[pdnell]

HoloKit, originally a Google Cardboard-like AR device for the iPhone, has been relaunched as a more premium $150 iPhone accessory. Unfortunately no SDK available anymore (for now at least).

Looks interesting. Has anyone here tried it?

[bee_rider]

How could there be no SDK? Do they expect people to pay $150 for the handful of apps they’ve written?

[thinkling]

> HoloKit, originally a Google Cardboard-like AR device for the iPhone, has been relaunched

Is it more than a premium version of Google Cardboard? I can't tell. The "Technical Specs" mention "optical lenses" but otherwise mention no hardware details--well, other than the bring-your-own items (iPhone, Airpods, Apple Watch)...

[dagmx]

Yea it’s quite different than the cardboard.

The cardboard is a VR device where you could only see your phones display.

This uses a peppers ghost setup to let you see the real world , and the phones screen is used to overlay holograms in the space in front of you.

If you’ve ever been to DisneyLand or any place that has hologram ghosts etc, this is essentially the same principle.

[JKCalhoun]

That sounds kind of cool.

And in case some are not familiar with Pepper's Ghost: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper%27s_ghost

[dragonwriter]

> Is it more than a premium version of Google Cardboard?

Cardboard is VR, not AR.

[bitL]

It looks exactly like those under $20 VR kits for phones. My guess is that the added value is in the app if it can overlay VR on top of the realtime video from iPhone cameras.

[mkl]

No, it's quite different from those, and it's not overlaying VR on top of camera video. You're looking at the real world through a diagonal window, and the phone screen is reflecting off that same window so you see it overlaid on your direct view of the world.

[prox]

Must be since it doesn’t support Ipads (now that must be a big headset!)

[secretsatan]

I was looking around the website for an SDK, it's a shame they don't have one, otherwise I'd be tempted

[peterept]

Wouldn’t the SDK be the same as Google Cardboard but disabling the distortion and mirroring the output?

Use ARKit/ARCore for tracking.

A few lines of code and you are all set.

[secretsatan]

I was under the impression there’s stereo vision, plus additional touch controls

[peterept]

Cardboard SDK is already stereo vision.

Looking at tech specs there is no touch controls. Input is either by using CV hand tracking or sending motion controls from an Apple Watch. Basically they are using Apples SDK for everything.

[jelling]

I bought one and regretted it as there is a strict no return policy. My purpose was possibly using it for AR development but I found the experience not much better than Google Day Dream, as far as I can remember, and possibly worse because the hard plastic molding made it harder to position your phone. Also I missed the Daydream remote.

On the upside it disabused me of the idea that AR was any closer to ready at a relatively low consumer price point.

Per typical AR product, the preview videos were wildly better quality than the actual experience.