Technologies

Qualcomm’s New AR Chips Point to a New Generation of Smart Glasses

The less power-hungry chips support Wi-Fi 7 and eye tracking. They’re expected to arrive in glasses between 2023 and 2025.

Amid a recent uptick in VR headsets, Qualcomm’s latest chip announcement hints that the next product wave could be AR glasses. At the company’s recent chip-focused event, the newest Snapdragon phone processors were announced, along with a brand-new line of AR glasses-optimized chips that point to a next wave of advanced smartglasses expected to arrive between 2023 and 2025, with possible features including eye tracking, hand tracking and wireless streaming to phones or from the cloud.

The Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 is a different type of platform than the company’s top-end XR2 processor, which is already in standalone VR headsets like the Meta Quest 2 and Pico 4. The AR2 focuses more on camera and sensor-based processing than on graphics, aiming to improve battery life on smaller glasses. The design is split into three co-processors, which are meant to live in each arm of a pair of smartglasses and also above the bridge. It’s meant to cut down on wires and reduce overheating on future glasses designs.

Glasses using the AR2 Gen 1 may be a lot faster at using cameras for scanning and depth sensing: Qualcomm is promising faster AI for things like object recognition and hand tracking than even the XR2 chip found on headsets such as the Quest 2, but using half as much power as the XR2 chip. There’s nowhere to hide a big battery on a normal-ish pair of glasses, which is why the AR2 Gen 1 aims to be efficient in ways that are reminiscent of the needs of wearables like smartwatches.

The AR2 Gen 1 chip won’t be used for traditional VR headsets. According to Qualcomm, the resolution and field of view in AR glasses using these new chips won’t be as good as what current VR is capable of. Existing AR glasses and headsets tend to have smaller viewing areas and rely on occasional pop-up graphics, versus the expansive full-field graphics and displays VR needs.

Qualcomm is leaning heavily on phones, computers and the cloud to do a lot of the heavy lifting for these future glasses. The chipset includes Wi-Fi 7, and a range of phones running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips and the Snapdragon Spaces software platform could be used to wirelessly process AR graphics for these glasses. Essentially they’re wearable peripherals, although the glasses could do some things on their own, too.

Eye tracking on the glasses comes with support for iris authentication, which is handled on-glasses with a dedicated security chip. How that gets used by other manufacturers, however, remains to be seen.

Qualcomm’s already announced a wave of familiar tech names that are onboard to make AR glasses with the AR2 chip, including Lenovo, LG, Niantic, NReal, Oppo, Pico, NTT Qonoq, Rokid, Sharp, TCL, Vuzix and Mi. Microsoft and Adobe are also working on making their software platforms cross-compatible, which mirrors recent partnership news with Meta earlier this year.

Partnerships are necessary, especially for devices like smart glasses that are trying to be useful tools in a world of already well-connected phones, computers, wearables and smart home gear. Microsoft has already announced a partnership with Qualcomm on future AR glasses chips earlier this year, and the AR2 Gen 1 looks like it’ll be a part of that evolution beyond the expensive, business-focused HoloLens 2.

Qualcomm previously worked on chips for existing AR headsets and smart glasses, including the NReal Light, Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3 and Meta’s Ray-Ban Stories. However, Qualcomm’s head of XR, Hugo Swart, indicated in a briefing with reporters that current efforts haven’t been good enough at running long enough on a single battery charge to be useful. (Battery life on nearly all existing VR and AR headsets tends to be under 2 hours at best.)

Dreams of the metaverse are, for the moment, held back equally by hardware and software. While VR headsets are slowly adding AR-like features using passthrough cameras, like in the Meta Quest Pro, there aren’t any all-day AR glasses that are actually any good, although some headsets like the Magic Leap 2 are trying to get closer to being useful for practical business uses. Perhaps Meta, which has been promising its own AR glasses for years, will lean on the AR2 Gen 1 as well for a future product.

There’s nothing available yet that resembles the eyeglass tech sci-fi writers have been dreaming of for decades. Qualcomm’s new chips may not lead to perfect AR glasses, but these chips may lead to improved, wireless glasses of the type that haven’t existed previously. Maybe this wave of AR2 Gen 1-enabled glasses could be the start of the true AR eyewear we’ve been waiting for.

Technologies

We Played Nintendo Switch 2: Mario, Donkey Kong, Mouse, Camera and a Lot More

Technologies

Nintendo Switch 2: Every Reveal About the Console, New Games, Price, Release Date

The $450 console launches June 5, with Mario Kart World the highlight of its launch day game lineup.

The Nintendo Switch 2 console’s biggest reveal yet arrived Wednesday as part of the company’s latest Nintendo Direct event. This teed up a day of Switch 2 reveals that include its June 5 release date, a $450 price, its specs and its initial game lineup that extends from launch into 2026.

The console will be further buoyed by having Mario Kart World as a launch title, which will go on sale in either a $500 bundle with the Switch 2 or on its own for $80 — making the open-world racing game one of Nintendo’s most expensive yet. Other games announced, such as Donkey Kong Bananza, are being priced around $70, which matches the cost of 2023’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That Zelda game and Breath of the Wild are among the original Switch titles that will get enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, a premium upgrade allowing players to get new features, modes and graphical enhancements that take advantage of the newer system’s capabilities.

Here are the top highlights from Nintendo’s console event, all of the games we’ve heard about so far (including new titles, Nintendo Switch 2 Editions and GameCube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online) and all of our coverage so far. You can also check out our Nintendo Switch 2 live blog for even more updates about the Switch 2 as we learn them.

Nintendo Switch 2 console

The Nintendo Switch 2’s specs saw a noticeable technical bump over the Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch, 1080p resolution LCD that supports a 120Hz refresh rate — matching what we now see on most Android phones. When the Switch 2 is docked, compatible games can run in 4K resolution. The new dock also includes a cooling fan.

The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, and the new Switch 2 Game Cards will load games faster. For digital libraries, however, the Switch 2 will only work with microSD Express cards, which are different from the microSD cards that are compatible with the prior Nintendo Switch. Nintendo will have a Software Transfer feature available to help move games and data from the original Switch to the Switch 2.

The new Joy-Con for the controllers will support mouse controls, and a new C button will be part of a new GameChat communication feature that allows both voice and video chat. There’s also a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing players to see each other.

The Switch 2 also adds a second USB-C port to the top of the system, which Nintendo says can help connect its new camera accessory or charge the console when playing in tabletop mode. Nintendo also revealed a new Switch 2 Pro Controller with the C button and customizable GL and GR buttons on the back.

Following the presentation, Nintendo unveiled the system’s price of $450 in the US. It will also sell the Switch 2 bundled with a digital version of Mario Kart World for $500.

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World removes its traditional boundaries and lets drivers roam freely across an entire world of race courses. The game will get its own Nintendo Direct later this month, where we’ll see additional details, but we already know it’ll include traditional races and a Free Roam mode, much like in the Forza Horizon series.

Getting the game bundled for an extra $50 on the cost of the Switch 2 might be the move if you are interested in the game, because Nintendo announced on its website that standalone copies of Mario Kart World will cost $80.

Joy-Con 2 C button and GameChat

Nintendo’s rolling out its new C button across several new Switch 2 controllers. The button will be used for the new GameChat communication features without a headset. The button will be used alongside a microphone on the console itself, which Nintendo says can be used whether it’s docked to a TV or in handheld mode.

In its teaser video, Nintendo promises the microphone will be able to cancel out loud background noises. GameChat will also work with a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing video chat and various camera-based game modes in supported titles. GameChat will be free at launch through March 31, 2026.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games upgrade titles

The Nintendo Switch 2 will play three types of games: original Switch games, Switch 2 games and Switch 2 Edition games that will receive substantial enhancements. For many of these Switch 2 Edition games, you’ll need to buy an upgrade pack if you own the original for Switch. Many of them will get more than just enhanced graphics in the upgrade; for example, Super Mario Party Jamboree will get new games that support the new Joy-Cons’ mouse controls, audio recognition and video camera gameplay options through the Switch 2 Camera.

Other Nintendo Switch games that are getting Switch 2 Edition options include The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Enhancements vary: The Zelda games will start working with a companion phone app for maps and sending schematics to friends, while Kirby will get a new story that’s exclusive to the Switch 2 Edition. On the third-party side, Civilization 7 will get mouse controls.

Nintendo did not announce what upgrade packs will cost. However, some Switch games will get free updates that will improve performance or enhance features when playing them on the Switch 2. The Switch games getting these updates include:

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a new game set in the world of Zelda that tells the story that leads into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This appears to be similar to how Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity told the story of a war that led to the events of Breath of the Wild. The teaser shows Zelda discovering that she’s arrived in the past of Hyrule, and the game will expand on how she gets involved in the corresponding Imprisonment War.

Nintendo Switch 2 games

Several other first- and third-party games were spotlighted during the Switch 2 Direct. These include Donkey Bananza, one of the first 3D platforming games featuring DK since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64. Kirby will also return to the racing genre in Kirby Air Riders, which comes more than 20 years after the GameCube racer Kirby’s Air Ride. DragXDrive will use mouse controls to control a futuristic wheelchair basketball game in which players will simulate push and pull motions to control their character.

An onslaught of Switch 2 third-party games were quickly shuffled through during the Direct, which I list below. An unnamed James Bond game is in development at Hitman studio IO Interactive, as is a darker title from Elden Ring creator FromSoftware called The Duskbloods, which will be exclusive to the Switch 2.

The full list of announced Nintendo Switch 2 games includes:

Borderlands 4
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
Deltarune
Donkey Kong Bananza
Drag x Drive
EA Sports FC
EA Sports Madden NFL
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition
Enter the Gungeon 2
Fast Fusion
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Fortnite
Hades 2
Hitman World of Assassination — Signature Edition
Hogwarts Legacy
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Kirby Air Riders
Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Star-Crossed World
Kunitsu-Gai: Path of the Goddess
Mario Kart World
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
NBA 2K
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
Pokemon Legends: Z-A — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Project 007
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Split Fiction
Star Wars Outlaws
Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions
Street Fighter 6
Super Mario Party Jamboree — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Jamboree TV
Survival Kids
The Duskbloods
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4
WWE 2K
Yakuza 0 Definitive Edition

Among these titles, you can see the full list of June 5 Switch 2 launch day games here.

Nintendo GameCube library coming to Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch Online game library will add GameCube games to the Switch 2. On launch day, these games will initially include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, SoulCalibur 2 and F-Zero GX, with each game getting enhanced graphics. Online multiplayer will also be added to certain titles. Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Strikers and Luigi’s Mansion are among the games set to arrive later. At launch, Nintendo will also sell a GameCube controller, which will be wireless and include a C button for GameChat.