Google’s Vision for Gemini, AI, and XR

Google’s Big Announcements: What’s Behind the Noise?

Google announced a bunch of new stuff last week, from Gemini 2.0 and Project Mariner to Android XR and Project Moohan. As ever with Google, it feels like a lot of stuff without necessarily a coherent plan behind it. But if you look closely enough, and start to put some of the pieces together, the combination of those announcements might add up to something like Google’s vision for the future of everything.

Episode of The Vergecast

On this episode of The Vergecast (our last Tuesday episode of the year), The Verge’s Kylie Robison and Victoria Song join the show to do some Google puzzling. They describe their experiences with all of Google’s new projects and experiments, and explain why Google thinks XR could be the killer app for AI — and vice versa.

Gaming News

After that, Chris Grant, group publisher for The Verge and Polygon, joins to talk about the two biggest 2025 stories in gaming: the impending launches of Grand Theft Auto VI and the Nintendo Switch 2. He explains why GTA is such an important and enduring gaming franchise, why he’s confident the Switch 2 won’t be like the Wii U, and why the whole gaming world is waiting for these two things so intently.

Helen’s Figma Garden

Finally, we answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!), with some help from The Verge’s publisher Helen Havlak. Helen mentioned last week that she uses Figma to manage her garden, and let’s just say you all had some follow-up questions about that. So Helen came back to explain her whole system.

Conclusion

In this episode, we dive into Google’s latest announcements, explore the world of gaming, and peek into Helen’s unique Figma garden. If you want to know more about everything we discuss, here are some links to get you started, beginning with Google.

FAQs

Q: What is Figma?
A: Figma is a design tool used to create and collaborate on user interfaces.

Q: What is Google’s vision for the future of everything?
A: Google’s vision is still unclear, but the combination of their latest announcements might add up to something like their vision for the future of everything.

Q: Why is GTA an important and enduring gaming franchise?
A: GTA is an important and enduring gaming franchise because of its engaging storyline, memorable characters, and innovative gameplay mechanics.

Q: Will the Nintendo Switch 2 be like the Wii U?
A: Chris Grant is confident that the Switch 2 will not be like the Wii U, as it will likely offer significant improvements in terms of hardware and software.

Q: How does Helen use Figma to manage her garden?
A: Helen uses Figma to create a to-scale model of her garden, allowing her to plan and manage it more effectively.