Consumer-grade extended reality (XR) powered by Android has been a pipe dream for over a decade. While Google Glass could be considered ahead of its time, Google Cardboard allowed users to experience virtual reality with scrappy hardware. And while it spent the time since reorienting its priorities, Android XR appears to give us a glimpse of the future, without our eyes being shrouded by bulky hardware.
At an event in San Jose, California, Google gave my colleague C. Scott Brown a preview of the different styles of XR glasses it is working on. Unlike the Galaxy XR, which is also powered by Google’s specialized software, these glasses serve only part of the purpose, but also at a fraction of the cost and with much less burden on your skull.