Summer 2026 #XR in a #nutshell
Ultimately, summer 2026 was less calm than expected. Between glasses that promise to do everything except wash dishes, headsets that disappear before they’ve even proven popular, and regulators starting to wonder if we’re headed for disaster, the news was full of twists and turns.
- Healthcare facilities face regulatory delays replacing discontinued Microsoft HoloLens 2 devices running approved medical software before support ends in December 2027.
- Norway is considering bans on public facial recognition for smart glasses while Meta and optical nanostructure research advance.
- The XR market revenue is projected to grow from $28.5 billion in 2025 to $61.4 billion by 2030 through smartphone based SaaS solutions.
- Apple launched live MLB game streaming on the Vision Pro headset starting August 28.
- Sector consolidation includes Virtualware acquiring Virtalis, EssilorLuxottica buying Lynx assets, and Magic Leap focusing on waveguide manufacturing.
- Hardware options range from budget smart glasses under $100 and camera free models to $2,195 Snap Specs and camera equipped headphones.
- Augmented reality applications are expanding into heritage preservation and experimental health uses like smoking cessation.
- Mining companies deploy AI equipped smart glasses to provide remote guidance and alleviate skilled labor shortages.
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Jobs
Future events
- Pocket Opera: Five Operas in Augmented Reality – September 11, 2026 – Montreal
- Meta Connect – September 23-24, 2026 – Menlo Park
- LEXRA Summit – 5 & 6 October 2026 – Dallss
- jf•XR 2026 from October 14 to 16, 2026 – Orsay
- Second Workshop on Enhancing Security, Privacy, and Trust in Extended Reality (XR) Systems – October 30 – Austin
- International Conference on Virtual Reality in Medicine and Healthcare ICVRMH – October 26-27 – Paris
- XR DAYS 2026 – October 13 and 14 – Vénissieux
- IHM’26 – October 2026 – Villeneuve d’Ascq
- Virtual Worlds Partnership (VWP) Annual Forum 2026 – November 2, 2026 – Valencia
- EuroXR 2026 – November 3rd to 6th – Valencia
- Immersive X 2025 – November 10 to 12 – Virtual
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