It was not that long ago when in May of 2021 Snap CEO Evan Spiegel unveiled the company’s first true augmented reality glasses. The fancy demo of the glasses showed virtual butterflies flying over colorful plants and landing on Spiegel’s extended hand. The glasses were called - Spectacles 3 and kicker was that you could not buy them yet, they were not ready for mass market. Here is how Snap’s tweet announcement read from May 20, 2021:
Tapping the vast potential of @Snap’s AR platform, the next generation of Spectacles allow you to overlay Lenses directly onto the world in front of you, for an immersive AR experience. #SnapPartnerSummit
Since then Snap has continued to develop and improve the product which has come a long way. The most recent version of Spectacles can not only record photos and videos but has additional tools like 3D filters and AR graphics. Most recently Spiegel mentioned that generative AI is something he wants to built into Spectacles as well:
“If we think longer term, five years…this is going to be critical to the growth of augmented reality,” the CEO said. “So today, if you look at AR, there’s just a real limitation on what you can build in AR because there’s a limited number of 3D models that have been created by artists.”
So it’s no surprise that the latest news announcement in the world of AR is their integration of Spectacles with ARKH AR controller.
Snap Spectacles and ARKH AR Controller Integration
Snap has a big vision for augment reality, here is how Spiegel describes a potential use case for Spectacles AR :
“As an example of how this could actually work in terms of AR glasses, Spiegel suggested a scenario where parents could be playing around with their kids wearing AR glasses, and then point out, “Oh my gosh, there’s a pirate ship and big monster!” Those elements could then come to life using generative AI technology, he said.”
Snap recently announced their Spectacles integration with the ARKH AR controller.
Here is what Landon Nickerson CEO and Founder of ARKH had to say about the news:
“This is a development I am very excited about, it represents values of ideal user interface method really well, in the future it will be very likely for people to interface with AR glasses through a controller in their hand. We are very excited for what is on the horizon and plan to continue to augment reality in the near term!”
But hang on a second, what is ARKH AR controller and how does it actually work?
What is ARKH AR Controller?
If you’re looking for a short answer, here is how TechCrunch defined the controller when it first launched: Litho is a finger-worn controller for augmented reality, IoT and other ‘spatial’ interactions.
ARKH Controller initially came on the market back in February of 2019, and was a darling child of the media. It was initially founded and built by a three person team in UK and named “Litho” but later acquired by ARKH. Here is how the The Verge described it in their review:
“The AR controller looks like a set of miniature sci-fi brass knuckles, but it’s actually a motion controller that’s going on sale today for developers, with the goal of launching for everyone by the end of the year.”
ARKH AR Controller is a an AR controller that fits around the first two fingers on your hand and combines motion-control capabilities and haptic feedback with a small underside trackpad, so you can use it with a combination of pointing, swiping, and tapping.
Here is how Landon Nickerson CEO and Founder of ARKH describes it:
“ARKH AR Controller is for developers looking to push the boundaries of our reality with new hardware.”
This integration is the first one Snap has done with a third party AR motion hardware controller and is a significant commitment of the company to move into AR space.
How Does Snap Spectacles Integrate with ARKH Motion Controller?
You might wonder why does Snap want to integrate it’s Spectacles with a ARKH AR controller?
The short answer is that this integration allows developers to build apps where you are not just walking around and experiencing an augmented reality but you are actually interacting with it through a controller on your fingers.
Here is a video the CEO of ARKH Landon Nickerson posted on his YouTube channel announcing the integration with SnapChat and showing how the AR controller works (the video has already received 8k+ views and 100+ comments).
You can head over to ARKH website to check out and preorder the AR controller which currently retails for $125.
What’s next for Snap and ARKH?
This integration of ARKH AR controller and Snap Spectacles is only the beginning of the AR journey both companies have committed to undertake together. Both companies are looking forward to continue working together and supporting each other in their AR journey.
Here is how Snap CEO Evan Spiegel describes the AR industry and it’s potential:
“If we think longer term, five years…this is going to be critical to the growth of augmented reality,” the CEO said. “So today, if you look at AR, there’s just a real limitation on what you can build in AR because there’s a limited number of 3D models that have been created by artists.”
“We can use generative AI to help build more of these 3D models very quickly, which can really unlock the full potential of AR and help people make their imagination real in the world,” Spiegel added
