On the 2022 Snapdragon Summit, Niantic took the stage in the present day to indicate off the “newest iteration” of its outside AR headset reference design. The corporate, which was spun out of Google in 2015 as a part of Alphabet reorganization, is most identified for Pokémon Go.
The design is “not ultimate” with a comparatively slim see-through show, whereas different laptop {hardware} appears to be like to be housed in a rear piece behind your head. The 2 items are related with a fabric-like band.
Niantic’s first prototype (seen under) was powered by the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 that’s tethered by way of wires to a cellphone and battery. “Optimized for [Niantic’s] outside use case,” there are two very obvious cameras on the stems.
The {hardware} reference design showcases the potential for outdoor-capable AR headsets that may orient themselves utilizing the Niantic map and render info and digital worlds on high of the bodily world.
Niantic
First (XR2) prototype
On Niantic’s Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1-powered reference design, the cameras are rather more hidden, primarily on the bridge of the headset, however there are additionally lenses on both sides. Niantic says it recognized 5 vital necessities from person suggestions, beginning with being snug. The corporate is focusing on “lengthy play classes” which might be described as lasting one to 2 hours with a weight below 250 grams.
Providing a wi-fi design was wanted so wires “[don’t] get in the best way of lively play.” Different necessities have been moveable, compact, and highly effective, with Niantic saying it desires to “actually increase the world.”
Qualcomm described the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 as its first purpose-built AR chip after earlier generations targeted on providing a chip that supported each augmented and digital actuality use circumstances. It includes a “multi-chip distributed processing structure” consisting of an AR processor, AR co-processor, and connectivity (to a cellphone or PC “host” gadget) that aren’t on one board, however quite situated throughout the 2 facet stems and even the bridge of the glasses.
Niantic shared “actual footage via the lens of [its] prototype units that demonstrates the experiences which might be already in growth in the present day.” Individuals are utilizing a handheld controller to level and choose the augmented/digital content material.
There are a number of gaming use circumstances, however notable is guided navigation (like Google Maps Dwell View) and one demo that overlays enterprise info (espresso store) over a real-life map.
Apart from Niantic, Qualcomm mentioned Lenovo, LG, Nreal, OPPO, Pico, QONOQ, Rokid, Sharp, TCL, Tencent, Vuzix, and Xiaomi are in “numerous phases of growth” with AR2 Gen 1.
In the meantime, Microsoft has been collaborating with Qualcomm on the AR2 Gen 1 for some time, with Redmond positioning its cloud (Azure) as serving to energy AR experiences.
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