Mixed reality

An ambulance service in Sri Lanka has equipped its EMTs with a mixed-reality headset to help deliver emergency care with the help of a live-feed doctor in the crucial moments before a patient is admitted to hospital.

Finland's Varjo has announced the latest edition of its mixed-reality headset for enterprise and military, which is claimed to offer "virtual and mixed reality experiences practically indistinguishable from natural sight."

Saab and Varjo Technologies are developing new low-cost, high-resolution mixed-reality tech for flight simulators to train fighter pilots. Called Bionic Display, it cuts the computing power required by taking advantage of the way the human eye works.

If you're going to be using a "smart" eyewear device for long periods of time, then it had better be light and unobtrusive. Well, ThirdEye's X2 Glasses may fit the bill, as they're said to be the world's smallest mixed reality glasses.

Microsoft first introduced HoloLens all the way back in 2015. The mixed reality headset went on sale in 2016, but has remained distinctly business-focused. Now, a sequel has arrived: the HoloLens 2 brings with it better ergonomics, greater immersion, and improved technology across the board.

​The mixed reality specs scene is certainly getting interesting: Magic Leap released its developer edition glasses earlier this year, there are strong rumors that Apple is planning a launch in the next couple of years, and now we have the nReal Light glasses to look forward to in 2019.

​After the launch of Firefox Reality, we spoke to Mozilla’s Head of Mixed Reality Andre Vrignaud about the future of the browser, VR, mixed reality and 3D digital content.

The H3-VR Handy Recorder from Zoom is an all-in-one Ambisonic audio recording solution, so you won't need to buy a dedicated microphone setup, a separate audio recorder and a powerful laptop or computer for making the audio VR ready.​

Before virtual and augmented reality become widespread in our homes, it might gain traction in public spaces like museums and hotels, and Acer's new OJO 500 headset has been built with sharing in mind – it's semi-modular design allows the straps and lenses to be removed and cleaned separately.

After years of hype and billions of investment dollars, you can now buy Magic Leap's mixed reality headset – if you have deep pockets and live in one of the US cities that the device is shipping to. Aimed primarily at developers, the Magic Leap One Creator's Edition can be yours for US$2,295.

You may well have heard of Mixed Reality headsets, lower cost VR devices that work with Windows 10, and it's likely you'll be hearing much more about them in the months ahead. So how do they compare with the premium headsets and mobile VR devices? Here's everything you need to know.

Samsung has already staked out a big slice of the mobile virtual reality pie with the Gear VR, but now the company has announced a new headset, the HMD Odyssey. Ditching the phone, the Odyssey will run on the Windows Mixed Reality platform.