First XR Developer Network Hardware Session – Featuring Snap Inc

Before we closed last year, we hosted our very first ‘Hardware Session’ within the XR Developer Network community, and what a great start it was! This session, organized by SURF, featured Snap Inc., who showcased their latest Snap Spectacles—giving us an exclusive hands-on experience with the device, as the device just got released in the Netherlands the month after.

With around ~25 participants from ~15 different institutions, the session brought together a diverse crowd. We kicked things off with an in-depth presentation from the Snap team, providing valuable insights into the Spectacles’ capabilities and development environment. A special shout-out to Jesse McCulloch and his team for joining us and answering all of our questions!

Snap Spectacles – A developers Addition to the AR Landscape

It’s natural to draw comparisons between Snap Spectacles and other AR devices like the HoloLens 2 and Magic Leap 2 due to their transparent display. While I’ll leave the full specifications to Snap’s official website, in use, the device feels quite distinct from the others. Spectacles clearly position themselves as a developer-first device. The device feels and is way lighter, has a better fit than the others, but also feels like less weight is prioritized over robustness.

Some standout features include: A vibrant display with strong colors and contrast and the lack of rainbow artifacts seen in some other devices. However the field of view is a bit lower than the other devices. Also, no support for Unity or Unreal Engine is present, but an development environment called Lens Studio is provided, which seems to have some neat tricks like easy integration of AI models. For those interested in developing with Lens Studio from a Unity perspective, I highly recommend checking out Joost Schaik’s blog for a deeper dive.

More Than Just Tech – Building the XR Community

At the end of the day, these sessions aren’t just about testing out new hardware. They’re about connecting, collaborating, and pushing the boundaries of innovation within the XR space. It was great to see so many enthusiastic developers and researchers come together, and we’re excited to see how these new technologies can benefit education and research.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated, I think we had great session, explored many new and old use-cases, and learned a lot, thanks for that again! Stay tuned for the next session and feel free to request anything for a new session!

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