After rumors surfaced that Google was returning to consumer AR, the California tech giant confirmed it with a blog post detailing its plans to experiment with prototypes outside the lab.
While Google hasn't named the AR device yet, until we hear otherwise, we'll call it Google Glass 2. Google Glass was Google's first official attempt at an AR wearable, and while it disappeared after a couple of years in the consumer space, it feels like it may finally be time for it to make a comeback.
While Google Glass 2 looks like it's still a few years away from release, we know quite a bit now thanks to leaks and official details. Read on to find out everything we know and what we want to see when Google's next AR wearable finally launches.
We don't have an official release date for Google Glass 2 yet, but rumors are swirling that Google is planning to launch the AR device (codenamed Project Iris) sometime in 2024 (via The Verge (opens in a new tab)). Given that Google has officially announced that it will begin public testing of its next AR glasses in August 2022, it's likely that it will release something in the next few years.
With so much time between now and then, there's no telling if production or development struggles could get in the way and force a delay. If things don't go well, Google may decide to drop Google Glass 2 altogether.
Price is a tough one to predict, as there are so few details about Google Glass 2 right now.
The best starting point is the original Glasses, which launched at $1,500 (about ￡1,250/AU$2,160). If you ask us, that's frankly too expensive for a wearable, and Meta has shown that consumers value affordability above all else.
The Oculus Quest 2 has single-handedly revolutionized public engagement with VR, becoming the most successful headset to date. A big reason for this is its very reasonable $299/￡299/AU$479 price tag. If Google wants to see the same level of success, it would be wise to follow Meta's lead and offer the Google Glass 2 at a similarly low price.
We'll probably have a much better idea of what the Google Glass 2 will look like and what it will do when prototypes start to hit the streets around Google's US HQ in August, but that doesn't mean we don't know anything right now.
For starters, Google has admitted that it's focusing on testing real-time translation and navigation - aided by a display inside the lenses that augments the real world around you. To accomplish these feats, the AR device will be equipped with a camera and microphone so that it can pick up all the information it needs.
We're also fairly sure it will look like a pair of glasses. While Google never used the word glass or glasses in its blog post (opens in a new tab), its header image shows a table with torn up glasses strewn across a workbench.
The original Google Glass AR glasses looked too unique (read: weird as hell). It was easy to feel super self-conscious when walking around with them, and any onlooker could clearly see that you weren't wearing a normal pair of glasses.
While the Nreal Air AR glasses aren't perfect, one thing they get right is their sleeker (and importantly normal-looking) design. If Google Glass 2 can borrow from Nreal's design (and maybe RayBan's), we'll be happy.
Again, Google Glass 2 would need to do away with the original head gestures and replace them with hand gestures and the option to use your phone's screen instead.
Using jerky head movements to manipulate what you see on an AR screen is an idea that developers may think is great on paper, but in the real world you end up drawing quite a bit of attention to yourself.
Gesture-tracking technology has improved a lot since Google Glass first launched, so we'd love to see it get more use in subsequent products. However, having to use our phones would be a nice compromise, rather than a voluntary neck spasm.
Google Glass 2 looks like it's going to be a more powerful and useful version of its predecessor, so we want to make sure it has enough battery life to lend a hand when we need it.
If it's wireless like the original Google Glass (and our preferred design choice), a large internal battery will mean it won't need to be plugged in as often - extending the amount of time it can be worn on our faces.
If Google decides that its new device needs to be wired (like the Nreal Air), then the internal battery will still be a huge benefit. one of the main drawbacks of the Nreal device is that the headset drains the battery considerably, no matter what phone it's plugged into. Given that Google Glass 2 looks like it's going to be a fairly capable pair of glasses, we believe it could be an even bigger battery hog.
However, with its own internal battery, our smartphones should be spared from having their power quickly gobbled up.
While Meta has helped create some great Quest 2 experiences, most of the best Oculus Quest 2 games are made by third-party developers. In a similar vein, we wish Google had partners who believed in its hardware and developed unique AR tools to make the glasses more versatile.
The other major problem with the Nreal Air glasses is that they just don't do much. This makes justifying their relatively high price (￡400, about $480/AU$690) a near-impossible task. Since Google Glass 2 is likely to be more expensive than the Air AR glasses - given the original's higher $1,500 (about ￡1,250/AU$2,160) - Google will need to make sure it can justify why potential customers should pay.