XR Weekly Highlights (June 16, 2025): Meta & Oakley Launch Glasses Friday, Snap Specs Coming 2026, and More!

Hey there from the heart of Cupertino! Yes, that’s right, I’m in the land of Apple. Silicon Valley feels almost mythical. I’ll be sticking around here for a week, chatting with some folks before dashing off to Berlin for XRCC mentorship duties. Gotta say, fingers crossed that my Bay Area stay is way smoother than that mess of a week at AWE. Seriously, I was more zombie than human. Think Resident Evil but less thrilling. Anyways, toss some good vibes my way, and I’ll hit you with the week’s top XR news highlights!

## Top News of the Week

And hey, just stumbled across this weirdly thrilling tidbit. Meta and Oakley—you know the glasses folks? They might be dropping some new athletic eyewear this Friday. Imagine this: a single front camera smack in the middle of your face. Spotted something curious on social media—a trippy blend of Meta and Oakley logos, teasing ‘The next evolution is coming.’ Ka-ching, right? Perfect timing with summer rolling in; everyone wants shades. I thought they’d wait for Meta Connect, but hey, what do I know? Honestly, can’t wait to see if these specs live up to the hype.

## Other Cool Updates

So, Evan Spiegel from Snap got on stage at AWE and teased about rolling out new Spectacles in 2026. They’re morphing into full-on glasses and dropping the ‘Spectacles’ tag for just ‘Specs.’ Sounds like they want these to be accessible to everyone, not just the influencer crowd. Crossing fingers that these are the start of something big in AR glasses.

And Qualcomm, bless ’em, threw out the AR1+ chip. This little marvel brings AI magic right into your glasses. Local processing means your data stays private. Imagine—no more data being gobbled up by some giant server. It won’t replace cloud-based behemoths but, progress is progress, right? Saw the demo at AWE and, yeah, my jaw was on the floor.

Oh, and Google dropped more XR tidbits at their I/O shindig. We’re seeing a smorgasbord of features from Samsung’s Project Moohan to Google’s HP Dimension—a snazzy teleconferencing gadget. Pricey, though. $25,000! Yikes. But it’ll make your Zoom calls look like Hollywood movies with that fancy 65-inch display. Just hope they’re bundling a Google Beam license with it.

## Recent Happenings

I gabbed about Apple’s WWDC last week, especially those Vision Pro updates. Widgets got detailed—like virtual sticky notes on your wall but prettier. PSVR 2 controllers play nice with Vision OS now too. You can play Pickle Pro with them! Handy if you don’t wanna fork over more cash for separate doodads.

Adobe’s cooking up a spatial video edit app. And Apple’s planning to support high-end iPad games on Vision Pro. Things like Assassin’s Creed Mirage? Umm, yes, please.

## Mentions and Tidbits

Guess what? Matthieu “mbucchia” Bucchianeri is the hero we needed, whipping up a SteamVR driver for disheartened WMR headset users. And rumors about a new Meta headset might’ve spilled via some savvy data miners. Face unlock, IPD adjustment? Hoping it’s all as good as it sounds.

Palmer Luckey? Yeah, the dude’s working on a military-grade headset called Eagle Eye. Think super expensive but revolutionary. Military budgets, am I right?

Lastly, OpenXR might get fresh spatial computing features. Dank chewy news, right? Thanks to Tom Ffiske for the heads-up.

## Hands-On at AWE

Did I tell you about my AWE adventure? Wrote some pieces on XelerateVR and Infinadeck. Gadgets galore!

And yeah, if gaming’s your jam, I’ve got titles. All kinds. “Reach” sounds wild if parkour’s your vibe. Meanwhile, action-packed and spooky new games are in the pipeline.

## Other News Breaks

Meta’s v77 runtime update snuck out, sorta hush-hush. And there’s this kooky app for recording your fave memories making waves. A YouTuber tackled every VR game from Steam Next Fest—heroic or what?

## Partnership Bits

Meet Umbrella Up, the freshest VR game from MonstarAI! You’ll literally jump through theme parks with umbrellas. Mark your calendars; it’s hitting the Meta Store soon.

And hey, give that AR/VR Survey a whirl! Win fab prizes while shaping the future. It’s a no-brainer.

Phygtl is on a hiring spree! If Unity and AR/VR development sparkle in your eye, they’re scouting talent.

## Fun and Philanthropy

Got quirky links for laughs if you need ‘em. Might wanna check those interior design fails—priceless.

And on a serious note, if your wallet’s feeling generous, toss a few bucks to the Red Cross for Ukraine. They need it, and it’s always good karma.

Big thanks to all my Patreon folks, including luminaries like Alex Gonzalez VR and Steve Biggs. You’re the wind beneath this blog’s wings.

And there you have it—week’s XR world, all served up with my very human, slightly scattered flair. Catch you on the flip side!