We’ve used the Magic Leap One a good bit here at UploadVR (you can read Senior Editor Ian Hamilton’s thoughts about it here) even across various new demos, like Angry Birds and Seedling, but everything we’ve tried and seen on the AR device has always been single user. Or in other words, not multiplayer at all. Until now.
Today, at LEAP Con, Magic Leap showed off their upcoming social AR application called Avatar Chat. The app is expected to release this December and according to the roadmap they showed on-screen during the conference, detailed avatar customization is coming soon as well.
Since Magic Leap is an AR headset, social features are a bit different than they are in something like a VR headset. You can still see the real world around you, so it’s not complete immersion in a digital space. Instead, the app will display a floating avatar of whoever you’re talking to that mirrors their movements.
For example, if your friend waves their hand in real-life, then their avatar will mime that to you in your mixed reality space. The glasses themselves can see your eyes and mirror your eye movement to your friend so that’s what your avatar does.
It’s all really ambitious and impressive in theory, but like anything in the technology world (especially from Magic Leap, to be honest) it’s better to stay skeptical until we try things for ourselves, but it does sound interesting.
Let us know what you think down in the comments below!
