Magic Leap, the secretive startup behind the Magic Leap One augmented reality (AR) glasses, is opening its once-mysterious doors in a big way.
The company has launched a Technical Preview of its Creator Portal and SDK for developers. The launch comes as the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2018 kicks off in San Francisco.
From the Creator Portal, developers can access various tools and resources so they can start crafting the content that consumers will use on Magic Leap One.
It's still early days, so don't expect everything to be working perfectly, and there are likely plenty of bugs, but this is a major step in the AR glasses' journey to becoming a real product.
As you might recall, the Creator Edition of the glasses were revealed earlier this year. The device is similar to Microsoft's HoloLens in that it has lenses you look through to see digitally rendered visuals, though Magic Leap One is portable thanks to a computing pack you wear.
Magic Leap also announced that developers can download Technical Preview builds of Unreal Engine 4 and Unity, allowing those familiar with the platforms to begin tinkering with spatial computing experiences for the glasses.
"We've said previously that if our technology was a rocket ship, it'd be sitting on the launchpad," Magic Leap said in a blog post. "We think of today as welcoming new astronauts on our mission to Mars."
With the Creators Portal and SDK, app and game makers can begin creating the content that Magic Leap One will need to succeed. One of the hindrances on AR and VR is compelling content; why shell out several hundred dollars/pounds for a device with nothing to play?
By bringing developers on board, Magic Leap is ensuring there will be some content when the Creators Edition launches later this year. That's good, but there's also the issue of Magic Leap One's price, which company CEO Rony Abovitz said could be as much as a high-end smartphone.
We're on the ground at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco this week covering the latest in gaming, from mobile and consoles to VR headsets. Catch up on all the latest from GDC 2018 so far!
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