Niantic Hints at Potential AR Headset Development

Speculation is mounting regarding a possible augmented reality (AR) headset developed by Niantic, the company behind Pokémon GO. CEO John Hanke recently shared a suggestive image, hinting at a first-party head-mounted wearable.

Teasing a New Device

Hanke noted the progress being made in enabling new devices that utilize the Niantic platform. The accompanying image featured the Niantic logo prominently displayed on the temples of a pair of eyeglasses, colored in a vibrant orange.

Niantic has actively invested in AR hardware, raising the possibility of a branding collaboration with a startup. However, the cropped image strongly suggests the showcasing of a device bearing Niantic’s own branding.

Potential Features and Qualcomm Partnership

The device could fall into the “smart glasses” category, prioritizing audio or camera functionality over a full display. Niantic has previously collaborated with Qualcomm to establish a reference design for their extended reality (XR) hardware platform.

Requests for further clarification have been directed to Niantic.

Job Listing Signals AR Focus

This teaser coincides with Niantic’s announcement of a job opening for a Head of AR OS Engineering.

The job description outlines an ambitious goal: transforming the world into an AR canvas for games and applications. It specifically mentions the development of an AR operating system for head-mounted displays (HMDs) to support millions of Niantic players.

Recent AR Developments

The image release follows a series of recent announcements from Niantic. Last week, the company unveiled an AR title based on Pikmin, a new collaboration with Nintendo. Earlier this month, a proof-of-concept version of Pokémon GO was demonstrated running on Microsoft’s HoloLens 2.

Strategic Positioning in a Competitive Market

Niantic’s AR platform has largely remained undisclosed as the company awaits a more opportune moment for a significant push into augmented reality. The development of a broader AR hardware ecosystem is likely a key factor in this strategy.

With companies like Apple and Facebook vying to release their own AR devices, Niantic may be concerned that initial focus will be on first-party software, potentially limiting platform opportunities for third-party developers.