Qualcomm has confirmed it is collaborating with three companies in developing smart glasses that would be powered by its Snapdragon chipsets. The chipmaker also published a reference design of what it refers to as the ‘Wireless AR Smart Viewer Reference Design’ which it said runs on the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset and features a pair of 90Hz FHD micro-OLED displays.
As Notebookcheck reported, there is going to be head-tracking software at work which Qualcomm explained will allow for an immersive viewing experience that would ‘unlock the metaverse’. Another highlight of the reference design is that the product is envisaged to be fully wireless, relying on Wi-Fi 6E and the FastConnect 6900 system to connect to the base smartphone. This way, the smartphone would be taking care of some processing work along with rendering for the glasses.
The highlight of the AR glasses proposed by Qualcomm is that they are lightweight and a lot more ergonomic than most of the headsets currently available or are in the making. The chipmaker achieved the same by segregating the processing task from the headset and letting a smartphone do the same. AR headset manufacturers can adopt the same design by opting for Snapdragon chips that will let a compatible smartphone handle the processing work wirelessly.
The obvious advantage to this approach is that the AR glasses turn out to be less bulky and hence a lot more lightweight. However, users will be left to choose from largely flagship smartphones that is compatible with the FastConnect 6900 system. The company also stated they are expecting Microsoft to launch a similar lightweight AR headset in the near future that would be based on Snapdragon chips.
However, while such a design approach is great as it makes AR glasses a lot more agile and portable, there still can be issues with the battery life. As Qualcomm estimated, the 650mAh battery that the AR glasses come with can be expected to last just 30 mins when used continuously. Sure companies will have to find a way to make the AR Glasses to last a bit longer.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in the world of technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles as well, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. Motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot and maybe I’ll make a film sometime in the future.