Niantic Reveals Snapdragon AR2-powered Headset Reference Design for Outdoor Use - Road to VR

Back successful aboriginal 2021 Pokémon GO developer Niantic gave conscionable a little tease that it was moving connected immoderate benignant of see-through headset. Now the institution has revealed that it’s been moving with Qualcomm connected a notation AR headset based connected the Snapdragon AR2 platform.

Niantic has been softly processing a sleek notation plan for what the institution is calling an “outdoor AR headset.” Qualcomm has been portion of the task too, with Niantic calling the headset a “shared imaginativeness for an outdoor AR headset,” successful an announcement this month.

There’s precise fewer existent details connected the specs of Niantic’s notation headset, but arsenic acold arsenic we cognize it’s built atop Qualcomm’s caller Snapdragon AR2, a level of chips specially designed to alteration compact, low-powered AR headsets and glasses. It isn’t wide if the headset is utilizing a big instrumentality (like a smartphone) for further computing.

Image courtesy Niantic

Compact indeed… portion we person precise fewer details connected the notation headset, the instrumentality is astir surely utilizing waveguide optics (considering however compact it is). We tin besides spot 3 cameras connected the beforehand which volition beryllium utilized for positional tracking. And from a render of the Niantic AR headset, it appears to beryllium capable to fold successful connected itself to go much compact for travel. It isn’t wide from the rendering if this is simply a wholly brushed strap oregon if there’s a mechanical hinge hiding determination nether the cloth-looking struts of the headstrap.

Image courtesy Niantic

In the video supra we really spot 2 antithetic headsets. The archetypal changeable is of a achromatic headset and controller that appears to beryllium the aforesaid arsenic the render.

Image courtesy Niantic

The 2nd is simply a achromatic headset and achromatic controller that doesn’t look rather arsenic compact—this is presumably person to the first mentation of the headset which the institution teased previously.

Considering that lone the achromatic headset is shown passim the bulk of the video, it seems the achromatic headset whitethorn not beryllium afloat functional conscionable yet.

“The hardware notation plan showcases the imaginable for outdoor-capable AR headsets that tin orient themselves utilizing the Niantic representation and render accusation and virtual worlds connected apical of the carnal world,” says Niantic’s Head of AR Headsets, Maryam Sabour. “The notation plan volition proceed to evolve, and we are excited astir the caller Snapdragon AR2 level that delivers ground-breaking exertion to alteration headset manufactures to rapidly and much efficiently physique sleek, commercialized products based connected our imaginativeness for consumers.

The institution is making it wide that this is simply a reference headset—Niantic doesn’t privation to bring it to marketplace connected its own, but wants to let different companies to usage it arsenic a blueprint to marque their ain headsets. And due to the fact that it’s Niantic, it makes consciousness that the institution is hoping others volition physique AR headsets specifically for the outdoors.

Most commercialized AR headsets to day person mediocre outdoor capabilities. Meanwhile, Niantic’s full existent concern hinges connected outdoor games like Pokémon GO, and the institution is hoping to go the localization furniture that everyone uses to synchronize city-scale AR experiences, via its Lightship Visual Positioning System.

On that front, Niantic’s headset uncover besides came alongside the announcement that Lightship VPS volition beryllium baked into Snapdragon Spaces, Qualcomm’s AR developer toolset, starting successful 2023.