Niantic brings Lightship to the web

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Niantic announces Lightship VPS for the web, joining its visual positioning system to the 8th Wall platform. New browser-based technology anchors WebAR content to specific locations and allows virtual objects to interact with that space.

Technology enhances a location and allows developers to create an endless amount of unique experiences. This can drive traffic to specific locations, such as scenic parks or specific stores, to engage users in new ways. The 8th Wall platform can also allow developers to create cross-site events like digital scavenger hunts by combining multiple VPS experiences.

"At Niantic, we believe the real-world metaverse should inspire people to explore and connect with the world around them," Niantic boss John Hanke said in a statement to GamesBeat. “Bringing Lightship VPS to the web will allow developers to create immersive WebAR experiences anchored in real-world locations all around us. is just the beginning. We can't wait to see what location-based AR experiences our developer community will create with this new tool.

Lightship VPS allows developers to anchor AR content in real-world locations with centimeter precision, thanks to Niantic's AR World Map. By merging Lightship VPS with 8th Wall, developers can create VPS-enabled experiences that work directly in a mobile browser. More than that, it provides access to a 3D mesh of a location for interested developers.

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This allows developers to play with occlusion and physics and adds a greater level of interactivity between virtual objects and the physical world. Augmented reality experiences usually happen regardless of the setting. Now digital objects can actually interact with location.

Developers can add VPS-enabled locations directly to Niantic's AR map. They can choose from over 100,000 VPS enabled locations that other developers have already added. Locations on the AR map can be anything; streets, parks, businesses, monuments and more.

The Niantic AR Map is powered by real-world location analytics provided by developers, surveyors, and gamers. Millions of locations, photographs and scans have been contributed by the community around the world. These provide essential data that allows Lightship to serve localization with minimal hassle.

Developers can even create and simulate an AR experience remotely, thanks to fellow developers and the efforts of the Niantic community.

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