Next Reality » Augmented & Mixed Reality News, Rumors & Dev Guides

Market Reality: Magic Leap, Twilio, Jaunt, & Adidas Reveal the Future of AR Content & Communication

A week after the L.E.A.P. Conference, our cup of Magic Leap news continues to floweth over, with the company's content chief giving us some insight into the company's strategy, and Twilio sharing what its virtual chat app looks like.

News: The Weather Channel Takes Broadcast AR to Next Level with Wildfires Report

The last time The Weather Channel showed off its broadcast augmented reality, the internet couldn't stop talking about how immersive the presentation looked, despite being shown on a 2D display.

News: Snapchat Lens Studio Adds New Segmentation Templates to Its Bag of Augmented Reality Tricks

On Thursday, Snap released three new templates for its Lens Studio that will give creators access to augmented reality capabilities previously only available to Snap's own design team.

News: Wingnut AR's Pest Control Is Unreleased, Mostly Unseen, but Undeniably One of Magic Leap One's Best Titles

Despite the relatively small size of Magic Leap's first annual L.E.A.P. conference, there was a lot to see and experience. Apparently missed by many was one of the best experiences I had at the event: Wingnut AR's unreleased Pest Control game.

News: Hands-On with Magic Leap & Weta Workshop's Dr. Grordbort's Invaders

Over the last few years, the only thing teased by Magic Leap more than the Magic Leap One itself has been the company's flagship gaming title Dr. Grordbort's Invaders. The game, developed by New Zealand studio Weta Workshop, finally got its debut last week during the L.E.A.P. conference in Los Angeles.

News: MagiMask Is Probably Not the AR Headset You're Looking for, but Offers a Cute Trick for Mobile AR

So far, consumer augmented reality headsets haven't found mainstream success. That's primarily because no manufacturer has managed to hit the sweet spot between slim form factor, performance, and affordability.

News: Jaunt Hit with Layoffs as Startup Abandons VR Business to Focus on Augmented Reality

After building its business on virtual reality, Jaunt is leaving the technology behind to focus on building tools for creating augmented reality content.

News: The Sims Freeplay Adds Multiplayer Augmented Reality Mode via ARKit 2.0

Electronic Arts is inviting players of The Sims Freeplay and their friends to visit the homes of their Sims in augmented reality with a new AR mode that supports multiplayer and persistent content using ARKit 2.0.

News: Ghostbusters World AR Game Arrives as Halloween Treat & We Dive into Its Location-Based Tricks

Because timing is everything, the latest entry in the location-based augmented reality gaming sweepstakes, Ghostbusters World, has arrived just in time for Halloween.

News: Inside Magic Leap's Cinematic Partnership with Andy Serkis & The Imaginarium's Experimental Motion Capture Experience

By now, you've probably already seen Andy Serkis and his performance capture demo for Magic Leap. And sure, marrying motion capture acting and augmented reality sounds compelling, but how does it really work as an experience?

News: AR Cloud Startup 6D.Ai Video Gives a Peek at Next-Level Mobile AR from Devs Using Company's SDK

A sizzle reel just released by augmented reality cloud company 6D.ai shows off what kind of hyper-realistic AR experiences developers can build with its SDK.

News: Twilio & Magic Leap Deliver First Live Demo of Avatar Chat Communications App

On Thursday, yet another piece of the Magic Leap puzzle fell into place at Twilio's Signal developer and customer conference in San Francisco.

News: HoloLens Update Brings Display Mirroring & Quick Actions Menu for Routine Tasks

Microsoft has informed HoloLens users that the company will begin rolling out a mandatory update for HoloLens as part of its Windows 10 October 2018 release that brings a number of new features and quality-of-life improvements to the headset.

News: Magic Leap's Chief Content Officer Rio Caraeff Opens Up on Walled Gardens, Data Privacy, & Blockchain

Over the years, Magic Leap's long-cultivated shroud of mystery led some onlookers to buy into the company's dream before even trying the device, while for others, the secrecy seems to have stoked the kind of resentment and overcorrecting critique usually reserved for the mighty Apple.

News: Owlchemy Labs ARCore Experiment Lets Android Users View a Friend's VR Experience from Their Smartphone

Google subsidiary Owlchemy Labs has cooked up an experimental ARCore mobile app that enables smartphone users to follow along with their VR friends as they play games in a head-mounted display.

News: Adobe Recruits Adidas to Create AR Retail Store Experience via Project Aero

At its annual MAX event kicking off on Monday in Los Angeles, Adobe gave the audience a new preview of its forthcoming Project Aero augmented reality authoring tool during the keynote presentation.

Market Reality: L'Oreal's Rochet Leads NR30's AR Influencers & Magic Leap Demonstrates Its Own Influence at L.E.A.P. Con

This week, Next Reality released the fifth and final set of profiles on the NR30 leaders in augmented reality, with this chapter focusing on the influencers in the industry.

News: Visualix AR Cloud Platform Looks to Give Enterprises the Ability to Virtually Map Their Facilities

A new augmented reality cloud platform from German startup Visualix is working to give enterprises the capability to scan their own warehouses, factories, and stores and create maps for augmented reality navigation.

News: Snapchat Becomes SnapCAT with AR Lenses for Your Feline Friends

Have you ever browsed through Lenses on Snapchat and got bummed out when the app recommends that you "try this with a friend" and you're all alone? Well, now you can take AR snaps with your cat!

News: Niantic Levels the Pokémon GO Playing Field Between iPhone & Android with ARCore Support

Players of Pokémon GO on Android now have a reason to turn on AR mode with the release of AR+ support via ARCore.

News: Apple Continues Assembling AR Arsenal with Acquisition of Spektral's Background Removal Tech, Report Says

Adding another arrow to its quiver of augmented reality acquisitions, Apple has reportedly acquired Spektral, a computer vision company with technology for real-time compositing (otherwise know as the "green screen" technique in broadcast TV and film).

News: I Met Magic Leap's AI Assistant Mica & Saw the Future of Augmented Reality

Unlike VR, when you're talking about augmented reality, describing what an experience is like can be incredibly difficult — primarily because the experiences are even more contextual than relatively static virtual worlds that don't involve real-world settings.

News: Niantic Plugs Its Real World Platform into Deutsche Telekom's 5G Network & MobiledgeX Servers

When Pokémon GO developer Niantic launches its Real World Platform for augmented reality gaming, it will run over 5G speeds courtesy of T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom and the edge servers of its MobiledgeX subsidiary, the companies announced today.

News: Snapchat Originals Blend Augmented Reality Scenes into Scripted Shows & Documentary Series

Snapchat is joining the ranks of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube, and Apple in the trend toward streaming original programming, but with a twist that rings true to its roots.

News: Did NASA Leak the HoloLens 2 in This Video?

Rumors are swirling today that NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) may have shown us the first public glimpse of the next-generation HoloLens. Are they real? Or just a prototype? We've been digging in all day to find the answers.

NR30: The Augmented Reality Influencers of 2018

Influencers of augmented reality demonstrate expertise in their fields and outline a strong vision for the future that they evangelize to others. They help define the direction of the industry and identify others who foster and create innovation in the field.

News: Everything Magic Leap Revealed During Its First Annual L.E.A.P. Conference Keynote Event

Like many things associated with Magic Leap, the start of the company's first annual L.E.A.P. conference got off to a unique start. Taking the stage on Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, the company's CEO, Rony Abovitz, gave a brief introductory speech welcoming the crowd and outlining the mission of Magic Leap.

News: AT&T to Launch DirectTV App for Magic Leap One in 2019, Sets Up 5G Test Area at Magic Leap Headquarters

Magic Leap and AT&T have lifted the lid on multiple parts of their mysterious relationship today. According to AT&T Communications CEO John Donovan, the company is planning to launch a beta version of DirectTV Now for the Magic Leap One in 2019.

News: Insomniac Games Unveils Seedling Experience for Magic Leap One

The game wizards at Insomniac take pride in diving deep when it comes to world-building, and the same is true for the studio's latest title for Magic Leap One called Seedling.

News: Air New Zealand Takes Wraps Off Magic Leap One Adventure Tourism Game

The thrill and excitement of great tourism generally requires visitors to take part in the country's local fare in person. But Air New Zealand's new augmented reality experience for the Magic Leap One gives visitors an immersive taste of what the country has to offer without ever setting foot in the country.

News: Onshape Partners with Magic Leap to Bring Its Collaborative Industrial 3D Design Tool to AR

Departing from the long string of entertainment-focused partnerships released in recent weeks and months, a new, enterprise-focused Magic Leap app has finally emerged in the form of Onshape.

News: Magic Leap & Weta Workshop Release Dr. Grordbort's Invaders for Magic Leap One

As promised last week, Magic Leap has finally released the long-awaited augmented reality game Dr. Grordbort's Invaders.

News: Magic Leap One Now Available to Most US Consumers, Affirm Partner Offers Buyer Financing

One the main gripes against cutting-edge augmented reality headsets like the Magic Leap One and the HoloLens is the price — they're pretty expensive compared to most consumer devices. Well, now some of that pain has been relieved for those looking to pick up a Magic Leap One as the company has just announced a financing option that allows anyone with a spare $96/month to gradually pay their way into full ownership of the device.