Next Reality Features

News: Deutsche Telekom & Zeiss Launch Smartglasses Startup Tooz

A new smartglasses powerhouse is rising in Europe, led by two of the region's leading brands, optical systems company Zeiss (also known as Carl Zeiss) and telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom.

Apple AR: Marxent Prepared to Deploy Content for ARKit Apps

While IKEA is collaborating with Apple for its ARKit furniture app, Marxent is ready to help the rest of the interior decorating and home improvement crowd with their apps.

Market Reality: Microsoft's HoloLens Sales Figures Revealed, AR Boosts Snapchat Revenue, & Facebook Expands AR Platform

This week, we're beginning to see the wide ranging impacts of some of the early iterations of augmented reality hardware and software.

News: Nvidia Accelerates Augmented Reality for Cars with Drive AR Platform for Automakers

While self-driving cars appear to be as inevitable as augmented reality headsets, the auto industry and its technology partners likely have years of testing to complete and regulatory loopholes to jump through before self-driving cars hit most highways.

News: Research Papers & Patents Point to Magic Leap's AR Ambitions

In June at the eMerge Americas investors conference, Magic Leap founder (and NR50 member) Rony Abovitz proclaimed that the launch of their flagship product was "not far away."

News: Will the HoloLens Forget About Gaming?

Microsoft's HoloLens has many applications in the business world, both large and small, but what about gaming? Initial demos gave the impression that we could expect amazing first person shooters, platformers, and even Minecraft. Yet, as Newsweek noticed, the HoloLens was nowhere to be found at E3 this year.

News: Google Unleashes the Powers of Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover in AR via New Pixel Playmoji

Although Apple's Animoji game is strong, as recently exampled by its Ariana Grande collaboration, Google isn't slacking either, unleashing a far more immersive music experience for smartphone users.

News: Unity Previews Project MARS Mobile App, Extends AR Foundation to HoloLens & Magic Leap, Intros XR Interaction Toolkit

With its 3D engine being responsible for approximately 60% of augmented and virtual reality experiences, Unity is continuing to place a premium on tools that not only keep developers working in its development environment but also make their workflows easier.

News: Samsung Jumps to Head of Mobile AR Class with Galaxy S10 5G & 3D Depth Sensor, Shows Off AR Concept Video

While augmented reality made more of a cameo appearance during Samsung's official grand unveiling of the Galaxy S10 line-up on Wednesday, it's the company's move into 5G connectivity that has huge implications for AR.

News: After Years of Being Teased, Here's How the World Is Reacting to the Magic Leap One Reveal

The knee-jerk reactions to Magic Leap's long-awaited augmented reality device, the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition, range from pent-up joy to side-eyed skepticism. That's what happens when you launch the hype train several years before even delivering even a tiny peek at the product.

News: Vuforia AR Starter Kit Hits the Unity Asset Store for Free

In mid-November, Vuforia officially released Vuforia 6.1, which has full support for the Microsoft HoloLens. They also released their AR Starter Kit to the Unity Asset Store, which contains scenes that show you how to use Vuforia features. While I have yet to find any confirmation, I believe it is safe to assume that the AR Starter Kit will work with the HoloLens. I already had a Vuforia tutorial planned for this week, so as soon as I know for sure, I will begin working on it.

News: NBA's Sacramento Kings Unveil New Uniforms via Augmented Reality

Though the Golden State Warriors won the crown as the NBA's best team again this season, the Sacramento Kings continue their rule as the sport's technology leader, debuting their new uniforms from Nike through augmented reality today.

News: Jurassic World Alive Game Update Lets Dinosaurs Eat Goats & Destroy Vehicles in Augmented Reality

Players who have stuck around with location-based game Jurassic World Alive just got a new treat that makes the augmented reality experience even more fun.

News: Enflux's Smart Clothing Lets the VR User Control Their Avatar Just by Moving

While Leap Motion and Microsoft are looking to capture natural human motion with cameras, Enflux figured out how to do it with a shirt and pants that feel completely natural.

News: Miller Lite & Trigger Global Turn St. Patrick's Day into an Augmented Reality Celebration

Every year, fans of Irish culture, as well as those looking to celebrate their own culture, come together on St. Patrick's Day, March 17.

News: Apple's Rumored Augmented Reality Smartglasses May Include VR Capabilities, Report Says

While Apple has generally been more bullish on augmented reality as opposed to virtual reality, the latest whispers about its purported AR headset suggests that it may be giving VR another look.

News: Warner Bros. & Niantic Release Third Harry Potter Wizards Unite Trailer

Next to Game of Thrones, Harry Potter is one of the most beloved franchises in entertainment today, and now we have another peek at its dive into augmented reality.

News: How to Sample the New Apple iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro in Augmented Reality

The much-hyped Apple event is now history, and we finally know what the Cupertino tech giant had up its sleeve: new iPhones.

News: Strange New Technologies Explore the World of Virtual Taste, Touch, & Smell

Virtual, mixed, and augmented reality all provide different but compellingly immersive experiences that draw us in through sight and sound. But what about our other senses? A few strange inventions are already exploring the possibilities.

Interview: Nreal Founder Explains Why Smartglasses Tethered to Smartphones Are the Future of Augmented Reality

If you've ever spent any serious time examining the Chinese tech startup world, you know that it moves fast — very fast. The tech startups hailing from Beijing and Shenzhen are moving so fast that they're now in serious competition with Silicon Valley.

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: AR Cloud Startup 6D.Ai Plans to Use Smartphone Cameras to Create Accurate 3D Maps, Facilitate Multiplayer AR Games

San Francisco-based 6D.ai is preparing to launch a beta of its AR cloud platform that's capable of constructing a real-time dense mesh from crowdsourced data for use in 3D mapping and multi-user AR experiences.

News: Augmented Reality App Lets You See the Tesla Model 3 Before It Ships

Buyers can't wait for their Tesla Model 3 to be delivered. But with no clear arrival date in sight, buyers are starting to get a little antsy waiting to see what the Tesla Model 3 will look like up close. Luckily, Tesla accessories seller EVANNEX partnered with technology firm Kinetic Vision to try and satisfy buyers for a while by creating an app that lets you view an augmented reality Tesla Model 3 that's nearly life sized.

Apple AR: Put 3D Emojis & Text in Your Videos with Holocam

People love emojis, it's a scientific fact. So an app that places poops, smileys, and ghosts into social media videos should, in theory, be the most popular app ever. That's likely the reasoning behind the new Holocam app, which is available for $0.99 in the iOS App Store. Sure, Snapchat and Instagram offer users editing tools to stick static text, emojis, and drawings on top of photos and videos. However, Holocam ups the ante by placing fully three-dimensional emoji, text, and drawings, as w...

News: This Choose-Your-Own-Adventure AR Game Makes the Merge Cube a Compelling Stocking Stuffer

Did you forget to get a Christmas gift for that niece or nephew who you see once a year? If you're lucky, the Walmart near you may have a Merge Cube in stock. When paired with the 57° North game for the Merge Cube, the mysterious-looking cube offers the possibility of extended sessions of virtual adventure in the palm of your hand. Available for $2.99 through the App Store or Google Play, 57° North is a choose-your-own-adventure game that takes place in augmented reality.

News: Video Demo from 6D.Ai Shows Why Occlusion Is the Next Big Thing for Mobile AR Experiences

If you aren't convinced that mobile augmented reality apps need occlusion (or you don't know what the word even means), you really need to watch the latest video from AR cloud startup 6D.ai.

News: Magic Leap's Neal Stephenson Visits Microsoft HoloLens Headquarters to Talk Augmented Reality

One of the masters of science fiction, Neal Stephenson, may be on staff at Magic Leap, but that doesn't mean he can't take a moment to visit the halls of competitor Microsoft, the maker of the HoloLens.

News: Magic Leap's 'Blink' Demo Shows How Eye Tracking & Spatial Audio Make Virtual Content Come Alive

Over the past few weeks, a trio of developer lessons (one of which was revealed in Magic Leap's most recent Twitch livestream) have revealed samples of experiences that are possible while using the Magic Leap One.

News: Microsoft Update Adds Miracast & More Sharing Functions to HoloLens

The latest preview build for Microsoft HoloLens is packed with new sharing features, including support for the Miracast protocol.

News: Microsoft Launches Its First Mixed Reality Capture Studio in Hollywood

Microsoft is adding another important piece to its growing immersive computing arsenal by putting its newest Mixed Reality Capture Studio in the center of the movie business: Hollywood.

Apple AR: ARKit & Machine Learning Come Together Making Smarter Augmented Reality

The world is a massive place, especially when you consider the field of view of your smartglasses or mobile device. To fulfill the potential promise of augmented reality, we must find a way to fill that view with useful and contextual information. Of course, the job of creating contextual, valuable information, to fill the massive space that is the planet earth, is a daunting task to take on. Machine learning seems to be one solution many are moving toward.

News: Your Desk Can Be an AR Smart Surface with Lampix

If you ever imagined turning the surface of your desk into one large augmented computer, well the future might not be far off, my friends. Lampix, the company that transforms any surface into a smart surface, is currently working on a portable and quite fashionable lamp to project an augmented computer onto any surface that you can interact with using your hands.

News: Google Update Adds Real-World Occlusion to ARCore with Depth API

Apple's ARKit has built a considerable lead in terms of features over Google's ARCore, but Google's latest update to ARCore adds a capability that makes the platform a bit more competitive with ARKit.

News: Control a Synthesizer with the HoloLens to Make Music in Mixed Reality

In the world of analog synthesizers, hitting a key, twisting a knob, or sliding a fader makes a beautiful musical (or not so musical) sound and can be an amazing and downright satisfying experience. Now it's about to get even more satisfying, if you add Microsoft's HoloLens into the mix as a means to twist those knobs virtually instead.

News: The First Smartglasses with True Mainstream Appeal Arrive via North's Focals

The dream of Google Glass lives on via North's stylish and normal-looking smartglasses that bring text messages and navigation prompts into the user's field of view and Amazon Alexa integration for voice-activated assistance.

News: How to Pre-Order the HoloLens 2

The debut of Microsoft's HoloLens 2 went off without a hitch, and now it's time to figure out if you want to hop aboard the updated augmented reality train.

News: ScopeAR's Mixed Reality Smart Instruction Development Platform Now Supports HoloLens

Today at Microsoft Build 2017 in Seattle, Washington, ScopeAR announced that their mixed reality smart instruction development platform, Worklink, will now work with the Microsoft HoloLens in addition to the mobile devices that are currently supported.

News: 6D.Ai Launches AR Cloud & Supplies 3D Maps to Nreal Light & Qualcomm Snapdragon Devices

Roughly six months after emerging from stealth, AR cloud company 6D.ai is now ready for public consumption, and it has a big name partner to help it kick off its platform.

News: Microsoft Makes HoloLens Available for Rent for Trial Evaluation & Trade Shows

While the consensus among some in the augmented reality community is that the Microsoft HoloLens is the best device available at present, it also remains the most cost-prohibitive option, with the development edition costing $3,000.

News: Meet the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Cover Model in AR or Become One in Snapchat

Old school media stalwart Sports Illustrated is billing this year's Swimsuit Issue as the "Most Immersive Experience Ever," and it certainly lives up to that statement, as the magazine has added augmented reality and virtual reality experiences to this year's version via Snapchat and the Life VR app.