Niantic & Qualcomm Unveil Next-Gen AR Visual Positioning System

Pokémon GO developer Niantic Labs has revealed that together with Qualcomm, it is now actively working on reference designs for next-generation AR glasses that will be focusing on outdoor use cases as well as developing Lightship VPS (Visual Positioning System) that will be compatible with Qualcomm's Snapdragon Spaces starting in 2023.

The company said that Lightship VPS can allow digital creators to place their objects or experiences in outdoor spaces with centimeter-level tracking accuracy to make them stay in real-world locations like they would if they were physical objects. Niantic and Qualcomm are planning to make Lightship VPS available to power location-based AR experiences on as many hardware devices as possible.

In addition, the companies introduced a comprehensive interactive 3D AR world map which should become an integral part of Lightship VPS. The map is planned to be constantly updated and should enable the creation of immersive AR experiences "rooted" in real-world locations. 

Niantic and Qualcomm also released a demo showcasing their vision of the next-gen AR glasses for outdoor play. The video presents how outdoor-capable AR headsets can potentially help users orient themselves in the interactive 3D AR world map and render digital creations on top of the physical world.

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