

Google, Inc. backed augmented reality startup Magic Leap, Inc. is set to open up its platform for external developers.
The company announced at the MIT Technology Review’s EmTech Digital conference Tuesday that it wants game developers, filmmakers, and other media creators to build augmented reality experiences using its software development kit (SDK.)
Magic Leap added that the SDK would be coming soon, and in a surprising, yet positive step in terms of what it means in terms of games that could come to the platform, added that the SDK will provide support for both the Unreal and Unity game engines.
Magic Leap has been considered by many to be a “mystery” company as it has flown under the radar for much of its existence, until it first released a demo of its technology back in March, which we described at the time as “breathtaking.”
The company has taken a unique path with its augmented reality setup, using a photonics light field chip which projects 3D images directly on people’s eyes, superimposing those images over what the user would actually see in the real world.
The technology is said to be designed to deliver high-quality, stereoscopic vision, tricking the eye into thinking that the augmented reality image is in 3D. The advantage delivered is that unlike traditional augmented reality the images appear real to the user as they have seeable depth.
Magic Leap describes the benefits to developers as follows:
Using our Dynamic Digitized Lightfield Signal™, imagine being able to generate images indistinguishable from real objects and then being able to place those images seamlessly into the real world…Imagine you being one of the first to help transform the world forever. For the time being, we’re being a little tight-lipped in what we’re communicating publicly, but under the appropriate non-disclosures, we’d love to talk possibilities.
The augmented reality and virtual reality spaces are, in many ways, variations on a theme, with former overlaying items on actual reality, and the other creating an alternative reality. That line though is starting to blur, and with support for the Unreal and Unity game engines, Magic Leap’s product offering could well end up being both.
Although there’s still no time line on when Magic Leap might be coming to market, they won’t run out of money in the meantime; the company has raised $542 million over two rounds from investors including Obvious Ventures, Legendary Entertainment, Qualcomm Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Google.
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