The XR Weekly Brief (June 16, 2025): Meta & Oakley Releasing Glasses Friday, Snap’s Specs Coming 2026, and More!

Sure, here we go!

Hey there! Greetings from the land of tech giants — Cupertino. Yup, right in the heart of Silicon Valley, surrounded by all things Apple. I’m camping here for a week, mingling in meetings before I jet off to Berlin for some mentorship at XRCC. Fingers crossed for a better time here after the madness that was AWE. I mean, seriously, I plodded around like some sort of Resident Evil extra, thanks to an untimely cold. Anyway, throw some good vibes my way, and I’ll hit you back with the wildest XR news roundup.

So… top headlines of the week, let’s dive in.

Meta and Oakley’s Big Sneak Peek

Meta and Oakley might drop new glasses this Friday. Or, you know, whenever. Spotted a fresh "oakleymeta" handle on social, posting this wild mash-up of their logos. Just imagining shades with a camera has me intrigued. Look, I thought they’d save this for Meta Connect. Whatever, launching in June? Makes sense. Everyone’s out shopping sunnies anyway. It’s like, “Hey, two birds, one stone.” Plus, rumor has it Meta’s own smartglasses are on the horizon, so why drown them with two launches back-to-back? Makes your head spin.

Snap Spectacles and the 2026 Vision

Over at AWE, Evan Spiegel’s teasing new Spectacles for 2026! Smaller, lighter, and — wait for it — full-on product, not just some dev version. Exciting, right? Gonna be called “Specs” now. Ingenious? Eh, maybe. But they’re planning to let anyone snag them, instead of just the creator circle. Only 4 million lenses to mess around with. Wonder if these Specs will trigger the big AR sprint? Fingers crossed.

Qualcomm’s AR1+ Chip — What’s Up with That?

So there I was, gawking at Qualcomm’s demo of their AR1+ chip at AWE. Uses way less power and slims down glasses like nobody’s business. But the clincher is AI. Talk about privacy, huh? Everything’s processed right where you are, no snooping around on someone else’s server. Watching that demo live kinda blew my mind, not gonna lie.

Google’s XR Technologies and Whispers of Moohan

Google dropped some hints at their I/O shindig. Samsung might reveal Project Moohan’s launch date soon. Fingers crossed? Also, HP’s cooking up a new teleconferencing gadget using Google Beam tech — six cameras, very James Bond. Oh, and XREAL teased some snazzy field-of-view specs. I mean, 70 degrees? That’s pushing the envelope. Google’s tools dropping soon, so devs, get psyched!

Last week? Well, Apple’s WWDC had some juicy bits: Vision Pro updates, controller compatibilities, more detailed Widgets — the works. Let’s not even start on their gaming expansions.

Noteworthy Bits and Bobs

Mbucchia’s tinkering with something for Windows 11’s baffled WMR headsets. And Palmer Luckey’s high-priced military headset? Soundtrack of a top-secret mission. Then, keep your ears open for OpenXR’s new spatial computing updates. Plane tracking, anyone?

AWE wrapped up, but my mind’s still whirling with all the hands-on experiences. I even scribbled some reviews. Spoiler alert: some stuff was “meh.” Others? Total hits.

A Smattering of Content Rumblings

Games, games, games — everything from “Reach” to “RoboQuest VR” has the grapevine buzzing. I mean, Ndreams, Flat2VR, Vertigo Games — everyone’s dropping news like it’s hot. By next summer, brace yourself for VR MMORPG madness and even some Five Nights scares. Plus, a horror game getting a VR twist. Just the thought sends chills down my spine.

Random Tidbits

Boz from Meta sneaked out v77 in a hushed tone. There’s also a cool app for reliving epic memories… because apparently, nostalgia is tech’s new black. And hey, YouTube nerd alert: someone marathon-played all of Steam Next Fest’s VR titles.

Bits from the Partner Circle

Indie studio MonstarAI’s launching Umbrella Up — VR glider and umbrellas, anyone? Also, there’s an AR/VR survey where you might nab cool prizes. And, job alert! Phygtl’s hiring Unity devs. If that’s your jam, let’s connect.

A Bit of Fun, Because Why Not?

Found a few humorous clips that… well, you’d have to see for yourself. Always room for a chuckle, right?

Let’s Do Some Good Together

If you’re in a giving mood, maybe consider helping folks in Ukraine via the Red Cross. It’s a tiny step, but it counts.

Okay, think that’s everything. Oh, and don’t worry, there are always sponsors to thank — indispensable folks who keep the vibe alive. But hey, let’s leave the sponsor chatter for another day.

Till next time, keep your eyes peeled and VR headsets charged.