Snapchat Unveils Exciting New Features for AR Spectacles
Enhanced Augmented Reality Capabilities Bring Immersive Experiences to Users
Snapchat Announces New Features for its AR Spectacles As Apple and Meta continue to advance their AR
wearable technology, Snapchat remains a strong competitor in the augmented reality glasses market. With almost a decade of history and now on its fifth-generation Spectacles, Snapchat has revealed new AR features and initiatives to further boost the user experience.
New GPS-Powered AR Effects
Even though the newest AR-capable Spectacles are currently in initial testing and not yet released to consumers, Snapchat has revealed a number of new features, such as GPS-activated visual effects. These add-ons take advantage of GPS and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) to provide real-time directional instructions and location-based AR graphics, enhancing the experience.
A prime example of this new technology is the inclusion of AR effects that offer navigation overlays right within a user’s line of sight. Furthermore, these features will also enable interactive multiplayer games, including Niantic’s “Peridot Beyond”, an AR-powered game similar to Pokémon Go but with AR-boosted interactions.
“With Peridot Beyond multi-player, now you can look at and tap on your Dot and your friends’ Dots within the same session,” Snapchat said. “This release also links Spectacles to the mobile game Peridot, so progressing in the AR glasses experience pays you back on mobile.”
Increased Tracking and AR Lens Creation
Snapchat has also added new features driven by its sophisticated tracking capabilities. Among them is a holographic AR basketball coach that assists users in practicing shooting drills by automatically tracking their scores.
For developers, Snapchat is introducing augmented features for AR lens development. These are:
- Leaderboards for AR effects
- An AR keyboard feature
- Enhanced hand tracking
- Enhanced Lens unlocking procedures
- More improvements to lens interactivity
Spectacles Community Challenges: A New Incentive for Developers
In an effort to foster additional innovation in AR development, Snapchat has introduced the Spectacles Community Challenges, with cash rewards to developers who publish new or refreshed Lenses.
“Now, Spectacles developers can win cash prizes for submitting new or updating existing Lenses, which are judged on engagement, technical excellence, and Lens quality,” Snapchat stated. “We’ve teamed up with the AR marketing platform Lenslist so that eligible Spectacles developers can participate. Each month, over $20,000 will be awarded to developers across 10 different projects, including the top 5 new Lenses, top 5 updated Lenses, and top open-source Lens.”
Limited Access and the Future of Snap’s AR Glasses
Even with these promising updates, Snapchat’s AR Spectacles are still only accessible to approved developers. Access is not free, either, with users in the Spectacles Developer Program having to pay $99 a month for a pair of Spectacles. Students and teachers are given a reduced rate, but access is still extremely limited.
Though Snapchat’s ongoing investment in AR tech shows its dedication to innovation, its road to mainstream success is far from certain, particularly with the competition posed by giant tech companies such as Apple and Meta. Whether or not these new features will make Spectacles a successful consumer product remains to be determined.
For the time being, Snapchat is setting itself up as an AR innovator, but only time will tell whether its Spectacles will be able to compete on a bigger scale in the wearable technology space.
