After much anticipation, the new chipset is finally revealed to the world, showcasing the results of the collaboration between three tech giants. Finally available, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 platform comes a year after Qualcomm, Samsung, and Google announced their collaborative XR initiative. The performance of this enhanced processor, which replaces the XR2 Gen 2 chip seen in Meta Quest 3, is possibly comparable to that of Apple’s future Vision Pro headset, all thanks to its notable graphics processing enhancements.
A new mixed-reality headset processor platform, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, was unveiled by Qualcomm. This successor to the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 powers the Quest 3, the most recent mixed-reality headset from Meta.
Features of the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2:
- The new chip architecture unlocks 4.3K spatial computing at 90 frames per second, providing a more realistic and detailed experience than its predecessor.
- Also, the business added capability for 12 cameras instead of 10, allowing full-color video passthrough with a latency of less than 12 ms.
- The new chip has a GPU that is 15% quicker and a CPU that is 20% faster than the previous one in terms of raw power.
- As per the manufacturer, this results in a 2.5x faster GPU that uses 50% less power.
- Better performance and capacity to handle even the most dependent VR applications result from this.
- Qualcomm and Goertek collaborated to produce a new reference design in an effort to hasten the development of VR headsets.
- Two versions of this pre-built platform are available: one with the XR2 Gen 2 for 3K resolution and another with the XR2+ Gen 2 for full 4K functionality.
- Additionally, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 from Qualcomm offers up to an 8x boost in on-device AI performance and supports WiFi 7.
- Has features like foveated rendering, which blurs sections of the screen you aren’t concentrating on, to conserve battery life and enhance performance overall.
An internet-leaking prototype of a new extended reality headgear that Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm were developing surfaced in August of last year. It featured lighter pancake lenses in place of fresnel lenses, giving it a streamlined visor appearance similar to the Meta Quest 3. Google and Samsung’s future XR devices will include the new chip, as officially announced by Qualcomm. In order to promote its new platform, it is also collaborating with at least five additional hardware manufacturers, including HTC.
