Qualcomm’s smart glasses technology was developed in two years. The company has unveiled the Wireless AR Smart Viewer Reference Design, a next-gen augmented reality glasses intended to help hardware partners build their own immersive glasses. It’s now wirelessly connected to a host PC, phone, or puck, and it’s 40 percent thinner despite packing a newer (albeit slightly old) Snapdragon XR2 platform. Add to that a more balanced weight distribution and the device should be considerably more comfortable than its predecessor, even if it still isn’t winning fashion awards.
Each eye gets a 1080p, 90Hz micro-OLED display that reportedly eliminates motion blur. You also have full six-degree range of motion thanks to three cameras (two monochrome, one color) and hand tracking with gesture recognition. WiFi 6E and Bluetooth help with fast data shuffling, while keeping the delay between the goggles and the host device under 3ms.
A handful of manufacturers already have access to Qualcomm’s new AR design, with more to come in the coming months. You do not buy this exact hardware as an everyday customer. However, it could lead to a wave of next-generation glasses that you wouldn’t mind wearing for games or work — even if they might not be as ambitious as some AR projects.
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