ar – Tech News

The Apple Next Vision Pro Is Reportedly on ‘Life Support’

Apple could apparently still produce another VR headset in the coming years, but according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the project is on “life support” internally, in large part because a much less awkward product from Meta that can do much of what the Apple Vision Pro can do was just announced last week. “You know, Vision Pro, to me, is an amazing device, right, it’s an absolutely amazing device, but I think of it as, like, the early days of computers[…] It is the early days of a long journey, that’s how I feel about Vision Pro.”
https://gizmodo.com/the-apple-next-vision-pro-is-reportedly-on-life-support-2000817916

Valve’s virtual reality plans hit actual reality

The Steam Frame headset is here, and it may not surprise you: it was supposed to cost less than $1,059. “We set out to come out with a device that would have been far more affordable, but the global RAM market, the global storage market have impacted us the same way they’ve impacted everybody,” Valve developer Jeremy Selan told the BBC. “We fought hard to get it even to this price.”
https://www.theverge.com/tech/995055/valve-steam-frame-price-ram-impact

Valve Steam Frame Tutorial Videos Leak Showing Accessories, Controllers, More

A number of videos showcasing the Steam Frame's accessories, controllers, fits, and setup process have appeared on the Arm Steam Client. Unsurprisingly, Valve pulled them shortly after they were spotted, but the internet had already grabbed them for safekeeping.
https://ca.pcmag.com/vr/17538/valve-steam-frame-tutorial-videos-leak-showing-accessories-controllers-more

Is the Vision Pro Dead? Apple Reportedly Stops Work on Its Pricey Headset

Apple has reportedly stopped work on its Vision Pro headset and shifted staff to other teams within the company, MacRumors reports. Some employees who worked on the Vision Pro have been transferred to the company’s Siri team, while others are being moved elsewhere.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/is-the-vision-pro-dead-apple-reportedly-stops-work-on-its-pricey-headset

Meta’s metaverse leaves virtual reality

Meta has announced a major update for its immersive virtual world, Horizon Worlds, on Thursday that will see it leave the metaverse behind. The tech giant said it’s shifting focus for Horizon Worlds to be “almost exclusively mobile” and that it’s “explicitly separating” its Quest VR platform from the virtual world.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/20/meta-metaverse-leaves-vr-horizon-worlds-mobile/

Well, there goes the metaverse

Meta’s enormous bet on virtual reality ended last week, with the company reportedly laying off roughly 1,500 employees from its Reality Labs division — about 10% of the unit’s staff — and shutting down several VR game studios, according to The Wall Street Journal. It’s a huge reversal for a company that, just four years ago, staked its entire identity on the concept.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/19/well-there-goes-the-metaverse/

No one knows what to call these things

It turns out “smart glasses” is out as a term. The term “AI glasses” is in. Kind of. Actually, it seems no one’s fully on the same page. Regardless of definitions, one thing is becoming clear: there’s a fundamental shift happening here.
https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/841536/smart-glasses-ai-glasses-xr-ar-headsets-terminology-wearables