It’s only been six months since Snap released five generations of glasses, AR glasses for developers. The company is already bolstering the latest pair with new lenses and platform features.
On Monday, SNAP announced it will launch a feature that will create spectacle-centric lenses that tap on GPS, new hand tracking features and more. Now, developers can build lenses using GPS, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), compass heading, and custom locations, access geolocation data to create AR walking courses and more.
This update is primarily intended to improve the position-based experience with glasses.
Snap has shown several examples of utilizing new features such as Navigatar from Utopia Labs. This instructs the user to snap map tiles by displaying a sparkling arrow to help the wearer reach their destination.
Other new platform features for glasses include the aforementioned hand tracking feature that detects grab gestures and when the user is holding the phone in his hand. SNAP also allows developers to easily add leaderboards to their lenses, making it easy to add competition-focused experiences.
Plus, there’s a new AR keyboard.
Currently, Spectacles are only accessible through Snap’s developer programs. This is $99 per month.
However, SNAP recently introduced a 50% discount for educators and students. Its long-term goal is to help compete with tech giants like Apple, Google and Meta while bringing an AR experience to the public.
In addition to today’s announcement, Snap has announced a series of challenges awarding $20,000 to eyeglass-owned developers who create the top 10 best lenses each month. The series, known as “Spectacles Community Challenges,” begins on April 1st.