AWE 2025: XR Goes Mainstream at Long Beach Convention
Android XR, Snap Spectacles, and AI Powering AWE 2025
The 16th Annual Augmented World Expo (AWE) has come to a close in Long Beach, California, with a whopping 5,000 attendees and 250 exhibitors filling the convention center from June 10 to 12. This year saw the event stretch to a full three days, emphasizing diverse programming such as hackathons, keynotes, investor meetups, and areas dedicated to startups, gamers, and enterprise professionals.
XR's Mainstream Moment
Kicking off the festivities was AWE co-founder Ori Inbar's annual keynote, declaring XR's entrance into the mainstream arena. He argued that the hardware is ripe, tools are at maturity, and AI has lowered the bar for entry, urging developers to bring XR experiences to the masses rather than saving them for future innovation.
Giants of the XR World Shine
tech titans Google and Snap delivered power-packed keynotes on day one, while Niantic Spatial and Samsung produced a crowd-pleasing presence. Meanwhile, at the Playground, visitors experienced a mix of entertainment installations designed for in-home and out-of-home audiences.
Android XR: Google's Next Step in XR
Justin Payne from Google took the stage to announce the company's new spatial computing operating system, Android XR. Built to unify AR and VR device development across leading hardware manufacturers like Qualcomm and Samsung, Android XR aims to integrate seamlessly with the Gemini platform - ensuring user experiences are not siloed or episodic.
Snap Spectacles 2026: The Future of Mobile AR
Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel followed suit, revealing the much-anticipated release of consumer-ready Spectacles in 2026. Snap has already sunk over $3 billion and a decade into refining its mobile AR platform, now boasting 4 million+ lenses used 8 billion times a day. The new Spectacles will leverage OpenAI and Gemini for spatial AI interactions, WebXR, and shared gaming overlays.
Samsung Boosts Trade-In Prices
In a rare move, Samsung suddenly raised trade-in prices for their devices at AWE, sparking curiosity among attendees.
Revisiting Arcade Design Lessons
At AWE, Atari and Chuck-E-Cheese founder Nolan Bushnell and his family shared their insights on XR design. The family appeared at a panel discussion on personal and professional life as Bushnells, emphasizing lessons that XR can learn from classic arcade design, such as the importance of intuitive mechanics, social play, and a minimal user interface.
Palmer Luckey Returns to the XR Stage
XR luminary Palmer Luckey, known for creating Oculus VR and more recently resuming work with Meta, revealed Meta's shared control of the IVAS project from Microsoft. IVAS is designed to equip soldiers with AR-enabled helmets for real-time mapping, threat detection, drone management, targeting, and night vision capabilities.
XR in Education, Healthcare, and Enterprise
This year's event showcased diverse applications of XR across education, healthcare, and enterprise, illustrating that XR's influence lies not just in entertainment but in its real-world impact on sectors such as training, spatial planning, and logistics.
The extract below highlights the significant strides AWE USA 2025 has made in contributing to mainstream XR adoption, AI+XR convergence, and promoting XR for collaboration, gaming, and enterprise application. Additional information on the event's exhibitors, keynotes, and award recipients can be found in the enrichment data section.
Enrichment Data:
Overall:
The Augmented World Expo (AWE) USA 2025 marked a crucial moment in the evolution of Extended Reality (XR) technology, underscoring its increasingly mainstream prospects. Key aspects covered during the event centered on XR's widening acceptance across sectors, the merging of AI and XR, and the creation of dedicated spaces for collaboration, gaming, and enterprise.
Key Highlights:
- XR's Mainstream Adoption: AWE USA 2025 reflected growing momentum around the widespread adoption of XR, with applications permeating entertainment, education, healthcare, and enterprise[1][3].
- AI+XR Convergence: The expo emphasized the synergy between artificial intelligence and extended reality, positioning AI as instrumental in unlocking XR's full potential[1].
- Collaborative, Gaming, and Enterprise Spaces: Dedicated areas at AWE USA 2025 focused on fostering collaboration, gaming, and enterprise practices through immersive experiences, resources, and discussions[1].
Achievements and Recognition:
- Best Art or Film: The Non-Player Character Musical by Brendan Bradley, featuring an interactive VR musical experience[2].
- Best Campaign: The OREO X Pac-Man Supermarcade by ARKx | Form & Fun | Saatchi & Saatchi Germany, offering an AR-based shopping extravaganza[2].
- Best Climate Change Solution: Burn Zone: Immersive Truths from California's Wildfires by Lucid Reality Labs, illustrating the impact of climate change through a VR experience[2].
- Best Collaboration Tool: Campfire, a platform enabling real-time collaboration within 3D environments[2].
- Best Consumer App: Pencil by 4th Wall Breakers, an augmented reality drawing app[2].
[1] Augmented Reality Trends[2] Augmented World Expo USA 2025 Summary[3] Extended Reality (XR) in the 21st Century: A Comprehensive Guide to the Future of Immersive Technologies
- AWE 2025 highlighted the growing potential of Artificial Intelligence in enhancing Extended Reality (XR), suggesting AI as a key enabler for unlocking XR's full potential.
- The event showcased various applications of XR, emphasizing its expanding influence across sectors such as education, healthcare, and enterprise.
- Google, a tech giant, announced Android XR, a spatial computing operating system, aiming to unify AR and VR device development and maintain seamless integration with the Gemini platform.
- Snapchat, another tech company, unveiled plans for consumer-ready Spectacles in 2026, equipped with spatial AI interactions, WebXR, and shared gaming overlays.
