vTime, the social VR platform, today announced that users can now connect with friends through smartphone-powered augmented reality in addition to VR.
In the past, users popped into vTime using a number of devices, including Cardboard, Go, Gear VR, Rift, Vive, Windows VR, and smartphones using what the company calls a ‘magic window’. Now smartphone-clad users can also engage in chats using handheld AR thanks to Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore integration released today.
Now officially dubbed vTime XR, the free platform lets AR users join in chats by placing a live 360-degree diorama of the destination on any real-world, flat surface.
“AR users can easily interact with others, change and scale their view of the destination, as well as having full access to vTime features such as avatar customization, image sharing, private messaging, and more,” a press statement says.
The AR integration is available today on iOS and Android, offering compatibility for all supported phones capable of supporting ARKit and ARCore. (ARCore compatible devices & ARKit compatible devices)
“Creating the world’s first cross reality social experience was such a unique opportunity for us that we couldn’t pass it up. AR provides vTime with another immersive platform for future innovations, and vTime XR marks the next step in providing our global community with market-leading and highly-engaging communication experiences, regardless of their technology of choice,” vTime managing director Clemens Wangerin said.
The app itself is organized similar to traditional social platforms—vTime XR allows you to create a profile, chat with friends and family, and even discover new friends by meeting random people online. Unlike other social VR platforms though, vTime XR puts a emphasis on seated conversation in a large variety of ‘Destinations’, which can be anything from a ride in an opulent, Victorian-style train cabin to a space station overlooking planet Earth.
For more information and links to all versions of vTime XR, head over the company’s website.
