The chip maker team up with Square Enix for Qualcomm metaverse. Qualcomm has gone on to invest $100 million in a metaverse development fund, which will be used to support developers and firms creating extended reality (XR) apps as well as related AR and AI technologies.
The XR Fund, which was announced by Qualcomm on Tuesday, will be financed through a “combo of venture investments in prominent XR firms” and Qualcomm’s developer grant program for creators of XR experiences in areas such as gaming, health & wellness, media and entertainment, education, and business.
In addition to the money, applicants may get early access to XR platform technology, hardware kits, a network of investors, and co-marketing and promotion opportunities.
“Through the Snapdragon Metaverse Fund, we look forward to empowering developers and companies of all sizes as they push boundaries of what’s possible as we enter into this new generation of spatial computing.”
-Qualcomm president and CEO Cristiano Amon
Qualcomm metaverse: Snapdragon Metaverse Fund beginning in June
The public can apply for a spot in the Snapdragon Metaverse Fund beginning in June.
Qualcomm has revealed that it is working with Square Enix on a Snapdragon Spaces Project to create head-worn augmented and mixed-reality gaming experiences.
Square Enix’s advanced technology division will work on the Snapdragon Spaces XR developer platform for this project.
“Square Enix has always been committed to state-of-the-art game technology to push storytelling boundaries, delivering unforgettable experiences for our fans. We have been investing in XR and look forward to building on Snapdragon Spaces. In particular, we think the time is right with XR to innovate on games of a classic genre we are especially known for.”
-Square Enix technical director Ben Taylor
Last year, after Qualcomm’s Snapdragon was announced as the ticket to the metaverse, Amon said that because most current metaverse-style devices, such as Facebook’s Oculus Quest, are already “powered by Snapdragon,” it would be.
According to Amon, XR, which includes AR and VR, has the capacity to be “bigger than mobile.”
