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As if teasing its own smartglasses weren’t enough, augmented reality gaming developer Niantic gave gamers a glimpse of how 5G speeds can revolutionize how they play mobile games in the near future. This week, the company revealed Codename: Urban Legends, a demo game built with the Niantic Real World Platform that showcases action-packed, multi-player mobile gameplay achieved through low-latency 5G connectivity via edge servers. Don’t Miss: Niantic Bringing Buddy Interactions to AR+ Mode in Pokémon GO, Shared Experiences with Other Trainers to Follow Footage of gameplay from the demo… more

Snapchat parent company Snap may finally be taking the big step into the fully-functioning augmented reality wearables realm with the next iteration of its Spectacles devices. The first two generations of Spectacles functioned merely as face-mounted cameras, but Spectacles 3 came with dual cameras capable of recording depth. As a result, users can add 3D effects from Snapchat Lenses to their videos, making the devices proto-smartglasses, if you will. Don’t Miss: How to Expand Your Available AR Effects for Your 3D Spectacles VideosNow, after flirting with the prospect of smartglasses, Snap appears to be ready to evolve Spectacles into legitimate smartglasses with mounted displays for projecting AR content. According to a report from The Information, the smartglasses are expected to be introduced at the company’s upcoming Partner Summit in May. Following in the footsteps of Magic Leap and Nreal, the device is expected to be marketed towards developers and creators, namely those creating…more

The AR walking navigation feature in Google Maps, which is arguably one of the most useful mobile augmented reality to available to consumers, is about to get even more indispensable for travelers. On Tuesday, Google announced a number of new features coming to Google Maps, chief among them an expansion of Live View to indoor navigation of airports, malls, and transit stations. Don’t Miss: Hands-On: Hands-On with Google Maps Walking AR Navigation Experiment, a Peek into Our Smartglasses Future The new indoor navigation is available now via iOS and Android, but it is limited to malls in… more

Microsoft believes its Mesh platform can help developers build immersive AR apps more easily. We spoke with a member of the Microsoft team to learn more about the platform. Meanwhile, one of the companies appearing on stage during Microsoft’s AR event where Mesh was unveiled, Niantic, unveiled plans for its next big mobile AR game with a familiar partner. Finally, we explore two devices, a prototype from electronics maker Ricoh and a device partnered with Snap that is available now, that provide different means for interacting with 3D content. Microsoft Mixed Reality Director Greg Sullivan… more

When Microsoft unveiled Mesh a couple of weeks ago, the move revealed a major part of Microsoft’s next steps toward dominating the augmented reality space, particularly with regard to enterprise customers. But aside from the general details contained in the announcement, what really got some insiders excited was the demo video (see below) accompanying the launch of Mesh. It looked like something out of Iron Man’s holographic lab, but backed by very real sensor and display technology. • Don’t Miss: Microsoft Unveils Mesh Platform for Collaborative HoloLens Apps, Previews Pokemon GO Proof of… more

If you have Snap Spectacles 3, the dual camera-equipped sunglasses capable of capturing 3D photos and video, by now you’ve likely jazzed up the videos you’ve captured on the wearable with Lenses via Snapchat. You’ve probably also realized that the available AR effects are relatively limited compared to Snapchat’s vast library of Lenses. Don’t Miss: How to Add Snapchat AR Effects to Your Spectacles 3 Videos But did you know that you can also add effects from Lenses created and published from Lens Studio as well? Maybe, maybe not, because it isn’t exactly an obvious process. We’re here to… more

With non-fungible tokens (NFTs), particularly those that are 3D in nature, holographic displays are becoming more indispensable for those looking to show off their valuable works of art. Now, Japanese electronics maker Ricoh, a name typically associated with printers and copiers, is looking to join the likes of Looking Glass and Sony in offering hands-free 3D displays. Don’t Miss: Hands-On with the Looking Glass Pro, An Easy Alternative to AR for Interacting With Virtual Content The company recently unveiled a prototype display dubbed Warpe which is capable of displaying holograms viewable… more

Two of the three entities behind Pokemon GO, the reigning champion in mobile augmented reality gaming, are joining forces again to see if lightning can strike more than once. This week, AR developer Niantic and gaming giant Nintendo announced a partnership that will see a series of mobile games built on the Niantic Real World Platform with Nintendo’s stable of characters, starting with the popular Pikmin franchise. Don’t Miss: Microsoft Unveils Mesh Platform for Collaborative HoloLens Apps, Previews Pokemon GO Proof of Concept “As we continue to expand our games portfolio, it was a natural… more

Outside of plastic surgery disasters or costumes, augmented reality is the closest we can get to morphing our likenesses into those of animals. We’ve previously shared an anthropomorphic AR Lens that turns you into a horse. This week, we have two more examples of animal transformation AR effects, one that serves as a callback to recent viral sensation, and another that comes to use courtesy of music marketing efforts. Elsewhere, creators and developers have come up with some fun AR experiences that leverage AR gadgets to project letters and emojis into our environment. And, speaking of… more

Snapchat may trail Facebook and Instagram in terms of daily active users, but a new partnership with Samsung may get those innovative AR Lenses onto the mobile devices of a lot more users. Non-fungible tokens, perhaps the hottest segment of the blockchain tech industry at the moment, has always appeared destined to be on a collision course with augmented reality. Over the past week, we saw several examples of how these technologies can work together with NFTs from gaming brand Atari, to hip-hop legend MF Doom. Meanwhile, Facebook Reality Labs took a brief pause from its research and… more