Augmented reality glasses, virtual or mixed reality headsets, gloves or control ring, resistance of the metaverse… As the Apple Vision Pro prepares to be marketed, the spatial computing sector shows that it is still looking for itself a lot at CES 2024. No one has the same approach.
In the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, immersive technologies are in the spotlight. CES 2024 dedicates an entire space to virtual reality, XR (mixed and augmented) and the metaverse, while these technologies could finally take off in 2024. A few days before the release of the Apple Vision Pro (February 2 ), this sector is preparing to experience its iPhone moment, taking advantage of global exposure that could finally make it popular.
On January 9, Numerama spent more than an hour in the VR lobby. We see a very heterogeneous mix, which proves that this industry is still very immature.
Spatial computing is the new metaverse
First observation: Apple has had an impact on this small world. While the term “metaverse” was very popular during the last two editions of CES, it is “space computer” which is gaining ground in 2024. A marketing term invented by Apple and taken up by Qualcomm since, which aims to make these headsets more interesting for the general public. Virtual reality and the metaverse are seen as “geek stuff”, while spatial computing presents itself as an evolution of computers. Apple also prohibits developers from talking about VR or AR in their applications.
Only on one stand did we find the mention of “metaverse”, the others spoke more of VR or spatial computing.
No one seems to want to compete with the very high-end Apple Vision Pro for the moment, probably for fear of comparison. Logic would dictate that the next CES, in 2025, will see the appearance of many competitors to Apple’s mixed reality headset. 2024 is probably too early. Even giants like Meta, Google and Samsung are waiting to see how Apple fares.
Nobody does the same thing
Another observation: augmented reality glasses are still very fashionable. Xreal remains the leader in this sector, even if giants like TCL or Sharp also have products. We also discovered companies like MyW which are designing AR glasses that can be controlled with a remote control, with the interface of a Smart TV.
Besides, fun fact, we met an Apple optical manager on the Xreal stand. She was trying on the latest glasses from the Chinese brand, which spatialize the projections. Like us, she must have thought that the result was still too vague to be mainstream.
In the world of VR headsets, several brands are still trying to find the best way to explore virtual worlds. Where Apple is betting on fingers, Sony is betting on a ring and startups like Haptx are working on haptic gloves. Proof that the industry is not 100% in agreement.
In short, CES 2024 is not yet the CES of spatial computing. The next one will undoubtedly put these technologies much more forward, especially if Apple succeeds in its bet. In the meantime, the industry is still observing and searching.
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