It feels like we’ve been getting drip-feeds of information about Google and Samsung’s plans for Android-powered “XR” headsets for a long time. But according to a new teardown of the Play Store app, Google is currently working on implementing real software support. That doesn’t mean the headsets will arrive tomorrow… but it does mean that someone high up at Google thinks they will.
Android Authority dug deep into the code of the latest APK file for the Play Store interface on Android and found compelling evidence. Android apps can now detect if they are compatible with an “XR headset” device, the same way they check for compatibility with phones, tablets, watches, and Chromebooks. There’s even an icon for the device class, a very clear drawing of an Oculus-style headset.
Android is already the base open source operating system for Meta’s Quest VR headsets, so all games and apps running on them are technically Android apps. But this software is so modified and locked down that it is almost completely removed from Android as most people understand it.
XR headsets, which Arm defines as encompassing virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality (chill with the marketing buddy), would be more agile and portable devices. Consider a mix of Apple’s Vision Pro and something much more discreet, like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Samsung, Google and Qualcomm have been working on something in this space for a while, but it continues to get pushed back based on leaked snippets of information.
Ray-Ban
Even as a general fan of VR technology, I have to admit that no one has found a truly compelling argument for a more ubiquitous headset or glasses device. And we’re talking about a form factor that Samsung, Google, Microsoft, and Apple have all attempted in one form or another. Why do they keep coming back?
First, because we’re approaching 20 years since the release of the modern smartphone, and every tech company wants to be the one to release the next ubiquitous gadget. Smartphones and tablets are currently saturated in all markets. The only way to sell more is to expand into developing markets, which tend to attract only budget buyers for low-margin devices, or to try to create demand for ultra-high-end devices and high margin like the Galaxy Fold or the iPhone Pro. Businesses seek unlimited profits, so finding new form factors is inevitable.
But I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that tech companies are run by people, and people seem to think that a vision-based interface for electronics is inevitable. It’s become such a staple of science fiction, so ubiquitous in video games that we barely notice it, that we all somehow expect a pair of smart glasses or a full-powered headset at some point .
It feels like we’re back in 2013, all holding our breath for the original Galaxy Gear watch. Because we just know Dick Tracy-style smartwatches are going to be a thing, even if we don’t know how we’ll actually use them.
So go ahead, Google. Give the headset another chance. If you don’t do it, someone else will. And they probably will fail… but eventually, someone won’t.
