Magic Leap's ultra-hyped AR headset is finally available
After many years of hype around a product that was unseen, Magic Leap opened the curtain to unveil the Magic Leap One last month.
Today, the Magic Leap One Creator Edition goes on sale for $2,295. But this is still far from a consumer release — the pricey kit is aimed at developers who want to make content for the new platform.
The system includes the company's Lightwear augmented-reality headset, a tiny Lightpack computer, and a controller. While anyone can order one, the price will likely limit it to early adopters, and it's only available to ship to certain cities, since the deal includes a hand delivery and a personal setup.
Right now the apps for it are limited and aren't on the same par as a giant whale jumping out of a gym floor (an early graphical tease from the company). There are only a few games currently out, though more should come as developers get their hands on the system. Magic Leap has a big vision for the future of spatial computing (AKA mixed reality).
While developers can get one now, the bigger question is: When will the consumer version launch, and how much will it cost?
That's still unclear, but it will likely have a similar design with a headset that looks like high-tech swimming googles. It is impressive that the computer can fit in such a compact puck, which you clip onto your bag or jacket. From the look of it, Magic Leap's untethered experience doesn't seem half bad, but I'm still skeptical of the quality as I haven't had the chance to try it yet.
The promise of Magic Leap heavily depends on developers who can grow the platform and release more apps and content for it. It will likely be an uphill battle with heavy competition from Microsoft's HoloLens. At the same time, Apple and Google are pushing their own AR experiences with SDKs and hardware features like the iPhone X's TrueDepth camera. That said, Magic Leap has plenty of capital behind it, and in July AT&T signed up to be the exclusive retailer of the headset.
We look forward to seeing what developers and early adopters make for the Magic Leap.
Topics Augmented Reality Virtual Reality
