Snap's AR Spectacles get even smarter and partner with Pokémon Go developer Niantic

Snap has long had lofty ambitions for its augmented reality Spectacles, having moved them from passive, video-capturing glasses to AR eyewear in 2021. Now it has announced a new generation and they are smarter than ever.

That's largely thanks to new hardware features, but also to partnerships with some of the biggest AR developers around today. For example, the studio behind Pokémon Go, Niantic, has been confirmed as a launch partner with two projects – Peridot, a virtual pet game, and Scaniverse 4, a way to see the world through user-taken 3D pictures.

Other partners include Lego and ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) Immersive, which is set to bring a Star Wars game to the platform.

As for the fifth-gen smart glasses themselves, they were announced at the latest Snap Summit yesterday and come with their own, proprietary operating system. They naturally connect to Snapchat, enabling users to interact with shared Lenses, while generative AI is available for web use and asset creation.

You can also watch spatial video on the new Spectacles, much like on Apple Vision Pro.

The smart glasses sport cameras and sensors in the frame, capable of 6DoF tracking, plus a 46-degree field of view, 37 pixel per degree stereo waveguide display. This is see-through, so AR elements are placed into real-world scenarios.

There are stereo speakers in the arms, with a six microphone array for audio input. The Spectacles are capable of full hand tracking and voice recognition, with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth connectivity on board.

Battery life is claimed to be up to 45 minutes of continuous runtime.

It all sounds great but there is a catch – the Snap Spectacles 5 are limited to developers at present. You have to join the Spectacles Developer Program to receive a pair and that comes with a subscription fee.

You will have to commit to 12-months at $99 (plus tax) per month. They are also only available through Lens Studio, so you'll also have to download that to Mac or PC first.

Still, things certainly look to be heading in the right direction for AR and XR/VR headsets and glasses. We just need them to start getting even smaller too.