Meta and Snapchat - Next Gen AR Glasses
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Meta + Snapchat: Next Gen AR Glasses

VRNerd

Meta and Snapchat are both aiming to unveil new AR glasses this September, according to reliable reports. While both companies have previously delivered “AR” glasses, none were truly worthy of that classification, lacking tracking features and displays. As the AR hardware wars heat up, this next generation of wearable tech could bring us closer to an AR revolution than we’ve ever been before.

Woman wearing Snapchat generation 4 spectacles
The Snapchat Spectacles series will soon see its fifth iteration; generation 4 is shown above. [Image: Snapchat]

The View From Here

Snapchat released the first iteration of its Spectacles AR glasses in late 2016, bringing consumers smartglasses designed for, predictably, posting short videos to Snapchat. Subsequent generations added minor features and refined the design until Spectacles 4 (2021) added stereoscopic video recording.

Meta, for its part, began a collaboration with Ray-Ban in 2021 and may be looking to cement that relationship with a second-gen pair of smartglasses this year. Meta may also choose to fly solo, taking full control of all aspects of the design of the device. Meta has teased consumers and pundits with reports of an impressively high field-of-view and what Caitlin Kalinowski, Meta’s Head of AR Glasses, has called a “fully augmented reality,” feature set.

A woman wearing AR Smartglasses from Meta/Ray-Ban
Meta and Ray-Ban have collaborated on numerous pairs and styles of AR smartglasses with another presumed to be on the horizon. [Image: Meta/Ray-Ban]

Alex Heath of The Verge reports that Snap’s forthcoming pair of specs will not depart radically from previous versions but will improve battery life and field-of-view. Where previous versions proved significantly lackluster in these areas, hopefully, Spectacles 5 can satisfy.