Recently, reports have surfaced that LG is putting a pause on its partnership with Meta to develop an extended reality (XR) device that was intended to rival Apple’s Vision Pro headset. This development comes just three months after the joint venture was announced. While initial reports suggested that the partnership had completely broken down due to a lack of synergy between the two companies, LG has come out to deny that the deal has been terminated.
According to LG’s statement to Korea JoongAng Daily, the company is still committed to the XR partnership with Meta but is now controlling the pace of the project. The collaboration was supposed to result in products that combine Meta’s Horizon Worlds mixed reality platform with LG’s expertise in the TV business. Additionally, there were talks of integrating on-device AI capabilities using Meta’s large language models. However, there seems to be some confusion as to the current status of the project. Reports from Seoul Economic Daily suggest that the collaboration is still ongoing but now with a targeted release date of 2027.
New Directions for LG?
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the LG-Meta partnership, there are speculations that LG may be exploring a new XR headset partnership with Amazon. This potential move is believed to capitalize on Amazon Prime’s extensive library of streaming content and its massive subscriber base of 200 million users. While details are still scarce, it appears that LG is considering alternative options amidst the current developments with Meta.
The news of LG’s decision to pause its partnership with Meta comes at a time when the broader VR/AR industry is facing challenges. Meta, in particular, has been struggling to sustain its AR and VR businesses, with reports indicating significant financial losses. Despite the setbacks, Meta remains determined to continue its product development efforts and scale its ecosystem, even if it means enduring substantial financial losses in the short term. The industry as a whole is grappling with declining consumer interest, further complicating the outlook for VR and AR products moving forward.
The future of the LG-Meta partnership for XR device development remains uncertain. With LG exploring potential new partnerships and the broader VR/AR industry facing challenges, the landscape for extended reality technologies is evolving rapidly. Only time will tell how these developments will shape the future of XR devices and the industry as a whole.
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