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Report: Intel Eyes Augmented Reality Headset

 & Stephanie Mlot Contributor

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Intel is reportedly developing an augmented reality headset based on the company's RealSense 3D technology.

Citing anonymous sources, the Wall Street Journal suggested the California tech titan will compete with products like Google Glass and Microsoft HoloLens.

Unlike virtual reality, which places the user into a computer-generated scene, augmented reality (or mixed reality) superimposes data onto the real world via a headset display.

Intel did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

These rumors, however, fit the company's recent push to expand its business—which is still led by standard processors—into wearables and the Internet of Things. Its RealSense technology, meanwhile, has already been integrated into Google's Project Tango and a virtual butler named Relay.

Intel isn't the only one pursuing augmented reality: Meta's second-generation AR headset is now available to pre-order online.

Expected to begin shipping to developers in the third quarter of this year, the $949 device boasts a huge 90-degree field of view, high-definition see-through display, and direct hand control.

"We are creating an experience that merges the art of user interface design with the science of the brain, creating 'natural machines' that feel like extensions of ourselves rather than the other way around," Meta CEO Meron Gribetz said in a statement.

Demonstrated at last month's TED conference in Canada, the Meta 2 is a tethered device that requires a PC running Windows 8 or 10. The technology is currently compatible with Windows-based apps like Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, and Spotify. Mac support is planned for later this year.

Microsoft, meanwhile, will begin shipping its $3,000 HoloLens Development Edition on March 30.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.

About Our Expert

Stephanie Mlot

Stephanie Mlot

Contributor

My Experience

  • B.A. in Journalism & Public Relations with minor in Communications Media from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)
  • Reporter at The Frederick News-Post (2008-2012)
  • Reporter for PCMag and Geek.com (RIP) (2012-present)

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  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • MacBook Air (hooked up to a 23-inch Dell monitor)
  • Google Chrome
  • Google Drive
  • Soundcore Life P3 earbuds
  • Various Amazon Echo devices

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