Market Reality: Snap & Epic Games Acquisitions, Nreal v. Epic Games, AR on Oculus Quest, & HoloLens at the Olympics

It's already been a banner year for mergers and acquisitions in the augmented reality industry, with WaveOptics and Ubiquity6 among the notable companies acquired. Two of the more active M&A players, Snap and Epic Games, continued their respective buying sprees this week with major deals supporting their AR strategies. Speaking of Epic Games,...

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Facebook Finally Opens Oculus Quest Passthrough Feature to Developers, Making the VR Device an AR Playground

Facebook Reality Labs chief Andrew "Boz" Bosworth does a lot of hinting and teasing of what's coming next at Oculus, often with only a vague timeline on the horizon. However, on Friday, Boz finally delivered on a big tease he last highlighted back in April, and it has everything to do with augmented reality on the Oculus Quest. • Don't Miss: Facebook...

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This Is How Japanese Wireless Giant Docomo Is Using the HoloLens 2 to Add AR to the Olympics

On Friday, the Tokyo Olympics finally kicked off after massive delays and complications due to the pandemic. Part of the opening ceremonies included an Intel-powered drone show that put a virtual globe in the sky, but this weekend a different kind of virtual object innovation will be in play at the games thanks to augmented reality. • Don't Miss:...

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BMW Releases Art Car Series of Famed Artists, Including Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol, in Augmented Reality

One app is continuing to make a name for itself as the go-to platform for celebrity art that transcends canvas and paint and moves in augmented reality. The Acute Art app's latest example of this comes from the likes of BMW and its stable of fine artists who have spent decades transforming the luxury car maker's vehicles into works of art. • Don't...

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Snap Adds Upper Garment Segmentation, Multiple Object Detection, & More with Lens Studio 4.1

After adding full-body tracking and 3D body mesh in its past two Lens Studio updates, Snap continues to supply creators, particularly apparel retailers, with tools for creating clothing-centric AR experiences. Arriving via Wednesday's release of Lens Studio 4.1, the Upper Garment Segmentation template enables users to create the ability to project...

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Epic Games Builds on Metaverse Foundation with Sketchfab Acquisition

Already among the leaders in AR development tools via its Unreal Engine, Epic Games has added another tanky weapon to its arsenal. On Wednesday, the company announced its acquisition of Sketchfab, itself one of the leading repositories of 3D content for AR and VR experiences. Don't Miss: Unreal Engine Maker Epic Games Lands $1.25 Billion Investment...

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Nreal Fires Back Legal Countersuit at Epic Games Over Naming Dispute

The legal battle between Epic Games and augmented reality startup Nreal isn't cooling off anytime soon. In a new twist, the Chinese startup, while defending itself against Epic's lawsuit, has decided to file its own lawsuit against the games and software platform maker. • Don't Miss: Epic Games Restarts Lawsuit vs. Nreal as Settlement Talks Collapse...

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Snap Continues AR Buying Spree with Vertebrae Acquisition

Snapchat parent company Snap has opened up its war chest to acquire yet another company that will play a role in its augmented reality ecosystem. This week, Snap confirmed its acquisition of Vertebrae, an AR and 3D e-commerce startup with offices in Los Angeles and Austin, for an undisclosed amount. Don't Miss: What Snap's Voca.ai Acquisition...

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Snap Spectacles Used to Turn Spoken Word Poetry into an Augmented Reality Experience

From the front lines of mainstreaming augmented reality smartglasses comes the latest update from Snap and its Spectacles wearable. This time the demonstration of the device's powers comes from a more creative arts perspective. • Don't Miss: AR Snapshots — Dive into Shark Week with These Snapchat AR Lenses New York-based poet and computer programmer...

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USA Today Showcases New Summer Olympics Sports with Augmented Reality

After a postponement of the Summer Olympics for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokyo is set to host the games this summer, despite a surge in cases in the city. Nonetheless, the games seem set to go on, and USA Today has published two AR experiences highlighting two new sports, skateboarding and sports climbing, making their Olympics debut....

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