Qualcomm launches Snapdragon Spaces XR platform for AR devs

Qualcomm has launched its Snapdragon Spaces XR developer platform for app and game developers to make headworn augmented reality apps.

The platform software is now available for developers to download. Qualcomm Ventures also said it has made investments in Echo3D and meditation app maker Tripp as part of its $100 million Snapdragon Metaverse Fund.

The company made the announcement on the first day of the Augmented World Expo, a trade event in Santa Clara, California, where Qualcomm’s Hugo Swart is giving one of the opening talks.

Introduced back in November 2021, Snapdragon Spaces offers proven technology and an open, cross-device horizontal platform and ecosystem to bring developers’ ideas to life for headworn AR.

Qualcomm Technologies wants to be a key enabler of the metaverse with continued investments and research in extended reality (XR). In addition to downloading Snapdragon Spaces, developers can now purchase a hardware development kit to begin creating headworn augmented reality (AR) experiences on commercial hardware. Qualcomm Technologies views these XR innovations as stepping stones to the metaverse.

Developers can begin creating new experiences using Snapdragon Spaces at spaces.qualcomm.com.
Downloading the Snapdragon Spaces platform will unlock the foundational tools to create 3D
applications for AR glasses from the ground-up, add headworn AR features to existing 2D Android
smartphone applications and more.

“We worked with many AR systems for Unity and we were so happy to see, that with Snapdragon Spaces, we needed to make very little changes in the standard ARFoundation setup to start building Active AR games, such as FlinkAAR, to bring a new way to game to players around the world,” said Tim Friedland, CEO of ForwARdgame, in a statement.

With early access developers already building on Snapdragon Spaces and providing real-time feedback,
the journey towards headworn AR experiences that seamlessly blend the lines between physical and
digital worlds is becoming a reality, Qualcomm said.

“Snapdragon Spaces enables us at Overlay with easy-to-use tools to bring our augmented reality
applications to more consumers on more platforms,” said Javier Davalos, Overlay XR lead, in a statement. “We are excited to see what our fellow developers will create with this platform.”

The Snapdragon Spaces Pathfinder Program, designed to support AR innovators on this new frontier of spatial computing, has funded its first cohort of developer projects. As part of the program, they will get early-access platform technology, project funding, co-marketing opportunities and hardware development kits. Pathfinder recipients include Arvizio, Beatshapers, CareAR, Cognition Labs, Designium, Digital Dream Labs, eyecandylab, Flow Immersive, Holo-Light, homeAR, Inception XR, Interwoven Worlds, Merge Labs, MSM.digital, NeuroLab, SYMMETRICAL, Syncreality, Trace 3d, VictoryXR, Volucap, WE/AR Studio, WilcoxMedia and Zoe Immersive.

Developer hardware kit for purchase

The first devices to support Snapdragon Spaces are now available in a hardware development kit that includes the Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses coupled with a Motorola edge+ (2022). The ThinkReality A3 smart glasses are powered by the Snapdragon XR1 Platform and feature an 8MP RGB camera to provide 1080p high-quality video and dual fish-eye cameras for room-scale tracking.

The Motorola edge+ (2022) uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform. The two devices pair seamlessly to give developers full access to Snapdragon Spaces and endless opportunities to explore. Starting today, developers and companies can place their order at https://spaces.qualcomm.com/.

Meanwhile, Qualcomm Ventures has made investments in Tripp, a company building mindful metaverse and echo3D, Inc., a cloud platform for 3D and XR content management and distribution. These investments highlight Qualcomm’s interest in supporting transformative companies building next generation experiences in immersive, XR media including augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality. In this new era of spatial computing, the previously announced Snapdragon Metaverse Fund hopes to help enable and foster innovation across the entire ecosystem through venture investment by Qualcomm Ventures and developer ecosystem grants for content projects by Qualcomm Technologies.


Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz

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