Here are some recent updates from the tech world. Google shut down its smart glass project iris and Meta launched new subscription service Quest+. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified in a US court that its deal with game developer Activision Blizzard will not hurt competitors.
Google kills AR smart glass project iris: Report
Google has reportedly shut down its augmented reality (AR) smart glasses project it has been working on for several years. According to a Business Insider report, it was closed after Google's parent company Alphabet laid off 12,000 jobs in January.
Clay Bavor, who headed its Augmented reality & Virtual reality division, also left the company in March. The project was internally called project iris. The company has earlier bet big on wearable glass technology with Google Glass with its Enterprise and Explorer edition.
Project iris is considered to be the successor to Google glasses. It is understood that Google has decided to develop a software platform for AR devices and license it to device manufacturers in a similar model to Android.
Meta launches VR subscription service Quest+
Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) has launched Meta Quest +, a virtual reality (VR) subscription service to give Quest headset owners access to two game titles per month. The monthly subscription cost would be $7.99 and the annual subscription $59.99. It would be compatible with Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro and upcoming Quest 3 headsets.
Subscribers would get two new titles every month and they can access it as long as they remain subscribed. They would lose access to the titles if the subscription expires but can get it back when they renew the subscription.
The first two titles will be Pistol Whip, and Pixel Ripped 1995. Quest Plus could compete with Xbox gold and Playstation plus, both of which don't have VR titles. Gamers have shown excitement to the announcements on social media platforms but cautioned that its success would depend upon the gaming catalogue.
Microsoft deal with Call of Duty won’t hurt competition: Nadella
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified in a US court that its deal with game developer Activision Blizzard will not hurt competitors. He committed that Activision’s games will be available openly and not be limited to Xbox consoles.
“If it was up to me, I would love to get rid of the entire exclusives on consoles,” he said. Microsoft’s plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, which has developed Call of Duty, for $70 billion hit a roadblock after the Federal Trade Commission challenged the deal last December.
Apart from the FTC, executives from Sony, which owns the PlayStation console, recently objected to the deal in testimony. It will deliver a blow to Sony’s console business and give PlayStation gamers a degraded experience, a senior executive said. This would place Sony in a fix and drive PlayStation gamers to Xbox services, he added.
