Augmented reality has been flirting with mainstream mass adoption since it stormed onto the scene with top-selling mobile apps in 2016. The main issue to date has been the fact that most people who use AR do so through their mobile screens. It’s likely to garner more interest if it’s integrated into users’ everyday visuals through smart glasses.
Meta has been working on developing AR glasses for some time, and it’s now set to release some devices with built-in display capabilities in 2025.
Evolution of Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses
Meta partnered with Ray-Ban for the first time in 2021, with the aim of integrating smart features with a fashionable design. The company initially focused on passive features, such as audio and voice commands, but now there are plans in place to propel the evolution of these devices forward greatly.
The upcoming generation of Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses is set for release this year, and they promise to include various updates that could tempt more people to purchase. These devices will go way beyond the capabilities of the releases to date, and include numerous futuristic elements in line with most people’s visions about the way AR is headed.
On the new glasses, users can expect a range of innovative features, including the ability to receive and view text messages and calendar alerts. There will also be the opportunity to ask an AI assistant questions, without having to pull the phone out. The main thing to note is that the built-in heads-up display will bring key digital interactions into the user’s field of view. This will be the stepping stone towards blending the real and digital worlds together as one.
Integration With Entertainment Industry Could Be Key
Introducing a load of new features will help get more people interested in AR glasses, but Meta will likely have to do more than that to influence mass adoption. Integrating the entertainment industry could be crucial for this. The smartphone market is an excellent one to follow in this regard, as making entertainment the primary focus helped encourage more people to buy them. Indeed, around one in four people use it for gaming and more than 75 percent of users have YouTube installed.
The online casino sector played a huge part in helping smartphones take off as well, with jackpot casino games like Sweet Beast and Big Bass Splash designed with the portable user in mind. If there were a way to offer these games on AR glasses, it could help them appeal to a large audience. The same could be said for television and film platforms like Netflix. If they started to bring in AR features or content that people could view from glasses, it would give more people a reason to buy them.
With tons of innovative facets set to be released on the new Meta Ray-Ban glasses, they could represent a massive step forward on the journey towards widespread AR adoption. The smartphone market began slowly and gathered pace later, and the same thing could happen with AR glasses.
