Qualcomm has announced its next-generation Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets. The new chip aims to enable more immersive extended reality (XR) experiences with significantly improved visual fidelity, AI capabilities, and power efficiency.
Key Details About the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2
According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 delivers up to 5x better AI performance and 2x better GPU rendering compared to the previous generation XR2 chip. Here are some of the key capabilities enabled by the new chip:
- Ultra-realistic graphics in XR with support for displays up to 4K resolution per eye at 90fps
- Native AI processing on the chip with an AI Engine that has 10 TOPS of performance
- Multi-camera concurrency allowing simultaneous use of up to 7 cameras on a headset
- 50% improved power efficiency over the prior generation
The improved processing power and efficiency offered by the XR2+ will enable much more visually complex XR environments. The chip can render fully immersive scenes with photorealistic lighting, shadows, reflections and support a high degree of interactivity.
For example, digital avatars in virtual spaces will be able to make and maintain seamless eye contact thanks to precise scene understanding and rendering. The onboard AI Engine can also perform complex tasks like body tracking without external sensors.
Partnerships with Samsung and Google for Next-Gen Headsets
Along with unveiling the new chip, Qualcomm also announced partnerships with Samsung and Google to use the Snapdragon XR2+ platform in their upcoming XR headsets.
Both companies are building wireless self-contained XR headsets powered by the new Qualcomm chip that will compete directly against devices like the rumored Apple Vision.
Revolutionary Leap Over Existing XR Devices
The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 represents a major generational leap over existing XR headsets. According to industry experts, it could lead consumer-grade devices closer to the visual fidelity seen in current high-end enterprise systems.
For example, the new chip can support displays with well over 4K resolution per eye. That is a 4-5x increase over current standalones like the Meta Quest Pro which use prior-gen mobile chips. Similarly, the AI Engine unlocks entirely new use cases like real-time full body and facial tracking.
Next Chapter in Qualcomm’s XR Platform Journey
The XR2+ launch represents the next chapter in Qualcomm’s XR platform journey which started over 5 years ago. The company has invested heavily in developing an end-to-end hardware and software platform for XR spanning silicon, algorithms, developer tools and more.
Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon stated the new chip is designed from the ground up to enable immersive platforms of the future:
“We made significant leaps in visual quality, supported by dedicated acceleration for graphics, video, vision and display processing. We added new features to enable photorealistic human representations in VR. The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 provides platform support across the spectrum of XR device segments.”
What’s Next: Ecosystem Momentum at CES 2023
The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 unveiling at CES 2023 promises to catalyze further ecosystem momentum for next-gen XR experiences.
Industry observers widely expect companies like Samsung, Google, Meta, HTC, and others to announce new Snapdragon-based headsets and smart glasses over 2023/2024. These devices could popularize more advanced use cases spanning entertainment, wellness, productivity, and enterprise.
If the new Qualcomm chip delivers on its promises in commercial products, it may represent an inflection point where XR finally goes mainstream beyond early tech enthusiasts.
With competitive solutions also incoming from Apple and others, the next couple of years are set to take immersive technologies into an entirely new generation. Buckle up for the ride to the metaverse of the future!
XR Industry Set for Explosive Growth
The timing for Qualcomm’s big XR chip launch aligns with an inflection point for the broader industry. XR headset shipments are forecasted to grow at a rapid compound rate over the coming years across both consumer and enterprise.
According to IDC, the worldwide AR/VR headset market is on pace to ship over 30M units in 2023, generating over $17B in spending. By 2027, they expect an annual shipments number approaching 100M as adoption accelerates.
Worldwide XR Headset Shipments
| Year | Shipments | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | ~15M | |
| 2023 | >30M | 100%+ |
| 2024 | ~50M | 66% |
| 2027 | ~100M | ~100% |
Numbers like these underline the massive market opportunity and help explain the platform investments players like Qualcomm, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and others are making in XR.
As the ecosystem matures in areas like content creation and enterprise use cases, it creates a positive feedback cycle driving further hardware sales and qualifications.
Closing the Visual Fidelity Gap on Reality
While the existing generation of XR headsets have enabled interesting consumer and enterprise applications, their visuals remain clearly distinguishable from reality.
This is due to technical limitations around display resolution, refresh rates, graphics rendering complexity, and other areas. As a result, the ability to immerse users in realistic simulated environments with believable digital humans remains limited.
The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 directly addresses these challenges with its performance improvements targeting lifelike visual fidelity across the board. Some examples:
- Display support goes from ~2K per eye to >4K, enabling retinal resolution
- Native AI capabilities for complex image processing tasks
- Real-time graphics performance doubling over prior generation
These generational advances start to close the visual fidelity gap considerably between XR and natural vision. While more progress is still needed for concepts like the “metaverse”, Qualcomm’s new offering provides a solid platform for ecosystem innovation through 2024.
Sufficiently realistic environments could finally support valuable use cases for VR/AR across areas like design, manufacturing, location simulation, virtual offices and more. This is great news for both consumers and enterprises exploring practical XR applications.
Battle for the Future of Spatial Computing
Stepping back, Qualcomm’s latest XR chip launch seems strategically targeted at competing platforms from the likes of Apple, Meta, Microsoft and others.
These tech giants are all investing heavily in ambitious augmented/virtual reality roadmaps. Their moves signal growing momentum around XR technology as the next major computing platform after mobile.
Qualcomm President Cristano Amon touched on this race towards emerging experience mediums:
“We are approaching the intersection where the digital and physical worlds meet and the opportunities to improve lives through immersive and boundless XR are endless”
As the pioneer of mobile hardware, Qualcomm clearly wants to lead the platform transition towards spatial/immersive computing as well. Its Snapdragon roadmap for XR aims to pair with multiple device maker partners to bring the visual powerhouse XR2+ chip to future headsets.
However, tech juggernauts like Apple, Meta and Microsoft won’t cede this market easily given its massive disruptive potential. The race is on to define the foundational building blocks powering the next generation of immersive interfaces.
Final Thoughts
The unveiling of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip marks a milestone in bringing highly realistic and performant XR experiences closer to mainstream consumers. Its impressive specs combined with ecosystem partnerships point towards a wave of capable AR/VR headsets through 2024 and beyond.
However, continued progress across the rest of the XR stack around content, cloud infrastructure and enterprise use cases remains vital to finally cement these technologies as the disruptive platforms many anticipate.
If the partnerships with Samsung, Google and likely others manifest into shipping products, Qualcomm seems ready to enable this generation’s “iPhone moment” for immersive headsets. Let’s see if the ambitious promises convert into tangible market momentum and metaverse strides over the next 2 years!
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
