Snap’s new Spectacles are the big news – and quite literally. These augmented reality glasses are physically quite large. The social media company sees this dimension as a balance between a full-fledged augmented reality headset and more compact smart glasses.
It’s worth noting that, like the previous model, the Spectacles 5 are aimed specifically at developers. Although Snap may consider expanding to the consumer market in the future, this is likely to be for the Spectacles 6.
As the target audience for Snap’s new Spectacles are developers, the company is adopting a hardware-as-a-service model, charging a fee of US$99 per month. It’s important to note that there is a minimum commitment of one year, which results in a total cost of around US$1,200, before taxes.
Interested parties must sign up for the Lens Studio developer program to gain access to the hardware. Once approved, they will also receive additional support from the Snap Lab team.
Despite their considerable size, the new Spectacles weigh just half a kilo, which is significantly lighter than, for example, the Visio Pro’s 1.4 kilos. During my demonstration, the augmented reality technology impressed, especially considering that it’s a completely wireless headset. However, the experience is limited by a relatively small field of view. With a field of view of 46 degrees, Snap claims that it is almost three times larger than that of the Spectacles 4, which represents a notable advance.
The glasses are equipped with two Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, one in each temple, guaranteeing robust performance. In addition, Snap’s Spatial Engine is efficient at mapping and understanding your position in space, providing an accurate and immersive augmented reality experience.
The social media company is also introducing a new operating system in conjunction with the Spectacles hardware. Called SnapOS and based on the Android kernel, this system is designed to make development on the platform easier and faster.
Spectacles will be launched in partnership with major content creators, including Lego, Niantic and ILM Immersive. ILM Immersive will release a title set in the “Star Wars” universe for the glasses, while Niantic, known for Pokémon Go, will make its Peridot and Scaniverse games available. In addition, Snap is launching new video generation tools with artificial intelligence for creators and new features similar to Google Lens for its My AI chatbot. The company is also testing a simplified version of the app to improve the user experience.