Despite being embroiled in controversy which recently tanked their stock price, technology supergiant Facebook continues to innovate. In another move seemingly designed to put Snapchat in the grave, they've recently added augmented reality games to their video chat feature.
Nearly two years ago, Facebook-owned Instagram released their "Stories" feature - a 24 hour temporary photo and video feed for users to post the more "disposable" parts of their day. Essentially copying one of the main differentiating factors between Snapchat and Instagram, many people began to ask themselves why they needed to use both apps.
Facebook recently integrated a similar feature into their own platform as well. And now, with the addition of augmented reality games and effects, they seem to be continuing to push the narrative of: who needs Snapchat?
The new features are simple enough: a few games and effects that use augmented reality overlays to make video chats more interesting. Hats, animal noses, and cartoon-like icons all serve to help users make their conversations more interesting.
One interesting addition to their augmented reality repertoire are the two games that Facebook has added. One of them is Asteroids Attack - a game that requires users to maneuver a spaceship around space debris with their nose.
The second one is called Don't Smile - a take on the timeless "staring contest" where two people stare maintain eye contact until one of them looks away.
Whether or not these games will increase time spent in Facebook's ecosystem - the platform's ultimate goal - remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure: if increasing engagement on the site can be achieved with augmented reality features and games, then it's likely that we'll see this new technology becoming mainstream sooner rather than later.
What do you think about Facebook's new augmented reality games? Let us know in a comment!
IMPORTANT NEWS: Lucyd Update August 6th
Hello Lucyd community! Thanks for your interest and support. We have a lot of exciting developments in the works for 2018 and beyond.
The Lucyd eShop opened last week. This will be our sales platform for all Lucyd products. We have launched with four main lines of frames, international shipping, a variety of Rx and plano lens options, and more. The first four lines are Lucyd Loud, a Bluetooth "soundglass" that enables handsfree music and voice assistant; Turboflex, a line of durable, flexible frames; Di Valdi, cutting-edge Italian designer frames, and Lucyd
Looks, basic frames with a unique understated style.
In addition to our in-house development of Lucyd Lens and Loud, we are continually researching the best tech and fashion forward glasses worldwide, to make them available on the eShop. We are also making ongoing improvements to the UX of the eShop, so please give us a few weeks as we polish the mobile and desktop experience.
- Some of you may be surprised by our decision to launch an eShop, because this is a new development not outlined in our roadmap. But we realized it was needed to allow for the proper customization of our hardware to address the visual requirements of our customers, and the concept of an eShop for tech glasses was born. It has already become one of the only places in the world to purchase Bluetooth glasses with prescription lenses, and likely the only one to deliver in a timely fashion. It is also the first online store in the world for purchasing prescription eyeglasses using crypto as well as fiat currency.
- The LCD token. Many of you are wondering when LCD will come into play. We are currently developing a wearable app for LCD to enable its use with both Lucyd Lens and Loud. We are also developing integration into the eShop for a rewards program, and redemption for hardware and software. We expect to have these utilities in the next 6–7 months.
- Lucyd Loud, the Bluetooth soundglass, is still a beta product. We plan to make several enhancements to both the style and technology in this product over the next year.
- Lucyd Lens, the visual AR smartglass, is expected to enter beta on time in Q1 2019. It will be released via the eShop.
- We are also developing an app called LINK to improve the usability of smartglasses for common smartphone tasks, with a focus on messaging, navigation, social and search.
- The LCD token portal at lcd.lucyd.co is temporarily down. It will be back up shortly with an access link in the footer of the eShop.
That's all for now! Stay tuned for more updates, and upgrade your eyewear now at lucyd.co!