Apple And Valve Reportedly Collaborating To Develop AR Glasses For Gamers

We heard a few weeks ago that Apple is planning to launch its very own Augmented Reality (AR) Glasses. Ming-Chi Kuo, a credible Apple tipster, earlier predicted that Apple might release the heavily speculated revolutionary glasses in the first quarter of 2020, along with the help of a third party. A new report surfaced recently, revealing that the Cupertino-based tech giant is currently collaborating with Valve to introduce a new AR headset that will be launched in as early as next year.

Valve is the classic gaming titan that introduced video games to PC users all over the world through the Steam Store and has been working hard within the VR community. A couple of years ago, Apple initially started working on a headset that would run on macOS High Sierra. Reports claim that the company was working on a virtual reality headset but reportedly disbanded later on.

That team in Apple was recently reported to have been paired up with Valve to develop a more AR-centered headset. Codes within the latest Apple software iOS 13 confirm that the Cupertino-based tech giant is still knee-deep on integrating a new AR headset into its product lines, reports Digitimes. The gaming segment appears to be just a portion of a massive vision Apple has for its upcoming AR headset.

The report also claims that a small icon was discovered in the Find My App that resembles a lot like the Google Cardboard icon. Valve is known in the VR segment because of the Oculus Rift and the New York Times reported that the gaming giant has already shown off its revolutionary experiments. Unfortunately, while Valve has a lot of experiments to be excited about, it did not have a prototype to develop the product with.

Valve also worked with HTC and even released the HTC Vive, but later, we learned that Valve and HTC split off. According to reports, Valve would like to develop its own VR headset and aims to release it in the early part of 2019. With reports claiming that Valve is working with Apple in its AR glasses, Gamerant believes that Valve’s involvement might help sway the Cupertino-based tech giant to produce an AR headset leaning more on the gaming side.

Rumors have it that Apple is planning to launch the AR Glasses more like an accessory in its initial release, but will eventually launch as a standalone product, or as a replacement to iPhones.