Over the past months, Qualcomm announced its XR2 Gen2 and AR1 Gen1 chipsets. The firm’s latest chipsets aim to set a new precedent in AR/VR/MR headset performance and usability.
The chipsets find home in several XR devices. Notably, Meta is including both emerging products in its Quest [XR2 Gen2] and Ray Ban [AR1 Gen1] portfolio.
Qualcomm recently highlighted its past year of XR successes at Snapdragon Summit 2023. This yearly event also showcases the firm’s innovation in other technology markets with a focus on genAI this year.
However, XR took centre stage during the Snapdragon XR Spotlight session, which saw Hugo Stwart, Qaulcomm’s VP and GM of XR, highlight the firm’s recent immersive innovations.
Stwart noted:
We are seeing XR applications have an impact in exciting ways, from professional athletes able to improve their mental readiness for intense competitions [36 percent improvement in performance outcome], to field technicians able to ramp up into the workforce quicker through guided immersive training [49 percent increase in productivity outcomes], and through therapeutic XR experiences designed to help veterans and first responders overcome PTSD [25 percent decrease in emotional stress]. These are just a few examples of XR beyond gaming and entertainment.
The VP and GM noted that Qualcomm is working “every day to address the full spectrum of realities” that make up emerging spatial computing from “immersive VR in 100 percent virtual worlds, to mixed reality where you experience immersive content while being able to see and merge your physical space using video see-through, to augmented reality where virtual objects overlay on your world through thinner, lighter glasses.”
Moreover, Stwart noted that Qualcomm is also developing technology solutions to ensure an affordable and accessible avenue into powerful XR devices.
Meta takes the Snapdragon Summit 2023 Stage.
To help Stwart highlight the benefits of Meta’s integration of Qualcomm’s XR/AR chipsets was the Head of Hardware Partnerships at Meta, Jenniffer Hom – a figure who helped bring Meta/Qualcomm devices to market.
Hom said:
Connect was a huge success for us [Meta]. We announced the Meta Quest 3, the Ray-Ban/Meta smart glasses, and gave the world a glimpse into the future of the metaverse. The most important takeaway for our developers and partners is that AI has the power to transform XR experiences. For creators, it will open up so many new opportunities to create amazing experiences and give you and me – the consumer – superhuman capabilities. Very soon, you will be able to ask your Meta AI a question, and the AI will answer you with the context of seeing and hearing through your smart glasses.
Moreover, Jenniffer Hom explained that the longstanding relationship between Qualcomm and Meta is crucial to the firm’s immersive product portfolio, allowing the duo to overcome many technical hurdles together when developing XR hardware.
Hom noted that Qualcomm’s recent innovations in machine learning helped Meta in improving hand, body, and controller tracking in the Quest 3, which leads to more “realistic” avatars and more accurate hands – “with much more precision, whether you’re typing on a keyboard or playing on a virtual piano” Hom remarked.
Moreover, Hom added that the ongoing partnership led to the creation of a sharpening algorithm for the Quest 3, which dramatically improved video quality.
Hom explained how Meta is bringing the “next generation” of enterprise-grade immersive experiences thanks to Qualcomm’s XR2 Gen2 chipset, adding:
[The Quest 3 has] twice the graphics processing power of the Quest 2, all thanks to our work together on XR2 Gen2 and the vastly improved full-colour video passthrough – it’ll seamlessly blend digital objects into your physical surroundings.
Smartglasses to Become “Eyes and Ears” of AI
AI and XR appear to be growing in parallel. Qualcomm recognises this trend alongside Meta, Microsoft, and others. To scale AI/XR to new brands, Qualcomm is working with multiple OEM partners to design AI-ready XR devices.
Notably, during the Snapdragon Summit 2023, Stwart showed the logos of LG, Oppo, NTT Qonoq Devices, RayNeo, and SHARP as examples of technology partnerships Qualcomm is working on to scale AI-ready smart glasses.
Hugo Stwart added:
Smartglasses will become the eyes and ears for virtual AI assistants, allowing people to experience AI in the most human form: with our senses. Guiding you through the preparation of your next family meal, helping older parents read a menu with small print, or removing barriers between two strangers by translating their conversation in real time. I am super excited to announce we have multiple OEM partners developing smart glasses based on Snapdragon AR1. These glasses will not only feature camera, audio, and AI capabilities but will also feature a monocular or binocular display. We expect to see these designs by these customers launching next year.
Moreover, to assist partnering firms with developing AR wearables leading into 2024, the firm is debuting a smart glasses reference platform which gives partners a starting point in developing AR headsets.
There are many exciting developments happening in XR, from Qualcomm’s latest snapdragon platform powering the Quest 3 and the Rayban/Meta smart glasses, Stwart notes; he also added how Qualcomm is leveraging AR and XR side-by-side to help people achieve their goals.
