The Latest from Next Reality

The VR world just got a serious shake-up, weeks before the main event. Shoppers usually wait for Black Friday to pounce on tech deals. Meta tossed that playbook, pushing aggressive Quest 3S pricing into retailers early. So much for waiting.

Image source: Steam

Looking at the rapidly evolving mixed reality landscape, we are witnessing a genuine paradigm shift. Samsung's Galaxy XR has just emerged as a formidable challenger to Apple's Vision Pro dominance, and the timing could not be more strategic. The hook is clear. Samsung, partnering with Google and Qualcomm, has delivered a premium mixed reality experience at $1,799, nearly half the cost of Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro. Half the price. That gets attention.

When Apple Vision Pro first launched, many wondered what kind of truly immersive experiences would emerge beyond basic entertainment and productivity apps. The answer is starting to take shape with a military-grade simulation that pushes mixed reality hard. Rogue Labs recently released Flight Sight, an advanced helicopter training platform that combines Apple Immersive Video with 3D aircraft models for an unprecedented level of realism.

When you think about the future of AR glasses, it's hard to get excited about yet another tech demo that promises the world but never quite makes it to your face. That changed when Google and Magic Leap stepped onto the stage at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh with something different. A prototype that actually feels like it could work in the real world.

When Valve's latest hardware experiments finally landed in our testing lab, one thing was crystal clear. This is not just another incremental upgrade to the VR landscape. The company that revolutionized PC gaming with Steam and redefined handheld gaming with the Steam Deck has been quietly working on something that could reshape how we think about virtual reality hardware. Early reports suggest Valve has confirmed plans to once again head into the world of VR headset hardware with Steam Frame,...

Microsoft and Meta's latest collaboration lands like a pivot point in mixed reality productivity. The Mixed Reality Link for Windows 11 and Meta Quest headsets is now available to everyone, reshaping how we think about workspace flexibility and cross-platform integration. This isn't just another tech partnership. It is a fundamental shift toward making spatial computing accessible for everyday productivity tasks.

RayNeo just shook up the XR glasses space. The Air 3s Pro is a clean, confident step forward in display tech, and it does it with one number. Brightness. Crank it high enough and the whole experience shifts, from where you can use the glasses to how long you want to keep them on. Gaming, work, movies on a plane, all of it feels less like a compromise and more like a legitimate screen you can wear.

The real estate industry just witnessed a seismic power play that is reshaping the virtual tour landscape. Zillow announced it was pulling all Matterport 3D tours from both Zillow.com and StreetEasy. Another volley in an all-out battle for control over immersive property experiences. The move stems from CoStar's decision not to renew its API agreement with Zillow and the implementation of restrictive content usage terms following CoStar's massive $1.6 billion acquisition of Matterport earlier...

The spatial computing landscape is about to get seriously interesting. Samsung has officially thrown down the gauntlet in mixed reality, with the Korean tech giant preparing to unveil its long-awaited "Project Moohan" XR headset at 10 p.m. ET tonight. This marks Samsung's direct challenge to Apple's premium mixed reality dominance, according to IBTimes. The timing could not be more strategic, Samsung's "Worlds Wide Open" Galaxy Event lands six days after Apple announced the M5 Vision Pro (Apple...

The gaming world just witnessed something remarkable when Disney and Epic Games launched Disneyland Game Rush on November 6. This limited-time Creative Island within Fortnite is the first tangible preview of a massive $1.5 billion partnership that could reshape digital entertainment. Most crossovers toss in a logo and a few skins. This one feels like a proof of concept for what industry insiders are calling the most ambitious metaverse project in entertainment history, with the full Disney-Epic...

Apple's latest spatial computing update lands as evolution, not revolution. The M5 Vision Pro delivers enhanced processing power through its advanced chip architecture, according to Apple Gadget Hacks. Upgraded hardware sharpens the display and stretches battery life, and a completely redesigned head strap tackles one of the original model's most criticized issues. Apple keeps pouring time and money into this premium platform, a sign it sees spatial computing as core to its future, even as the...

When the original Thief: The Dark Project crept into gaming back in 1998, it wrote the blueprint for what stealth gaming could be. Now, after more than a decade since the series' last entry, we are getting something that feels both familiar and revolutionary: Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow. Not just another revival, it is the first time the legendary stealth series has ventured into virtual reality. What took so long? For a medium built on tension and immersion, the timing feels right.

Samsung's collaboration with Google and Qualcomm marks a real shift in smart glasses. The Galaxy XR headset, launched at $1,799, acts as the foundation for Samsung's upcoming Android XR smart glasses. Those glasses are designed for everyday wear, inside and out, putting them in direct competition with Meta's Ray-Ban partnership. The groundbreaking collaboration between Samsung and Google is reshaping spatial computing, with Android XR powering both headsets and glasses, a unified approach that...

The Samsung Galaxy XR has officially entered the premium mixed-reality battleground, and frankly, it is making some pretty bold claims. Priced at $1,799, it positions itself as the sensible alternative to Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro while still delivering flagship-level specs. Here is the part that makes this launch interesting, it sets up the first real three-way fight in premium mixed reality, with Google’s Android XR platform providing the software foundation for what Samsung hopes will be a...

When you're eyeing smart glasses in 2025, you're basically choosing between two very different philosophies wrapped in similar tech. The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 wants to blend seamlessly into your daily routine, while the Oakley Meta Vanguard is built for those who break a serious sweat. The price gap tells part of the story, $379 versus $499, yet the real differences run much deeper than that number suggests.

Smart glasses have been promising revolutionary experiences for years, but most have fallen short of practical daily use. CNET reports that Meta's second-generation Ray-Ban smart glasses arrived back in October with just camera and audio features, yet they've evolved into something genuinely transformative. Starting at $299 for the original model, these glasses represent the first time smart eyewear has crossed from novelty into necessity. The ZDNet analysis suggests the Meta Ray-Bans are...

When you think about the future of television, you probably picture bigger screens, better resolution, maybe some smart features. Meta has a completely different vision, one where your TV is not on a wall or a stand, but lives entirely in virtual reality. The company's new Horizon TV platform, unveiled at Meta Connect, is the boldest shot yet at making Mark Zuckerberg's 2017 prediction come true, that AR and VR wearables would eventually make traditional TVs obsolete.

The Lakers Just Launched the Future of Sports Viewing with Apple Vision Pro—Here's What That Means

Logitech's latest innovation promises to transform how we interact with Apple's Vision Pro headset. The company has developed a digital stylus called the Muse that brings precision drawing and 3D manipulation capabilities to spatial computing, according to The Verge. Think paintbrush, pencil, sculpting tool, all living inside mixed reality. The timing could not be better, as the device launches October 22nd at $129.95, The Verge reports.