AR

Although Pokemon GO continues to be a popular game and money-maker for Niantic Labs, the mobile AR game developer hasn't had much success with its other attempts are recreating that magic. The latest evidence of its failure is CATAN: World Explorers, the mobile AR recreation of a highly popular board game. While the heavyweight brand should have garnered interest and resources, it seems that it just wasn't meant to be, as the game is shutting down soon after spending a year in early access.

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Just when you thought the days of smartphone-driven VR or AR headsets were over, Apple might come along and make it trendy again. Granted, the likes of the Google Daydream and Samsung Gear VR failed because of how they strapped smartphones to your head to do everything. Apple, on the other hand, might be doing things a little differently. According to sources familiar with matters, Apple will be taking a mixed approach to its mixed reality headset that will still require an iPhone to be nearby to do its magic.

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An announcement was made today by Niantic and the folks at Scaniverse - the former acquired the latter. Niantic is the company that created Pokemon GO and continues to expand their vision for a GPS-based and 3D-aware gaming and mapping ecosystem. Scaniverse by Toolbox AI is a 3D scanning mobile application that is (for now) based on the iPhone's 3D-scanning capabilities with LiDAR.

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The release of the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset was given a bit of a kick in the pants by reports of skin irritation on the faces of some users. Though Oculus suggests that "a very small percentage of users" reported said skin irritation where the foam portion of the facial interface rests on the skin, they're offering a replacement for all. Per the announcement from Oculus, "the safety and comfort of every customer is our top priority."

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Baseball fans have the opportunity to experience the game in an entirely new way with a new project between T-Mobile and Major League Baseball. Called T-Mobile Home Run Derby, the new initiative uses 5G-connected cameras mounted on catcher masks and player hats to generate an augmented reality experience for fans, one available through the new MLB AR app.

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Pokemon GO developer Niantic made a rather surprising reveal today: the company, as it turns out, is working on a new Transformers mobile game. The new game is called Transformers: Heavy Metal and like other titles made under Niantic's roof, it'll be an AR game. How it'll use augmented reality is currently unknown, but Niantic suggests that it won't be much longer until at least some of us find out.

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Google is not one to one to "retire" apps, services, and products, sometimes with little prior notice. That's true for products that have cost Google a lot of money as well as some products that do make Google some money, it's even more true for those that don't. Apps come and go, regardless of their importance or significance, and one of the most recent to get the boot is Measure, one of Google's earliest mobile AR apps and one that it used to highlight its AR technology even before mobile AR became a thing.

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WWDC 2021 unloaded a lot of goodies for Apple fans across all its devices and even teased some of the things Apple will be working on in the next few months. One frequently rumored endeavor, however, was still without a trace. Despite its profession of belief in augmented reality technology, Apple has yet to reveal even a shadow of its much-rumored AR headset. That will still be coming, but those waiting for it might not want to hold their breath as the latest word is that its debut may come only in the middle of 2022.

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Snap announced its latest Spectacles yesterday, its first eyewear to actually offer augmented reality, but in the background it's buying the company responsible for the AR lenses too. Snap's immediate ambitions for the new Spectacles - which look, generously, like over-stylized sunglasses - are conservative, but its WaveGuide acquisition hints at how big a market the Snapchat-maker believes AR will eventually be.

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During an event today, Snap CEO Evan Spiegal introduced the company's first pair of augmented reality glasses, a model capable of overlaying digital objects and experiences over the real world. The AR glasses look distinctly different when contrasted with the consumer-level Spectacles smart glasses Snap previously launched, and they pack quite a bit more tech.

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Search, next to or in conjunction with ads, is the bread and butter of Google's business. The more people use it and stay within Search for any and all their needs, the better it is for Google. Of course, that implies that Google makes Search an indispensable tool for any and all Internet needs and that is exactly what it is saying in its I/O 2021 update, powered by AI and AR, of course.

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Apple has pumped a further $410 million into a key supplier for its laser tech, used in the iPhone and iPad cameras for Face ID and the LiDAR Scanner. The investment is the second the Cupertino firm has made in II-VI, and one which Apple suggests will get it earlier access to upcoming components for next-gen devices.

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