Xreal's launch is significant as Google tries to become a major operating system for virtual and augmented reality smart glasses and headsets.

Google I/O is usually an important event. It's where Google usually lays out the next year of software innovation. But this year, I think it’ll be an especially important event as Android XR is all but confirmed to take an important role in the festivities.

In a series of video demos, Google showed off how people wearing Android XR glasses might interact with apps such as Google Maps. A user asked their glasses’ Gemini AI chatbot for directions, and the device brought up a small hologram-like map at the bottom of the internal display.