston, South Carolina in 2100. The …
Read more Climate Change in Mixed Reality on The Weather Channel
The CNN Magic Leap app is out, and we’re underwhelmed. You’ll be able to pop on your Magic Leap One headset, sit down at your breakfast table and . . . watch the news. Seriously. And …
Read more CNN Magic Leap App – Lots of Potential, No Immersion
Now that the dust has settled with the arrival of the hotly anticipated HoloLens 2 at MWC Barcelona (formerly Mobile World Congress), it’s time to take stock of the new headset. You have to hand it …
We’ll be following the live-stream this morning of the Microsoft Future of Computing event from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. HoloLens was introduced four long years ago. Let’s see Microsoft plans in spatial and Holographic computing. …
Read more Live-Stream of Microsoft Future of Computing from MWC 2019
This has been a week of news on Microsoft’s HoloLens and AR Developments. First, we hear that a HoloLens AR App is coming to iOS and Android devices later this spring. And on Sunday, we’ll get …
Read more The Latest News on Microsoft’s HoloLens and AR Apps
After seeing the latest video from Microsoft, it’s clear the new HoloLens 2 will be released on February 24. Expect to see it at the Microsoft event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Usually, we don’t …
Read more Our prediction: New HoloLens 2 will be Released on Feb 24th
The Sundance immersive stage in the New Frontier program offered cutting-edge projects with immersive technologies. We’ve been going to Sundance for the last five years and love our all-too-brief visits to Park City and its snow-peaked …
Madefire’s new app for the Magic Leap One is a fascinating development. It’s not just that you can watch 3D comics through a ground-breaking headset. It’s that you can publish your own comics in Mixed Reality. …
Read more Madefire’s Comics in Mixed Reality for the Magic Leap One
After a string of dismal predictions and much hand-wringing last year, it turns out that VR grew by 30% in 2018. The latest report by market analyst Superdata suggests that things aren’t as bad as many …
The Weather Channel is at it again. They’ve done another weather in mixed reality episode to convey the power of the winter storm that’s blanketed much of the U.S. this weekend (all except New York City, where …
Read more The weather in Mixed Reality from the Weather Channel
We’ve been waiting for a new mixed reality HMD from Microsoft. And it now looks like HoloLens 2 may arrive in late February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The first version came out in March …
Read more HoloLens 2 may arrive at Mobile World Congress (MWC)
Nreal’s mixed reality sunglasses are the latest wearable to show up at CES 2019. They claim to solve two of the biggest challenges facing AR Glasses – size and weight. Created by a former Magic Leap employee, they’re relatively …
Read more The real deal for AR? Nreal’s Mixed Reality sunglasses
Perhaps it wasn’t much of a surprise to hear that Microsoft landed a $480 million augmented reality military contract. The tech industry has always had its ties to the battlefield. But it’s definitely a boost for the HoloLens …
Read more Microsoft lands augmented reality military contract
We missed this video a few weeks back but it looks like NASA may have accidentally given us a glimpse of Microsoft’s upcoming HoloLens 2. As Next Reality noted, it’s a version that certainly looks different from the …
You have to love the Weather Channel’s mixed reality project. First, they did a tornado in their studio, then a rising wall of water by the ocean. And now, forest fires get the mixed reality treatment. …
Read more This Mixed Reality project could make you flee your home
We’re still digesting the news out of LEAPcon, Magic Leap’s first public event for developers. Putting aside the idealism and offbeat approach, the most remarkable moment was the introduction of Mica, their Mixed Reality AI Assistant. …