Now Qualcomm Wants to Help Build the Metaverse

Like it or not, everyone seems to be speaking in regards to the metaverse, and now Qualcomm is attempting to get into the combination with a brand new AR improvement platform known as Qualcomm Spaces.

Described as a multi-device AR improvement platform and ecosystem, Qualcomm is hoping Snapdragon Spaces will present the constructing blocks for creating new AR apps meant for next-gen headsets and past.

Qualcomm says Snapdragon Spaces is already within the palms of choose builders through early entry, with plans to make the platform extra extensively obtainable beginning within the spring of 2022. Unlike extra conventional sport improvement platforms like Unity or Unreal Engine, Snapdragon Spaces gives a barely totally different set of improvement instruments meant to raised facilitate apps that want to acknowledge and work together with the true world utilizing augmented actuality because of assist for spatial mapping, airplane detection, object monitoring and recognition (for issues like palms), AR anchors, and extra.

Qualcomm is usually greatest identified for its Arm-based cellular chips and mobile modems and IP, the pivot to AR improvement isn’t that a lot of a stretch, significantly once you consider that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 chip is already powering various common headsets together with the Oculus Quest 2 (Meta Quest 2?).

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Notably, Qualcomm says Snapdragon Spaces might be an open cross-device platform and ecosystem designed to assist a variety of AR units together with standalone AR glasses and smartphone-powered AR units, whereas additionally supporting SDKs for lots of at this time’s sport improvement engines equivalent to Unreal Engine and Niantic’s newly introduced Lightship platform, to assist higher bridge the hole between conventional 3D and new AR improvement.

Snapdragon Spaces additionally helps app portability with Unity AR, and the platform is primarily based on the Khronos OpenXR spec to assist additional portability with different platforms. To assist encourage AR improvement, Qualcomm can also be launching its Snapdragon Spaces Pathfinder Program to assist discover, assist, and promote new AR initiatives.

Naturally, because of Qualcomm’s wide selection of present companions, various massive names have already chimed in pledging assist Snapdragon Spaces in a roundabout way. Lenovo claims that its ThinkReality A3 smart glasses would be the first AR glasses to assist Snapdragon Spaces. Other massive names additionally planning to develop apps or units utilizing Snapdragon Spaces embrace T-Mobile, Xiaomi, ViacomCBS, Oppo, Motorola, and others.

It’s important to remember that Qualcomm typically refrains from making actual consumer devices, so in the end, it’ll be up to device makers and app developers take advantage of all of Snapdragon Spaces’ different tools and features. But the big takeaway is that between the company formerly known as Facebook and its Horizon platform, Microsoft’s Mesh platform, and now Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces, no one wants to be left out of the push toward the metaverse. The questions remain how any of this stuff will work together and whether the metaverse as a concept is something real people will actually want or participate in.