LG’s collaboration with Meta to develop an extended reality (XR) device as a competitor to Apple’s Vision Pro headset seems to be on shaky ground. Reports indicate that LG is pausing its partnership with Meta, just three months after the joint venture was announced. While some Korean news outlets claim that the partnership has broken down completely due to a lack of synergy between the companies, LG has refuted these claims, stating that they are merely controlling the pace of the XR partnership.
The situation is further clouded by conflicting reports regarding the status of the project. While some sources suggest that the collaboration is still ongoing but targeting a 2027 release date, others claim that LG is now looking into a new partnership with Amazon for an XR headset. This potential shift in focus has raised questions about the future of the current headset project and has left many wondering about the fate of the collaboration between LG and Meta.
Meta, on the other hand, is facing its own challenges in the AR and VR space. Reports indicate that Reality Labs, Meta’s AR and VR division, has been facing significant financial losses, burning through a billion dollars every month since June 2022. Despite these setbacks, Meta remains optimistic about the future, expecting the losses to increase year over year due to ongoing product development efforts and investments to scale the ecosystem.
The broader VR/AR product industry is also experiencing difficulties, with waning interest from consumers. As the industry grapples with these challenges, the future of LG’s XR device partnership with Meta hangs in the balance. The potential shift towards a partnership with Amazon raises questions about the direction LG is taking in the XR space and the impact it may have on the market.
The future of LG’s XR device partnership with Meta is uncertain. The pause in the collaboration, conflicting reports about the project’s status, and Meta’s own struggles in the AR and VR space all contribute to the uncertainty surrounding the venture. As the industry faces challenges and shifting dynamics, only time will tell what the future holds for LG, Meta, and their XR device partnership.