Owlchemy Labs Studio, owned by Google, introduces an experimental application called “Spectator”. This application was developed using the ARCore Framework for Android and allows you to track a VR headset user in the virtual world via a smartphone.
One of the biggest weaknesses of virtual reality is that it is an isolated technology. In the virtual world, the user is separated from the real world. In fact, VR video games are much less user-friendly than traditional console or PC video games.
However, Google’s Owlchemy Labs studio, which is responsible for the Job Simulator game, has found a solution to this problem. The development team has just introduced an experimental augmented reality application for smartphones, the “Spectator”, created with the Google ARCore framework.
Google Spectator: an experimental AR application from Owlchemy Labs.
With this application, you can track a VR headset user in the virtual world from the screen of a smartphone or Android tablet. The application allows you to see what the user is doing in the VR and even interact with the virtual environment. So it would be possible to develop multiplayer “cross-platform” games for VR headphones and smartphones. The smartphone user can even take photos.
However, this application is still in the concept phase. As Owlchemy explains in its blog, there are many challenges that remain. The smartphone must be connected to the PC with the VR headset connected, which consumes significant resources for video encoding and playback. The smartphone must also run ARCore during video decoding. In addition, the encoding and decoding process results in significant latency.
However, Owlchemy Labs is committed to overcoming these barriers. There are no plans for a market launch yet. As a reminder, the studio’s new VR game, the Vacation Simulator, is expected to be released at the end of 2018.