Augmented Reality News Features

News: Mixed Reality Advertisements Sound Hellish—But Magic Leap Has a Plan

Graeme Devine, Chief Creative Officer at Magic Leap, spoke at the Games for Change festival about how mixed reality will change the world for the better. While we might need to take our own magic leap to believe in his utopian future, he hinted at a solution to the impending problem most of us fear: a cluttered, endless nightmare of ads.

Apple AR: Apple Smartglasses in Progress, Ready for the Public by 2020, Report Says

Like gas on an open flame, rumors and whispers have flared up in recent months around hopes of augmented reality smartglasses from Apple. But among all the false leads and unsubstantiated chatter, we finally have a credible report that some sort of Apple AR smartglasses are actually in development.

News: Magic Leap CEO's Tweetstorm Tries to Reframe Reactions to Latest Demo After Signs of Disappointment

Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz doesn't engage in tweetstorms often, but when he does, those tweets are bold, exceedingly confident, and there's usually a strong takeaway regarding what the company is or isn't doing. But on Thursday, Abovitz's latest tweetstorm sent an unusually flustered message: We promise, the magic we're telling you about it better than anything you've seen on video.

Apple AR: Developer Opens Portal to Underwater World with ARKit

Building virtual portals are popular practice for developers to demonstrate the "wow" factor of augmented reality.

Rumor Roundup: A New Microsoft HoloLens Could Be Coming in 2017—Here's What We Know So Far

We've been hearing some interesting rumors in the last few days that are stirring up all kinds of speculation about the potential upcoming consumer release of the HoloLens. However, MSPoweruser has speculated a bit further past the consumer HoloLens release to a possible HoloLens 2 as soon as Q3 2017.

News: Papa John's Launches 'Spider-Man: Far from Home' AR Experience via Snapchat

In the Tom Holland era, it appears to be impossible to promote a new Spider-Man movie without an augmented reality experience, a trend that continues with Spider-Man: Far From Home.

News: A Wish List of Windows Mixed Reality Features That Could Change Everything for the HoloLens

"Necessity, not novelty," is a phrase I use often when it comes to HoloLens development. It would be fair to call it my mantra, or mission statement, as I prototype and explore software creation on this new frontier of mixed reality.

How To: Get Windows Mixed Reality Before the Creators Update Drops April 11

Soon, users will no longer need an expensive headset or even a smartphone to experience mixed reality. The new Microsoft update will be bringing mixed reality applications to every Windows computer next month. This new upgrade to Windows 10 named the Windows 10 Creators Update.

News: Here's What Magic Leap's Creator Portal & Lumin SDK Docs Reveal About How You'll Develop for & Use Magic Leap One

Now that we've had a chance to jump into the Lumin SDK documentation at Magic Leap's Creator Portal, we now have much more detail about how the device will function and utilize software than any single piece of content released by Magic Leap to date.

News: Snapchat Turns Sunset Strip Billboard into AR Video Ad, Releases Lens Challenge to Promote Music Project

I was today years old when I first heard of Bhad Bhabie, but I'm told she is apparently a rapper with a rags-to-riches story.

News: Augmented Reality Puts the Magic in 'Magic: The Gathering' Cards

While augmented reality experiences can already appear to be magical, particularly to the uninitiated, one developer is doubling down on its mystical potential for the ever-popular Magic: The Gathering card game.

Apple AR: Houzz ARKit App Beats IKEA to the App Store

With the official release of iOS 11, the availability of an app that uses the much-hyped ARKit platform to place virtual furniture in one's home was expected.

News: Pokémon GO Just Gamified the Non-Sedentary Lifestyle

Pokémon GO, the biggest augmented reality sensation ever, broke app store records this opening weekend. But it also did something even more important: it gamified physical activity.

Apple AR: Quickly Find Your Friends in Crowded Places with Neon App

Going to music festivals is one of the best parts of the summer — Which is probably why thousands of people attend them. With numbers like that, trying to find and meet up with your friends can be difficult and intimidating. Thanks to Apple's ARKit, however, you'll soon be able to locate your friends in a crowd using an app.

How To: Use This App to Test Out Tattoos Before They're Permanent

If you're in the market for a new tattoo, the biggest hurdle to clear is imagining exactly how it's going to look. It's going to be part of your identity for the rest of your life, so you have to make sure it looks just right—or as your mom probably told you, "Think of what it's going to look like when you're 60."

ARCore 101: How to Create a Mobile AR Application in Unity, Part 3 (Setting Up the App Controller)

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of programming languages and variations of those languages that exist. Currently, in the augmented reality space, it seems the Microsoft-created C# has won out as the overall top language of choice. While there are other options like JavaScript and C++, to name a few, C# seems to be the most worthwhile place to invest one's time and effort.

News: Cross-Platform Diamonst AR RPG Is Pokémon Go on Steroids

Zenko Games makes no apologies for its influences. In fact, they cite them explicitly in their own promotional materials for Diamonst AR.

How To: Ever Wonder How it Feels to Get Shot?

WWF's latest campaign uses augmented reality to raise awareness for the endangered Siberian tiger by demonstrating how it "feels" to be hunted down and shot. Created by Leo Burnett Moscow, thousands of special AR t-shirts featuring the tiger were printed and distributed to stores in Moscow. Each time the wearer passes in front of a "special video mirror" (re: web cam), a bloody shooting animation is triggered.

Hands-On: Up Close & Personal with the Meta 2 Head-Mounted Display

Last June, Meta began shipping their Meta 2 mixed reality headset, to the delight of many. In September, it was announced that shipping had been delayed until the end of the year. Then it appeared that Christmas would bring something magical when Meta sent out an email four days before the big holiday saying that the Meta 2 developers kits were finally shipping. Unfortunately, having a few on order here at Next Realit,y we are still patiently waiting for ours to arrive.

News: Starbucks Uses Instagram AR to Promote Sustainability via Holiday Campaign

Starbucks is spicing things up ahead of this holiday season with a little augmented reality joy. This week the company launched its first Instagram filter, called Holijoy, delivered like an early Christmas gift and packing four seasonal lenses.

News: Pokémon GO Cheaters Are Ruining the Game & Real Life

Pokémon GO, the global augmented reality game that's brought fans out of their homes to catch Pokémon across the planet, has brought about plenty of real-world positives. Unfortunately, when players get power hungry and start taking game hacks too far, we all get a little screwed—both digitally and in real life.

Exclusive: ODG Filing Points to Magic Leap Acquisition of Auctioned Patent Assets

In case you thought the long and unfortunate story of ODG was over, hold on, there's one last chapter to tell.

News: Augmented Reality Contact Lenses with Terminator Vision

Remember, in the Terminator movies, when Arnold's field of vision is superimposed with all sorts of data? Sci-fi writer Vernor Vinge also described electronic contact lenses, technology that "projects" information right before the eyes.

News: Blizzard Transforms Snapchat with World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary AR Lenses

If the name Leroy Jenkins elicits a reaction from you, then you are old enough to remember the iconic title World of Warcraft from its heydey (whether or not you actually played the massively multiplayer online role-playing game).

News: Magic Leap's Good News — the Haters Are Wrong, Bad News — Now Everyone Will Focus on Apple Glasses

I've had a few days to live with the Magic Leap One, and it's time to finally weigh in with some thoughts as someone who has been tracking this company from the beginning, for almost five years now.

News: Anyone in the World Can Order Magic Leap One NOW (But There's a Catch)

Although the Magic Leap One: Creators Edition is currently officially available in only six US cities, those living outside of Magic Leap's designed US cities now have a roundabout way to order the device.

News: Here's What You Need to Run ARKit 3 on Your iPhone or iPad

If you've been putting off upgrading your iPhone or iPad, you might want to start shopping for a current-generation device to take advantage of the latest capabilities in ARKit 3.

News: Unity Builds Developer Bridge Between ARKit & ARCore Apps with AR Foundation Tool

A new set of APIs for Unity promise to make it easier for developers to publish apps that support both ARKit and ARCore.

News: Magic Leap's Website Has an Immersive Reality Experience Hidden in Plain Sight, if You Know Where to Look

Magic Leap loves to stoke mystery around its still unreleased product, the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition, and now we've found yet another piece of the puzzle in the form of an Easter egg on the company's website.

News: Amazon Sumerian & 8th Wall Weave Web AR Experience for 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Movie

Sony Pictures has tapped the powers of augmented reality as provided by startup 8th Wall & the Amazon Sumerian development platform to help it promote the latest motion picture manifestation of Spider-Man.

News: Posemoji App Lets You Use Your Body to Create Augmented Reality Emoji & Designs

The great thing about augmented reality is that so much is possible using the emerging tools and software, your only real limit is your imagination — that includes making real versions of imagined products.

Hands-on: I Went to Battle in Augmented Reality with Father.IO & Lived to Tell About It

Last week, augmented reality startup Proxy42 released Father.IO, a multiplayer game that turns any indoor or outdoor space into a laser tag arena.

News: Meet Revelio, Maxst's Stylish New Augmented Reality Smartglasses

Augmented reality software developer Maxst has made the move into hardware with Revelio, their new untethered AR smartglasses. These stereoscopic glasses feature an Octa-core processor, 2 GB of memory, a 40-degree field of view, and a 720p display, and they do not require being connected to a phone or computer.

News: Magic Leap Patent Reveals the Lightpack May Be More Than Meets the Eye

Among the revelations uncovered during the December unveiling of the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition was the fact that the Lightwear augmented reality headset would be tethered to a wearable computer called the Lightpack.

Proof of Concept: Music Everywhere Uses HoloLens to Help Piano Students Learn Improvisation

Students from Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center have been working on an augmented reality system to help teach music in a project called Music Everywhere.

HoloLens Dev 101: How to Create User Location Hotspots to Trigger Events with the HoloLens

One of the truly beautiful things about the HoloLens is its completely untethered, the-world-is-your-oyster freedom. This, paired with the ability to view your real surroundings while wearing the device, allows for some incredibly interesting uses. One particular use is triggering events when a user enters a specific location in a physical space. Think of it as a futuristic automatic door.

News: Magic Leap Founder Says Launch 'Not Far Away'

At the eMerge Americas investors conference in Miami, Florida, Magic Leap founder and CEO Rony Abovitz previewed details of the launch of their highly-anticipated device.

Proof of Concept: HoloLens App Shrinks a Room Down to a Miniature 3D Map

Sky Zhou, also know as Matrix Inception on YouTube, is no stranger here on NextReality. We loved his Pokémon concept game for HoloLens, as well as his D3D Keyboard that lets HoloLens users leave notes around the house. He just can't seem to stop creating cool mixed reality apps, and he's already got another one in the works.

News: How Face Tracking & Augmentation Technology Works

Thanks to Snapchat, we're all familiar with face swapping and augmentation thanks to some clever, fun technology. But that's just the beginning, because this kind of augmented reality can do so much more.

News: Check Out These Awesome Mixed-Reality Movies Made with the HoloLens

Mixed reality filmmaking isn't a new concept. Disney managed to make it work in 1988 with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but not without an enormous amount of work. We haven't seen many mixed reality films of that scope since, and perhaps that's because it's still hard to accomplish. Filmmakers don't look through a viewfinder or monitor and see the fully rendered result on screen—but that can change with mixed reality headsets like the HoloLens.