Snap’s (NASDAQ:SNAP) Spectacles 3 launch on Tuesday for $380. They let users record video and snap pictures, apply new 3D effects to them and then post that content to Snapchat or other social networks.
Unlike the previous two versions of Spectacles, the Spectacles 3 introduce new augmented reality and 3D features with the aid of a new depth sensor.
Thanks to this tech, you can make it look like you’re walking down a rainbow hallway, that heart-shaped balloons are floating in a park around you, or that a cartoon phoenix is following you around on a walk. Or you can take pictures and convert them into tilting 3D images and GIFs that can bring your adventures to life.
But Spectacles 3 aren’t meant for mass consumption the way earlier models might have been. (Snapchat wrote off nearly $40 million in losses when the first model flopped.) Instead, Spectacles 3 are aimed at wealthier influencers and creators who want to add special effects to their Snapchat posts. That’s a relatively small audience.
At $380, they’re not exactly priced for mass consumption anyway. Given that 90% of Snapchat’s audience is comprised of 13- to 24-year olds, they’re also probably too expensive for most of the younger buyers.
In October, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said more than 500,000 AR lenses are available on Snapchat. Developers and partners will soon be able to build them for Spectacles 3 too. And in 10 years, Spiegel said that consumers will widely adopt augmented-reality glasses.
Snap’s stock eked up six cents to $14.45
