Niantic CEO shares a teaser for TechCrunch’s augmented reality glasses

Welcome. what is it then? Niantic augmented reality headset? More likely? Pokémon GO CEO John Hankey has rolled out a first-party wearable device as the company pushes augmented reality even more aggressively.

“It’s exciting to see the progress we’re making to enable new types of devices that improve our platform,” the CEO said in the accompanying text for the image of Niantic Temple’s bright orange glasses.

Niantic has been a fairly active investor in augmented reality devices, so they’ve probably paired a brand with a startup for a project, but this photo cryptocurrency definitely makes it look like it’s showing off a branded party device. the first. There’s also the possibility that this is a product in the smart glasses category that doesn’t include a screen but focuses on adding audio or camera functions to a pair of glasses. Niantic previously announced that it is working with Qualcomm to define the reference design for its XR platform.

We asked Niantic for additional comment.

In particular, the suspense announcement on Twitter also comes after Niantic announced the job of AR OS engineering chief.

“We are on an ambitious mission to transform the world into an augmented reality board that games and other applications can access,” the list says. “This future will be fully realized through head-mounted displays with augmented reality (HMDs). The engineering team at Niantic is looking for an inspiring leader to oversee the engineering direction to help build an AR OS for HMDs and enable apps for millions of Niantic players.”

The image is the center of a chain of activities for a one-time Google view. last week The company announced an AR title based on Pikmin, Another Nintendo collaboration after the hugely successful Pokémon title. Earlier this month, a proof-of-concept version of Pokémon GO running on Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 was revealed.

Niantic’s augmented reality platform has largely been kept secret as the company appears to be waiting for a moment when augmented reality is being developed more actively to make a big push. Part of this activity can ultimately be identified by an ecosystem of advanced augmented reality devices. With Apple and Facebook competing to launch their own devices, players like Niantic may have concerns that these early devices focus on first-party software initially, leaving fewer opportunities for the platform to go to third parties.