Honestly, if you thought 2025 was the year the "metaverse" finally died, you've haven't been paying attention to the hardware hitting the dirt this week. The vibe shifted. We’ve moved past the goofy floating avatars and entered a weird, hyper-practical era of spatial computing that actually works.
Meta just gutted a huge chunk of its Reality Labs team—1,000 jobs gone on January 13, 2026—but they aren't quitting. They're just pivoting. They are dumping the "virtual world" dream to chase AI-powered glasses that you’d actually wear to a coffee shop without looking like a dork. It's a massive bet on "wearables" over "headsets."
AR VR News Today: The Big Pivot to AI Glass
The biggest story in ar vr news today isn't a new headset. It’s the supply chain drama. Meta’s new "Display" smart glasses are apparently such a hit in the US that they’ve officially paused the international rollout. If you're in the UK or France, you're basically stuck on a waitlist while Meta tries to keep up with American demand.
These aren't the bulky goggles of five years ago. We're talking about things like the Xreal 1S and the Viture Beast that just showed up at CES 2026. The Xreal 1S is $449 and somehow converts 2D video into 3D on the fly. It's kinda wild. You've got 1200p resolution in something that looks like thick Wayfarers.
Why the Quest 4 is a Ghost (For Now)
If you're sitting around waiting for a Quest 4, stop. Just stop. Latest leaks from early January suggest Meta isn't dropping a new flagship VR headset in 2026. They’re leaning into the Quest 3’s success—which apparently outsold the Switch 2 over the holidays—and focusing on "Quest Air" (code-named Phoenix) for 2027.
- Meta's Strategy: Cutting the fluff, focusing on Ray-Ban integrations.
- Google's Move: They just deepened their partnership with XREAL to push "Android XR."
- The Hardware Gap: Companies are splitting into "tethered" (glasses wired to a phone) and "standalone" (bulky but powerful).
Apple's visionOS 26 and the "Spatial" Takeover
Apple is playing a different game. While Meta cuts staff, Apple is busy trying to make the Vision Pro feel like a real computer. They just pushed visionOS 26, and the big deal there is "Spatial Widgets." You can basically pin a weather app to your actual kitchen wall, and it stays there every time you put the headset on.
It’s not just about games anymore. Apple is pushing "Personas" that don't look like uncanny valley nightmares. They’ve added volumetric rendering so your digital twin has hair that actually looks like hair and not a plastic helmet.
📖 Related: Where I Am Now: The Reality of Location Tracking and Digital Presence in 2026
The Enterprise Reality Check
While we're all looking at games, the real money is in boring stuff. Teslasuit just launched the XR5 haptic suit today (January 16). It's for "biometric analytics" and "enterprise training." Basically, if you’re a surgeon or a factory worker, you’re more likely to use this tech than a teenager playing Gorilla Tag.
What Most People Get Wrong About 2026 VR
People keep waiting for a "Ready Player One" moment. It’s not happening. Instead, we’re getting "incremental utility."
- Battery Life Still Sucks: No matter how many AI chips they cram into the Vuzix or Rokid glasses, you're still looking at a few hours of juice.
- The Price Floor is Rising: The Viture Beast is $549. The Meta Display glasses are $799. This stuff is getting more expensive, not cheaper, because the tech inside (Micro-OLED waveguides) is incredibly hard to make.
- Gaming is Second Tier: Except for ASUS ROG’s new R1 glasses with a 240Hz refresh rate, most of the ar vr news today is about productivity and "lifestyle" AI assistants.
Sony is even further out. If you’re a PlayStation fan, the PS VR3 is a 2029 pipe dream tied to the PS6. They’re sticking with the PS VR2 for the foreseeable future, maybe adding some PC compatibility tweaks, but don't expect a hardware revolution there this year.
Actionable Steps for the "XR-Curious"
If you're looking to jump in today, don't buy based on hype.
- For Travelers: Grab the Xreal 1S. It’s the best "private theater" experience for a plane without carrying a brick on your face.
- For Techies: If you're in the US, get on the Meta Display waitlist. It’s the closest thing to a "phone replacement" we have.
- For Developers: Look into Android XR. Google is clearly setting up a "Windows vs. Mac" style war against Apple's visionOS, and they need apps.
The market is fragmented. It's messy. But honestly, for the first time in a decade, the hardware is actually starting to look like something a normal person would wear in public. Just don't expect it to replace your iPhone by Christmas.