Hands-on: Snap Spectacles 5 AR glasses gave me a glimpse of the future
Snap Inc, the company behind the popular messaging app Snapchat, recently unveiled the 5th generation of its augmented reality headset Spectacles. I had the exclusive opportunity to test the device in Hamburg before the official European release. Here are my impressions.
Until now, the AR glasses have only been available to developers in the US. However, Snap announced that the latest version of its technological marvel will soon be available in Europe — but only for developers and creative professionals for the time being. I was invited by Snap Inc. to test the Spectacles 5.
Impressive display and intuitive controls
The first thing you notice when you put on Spectacles 5 is the ultra-bright 2000 nits clear display. Thanks to the electrochromatic lenses, which can be darkened via the menu automatically, the headset can also be used outdoors in bright daylight — a really impressive feature!
Spectacles 5 may be compact, but the AR glasses are not yet ready for everyday use. | Bild: Christian Steiner
Although the colors and resolution are far from perfect, the glasses already offer probably the best AR display available for the money.
Operation is entirely via precise hand tracking and gestures, which works surprisingly well after a short period of familiarization. The technology only reaches its limits in fast-paced rhythm games.
Two cameras in the front control all 6-DOF tracking and detect your surroundings. Two invisible infrared cameras on the bottom of the headset can also detect hands outside the central field of view. This feature is ingenious and will become the gold standard for everyday devices.
By the way, Snap offers spectacle wearers the option to insert their own prescription clip inserts into the inside of the Spectacles. However, I have also seen people pull the Spectacles over their own glasses if they were small enough. I don't know if and how much this can cause scratches.
Narrow field of view hardly a problem in practice
At 46° diagonal, the field of view is a bit narrow, but in practice this is less of a problem than expected.
When you look at content that fills the field of view, such as a 3D object very close to your head, it does not fit completely on the screen. And there are unsightly hard edges at the edge of the real world. After all, our eyes have a much larger field of view than these few degrees.
However, since the display is very close to the eye, the small field of view is less noticeable. Bursting soap bubbles, spilling neon finger paint across the room — it all works beautifully. You are so focused on the content and interacting with it that you forget about the small displays.
And only sometimes, when you are looking for a 3D object floating in the room, or when the menu of an application does not quite fit into the field of view, does this technical limitation get in the way.
Fascinating AR multiplayer
I was particularly impressed by the multiplayer capabilities of Spectacles 5. Thanks to intelligent room detection and synchronization, multiple glasses wearers in the same room can quickly experience and interact with AR content together.
The smart glasses continuously scan the environment and send spatial anchors to the Snap Cloud, a system that Snap says protects user privacy. The information is recorded as abstract point clouds that can only be interpreted by the Snap server. No one else has access.
I can make a virtual dog appear in the Spectacles 5 by voice command. | Bild: Christian Steiner
When multiple Spectacles are in the vicinity, they compare their spatial anchor points via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. If they match, a dialog appears and the devices can be connected with a single click. Once paired, all users share the same virtual space.
In the "Imagen Together" app, I can create 3D models in seconds using voice commands. "Imagine a cute puppy" and a cute virtual dog appears in the scene. "Image a Beach Ball" materializes a beach ball that I can play with other users. Creating 3D objects with a simple voice command is as impressive as it is fun.
My hands-on summary of the Snap Spectacles 5
Spectacles 5 is currently aimed exclusively at developers and creators who want to build 3D apps for future AR glasses now. The glasses are available for €110 per month, including developer software, support, and access to an exclusive community.
Despite some technical limitations, Spectacles 5 are already setting standards in terms of display, usability and multiplayer features. Snap is showing a lot of courage with the latest generation of their glasses and taking big steps to pave the way for the breakthrough of AR glasses in everyday life. I am excited to see what developers will do with the possibilities.
The Snap Spectacles 5 can now be rented by developers in Europe for €110 per month. Private users will have to wait until the technology is fully developed, and enough applications are available.
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