Meta Collaborates with Former Oculus Founder’s Company to Develop Advanced AR and VR Systems for the U.S. Military

So, here’s the thing. Palmer Luckey, that guy who started Oculus and stirred up quite the VR buzz, is now teaming up with Meta (yeah, Facebook’s cool new name) in this unexpected plot twist. They’re building top-tier AR and VR gear for, wait for it, the U.S. military. I mean, you couldn’t script this better for a future documentary.

Anyway, Luckey’s story… kinda wild, honestly. He kick-started Oculus back in 2012, and folks were like, “VR is the next big thing!” And then Facebook throws down over $2 billion to snatch it up. Fast forward a bit, and Luckey’s ousted, thanks to some politics drama. Blah blah, usual tech biz soap opera. He jumps to Anduril, another startup, plays in the defense tech sandbox, and bam, it’s worth billions.

Oh, bit of background noise: Anduril, his current gig, is cooking up some XR stuff alongside the usual drones and sensors military folks dig. They’re actually picking up where Microsoft kinda faltered with the Integrated Visual Augmentation System—something about AR helmets for the Army.

Now, here’s where it gets juicy. Anduril + Meta are like, “Hey, let’s make the best AR/VR systems for soldiers.” The official chat mentions turning soldiers into technowizards (or something equally epic-sounding). Honestly, it kinda feels like Iron Man vibes, right?

Then there’s the reunion bit—Zuck and Boz (Meta’s big brains) making up with Luckey after the past fallout. Corporate drama about facing more cash than sense, reinventing tech for the battlefield, and Luckey’s dream of techno-warfare wizardry. All privately funded, FYI, no taxpayer dollars here. The cynic in me wonders—are they saving money or just profiting differently?

Lastly, they’re likely focusing on that $20 billion AR helmet contract initially for ground troops. Microsoft started it, but guess who’s now in the driver’s seat? And they’ve got Meta’s VR magic sprinkled on it, taking it up a notch.

Think about it. War zones with VR and AR enhancements. What’s next, multiplayer combat in real-time? Who knew tech would evolve like this.