The Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 was unveiled on the second day of Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Summit, the firm’s first dedicated augmented reality processor. It was created to improve AR experiences via smart glasses as well as other comparable head-worn devices.
With the Meta Quest 2 and Pico 4 running on Qualcomm’s brand-new XR2 platform, the company already has a strong presence in the XR, AR and MR domains. Meta’s brand-new Quest Pro headset is among the first to be powered up by the new XR2 Plus chipset by Qualcomm. It relies on mixed reality technology owing to its support for full-colour passthrough innovation. Potential users should note that the AR2 Gen1 has been made to support gadgets that are somewhat different.
In the past, even Qualcomm-powered augmented reality (AR) wearables, like Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, had their size and form partially determined by the prowess and requirements imposed by the chipsets they were working on The company’s own Snapdragon XR1-powered AR technology sample prototype has large arms, complete with unique dimensions in order to put the XR1 chipset inside of it, despite approaching a style that more closely resembles ordinary everyday sunglasses.
The Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 is the very first Qualcomm device that can function as a standalone AR platform for highly advanced augmented reality goggles. It is an augmented reality headgear mechanism that stays true to the familiar structure of traditional sunglasses, more so than any other glasses so far. In addition, they also come with improved connectivity and are capable of providing performances at low latencies. Three components of the AR2 Gen 1 are segregated, lowering the overall footprint of the platform and allowing it to fit into a wider range of form factors rather than needing to squeeze a single SoC into the bridge or frames of a pair of smart glasses.
With the revised reference design Qualcomm unveiled at the Summit, the primary augmented reality processor is located in one arm, with the connection module in another, and the AR co-processor in the bridge. The AR2 Gen 1 possesses a 40 percent smaller PCB and 45 percent less wire compared to the XR2. The AR2 Gen 1 hardware can now concentrate on creating a speedier and more responsive experience thanks to the AR2 Gen 1 making use of the revolutionary FastConnect 7800 WiFi module found inside the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile chipset. That processor also offers advanced WiFi 7 speeds with a latency lower than 2ms.
Additionally, because of its laser-like focus, the AR2 Gen 1 consumes 50 percent less energy and executes AI tasks 2.5 times better than the XR2 in areas like hand tracing and item identification.
Firms like LG, Pico, Neal, TCL, Oppo, and Xiaomi are already in the process of developing proprietary AR devices with the framework of the AR2 Gen 1. These devices are anticipated to have eye tracking, 6DoF tracking, and a lot of other fantastic AR capabilities.
Potential users can look forward to these features and more once the headgear is launched.
