Today, we’re excited to announce Niantic Studio, a new visual editor and web gaming engine for Niantic 8th Wall developers that offers an entirely new way to build immersive 3D and XR experiences. 

Traditionally, building web-based XR and 3D experiences has been a code-intensive process with little visual feedback of what you’re building. But with Niantic Studio, now in public beta, developers have a visual interface that makes everything you create accessible and visible in real time. With this new release, developers and creators of all skill levels can now start building with Niantic 8th Wall.  

At Niantic, we believe that augmented reality should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone regardless of the device they use. Today, we’re thrilled to unveil a significant milestone in this mission: the extension of Niantic 8th Wall’s Metaversal Deployment to now include support for development on Apple Vision Pro. With this new addition, developers can build once and deploy across mobile devices and mixed reality headsets including Apple Vision Pro. 

In the swiftly evolving landscape of WebAR, the tools that enable developers, brands, and agencies to rapidly build and deploy immersive experiences are more critical than ever. 

Today, we’re delighted to announce a feature that’s been eagerly awaited by the 8th Wall community — the all-new 8th Wall Simulator. Integrated directly into the Cloud Editor, the Simulator offers a real-time testing environment where developers can preview experiences across an array of virtual devices, aspect ratios, viewports sizes, and real-world video sequences. With this release, developers no longer need to juggle multiple devices or locations for testing, simplifying the creation process within 8th Wall dramatically. 


Accelerate development with powerful in-line simulation tools  
The new Simulator panel transforms the Cloud Editor into a dynamic testing ground. Developers can choose for a wide range of devices, input custom aspect ratios, or even use the live camera feed to make precise adjustments to their experiences. 

This holiday season, Niantic 8th Wall invites you to a world brimming with festive magic. Introducing Ask Santa Anything, an enchanting WebAR experience that seamlessly weaves together heartwarming tradition and cutting-edge technology, bringing the North Pole’s most cherished figure, Santa Claus, directly to your world.

Since its release in 2020, 8th Wall’s Face Effects has been a game-changer for brands, developers, and agencies, offering transformative facial experiences that deeply resonate with their audiences. Upgraded earlier this year with all-new features and tools, Face Effects allows developers to create captivating WebAR experiences tailored to each user's unique facial characteristics.  From letting users take selfies while wearing the virtual hat of their favorite team to disguising their face behind an ornate mask to trying on a new makeup routine virtually, Face Effects transforms the face into a boundless canvas for imagination that’s universally accessible in the browser. 

Now, we’re thrilled to unveil the latest addition to our Face Effects suite: three new attachment points for the ears. These additions not only elevate the realism and precision of Face Effects but pave the way for all-new use cases. From showcasing chic earrings and modeling stylish headphones to morphing into fantastical beings, the possibilities are now even more expansive and imaginative. 

We’re excited to introduce Hand Tracking, the latest addition to 8th Wall’s suite of Human AR tools for the web. With this new feature, developers, brands, and agencies have the tools they need to build applications that use hands, wrists, and fingers as the canvas for immersive WebAR experiences. 

Last month, we announced the VPS for Web Challenge, inviting 8th Wall developers to build unique, location-based webAR experiences. This challenge helped developers delve into new possibilities of VPS for Web, foster connections with fellow developers and the 8th Wall team, and compete for prizes worth over $20,000.

In 2021, the introduction of Metaversal Deploymentwas a groundbreaking milestone in the evolution of augmented reality. It changed the way developers create and deploy WebAR experiences by seamlessly bridging the gap between various devices using the mobile browser. And today, we're thrilled to share the enhancements we've made to our engine, propelling Metaversal Deployment to new heights of performance and versatility.