ByteDance Reportedly Follows Meta Into the Mixed Reality Realm

TikTok parent ByteDance is reportedly developing a mixed reality device resembling goggles.

That’s according to a report Monday (July 14) from The Information, citing three sources with direct knowledge of the Chinese company’s efforts.

As the report notes, this shows ByteDance following the efforts of Meta, which is working on a similar device scheduled to come out in 2027. These devices employ the concept of mixed reality, letting people overlay digital images on top of real-world surroundings, for work or entertainment purposes.

These goggle-like devices mark a change from the mixed reality deployed by headsets companies like Apple and Meta, to muted reaction from users. The Information report argues this shift shows consumers would prefer to wear lighter-weight glasses, even if these devices don’t do as much as headsets.

Meta canceled its Quest headset last year to work on its goggles-style device, known as “Phoenix.” It has also rolled out a pair of smart glasses in partnership with Ray-Ban, an offering that, per The Information, has sold well.

ByteDance, the report said, had — through its mixed reality hardware division, Pico — been scaling back its augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) efforts due to weak sales. In 2023, the company canceled the scheduled launch of its new flagship VR headset to focus on a new initiative to develop more ambitious products.

The news comes days after reports that Meta had purchased a roughly 3% stake — worth around $3.5 billion — in eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica, which makes Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses and is one of Meta’s partners in the smart glasses business.

Meanwhile, Google said in May that it expects smart glasses equipped with its extended reality (XR) operating system, Android XR, and its AI model, Gemini, to become a convenient and ever-present AI assistant.

The firm made this prediction as it announced a collaboration with eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to create Android XR-equipped glasses that are stylish and comfortable enough to wear all day.

“What if your AI assistant could see the world from your perspective and offer hands-free help? That’s the vision driving our latest advancements in Android XR,” Shahram Izadi, vice president and general manager, Android XR at Google, wrote on the company blog. “It’s the first Android platform built in the Gemini era, and it powers an ecosystem of headsets, glasses and everything in between.”

PYMNTS wrote in February that smart glasses were enjoying a boom, with the newest versions are powered by AI and encased in traditional frames of various styles, ensuring wearers don’t look out of place in public.