On Thursday, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel unveiled the company’s next-gen Spectacles. This is also the first true augmented reality glasses from the company. These Spectacles let you see the world in AR. The company also demonstrated it in a video showing virtual butterflies fluttering over colorful plants.
The new Spectacles have dual waveguide displays capable of superimposing AR effects. The displays have a 26.3-degree diagonal field of view and have a lot of brightness to make them usable inside and outside. The frame has four built-in microphones, two stereo speakers, and a built-in touchpad. It uses front-facing cameras to detect objects and surfaces you’re looking at.
You have touch and voice control to cycle through a lens carousel and choose how to see the world. Spectacles will also suggest lenses based on your location or what you’re looking at.
The company won’t be selling these Spectacles anytime soon but will provide them to AR effects creators through an application program online. The glasses only have 30 minutes of battery backup. That could be a reason why spectacles aren’t ready in the real world.
Snap’s trying hard to make a good space in the augmented reality segment, but it is still not as big as its competitors. Facebook is also set to release its upcoming smart glasses later this year. Apple is also rumored to be working on a similar product.
