augmented reality
Mapping out the future of AR, ThirdEye is taking on Google and Microsoft in real-life scenarios
ThirdEye’s second-gen X2 MR glasses can be used for various sectors, including health care and manufacturing.
Snap introduces ray tracing technology for its AR lenses to enhance realism
Snap has introduced ray tracing technology to its AR Lens Studio for developers around the world, the company announced on Wednesday. Ray tracing is a technical capability that allows for…
Former Salesforce exec Bret Taylor is teaming up with Google AR/VR vet Clay Bavor on mystery startup
When Bret Taylor announced he was stepping down as co-CEO and co-chair at Salesforce in November, it was easy to be cynical about him saying he wanted to go build…
Google acquires Twitter-backed AI avatar startup Alter for $100 million
Google has acquired Alter, an artificial intelligence (AI) avatar startup that helps creators and brands express their virtual identity, for about $100 million, a source familiar with the matter told…
Disney+ releases its first AR-enabled short film, ‘Remembering,’ starring Brie Larson
Today is Disney+ Day, and, as part of its perks, the company is offering Disney+ subscribers a new AR experience in conjunction with the short film “Remembering,” starring and produced…
Varjo, an early mover in building XR headsets and software for enterprises, taps $40M
Applications in the metaverse often feel like more of a marketing gimmick than something that a critical mass of consumers would use, let alone pay for. But turn to the…
Apple’s highly anticipated mixed reality headset may now have a name, according to a Bloomberg report earlier this week. The outlet spotted trademarks in the U.S. and global markets related…
Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster jazzes up China’s AR startup Nreal with $15M funding
Augmented reality headsets have been around for years, but none of the market players has really expanded beyond the techy demographic and broken into the mainstream. An AR startup hopes…
Snap, HBO Max partner to launch AR experiences for ‘House of the Dragon’ premiere
To celebrate the premiere of HBO’s highly anticipated “Game of Thrones” prequel, “House of the Dragon,” HBO Max is partnering with Snap to give users access to in-app AR experiences.…
Snapchat launches a spooky AR game for hunting ghosts around you
Snapchat has launched a new in-app game called Ghost Phone designed to showcase the company’s AR technology by allowing players to discover the secrets of an abandoned phone and hunt…
From Project Ara to Wave, Google has a rich history of bailing on neat ideas when the going gets tough. Yet unlike those forgone experiments, augmented-reality glasses apparently aren’t doomed…
This Week in Apps: Elon wants out, TikTok’s content ratings, a new milestone for subscription revenue
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. Global app spending reached…
Magic Leap details pricing for its next augmented reality device
It’s been an interesting life for Magic Leap, the augmented reality startup with big dreams and some big moments of hubris thus far. Today, the company detailed the availability and…
The company behind Pokémon GO, Niantic lays off 8% of staff and cancels 4 projects
Pokémon GO developer Niantic is running into trouble as it builds “the real-world metaverse.” Like so many other tech companies facing turbulent economic times, the company decided to let go…
WayRay’s deck consists of a whopping 75 slides — around 50 more than I would typically recommend — and it’s clear that the founders took a different tack than what…
Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Unity and others form Metaverse Standards Forum
As more tech companies develop virtual and augmented reality products, some oversight groups are trying to keep the industry on the same page. The newest of these is the Metaverse…
Meta is reportedly scaling back plans for its AR glasses, pivoting away from marketing Portal as a consumer device
Meta is scaling back its plans for its augmented reality (AR) glasses and is pivoting its Portal smart display device away from the consumer market, according to a new report…
Amazon gets into AR shopping with launch of ‘Virtual Try-On for Shoes’
Amazon is tapping into augmented reality in an attempt to appeal to sneakerheads shopping its site. The retailer this morning announced a new feature called Virtual Try-On for Shoes that…
In iOS 16, apps can trigger real-world actions hands-free
New functionality arriving in iOS 16 will enable apps to trigger real-world actions hands-free. That means users could do things like start playing music just by walking into a room…
Game studio HiDef partners with Snap to develop a Bitmoji dance social mobile game
A game studio, HiDef, announced today that it is teaming up with camera company Snap Inc. to develop an off-platform Bitmoji-based dance and music social game. The game will leverage…
Foursquare founder banks funding for mystery 3D social network startup
The excitement around web3 and the metaverse have pulled plenty of entrepreneurs who defined the first generation of native mobile apps to begin questioning what’s next. Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley…
Niantic transcends Discord to build Campfire, an AR social network, and unveils Lightship VPS
Since the launch of Pokémon Go in 2016, players have been coordinating meetups, in-game raids and battles on platforms like Reddit and Discord. This summer, parent company Niantic is unveiling…
“It is difficult to find a project manager who is willing to take the risk to implement bleeding-edge tech on their project,” said Heinrich Gröller, a partner at Speedinvest.
Snap unveils a Cameo partnership, new ad format and more original programming
Building on the stream of announcements around creators and AR from its Partner Summit last week, Snap today introduced several more initiatives across advertising and content during its presentation at…
South Korea’s RECON Labs raises $4.4M to help shoppers visualize products by creating 3D models in AR
Augmented reality (AR) can help customers shopping online preview products before making a purchase, and is a growing area of investment for e-commerce businesses. According to a recent survey of…
Snap partners with Live Nation to launch AR experiences at select concerts and festivals
Snap is partnering with Live Nation to enhance the experience of going to concerts and festivals via its AR technology. The company says the multiyear partnership with Live Nation will…
Snap’s new AR tools turn photos into 3D assets, let retailers use Snap’s AR tech in their own apps
At Snap’s Partner Summit on Thursday, the Snapchat maker announced a number of new initiatives focused on using its AR technology to aid with online shopping. Most notably, the company…
Camera IQ launches support for AR effects within TikTok’s Effect House platform
Camera IQ announced today that it has launched support for AR effects within TikTok’s AR development platform Effect House, which allows creators to build AR effects for use in its…
A startup called ImagineAR has launched FameDays.com and the FameDays mobile app to allow fans to enjoy life-size “hologram” video messages from famous athletes and celebrities. Among the AR celeb…
Most businesses today struggle with securing the data and infrastructure they already have. In the multidimensional world of the metaverse, this will become exponentially more difficult.
