[Industry Direct] Snapdragon Spaces Expands Support for the Next Generation of MR Devices

Industry Direct by the Snapdragon Spaces Team

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It’s clear that we’re undergoing another massive shift on how we connect, play, work and interact with the world around us. More specifically, a shift on the devices we use every day.

Mixed reality (MR) is taking the world by storm and headworn devices are quickly winning the hearts (and habits) of consumers. Extended Reality (XR) devices are getting lighter, sleeker, and more performant providing unprecedented immersive experiences. New players in the market means a boost for the industry and more options for developers looking to create the next generation of AR, VR and MR apps and experiences.

A New Wave of MR Devices and Experiences

At AWE 2023 (Augmented World Expo), Qualcomm announced that Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform now supports the new generation of MR devices, including Lenovo’s ThinkReality VRX, Oppo’s new MR Glass Developer Edition, all-in-one AR devices from DigiLens, TCL RayNeo, and other prominent headworn devices expected to be released later this year. Powered by Snapdragon chipsets purposefully built for XR, these devices are a game changer for developers looking to combine computer vision, AI, and 5G capabilities to build immersive and ultra-realistic experiences.

By expanding the perception technology stack from AR to MR, Snapdragon Spaces enables more developers to push the boundaries of reality, all thanks to the video passthrough capabilities combined with features that seamlessly understand environments and users.

With the wide variety of devices available and soon to be available in the market, developers can reap the benefits from working with a platform that is based on OpenXR. Snapdragon Spaces enables developers to easily deploy applications across multiple devices while being part of an open and rapidly growing ecosystem.

Strong Momentum for XR Developers

Developers are in the driver’s seat leading, disrupting and creating this new era of spatial computing.

Hugo Swart, VP and GM of XR, highlighted the incredible traction the Snapdragon Spaces ecosystem is getting: thousands of developers have joined the Snapdragon Spaces community, more than 80 members have joined Snapdragon Spaces Pathfinder Program, three new Metaverse Fund venture investments and an inaugural group of 10 companies joining the Niantic Lightship and Snapdragon Spaces developer initiative.

The platform has been a critical building block for developers across productivity, gaming and entertainment, health, education, training and other verticals to deliver innovative apps based on the world’s most popular development engines: Unity and Unreal.

Get Started with Snapdragon Spaces

The XR market is about to experience a huge influx of content, applications, new devices and increased adoption.

Snapdragon Spaces continues to expand and create an open ecosystem that enables developers to pioneer innovative experiences for the next generation of immersive technology. For developers who want to help build this new era of spatial computing, check out Snapdragon Spaces.

Qualcomm Partners with 7 Major Telecoms to Advance Smartphone-tethered AR Glasses

Qualcomm announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) today it’s partnering with seven global telecommunication companies in preparation for the next generation of AR glasses which are set to work directly with the user’s smartphone.

Partners include CMCC, Deutsche Telekom, KDDI Corporation, NTT QONOQ, T-Mobile, Telefonica, and Vodafone, which are said to currently be working with Qualcomm on new XR devices, experiences, and developer initiatives, including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces XR developer platform.

Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Spaces in late 2021, a software tool kit which focuses on performance and low power devices which allows developers to create head-worn AR experiences from the ground-up or by adding head-worn AR to existing smartphone apps.

Qualcomm and Japan’s KDDI Corporation also announced a multi-year collaboration which it says will focus on the expansion of XR use cases and creation of a developer program in Japan.

Meanwhile, Qualcomm says OEMs are designing “a new wave of devices for operators and beyond” such as the newly unveiled Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, OPPO’s new Mixed Reality device and OnePlus 11 5G smartphone.

At least in Xiaomi’s case, its Wireless AR Glass headset streams data from compatible smartphones. Effectively offloading computation to the smartphone, the company’s 126g headset boasts a wireless latency of as low as 3ms between the smartphone device to the glasses, and a wireless connection with full link latency as low as 50ms which is comparable to wired solution.

T-Mobile Selects 6 Startups to Create 5G AR Experiences Using Snapdragon Spaces

Qualcomm launched its Snapdragon Spaces platform last year for developers to create augmented reality (AR) experiences for the company’s smart glasses. Bringing on collaborators like Square Enix and T-Mobile, the latter has announced its T-Mobile Accelerator and the six participating startups looking to create new 5G-enabled AR apps.

Krikey Minigolf image1
Krikey Minigolf

The participants will use the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform to develop, test and bring to market new AR products and services, aided by T-Mobile engineers and Qualcomm experts. They’ll be using the first smart glasses to support the platform; the Lenovo ThinkReality A3. The six companies to join the programme are Beem, Krikey, Mawari, Mohx-Games, Pluto, and VictoryXR.

  • Beem – Specialises in live and on-demand communication in AR.
  • Krikey – An AR gaming and social media app which launched its first title Yaatra in 2020 and then avatar NFTs in 2022.
  • Mawari – A Japanese startup providing an AR-focused streaming SDK.
  • Mohx-Games – A company focused on immersive AR gaming and entertainment experiences.
  • Pluto – Offers Pluto VR, a shared presence communication app and PlutoSphere, for streaming high-end PC VR games without a PC.
  • VictoryXR – Immersive education in VR & AR.

“Smart glasses will completely change how we connect and experience the world around us,” said John Saw, EVP of Advanced & Emerging Technologies at T-Mobile in a statement. “With T-Mobile 5G we have the capacity and performance needed to power high-bandwidth, immersive AR experiences for smart glasses, but it’s the developers and entrepreneurs that will bring these new applications to life.”

Lenovo ThinkReality A3
Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3

These won’t be the only AR startups to join the initiative, more will be added on a rolling basis. The programme is designed to help build an ecosystem of AR experiences as smart glasses become more readily available.

While Qualcomm doesn’t build its own smart glasses, the company does make reference designs like the XR1 AR Smart Viewer for OEMs to utilise as a based model. Qualcomm has also launched in recent months its $100 million USD Snapdragon Metaverse Fund to help finance new developer initiatives.

As further details regarding the T-Mobile Accelerator are released gmw3 will keep you updated.

Square Enix to Develop AR Games for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces Project

Remember when Square Enix announced last year that it would be turning Taito’s classic Space Invaders into an augmented reality (AR) videogame. Well, not much has been heard of that since but Square Enix is getting even more serious about AR. The studio has announced a new collaboration with Qualcomm that could see some of its legendary IPs such as Final Fantasy get the immersive XR treatment.

Square Enix Snapdragon Spaces

Today’s announcement will see Square Enix’s Advanced Technology Division (ATD) begin working with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform to “push the boundaries of immersive gaming experiences.”

Square Enix didn’t mention which titles from its vast catalogue might get the AR treatment but its work with Snapdragon Spaces should mean all those new XR glasses being made off of Qualcomm’s Smart Viewer Reference Design will benefit. That could mean monsters jumping out of your table, epic RPG questing across the sofa or delving into a new fantasy world that you can interact with using hand tracking.

“Square Enix has always been committed to state-of-the-art game technology to push storytelling boundaries, delivering unforgettable experiences for our fans,” said Ben Taylor, Technical Director, Square Enix Co., Ltd in a statement. “We have been investing in XR and look forward to building on Snapdragon Spaces. In particular, we think the time is right with XR to innovate on games of a classic genre we are especially known for and look forward to sharing them with the world to further our mission to help spread happiness across the globe.”

Snapdragon Spaces

“Square Enix has a rich history of bringing in deep storytelling and engaging gameplay that have pushed the potential of new gaming platforms over each console generation. We’re excited to work together and raise the bar of what’s possible in the gaming with AR glasses using Snapdragon Spaces,” said Brian Vogelsang, senior director of XR product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that Square Enix would bring an IP like Final Fantasy into AR. Fishing experience Final Fantasy XV: Monster of the Deep was released for PlayStation VR back in 2017 and there have been other location-based entertainment (LBE) activations.

How and when this project will come to life remains to be seen. But when further details are available gmw3 will let you know.

Final Fantasy Publisher Square Enix Working On AR Gaming For Qualcomm’s Dev Kit

Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix is working with Qualcomm on its new AR developer kit, Snapdragon Spaces.

The pair announced the collaboration today as Qualcomm also revealed a $100 million ‘Snapdragon Metaverse Fund‘. It will see Square Enix explore the possibilities for “immersive gaming experiences” on the platform.

Specifics for the partnership aren’t known but, in a prepared statement, Ben Taylor, Technical Director at Square Enix noted that the company thinks “the time is right with XR to innovate on games of a classic genre we are especially known for, and we look forward to sharing them with the world”.

First announced back in November 2021, Snapdragon Spaces consists of a pair of head-worn AR glasses that are tethered to an external power source such as a smartphone. Similar to other glasses — many of which are powered by Qualcomm’s own XR2 platform — the device is capable of anchoring virtual images in the real world when viewed through the lenses. It also features positional tracking and hand tracking for input.

Square Enix, meanwhile, is known for some of the biggest brands in gaming, including several Japanese role-playing series such as the Final Fantasy games. Taylor’s note on a “classic genre” suggests that the company could be looking to bring this style of experience to the platform.

Qualcomm previously noted that Snapdragon Spaces would see general availability sometime in spring 2022, but it’s currently unclear what this rollout will look like.

What would you want to see Square Enix bring to AR? Let us know in the comments below!

Qualcomm Launches Snapdragon Spaces for Future XR Creation

Snapdragon Spaces

If you’ve been wondering where the future of augmented reality (AR) is going this week offers a good example of two global companies efforts in the space. Yesterday saw the official launch of Niantic Lightship whilst today Qualcomm has unveiled its Snapdragon Spaces XR developer platform for the creation of cool new AR experiences.

Snapdragon Spaces

This new AR development kit (ARDK) will help support Qualcomm’s current AR plans which were first detailed earlier in the year with the XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design. As with all of Qualcomm’s XR efforts Snapdragon Spaces is built upon the idea of an open, cross-platform ecosystem to encourage more businesses and creators into the space.

Designed for next-gen AR glasses, Snapdragon Spaces offers a range of features to make AR experiences as seamless as possible. These include spatial mapping and meshing, occlusion, plane detection, object and image recognition and tracking to name a few. It’ll support Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, Unity and integrate into Niantic Lightship to utilise its multiplayer functionality.

“The Snapdragon SpacesXR Developer Platform underscores our commitment to empowering developers to explore bravely and create confidently, paving the way to a new frontier of spatial computing,” said Hugo Swart, vice president and general manager of XR, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. in a statement. “Snapdragon Spaces is designed to support the democratization of XR by taking a horizontal, open-channel approach so developers can rapidly bring their ideas to life and reach a wide range of end-users. We welcome developers to join us in this journey to reimagine reality.”

Snapdragon Spaces

“We share a common vision with our AR hardware partner Qualcomm Technologies for creating experiences that fuse the digital and real worlds,” adds John Hanke, Founder and CEO of Niantic. “What Snapdragon Spaces will achieve for people with AR glasses indoors complements our goal for developers to build planet-scale AR applications on multiple devices and form factors with Niantic’s Lightship Platform. We look forward to working together with Qualcomm Technologies to accelerate AR hardware and software adoption across the industry.”

Additionally, also arriving today is the Snapdragon Spaces Pathfinder Program. Helping support AR creators the programme will provide access to hardware development kits, project funding, co-marketing and promotion. If you’re an AR developer you can apply via the Snapdragon Spaces page.

Today’s announcement is an early access launch for Snapdragon Spaces arriving in the hands of select developers like Felix & Paul Studios, Scope AR, TRIPP and Resolution Games. A more general release will then take place in Spring 2022. For continued updates from Qualcomm, keep reading VRFocus.