I experienced Snaps new multiplayer AR and Im completely sold on an AR
glasses filled future

Date:
Fri, 28 Mar 2025 15:42:33 +0000

Description:
Ive been testing VR headset for years, and Ive never experienced something like the Snap Spectacles AR glasses.

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I've tested more than my fair share of VR headsets, demoed a host of mixed reality apps, and regularly use my AR smart glasses for entertainment when travelling. But it wasn't until today that I got to experience where all this tech is headed and I'm desperately hungry for more.

That's because I got to spend an hour with the latest (5th gen) Snap Spectacles , a true AR glasses developer kit that doesnt just play a movie on a giant virtual screen like the Xreal One glasses and its ilk instead it features sophisticated interactive AR apps complete with hand-tracking in a wireless package.

In some ways it was similar to my other XR exploits, but fundamentally it had a freedom I've yet to taste in VR or even MR.

It's made me rethink claims from the likes of Mark Zuckerberg that we'll all be wearing AR glasses in a decade . I've gone from a mild skeptic to hoping more than ever that the AR revolution is closer than 10 years away. This view was captured from Qi Pan's perspective in our shared AR session (Image
credit: Snap)

The star attraction was by far and away multiplayer.

XR multiplayer is nothing new to me. I've played VR mini golf with family hundreds of miles away, won VR Squid Game against my contemporaries at a SandBox event, and socialized with people from all across the globe in
Horizon Worlds.

They were all pretty cool certainly better than a Discord call but these VR experiences are, by their nature, a little isolating. Were trapped behind our avatars, and even when playing together in the same room we have to keep your distance so we dont bump into each other.

AR multiplayer had no such troubles. We were there together both in real
life and virtually. And it was kinda amazing.

We were able to play with and interact with each other's Peridots, we could draw in 3D then marvel at each other's creations viewing them together from all angles like we were examining a real life sculpture and in Imagine we used AI to generate toy figurines to make our own fun.

I even demoed a learning app that had us examining a virtual skeleton
together which seemed like the perfect AR tool for a classroom.

Admittedly the apps were a little basic, and at times a buggier than you'd want for example Peridot did occasionally struggle when we all tried to interact with each of our virtual pets at the same time.

But I could see the vision of what's to come.

My mind couldn't help but transport me to a future of people playing virtual paintball in the park, using heads-up navigation that automatically knows the best way to your destination, or getting to explore a world filled with AR critters in a souped-up version of Pokmon Go (though Niantic has sold that mobile game, so I might be left disappointed on that last front).

When I imagined this future it didn't feel like a distant pipe dream either, it felt like something we were rushing towards. And this demo convinced me
itd be awesome. More to come Drawing in AR is a blast, if not a little
chaotic (Image credit: Future)

While testing Snap's specs I also had the chance to chat with Snap's Director of Computer Vision Engineering, Qi Pan, and Niantic's Peridot Executive Producer, Alicia Berry, who admitted that there are hardware obstacles still to be overcome.

The glasses aren't uncomfortably heavy, but they are bulky and a lot less stylish than normal eyewear. Thats because theyre pulling against opposing forces AR glasses are striving to be lightweight, slim, and fashionable,
with long battery life, solid processing power, and cameras, displays, speakers and a host of other components Oh, and they should be affordable, too.

Its not an impossible challenge, but its nine tenths of one, and so itll take time for Snap, Meta, and everyone else in this AR glasses race to crack it.

But as Alicia Berry put it, it's an important goal in their eyes. Were all hunched over our phones all the time and AR glasses allow us to 'look up' and still get all the digital benefits weve been accustomed to.

Theres no word yet on when well get our hands on consumer-focused versions of these latest Snap Spectacles, but as soon as Snap is ready to launch them Ill be ready to get in line to snag a pair. And I think everyone else will want
to too. You might also like Latest Meta Quest 3 software beta teases a major design overhaul and VR screen sharing Samsung's Android XR headset could
avoid the Apple Vision Pro's biggest mistake I thought VR controller grips were pointless until this Meta Quest 3 accessory proved me wrong



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/i-experi enced-snaps-new-multiplayer-ar-and-im-completely-sold-on-an-ar-glasses-filled- future


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