What They Say
At CES, Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon said that the firm is working with Microsoft to develop a chip for “power efficient, lightweight” AR glasses. That follows on from comments last summer by Microsoft which said at that time that the firm is working on a more consumer-focused headset than its Hololens device (which also uses a Qualcomm chip). However, there are reports now that Microsoft has lost as many as HoloLens team members have left Microsoft in the last year to go to Meta. That reinforces why firms such as Apple are reported to offering ‘loyalty bonuses’ to key engineers. The Information’s Reality Check pointed out that while Microsoft may be interested, the XBox group in the firm is not so keen on VR. (Xbox Eyes a Different Path to VR)
Cnet pointed out that last year, Microsoft said it was working with Niantic, the Pokemon Go developer, to see how glasses might work.
Separately, Reality Check reported that Snap has bought Compound Photonics in Arizona. That led me to Karl Guttag’s blog (as he broke the story). Compound Photonics came out of work on LCOS in the US by Syntax-Brillian and that firm had also bought the assets of Colorado Microdisplays (CMD). (Compound Photonics Debuts at Display Summit China). Guttag pointed out that Compound Photonics (CP) was working with Plessey on MicroLEDs until the UK firm teamed up with Meta. (Compound Photonics and Plessey Light Up First 0.26 Inch Fully Addressable Integrated microLED Display Module for AR/MR)
What We Think
The announcement of the VR2 headset from Sony reinforces the different approaches to VR between the Sony and Microsoft console businesses. Perhaps the Microsoft/Qualcomm headset chip project will be directed more clearly to AR rather than VR.
I covered CMD and Brillian when it looked as though there was going to be a significant US-based LCOS industry. (BR)
