XR Weekly Roundup (2025.06.16): Meta & Oakley’s Glasses Debut Friday, Snap Specs Coming in 2026, and More!

Oh, hey there! If you’re reading this, a big shout-out from Cupertino, the land of Apple mania, right in the buzz of Silicon Valley! I’m hanging here for a week, rubbing shoulders in meetings before jetting off to Berlin for a mentorship gig at XRCC. Please cross your fingers that my time here is smoother than my last escapade at AWE, where I caught some bug and shuffled around like a zombie from that Resident Evil game. Anyway, I’ll keep you in the loop with the freshest XR updates this week!

So, let’s dive into this week’s headlines. And by headlines, I mean whatever caught my eye while I was supposed to be doing something else? No judgment, right?

## Big News Rundown

### Meta and Oakley Doing the Sunglasses Thing?

Remember hearing that Meta and Oakley (yup, under the same corporate big house EssilorLuxottica) might be going sporty with some new glasses? They’ve got a camera that goes right between your eyes. Trippy, right? A new “oakleymeta” handle popped up online with this super psychedelic clip mashing up both logos. It’s got that mysterious line about something dropping on June 20. Maybe, just maybe, we see Oakley Meta glasses this Friday? Was kinda thinking they’d wait for Meta Connect, but hey, summer + sunglasses = good timing, I guess.

If you’re nosy like me, check out more info over on Road To VR or Upload VR, cause who doesn’t love a rabbit hole?

### Snap Doing…Something in 2026

Over at AWE, Evan Spiegel from Snap dropped a bomb—they’re working on a new Spectacles edition aiming for 2026. Word on the street is, these things will look real, not like those awkward devkits. No official specs, but it’s supposed to work with 4M lenses on Snapchat. Could be Snap making a big move in AR, just saying.

### Qualcomm’s New AR Chip – AR1+ If You’re Keeping Track

Qualcomm announced the AR1+ chip, which sounds techy and important. It eats less power and shaves some size off the glasses’ temples. The main draw? It can run AI models locally, which is a win for privacy geeks. I was there at AWE—gotta say, the demo was mind-blowing. Like, the good kind of nerdy.

And then there’s the rest…

### Google’s XR Mad Science

Rumor has it Samsung’s coming out with something from Project Moohan at an event soon. Plus, HP is bringing something cool with Google Beam tech called HP Dimension. But, the price tag? A whopping $25,000. I could buy…a lot with that. Christmas list, anyone?

On another note, XREAL is cooking something that might challenge Meta Orion. And Google’s handing out tools to play with Android XR by year-end.

### Apple Stuff

We chatted about Apple bits from WWDC before. But, juicy updates! Widgets are gonna become wall art, sort of. Plus, Vision OS apps will let you know if you need PSVR 2 controllers.

There’s more, but like, I might’ve zoned out. Anyway…

## Quick Mentions

Mbucchia’s stepping up for WMR headsets, gonna save a ton with this SteamVR driver. Oh, and some snooping around revealed that Meta’s rocking automatic IPD adjustment and face unlock in their upcoming headset.

Palmer Luckey’s got something fancy brewing for mil purposes over at Anduril. Pricey sticker, but hey, life’s not costing less. Lastly, OpenXR is pondering over more spatial computing features. ‘Cause, why not?

### AWE Hands-on & Game Stuff

Post-AWE notes are piling up everywhere. Check out some hands-ons with XelerateVR if you’re in the mood. Game nerds, we got stuff like Reach, RoboQuest VR, and the likes, making a buzz. Too much? Maybe.

### More Reviews!

Zombie Army VR is getting a mixed bag of feedback. Fun nibble though, Jigsaw Night lets you do puzzles with family in mixed reality. Kinda neat. More fun included like Omega Pilot Evolution—a VR racing dash comes next year. Take a peek, if you dare.

## Wrapping Up

Oh, heads up? Meta released v77 of its runtime, apparently skipping some QA step. Um, secret reasons? Mystery much. Plus, there’s some app that lets you replay memories. Weird, yet intriguing.

So, we’ve got this VR game, Umbrella Up, coming from MonstarAI. You hop around theme parks—umbrellas are involved. Sounds like fun, sort of? And wanna help shape the future of AR/VR? Jump into some survey for a chance to snag cool prizes. Why not?

And if you’re up for a gig, Phygtl’s hiring Unity folks. Could be you? Who knows.

### On a Serious Note

I don’t ask you much, but if you’ve got a moment and a little spare change, consider donating to the Red Cross in Ukraine. Times are tough, and every bit helps.

That’s it from me! Just a friendly disclaimer—it helps keep the lights on here, and on your side, well, it’s just good karma. Thanks for sticking around.