Alright, so let’s dive into this world of techy stuff where Google’s throwing out new goodies for their Android XR SDK, whatever that means. So, picture this—Google had this whole shindig called Google I/O, and bam! They unveiled a bunch of new updates. Honestly, it’s for people building apps for those futuristic headsets, so let’s get into it.
First off, there’s this thing with video. They’ve got it covered with fancy terms like 180° and 360° stereoscopic video playback using the MV-HEVC format. Yeah, I have no clue what half of that means, but basically, it’s gonna look cool. Especially if you love diving into immersive stuff—feels like a sci-fi movie scene, right?
Next, we’ve got Jetpack Compose for XR. Sounds like a weird mix of tech and flying. Anywho, it’s about making sure the UI looks good across different devices, not just your phone or tablet—like on headsets too. Imagine tapping the air and it’s supposed to work smoothly. Wild.
There’s something called hand-tracking in ARCore now. You can do stuff with your hands in the air! Who doesn’t want to feel like they’re living in the future? Developers get all these tools to make it happen, like the 26 posed joints. I think that means you can wave in a bunch of ways.
And material design—what even is that exactly? Supposedly, it’s expanding for XR. They throw around these terms that make things sound cooler than they are. But yeah, it’s about making apps look and work better on those headsets.
Now, big drama alert: most developers working on this don’t even have access to Android XR headsets! There’s all this tech, but unless you have Samsung’s Project Moohan or XREAL’s Project Aura, you’re stuck with Android XR Emulator. Like, c’mon, how many hoops must we jump through?
Oh, and guess what? Unity’s in the mix too. Big deal in game development—they’ve got this pre-release version that talks about things like Dynamic Refresh Rate and SpaceWarp. Honestly, sounds like a video game universe. I kind of zoned out here, but if you’re into making cool gaming experiences, this is your jam.
They also offer these Android XR Samples for Unity. Hand tracking, plane tracking, face tracking—I’m seeing a pattern. It’s all about tracking everything. Feels like they’re trying to read your mind, almost.
Anyway, Google’s plugging along with these Android XR smart glasses too. They’re like on-the-go assistants for your face. Pretty sure they’re trying to make them look like something you’d buy from a sunglasses store. Warby Parker and Gentle Monster are in on it, and they’ve got versions that can do basic tasks. I wonder if they’ll help you find your keys. Or maybe they just want to look fancy.
So, if you’ve got a spare minute—which I doubt—there’s more info lurking on the internet about the Android XR Developer Preview. But, hey, this is the gist. Dive into the tech rabbit hole if you dare.
