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Spark AR shows off new augmented reality features at Facebook Connect

Facebook Connect is pushing more into augmented reality with some new announcements for Spark AR.

Ozzie Mejia

September 16, 2020 10:58 AM

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Facebook Connect has been showing off several new features for the company's various VR efforts, including all things Oculus. It's also venturing farther into the world of mobile augmented reality. Many of those efforts are being ushered in with Spark AR, which will offer some new features going forward.

Among the Spark AR reveals include a deal with the New York Times, which will offer an AR Lab to allow for experimentation. Among the things readers can expect are news stories delivered with AR enhancements via Instagram. This is part of the New York Times' continuing push into new technologies, which you can learn more about on the New York Times website.

Facebook is also integrating more of its augmented reality effects across its various channels. Third-party creators will soon able to take the effects they've created with Spark AR and integrate them in both Facebook Messenger and Facebook's Portal video assistant. While AR effects are already available on those platforms, this will be the first opportunity for third-party users to show off their work.

Spark AR looks to have come a long way since coming out of beta in August. We'll expect to see more of these AR effects going forward and more deals like the ones with the New York Times. You can learn more about Spark AR on Facebook.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?