AR

It's been a big week for mobility, and if you've been wondering what will be powering your Galaxy S11, Pixel 5, or any number of other Android flagships in 2020, Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit 2019 probably held the answer. The week-long event kicked off with new chipsets for smartphones before hitting AR/VR and finally computing, with 5G and AI ever-present themes along the way. Read on for the big news you need to know.

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Information released in a report today showed the company Magic Leap in deep trouble. This is a company that built its reputation on the future of augmented reality, aka AR, creating AR technology (like AR headsets) to capitalize on and participate in the modern world of AR/VR computing. But as losses mounted, they began to reach the wrong milestones - points at which they needed to fire "dozens of employees" and at which important early supporters began leaving the company.

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Pokémon Go maker Niantic plans to make an augmented reality headset using Qualcomm's new Snapdragon XR2 Platform, paving the way to new games that integrate digital graphics with the real world. The collaboration will see the Niantic Real World Platform brought to not only Niantic's hardware but opened to other developers who want to make vast, shared AR experiences.

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Qualcomm has revealed its first mixed reality platform with 5G, the Snapdragon XR2 Platform, aiming to bring ubiquitous connectivity to augmented reality and virtual reality headsets and smart glasses. Debuting in reference design form today, Qualcomm's headset still isn't going to be mistaken for a sleek set of sunglasses, but the features might well make it worth it.

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Today a bit of JPMorgan analysis from Samik Chatterjee suggested 4x new iPhones were on their way for the year 2020 and 2021. These new devices will appear with three different screen sizes next year - then some major changes in under a year after that. There'll be one 5.4-inch model in 2020, two with 6.1-inch displays, and a larger iPhone with a 6.7-inch display. These devices will all - apparently - roll with 5G connectivity.

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After no small amount of delays and a bigger amount of controversy, the Magic Leap One finally leaped into existence last year to bring its own version of augmented reality to real reality. Since then, AR and even VR have somewhat taken a backseat in tech news but that's not to say they're dead. In fact, Magic Leap has made an announcement that could, to some extent, help bring home the AR message to the rest of the world.

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Snap's Spectacles 3 have finally gone on sale, but if you were hoping for wearable genius from the $380 camera sunglasses you'll probably be disappointed. Announced back in August, the third-generation of Snapchat's eyewear now pack two cameras rather than just one, so that wearers can generate augmented reality content.

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On November 7, 2019, Microsoft announced that HoloLens 2 was "now shipping to customers." The confusing bit here was the less-than-perfect clarity in the message and the differences between the various different sorts of "customers" about which Microsoft was speaking. The first sentence in the Microsoft news post was a bit broad, saying "Now shipping to customers, HoloLens 2 uses AI to facilitate one of the most basic human impulses: exchanging knowledge."

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You may have to wait longer than rumored for Apple's augmented reality headset, according to the latest leaks, with the AR wearable said to be unlikely to debut until 2022 at the earliest. Even then, sources familiar with the Cupertino company's plans suggest, you may want to wait until version two the following year before you open your wallet.

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What would you do if Niantic closed their doors tomorrow, and there was no more Pokemon GO? That's a question I had to ask a friend recently when they voiced concerns that Pokemon GO used to be fun, but more recently felt more like an obligation. This is the overarching issue with video games in general, but doubly so when the entirety of said game is played on servers at some remote location: After it's done, what's left?

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HoloLens 2 is now shipping, with Microsoft's second-generation augmented reality headset headed out to businesses and early-adopters after having been unveiled earlier in the year. The new headset builds on its predecessor by being lighter and more powerful, as well as adding features like hand-tracking that's capable of following each individual finger.

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The success of Pokemon GO opened up a new mobile gaming market that many want to cash in on. But as the reception of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite proved, not even developer Niantic Labs itself is always able to replicate that success. Many have tried to use that same collection and location-based formula and almost all have failed. Microsoft-owned Mojang is now also trying to get its and your feet wet with Minecraft Earth and it is now making its unique spin available in nine more locations around the world.

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