If you're not impressed with the current crop of AR content, and you're worried this may put a damper on the industry's growth, these stories should give you cause for some optimism.
As Magic Leap builds momentum in the run-up to the launch of its Magic Leap One headset, the company has added another content partner to its roster that should get comic book fans excited.
Speaking of excited, AR enthusiasts should be psyched about the addition of occlusion to 6D.ai's AR cloud platform, meaning that more realistic AR content is just around the corner.
Finally, the latest release of Unreal Engine from Epic Games will enable developers to take advantage of the latest AR toolkits from Magic Leap, Apple, and Google.
Magic Leap Adds Square Slice to Its Roster of Content Partners
In keeping with its focus on loading the Magic Leap One with content at launch, Magic Leap has inked a creative partnership agreement with augmented reality production studio Square Slice Studios.
Square Slice was co-founded by comic book veteran Grant Morrison, whose credits include games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum and the SyFy Channel series Happy! (which also has its own AR app). The company endeavors to apply augmented reality to storytelling.
Continue reading to see how does this deal aligns with Magic Leap's overall content strategy...
REALITY BITES: A new report from tech mergers and acquisitions consultancy Hampleton Partners details how the AR industry will reach $161 billion in value by 2020. The company identifies manufacturing, healthcare, and retail as the industries that are leading adoption of immersive technology in business and credits advancements in display technology for 47% growth in head-mounted displays.
6D.Ai Challenges Niantic with Addition of Occlusion to Its AR Cloud Platform
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.
The 6D.ai video is titled "What is Occlusion in AR, and Why Does it Matter?" For the uninitiated, occlusion is when objects are blocked by other objects. In the context of AR, occlusion occurs when physical object block the user's view of virtual objects.
This week, the company released an update to its closed beta SDK that enables developers to implement occlusion and physics meshes.
Read on for more on the implications of this technology on mobile AR apps and who the startup's biggest competitors are...
REALITY BITES: Niantic has acquired Seismic Games, makers of apps for FoxNext and Marvel, among others. While Seismic's portfolio does not include AR apps, the team will be redirected to work on AR experiences.
Unreal Engine Keeps Pace with Unity via Support for Magic Leap, ARKit, & ARCore
On Thursday, Epic Games released Unreal Engine 4.20, which finally includes support for the latest iterations of ARKit and ARCore, as well as Magic Leap One early access.
The release also brings new development features from Epic Games, including more than 100 mobile optimizations from its uber-popular Fortnite game, and more than 165 improvements from the developer community on GitHub.
Read on to find out what developers can now do with the top mobile AR toolkits and the forthcoming AR headset...
REALITY BITES: Embattled AR company Blippar has hired technology executive Libby Penn as its new chief operating officer. Penn's digital agency experience could help the company grow its AR advertising business.
Every Friday, Next Reality reviews the latest headlines from the financial side of augmented and mixed reality. This weekly Market Reality column covers funding announcements, mergers and acquisitions, market analysis, and the like. Check out previous editions of Market Reality for more news you may have missed.
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Cover image via Epic Games
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