This Week in XR — February 7, 2026
Hey XR fans — February brings new leaks and a two-year checkup on Apple Vision Pro. A new Meta Phoenix headset design leaked, looking like a cross between Quest and smart glasses with a waist battery pack, just like Vision Pro. And Apple Vision Pro turned two years old with a complicated report card: stunning tech, limited adoption, pivot incoming. Plus: Meta confirmed it's still into VR on its earnings call, despite appearances.
Hardware News
META PHOENIX HEADSET LEAKED: T3 reported leaked design mock-ups of 'Meta Phoenix,' the next Quest headset. The design looks like a hybrid between Quest 3S and smart glasses: lighter, modular, with an external battery pack on a waistband clip, similar to Apple Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR. Source: T3
APPLE VISION PRO TURNS TWO: Apple Vision Pro launched February 2, 2024. The two-year anniversary came with a mixed assessment: extraordinary technology, limited app ecosystem, high price, and now a reported production pause. Reddit sentiment: 'The Apple Newton of VR.' Source: Reddit/r/apple
Software & Apps
META Q4 2025 EARNINGS: META STILL INTO VR: The Ghost Howls reported Meta's quarterly earnings call included a direct statement that Meta is still committed to VR. CTO Bosworth cited Quest 3S gaming performance and Ray-Ban Meta sales growth. Headset hardware focus over metaverse content is the updated strategy. Source: skarredghost.com
APPLE GLASSES REPORTED FOR LATER IN 2026: ZDNET reported a 9to5Mac claim that Apple's smart glasses may arrive later in 2026. The device would sit below Vision Pro in price and be positioned as an everyday wearable with Siri/AI integration. Source: ZDNET
Funding & Deals
No major XR-specific funding rounds this week. Meta's earnings confirmed $5B+ quarterly Reality Labs spend, which includes both hardware R&D and content. Watch for Series B+ rounds in the smart glasses startup space as Samsung/XREAL partnerships finalize.
Enterprise
BEST AR AND MR GLASSES FOR 2026 REVIEWED: ZDNET published its annual enterprise AR glasses roundup for 2026. Apple Vision Pro, Microsoft HoloLens 2, and Meta Quest Pro lead the enterprise category. Samsung Galaxy XR not yet shipping. XREAL 1S is the best sub-$500 option for developers and prosumers. Source: ZDNET
Events
Apple Vision Pro second anniversary: February 2, 2026 (passed). | MWC 2026: March 2-6, Barcelona. Samsung Galaxy XR expected on the show floor. | GDC 2026: March 17-21, San Francisco.
Quick Hits
- Meta confirmed it is closing the Horizon Workrooms enterprise metaverse on February 20, 2026. Enterprise VR customers have 2 weeks to migrate. | The Ghost Howls weekly XR recap notes Google Genie AI building procedural worlds for XR environments is an underreported story from the same week. | Valve Steam Frame consumer VR launch window still expected for 2026.
XR Fact of the Week
Apple Vision Pro's M2 chip can render 23 million pixels simultaneously, more than most professional monitors combined. The hardware is extraordinary. The problem is content and price, the same problems that killed every premium VR headset before it.
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