Most people I know don't think about augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality or the umbrella term for all these immersive technologies -- extended reality, abbreviated to XR. It's not all the terminology that turns them off, it's that they don't really know how XR fits in their world. I work in the tech industry and I happen to write about XR, so it affects my world right now in my day-to-day interactions with software developers and PR people.
However, that's my bubble. To my friends and family, extended reality still feels like a distant reality filled with overpriced headsets and virtual gaming. But as the Augmented World Expo in Long Beach shows, XR is so much bigger than just that.
If you don't yet care about XR, here are a few things I saw at AWE 2024 that might make you reconsider. Don't miss : The 41 Best VR Games XR isn't only about gaming: It can also be productive AR can be productive. The thought of extended reality can feel suffocating when most of your options are heavy headsets that aren't comfortable to wear for hours on end.
Sightful's Spacetop AR laptop wasn't created with gaming or video at the top of its priorities. It's focused on work and productivity, so you end up not with a clunky headset, but with a sleek pair of AR glasses that look like Ray Bans. They plug into the keyboard from a laptop that's ditched its display.
Once you put on the AR glasses, a 100-inch virtual canvas appears, which you can fill with various windows, all overlaid onto.
