Next Reality Features
News: Snapchat Assists Warriors & Raptors Fans in Rooting for Their Teams with NBA Finals AR Experiences
With the defending champion Golden State Warriors and Drake's favorite team, the Toronto Raptors, set to face off in the NBA Finals starting Thursday, Snapchat has gifted hoops fans with a pair of augmented reality experiences.
Market Reality: Unity Receives Investment from Silver Lake
The leading platforms enabling augmented reality technology lead our headlines in Market Reality this week.
News: Google Takes Developers Back to School with ARCore Classes on Coursera
With a new version of its ARCore in the wild and more than 30 devices now supporting it, Google is helping beginners get up to speed with augmented reality.
Dev Report: uSensAR Aims to Fill the Gap for Android Users Left by ARCore's Limits
In 2017, major breakthroughs in smartphone-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) opened up new doorways for developers and users of both Apple and Android phones. Unfortunately for Android users, the solution that Google is previewing, ARCore, currently only works on three Android smartphones. But Silicon Valley start-up uSens is stepping in to fix that with its new engine called uSensAR.
News: Magic Leap Makes Shutterstock Images & Video Available for Gallery & Screens Apps
The narrative that Magic Leap has weaved for the Magic Leap One has focused on the freedom of spatial computing versus dated modes of 2D screens.
AR Spotlight: How Snapchat Lens Creator Audrey Spencer Is Bending Reality on Your Smartphone
The rapid advance of Lens Studio as a platform for easily developing augmented reality experiences is just one indicator that immersive computing is becoming the norm.
News: Resolution Games Follows 'Angry Birds FPS' with 'Glimt' Mystery Game for Magic Leap One
After leveraging the well-known intellectual property of Rovio's Angry Birds for its first game for the Magic Leap One, Resolution Games is singing a new song with a familiar refrain for its next game for the augmented reality headset.
Apple AR: Check Out Deals at Places Near You with LocateAR
From all the demos we've seen, we know for sure that the marketing world is going to change drastically thanks to Apple's ARKit.
Market Reality: Snapchat Gets Recreational & the Tech Industry Reveals How It Plans to Mainstream AR
Last month was a whirlwind for the augmented reality industry, with the Augmented World Expo, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, and an exciting Magic Leap Twitch livestream all wrapping up before the ides of June. Now that we've had a chance to fully digest it all, we have a real sense of where the augmented reality industry is heading.
Market Reality: Component Suppliers Succeed on Strength of Augmented Reality
Augmented and virtual reality continues to be a hot commodity among tech investors, with more than $800 million invested in AR/VR companies in the second quarter alone and global tech leaders like Samsung focusing their investment strategies on the emerging field.
News: True Crime Reality TV Comes to Augmented Reality for Apple iPhone via CrimeDoor
The true crime genre has long been popular on television and more recently on podcasts with shows like Serial.
News: Windows Mixed Reality Headsets Now Available for Pre-Order
At their event in San Francisco today, Microsoft announced that they have begun accepting pre-orders for Windows Mixed Reality headsets from Acer, Dell, Lenovo, and HP, with the devices arriving on Oct. 17 along with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
News: DigiLens Forges Reference Design for Smartglasses with 50 Degree Field of View
In the great smartglasses race, component makers, such as those that supply the crucial waveguide displays that make visualization of virtual content possible, have a vested interest in pushing the industry forward in order to ship units.
News: Snap Showcases Storytelling Power of Spectacles 3 Wearable with Film by LA Artist Lauren Halsey
The latest generation of Spectacles aren't AR smartglasses per se, but Snap is intent on demonstrating that the wearables are capable of storytelling powered by augmented reality.
News: Magic Leap L.E.A.P. Conference Speakers Announced, Includes Celebrities & a Major Tech Partner
Applicants looking to attend Magic Leap's first annual L.E.A.P. conference next month in Los Angeles have begun receiving their confirmation invitations, and now we have more detail about some of what will happen at the event.
News: Microsoft to Host Women in AI & Mixed Reality Hackathon in San Francisco
Over the last few years, the virtual reality space has earned a welcome reputation for fostering better representational balance with regard to gender compared to the general tech industry, with women like Nonny de la Peña and many others leading the charge.
GIVEAWAY ALERT: AWE Is Here & We Are Giving Away Free Passes!
The Augmented World Expo (AWE) is upon us, and that means it's time to get excited about all the awesome next reality things to come.
News: Join Loki on His Time-Traveling Adventures with This Snapchat Lens
Like its predecessors WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Marvel's latest series for Disney Plus, Loki, has its own augmented reality experience.
News: Will Google's Standalone VR Headsets Enable AR Experiences?
Google announced several new devices (as well as updates to existing devices) that will take advantage of the company's augmented and virtual reality platforms.
How To: Share Photos & Videos from Your Google Glass to Facebook & Twitter
The ability to see the world around you and instantly share that "vision" is something that makes Google Glass great for everyday use. No reason to pull out your phone to show off the amazing sushi plate you were just served—look at it, give a couple of quick taps and voice commands, and boom, your social network is salivating in jealousy.
News: CastAR's Financial Woes Lead to Layoffs & Liquidation
What began as a highly successful Kickstarter campaign has all but ended, according to an updated report by Polygon. CastAR, comprised of a few people from Valve's former research and hacking arm, has released a large portion of their team. Only a small core of the group remains, trying to sell the technology they have created.
News: 3 Big Virtual & Augmented Reality Announcements We're Expecting from Google This Week
Google I/O is right around the corner, and everyone's expecting new virtual and augmented reality news. Here's what to expect from this week's announcements.
News: Google Gifts 5G Android Smartphones with 'The Mandalorian' AR App
With the new season of The Mandalorian underway, Google has launched a new AR app that enables some Star Wars fans to connect with virtual characters in between new episodes.
AR Snapshots: Your Cats & Dogs Can Join in Your AR Antics with These Pet-Friendly Snapchat Lenses
The face tracking of cats and dogs are probably my favorite AR innovations that have come to Snapchat Lenses over the past few years.
Market Reality: Apple Assembles AR Team, Google & Amazon Invest in New UI, & Qualcomm Powers Next Vuzix & Meta Devices
The Augmented World Expo is winding down in Santa Clara, where Qualcomm, Vuzix, and Meta Company were among the companies making big announcements.
News: New Windows 10 Creators Update Bridges the Divide Between Physical Objects & the Digital Environment of Mixed Reality
Today, Microsoft announced its Windows 10 Creators Update, adding the ability to scan objects in your world and bring them into the computer. With newly-announced inexpensive VR headsets and the HoloLens, you can enjoy those transplanted 3D objects in mixed and virtual reality.
News: Red Cross AR App Takes You Deep into the Life of a Child Plagued by International Warfare
Next to things like natural disasters and disease, the specter of war is one of the only things that threatens to derail the 21st century's long stretch of technological innovation. Now a new app is using augmented reality to remind us of that by focusing on those most impacted by war — children.
News: Alcohol Delivery Startup Drizly Teams with Wine Brands to Deliver Intoxicating AR Experiences via DrinkAR App
The landscape of augmented reality marketing is growing by leaps and bounds nearly every month, with Hollywood and the cosmetics industry leading the way.
News: 3 Ways Developers Are Already Turning Mixed Reality into a Multi-User Platform
Microsoft's HoloLens may the coolest new advancements in technology we've seen in quite some time, and anyone (with deep pockets) can buy one right now. But so far it's been an isolated platform where you experience mixed reality alone and others watch you air tap nothing but air. Developers are working to change that, and we're seeing the first examples crop up online already.
News: Google Adds New AR Galleries & Audio Guided Tour to Arts & Culture App
With NFTs taking the art world by storm, it's a bit refreshing to know that you can enjoy world famous masterpieces in the comfort of your own home via augmented reality without emptying your cryptocurrency wallet.
News: Captain Blimey Seeks to Plunder the Pokémon GO Craze
A Seattle development team is putting the "ARRRR" in AR with the maiden voyage of Captain Blimey, an augmented reality game for iOS and Android devices that puts a pirate premise on Pokémon GO.
News: Varjo Reality Cloud Makes Virtual Teleportation Possible with XR-3 Headset & Its LiDAR Sensor
While Apple was one of the first to integrate LiDAR into mobile devices for depth sensing, headset maker Varjo has developed a truly remarkable feat with its implementation of the sensor.
News: Google Glass Resurfaces as a Tool to Help People with Autism Improve Their Social Skills via AR
Considered by many (perhaps unfairly) to be a very public failure, Google Glass can add another plot point to its comeback story, this time as a tool to teach social skills to children and adults with autism.
News: ThyssenKrupp's Smart Cities-Themed HoloHack Starts December 2nd in Atlanta
This weekend, Atlanta, Georgia will be the battleground for a large group of HoloLens designers and developers. HoloHack, a 24-hour hackathon put on by elevator manufacturer ThyssenKrupp, will be taking place at The Garage, and the design theme will be smart cities.
HoloLens Feature: Spatial Sound
The HoloLens's visuals are justifiably getting most of the pre-launch hype, but sound plays just as important of a role in creating immersion in your mixed-reality.
News: Google Courts Advertisers with Virtual Makeup for YouTube, Immersive Display Ad Format, & 3D Editor for Poly
After building a tech empire on revenues from search advertising, Google is not about to sit back and let Snapchat, Facebook, 8th Wall, and others draw all the AR marketing attention to their platforms.
News: EtherWars Brings Real-Time Strategic Space Battles into the Living Room
If you want to quickly understand EtherWars, imagine a game like StarCraft where you build out your base on your living room floor instead of on a computer screen. Before we had computer games to help us imagine what space wars might feel like, we played with toy ships and used our imaginations. EtherWars combines those two elements by replacing toys with holograms that actually react to your choices.
Market Reality: A Hidden ODG & Magic Leap Connection, Epic Games Launches Fund, & Investors Back Mojo Vision & Scope AR
While Magic Leap turned heads at the Game Developers Conference with AR experiences at the Unity and Unreal Engine booths, news broke that the company was the winning bidder for ODG's patents.
Apple AR: CurioPets Demo Is Nintendogs but with Magical Adventures
Augmented reality dogs have been a big hit with developers using Apple's ARKit. RoVR hit YouTube a few days ago and people have been clamoring for it ever since. Not to mention the Good Dogs Game created by the people behind the famous We Rate Dogs Twitter.
News: AWE AR & VR Conference Still On (For Now), with Special Safety Measures in Place, Here's What You Need to Know
The worldwide health crisis around the coronavirus has gripped the live events industry, particularly in the tech sector, with the cancellations of Mobile World Congress, the Game Developers Conference, Facebook's F8, Google I/O and now South by Southwest.