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Build up the Metaverse by Qualcomm

For everyone is talking about the metaverse, and now Qualcomm is trying to get for the mix with the new AR development platform also known as “Qualcomm Spaces”. The multi-device AR development platform and ecosystem, Qualcomm is hoping for the Snapdragon Spaces will provide the building blocks for creating latest AR apps intended for the next-gen headsets and beyond.

Qualcomm said that Snapdragon Spaces is already in the hands for select developers via in early access, with plans to make the platform more widely available starting in the spring by 2022. Unlike much more traditional game development platforms like Unity and Unreal Engine, Snapdragon Spaces provides for the slightly different set of development tools meant to good facilitate apps that need for the recognize or interact with the real world by using augmented reality thanks to support for spatial mapping, object tracking, plane detection or recognition AR anchors and etc.

Qualcomm is generally best known for its Arm-based mobile chips and cellular modems and IP, the pivot to AR development is not that much more of stretch, particularly when you factor in that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 chip is already powering for the number of popular headsets such as the Oculus Quest 2.

Qualcomm said that Snapdragon Spaces will be open cross-device platform and ecosystem designed to support for the wide range of AR devices such as standalone AR glasses and smart-phone-powered AR devices, while also supporting SDKs for the lot of currently game development engines including Unreal Engine and Niantic’s newly announced Lightship platform, to help better bridge the gap between traditional 3D and new AR development.

Snapdragon Spaces also supports for the app portability with Unity AR and the platform is based on the Khronos OpenXR spec to support in further portability with the other platforms. To help encourage AR development, Qualcomm is also launching its Snapdragon Spaces Pathfinder Program to help find, promote and support, latest AR projects.

For naturally, Qualcomm’s wide range for existing partners, for the number of big names have already chimed in pledging support Snapdragon Spaces in some way. Lenovo claims that its Think-Reality A3 smart glasses will be the first AR glasses to support Snapdragon Spaces. Another the big names also planning to develop apps and devices by using the Snapdragon Spaces include T-Mobile, Xiaomi, Oppo, ViacomCBS, Motorola and more.

It is most important to remember that Qualcomm typically refrains for making actual user devices, so in the end, it will be up to device makers and app developers take advantage for all of Snapdragon Spaces’ different tools and features. But the big takeaway is that the company formerly also called Facebook and its Horizon platform, Microsoft’s Mesh platform and now Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces, no one wants to be left out of the push toward the metaverse. The questions remain how any of this stuff will work together and whether the metaverse as a concept is something real those people will actually want and participate in.